Stories from Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Linda L. Wilkerson, 75, of Wheaton, died Monday, May 11. Cremation arrangements are under direction of McQueen Funeral Home in Wheaton.

Leonard Alford Wheeler, Jr., 79, of Mt. Vernon, formerly of El Dorado Springs died at 4:25 p.m. on Friday, May 8, at the Missouri Veterans Home in Mt. Vernon. Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 14, at South Center Cemetery in Thayer, Kan...

Curtis Dean Long, 53, of Rogersville, died Friday, May 8, at his home. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, May 13, at the Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon. Burial will be at the Mt. Vernon IOOF Cemetery at a later date. Arrangements are under the direction of Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon...

Marilyn Kaye Larson, 79, passed away at 5:50 a.m. at Republic Nursing and Rehab in Republic. In light of the concerns and restrictions placed on group gatherings due to Covid-19, a celebration of Marilyn’s life, will be held at a later date. Arrangements are under the direction of the Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon...

David Jacob Ford, 30, of Verona, died Monday, May 4, at his home. A graveside service was held on Tuesday, May 12, at the Maple Park Cemetery in Aurora, under direction of Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home.

Clinton Ray “Clint” Clark, 71, of Exeter, died Friday, May 8. Services were held at Tuesday, May 12, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial will be at Maplewood Cemetery in Exeter.

John Howard Calvin II, 62, of Mt. Vernon, died at 11:45 p.m. on Saturday, May 9, at his home. Burial will be held at a later date at the Langston Cemetery in La Russell. Arrangements are under the direction of the Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon...

Kermit Allen, 86, of Eagle Rock, died Saturday, May 9. Cremation arrangements are under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville.

Susan Darlene Burrell Britton, 76, formerly of Purdy, passed away Friday, May 8, 2020. She was born May 17, 1943, in Staten Island, NY. Darlene was the daughter of the late Robert and Katherine Riggio. Upon her graduation, she married the late Douglas M. Burrell. After his death, she married the late James Britton and relocated from New Jersey to Purdy, MO. She was blessed by the love of two exceptional men. At the time of her passing to Heaven, she resided in Wentworth, MO...

The Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) is offering residents a chance for friends and family to honor spring sport athletes and support area schools with a T-shirt purchase.

The Missouri FFA Association announced Ashley Freiburger, of the Verona FFA Chapter, as one of four finalists for the State Star in Agriscience. The other finalists are Haylee Draper, Maysville FFA Chapter; Destinie Tunis, Eldon FFA Chapter; and Jacob Toombs, Bolivar FFA Chapter...

Blake George Wright, of rural Verona, has won the Missouri FFA Dairy Production Entrepreneurship Pro-ficiency Award. Wright, a senior at Monett High School, is the son of Larry and Jodi Wright. He is a member of the Monett FFA Chapter. His advisor is Lyndsey Rector...

Pierce City will begin work on a community garden at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 16, on the northwest corner of Commercial and Locust (Highways 37 and 97). All volunteers are welcome. Participants should bring garden tools and gloves. For information, people may call Alderman Ruth Bozarth, project coordinator, at 476-5420...

The 19th annual Sertoma Grin Iron Classic, southwest Missouri’s all-star high school football game, will not be held in 2020 due to COVID-19 (coronavirus). Slated for June 5 at Parkview High School’s JFK Stadium in Springfield, the annual event benefits the Tooth Truck, a mobile dental clinic for at-risk children serving the Springfield area for nearly 18 years. ...

Visitors to City Hall in Pierce City will now be faced with the Snot Blocker.

A three-vehicle crash that occurred at about 4:10 p.m. Friday afternoon on Hwy. 37, south of Monett, resulted in only minor injuries to one of the drivers.

The reopening of the Monett Area YMCA on Monday came as a welcome relief to many.

Purdy High School senior Ezequiel Gaucin shared the sentiments of his class during the senior parade on Saturday, with rolls of toilet paper as part of the Class of 2020 on his sign, as he and fellow graduates rolled through town in a parade honoring seniors...

The Monett City Council has agreed to an intergovernmental police protection mutual aid agreement with the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office. Police Chief George Daoud said the council can expect to see several similar agreements proposed in the next few months...

Good news has arrived for local bookworms. The Barry-Lawrence Regional Library will soon be re-opening its branch locations implementing COVID-19 (coronavirus) safety protocols for the protection of staffers and the public. “The staff of BLRL is anxious to see our patrons again and get those materials our readers can’t wait to have into their hands,” said Gina Milburn, director. ...

Plans are taking shape for the construction of a new Verona Community Center in downtown Verona, possibly by the end of the year. Pam Conner, chairperson of the not-for-profit Verona Community Center board, unveiled plans to the Verona City Council in a letter shared at the council's April meeting. ...

Monett police took two Monett men into custody on Thursday following the discharge of a gun and extended search. Det. Jeff Martinson reported Monett police were seeking charges against two white males, both Monett residents, ages 19 and 22, whose names were being withheld until formal charges were filed...

Monett graduates Lourdes Morales, Ruben Dierker, Maria Cecenas and Graciela Morales waved to the crowd winding west on Broadway during the senior caravan on Friday.

The Monett school district has pulled back from a push to update and modernize the familiar Cubs logo and Block M moniker. Superintendent Russ Moreland issued a press release at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning about the direction change: “The Monett R-1 School District would like to thank everyone who offered their comments regarding the potential Monett Cub Logo,” Moreland said. ...

Following the revelation that seven residents at a Lawrence County long-term residential care facility had tested positive for COVID-19 (coronavirus), tests of the staff to date have come up negative, relieving anxiety about the largest concentrated outbreak of the pandemic in the bi-county area to date...