Stories from Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Wendell Gene Spain, 62, of Springfield, died Jan. 22 at Mercy Hospital in Springfield. Graveside services will be held at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2, at Van Buren Cemetery near Wentworth. No visitation is planned at this time. Arrangements are under the direction of Lakin Funeral Home in Pierce City...

Beverly Ann “Betty” Shockley, 85, of Cassville, died Sunday, Jan. 24. Graveside services will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 29, at Corinth Cemetery in Cassville, under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Viewing will be held from 1-5:00 p.m. Thursday, at Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville...

Rhonda Kay Mettlach, 49, of Pierce City and Monett, died Jan. 21 at Bentonview Health and Rehab in Monett. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 26, at First Baptist Church in Pierce City. Burial will follow at Berwick Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 25, at the church...

Gary Leon Harner, 80, of Monett, died Sunday, Jan. 24. Visitation is being held on Thursday Jan. 28, from 12-8:00 p.m. at the Bennett-Wormington Funeral Home in Monett. Funeral services are being held on Friday, Jan. 29, at 2 p.m. at the Bennett-Wormington Funeral Chapel in Monett. Burial will follow services at the Monett I.O.O.F. Cemetery in Monett...

Carol Jean Fox, 82, of Mt. Vernon, formerly of San Bernardino, Calif., died at 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 20, at Cox South Hospital in Springfield. No services are planned at this time. Arrangements are under the direction of Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon...

Nova Jane Schwandt, age 78, of Monett, Missouri, passed away Friday, January 22, 2021 at Cox Medical Center South in Springfield, Missouri. She was born November 28, 1942, in Wheaton, Missouri, the daughter of Oden and Beulah (McLeod) Hendrix. In 1965 she was united in marriage to Otto “Keith” Schwandt...

Ronald L. Ohlgren, age 69, of Monett, Mo., passed away Sunday morning, January 24, 2021, in Monett. He was born on June 22, 1951, in Valley City, N.D., to Louis and Geraldine (Hicks) Ohlgren. Ron graduated from Minot High School in Minot, N.D. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam Era and was honorably discharged in 1975. ...

The spring baseball season is on the horizon, and there is a need for the sport this season that does not rely on players or coaches — umpires. Dan Murphy, recruiting coordinator for the Mid-American Umpires Association, said fresh officials are being sought to cover games from Cassville to Camdenton and Wheaton to West Plains...

The Purdy boys basketball team is gaining confidence, helped along last week by a 50-47 win over neighbor Pierce City on Jan. 19. The Eagles (11-4) were nursing a 2-point lead in the final minute of play, forcing Pierce City to foul. Purdy added free throws to extend the score and held on defensively to secure its first win over Pierce City in recent years...

The Monett boys wrestling team brought home three golds and two silvers from the Big 8 Tournament on Friday in Seneca. Seneca won the event with 338.5 points, Marshfield was runner-up with 281.5 points and Monett was third with 180.5 points. Ben Bluel took top honors at 132 pounds, beating Seneca’s Andrew Manley in a 7-5 decision in the final. Bluel won three of his other four matches by fall, plus one by a 9-3 decision...

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. Throughout the month of January, the MU Extension Family Nutrition Education Program will be presenting Healthy Change virtual workshops that will discuss simple ways to make healthy food choices and changes. For more information, contact the Dade County OACAC Neighborhood Center at 417-637-2701...

The former Freda Mae’s restaurant and bar in Pierce City will once again be one of the city’s premiere dining locations after renovations and repairs are complete.

An Exeter woman sustained probable injuries on Friday when she was struck by a vehicle on Hwy. 60 in Monett.

Love — puppy love — is in the air for our February Calendar Girl, Jaysa Aga, as her canine companion, Belle, delivers a heartfelt Valentine message to one of her favorite humans.

On Jan. 22 at 9:50 p.m., the baby lullaby played for the last time at 801 N. Lincoln Ave, the former location of Cox Monett Hospital. Earlier in the evening, the hospital moved into their new $42 million facility located on the eastern edge of Monett...

Purdy city leaders are seeking to implement what it hopes to be a temporary rate hike for sewer services to ensure it can make ends meet until July 2022, when the city will pay off its water bond debt. City officials directed staff to draft an ordinance that would bring the average sewer bill up by $15 in the city of Purdy to be considered at a future council meeting in either February or March...

For the first time since last April, local sales tax revenue took a distinct dip in January from what has generally been a continuous increase from local shopping during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. However, even though Barry County cities, including Monett and Cassville, trended lower, a strong showing in Lawrence County mustered a gain for the bi-county area combined for the ninth consecutive month...

With sales tax revenue up 9 percent in 2020, Barry County announced a healthy budget for the coming year that will include raises for jail employees and county staff. In total, the Barry County Commission approved a $5,759,159 budget for 2021. County Clerk Jill LeCompte said the county is estimating $4,625,750 in revenue that will be added to the $1,699,343.77 in surplus remaining from the 2020 budget. ...

The Monett Board of Education accepted two resignations in January, as both former members have moved outside of the district. Darren Bass and Jack Williams both submitted resignations prior to the January meeting of the board. “My time as a Board of Education member has met its limit,” Bass said. ...