Stories from Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Doyle Earl Nickle, 98, of Cassville, died Friday, December 20. Masonic services will be held at 2:00 p.m. followed by funeral services Thursday, Dec. 26, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial will be at Oak Hill Cemetery in Cassville. Visitation will be held from 11 a.m. until 12 noon, Thursday, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville...

Charles Glen “Chrome” Lewis, 58, of Seligman, died Thursday, Dec.19. Funeral services were held Monday, Dec. 23, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial was at Dent Cemetery in Seligman.

Vickie Sue Hendrix, 61, of Purdy, died Friday, Dec. 20. Graveside services were held Tuesday, Dec. 24, at Washburn Prairie Cemetery in Washburn, under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville.

Tom Shepherd, 78, of Monett, Mo., formerly of Sarcoxie, Mo., was born in Granby, Mo., on July 18, 1941. He went to be with the Lord on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019. He graduated from Sarcoxie High School in 1959. He attended Drury University and Missouri State University. Tom was united in marriage to the love of his life, Betty Lou Bailey, on August 18, 1963, sharing 56 years together. He served in the United States  Army  in Vietnam from 1966-1968...

The Monett girls wrestling team traveled to Nixa last week and posted a solid showing. While the Lady Cubs did not finish in the top three as a team, according to coach Justin Semerad, their growth can be seen by higher individual placings than last year...

It is about as close to a clean sweep as a team can get for Pierce City when it come to the Southwest All-Conference football honors. The Eagles took home 27 total awards, including Offensive, Defensive and Coach of the Year honors. Several Eagles picked up multiple awards for their offensive and defensive play abilities...

The 35th annual Linn Thornton Memorial Community Christmas Dinner will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Dec. 25 at the First United Methodist Church, 1600 N. Central in Monett. There is no cost. Donations are welcome. The event is open to all, especially to persons wanting company on Christmas Day, traveling or unable to make a big Christmas meal for one’s self...

Officials at Community National Bank in Monett hosted a retirement reception for Mark Nelson, senior executive vice president and chief lending officer, on Friday.

The Small Wonders preschool at the First United Methodist Church in Monett on Thursday presented “Where’s Baby Jesus?”

Eva Aldridge, 7, of Monett, sang “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” on the Santa Train Saturday. She later sang “All I want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth.”

Santa Claus made a surprise visit to Monett Elementary School on Friday, the last day before the holiday break.

Students took advantage of the upcoming holidays to use Christmas as a springboard for specific explorations.

Students at Trinity Lutheran School in Freistatt practiced last week for the Christmas Eve service Tuesday night at Trinity Lutheran Church.

The Monett High School Pizzazz Poms Dance Team is once again hosting a Lil' Pizzazz dance clinic for students in kindergarten through eighth grade who are attending an area school or who are home schooled. Participants attending the four-hour clinic, classed according to age groups, will learn a routine that will later be performed at a Monett High School basketball game...

The Monett City Council has taken several steps toward advancing the expansion of the Monett Regional Airport. At the recommendation of City Administrator Dennis Pyle, council members moved $500,000 into the Airport Improvement Fund. Pyle said the city had accumulated $425,000 already by placing $50,000 a year from the transportation sales tax aside for the airport, plus half of the revenue from fuel sales at the airport each year...

The Barry County Salary Commission convened recently, voting to keep a 2 percent annual cost of living raise for elected officials. Commission members attending this year’s meeting were: Circuit Clerk Craig Williams, Sheriff Gary Davis, Assessor Sherry Smith, Treasurer Lois Lowe, Presiding Commissioner Gary Youngblood, Northern Commissioner Gary Schad, Southern Commissioner Wayne Hendrix, Collector Skyler Bowman, Recorder Danielle Still and County Clerk Jill LeCompte...

A Monett police officer received a wealth of positive attention last week on social media after he was photographed helping an elderly man change a tire in the city. Chris Whitehead, who was an officer in Pierce City before coming to Monett in September, said on Dec. 17, he was dispatched to a motorist assist call at Highway 60 and Kyler. Upon arrival, he found an elderly man who had gone over the median and could not fix his tire...

Because Kelli Alumbaugh, superintendent at the Pierce City school district, answered a phone call and later sat down to visit with the man who made that call, the district has seen a significant number of its delinquent food service accounts paid in full...

Dr. Paul Callicoat, a retired Joplin cardiologist, has become such a strong advocate for medical marijuana that he and his wife, Wendy, have built an entire new business plan around the cultivation, processing and distribution of a product that just over a year ago, was illegal in the state of Missouri...

The Monett wrestling team traveled to the Kansas City Stampede and acquainted themselves well on the big stage. The invitation-only event featured top-flight teams from six states. The Cubs finished 18th out of 49 with 234 points. Liberty won the event with 600 team points...