Stories from Saturday, January 18, 2020

Dallas Eugene Cullen, 71, died Wednesday, Jan. 15. Funeral services were held Friday, Jan. 17 in the Peterson Funeral Chapel.

Rita Fay Craig, 82, of Cassville, died Wednesday, Jan. 15. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial will be at Russell Cemetery in Butterfield. Visitation will be held from 5-7:00 p.m. Saturday, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville...

Marjorie Pauline Gould, 96, of Aurora, died Tuesday, Jan. 14, at the Lawrence County Manor in Mt. Vernon. A visitation will be held from 9-10:00 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18, at the Orange Cumberland Presbyterian Church with a funeral service to follow at 11 a.m. Burial will follow at the Orange Cemetery under direction of the Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home...

Clifton Andrew Morgan, 58, of Mt. Vernon, died Monday, Jan. 6, at his residence. A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 24, at Buchanan Funeral Home with Rev. Ken Lampe officiating. Visitation will begin at 2 p.m. prior to the service...

Nicky Joe Vanderpool, 42, of Purdy, died Wednesday, Jan. 15. Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Butterfield, under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Visitation will be held from 5-7:00 p.m. Tuesday at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville...

Dear Editor: In 2017, Lawrence County tax payers showed their support for our County Sheriff by approving (2:1 votes) a new Law Enforcement tax. Unfortunately, our efforts (and money) to help county law enforcement are being undercut by our own State Department of Corrections, which now owes more than $32 million in unpaid reimbursements to counties (Lawrence, Barry, Greene, etc.) that hold inmates charged with state crimes...

With the refinancing of the City of Monett’s tax increment financing (TIF) bonds for one final project, and the official end of the city’s first TIF district declared at the upcoming Monday city council meeting, we can ask if tax increment financing served Monett well...

Monett High School recognized senior Kaesha George this week for achieving 1,000 career points.

The Monett girls wrestling team posted solid results at the Diamond Scramble on Saturday. Results are as follows: • 103 pounds: Jenna Spencer (6-12) took seventh • 110 pounds: Abigail Jastal (21-4) placed first • 135 pounds: Janeth Quinones (21-6) placed third...

Fighting an uphill battle all game long, the Monett boys basketball team (5-8, 0-1) had three chances in the final 12 seconds of regulation, but could only muster one shot with .8 seconds left that glanced off the rim in a 62-61 loss to McDonald County on Tuesday...

Sixteen students at Trinity Lutheran School in Friestatt qualified for the A/B honor roll for the second quarter.

CRIMINAL • Lacey Boom, operating a vehicle on the highway without a valid license, misd. A, fined $150. • Eelynne S. Fernandez, leaving the scene of an accident, misd. A; operating a vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner involving an accident, misd. A; 30 days in Lawrence County Jail, credit for time served...

Friday was VIP Day at Trinity Lutheran School in Freistatt. Children could invite a “Very Important Person,” often a parent or grandparent, to school to show off activities, projects, and watch fellow students perform in the Talent Show.

The Monett City Council will hear public comment on expanding the ban on sale of tobacco and alternative nicotine products and vaping products, along with the proposed extension of the city's sales tax for transportation, at the monthly council meeting at 9:30 a.m. on Monday...

Weeds and insurance provided two major topics for the 96th annual Lawrence County Soils and Crops conference at the University of Missouri’s Southwest Research Center near Mt. Vernon. Dr. Kevin Bradley, state weed science specialist with the University of Missouri, warned local producers to watch out for two varieties of pigweed: waterhemp, the most common weed problem in the state, the worst hitting north of Interstate 70, and Palmer-Amaranth, the number one weed in the Missouri bootheel...

New this year at Monett Middle School is the Aspire Academy, a collaborative experience created by colleagues from GO CAPS, Scott Regional Technology Center and Monett Middle School.  According to Rebecca Merriman, GO CAPS coordinator, the Aspire Academy was designed to help guide or direct pre-high school as they enter a time where positive choices can be made to direct their future. ...

Members of the Barry-Lawrence County Ambulance District board have approved the purchase of a 2020 Braun ambulance, with an expected arrival in 180 days. The new unit, which cost $195,093, has been ordered from Pinnacle Emergency Vehicles, which also won the bid for the 2019 unit purchased last year...

Closing has been scheduled for Jan. 23 for the Monett City Council’s refinancing of its tax increment financing debt and the addition of $465,000 in new debt to cover the expansion of the Highway 60 and Lowe’s Lane intersection to the north. New bonds of $1,295,000 will cover the new sum and refinancing of the remaining debt for its second TIF district of $830,000. ...

Pierce City aldermen may have found a way to circumvent budget restrictions that limit the number of annual street repairs. A one-cent fuel fee on every gallon of fuel sold within the municipality would generate funds which would be fully dedicated to the construction, reconstruction, maintenance and repair of streets within the city, a task that funds allocated to the street department have failed to adequately provide on an annual basis. ...

With financial difficulties nowhere in evidence, this year’s budget hearing for the Lawrence County Commission was more like a victory lap than the grim, contentious or pining-for-better-days sessions seen in past years. Budget requests were filled in full, raises awarded and an upbeat forecast shared during the hour-long presentation. ...

The 91st annual Barry County Soils and Crops Conference will be held at 6 p.m. on Jan. 23 at the First Christian Church, 905 Old Exeter Rd. in Cassville. Topics will include retaining cattle ownership for profits vs. sale to feed lots, how to read your hay test, and fertilizing fields with potassium and sulfur to enhance fertility. Cost is $5 in advance. Registration may be made by contacting the Barry County Extension office at 417-847-3161...