News

Monett police have identified the Monett man injured in an early morning shooting on Tuesday, and are seeking a subject who remains at large in connection with the shooting. Officers responded to the 200 block of Frisco Street at 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday after shots had been fired. Officers found Jason White, 50, of Monett, with gunshot wounds to the arms, legs and chest...

A Pierce City felon has been charged with falsifying employment applications and using up to 17 different names or name variations, along with four Social Security numbers. Larry Timmons, 66, who was convicted of felony kidnapping and assault in Greene County in December 1978, was apprehended by authorities Monday at his home in Pierce City, following an investigation that began in March of this year...

No foul play is suspected in the death of a Monett man found dead in his car in Monett Tuesday afternoon. Police Chief George Daoud has identified the deceased at Charles R. Walker, 60, of Monett. He was found in the 900 block of Seventh Street at about 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday in his vehicle...

J. Edward Sweeney stepped down on July 16 as Monett’s municipal court judge, after completing court that day, ceding responsibilities to Victor Head. A reception was held in Sweeney’s honor for professionals in the court business the previous week to not conflict with Law Day in Barry County on Sweeney’s last day. The reception was kept low key at Sweeney’s request...

The count of students attending schools in the Monett area on the first day brought a few surprises, as Monett inched upward, especially at the high school. For the third consecutive year, first-day attendance in Monett’s public schools has grown. The Tuesday county of 2,268 students finally topped the 2014 tally for the most students ever in pre-kindergarten through high school, passing the old record by 15...

A tri-folded promotional card for the National Association of Secondary School Principals’ annual meeting in Boston this summer had a photo of Monett Middle School Principal Jay Apostol on one of the sides. Apostol, along with Cherie Austin, principal at Monett Intermediate, were among the presenters at this year’s conference...

The Monett Police offered special commendation to the Steel Tech company during the third annual National Night Out festivities on Tuesday. "If it was not for the generosity of our local businesses and public safety agencies, we could not put on an event like this," said Police Chief George Daoud. ...

A public hearing held by Pierce City aldermen on Monday, Aug. 12 resulted in a drop in tax levies for the 2019 year. Although assessed valuations for both real estate and personal property are up for 2018, city residents will see a drop in the tax rate levied against them...

Organizers of the Fall into Health Festival are seeking vendors to participate in the Sept. 28 event. The festival is sponsored by the Pierce City Arts Council, and will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Pierce City's South Park. The event will feature a fun run and walk, arts and crafts, fall items, produce and flowers, health and wellness information, natural foods and games...

The Monett City Council will address the continuation of 911 service with Lawrence County, making pedestrian improvements on Central Avenue and refinancing the debt managed by the Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) Commission during the regular monthly meeting at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday at Monett City Hall...

Eight people were hurt in a two-vehicle collision Friday morning on Interstate 44, five miles west of Mt. Vernon. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Enrique Lira, 59, of Pharr, Texas, was driving east on the interstate in a 2002 Dodge Caravan when a 2020 Volvo Conventional sleeper truck, driven by Omar Mohamoud, 34, of Dodge City, Kan., struck the van from behind. The impact sent the Lira van off the left side of the roadway, where it struck a median cable...

The Monett Chamber of Commerce will accept proposals through Aug. 30 for running the 2020 fireworks show for Monett's Freedom and Fireworks event next July 4. The Monett Chamber board decided this week to reject all proposals made to date and make a general request for proposals...

There is always time for a selfie with your friends, even when you are spinning on the Cyclone swings at the Howdy Neighbor Days festival in Pierce City.

What a way to close out the dog days of summer.

Today at Howdy Neighbor Days at Pierce City’s South Park, Kelly Jo of Kujo Music plays at 5 p.m. The duck race is at 6:30 p.m. and the Mark Chapman Band plays at 9 p.m. The carnival, Masonic Lodge BBQ and beer garden will be open all evening. Today at Ernte-Fest in Freistatt, activities and food sales begin at 4:30 p.m. ...

No foul play is suspected in the death of a Monett man found dead in his car in Monett Tuesday afternoon.

A Fairview woman has pleaded guilty to two felonies in an open plea agreement in connection with the April 22, 2018, hit-and-run death of Nichole Barker, 42, of Mt. Vernon, following an altercation at a Mt. Vernon bar. The case against Lerenda Campbell, 37, formerly of Miller, was taken up in a pre-trial hearing on Tuesday, in Lawrence County Circuit Court. ...

When the Monett school board sits down for its August meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, representatives from L.J. Hart and Company will be on hand to offer details on financial options in moving forward on the proposed master plan. Architects Bonnie Crawford and Pam Haldiman, from Sapp Design Associates, will also be present to hear the options, as well and to answer questions. ...

Friendship can be formed through a number of events, and some of the most long-lasting relationships are formed by people who need someone close by that understands exactly what the other is going through. Shelby Sleeth and April Thomas grew up in Exeter and graduated from Exeter High School one year apart, in 2010 and 2011, respectively. ...

The Freistatt Lions will host the 46th annual Ernte-Fest, the area’s German heritage celebration, Friday and Saturday on the Ernte-Fest grounds on the north edge of Freistatt on Highway H, north of Monett. According to Freistatt Lions President Glenn Obermann, the event will feature many of the favorite features of the past with a few variations to enhance the fun...

For three hours on Saturday, the sounds of acoustic music wafted through the trees in a little glade next to an old school east of Monett, mixing with the singing of cicadas. About 100 people gathered at the historic Kings Prairie school house for the 20th annual benefit concert, filling the air with the sounds of bluegrass, gospel and nostalgic songs. ...

Rehearsals will begin Tuesday for the 40th season of the Ozark Festival Orchestra in Monett. Players from across the area are welcome to join in performances. Music Director Todd Borgmann has announced a schedule that will honor the milestone in the orchestra's history...

Who thinks about lunch while still noshing on breakfast? A hungry kindergarten student, that’s who.

There were a lot of smiles in Kerri Cloud’s fourth grade class at Central Park Elementary on Tuesday for the opening of school as introductions were made and students settled into the daily school routine.

The first day of school at Purdy is a family affair.

The Verona school board will hold groundbreaking ceremonies for a new high school gym at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 15 at the school. Monett Masonic Lodge No. 129, AF&AM, will have a pin ceremony marking 50, 60 and 65-year memberships for Ray Johnson, Jack King and Frank Hilton, at 7 p.m. on Aug. 23 at the Lodge, 501 13th St. in Monett. Grand Master for State of Missouri will make the presentation. The public is welcome to attend...

Three people were injured Monday in a wreck at 11:56 p.m. on Highway BB, four miles south of Monett. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Hector Arreola-Duran, 17, of Monett, was driving a 2005 Nissan 350Z southbound when his vehicle failed to stop for a stop sign and struck a 2006 Chrysler Town and Country minivan, being driven by Carye Mays, 29, of Aurora...

Two people were injured Monday in a wreck at 12:40 p.m. on Sans Souci Drive, five miles south of Shell Knob. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Darlene Jarratt, 61, of Shell Knob, was driving a 2005 Nissan Titan northbound when her vehicle traveled off the right side of the roadway and struck a tree...

Following the celebration of the 10th anniversary of Mocha Jo’s coffee café in downtown Monett, owners Debbie and Bob Berger have announced the sale of the business and introduced new owners, Life360 Community Services. “Our intent was to get through the first 10 years,” said Debbie Berger, commenting on the July 13 anniversary celebration. ...

As school preparations draw to a close, faculty and staff in the Monett school district started their year on Wednesday with a message on hope during the first day rally at the Monett High School Performing Arts Center. Activities starting the day included introductions by campus of the new teachers and certified staff. ...

As the opening of the Monett schools next week draws closer, Monett school board members have firmed up arrangements for the year. In a closed session, board members approved extra duty assignments. In addition to coaching, the board named Lynsey Rector as the new FFA sponsor, LeAnn Struckman as the new Scholar Bowl sponsor at the middle school, Laura Bahl in charge of coordinating the district’s efforts to prohibit discrimination based on disabilities, and Carrie Stone as the middle school tutoring coordinator.. ...

Before firing up that heavy machinery, people should contact Missouri One Call to locate underground utilities to avoid expensive damages, repairs or serious injuries. Dallas Gramm, Phillips 66 midstream operations representative, recently spoke to members of the Lawrence County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) concerning the dangers of pipeline strikes that included actual sections of pipeline ruptures and accompanying photos of damages...

The 31st annual Pierce City Car and Truck Show has been set to kick off at 8 a.m. on Oct. 5 at South Park in Pierce City, and registrations are being accepted now. Event organizers have set entry fees at $10 for early registration and $15 the day of the show. Cost of entering an additional vehicle is $5. Registrations may be mailed to: Pierce City Car Show, 320 Stone Cottage Dr., Sarcoxie, MO 64862...

Handing out notebooks and invitation to participate in the 16th year of the Verona Kids Bible Club was Terry Edwards, left.

Breann Bonnow, 4, was caught in a fishy fascination with the aquarium set up in the pre-school classroom of Amanda Gross during open house festivities at Central Elementary School in Pierce City on Thursday evening.

Members of the community lined up for two blocks waiting to be served grilled chicken, fries and baked beans by some of Monett’s finest during the annual National Night Out outreach, hosted by the Monett Police Department.

Encouraging words abounded for incoming kindergarten student Lucas Jenkins as he looked over Daniela Rodriguez’s classroom during open house at Monett Elementary on Thursday.

The 20th annual Kings Prairie Community Center benefit concert will be held today, Aug. 10, at the historical school house, from Highway 60 east of Monett to Highway Z, south to Farm Road 2015 and turn west. The cook shack opens at 5:30, serving hot pulled pork sandwiches, or Tyson’s grilled chicken, with a side of beans and slaw. ...

A Monett man was injured Thursday in a wreck at 8:15 p.m. on Farm Road 2210, one mile north of Monett. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Kendra Eden, 22, of Springfield, was driving a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt eastbound when her vehicle ran a stop sign and struck a 1997 Honda Civic, being driven by Greg Lopez, 39, of Monett. Both vehicles traveled off the roadway and struck a fence...

The Wheaton Fire Protection District hosts a Community BBQ every August for the last 61 years, and people come from all over to be a part of it. Lindy Lombard, Wheaton Rural Fire Department fire chief, said it is a great time for people to come together and just have a good time...

Having acquired a reputation for using precision technology that applies well to artwork, Monett Metals recently completed a project for the Osage Indian Tribe in Oklahoma. According to Mike Renfrow, president of Monett Metals, the Monett foundry was approached by the Osage Tribe to cast a 20-foot eagle feather in metal to stand on the lawn by the Osage National Museum in Pawhuska, Okla. ...

Mary Blinzler has been named to new principal for the Berean Christian Academy, following her assignment as interim principal at the conclusion of last school year. Blinzler, who had served as the school’s curriculum instruction facilitator, succeeds Wyatt Howerton in the top job at Berean. In that role, she worked together with all the staff, a building process she liked. Blinzler is in her 41st year in education, having retired from teaching in the Monett school district in 2015...

Not many people live their whole lives within a few miles of where they were born, but 96-year-old Wheaton resident Floyd Hughes, born July 19, 1923, is an exception. Hughes, who has lived in or near Wheaton except for the three years he spent in Europe with the U.S. Army, said he and his wife used to own a little drug store in Wheaton, which they bought in 1949 and ran for 29 years...

Water-loving hounds can grab their owners by the leash and head out to an evening dog swim to be held from 5-7 p.m. on Monday at the Monett Area YMCA, located at 115 S. Lincoln. Doggos and their owners are asked to enter through the outdoor pool entrance, located north of the YMCA building. Cost of admission is a donation to benefit the proposed dog park in Monett...

For the sixth year, local industries and their employees have collaborated in the Stuff the Bus effort. First State Bank of Purdy, Cox Monett Hospital, International Dehydrated Foods, EFCO Corporation, Jack Henry and Associates and 3D Corporations collaborated in parking a school bus at their facilities for a day, giving both the companies and employees an opportunity to donate school supplies for use in the three communities where First State Bank has branches, Monett, Purdy and Pierce City...

Gov. Mike Parson announced the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has agreed to the state’s request to provide federal assistance to local governments and nonprofits in 68 counties recovering from flooding and severe storms between April 29 and July 5...

The MoCHIP (Missouri Child Identification and Protection Program) will again be offered in Monett on Aug. 17 as part of the CoxHealth Live Well Health and Safety Fair, thanks to Monett Masonic Lodge No. 129, AF&AM. The MoCHIP program provides parents with an Amber Alert bracelet, a child's physical description, photos, digital fingerprints a dental impression with DNA and a scent specimen for search dogs, and other pertinent information...

The next craft project at the Monett Branch Library, making these curly mesh wreaths.

A box of emergency medical supplies is now available at Monett High School for use in an emergency.

Camp Barnabas aims to provide each child with camp memories.