Stories from Saturday, June 20, 2020

David Vanzant, 61, of Ozark, died Saturday, June 13. Cremation arrangements were under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville.

Glen Earl Stockton, 52, of Miller, died at 11:20 a.m. on Wednesday, June 17, at his home. Graveside services will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 20, at the Sycamore Cemetery northeast of Miller. Arrangements are under the direction of the Morris-Leiman-Mosher Funeral Home in Miller...

Robert Earl Presley, 57, of Purdy, died at Monday, June 8. Services will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, June 20, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville.

Edna Irene Nehls, 93, of Kingwood, Texas, died June 11 at Kingwood. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 27, at Lakin Funeral Home in Pierce City. Burial will be at Monett IOOF Cemetery.

Darlena Kaye Jones, 58, of Mt. Vernon, died at 4:05 a.m. on Wednesday, June 17, at Cox South Hospital, in Springfield. A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. on Monday, June 22, at Chesapeake Baptist Church. Arrangements are under the direction of the Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon...

Alisa Danette Johnson, 55, of Seligman, died Friday, June 12. Services were held at 1 p.m. Thursday, June 18, at Buttrams Chapel Cemetery in Pea Ridge, Ark., under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville.

Jared “Jerry” Lorne Hughes, 66, of Marionville, died Friday, June 12, at the Mercy Hospital in Springfield. A graveside service, under the direction of the Williams Funeral Home, in Marionville, was held at 1 p.m. on Thursday, June 18, at the Rose Hill West Cemetery in Billings...

Oliver Dosh “Bud” Shaddox, Jr., died at home on Sunday, June 14, 2020. Bud was born to Oliver Dosh and Janie Lenore (Willson) Shaddox in Titus County Texas, on January 24, 1921. The family moved to Monett, Mo., in 1926. Following graduation from Monett High School, Bud attended Southwest Baptist College, in Bolivar, Mo., and later Tulsa University. ...

Dear Editor: Monett turned a page in history recently, as its well known, award-winning historian turned a page in his own career as an accomplished writer. Our newspaper began a new direction and our classic newspaper man opened new doors for his own place in a literary tradition...

Trouble is a’brewin’ in Barry County. As we entered Phase II of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) recovery plan this week, we had seen only a dozen cases from March 27, when the first confirmed case was announced, to June 12 — but now, the wave is coming. This week alone, Barry County confirmed 21 positive cases, tripling the amount confirmed in the last two-and-a-half months to a total, excluding the one presumptive case and two antibody positives. ...

Graduations this year in both Pierce City and Monett may have marked historic turning points for both school districts. Outdoor graduations have been a delight, and they suggest alternatives to what have been painfully cramped indoor rituals. In Pierce City, where a faction has argued for years to build a super performance gym, something the district can ill afford, dramatically showing an alternative makes one wonder why school leaders shunned a strategy that worked so well 20 years ago, the last time it was tried.. ...

A little creativity and some help from Google search have kept Monett Football Coach Derrek Uhl and his team busy during these last few months of quarantine. “Not being able to work in-person with the team, I went to a bunch of websites to find at-home workouts that we could use,” Uhl said. “I found a good site geared for kids and, using our online communication, have kept in touch with all our players.”...

While the era of COVID-19 (coronavirus) still hangs over the nation, plans are still being made that will hopefully return things to a state of normalcy. This week, Monett High School released its football schedule for the 2020 season. The Cubs will play four home games and entertain two new teams...

CRIMINAL • Kenny J. Campbell, operating a vehicle on the highway without a valid license, misd. D, fined $130; speeding, misd. C, fined $130. • Darrel D. Davenport, Jr., DWI, misd. B, suspended imposition of sentence (SIS), two years unsupervised probation, 40 hours of community service...

Midwest Technical Institute and sister school, Delta Technical College, are pleased to announce the winners of the 2019-2020 Midwest Technical Institute and Delta Technical College High School Scholarship Program (MTI and DTC HS Scholarship) for graduating high school seniors...

The Monett Chamber of Commerce recently held a senior picnic and fundraiser to help pay off the Monett schools’ lunch account.

Aurora’s Freedom Foundation presented a $500 check to the Youth Empowerment Project at Aurora High School this summer.

Beginning June 22, CoxHealth will begin testing patients for COVID-19 prior to all surgeries and select procedures. This decision, includes all hospitals and facilities, will help streamline care as disease prevalence rises throughout the region. The results of the tests will allow for the use of proper personal protective equipment – as higher levels are required to prevent transmission of the virus – and appropriate placement of patients within the hospitals. ...

These three golfing buddies may have gotten a few holes in before the mid-afternoon downpour on Friday at Windmill Ridge Golf Course in Monett.

Aisalee Briscoe, 5, and her sister, Cambree, 9, took advantage of the water stations at Berger Beach, located at the Glen And Sharon Garrett Downtown Park on Front Street in Monett on Friday afternoon.

With the June election over, new members Loretta Thomas, Kris Bowling and Jack Schultz joined incumbents Mike Palmer, Jim Carson and David Hubert for swearing in ceremonies at the June 11 meeting of Lawrence County Emergency Services Board. Board members approved hiring Patti McBride, Mt. Vernon, at $15 per hour, as bookkeeper and secretary and to provide continuity for the organization...

Residents of Pierce City will have the opportunity to participate in and celebrate the town’s sesquicentennial celebration, taking place Aug. 15 at Pierce City High School, in conjunction with the 1980s Grand Class Reunion. Event organizers Beverly Miller, Robert Chapman and Monique Guison-Smith are seeking volunteers to assist with interviews and recording the stories of Pierce City residents; recommendations for printers for memory books; organizing food trucks and vendors; chair wranglers for the day of the event; and set-up/clean-up teams for Memory Lane at the school, where tables of memorabilia will be on display.. ...

Pierce Special Road District commissioners expect a very busy year on finding roads in much worse condition than they anticipated a year ago. According to Commissioner James Landoll, Hutchens Construction had received a contract in 2019 for chip and seal work on rural roads around Pierce City. ...

After dissolving the former Pierce City school board and swearing in incumbent Bryan Stellwagen, along with newly elected members Lee Jones and Jason Chapman, Superintendent Kelli Alumbaugh presented outgoing board members Greg Drollinger and David Jones with tokens of appreciation for their service to the district...

It is time to celebrate the 244th anniversary of the nation’s independence, and the Monett Chamber of Commerce has announced a full line-up of activities and events for the July 4 celebration at Monett’s South Park. Activities kick off at 1 p.m. with children’s games and vendors opening for business. Those include the mechanical spider, a rock climbing wall, the extreme trampoline, the gyroscope, Ferris Wheel, tubs o’ fun, spinning swings, car rides, laser tag and inflatables...