News

Heavy rains led to flash flooding on Broadway in Monett in the morning and early afternoon hours on June 23...

The Monett City Council has scheduled a special meeting for 9:30 a.m. on Monday, July 1, for public comment and action on proposed regulations on the location for medical marijuana operations under the recently passed Amendment 2. The timetable moved from the July 22 monthly meeting due to concerns raised by Wendy Callicoat, representing the Sarcoxie Nursery, which plans to grow, process and market medical marijuana. ...

Wristbands are now on sale for the Monett Chamber of Commerce’s Freedom and Fireworks event on July 4 at Monett’s South Park. The Monett Lions Club will again offer its barbecued chicken dinners from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the cooking shed south of the City Park Casino. ...

Longtime Monett attorney John Woodard has been formally disbarred by the Missouri Supreme Court, voluntarily surrendering his license in the wake of allegations that he mishandled the funds of a client. Woodard, 88, closed his office at 1001 E. Broadway at the end of April in what he called a planned retirement. He denied any wrongdoing but conceded he no longer had the records to support his position...

A Monett man was injured by a gunshot last week and no charges are expected in the incident. According to Monett Police Chief George Daoud, Cory Yadon, 34, of Monett, went to Cox Monett Hospital shortly before 11 p.m. on June 16 with what was described as a non-life threatening gunshot would to the arm...

Only minor injury resulted in a two-vehicle crash that took place at 4:47 pm. on Tuesday the the intersection of Chapell Drive and Cleveland Avenue in Monett. According to Sgt. Paul Ferguson with the Monett Police, Jessica Hinkle, 38, of Mt. Vernon, attempted to turn south onto Chapell Drive in a 2016 Volkswagen Jetta. ...

On Friday the Monett Area YMCA joined facilities nationwide in celebrating the 175th birthday of the YMCA.

Some construction workers can miss several days at a time due to the mercurial moods of Mother Nature.

A two-vehicle collision between a car and a mini-van on Central Avenue at Dunn art 12:10 p.m. on Friday disabled both vehicles and blocked traffic.

The storm that blew through Monett the evening of June 15 sent a lightning bolt into a loblolly pine tree at the home of Robbie Roblyer at 408 W. Scott St.

Although Disney Studios can make a pack of stray dogs appear to be adorable as they dodge and weave to escape capture, city officials in Marionville are finding themselves overrun with capricious canine and limited space for impounding them. Karen Marsh Denton, a resident who works with Stray Animals Matter animal rescue, spoke to aldermen concerning the organization's efforts in vetting 38 feral cats and returning only seven to their colonies. Cost of the vetting was $2,875...

Members of the Marionville City Council recently discussed taking over the operations and management of the IOOF Cemetery. In a special meeting of the council held May 20, Mayor Chris Murphy advised aldermen that he had spoken with Jacquie Mais, a member of the cemetery board, who said the cemetery committee was in need of help...

The Bennett/Fly family reunion will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 23, at the Purdy Community Center. At the end of the fiscal year for school districts, area school boards have delayed their monthly meetings. The Verona school board meets at 6:30 p.m. on June 24, and Purdy at 7 p.m. Pierce City’s board meets at 6:30 p.m. on June 26. The Monett school board meets at 6 p.m. on June 27...

Lawrence County Sheriff's Office detectives are seeking the whereabouts of three individuals involved in a felony kidnapping and alleged plot to murder a Springfield woman they had held captive for several days. Deputies were called to a rural residence on Lawrence 1212 at 2:08 a.m. on Tuesday for suspicious activity...

For nearly four years, Purdy city officials have spoken publicly about pending steep hikes in their sewer bills to pay for the sewer pipeline project to Monett. Even after the successful bond issue vote in April 2016, city council members held the same rates...

Seventh District Congressman Billy Long (R-Springfield) flew into Monett on Monday to discuss advancing plans for the Monett Regional Airport. Long met with a delegation at the airport that included the entire Monett City Council, City Administrator Dennis Pyle, Airport Superintendent Howard Frazier, Jeff Meredith and Brad Hill from the Monett Chamber of Commerce, and Joe Pestka, aviation consultant with the engineering firm Jviation...

Monett police officer Bob Kauffman has been promoted to the rank of sergeant. He succeeds Dennis Camp, who was recently promoted to lieutenant, replacing the retiring Greg Brandsma, who retired. Kauffman has been with the Monett department for almost 10 years. ...

For the fifth year, Nikki Ross’s Summer School students at Monett Elementary School are learning about community services, basic economics and giving back to the community by supporting outreach agencies.

A Monett manufacturer will start production in Cassville Monday, as WinTech is moving its vinyl window line to the former Thorco plant on Sale Barn Road in Cassville. Jack Williams, WinTech president, said the line will be moved to Cassville starting Thursday, and operations will begin with 20 new employees on Monday. The building was vacant for about four years before Wintech purchased it in early 2017...

Drury University and Crowder College announced a new partnership that will develop a closer relationship between Crowder’s Cassville campus and Drury’s Monett satellite campus. Crowder’s two-year program completes education for many, or satisfies basic requirements for many students who move on to complete their degrees at four-year colleges and universities...

Barry-Lawrence Regional Library has rolled out the new “Movies Under the Stars” film series. “We were able to obtain $500 sponsorships from First State Bank of Purdy in Monett, Community National Bank - Monett, Plymouth Junction, Race Brothers and the Monett Kiwanis Club for each of the Monett movies,” said Gina Milburn, director. “We are working on the same for the others in the series.”...

The Monett City Council has planned a busy meeting for 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, including action to remove buildings as part of the buildings on Fourth Street. A resolution is pending to accept the lowest and best bid for demolition of 111 Fourth Street and 115 Fourth Street. This will remove the two buildings next to Kelly Creek, the second of which has the façade coming loose. Removal will provide better future access to buildings facing Broadway...

The annual ice cream social offered by the Waldensian Presbyterian Church in Monett has been slated for June 27 on the church grounds, 1.5 miles south of Monett on Waldensian Road. The event will begin at 6 p.m. The menu will include homemade ice cream, pies and cakes, pimento cheese sandwiches, ham salad sandwiches, Sloppy Joes, chips and beverages...

A resident at 207 Monroe St. in Pierce City was conducting a controlled burn of a torn down shed at about 4:45 p.m.

What goes into designing a zoo?

A reception for Barry County Collector Janice Varner, who is retiring, will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. on June 21 at the historic courthouse in Cassville. The Lifeline screening planned for June 21 at the Parish hall at St. Lawrence Catholic Church has been moved to the Monett City Park Casino...

Monett City Council members are considering incentives to promote construction of new housing in Monett, following a discussion during a work session earlier this month. The idea came out of a roundtable discussion put on by the Monett Chamber of Commerce with developers, hosted by MarksNelson, the city’s economic development consultant. Developers offered several observations, identifying some that discourage improvements. Key points included:...

With the retirement of Greg Brandsma from the Monett Police Department, a selection process took place for his successor as lieutenant, the department’s second in command. That title went to veteran officer Sgt. Dennis Camp, who is now working his way into the new role...

A committee has begun to organize to develop policy for use of drones in Lawrence County as part of an emergency response effort. The county’s Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) has sought volunteers to serve on a committee looking into the use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Volunteers were sought...

Little action took place this week during the Lawrence County Lawrence County Emergency Services Board’s second meeting. Chairman Mike Palmer guided the board through review of requests for proposals for legal counsel, insurance and bonding, banking and certified public accountant services. Having the initial prospect for a grant writer become unavailable, seeking proposals for such services also found consensus...

For the second consecutive year, Cox Monett Hospital has been named as one of the nation’s top 150 Best Places to Work in Healthcare, according to Modern Healthcare magazine. Modern Healthcare's recognition program honors workplaces throughout the health care industry that empower employees to provide patients and customers with the best possible care, products and services...

As the weather warms up, the public has started flocking to the Monett Aquatic Center at the Monett Area YMCA for a cooling experience.

About a dozen middle school students at Pierce City converged, sponges in hand, on the car driven by Danny Boman at a car wash fundraiser held on Thursday.

Amy McCarthy, vice president of operations at AFB International in Aurora, made a presentation to Aurora City Council members concerning the improvements that have been made to the facility, aswell as those that will be made going forward. McCarthy informedcouncil that AFB in Aurora is the largest pet food flavoring manufacturer in North America and the goal is todouble in capacity.McCarthy shared the changes that have been made to help with odor control, aswell as daily preventative maintenance procedures. ...

Wheeler Furniture raised $250 for the Aurora Band Booster Club on Saturday, June 8.

The Aurora Chamber of Commerce’s Light the Night celebration will take place from 3 to 11 p.m. on June 15 in Baldwin Park. A carnival run by The Party Station will run from 3 to 9:30 p.m. The Cornhole Tournament starts at 4 p.m. and the hot dog eating contest is at 6 p.m. Live music will include Branches at 3:30, Task at Hand at 4:30, Broken Binding at 6:30, and Luce Cannons at 7:10. Clayton’s Pyrotechnics will give the fireworks show at 9:30 p.m...

A thunderhead rolling into Purdy shortly before 8 p.m. on Wednesday, June 12, dumped considerable rain in the town.

Aurora police officers and Lawrence County Sheriff's deputies have arrested two teens and are seeking a third for vandalism of the Lee Cemetery near Verona on May 31. According to a press release by Sheriff Brad DeLay Curtis Board, 17, Matthew Levan, 17, and Holden Davenort, 17, all of Aurora, have been charged with first-degree property damage, a felony, and first-degree trespassing by the Lawrence County Prosecutor. Board and Davenport are in custody, and Levan has not been arrested...

About a dozen visitors attended the June meeting of the Pierce City Council to find answers as to what would ultimately happen with the municipal pool. The facility was closed earlier in the week due to a motor bearing malfunction. Public Works employee Shelby Berry took the pump to Joplin for repairs and learned it could not be fixed. In pricing a new one, he came up with a total of $3,500 to $4,000 for a replacement...

Cox Monett Hospital participated in a virtual training exercise developed around the New Madrid Fault earthquake scenario this week, bringing the CoxHealth communications trailer into the mix of high tech response tools. Chewy Vroman, Cox Monett communications technician, and Samson Porter, CoxHealth emergency management director, staffed the CoxHealth communications van. ...

Pierce City parents who send money for their children’s school lunches will have to dig a little deeper into those pockets starting next fall. School lunch prices are set to jump anywhere from 5 cents to 35 cents, depending on what campus the student is attending...

Verona City Council members wrestled with infrastructure issues in May, reaching agreement on how to handle flooding on Browning Street while deadlocking on several other proposals. Recent rains brought several stormwater runoff issues to leaders’ attention. ...

More than three years ago, the taxpayers in Wheaton approved for a $1 million bond issue for a new FEMA shelter. The Wheaton school district approved a general obligation bond refunding, resulting in net savings of over $86,000. The bond resolution authorized the sale of $935,000 in bonds, at an average interest rate of 2.33 percent. ...

About 35 people gathered in the living room of 526 W. Logan in Monett on Saturday for the dedication of the 11th home built by the Monett/Purdy affiliate of Habitat for Humanity. Tiffany Cardenas and her four sons were on hand to receive their new home through the dedication service. Judge Mike Garrett conducted the closing of the sale of the house at the end of May...

A Monett man was arrested on Saturday for driving while intoxicated and causing a two-vehicle collision at Summit Street and Kyler in Monett. According to Monett Police, Angel Cardenas, of Monett, was driving south on Kyler in a 2006 Chrysler at an excessive speed. His vehicle struck the driver’s door of an eastbound 2013 Chrysler Sebring, driven by Miranda Nute, of rural Stotts City, who was leaving work from the Tyson Foods employee parking lot at 1:16 a.m...

DietSpotlight is a nutrition and weight loss website launched 10 years ago, which gets 30 million visitors annually, according to Summer Banks, director of content, and the company has been compiling data via volunteer survey throughout the country...

The Lawrence County Relay for Life fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, held Saturday in the Mt. Vernon square, raised to date more than $12,000 to aid the fight against cancer.

The famous Verona cow train, made from plastic barrels into train cars and painted like Holsteins, wound its path around the Sacred Heart Catholic Church grounds as part of the entertainment for Summer Fun Days.

Despite a rain scare in the afternoon, the First on Front Street concert series for 2019 got underway on Friday at the Jerry D. Hall Memorial Pavilion in Monett, sponsored by First State Bank of Purdy.