Stories from Saturday, March 28, 2020

Reta Louise Tracy, 76, of Mt. Vernon, died at 5:45 a.m. on Thursday, March 26, 2020, at her home. Private family graveside services will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday, March 30, at Zion Lutheran Cemetery at Meinert. Arrangements are under the direction of the Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon...

Johnnie Melvin Riddle, 81, of Mt. Vernon, died at 6:06 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18, 2020, at Cox South Hospital in Springfield. A private family burial will be held at the Mt. Vernon IOOF Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of the Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon...

Larry Gene Matthews, 60, of Miller, died at 8:43 a.m. on Thursday, March 26, at his home. A private family graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, March 27, at Carrs Chapel Cemetery in Everton. A celebration of Larry’s life will be held at a later date...

Darlene M. Luppen, 85, of Cassville, died Tuesday, March 24. Services will be announced at a later date. Cremation arrangements are under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville.

Lonnie Dean Killman, 71, of Marionville, died Monday, March 23 at the Aurora Nursing Center in Aurora. A celebration of life service will be held at a later date at the Hurley Baptist Church. A private family burial will be held at the Marionville IOOF Cemetery...

Michael Bruce Gifford, 64, of Miller, died at 9:32 a.m. on Wednesday, March 18, at Bentonview Park Health and Rehabilitation Center in Monett. A private burial will be held at the Missouri Veteran’s Cemetery in Springfield. Arrangements are under the direction of the Morris-Leiman-Mosher Funeral Home in Miller...

Ryan Davis Bizzell, 37, of Golden, died Thursday, March 26. No services are scheduled at this time. Cremation arrangements are under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville.

Dear Editor: What do we do with the burdens we bear? That is a question raised by Fred Rogers (aka, Mr. Rogers) in the recent movie featuring Tom Hanks, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” Much of the point of the movie offers practical, any-of-us-can-do-this answers to that question...

This New Normal we’re hearing about keeps redefining itself as the weeks of social distancing and economic isolation progress. The funny expressions coming out of social media relating to parents trapped in home schooling scenarios have included a mother complaining about losing her patience taking care of “my mother’s grandchildren,” as well as parents declaring their children “graduated” so they didn’t have to continue teaching. ...

While schools across the state are determining the best course of action during this unprecedented time, the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) office staff continues to prepare for Spring championships. In all likelihood, any championships that...

Monett basketball secured two spots on the Class 4, All-District 12 team, which recently released a list of its top players. Trevon Price made the cut for the Cubs, and Kaesha George earned her spot on the girls’ squad. Price, a senior, averaged a double-double this season for the Cubs with 17.7 points and 10 rebounds per game. He shot 56 percent from the field, which was the best percentage of all the district award recipients...

As of Tuesday, the Lawrence County Courthouse in Mt. Vernon was closed to walk-in traffic. Office holders will be available to come outside the building and meet with people needing specific assistance. The Barry County Commission has decided to keep the lobby in its historic courthouse open, but have office holders limit the number of customers in their rooms at any one time...

In the wake of COVID-19 (coronavirus), gasoline prices have dropped to some historic lows. Unfortunately, with gathering restrictions in play, it is highly unlikely anyone will be traveling great distances anytime soon.

Kim Iman, left, second grade teacher at Monett Elementary School, and Robyn Hancock, special education paraprofessional, handed off an iPad and learning pack to excited students on Wednesday.

April brings a burst of spring flowers, starting with the Bradford pears, the redbuds and dogwoods, followed by the earth producing a new crop of blossoms.

With temperatures in the mid-80s on Thursday, area residents got out to enjoy a bit of nature and exercise at Monett’s South Park.

After 46 years of service, Monett’s Loaves and Fishes organization offered a formal farewell to its volunteers during what would have been the annual volunteer appreciation dinner, held March 13. Around 300 persons were thought to have served in the outreach to homebound clients with hot meals over the course of the organization’s service, started as a service project by a Sunday school class at the First United Methodist Church. ...

Detectives with the Monett Police Department are investigating a series of car thefts that have resulted in at least two being totaled they were burned. The first incident occurred in February, when a vehicle was taken from the 1000 block of East Bond Street. Thefts have continued through March 17, and all but one vehicle have been recovered...

Churches in the Monett area are finding different ways to respond to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) restrictions on gatherings, some exploring entirely new outreaches. Churches broadcasting Sunday services on commercial radio stations include First United Methodist Church of Monett (the 11 a.m. service) and Trinity Lutheran Church in Freistatt (10 a.m.), both on KKBL (95.9 FM); and Spanish services from San Lorenzo Misa Católica (9 a.m.) and Iglesias El Mesias (10 a.m.) on KQMO (97.7 FM)...