Stories from Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Terry Duane Hensley, 80, of Monett, died Friday, Jan. 15, at Cox South Medical Center in Springfield. Memorial visitation will be held from 2-4:00 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 6, at First United Methodist Church. Arrangements have been entrusted to Buchanan Funeral Home, Monett...

Archie ‘Glade’ Greenup, 81, of Hollister, died, Monday, Jan. 11, at Cox South, Springfield, due to complications from COVID. Cremation is under the direction of Buchanan Funeral Home in Monett, with no service per his request.

Betty Lou Andrus, of Aurora, died Friday, Jan. 15, at her home. Funeral services, under the direction of the Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home in Aurora, will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, at the Aurora Baptist Temple. Burial followed at the Osa Cemetery, southeast of Aurora...

Barbara Jean Kingrey, age 86, of Cassville, Missouri, passed away at her home on Sunday, January 17, 2021. Mrs. Kingrey, daughter of David and Goldie (Massey) Moore, was born on September 14, 1934, in Columbus, Ohio. On December 13, 1952, she was united in marriage to Raymond Kingrey. ...

The Monett girls wrestling team took second place in the 14-team Lady Tiger Pride Battle in Willard on Saturday, with two girls taking first, one earning second and another finishing third. Marshfield won the event, posting a score of 113. Monett earned second place with a score of 57, and Sikeston was third with 51...

Focus on the process, not the outcome. That is the advice Ben Hohensee, Monett boys wrestling coach, is giving his team as the Cubs head into the Big 8 Tournament Friday. Saddled with some injuries, Monett is hoping to have most of its team back this week, but Hohensee said the squad will still be light...

The Verona girls basketball team has not had a full roster since before Christmas, but that is not stopping the Lady Wildcats from racking up wins. At 12-6, Verona is on an 8-day respite after Monday’s 53-40 win over Southwest on the road. Brandon Weiss, Verona coach, said the team has equaled its win total from last season, and has faced plenty of challenges along the way...

The Monett boys wrestling team came close to bringing home some gold medals Saturday, but three grapplers fell just short and had to settle for silver. At the Branson Invitational, Simon Hartline, Joshua Harvey and Harrison Merriman all collected second-place honors in their respective weights...

Monett Lions transitioned into the new year by gathering for a celebratory evening of food, fellowship and recognitions.

Pierce City Senior Center will be closed in January and February due to COVID. The center will evaluate the situation at the end of February to consider opening for March. The Freedom Dream Center, 17044 Hwy. 39, north of Aurora, offers a support group for persons or families struggling with addiction. The support group meets at 5:45 to 6:45 p.m. every first and third Wednesday of the month. Additional information is available by calling 417-678-6909...

Olivia Crim, 11, of Monett, did not let Friday’s snow storm pass unnoticed. She and her brother, Owen, 8, made the most of the snow that was left on Saturday to do some sledding on Cleveland Avenue.

Camp Barnabas is preparing for its seventh annual Snow Ball, scheduled for Jan. 23, and this year, the camp is taking the event into the virtual realm. Because COVID-19 (coronavirus) continues to be a concern throughout the nation, and large gatherings have been limited due to safety concerns, Camp Barnabas is hosting its annual dance via Zoom and invites all campers and staff to the party without having to ask them to leave the safety and comfort of their homes...

Freistatt’s Trinity Lutheran School is gathering funds to construct a new storm shelter adjacent to its gymnasium and hopes to have the project completed by June. The school has raised $22,000 of its $30,000 goal and hopes community donations can cover the remaining balance before the end of this school year...

Freistatt is considering ways to cover its costs associated with the village community building and solve a staffing issue related to city management. Freistatt has been operating without a city clerk since December, and local leaders have gone without reports on city activities regarding the treasury and billing...

Questions still remain unanswered for a proposed processing plant in Pierce City. Bert Bond, water superintendent, spoke to council about his concerns on the impact such a project could have on the wastewater treatment plant, primarily the aeration ditch...

Lawrence County Commissioners approved the county’s 2021 budget Thursday, awarding each department its requested budget, while also maintaining a healthy reserve. Heading into the 2021 budget year, the county has a reserve of about $1.5 million. After expenditures, the county is projecting to maintain about $1.4 million in its general fund...

Barry County’s newly elected Sheriff Danny Boyd is settling into his position with the county, and he is making some changes to the office as he assumes his role. The biggest change to the Barry County Sheriff’s Office is the rank of its deputies, as Boyd has pulled all ranks and is implementing his own promotion process...

Barry County department heads are seeking an additional $600,000 in funding in 2021 over what was requested in 2020 and nearly $1 million more than what the county actually spent. County Presiding Commissioner Gary Youngblood said county revenues out-matched county expenses in 2020, and some county departments are hoping to bank on that growth and increase their budgets in the coming year...

The number of active COVID-19 (coronavirus) cases have been cut almost in half since last week, but two new deaths have been announced and the positive test rate remains at 14 percent. According to the Barry County Health Department and Barry County Office of Emergency Management, there have been 2,760 (+89) confirmed positive cases of COVID-19...