Stories from Saturday, April 4, 2020

Ben Edward Balden, 79, of Springfield, formerly of Monett, died Thursday, April 2, at Glendale Gardens in Springfield. Graveside services will be announced at a later date and will be held at the I.O.O.F. Cemetery, Monett. Arrangements have been entrusted to Buchanan Funeral Home, Monett...

Barbara Jean Batson, 88, of Pierce City, died Tuesday, March 31, at Cox South Hospital in Springfield. Graveside services are being held on Monday, April 6, at 11 a.m. at the Moore Cemetery in Stotts City. Friends and family may stop by the funeral home between 10:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 5, to sign the book and pay respects...

Lori Renee Buehler, 49, of Verona, died Monday, March 30, at the Cox South Hospital in Springfield. A celebration of life will be held at the family home. Please contact the family for information. Arrangements are under the direction of the Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home in Aurora...

Charles LeRoy “Chuck” Charter, 77, of Eagle Rock, died Thursday, April 2. No services are scheduled at this time. Cremation arrangements are under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville.

Sara Ann Robb, 45, of Kansas City, formerly of Monett, died on Thursday, March 26. A private graveside service will be held with the family. A celebration of her life will be held at a later date in Kansas City. Arrangements have been entrusted to Buchanan Funeral Home, Monett...

Dr. Russell Denny White, 72, of Aurora, died Monday, March 30, at the Mt. Vernon Place Care Center. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Arrangements are under the direction of the Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home in Aurora.

Every time I go through Monett Times issues from decades back, I encounter some tantalizing tidbit from the past that I hadn’t heard before. This week, I encountered a nostalgic column by Jay Iden, a man who grew up in Monett with his beloved dog, beginning in 1900. ...

With many people in Missouri heading outside to enjoy the spring weather, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reminds people that it is still critical for everyone to continue to heed all recommendations for physical distancing, avoiding overcrowding, hand-washing, and other public-health measures during outdoor activities...

The 4-States Basketball Coaches Association recently released its All-Region basketball team. Among the list of the area’s top talent were Verona’s Jaidon Carrasquillo and Pierce City’s Kyle Renkoski. The complete list is as follows: Player of the Year: Gavyn Elkamil, Pittsburg, Kan...

For the first time in two decades, the Monett wrestling team will be helmed by someone other than Daryl Bradley. The Cubs’ skipper announced this week he is officially stepping down from his role as the wrestling coach, but he will remain as the school’s athletic director...

Arabian Sea — Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Michael Dean, from Mount Vernon, shines the ship’s bell on the bridge of the guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60).

Todd Graves of Wommack Monument adheres a National Register plaque on the south wall of the Historic Lawrence County Courthouse in Mt. Vernon.

The Monett school district is beginning virtual instruction for all students, beginning April 6 and running through April 24, after which the wellness break will be reassessed. An educational plan for students at each campus is in preparation. Some will be distributed by various online tools. ...

This downy serviceberry shrub, located at the Native Plant Garden on Broadway, is covered in showy, white blooms, heralding the start of spring.

Pierce City School District has announced a list of resignations, new hires and contract extensions for the 2020-2021 academic year. Resignations include those from Linda Jelinek, high school art teacher, who is retiring; Jenifer Graves, special education director; Kelsey Lawrence, school district administrator claim (SDAC) coordinator; Jessica Wells, assistant high school girls basketball coach; and Micayla Blinzler, assistant middle school volleyball coach...

The question of where to place a communications repeater for the best signal to reach the Barry County 911 Center has turned out to be on the Monett-Lawrence County 911 Communications Center at the Monett Police Department. “If the tower goes down, it takes priority over any other tower in Monett,” said Valerie Wilson, operations director for the Barry-Lawrence County Ambulance District. ...

A broadside collision on Highway 60 on Wednesday caused significant damage to the vehicles involved but no injuries. According to Officer Chris Miller with the Monett Police Department, Anna Pham, 18, of Monett, attempted to pull out of South Avenue, the service road paralleling the north side of Highway 60, at the crossroad with Plaza Drive at 1:07 p.m. Driving a 2002 Lexus LS 43, Pham headed south to turn eastbound, encountering a large truck passing in front of her...

The Monett City Council has wrapped up its 2019-2020 fiscal year and adopted its budget for the new year. Final numbers on the fiscal year concluding March 31 showed the city received more revenue than expected, and spent it. The city's budget anticipated income of more than $11.2 million and ended with nearly $11.6 million, in part due to a $72,500 unexpected return on investment income, said City Administrator Dennis Pyle. ...

Pierce City aldermen recently approved two new ordinances impacting residents and business owners. The first, governing the sale of fireworks, allows vendors to obtain a merchant’s license and sell the holiday noisemakers from June 20 through July 5...

The annual report on activity in the Monett Municipal Court in 2019 showed several significant shifts, including a drop in case numbers. Victor Head, who came on board as municipal judge on July 17, 2019 following the retirement of Judge J. Edward Sweeney, offered some explanations, in addition to Police Chief George Daoud and Trent Thompson, code enforcement officer...

A public meeting for Project RISE is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on April 23 at Mocha Jo’s Coffee Café, located at 404 E. Broadway in Monett. Project RISE (Reaching Independence through Support and Education) is an outreach first proposed in Monett by the Monett Ministerial Association. ...

The skies over Pierce City and the area surrounding the Monett Regional Airport have been quieter in recent days, as a majority of the air traffic has been grounded due to COVID-19 (coronavirus). Howard Frazier, superintendent at the Monett Regional Airport, said overall, air traffic is down about 80 percent...

Dear Editor: At one time or another we have all heard “keep up with the Joneses” or “do as I do and not what I say.” Right now similar quotes may come to mind, but the idea seemed appropriate for our current situation. Our Christian churches have been inspiring, supportive and creative. ...

Dear Editor: We all probably know someone who is working on the front lines in the battle against the virus spreading across the world. I’m especially thinking about those working in the medical and emergency rescue professions. They deserve our support now more than ever. Here are two ways we can all help them...

On Friday, Gov. Mike Parson issued a new order called “Stay Home Missouri,” imploring Missouri residents to avoid leaving their homes as much as possible to stop the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus). Locally, David Compton, Barry County Emergency Management director, said the order essentially emphasizes what officials in Barry and Lawrence counties have been asking residents to do for nearly two weeks...