Stories from Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Mary Lee Wheeler, 91, of Marionville, died Sunday, April 21, at the Hudson House in Aurora. A visitation will be held from 6-8:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 25, at the Williams Funeral Home in Marionville. A graveside service will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 26, at the Marionville IOOF Cemetery...

Linda Lee Hickman, 73, of Exeter, died Sunday, April 21. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, April 25, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial will be at Corinth Cemetery in Cassville. Visitation will be held from 6-8:00 p.m. Wednesday, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville...

Joe Richard “Dick” Granger, 89, of Stella, died Thursday, April 18. Graveside services were held Tuesday, April 23, at Macedonia Cemetery in Stella, under direction of McQueen Funeral Home in Wheaton.

Stephen D. Finch, 61, of Cassville, died Friday, April 19. Graveside services were held Monday, April 22, at Walnut Hill Cemetery in Garfield, Ark., under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville.

Jewell Katherine Dowdy, 96, of Mt. Vernon, died at 2:40 a.m. on Thursday, April 18, at Birch Pointe Health and Rehabilitation Center in Springfield. She was born January 23, 1923, in Halltown, the daughter of Doss and Mellie (Morris) Carter. Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 27, at Rock Prairie Cemetery in Halltown...

Alvin Wesley “Buck’ Adams, 92, of South Greenfield, died at 4:45 a.m. on Friday, April 19, 2019, at the Mercy Hospital in Aurora. He was born Feb. 7, 1927, in Perry, Kansas, the son of Loren Adolfus and Laverne (Fassnacht) Adams. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, April 23, at Round Grove Baptist Church. Burial will follow at the Round Grove Cemetery...

Steel Tech in Monett offers a variety of support to the Monett fire department. In honor of the company for taking care of the firefighters, on behalf of Steel Tech President Arlan Campbell, Local No. 2001 Monett Professional Firefighters donated $500 this week to the Monett High School state championship wrestling team to help buy championship rings...

Last Wednesday, Monett Softball Coach Ty Goetz gathered his Lady Cubs together for the final time as he explained that he was stepping down as the head coach to become Monett High School’s assistant principal. “This was by far the toughest decision that I have ever made,” Goetz said. “Coaching is about relationships, and the bond that I have with my teams are factors that went into this decision. It was tough to walk away.”...

The Monett girls track team took second at the Lamar meet on Thursday. The Lady Cubs tallied 113 points and finished just behind host Lamar with 139. Mt Vernon was third with 94 points. The Lady Cubs continue to set season best marks, showing their coach that the sky truly is the limit...

The Berean Christian Academy Concert Band received an exemplary 1 rating at the Mid American Music Festival at Pittsburgh State University on April 13.

During a special Signing Day at Verona High School, senior Avery Pankau, at left, signed to join the U.S. Army.

During Signing Day activities at Verona High School, senior Levi Paul signed to join the U.S. Army.

Verona High School senior Chase Golubski signed to join the U.S. Marines during Signing Day activities at the school.

Officials at Monett Elementary School have chosen students demonstrating the characteristic of being safe as Students of the Week for April 15.

Six DECA students from the Scott Regional Technology Center in Monett advanced to international competition following their showing at the 71st annual Missouri DECA State Career Development Conference, held at Crown Center in Kansas City from March 24 to 26...

Lora Wright, a 2018 Monett High School graduate and a student at Oklahoma State University, received a scholarship from the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources during the recent scholarships and awards banquet. The daughter of Larry and Jodi Wright, Lora received the Shawnee Milling Company Endowed Scholarship...

The annual Salad Luncheon hosted by the St. Lawrence Council of Catholic Women will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today, April 24, at the church fellowship hall, 405 Seventh St. in Monett. Cost is $7. Tickets are now available from ladies at the church...

EFCO Corporation has donated $2,000 to the Monett Area YMCA’s annual campaign that supports services to those who might not otherwise be able to afford YMCA costs.

Walk to School Week resumed this week, encouraging children to take the opportunity to walk to a campus with friends and adult chaperones in the morning as part of the school district’s wellness outreach.

Clutching her basket of eggs, Willow Hays made her way back to her mother to help count her winnings in hopes of capturing first prize in her age group following the Pierce City Easter Egg Hunt, held Saturday at South Park.

The Monett Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration will host the annual Drug Take Back event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday at Walmart, located on Hwy. 60 in Monett, and the Monett Police Department, 1901 E. Cleveland Ave. Jay Jastal, school resource and community relations officer at Monett Police Department, said the event will give area residents the opportunity to rid their homes of outdated or unused medications which will be safely disposed of by incineration...

The multi-campus Odyssey of the Mind program qualified to compete in world competition for the third year in a row at the state contest in Rolla in March, and received a pledge from the Monett school board to cover half the expense. A delegation from the 35 participating students and their supporting teachers presented their request to the board. ...

While most people would lament that no good deed goes unpunished, one local firefighter was well rewarded for his ceaseless efforts to teach others about career and volunteer work in emergency services. Lt. Shane Anderson, of the Monett Fire Department, was recently awarded Training Officer of the Year for the state through the Missouri Department of Public Safety...

Warm weather typically equates to a rise in crime, and this year is no exception. Law enforcement officials from the bi-county area reported increases in various crimes involving mail thefts, vehicle thefts and badly reproduced counterfeit bills once again circulating the community...

Teachers at Monett High School have expressed new concerns about sustaining learning with students coming from non-English speaking backgrounds, and boosting their skills to a level where they can graduate. Daphne Hensley, English language learners coordinator and migrant district coordinator who heads the English language development program at MHS, along with fellow teachers Tamara Stadter and Kari Cox, both English language development coaches, provided a review of their efforts at the Monett school board’s April meeting and described some of a pilot program begun this year. ...

Weather while living in the midwest means a constant cycle of putting on a jacket, then taking it off and mowing the yard, then preparing for a freeze. The four-states area is also well known for tornadoes, and local emergency management officials are hoping to prepare people for the coming tornado season...

A Purdy man wanted for alleged assault of a 67-year-old man that led to the victim suffering internal brain bleeding was arrested on Tuesday afternoon in Monett with the help of Monett police. Asahel Rodriguez, 18, of Purdy, has been charged for first-degree assault or attempt involving serious physical injury or special victim, a class A felony. Bond has been set at $100,000 cash only. He remains in custody at the Barry County Jail as of presstime...

The Barry County community was hit hard when 25-year-old Mason Lowe died on Jan. 15, as he had a passion for rodeo from a young age and succumbed to injuries from a bull riding accident. Stu Crowe, owner of Cr-Ose Cafe, said Mason never met a stranger...