Stories from Saturday, April 18, 2020

December 1, 1925 ~ April 11, 2020 Shirley Fowles Sherwood will celebrate Easter listening to the Hallelujah chorus like never before. At the age of 94, Shirley passed quietly through the veil on April 11, 2020, in her home surrounded by family. She was born on December 1, 1925, to Jenne Revere and Sarah Inez Matthews in Denver, Colorado. ...

David Paul Wilhelm, 84, of Shell Knob, died Saturday, April 11. Services will be held at a later date. Arrangements are under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Shell Knob.

Driving around Monett this week on the way back and forth to the office, I noticed some days have looked like Christmas morning. Very few vehicles have been on the streets. Downtown there are still cars, which you don’t see on Christmas morning, but it’s definitely different from two weeks ago, at the start of Governor Parson’s stay-at-home order...

Monett senior Wesley Merriman signed a national letter of intent to play football at Northwest Missouri State University next season.

Who is the best Monett wrestler of the last two decades? The question that has haunted Monett Coach Daryl Bradley for 20 years may finally get an answer. The Monett coaches have created a 16-person bracket of the top wrestlers in their program over the last two decades and they are asking fans to vote for their favorite...

The Barry County Health Department is answering COVID-19 (coronavirus) questions by calling 417-847-2114. A statewide public hotline is available for virus-related guidance at 877-435-8411. Ozark Christian Church will be holding Drive-In Worship service Sunday at 10:45 a.m. in the OCC parking lot. The service will be transmitted on 102.7 FM.  The church is located at 7916 Farm Road 2057, two miles north of Purdy, just off Hwy. 37...

Thursday dawned a bit chilly, but that did not stop gardening enthusiasts from shopping for bedding plants at Lowe’s Home Improvement Center in Monett.

Monett firefighters spent three hours in the vicinity of Callan Road and Industrial Drive in Monett on Tuesday cleaning up a bio-waste spill from a Tyson Foods truck.

The Monett City Council plans to pass seven resolutions, which require only a single reading, during its monthly meeting on Monday at 9:30 a.m. at Monett City Hall. One agreement will help in the recruitment of police officers from other departments by offering a lateral transfer as a temporary benefit. Council members will also approve an intergovernmental police protection mutual aid agreement with the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office...

The Verona school board recently made staff decisions and voted to switch auditing firms. Board members voted to hire Alyssa Thibodeau as the district’s new vocal and instrumental music teacher. A graduate from Southwest Baptist University, Thibodeau was described as young and energetic, interested in building the program, as she had in the district where she had been working...

When the weather finally offered a break Wednesday evening, Allison Heider’s boys, Truman, left, and Graham, took the opportunity to romp in the yard of their Monett home with their swing, suspended from a tree by a 40-foot rope.

Social media is becoming a thing for people trying to stay in touch with family members and friends during these weeks of self-isolation, but for those missing their retail therapy, some local merchants are offering help. “I am doing curbside deliveries for my customers,” said Mitzi Doss, owner of Mitzi’s Gifts and Decor, located at 411 E. Broadway. “I post things on my Facebook page and people let me know if they want to buy it...

Beginning Friday, CoxHealth Systems and Mercy Hospitals jointly opened a mobile testing unit for the COVID-19 (coronavirus) in Monett, located at the First United Methodist Church. According to Steve Edwards, president and CEO of CoxHealth, who spoke during the weekly media briefing on Thursday, Monett was chosen because of its central location to serve Cox patients in Monett and Cassville, and Mercy Hospital and clinic patients from Aurora and Cassville...

During the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, many of the normal activities and events during the spring months have been canceled or rescheduled. The local Camp Barnabas has also been affected and has made a decision for the 2020 year to close it doors, but the Camp intends to reopen for the 2021 year...

As sheltering from the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic continues, strain has begun showing in some less obvious places, like daycare centers. At Kiddie City Preschool and Daycare, one of the larger state licensed facilities in Monett, businesses furloughing workers began a domino effect of families pulling their children out to work from home. The reduction of children to serve cut the client load but ultimately forced staff layoffs, making the continuing work more difficult. ...

With the close of school, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has provided some guidelines to school districts about how the state will authorize going forward. Mike Evans, Monett assistant school superintendent, found direction in some areas and other issues wait for further clarification...

The Monett Animal Shelter is empty of its usual cluster of carousing canines. “I have two in quarantine because they are bite dogs,” said Karen Griggs, animal control officer for the Monett Police Department. “I also recently transported several dogs to Joplin Humane Society for adoption there. But, the rest have been adopted.”...