Stories from Saturday, March 30, 2019

James Elmer Sanders, Jr., 85, of Cassville, died Monday, March 25. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 30, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial will be at Maplewood Cemetery in Exeter.

Billie Martonne Rose, 88, of Washburn, died Wednesday, March 27. Funeral services will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 31, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Visitation will be held from 2-3:00 p.m. Sunday, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville.

Ruth Idell Henson, 89, of Verona, died Monday, March 25, at her home. A graveside service, under the direction of the Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home in Aurora was held Thursday, March 28, at the Calton Cemetery.

Rita Lee Ponder, 39, of Joplin, died Friday, March 22. Graveside services were held Friday, March 29, at Purdy Cemetery in Purdy. Visitation was held from 6-8 p.m. Thursday at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville.

James M. Harris, 91, of rural Aurora, passed away peacefully Saturday, March 23, 2019, at home with his wife and daughters by his side. James was born June 9, 1927, at home on Flat Creek to Wiley and Ruth (Garner) Harris. On August 31, 1951, he was united in marriage to Laura Helen Johnson; she survives. ...

The good news is Tuesday is Election Day. It will be the end of another cycle. We have collectively come to hate campaign season with its hoopla and endless haranguing. Local elections, on the other hand, are pretty quiet. In some cases, it’s become difficult to even to get candidates to tell how they differ from the others. Reluctant candor doesn’t speak well of what will follow after the election...

The Monett tennis team is off to a 1-2 start on the season, but do not let the record fool you, this team is vastly improved. Monett opened the season with a 9-0 win over Aurora and then dropped back-to-back matches to Neosho and Thomas Jefferson. The catch — the team was not at full strength for those matches...

The Purdy softball team is once again garnering state-wide attention in spring softball. The Missouri High School Fastpitch Coaches Association has released its rankings for the spring season and the Lady Eagles check in at No. 8. The complete list is as follows:...

Five Monett wrestlers will wrap up competition today in the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) wrestling tournament in Virginia Beach, Va. This event is the most prestigious high school event in any sport, throughout the country. The 2018 National Championships culminated with a total of 4,430 entries. ...

Sociology instructor Dr. Dennis Edwards taught his final class for Drury University’s Monett campus on March 14.

Officials at Monett Elementary School have chosen students demonstrating the characteristic of being safe as Students of the Week for March 18.

Purdy Elementary Principal Julie Dalton has announced students who qualified for the third quarter honor roll. Named to the A honor roll are the following students: Third grade: Jesus Aldaba, Chase Chancellor, Erynn Cunningham, Kenzi Postlewait, Karolin Solis-Sanchez, Violet Wolf, Antony Garcia, Ellie Nunez, Brianna Ramirez, John Rose, Conner Holloway, Benjamin Martinez, Shelbie Patterson and Chloe Prock...

The first and second grade students at St. Mary's Catholic School in Pierce City worked on a special project for their science chapters on pond habitats on Friday, March 15. Each student was required to make a pond creature out of Crayola Model Magic and paint it. ...

Kordel McBlair recently represented Trinity Lutheran School in Freistatt at the Joplin Globe Spelling Bee and received 13th place out of 74 competitors.

The Purdy High School National Honor Society hosted its annual Evening of Excellence on Tuesday, March 12, which included the induction of new chapter members. The evening also featured a National English Honor Society ceremony and culminated with the district’s National Honor Society adviser Jennifer Cornelius welcomed 14 new members to the prestigious organization...

SCHAUMBURG, IL ― The American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) presented Josh Wignall, director of marketing for EFCO Corporation, with the Marketing Distinguished Service Award during 82nd Annual Conference Awards Banquet held February 26 in Palm Springs, Calif. Award presenters noted the importance of five members’ contributions, including Wignall’s, which serve to progress the work of the industry overall...

A delegation from the Monett Kiwanis Club attended the four-day mid-winter conference from the Missouri-Arikansas-Kansas district. According to Cathy Lewis, one of the Monett delegate, along with Norma Clinton, current lieutenant governor and Frank Washburn, pas lieutenant governor, the meeting unveiled two new images for the service organization...

A total of 53 people donated blood at the American Red Cross blood drive, held Feb. 15, at Church of Christ in Monett. First time donor was Pauline Brubacker. Those donating included: Josh Campbell, Julius Abramovitz, Donna Beckett, John Beckwith, Gerald Bounds, Mabel Brubacker, Ruth Brubacker, Sarah Brubacker, Walter Brubacker, Roy Cash, Jon Funk, Michel Garman, Courtney Garner, Jeffrey Gates, Howard Gentry, Samuel Helmkamp, Karen Herkelman, Jeff James, Aaron Johnson, Angela Johnson, Cameron Johnson, Molly Johnson, Adam Kimberling, Marlene Mareth, Warren Mason, Samuel Meadows, Timothy O'Neill, Amanda Ostertag, Mary Peters, Danny Potter, Matt Pruente, Paul Renfro, David Rosebrough, Kenneth Saloga, Lyla Salsman, Jessie Shouse, Jr., Cheryl Spain, Vicki Strong, Donald Swanson, Dennis Wake, Cherry Warren, Felisha Willis. ...

The Monett Ministerial Association will continue its midweek Lenten services at 12:05 p.m. on April 3 at Chapel of Grace, with Richard Virnig speaking. A light lunch will follow the service. The First United Methodist Church in Monett is making plans for its annual Serve Day on Saturday, April 27. The church is accepting offers for people to undertake home or community projects. People may request assistance or serve with a volunteer by making arrangements online at www.fumcmonett.org...

April will send area residents back to their gardens to bring out the beauty of the season.

Kara Ross, a 2014 Monett High School graduate and now a sign language interpreter for the Springfield Public Schools, provided a signed interpretation of Toby Keith’s song “American Soldier” for the 100th anniversary celebration of the American Legion at the Legion Home in Monett on Saturday, March 23...

Ronni Braun at center accepted high fives from Monett High School students who offered a tunnel send-off on Friday morning for special education students bound for state competition at the Missouri JellyBean Festival in Mexico for speech competition, part of the Special Olympics program...

Monett, Purdy and Wheaton firefighters stopped a fire at the Hill Creek Lodge, west of Pulaskifield, now owned by a church, on Thursday. According to John Hull, Monett Rural Fire District chief, a controlled burn on the property, located north of Camp Barnabas, rekindled and creeped to the well house servicing the complex. As a structure fire, Monett Rural received mutual aid from the city fire department, and firefighters from the Purdy Fire District and Wheaton...

The Monett City Council has approved the purchase of property on Central Avenue, the hiring of an appraiser for the Kelly Creek buyout and the selling a former city well outside of the city limits. The property purchased by the city was identified as 305 N. ...

Officials with the American Red Cross and the Barry County Office of Emergency Management have joined forces in an effort to establish mass shelters in Barry County in the event of a large-scale disaster. Julie Stolting, disaster program specialist with the American Red Cross, and David Compton, director of the Barry County Office of Emergency Management, recently spoke to stakeholders at Angus Branch Restaurant in Monett on the need for establishing shelters well in advance of any kind of disaster.. ...

Barry and Lawrence County voters face a wide range of choices on April 2 in municipal, school board and road district races. Lawrence County Clerk Tammie Riebe is predicting an 18 percent turnout with the countywide vote on a sales tax for 911. Barry County Deputy Clerk Kimmie Deal, running her first election, is preparing for a 60 percent turnout. Last April’s election had a turnout of nearly 15 percent...

The death of an inmate at the Lawrence County jail on Thursday has prompted an investigation by authorities. According to a release from Sheriff Brad DeLay’s office, the subject was a 59-year-old Aurora man who was discovered unconscious in his cell...

The Monett City Council has formally adopted its budget for the 2019-2020 fiscal year and closed out the year ending on March 31 with some changes not initially envisioned. For the year ahead, total revenues are projected at $44,853,210, up from $42,990,710 for the 2018-2019 year, while spending is projected at $47,150,786...