Stories from Saturday, January 30, 2021

Tommy Joe Tate, 55, of Purdy, died Tuesday, Jan. 26, at his home in Purdy. Graveside services are being held on Saturday, Jan. 30, at 11:00 a.m. at the Bethel Cemetery outside of Monett, under the direction of Bennett-Wormington Funeral Home in Monett...

Kenneth Eugene McCoy Sr., 89, of Mt. Vernon, died Monday, Jan. 25, at his home. A private memorial service will be held for both Kenneth and Joyce McCoy on Feb. 6. Arrangements are under the direction of the Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon...

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. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions have been suggested to Monett Community Outreach (Food Pantry) in care of the funeral home...

Gary Eugene Harris, 80, of Springfield, died on Saturday, Jan. 23, at Jordan Creek Nursing in Springfield. A graveside service, under the direction of the Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home in Aurora, was held Thursday, Jan. 28, at the Lisman Cemetery in Clay, Kentucky...

Izik Dale Fudge, 17, of Miller, died at 9:13 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 24, as the result of a car accident. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 3, at the First Baptist Church in Mt. Vernon. Arrangements are under the direction of the Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon...

Amy Louise Blevins, 45, of Verona, died on Friday, Jan. 22, at her home. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 30, at the Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home in Aurora. Burial will follow at the Spring River Cemetery in Verona.

Norman Melvin Hammond passed away at the age of 83, on Thursday, January 28, 2021, at Cox South Medical Center, Springfield, Mo. He was born August 20, 1937, in Ontario, Calif., where he developed the love of sprint car racing which grew into all things NASCAR. ...

John Lawrence Baker, 87, Neosho, Mo., passed away January 28, 2021, at his home. He was born June 21, 1933, in Pierce City, Mo., to Maggie (Bittick) and Melvin Lawrence Baker. John came to Neosho in 1958 from Ft. Worth, Texas. He was a veteran of the US Air Force, serving in Strategic Air Command. ...

Dear Editor: This is the second year in a row that the Second Amendment Protection Act (SAPA) has progressed through our Missouri legislature (with many co-sponsors), and the Missouri Sheriffs Association opposing it both times. With the publicity attached to the legislation, it would seem likely that the many co-sponsors have taken into account, either yea or nay, what the Missouri Sheriffs Association has to say...

Dear Editor: This letter has two purposes. They are to answer Mr. Kutz and inquire if all writers are considered equally no matter where they live. My husband and I have owned and operated a business in Monett since 2003 and are subscribers to this paper...

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began almost a year ago, local residents have the opportunity to “stick it” to the virus by receiving vaccines. This week, Barry and Lawrence counties both received batches of inoculations, a first for Lawrence County...

The Monett girls basketball team is taking this season one game at a time, as wins have managed to evade the squad so far this year. The Lady Cubs (0-14) fell to Aurora on Thursday, 54-24, but Head Coach Josh Kleine said there were bright sports worth noting...

Monett senior Dylan Lynch completed an athletics goal, signing to play college football at Evangel University in Springfield this fall. Lynch, a wide receiver and corner for the Cubs, said he will likely change positions at the next level. “They’ve asked me to play safety,” he said. “I think they wanted me for my height.”...

The Monett girls swimming and diving team had a strong night in the Monett Area YMCA pool on Tuesday, as the Lady Cubs earned a Big 8 Conference title and set a new record in the 400 freestyle relay. Charles LaGarce, Monett swim team coach who was also named Big 8 Coach of the Year Tuesday, said he was thrilled with his team’s performance...

Amanda Lee, chief operations officer and senior vice president with First State Bank of Purdy in Monett, recently graduated from the Missouri Bankers Association’s Banking Leadership Missouri program. Lee was among 20 bankers from throughout Missouri who completed MBA’s 18-month leadership development program designed to actively enhance the leadership, organizational and performance skills of highly motivated mid- to upper-level bankers. ...

Trinity Lutheran School in Freistatt has honored the second quarter Outstanding Students after chapel service on Jan. 13.

Students from Trinity Lutheran School, in Freistatt, were recently honored for their outstanding achievements in the Accelerated Reader program in the month of December 2020.

Dr. Diane Bartholomew, vice president of academic affairs for Missouri Valley College, has announced the Fall 2020 Dean's List. The requirements for the Dean's List are a 3.3 or higher grade point average; at least 12 graded hours for the semester and no "D," "F," or "Incomplete" grades for the semester. Heather Windes, a junior agri-business major from Washburn, was named to the Dean's List...

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 Monett branch of the Barry-Lawrence Regional Library hosts a weekly virtual story time from 4-4:30 p.m. each Friday. To register and receive a Zoom invitation, call the library at 417-235-6646...

A former ambulance awarded by the Barry-Lawrence County Ambulance District to the Marionville Rural Fire Protection District, has been put back into service as a hazardous materials equipment vehicle. “

The first baby born inside the Labor and Delivery Unit at the new Cox Monett Hospital arrived on Jan. 25 at 9:03 a.m. Little Joseph Hang weighed 8 pounds, 4 ounces and was 20.5 inches long.

Trinity Lutheran School in Freistatt is more equipped than ever to continue offering daily classes to their 100 students thanks to a $177,000 grant awarded by Lawrence County through the CARES Act. With those funds, the school has purchased personal computers for all of the students and teachers, installed smart boards in every classroom, refurbished the gymnasium floor and upgraded its bathrooms...

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has announced road closures due to upcoming pipe replacement work in the northern part of Lawrence County. These closures may impact some motorists. Roads and their dates of closure include: • Lawrence County Route DD closed between Main Street in Miller and Lawrence Country Road 1140 east of Miller, 8:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 1...

There are 12 steps in the path to recovery, according to Celebrate Recovery, and the first step is for an individual to admit not only that there is a problem, but to recognize that their lives have become unmanageable because of it. For John Richardson, the moment he admitted he was no longer in control was the moment that changed his life...

Filings for the April 6 elections for city councils, school boards and other local government entities closed recently, setting up races in a number of races and filling vacancies in several so that no contests emerged. Five candidates have filed for the two open seats on the Monett school board, matching the number who threw their hats in for consideration last year, when three seats were open. ...