Stories from Saturday, August 17, 2019

, of Weldon Spring, Mo., passed away from this life on Thursday, August 15, 2019, at 2:45 a.m. at Breeze Park Lutheran Care Center following a courageous battle with Parkinson’s. Oren was born November 27, 1935, in Monett, Mo., the son of Albert and Dora (Doss) Fritz. He grew up on a farm north of Monett and attended Trinity Lutheran School and graduated from Monett High School in 1954. He married Carolyn E. Kleiboeker on September 15, 1956, and they were blessed with one daughter, Rachel...

of Verona, Mo., passed away Monday morning, August 12, 2019, at Bentonview Park Health and Rehab in Monett, Mo. Don was born on May 24, 1939, in Verona, Mo., the son of Dominic and Theresa (Stark) Sperandio. He received his education from Monett High School. ...

James O. “Jim” Winton, age 81, of Monett, Mo., passed away on Thursday, August 15, 2019, while at Lacoba Nursing Home in Monett, Mo. Jim was born on October 26, 1937, in Arkansas City, Kan., son of the late Elmer B. and Jewel (Elrod) Winton. Jim graduated from Monett High School with the class of 1955. ...

Loyd Ray Williams, 79, retired Boeing jig builder, passed away Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019. Loyd was born May 29, 1940, in McDowell, Missouri, and graduated from Purdy (MO) High School. Loyd was a life-long member of the Machinists Union at Boeing. He enjoyed Ham and CB Radios and was an active member of the Boeing Employees Amateur Radio Society (BEARS). He was also a former member of the Kansas Masons...

Monett, died Saturday, Aug. 10, in Springfield. No formal services are currently planned. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to your local Humane Society. Arrangements and cremation are under the direction of Cremations of the Ozarks in Hollister...

Dave Steckel, Missouri State football head coach, has announced a walk-on meeting for the 2019 Bears squad will take place on Aug. 19 at 3:30 p.m. Interested players should meet upstairs in Room 257 in Forsythe Athletics Center to complete a medical screening...

The Monett Motor Speedway and Camp Barnabas have partnered to help raise money for the camp and expose a younger generation to dirt track racing on Sunday. All children 18-and-under receive free entry into the Grandstands for Sunday’s event, and for every child that comes through the grandstand gate, Monett Motor Speedway will donate $1 to Camp Barnabas...

Diehard Kansas City Chiefs fans will have an oppurtunity to purchase a bit of Kansas City history as seats from Arrowhead Stadium go on sale. Jackson County residents will have a head start to bring a piece of Arrowhead Stadium to their homes. But they will have to act quickly as this offer will go fast...

Glaciers and biological chance set apart the walleye that angler Cecil Murray seeks in the lower Current River’s deep pools. A particular strain of this toothy fish swims only in four southeast Missouri Ozark rivers. Its closest genetic relatives live far away in a few streams in western Appalachia. ...

During the course of everyone’s life there are notable moments. For Monett’s William Daingerfield, this week will no doubt be one of the most memorable in his life. On Thursday, Daingerfield completed a lifetime goal when he signed a national letter of intent to play baseball at Culver-Stockton College in Canton...

Today at Howdy Neighbor Days at Pierce City’s South Park, Kelly Jo of Kujo Music plays at 5 p.m. The duck race is at 6:30 p.m. and the Mark Chapman Band plays at 9 p.m. The carnival, Masonic Lodge BBQ and beer garden will be open all evening. Today at Ernte-Fest in Freistatt, activities and food sales begin at 4:30 p.m. ...

T his is a story about the first day of school. The fact that things go wrong on the first run is not the point. The point is what goes right. A kindergarten student gets on a school bus to go home. The bus ride is new to him, and the route is new to him. He is new to his teacher and ends up with a tag on his backpack that ends up getting him on the wrong bus...

What a way to close out the dog days of summer.

There is always time for a selfie with your friends, even when you are spinning on the Cyclone swings at the Howdy Neighbor Days festival in Pierce City.

The Monett Chamber of Commerce will accept proposals through Aug. 30 for running the 2020 fireworks show for Monett's Freedom and Fireworks event next July 4. The Monett Chamber board decided this week to reject all proposals made to date and make a general request for proposals...

Eight people were hurt in a two-vehicle collision Friday morning on Interstate 44, five miles west of Mt. Vernon. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Enrique Lira, 59, of Pharr, Texas, was driving east on the interstate in a 2002 Dodge Caravan when a 2020 Volvo Conventional sleeper truck, driven by Omar Mohamoud, 34, of Dodge City, Kan., struck the van from behind. The impact sent the Lira van off the left side of the roadway, where it struck a median cable...

The Monett City Council will address the continuation of 911 service with Lawrence County, making pedestrian improvements on Central Avenue and refinancing the debt managed by the Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) Commission during the regular monthly meeting at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday at Monett City Hall...

Organizers of the Fall into Health Festival are seeking vendors to participate in the Sept. 28 event. The festival is sponsored by the Pierce City Arts Council, and will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Pierce City's South Park. The event will feature a fun run and walk, arts and crafts, fall items, produce and flowers, health and wellness information, natural foods and games...

A public hearing held by Pierce City aldermen on Monday, Aug. 12 resulted in a drop in tax levies for the 2019 year. Although assessed valuations for both real estate and personal property are up for 2018, city residents will see a drop in the tax rate levied against them...

The Monett Police offered special commendation to the Steel Tech company during the third annual National Night Out festivities on Tuesday. "If it was not for the generosity of our local businesses and public safety agencies, we could not put on an event like this," said Police Chief George Daoud. ...

A tri-folded promotional card for the National Association of Secondary School Principals’ annual meeting in Boston this summer had a photo of Monett Middle School Principal Jay Apostol on one of the sides. Apostol, along with Cherie Austin, principal at Monett Intermediate, were among the presenters at this year’s conference...

The count of students attending schools in the Monett area on the first day brought a few surprises, as Monett inched upward, especially at the high school. For the third consecutive year, first-day attendance in Monett’s public schools has grown. The Tuesday county of 2,268 students finally topped the 2014 tally for the most students ever in pre-kindergarten through high school, passing the old record by 15...

J. Edward Sweeney stepped down on July 16 as Monett’s municipal court judge, after completing court that day, ceding responsibilities to Victor Head. A reception was held in Sweeney’s honor for professionals in the court business the previous week to not conflict with Law Day in Barry County on Sweeney’s last day. The reception was kept low key at Sweeney’s request...

No foul play is suspected in the death of a Monett man found dead in his car in Monett Tuesday afternoon. Police Chief George Daoud has identified the deceased at Charles R. Walker, 60, of Monett. He was found in the 900 block of Seventh Street at about 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday in his vehicle...