Stories from Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Letha Mae Washam, 90, of Miller, died at 9:23 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 13, at St. Luke’s Nursing Center in Carthage. Visitation will be held from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at Morris-Leiman-Mosher Funeral Home in Miller, with a graveside service to follow at 2:00 p.m. at Sycamore Cemetery northeast of Miller...

Halla Belle “Hallie” Hilbert, 84, of Exeter, died Friday, Nov. 13. Services will be held at a later date. Cremation arrangements are under direction of McQueen Funeral Home in Wheaton.

Frances Gibson, 88, of Mt. Vernon, died at 10:29 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12, at home, from complications of multiple myeloma. Funeral services were held Monday, Nov. 16, at the First Baptist Church of Mt. Vernon. Burial was at Mt. Vernon City Cemetery...

Danny Ray Garoutte, 72, of Marionville, Sunday, Nov. 8, at his home. A memorial service was held at 12 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at the Williams Funeral Home in Marionville. Burial was at the Marionville IOOF Cemetery.

Lucy Redman Nichols French, 70, of Aurora, died Sunday, Nov. 8. A Celebration of Life will be held at Elm Branch Christian Church in Aurora on Thursday, Nov. 19, from 6-8:00 p.m. Arrangements are through the Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home in Aurora...

Joseph Ruscha, OSF, 90, of Clifton, Ill., died Friday, Nov. 13, at Loyola University Hospital in Chicago, Ill. He was the son of Leo and Anna Koenig Ruscha, of Verona. He served in the Korean War, and then worked with the United States Department of Agriculture until he entered the Franciscan Brothers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Eureka, in 1959...

Monett sophomore Matthew Fillinger took 22nd at the state swimming championships in the 200-meter individual medley over the weekend.

It was everything a district championship football game should be in Marionville’s 28-21 win over Lockwood on Friday. Momentum swings, big plays and clutch performances — the game had it all. The Comets built a 14-0 lead to open the game, only to see the Tigers score the next 21 points...

It has been a few years of learning to grow for the Monett basketball team. The Cubs are coming off a 7-15 season and are getting younger this year. They will need to hit the floor running if they want to move up the Big 8 Conference standings this season...

Salvation Army red kettles will not be available in Monett this year. Because the Salvation Army gives 90 percent of its proceeds from these kettles to Crosslines in Monett, in lieu of placing money in a kettle, area residents are asked to consider making a financial gift to Crosslines by sending a check, payable to: “Crosslines” at 510 E. Cleveland Avenue, Monett, MO 65708...

About 120 people turned out at the Tom Wolfe Memorial Post No. 4207 on Saturday for a chili and stew dinner, silent and live auction.

About 50 people braved the chilly temperatures on Sunday to attend the Community Thanksgiving Service, held at the Jerry D. Hall Memorial Pavilion on Front Street in Monett.

The Village of Freistatt will soon need a new clerk, as Deborah Schoen will leave the position at the end of November. The move came after a contentious meeting and closed session on Nov. 12. Schoen said the Board of Trustees voted to give her specific hours to be in the office: four hours Mondays through Thursdays and six hours on Fridays at her current wage. ...

A Monett man is facing two felonies after he was arrested on Nov. 5 and ingredients to manufacture methamphetamine were allegedly found in his home. Jason White 41, of Monett, is charged with manufacturing a controlled substance within 2,000 feet of a school and possession of a controlled substance...

Following an unprecedented food outreach to local school children since last spring, Life360 Church has teamed with Convoy of Hope and other partners in another charitable project — providing a pair of shoes for every student in the Monett and Pierce City public school districts free of charge, hopefully in time for Christmas...

Officials at CoxHealth are managing higher and higher numbers of COVID-19 hospitalizations, most of whom are people that live in rural areas. Steven Edwards, president and CEO of CoxHealth, said the Cox system is setting a new record every week for patients fighting COVID. As of Monday, Cox had 130-142 patients...

Gov. Mike Parson, the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) have announced modifications to Missouri’s K-12 school reopening and operating guidance. The large number of students and school staff members quarantined in recent weeks has presented a significant strain for educators, school leaders and Missouri families alike...