Stories from Tuesday, December 31, 2019

David W. Ratzlaff, of Cassville, passed away on Saturday, Dec. 28, at the Select Specialty Hospital in Springfield. His wishes were to be cremated with services at a later date. Arrangements are under the personal care and direction of Buchanan Funeral Home, Monett...

Jesse L. “J.L.” Callaway, 77, of Exeter, died Sunday, Dec. 29. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 2, at First Christian Church in Cassville, under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial will be at Maplewood Cemetery in Exeter...

Monett fans will have a reason to tune into ESPN3 at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday as the Cubs’ Jamie Guinn will be a participant in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl in Tampa, Fla. Playing in the all-star game was thrown into doubt when Guinn broke his collar bone in a win over Hollister in the opening round of district play. ...

No greater individual honor can be achieved than to be named to the All-State football team. The Eagles of Pierce City had four young men achieve that goal and recognition this year. Trey Sagehorn was named to the First Team as a defensive back. Wyatt Perry, Trenton Kluck and Colten O’Hara both found homes on the Second Team, Perry as a defensive end, Kluck as a linebacker and O’Hara as an athlete...

With the whirlwind of the sports seasons changing and long playoff runs by area football teams, the fanfare of the basketball districts pods and classifications of area schools nearly went overlooked. For some area teams, there was a shock, but for most, it was the same group of schools, but with different host sites for the tournament...

Work by media students from throughout the region received recognition at the 23rd annual Southern Media Showcase at Missouri Southern State University on Thursday, Dec. 5. Close to 300 high school students gathered for the presentations and awards.

Around 300 meals were served by the First Baptist Church in Pierce City for the community following the Pierce City Christmas parade on Dec. 14.

Monett Church of Christ, 1107 North 9th Street, will hold a coat giveaway from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Jan. 4, at the church. For information, people may call 235-3785. The Silver Teens seniors singles group will meet at 6 p.m. on Jan. 9 for dinner at Adelina’s Mexican Restaurant , 201 Business Highway 37 in Purdy. For more information, people may call BJ McCauley at 417-393-9212...

A new landmark extending 100 feet into the air went up in Freistatt this week, as Aire Internet erected a new broadcast tower for internet customers. The business, with an office in Monett, added the tower after residents in Freistatt and the village government reported difficulty with two internet providers over a period of months and no reliable service. Company representatives held a public meeting at the Freistatt Community Building and found significant interest...

As January offers a bridge between years, Calendar Girl Becca Clark observed the transition from a bridge in the Outdoor Classroom at Monett Elementary School.

Pierce City School District patrons may have to ponder the possibility of passing an operating tax levy in order to partially fund the position of a school resource officer and meeting additional operating needs of the district. At the December meeting of the board, Superintendent Kelli Alumbaugh provided information on proposing both a 10-cent increase and a 15-cent increase, as provided by L.J. Hart and Co., in investment banking firm in St. Louis...

Sales tax revenues in December provided a feast-or famine scenario to end 2019, as more than half the bi-county recipients fell short of last December, while big payoffs in other towns left a positive balance for the month. Year-end totals were a similar mixed bag, though those short of 2018 sums fell not far from the mark...