Stories from Wednesday, February 12, 2020

John Zielke, 89, of Shell Knob, died Friday, Feb. 7. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12, at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Shell Knob. Cremation arrangements are under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Shell Knob. Burial will be at Buhler Municipal Cemetery in Buhler, Kan...

John Michael Taylor, 68, of Mt. Vernon, formerly of Springfield, died at 1:58 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 26, at the Missouri Veteran’s Home in Mt. Vernon. Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, May 5, at the Missouri Veteran’s Cemetery in Springfield...

Martin Jackson “Jack” Powell, 93, of Aurora, died Friday, Feb. 7, at the Aurora Nursing Center. A graveside service, under the direction of the Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home, in Aurora, was held Tuesday, Feb. 11, at the Maple Park Cemetery.

Virginia Marie Mullen, 76, of Seligman, died Thursday, Feb. 6. Graveside services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, at Washburn Prairie Cemetery in Washburn, under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville.

Madge Louise Larkin, 78, of Monett died Monday, Feb. 10, at Lawrence County Manor in Mt. Vernon. Memorial services will be held on Saturday, Feb. 15, at 4 p.m. at the Bennett-Wormington Funeral Home in Monett. Arrangements have been entrusted to the care of the Bennett-Wormington Funeral Home in Monett...

James Joseph Cahalan, 96, of Verona, died Friday, Feb. 7, at his home in Verona. Rosary was held Tuesday Feb. 11, at 6 p.m. at the Bennett-Wormington Funeral Home in Monett, with visitation following the Rosary. Funeral Mass is being held on Wednesday Feb. 12, at 2 p.m. at the St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Pierce City, with Father Paul Pudhota officiating. Burial will follow Mass at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Pierce City...

Donnie Leroy Brattin, 66, of Exeter, died Saturday, Feb. 8. Funeral services were held Tuesday, Feb. 11, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial was at Maplewood Cemetery in Exeter.

William Douglas “Doug” Bowen, 66, of Pierce City, died Wednesday, Feb. 5, at Cox Medical Center South in Springfield. A memorial Mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 12, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Pierce City. Visitation will be held from 10 a.m. until service time, on Wednesday...

Gary Dennis Brasher, 58, of Shell Knob, died Friday, Feb. 7. No services are scheduled. Cremation arrangements are under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Shell Knob.

Mary Carolyn “Kay” McCallister, 73, of Monett, Mo., departed this life on Monday, February 10, 2020, in the comfort of her home with family at her side. Kay was born on December 28, 1946, in Baltimore, Md., daughter of the late Paul Richard Eckman and Laura Louise (Wunder) Eckman. ...

Missouri Southern sophomore and Purdy High School alumna Layne Skiles scored a career-high 20 points Saturday.

Taking control early, the Monett girls basketball team roared to a 51-32 victory over Cassville on Monday and improved to 10-10 overall and 4-1 in Big 8 West Division play. The Lady Cubs were fresh off a Seneca tournament championship that witnessed them roll to a 45-35 win over Joplin, then defeating Aurora, 39-31, before topping Seneca in the championship game, 56-41...

There was much joy in Pierce City on Friday as the basketball teams swept a rare girl-boys doubleheader on Homecoming. The Lady Eagles and Eagles rolled to easy wins, as the girls prevailed, 37-19, and the boys rolled to a 71-22 decision. In the girls game, the Lady Eagles led 9-5 after one quarter and 15-9 at halftime. A 13-6 run in the third quarter sent Pierce City to a 28-15 lead as it entered the final frame...

The JROTC drill teams from the Scott Regional Technology Center in Monett brought home a third place trophy from competition at the second annual Broken Arrow Drill Meet in Broken Arrow, Okla., on Jan. 25. The Scott Tech cadets competed against 12 other Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps JROTC programs. Scott Tech had teams compete in the unarmed and armed drill, color guard, inspection, and physical fitness team categories...

OACAC in Aurora will host a series of life skills workshops on Love and Logic Parenting Skills on Thursdays through February and March. Session 2 on Feb. 13 the topic will be “Teaching Responsibility Without Losing Their Love.” Sessions are from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at 203 S. Washington in Aurora. Pre-registration may be made by calling 417-678-5031...

Verona High School seniors Jere Ruiz Diaz and Carolina Castillo were crowned Homecoming king and queen during ceremonies in the school gym on Friday.

Wearing the crowns for Pierce City High School’s Homecoming royalty on Friday were seniors Raelin Jelinek, left, as queen, and Dominick Smith, as king.

Snow on Broadway Monday night alternated between a haze of white and snow showers, collecting on the grass but otherwise leaving little more than a wet mess everywhere else.

Costume rehearsals began Monday for the Monett Artists’ Guild production of the murder mystery/comedy “Arsenic and Old Lace.” Performances will be at 7 p.m Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday in the Monett High School Performing Arts Center.

A special steel topping beam has been placed in the Cox Monett Hospital lobby this week that hospital staff, board members and volunteers have signed.

Over the last two years, the Purdy school district has taken its students’ ACT scores seriously, and developed a plan to help its students succeed. Derek Banwart, Purdy secondary principal, said the development of ACT Saturdays was a big push when he arrived...

A Wentworth man received disabling injuries in a two-vehicle crash that took place on Highway 60 at Chapell Drive on Feb. 5. Monett Police Lt. Dennis Camp reported the crash took place at 8:05 a.m. Aaron Haught, 30, of Monett, was driving west on Highway 60 in a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. ...

Monett attorney Jim Randall Sr. and Steve Harner, with The CPA Group, spoke bluntly to local cattlemen about issues relating to passing their farms on to another generation during the Monett Beef Cattlemen’s Conference, held Tuesday at the Monett National Guard Armory...

Beginning next month, prospective jurors in Barry County can choose to communicate with the court by text or e-mail, as the Barry County Circuit Court implements the new Show-Me Jury system. According to Circuit Court Clerk Craig Williams, the Barry County Circuit Court will mail new Show-Me Jury questionnaire letters or postcards starting Feb. 15 for jury service beginning March 16...

The Juvenile Office for the 39th Judicial Circuit saw record activity in 2019, though the severity of problems with children age 17-and-under seemed fairly typical of past years. Jill Braden, chief juvenile officer, reported her office handled 1,633 referrals for child abuse, neglect or delinquency for the year, covering the counties of Barry, Lawrence and Stone. ...

A Marionville man, Bobby Dale Ficklin, 43, has been sentenced to up to 25 years with the Missouri Department of Corrections for the Oct. 2, 2019 murder of his girlfriend, Korrina Lee Fisher, 38. Lawrence County Prosecuting Attorney Don Trotter announced the sentence today, stating Ficklin had been quick to turn himself over to authorities and take responsibility for Fisher’s death...

An Aurora man is headed to prison with a sentence of 17 years for crimes he has committed against children. Shannon Clayton, 41, was sentenced Monday in Lawrence County Circuit Court to 10 years for the crime of first-degree statutory sodomy, an unclassified felony, and seven years for child sexual abuse, a class C felony...

Denny R. Brown, 67, of Monett, Mo., passed away on Tuesday, February 11, 2020, at Cox South Medical Center in Springfield, Mo. Denny was born on August 3, 1952, in Wheaton, Mo., son of the late Ira and Ruth (Nelson) Brown. Growing up in southern Barry County, Denny went to school at Exeter and then furthered his education at Crowder College. ...