Stories from Saturday, September 7, 2019

William Burton Pearson, 79, of Marionville, died Thursday, Aug. 29, at his home. No services are planned at this time. Arrangements are under the direction of the Williams Funeral Home in Marionville.

Tom O’Neill, 74, of Exeter, died Tuesday, Sept. 3. Graveside services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, at Maplewood Cemetery in Exeter, under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial with military honors will be at Maplewood Cemetery in Exeter...

Theodore Mischke, Jr., 88, of Wentworth, died Aug. 29 at Lawrence County Manor ion Mt. Vernon. No services are planned. Burial will take place at a later date. Arrangements are under the direction of Lakin Funeral Home in Pierce City.

Alice Faye Lawson, 83, of Monett, formerly of Oklahoma City, Okla., died Wednesday, Sept. 4, at Oak Pointe in Monett. Graveside services were held Friday, Sept. 6, at Calton Cemetery, southeast of Monett, with Rev. Lee Neill officiating. Arrangements have been entrusted to Buchanan Funeral Home, Monett...

James “Pat” Patrick Freeman, 63, of Pierce City, died Sept. 3 at Cox Medical center South in Springfield. No services are planned. Burial will take place at a later date.

Sam Dalton, 81, of Pierce City, died Thursday, Sept. 5, at Evelyn’s House in Creve Coeur. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m., Monday, Sept. 9, at First Baptist Church in Pierce City. Burial will be at Clear Creek Cemetery in Pierce City. Visitation will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 9, at First Baptist Church in Pierce City...

Timothy Mark Cox, 48, of Racine, died Monday, Sept. 2, at Freeman Hospital in Joplin. Services will be held on Saturday, Sept. 7, at 2 p.m. at the Bennett-Wormington Funeral Chapel in Monett, with Samuel Cox officiating. Visitation will immediately follow services until 4:30 p.m...

Lyle Edwin Youngberg, 87, of Verona, Mo., passed away Friday, August 30, 2019, in his home. He was born on July 8, 1932, to Edwin R. and Mildred Bradley Youngberg in Albert City, IA. He graduated from Geneva High School in Geneva, Iowa, in 1950. Lyle earned his college degree at SMSU in Springfield, MO. ...

David P. Meirick, 66, of Independence, Mo., left his loving family and friends on Aug. 28, 2019, following a brief illness at St. Luke’s Hospice House, in Kansas City, Mo. Dave was born June 30, 1953. He was the baby of eight children born to Walter and Agnes Rose (Miller) Meirick. He grew up in the Mt. Vernon and Pierce City, Missouri areas...

Donavon “Don” Craig Lakin, 78, of Pierce City, Mo.., died on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2019, at Select Specialty Hospital in Springfield, Mo.. Mr. Lakin was born in Waterloo, Iowa, on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 1940. He was the son of Harold and Arlene (Roethler) Lakin...

We can hope that out of all the stuff we say and do, there’ll be one moment of clarity, one example of decency that will outlast us. Don Lakin had many moments like that. The longtime Pierce City funeral home director and past county coroner left us this week after many years of service to grieving families who came to him for professional help, receiving understanding, sympathy and concern. ...

The Monett girls tennis team fell 5-4 to Nevada on Tuesday in conference play. Megan Hull, No. 4 singles (8-6); Sydney Parrigon, No. 5 singles (8-0); and Katie Smith, No. 6 singles (8-2) earned victories for Monett, while Smith and Parrigon picked up a No. 3 doubles win (8-6)...

Monett softball (1-1, 1-0) defeated Marshfield 15-5 on Monday thanks in part to Kassie McCallister, who drove in four runs. McCallister doubled in the second and third, helping the Lady Cubs roll to victory. The Lady Bluejays plated two runs in the top of the first inning, but the Lady Cubs responded with a sacrifice fly by Abby McCaffrey and an error and a single by Caitlyn Calhoun in the first inning to take a 3-2 edge...

Alan Spencer, former Monett coach and athletic director, will be recognized as part of the 2019 Missouri Elite 11 which honors former high school and college standouts, as well as those who have made positive contributions to the game of football in the Show-Me State...

Experts say the most precarious lead in soccer is 2-0. The reason for that is that teams may be lulled into a false sense of security and allow the opponent to gain momentum. On Monday, the Monett boys soccer team, with a 2-0 lead on Parkview, was warned about this at halftime and told to remain aggressive...

Ruth Hunter, the new art teacher at the Verona school district with eight years experience, has received a $500 grant from the Missouri Retired Teachers Association.

Charles and Karen Brady of Monett will celebrate 50 years of marriage on Sept. 20. Charles Brady and Karen Brooks were married on Sept. 20, 1969 in Caruthersville at the First Presbyterian Church, with Pastor Paul Currie officiating. The couple has two children, four grandchildren and one great-grandson...

The 129th annual reunion of the McCullah-Wasson family was held July 28-Aug. 4 at Finley River near the Hawkins Bridge, part of the Hawkins farm used continually as a campsite since 1908. The reunion has been held without fail since 1890, starting as a surprise birthday party for Samuel Calvin McCullah, son of Alexander and Lucy (Robertson) McCullah, north of Marionville. ...

CRIMINAL • William Jesse Franklin Agans, DWI, misd. B, 30 days in Lawrence County Jail, fined $300; failure to drive on right half of the road, misd. C, fined $100; suspended execution of sentence (SES), two years unsupervised probation, 40 hours of community service, $137 in recoupment, Law Enforcement Restitution Fund (LERF) $50, Crime Victim’s Compensation Fund (CVCF) $10...

“Beef after Dairy,” a University of Missouri Extension workshop designed for dairy producers looking to transition to a beef production, will be held from 6 to 9 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 17 at the Southwest Research Center, 14548 Highway H, southwest of Mt. Vernon...

Monett Boy Scout Troop No. 38 recently studied fire safety strategies to earn a merit badge.

A total of 41 donors recently participated in an American Red Cross blood drive hosted at New Site Baptist Church. Donors received Cardinal T-shirts and $5 gift cards to Amazon. Other contributors included Schreiber Foods and Price Cutter Supermarket...

Shawn Hayden, chief executive officer for Missouri Southwest Initiative to Change Health (MO SWITCH), shared detailed information about his role as a grant writer when he addressed Monettl Lions Club members. Hayden described how he labors to secure funding and works to deliver services to improve the health of area residents. ...

Monett police officials are still seeking the whereabouts of Kyle Huse, 31, of Aurora, in connection with the Aug. 20 shooting of Jason White, 50, of Monett. Officers responded to the 200 block of Frisco Street at 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday after shots had been fired. Officers found White with gunshot wounds to the arms, legs and chest...

It's time to drag out the boots and haul out the horses as the 2019 Urban Cowboy Rodeo comes to the Pierce City Saddle Club Arena Sept. 28 at 5:30 p.m. Competitors will vie in several farm and ranch related events, such as wild goat milking, the pig roundup and the egg gather, to claim the top prize, with the winners taking home the Urban Cowboy Cup and 2019 Urban Cowboy Champion shirts...

The Rebel’s Bluff Troupe community theater in Mount Vernon will its summer show "Just Desserts" on Sept. 20 and 21. As a special treat, the company is offering its show in a dinner theater format, with reservations available until Sept. 12. The play is offered as a murder mystery dinner theater show with audience interaction. Craig Sodaro's play brings...

Cox Monett Hospital is once again partnering with Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks to offer free mammograms from 2-4 p.m. on Sept. 19, inside the hospital’s north patient registration entrance. No appointment is necessary for a mammogram, which are available for or underinsured and uninsured women. Participants do not need to be a CoxHealth patient to receive one...

The Verona school board has put plans in place for its bus service and approved program evaluations to start the new school year. The board approved having the Apple Bus Company pick up the final year of the transportation contract with the Gale Webb company, which sold. Superintendent Tony Simmons said the service will remain the same, with the same routes and the same number of buses. For next year, the district will seek an original contract with the Mt. Vernon-based Apple company...

Arriving at Monett Elementary School in the mornings is a little different this year. Students cross the commons rooms, where a number of teachers stand to give greetings, and head straight to class. Once in their rooms, after hanging up their backpacks, many students dig into the two big red insulated bags in the rooms, fishing out cold milk and warm food. Some days, it’s even pancakes on a stick...

A voice coming out of the darkness through an open window can be a scary thing, something that raises the hair on the back of the neck and produces instant flashbacks to every horror movie ever seen. But sometimes, it’s really nothing to be concerned about, according to Pierce City Police Chief Mike Abramovitz...

Construction has picked up in Monett this summer, mostly in the creation of new single family homes. Building Inspector Wade Ennes said his office has stayed busy as projects have come in. Digging for footings on the new Cox Monett Hospital began on Thursday. ...

Verona Special Road District commissioners will meet at 7 p.m. today, Sept. 11, at the road district barn behind the Mexican restaurant.