Stories from Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Chester J. Zubko, 90, of Shell Knob, died Thursday, June 4. A Prayer Services was held at 4 p.m. Sunday, June 7, at Fohn Funeral Home in Shell Knob.

Donald Allen Shore, 80, of Shell Knob, died Thursday, June 4, at Shepherd of the Hills Living Center in Branson. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 13, at Lohmer Full Gospel Church in Shell Knob. Cremation arrangements were under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Shell Knob...

James Clarence “Jimmy” Keeling, 79, passed away June 6. Visitation will be at the funeral home on Sunday, June 14 from 12-5 p.m. Graveside services are being held at 11 a.m. on Monday, June 15, at the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Butterfield. Arrangements have been entrusted to the care of the Bennett-Wormington Funeral Home in Monett...

Gary Jesseph, 56, of Fayetteville, Ark., died Saturday, June 6. Services will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, June 10, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial will be at Muncie Chapel Cemetery in Wheaton. Visitation will be held from 1-2 p.m. Wednesday, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville...

Vernon Linnwood Houck, 79, of Wentworth, died June 4 at Cox Monett Hospital. Graveside services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, June 12, at Pierce City Cemetery in Pierce City. Arrangements are under the direction of Lakin Funeral Home in Pierce City...

James “Mike” Michael Holloway, 53, of Monett, died Sunday, June 7, at Cox South Hospital in Springfield. Funeral services are being held on Thursday, June 11, at 11:00 a.m. at the Gunter Methodist Church in Butterfield. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until service time. Burial will follow services at the Gunter Cemetery next to the church...

Ollie Ann Danley, 60, of Springfield, died Friday, June 5, at her home in Springfield. Visitation is being held on Thursday, June 11, from 1-7:00 p.m. at the Bennett-Wormington Funeral Home in Monett. Graveside services are being held on Friday, June 12, at 10 a.m. at the Waldensian Cemetery in Monett...

Margaret Anna Cummins Carr, 84, of Anaheim, Calif., formerly of Pierce City, died Dec. 18, 2019, in Anaheim. Graveside services will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 11, at Jolly Bethel Cemetery in Pierce City. Arrangements are under the direction of Lakin Funeral Home in Pierce City...

If the Verona school district was allowed to recruit athletes to play for its sports teams, the sales pitch used to attract them has basically written itself, according to Verona Athletic Director Brad Stewart. “I would simply show the athletes our facilities,” Stewart said. “No school our size has any better or new facilities for the sports we offer. We have been blessed in recent years, and we can now provide the finest offerings to our students.”...

For a half of a century, the sound of screaming engines and the sight of cars circling the 3/8-mile dirt track at the Monett Speedway has flagged the start of the racing season. The Speedway’s 50th consecutive season makes it one of the oldest continually running tracks in Missouri. ...

The American Red Cross will host a blood drive from 1 to 6 p.m. on Monday, June 15, at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 23237 Hwy. H in Monett. Loomis Brothers Circus will offer shows at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 20, and 3 and 6 p.m. on Sunday, June 21 at the Freedom Christian Center Arena, 17044 Highway 39, north of Aurora. Information is available at loomiscircus.com...

While most of the world has centered its focus on current events, these little ones had no ducks to give while happily splashing away at Berger Beach, the outdoor splash pad named for Bob and Debbie Berger, located at Fifth and Front Streets in Monett...

Warmer weather and re-opening of area play venues has seen an uptick in children enjoying play days in the sun.

Purdy High School students waved their arms to the initials of "YMCA" as the 1978 Village People song played during the school prom at El Aragon on Stones Prairie on Friday night.

Final preparations are in the works to transfer the ownership of Jenkins Bridge from the Barry County Commission to the Jenkins Bridge Restoration Foundation. Swimming, picnicking and fishing at the Jenkins Bridge are part of the family heritage of many families in the Barry, Lawrence and Stone County area. The bridge was built in 1909 and dedicated in 1910, making it 111 years old. Few one-lane, wooden-floor bridges remain in Missouri...

Not since the economic downturn of 2008, which hit locally in the first quarter of 2009, has the number of flights in and out of the Monett Regional Airport fallen to the level seen in the first five months of 2020. According to weekday business hour tallies kept by Howard Frazier, airport manager, crews recorded 1,631 take-offs and landings from January through May. ...

Invenergy, the renewable energy company exploring a wind turbine project in northern Barry County, has opted against pursuing further development. “Invenergy has decided to change course in Barry County,” said Meredith Jeffrey, manager of renewable development for Invenergy, in a statement to The Times...

Administrators at Monett school district have raised lunch prices for students not eligible for the free or reduced-cost meal program. Breakfast prices will remain the same as those implemented in 2018-1019, at $1.35 for elementary, intermediate and middle school students, $1.45 for high school and $1.65 for adults...

Purdy High School graduates bid a fond farewell to classmates and administrators during commencement ceremonies held Saturday evening at the district’s gymnasium. Speakers for the event included Haylie Harris, Shana Whisman and Shelby Haskins. Harris acknowledged the supporting roles played by their peers, friends, families and teachers, before speaking of the valuable lessons learned during her academic career...

On Thursday the Barry County Commission sat with the Shell Knob, Seligman, Monett and Cassville Chamber directors, as well as Emergency Management Director David Compton, to discuss how the $4 million in CAES Act money the county has received should be distributed...

Two individuals who are or have recently been employees of the George’s Processing Plant in Butterfield have tested positive for COVID-19. The persons are not Barry County residents, and the cases are believed to be the result of community spread in a neighboring county. ...