Stories from Saturday, January 4, 2020

Wilbur Wiley “Sonny” Woodward, 78, of Monett, died on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020, at Mercy Hospital in Springfield. Funeral services will be held at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 4, at Buchanan Funeral Home with Greg Gilliam, Minister, officiating. Graveside services will be at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Maize Park Cemetery, Maize, Kan...

Debra Ann Wolfe, 55, of Marionville, died Friday, Dec. 27, at the Mercy Hospital in Springfield. No services are planned at this time. Arrangements are under the direction of the Williams Funeral Home in Marionville.

John Randall Taylor, 64, of Mt. Vernon, died at 9:41 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019, at Mercy Hospital in Springfield. A Celebration of Life was held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 2, at Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon. Arrangements were under the direction of Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon...

Carl Ormsby, 65, of Aurora, died Dec. 30, at Mercy Hospital in Aurora. No services are planned at this time. Arrangements are under the direction of Lakin Funeral Home in Pierce City.

Leo Glenn Kreutzer, 87, of Pierce City, died Dec. 29, 2019, at his home. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m., Jan. 10, at Lakin Funeral Home in Pierce City. Burial will be at a later date. Visitation will be held from 1 to 2 p.m., Jan. 10, prior to the service...

Stanley Ray Johnson, 67, of Aurora, died Monday, Dec. 30, at the Mercy Hospital in Aurora. A funeral service was held Friday, Jan. 3, at the Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home in Aurora. Burial was at the Spring River Cemetery in Verona.

Ruby Evylee Coyner, 89, of Pittsburg, Kan., formerly of Washburn, died Wednesday, Jan. 1. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 4, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial will be at King Cemetery in Seligman. Visitation will be held from 1-2:00 p.m. Saturday, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville...

Betty Walker Hopkins Taylor, 98, of Monett, Mo., passed from this life on Monday, December 23, 2019, while at Lacoba Homes in Monett. Betty was born on November 16, 1921, in Pungoteague, Vir., the daughter of the late Percy and Mary (Kellam) Walker and granddaughter of the late Dr. and Mrs. F.C.A. Kellam and the late Mr. and Mrs. George Walker. Betty was also preceded in death by her husbands, the late Robert E. Taylor and the late Vernon E. Hopkins, Sr...

Now that we’re into a new year, and New Year’s resolutions suggest new directions for the coming months, here’s some ideas for our communities. For the Monett City Council, now that the cost share has jumped the big hurdle for improving Central Avenue and building a roundabout, it would be prudent as soon as possible to unveil the roundabout plan to the impacted property owners. Some businesses may have to move and deserve some time to make plans or even to buy real estate elsewhere in town...

The Wheaton basketball team earned fifth place in the Southwest Holiday Tournament Saturday.

Officials at Monett Elementary School have chosen Students of the Month for December.

Purdy Elementary School has awarded medals for character development in December.

Purdy High School crowned Clay Henderson, a junior, and Shelby Haskins, a senior, as the 2019 Mister and Miss Merry Christmas at a special coronation ceremony between basketball games on Friday, Dec. 13. The crowning capped a fun-filled Winter Wonderland Week of activities planned by the Purdy High School Student Council, including themed dress-up days such as flannels and fuzzy socks, crazy sweaters, pajamas and favorite Christmas character. ...

Around 400 speech and debate students from across southwest Missouri gathered at Monett High School on Friday and Saturday for the 59th annual Priscilla Bradford Speech Tournament, hosted by the MHS speech and debate program. Approximately 200 volunteer judges from the Monett community assembled to assess the competitors in 11 events for a total of 44 rounds...

Bob Painter was named Legionnaire of the Year for Hobbs-Anderson American Legion Post No. 91 in Monett. The announcement was made during the annual Christmas dinner for the Post and Ladies Auxiliary. held on Dec. 3. Acting as Post commander, Painter opened the evening by introducing the Monett JROTC color guard, which presented the Colors and led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance. Crae Salsman, 11. played taps on his harmonica...

The Monett City Council will hold a special session at 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 7 at Monett City Hall. Action will include refinancing the city’s tax increment financing (TIF) debt to add the Lowe’s Lane extension on the north side of Highway 60, and opening bids for demolition as part of the Kelly Creek buyout plan. The council will move immediately into a work session preparing the budget for fiscal year 2020-2021...

Santa was an unexpected guest at the Dec. 5 story time at the Marionville Branch Library.

Monett Electric Department personnel got right to work on Thursday disassembling the nearly 30 displays in the Monett Chamber of Commerce’s Festival of Lights holiday light show at South Park.

At this month’s craft workshop with Joyce Reed at the Monett Branch Library, attendees learned how to make sock snow people, filling a white sock at the bottom with rice, then adding stuffing, tying with a rubber band and drawing on faces or attaching accessories like buttons and pins and hats...

Retired judge Mike Garrett served as narrator for a recent musical setting of the “Night Before Christmas” poem by Clement Clarke Moore for the Ozark Festival Orchestra’s Christmas concert on Dec. 15.

A fire on Jan. 2 has displaced a rural Verona family. The fire took place at the Jared and Melissa Lankford home, four miles north of Verona on Farm Road 1135, where flames were discovered at 3 a.m. Verona Rural Chief Aaron Siegrist said the fire started on the front porch, traveled up the wall and spread between the shingle roof and a metal roof...

The second man charged with the armed robbery of a Monett man of his pain medications has been arrested. Shane Eugene Smith, 33, of Purdy, was arrested Dec. 26, 2019, for first degree robbery, armed criminal action and unlawful possession of a firearm...

A Pierce City woman was sentenced to 7 years in prison for one count of possession of a controlled substance, a class D felony, and four years each on four counts of stealing. Eavette Nixon, 36, was sentenced on Dec. 16, 2019, in Barry County Court on the charges, which will run concurrently...

Conflicting legal opinions appear to have made a mess out of attempts by the Verona City Council to resolve longstanding road maintenance issue, despite action in December. Mayor Joseph Heck announced the Verona Benefit Special Road District had made repairs to Farm Road 1150, running south from Business Highway 60 by the Youngberg Chapel. ...

Corbin Palmer and his buddies mounted their scooters on Thursday and set out for a “born to be wild” moment, finding ledges that made momentary airborne opportunities and practice for landing.

Medical marijuana advocates Paul and Wendy Callicoat were unsuccessful in seeking a temporary restraining order against the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, per a ruling by Cole County Circuit Court Judge Jon Beetem on Thursday. However, the judge did not dismiss any of the arguments made by the Callicoats in their defense for seeking a medical marijuana cultivation license...

A cost share that will combine state resources into plans to renovate Central Avenue in Monett and build a roundabout at Central and Broadway has been approved by the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Cost Share Committee and advanced to the Missouri Highway Commission...

The story of James J. Braddock is one of pure Americana sports and sprit. Braddock’s life was brought to the big screen by Ron Howard in the movie Cinderella Man. While some of the drama in the ring was manufactured to drive the Hollywood narrative. The life story of Braddock needed no additional spice...

With just 20 percent of the Cubs’ roster returning with starting experience, Monett Coach Jeremy Land knew that this season would be steeped in growing pains. The Cubs finished seventh in the Neosho Holiday Tournament after beating McDonald County, 61-53. Land said the team found out a little about themselves...

The Big 8 Conference was well represented on the Class 3 All-State football team. In total the conference had 13 players make the list, with three from Monett. For the Cubs, Wesley Merriman and Ray Villalta landed on the Second Team, with Ethan Umfleet gaining an Honorable Mention accolade...