Viewpoint

The remembrance activities for Sept. 11, 2001, held on Wednesday were heartening in light of the absence of public recognitions locally over most of the last 18 years. These were special for a few reasons. It’s safe to say the students at Monett Elementary have seldom seen a sea of flags that surrounded them during the parade and flag dedication held on Wednesday. What opportunities are there for such an immersive experience?...

We can hope that out of all the stuff we say and do, there’ll be one moment of clarity, one example of decency that will outlast us. Don Lakin had many moments like that. The longtime Pierce City funeral home director and past county coroner left us this week after many years of service to grieving families who came to him for professional help, receiving understanding, sympathy and concern. ...

The meeting by the Environmental Protection Agency in Verona on Tuesday came after months of agitation from numerous sources, and many expressions of support for such a public airing. All along it appeared rather unlikely that the meeting would ever take place. These days, the easiest way out of something you don’t want to do is promise, then don’t do it...

Families are not perfect. Everyone has an oddball. There’s usually someone in the mix who will strain that last nerve. In general, though, parents teach children to figure out how to get along. In most cases, if you can’t navigate your way through life with family, the people closest to you, chances are you won’t have much success with strangers or the world at large. Family, in many cases, is all we’ve got...

Dear Editor: As of Aug. 30, I will be retiring from the Monett Post Office. It has been my pleasure to serve my C-1 customers and all the people of Monett for the past 19 1/2 years. It has been a most rewarding career. I thank my customers for trusting me and sharing your lives with me. I have seen kids grow from 2 to 21. I have fond memories of my friends who are no longer with us, except in spirit. I have shared your happiness and your sorrows...

T his is a story about the first day of school. The fact that things go wrong on the first run is not the point. The point is what goes right. A kindergarten student gets on a school bus to go home. The bus ride is new to him, and the route is new to him. He is new to his teacher and ends up with a tag on his backpack that ends up getting him on the wrong bus...

Twenty years ago, for the rally that starts the new school year, Monett Superintendent Dr. Charles Cudney announced new security measures in light of the Columbine High School shooting in Colorado that April 20. From that point on, Monett would have its school doors locked and cameras would be placed inside and outside of schools for security...

You’ve probably heard the Last Seven Words: “We never did it that way before.” Usually this phrase gets attributed to the Church, but it applies equally to any institution. Organizations become bound by routines and precedents, and become reluctant to think – let alone act – outside of the proverbial box...

Touching on Monett’s cave history in last week’s column, I scratched the surface of a great deal of lore, much of which ballooned into incredibly tall tales going back almost a century. Monett history buff Bob Banks weighed in with documentation as we tried to sort out fact from fiction. Pete Rauch, retired Monett utilities superintendent and geologist by training, pinpointed additional information that helped put the big picture together...

Dear Editor: Do you want Monett to lose its 4th of July Celebration? If my old 4th Committee (total of 7) were able to make Monett’s 4th of July Celebration the largest event of the year (which we did), then why can’t the Chamber? Because they never wanted advice from us and tried to change a good thing...

The news this week that Monett officials used a drone to discover the roof of the historic Frisco Hotel at Fifth and Front Streets had collapsed brought home how technology has great value in today’s world, particularly in seeing the unseen. The news about the Frisco Hotel was disheartening. ...