Stories from Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Virginia Jean Stokes, 97, of Willard, formerly of Shell Knob, died Tuesday, March 3, at Willard Care Center in Willard. Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 7, at Larned Cemetery in Larned, Kan. Arrangements are under the direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Shell Knob...

Mary Marcella Robertson, 93, of Miller, passed away at 4:15 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 28, 2020, at Lawrence County Manor in Mt. Vernon. Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, March 3, at Morris-Leiman-Mosher Funeral Home in Miller. Burial was at Ozark Prairie Cemetery...

Phillip Armond Knepper, 78, of Monett died on Saturday, Feb. 29, at his home. Private family services are being held at a later date. Arrangements are under the direction of the Bennett-Wormington Funeral Home, Monett.

Arthur Allen Gray, 85, of Aurora, died Wednesday, Feb. 26, in Estes Park, Colo. A celebration of life under the direction of the Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home in Aurora will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 8, at the Aurora Church of Christ. A private family burial will be held at a late date at the Maple Park Cemetery in Aurora...

Patricia Mae “Pat” Coffman, 86, of Golden, died Wednesday, Feb. 26. Memorial services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 21, at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Shell Knob. Burial will be at Painter Cemetery in Shell Knob. Cremation arrangements are under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Shell Knob...

Banter between student sections has always had its place in sporting events. In the movie “Hoosiers,” there is an establishing shot that shows a fully packed student section chanting “We have spirit. Yes, we do. We have spirit. How about you?” and then they point in unison to the opposing fans who repeat the cheer back...

It did not take long for the basketball players from Purdy to turn their attention from the jubilation of celebrating a district title to the next step on their playoff journey. “We want another shot at Greenwood,” said Purdy’s Scotty Henry...

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

A “Survive the Storm” weather tour by KY3 will be presented from 4:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 5, at the Monett High School Performing Arts Center. KY3 meteorologists and anchors will present a program on weather, offer demonstrations and give prizes. The Barry County Office of Emergency Management will also have tables set up with information...

March brings the blooming of spring. The Monett City Park Lake is already jumping with life under the water.

Knights of Columbus Council No. 1075 in Monett began their weekly fish fries last Friday.

A Davis and Son plumbing van burst into flame around 5 p.m. on Friday while a crew member was making a service call at 1204 Sixth St. in Monett.

It was a night to remember as young men escorted their mothers to St. Mary’s Catholic School’s annual Mother-Son Dance Saturday evening in Pierce City.

Customers of Liberty Utilities in the area around Monett have been targeted by scammers using a new phone scam scheme. According to a spokesperson for Liberty Utilities, customers have reported receiving a phone call that claims there is a problem with a customer account, asking the customer to push a button for more service...

A two-vehicle crash that occurred at approximately 3 p.m. on Monday resulted in no injuries, according to reports from the Monett Police Department. The crash, which took place at the intersection of Highway 60 and Eisenhower Street in Monett, occurred when a southbound 2008 Nissan Sentra, driven by Cristian Sanchez, 45, of Monett, ran the stoplight on Eisenhower and struck a westbound 2005 Toyota Camry XLE, driven by Xai Pao Yang, 39, of Wentworth...

The Purdy school district is moving forward with discussions for the possible need for a project manager to oversee a gym floor renovation. The school board agreed the gym floor project is a major concern for the district and should be done this summer in between district needs for the gym, graduation and sports, then discussed the need for a project manager...

The City of Purdy has a long and ongoing history of wrestling with the Arkansas Missouri Railroad over crossings in the city and had been working for improvements at the Washington Street crossing where Fransisca Perez Salas was killed in a collision with a train on Feb. 19...

The Monett City Council has approved purchasing the properties needed for the Kelly Creek flood buyout and the contract to demolish buildings that formerly housed the Davis and Son plumbing company on Central Avenue. The council formally purchased the three properties needed for the Kelly Creek flood buy-out. ...

Big plans for expanding facilities and resources at the Monett Children’s Center are taking shape in 2020 as activity continues to grow through the local office of the Children’s Center of the Ozarks. Vickie Dudley, executive director of the Children’s Center, reported 2019 had a full-time therapist on staff for the first time at the Monett office, which serves Barry and Lawrence counties...

Sunday proved to be a banner day for the opening of trout season at Roaring River State Park near Cassville. The weekend and unusually warm temperatures led to one of the largest crowds for the opening of trout season in memory. Park staff could see it coming...

In a game that will not be forgotten in Pierce City history, the Eagles, a No. 6 seed, willed their way to the Class 3, District 12 championship by defeating the No. 3 seed East Newton, No. 2 seed Clever and then topping No. 1 seed Mt. Vernon, 77-72, in quadruple overtime on Saturday...

With three members absent, four members of the Monett school board voted to change the district’s food service provider and return to operating meals under district-employed staff and menus. Superintendent Russ Moreland said the district received five bids for the service, following five years with Aramark and three years with Opaa before that. The district turned to Opaa after operating the food service at a loss for several years...