Stories from Saturday, June 1, 2019

, died peacefully on May 23, 2019, in Granby, following a lengthy illness, with her daughter at her side. Merla was born Feb. 26, 1949, at Oskaloossa, Iowa, to Merlin and Josephine (Spencer) White. She graduated from Monroe High School, and later Crowder College as an adult basic education teacher with a 4.0 grade point. ...

Pearl Cleo Hood, 90, of Miller, died at 4:37 a.m. on Thursday, May 30, at her home. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 1, at the Morris-Leiman-Mosher Funeral Home in Miller. Burial will follow at Sycamore Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. prior to the service...

Clyde Lockwood Hanson, Jr., 91, of Chadwick, died Wednesday, May 29. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 1, at Fohn Funeral Home in Shell Knob. Burial will be at a later date at Lake Park Memorial Gardens in Shell Knob. Visitation will be held from 1-2:00 p.m. Saturday, at Fohn Funeral Home in Shell Knob...

J.A. “Andy” Nivens, 98, of La Russell, died at 9:15 a.m. on Tuesday, May 28, at the Missouri Veterans Home in Mt. Vernon. Graveside services were held at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 31, at Fellowship Cemetery. Arrangements were under the direction of the Morris-Leiman-Mosher Funeral Home in Miller...

James Ellis Stockton, 41, of Aurora, died Wednesday, May 29 at Cox South in Springfield. Visitation is being held on Sunday, June 2 from 5-7:00 p.m. at the Bennett-Wormington Funeral Home in Monett. Funeral services are being held on Monday, June 3 at 10 a.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Monett. Burial will follow services at the Monett I.O.O.F. Cemetery in Monett...

Glenn Richard Theriac, 81, of Houston, Texas, died Monday, May 27. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 1, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial will be at Corinth Cemetery in Cassville. Visitation will be held from 10-11:00 a.m. Saturday, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville...

The Aurora High School cheerleaders will perform a pre-game routine and during the seventh inning stretch of the Springfield Cardinals game on Saturday, June 15. The pre-game routine will be at 5:45 p.m. Tickets are $15 and are available at Pizza Place in Aurora. For more information, people may call 417-229-2461...

The Mt. Vernon Veterans Home Assistance League will host its second annual golf tournament on Saturday, June 15 at Honey Creek Golf Club, 15276 Highway K in Aurora. Cost for the four-person scramble is $60 per person. Proceeds will benefit the Veterans Home...

Teams are now forming for the annual Monett Chamber of Commerce Industrial Appreciation Golf Tournament, sponsored by the Monett license office and Schreiber Foods. To register a team, people may call the Chamber office at 417-235-7919.

The Butterfield Firefighter Auxiliary will host a truck and tractor pull on Saturday, June 22 beginning at 6 p.m. The event will be held at the Twister Alley Raceway. For more information contact Angie Welters at 417-489-3985.

A Monett senior football player is seeking help from the community to help him in his pursuit of becoming an All-American. Jamie Guinn, a standout for the Cubs as a junior, received and invitation to try out for the Blue-Grey All-Star game. Blue-Grey Football was established in 1989 and the founders were Gus Bell and his son Erik Bell. ...

By Jared Lankford sports@monett-times.com The Ozark 7 Conference release its annual list of top players. Player of the Year: Kolton Pinkly, Verona Coach of the Year: Fred Lundien, Verona and Phillip Jordan, College Heights Nathan Taylor, McAuley Caleb Hillhouse, Verona...

Purdy sophomore Lauren Schallert claimed a coveted award last week when she was named to the Missouri All-State Second Team in spring softball. The complete list is as follows. Pitcher Kaileigh Dirden, Scott City Sami Huck, Potosi Alyson Marcum, Bernie...

In this day of dysfunctional government, it’s particularly interesting to watch city councils return to basics and address what really matters — public services, and more specifically, services on public property. This week the Purdy City Council expanded its discussion about doing away with the Purdy Community Center, which has frankly become an albatross. The Verona City Council once again held an extended but indecisive exchange on how to manage its city parks...

Verona Elementary students recognized for learning integrity, from left, are, Dennyse Garcia and Allie Murphy, kindergarten, second grader Kinleigh Smith, first grader Sophie Keim, and second grader Kalel Massey.

Monett Middle School art students Lacee Murphy and Emma Hunter won Best of Show at the Big 8 Middle School Art Show. Murphy won Overall Best and Hunter won Best in Show for seventh grade. The show was held at the Mt. Vernon Arts and Recreation Center...

Monett High School sophomore Chloe Bartz received the Missouri Art Education Association President’s Choice Award for secondary schools for her colored pencil drawing of her dad’s hunting dog, “Dixie Sugar Foot,” pictured with her teacher, Lynn Morin, left...

Officials at Monett Elementary School have chosen students demonstrating the characteristic of being safe as Students of the Week for May 6.

For the fourth year, art students at Monett High School participated in the Memory Project. Teacher Lynn Morin received 15 photo portraits of Peruvian children in December, and had 15 students volunteer to create portraits. "We provided $15 per child for necessities like toothpaste, soap, comb, pencil and paper, etc.," Morin said. "The artwork is for the children to keep and make a memory that they are loved."...

For the 20th year, Purdy Elementary School held its wax museum of famous Missourians, with 44 fourth graders lining the hallway and presenting speeches on each of their assigned persons.

Area diners welcomed in the spring sunshine on April 27 as the Monett Lions hosted their annual Steak Dinner at the Scott Regional Technology Center. Club members prepared snd served up their fare of a grilled ribeye steaks. baked potatoes, tossed salad, hot rolls, pies, and beverages. All steaks prepared for the occasion sold...

The Monett Senior Center will host a dance at 7 p.m. on Monday, June 3, at the Monett City Park Casino. Finger foods for sharing will be appreciated. The Timberline Band will perform. The annual Pierce City Fishing Derby will take place today, from 8 to 11 a.m., at South Park in Pierce City. The event is sponsored by the Pierce City Fire Protection District. Prizes will be awarded...

By Melonie Roberts reporter@monett-times.com The administrative staff at Bentonview Park Health and Rehab, in Monett, are celebrating those employed as nurses in the field of healthcare. “Every day, skilled nursing centers assist our seniors and people with disabilities in living their happiest and best lives,” said Pamela Foland, human resources and payroll coordinator at Bentonview. ...

The City of Marionville is looking at a major expense to get three lift station pumps back into working order after finding they had been impacted by gravel. Bert Bond, of Clean Stream Enterprise, who maintains the wastewater plant and system, told aldermen the repairs to the influent lift station pumps would require three impellers, at a total cost of $5,909.11; three wear rings, totaling $2,379.78; three air release valve rebuild kits, costing $355,95; and three cork O-rings, at a total cost of $11.29. ...

There is about to be less “FOG” in Marionville. Alderman Dale Blankenship recently presented a proposal to adopt a FOG ordinance, to help eliminate fats, oils and grease from entering the city's wastewater lines from commercial food service vendors...

On Saturday morning, May 18, a small brown bear appeared in a tree in a residential part of Rinker and St Louis streets. Residents called the Missouri Department of Conservation, whose agents estimated the bear to be approximately four years old, worked with Aurora Police in cordoning off the area...

Three Monett residents sustained minor injuries in a two-vehicle crash that occurred at 3:40 p.m. on Tuesday, May 28, on Hwy. 60, one-tenth of a mile east of Billings. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, the incident occurred when an eastbound 2018 Jeep Renegade, driven by James Young, 45, of Springfield, struck an eastbound 2014 Chevrolet Malibu, driven by Delaney Burton, 35, of Monett, in the rear...

Five people sustained injuries in a two-vehicle crash that occurred at 6:15 p.m. on Saturday, May 25, on Rt. EE and Hwy. 39 at Jenkins. According to a report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the incident occurred when a westbound 2013 Nissan Versa, driven by Mason R. York, 24, of Lowell, Ark., pulled into the path of a northbound 2004 Honda Element, driven by Diana L. Barkley, 71, of Berryville, Ark., striking the vehicle...

An ill advised traffic pattern on Kyler Street in Monett resulted in a vehicular collision on Tuesday that fortunately did not include injuries. According to Police Lt. Dennis Camp, Mary Frieze, 78, of rural Verona, was driving south on Kyler at 12:14 p.m. ...

The Monett school board hired 10 educators and accepted two resignations at its May meeting. Superintendent Russ Moreland said that should fill out staffing needs for the opening of school. Board members approved resignations from Elaina Weaver, a middle school teacher, and Jessica Trent, a middle school math teacher...

The Summer Reading Club at branches of the Barry-Lawrence Regional Library get into full swing next week, with activities running into August. The Monett Branch will kick off its programming with author Mary Schlegel, who will present a program at 5 p.m. on Monday, June 4, on “Steampunk.” a style combining fashion and old technology in new and interesting forms...

New executive directors for both the Monett Area YMCA and the Cassville YMCA have been announced by Kathryn Custer, chief executive officer of the Ozarks Regional YMCA in Springfield. Dove Haney, tapped as interim director in Monett in January after longtime director Gordon Brown was dismissed, will stay on as the new executive director...

The Monett City Council approved two construction contracts and advanced plans for the new Cox Monett Hospital in action at its monthly meeting on May 20. Council members approved a contract with Bennett, a heavy construction firm based in Lamar, to build a gravity sewer line from the Cox Monett Hospital property to the connection that serves the National Guard Armory on Chapell Drive. ...

The Lawrence County Emergency Services Board, created upon passage in April of the new sales tax funding 911 and central dispatching services for the county, organized this week and laid groundwork for beginning the creation of a new system for the county...

Now that she’s graduated as one of the top 10 percent of the Class of 2019 at Monett High School, Calendar Girl Mariana Serrano can enjoy school memorabilia at the Monett Museum, including Griz, the stuffed Grizzly rescued by Rod Anderson from Missouri Sandblasting, serving as a school mascot in vintage uniforms...