Stories from Wednesday, March 25, 2020

About 25-30 school district leaders in Barry, Lawrence and Newton counties met via conference call Wednesday morning to review their responses to COVID-19 (coronavirus). Richard Asbill, Cassville superintendent, said due to Greene and Christian county schools extending their wellness breaks through April 24, local districts are reevaluating...

The Barry County Commission and the Barry County Health Department have each made an emergency declaration, aiming to slow the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) with multiple cases in adjacent counties, as well as prepare for the need for any state or federal assistance...

Life360 Community Services is stepping in to provide food for Monett school children on Friday, March 20, while the school district is officially on school break.

James David Omans, 85, of Aurora, died Sunday, March 22, at the Mercy Hospital in Aurora. A private graveside service, under the direction of the Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home in Aurora, will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 26, at the Maple Park Cemetery in Springfield...

Charles Richard “Charley” Johnson, 80, of Miller, died at 8:24 p.m. on Saturday, March 21, at Cox South Hospital in Springfield. A private family burial will be held at Davis Cemetery. A celebration of Charley’s life will be held at a later date. Arrangements are under the direction of the Morris-Leiman-Mosher Funeral Home in Miller...

Gaylord “Sonny” Conway Drake, 80, of Monett, died Friday, March 20, at his home. Graveside services are being held on Wednesday, March 25, at 2 p.m. at the King’s Prairie Cemetery near Monett. Arrangements have been entrusted to the care of the Bennett-Wormington Funeral Home in Monett...

Carolyn S. Brattin, 77, of Cassville, died Friday, March 20. Funeral services were held Tuesday, March 24, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial was at Muncie Chapel Cemetery in Wheaton.

RoseAnna Abramovitz, 96, of Pierce City, died Sunday, March 22, 2020, at her home. Private family services are being held. Arrangements have been entrusted to the care of the Bennett-Wormington Funeral Home in Monett.

Norma Dean Bowman, 88, of Freistatt, Mo., passed away on Monday morning, March 23, 2020, while at Lacoba Homes in Monett. Norma was born on April 28, 1931, in Monett, Mo., daughter of the late Eli and Lola Jane (Jackson) Balmas. Growing up in Monett, Norma attended and graduated from Monett High School with the Class of 1949. ...

Saturday we awoke to the sad news that legendary country music singer Kenny Rogers had passed away. The response by local radio stations was what you would expect it to be. They played Rogers’ greatest hits, brought in celebrities to talk about how they were inspired by the smooth crooner and discuss his impact upon the genre of music that permeates most of the airwaves around our community...

Awaiting a time to unleash their fury, the Lady Cubs track and field team at Monett is excited at its prospects when the season begins. “We have several girls who have been with us for the past several seasons, and they know what it takes to win,” said Kelly George, Monett coach. “I am excited to add our newcomers this year, as they will provide speed, distance and great marks in the field events for our team...

Additional members of the Aurora Rotary Chili Supper kitchen crew included, from left to right, Bill Hillman, John Paul Lee, Jake McCully and Billy Redus.

Program participants of Freedom Dream Center, in Aurora, recently visited and hosted a Bible study with residents of Oak Pointe Assisted Living in Monett.

Twelve students from Pierce City High School were inducted into membership of the National Honor Society in a ceremony held at the school Thursday, March 5.

CRIMINAL • Joshua M. Bean, driving with a revoked/suspended license, misd. D, fined $200. • Gerardo A. Chavez, operating a vehicle on the highway without a valid license, misd. A, fined $130. • Michelle Kimberly Greene, failure to equip vehicle with a horn in working condition, infr., fined $150...

A-List Properties Premier has announced the addition of Realtor, Brittni Ritchie to their agency in Monett. Brittni has an extensive background in insurance and customer service as well as five years of rural and agriculture lending experience in the Barry/Lawrence/Newton and McDonald County area...

First semester honor roll has been announced at Monett High School by Principal Stephanie Heman. A total of 107 students earned top honors by qualifying for the All-A honor roll. The following students were named to the All-A honor roll: Seniors – Alicia Adams, Nathan Arnall, Riley Brown, Alice Camp, Xavier Carlill, Britney Cash, Rebecca Clark, Kelsey Dalton, Ashlie Gaches, Kaesha George, Zoe Gilbert, Jonathan Hughes, Stacy Hurtado, Ashley Kurima, Kassie McCallister, Cole McCollough, Alisa Moua, Abigail Patton, Emily Payne, Ximena Rivas, Karina Salas, Parker Schoen Alex Sparkman, Amy Tsai and Blake Wright.. ...

Monett-based Jack Henry and Associates (JHA) has continued expanding its services through acquired companies to secure new clients. The Dow Chemical Employees’ Credit Union (DCECU) has launched JHA’s Banno Digital Platform for a new level of services...

As a result of economic disruptions during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, the Barry-Lawrence Midweek Edition is being postponed indefinitely after March 31. To keep people updated and informed, The Monett Times has created a special page online (www.monett-times.com/coronavirus) containing all local COVID-19 coverage. These articles are all free and there is no limit on views...

The surest sign of spring around Monett is the blossoming of Bradford pears, as this sight at the UMB Bank reflected the sudden reappearance of blooms last week.

Train traffic was stalled on Monday afternoon after several cars derailed on the tracks just west of the Monett Wastewater Treatment plant.

It's time to register for the fifth annual Show Off Your Ride car, truck and motorcycle show, sponsored by the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office. Advance entries of $12 must be received by April 15; entries on the day of the show will be $15. Display only fees are available at $10. There is a $2 discount for active duty personnel, reservists, retired or disabled veterans. Proceeds will benefit the Lawrence County Sheriff's Children's Charities...

A two-vehicle crash at Highway 60 and Hess Drive in Monett on Friday left one driver injured and two vehicles disabled. According to the crash report from the Monett Police, the crash took place at 5:43 p.m. March 20, Fawn Hansen, 60, of Wentworth was driving north on Hess Drive in a 2001 Buick Park Avenue when her vehicle struck an eastbound 2018 Buick Encore broadside, driven by Gene Wallace, 71, of Monett...

Sales tax to bi-county cities and governments showed general gains in March, though for the first quarter of 2020, revenues for a third of the recipients showed significant drops compared to a year ago. Totals reported for March reflect an additional disbursement of interest from the Missouri Department of Revenue, sent out after the February distribution...

The ongoing crisis of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) has started to impact local businesses, even though there are no confirmed cases in Lawrence or Barry counties at this time. Sabrina Presley, owner of The Tangled Spur in Pierce City, closed her shop’s doors temporarily last week, as other business owners consider doing the same...