Stories from Saturday, May 30, 2020

Jameson “James” Lee Woods, 47, of Pierce City, died Friday, May 22, at his home. A Celebration of Life service will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, June 5, at Lakin Funeral Home in Pierce City.

Edward H. White of Eagle Rock, died Wednesday, May 27. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 31, at Lighthouse Full Gospel Church in Eagle Rock, under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial will be at Blue Eye Cemetery in Blue Eye...

Patricia L. Uranga, 53, of Springfield, died Monday, May 25, near Marionville. No services have been scheduled at this time.

Thomas Andrew Swadley, 65, of Aurora, died Sunday, May 24, at the Mercy Hospital in Joplin. A private family graveside service will be held at a later date at the Leann Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of the Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home in Aurora...

Carmen Genevieve Roy, 99, of Pierce City, died Monday, March 23, at Mt. Vernon Veteran’s Home in Mt. Vernon. A Celebration of Life will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, June 6, at Lakin Funeral Home in Pierce City. Burial, with military honors, will be at St. Agnes Cemetery in Sarcoxie...

Charles Anthony “Tony” Robinson, Jr., 85, of Springfield, died at 9 p.m. on Sunday, May 17, at the Missouri Veterans Home in Mt. Vernon. A private family burial will be held at a later date at the Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Springfield. Arrangements are under the direction of the Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon...

Bobby Ray Pennington, 78, of Mt. Vernon, died in his home on Saturday, May 23. Funeral services were held at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 29, at Mt. Vernon Christian Church. Burial was at Mt. Vernon IOOF Cemetery.

Daphne Camille Doty, 31, of Monett, died Monday May 25, following a motor vehicle accident. Friends may visit the funeral home on Saturday, May 30, from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m. Graveside services will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday at the I.O.O.F. Cemetery, Monett...

Dena David, 76, of Pierce City, died Tuesday, March 31, at her home. A Celebration of Life service will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 6, at Lakin Funeral Home in Pierce City. Visitation will be held from 2 p.m. until service time at the funeral home...

James Earl Chance, 57, of Cherokee Village, Ark., passed away at 9:55 p.m. on Wednesday, May 20, 2020 at Select Specialty Hospital in Springfield. A private family service will be held at a later date. Services are under the direction of the Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon...

Joseph (Joe) Auffert was born Sept. 23, 1952, in Monett, Mo., and died Wednesday, May 27, 2020, in Tahlequah, Okla. He was preceded in death by his father Leo Auffert; mother, Edna Pence Auffert; brother, Eddie Auffert; and niece, Carrie Ann Cooper...

The first real test of our democracy in the age of COVID-19 (coronavirus) comes on Tuesday when local voters go to the polls. We hope it goes better than the Wisconsin primary on April 7, when the risk of infection ran much higher. People crowded in tight places against their will, or their better judgment, is a nerve-racking choice. It’s the question older citizens have been asking for the last two months, and they are the ones most likely to vote...

The Missouri Southern State University Men’s Basketball program has announced some changes to its summer camp schedules for this year. The Lions will be putting on three different camps that will give attendees the chance to hone their skills with some of the nation’s best coaches...

The Sports Commission Awards, sponsored by Elliott Lodging and presented by Blevins Asphalt, has been rescheduled for Aug. 10, organizers announced on Wednesday. The SCAs will recognize more than 140 high school student-athletes and 28 teams representing southwest Missouri high schools during a ceremony at the Oasis Hotel and Convention Center in Springfield. Doors open at 6 p.m., with the ceremony to begin at 7 p.m. A full list of finalists can be found at www.mosportshalloffame.com...

Limited public service at all branches of the Barry-Lawrence Regional Library district will begin on June 1. The Monett Branch will be open Monday through Friday 8:30-5:30, Saturday 9-1, and limited to 10 patrons at a time. The Pierce City Branch will be open Monday and wednesday through Friday 8:30-5:30, Limited to seven patrons at a time. ...

Verona High School seniors received their honors from the 2019-2020 academic year during the annual Senior Breakfast on May 15. The class motto is: “Life brings tears, smiles and memories. The tears dry, the smiles fade, but the memories last forever.” The class song is Tyrone Wells’ “Time of Our Lives.”...

The Verona City Council held its final meeting before the municipal election on Tuesday, which somewhat unexpectedly turned into a love fest of farewells, despite the council’s often contentious working relationship. The business of the meeting was to approve bills and minutes in another session held by conference call. ...

On June 1, residents and businesses in Monett and Mount Vernon will begin receiving power supplies from their new supplier, the Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Commission (MJMEUC). “The change in power supply brings greater rate stability and economic development opportunities for customers,” said John Grotzinger, Chief Operating Officer for MJMEUC. ...

As Monettans move into summer and the Monett Museum reopens on Monday, residents can get back in touch with their heritage, as June Calendar Girl Stacy Hurtado did in front of Raine Clotfelter’s downtown mural, which will mark its second anniversary in June...

Members of the Lawrence County Emergency Services Board (LCESB) saw a demonstration of new P25 radios for first responders from representatives of Radiophone at the May meeting of the organization. Dalton Lane, a Radiophone representative, reported Lawrence County had received $4.5 million in federal funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act in response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic and is required to spend those monies on COVID-related items before Dec. ...

The Verona school district is about 85 percent done with its new gym, and completion of the $3.4 million project and first new gym since 1954 is estimated for the end of June. Tony Simmons, Verona superintendent, said the project as been delayed because of rains, but he’s excited for the finished product...

For the second Wednesday in a row, a rear-end collision at Farm Road 1100 on Highway 60, east of Monett, damaged vehicles and backed up traffic, though this time, no one was injured. At 4:20 p.m. on Wednesday, according to the report from Monett Police, Michael Counts, 53, of Springdale, Ark., was driving west in a 2006 Dodge 1500 pickup when he stopped in traffic east of Farm Road 1100 for another vehicle making a left hand turn. ...

Candidates for the Pierce City school board gathered for a public forum last week to respond to questions from the public and local journalists. Incumbent Bryan Stellwagen, former incumbent Kenny O’Hara, past candidate Kelly Lakin and first-time candidate Lee Jones offered ideas on a wide range of topics for more than an hour. Past incumbents Aaron Jones and Jason Chapman, absent due to work commitments, offered additional commentary on the same questions...

Graduation ceremonies for the 12-member Class of 2020 at the Berean Christian Academy were held Thursday night in the school gym. While the class size was fairly typical for Berean, though up from the three in last year’s class, the ceremony ran a bit differently because of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic social distancing concerns. ...

Lawrence County Emergency Services Board (LCESB) members are still in discussion on the city of Aurora’s request for more than $2.5 million in tax revenues to sustain its own dispatching services over a 5-year period, as opposed to the likely cost of $796,370 for the Lawrence County 911 system to provide the same or better service...

A Marionville man accused of second-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with a death that occurred on Memorial weekend in Marionville is now facing upgraded charges. James Pride, 40, was taken into custody Sunday after his mother, Carol Pride, reported her son told her he had killed a woman...