News

The Monett school board has one more chance to meet Thursday and finalize a proposal for voters to consider before filings for issues on the April 7 ballot closes on Jan. 28. Superintendent Russ Moreland placed no construction plan before the board to consider at the December meeting. ...

Cox College in Springfield will unveil plans for two new campuses, including one at the Scott Regional Technology Center in Monett, on Jan. 30. Cox College will open satellite campuses with the goal of training additional nurses. The Monett move will be the most significant, coming to a new location. The other addition will come to the campus of Cox Medical Center in Branson...

In special session on Jan. 7, the Monett City Council approved demolition bids for the FEMA buyout of flood prone properties on Kelly Creek. Brandon Jenson, buyout project administrator with the Southwest Missouri Council of Governments, presented city council members with a bid package that included only two bidders for the demolition, and one bidder on the asbestos abatement. ...

A Monett man is facing three felonies and a misdemeanor in two separate cases after allegedly making a bomb threat, then forging a check to pay for a PS4 gaming system. Joshua Hendershot, 25, of Monett, is charged with possession of a controlled substance and making a false bomb report in one case, and he is charged with forgery and misdemeanor stealing in a second case...

Roaring River State Park Hatchery employees traveled to the Missouri Capitol on Thursday to receive the Governor’s Award for its First Hole program. Paul Spurgeon, Roaring River Hatchery manager, said the Governor’s Award was received for the programs quality and productivity in the innovation category...

Purdy High School celebrates Homecoming this week with special activities and a basketball contest Friday against the Sparta Trojans. This year’s theme is “Kick Your Boots Off and Stay Awhile.” Special themed activities during the week include Camo Day, Pajama Day and Country/Western Day. Homecoming Week will conclude on Saturday with a semi-formal Homecoming Dance at 7 p.m., hosted by the Purdy High School Student Council...

Livestock profitability, how to read hay and fertilizing strategies will be the topics for the 91st annual Barry County Soils and Crops Conference, slated for 6 p.m. on Jan. 23 in Cassville. Reagan Bluel, conference organizer for the University of Missouri Extension, noted that an ongoing discussion among cattlemen for years has been whether or not it pays to sell cattle to a feed lot to reach finishing weight or to keep them on the farm and feed them locally to capture the highest price at market. ...

Monett City Administrator Dennis Pyle reviewed plans for the new city public works building with Brian Chartier project superintendent with Dalton-Killinger Construction, and architect Richard Werner during Tuesday’s walk-through.

The 100+ Women Who Care in Monett and the surrounding area have awarded a grant of $5,000 to the Barry-Lawrence County Development Center, which, with a grant match, has grown to $7,800.

Dining for Diabetes 18th annual fundraiser is Jan. 25 at Monett High School. Cost is $25. Tickets may still be available by calling 417-354-1280. Live old-time music will be offered at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 17, at the Clio Community Center, Highways 37 and 248, next to the Clio Cemetery. Music is offered on an open mike basis so performers are welcome...

Halfway through the filing period for the April 7 election covering cities, school boards, road districts and emergency services positions like ambulance districts, more candidates have emerged for a number of positions, while others remain vacant. Jan. 21 is the final day to file. City council, school board and ambulance district candidates file at offices for those government entities. Road district candidates file at the offices of the county clerks in Mt. Vernon and Cassville...

When Lawrence County commissioners sit down to unveil their 2020 budget on Thursday, they appear positioned for a dramatically different scenario than they faced as little as three years ago. The “Year of Austerity” in 2017 and the “Year of Recovery” in 2018 both generated forceful declarations of protest from officeholders. ...

A Verona man has now been charged with the Nov. 19, 2019, murder of Coy Cole, 52, of Miller, and the man originally suspected of the murder has had his charges amended. Matthew Abney, 36, of Verona, has been charged with first degree murder, first degree robbery, two counts of first degree assault, two counts of armed criminal action, tampering with a witness, abandonment of a corpse and two counts of tampering with physical evidence in felony prosecution...

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced recipients of 86 licenses to manufacture products that can be sold as medical marijuana. No applicants from Barry or Lawrence counties received a license. Holistic Missouri in Cassville, which received a cultivation license, did not receive a manufacturing license. The only successful local cultivator fell about 20 points below the lowest scoring successful manufacturer...

At Central Park Elementary, the library is a refuge.

Monett Middle School has received a new honor, the title of Missouri state winner in the National STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) competition from Samsung. The Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest encourages teachers and students to solve real-world issues in their community using classroom skills in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)...

Major gains in technology have been achieved for the Monett school district in the past year, according to the annual technology report released to the Monett school board. Technology director Stephen McMillin and network administrator Weston George reported that over the summer, their team established a new internet cache system that lowered the district's external bandwidth usage. They noted that classrooms will often have about 20 requests for access to the internet per session...

New at Central Park Elementary in Monett is this mural by the office.

How do you learn to read? Let me count the ways. Students at Central Park Elementary School in Monett engage in Guided Learning small group sessions, working on specific skills.

Dining for Diabetes 18th annual fundraiser is Friday, Jan. 10. The dinner is Jan. 25 at Monett High School. Cost is $25. Tickets may be ordered by calling 417-354-1280. The 91st annual Barry County Soils and Crops Conference will be held at 6 p.m. on Jan. ...

Four people were injured on Wednesday in a wreck at 7:36 p.m. on Highway 37, one mile north of Purdy. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Darrin Dodson, 48, of Purdy, was driving a 2016 Nissan Altima northbound and slowed to make a left turn when his vehicle was struck in the rear by a 2011 Chevrolet HHR, being driven by Nicholas George, 23, of Cassville...

It’s supposed to be a happy time of year, but squatters, counterfeiters and thieves are making themselves a nuisance to both their victims and law enforcement officials tasked with holding them accountable. At a recent meeting of the Barry-Lawrence County Chapter of Crime Stoppers, Purdy Police Chief Jackie Lowe noted several counterfeit currency cases reported in Barry County...

The Jenkins Bridge Historical Preservation Society has obtained its non-profit status and is hoping to take possession of the Jenkins bridge in coming months. Dawna Skaggs, president of the Society, said the group had hoped to take possession by the end of 2019, but more things still need to be done...

The Monett Chamber of Commerce is now seeking nominations for its two top awards: the Community Service Award and the Pride and Progress Award. Winners will be announced at the chamber’s annual membership meeting on Thursday, March 5. The Community Service Award recognizes longtime activity in Monett and can reflect a wide range of contributions over time. The award recognizes activities that have improved the quality of life in the community...

The Verona City Council has approved a sewer rate increase and grappled with policy over use of the new security cameras recently. Mayor Joseph Heck disclosed that a study of sewer rates revealed the city’s rate structure, unchanged since 2015, fell below general averages. Council members agreed that due to increasing costs, rates needed adjustment...

On Wednesday, the Monett Fire Department will mark the 10th anniversary of the fire at the McDonald’s restaurant, one of the most difficult battles firefighters have faced in recent memory. Fire Chief Tom Jones has more photos from the McDonald’s fire than any other in his office. ...

The Verona school board received an upbeat report on the district’s financial condition recently, and it approved a price increase for food service this year. Superintendent Tony Simmons reported the district had no issues surface in its annual audit. ...

The Aurora/Marionville police are continuing to seek clues into the Monday burglary at the Marionville Pharmacy, located at 201 S. Highway 60. Authorities were alerted at 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 6 by an alarm indicating broken glass. Manager Mitzi Owens arrived first on the scene to find a pickup had driven into the brick wall by the pharmacy drive-through window. Surveillance video showed the vehicle struck the building twice, leaving a hole through which entry was made...

On a Tuesday morning in January, a dad can always find fun with the boys at the Monett Area YMCA.

Jaxson Dean Fancher, son of Dylan and Elizabeth Fancher of Washburn, claimed honors for being the First Baby of 2020 at Cox Monett Hospital. Fancher arrived at 2:21 a.m. on Jan. 1.

Monett Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors gathered Tuesday morning at The T-Shirt Snob, the newly opened retailer located at 300 South Kyler, Suite B, in Monett, formerly Curves, to host ribbon-cutting ceremonies to welcome the new business.

The combined choirs of Monett Middle School performed their winter concert on Dec. 12.

Dining for Diabetes 18th annual fundraiser is Friday, Jan. 10. The dinner is Jan. 25 at Monett High School. Cost is $25. Tickets may be ordered by calling 417-354-1280. The McDowell Golden Jubilee will continue live performances of old-time music at the old McDowell School, south of Pleasant Ridge on Highway VV, south of Highway Z on Jan. 11 and 25. Fans of old-time music and performers are welcome. Concessions will be available...

A cost share that will combine state resources into plans to renovate Central Avenue in Monett and build a roundabout at Central and Broadway has been approved by the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Cost Share Committee and advanced to the Missouri Highway Commission...

Medical marijuana advocates Paul and Wendy Callicoat were unsuccessful in seeking a temporary restraining order against the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, per a ruling by Cole County Circuit Court Judge Jon Beetem on Thursday. However, the judge did not dismiss any of the arguments made by the Callicoats in their defense for seeking a medical marijuana cultivation license...

Corbin Palmer and his buddies mounted their scooters on Thursday and set out for a “born to be wild” moment, finding ledges that made momentary airborne opportunities and practice for landing.

Conflicting legal opinions appear to have made a mess out of attempts by the Verona City Council to resolve longstanding road maintenance issue, despite action in December. Mayor Joseph Heck announced the Verona Benefit Special Road District had made repairs to Farm Road 1150, running south from Business Highway 60 by the Youngberg Chapel. ...

A Pierce City woman was sentenced to 7 years in prison for one count of possession of a controlled substance, a class D felony, and four years each on four counts of stealing. Eavette Nixon, 36, was sentenced on Dec. 16, 2019, in Barry County Court on the charges, which will run concurrently...

The second man charged with the armed robbery of a Monett man of his pain medications has been arrested. Shane Eugene Smith, 33, of Purdy, was arrested Dec. 26, 2019, for first degree robbery, armed criminal action and unlawful possession of a firearm...

A fire on Jan. 2 has displaced a rural Verona family. The fire took place at the Jared and Melissa Lankford home, four miles north of Verona on Farm Road 1135, where flames were discovered at 3 a.m. Verona Rural Chief Aaron Siegrist said the fire started on the front porch, traveled up the wall and spread between the shingle roof and a metal roof...

Retired judge Mike Garrett served as narrator for a recent musical setting of the “Night Before Christmas” poem by Clement Clarke Moore for the Ozark Festival Orchestra’s Christmas concert on Dec. 15.

At this month’s craft workshop with Joyce Reed at the Monett Branch Library, attendees learned how to make sock snow people, filling a white sock at the bottom with rice, then adding stuffing, tying with a rubber band and drawing on faces or attaching accessories like buttons and pins and hats...

Monett Electric Department personnel got right to work on Thursday disassembling the nearly 30 displays in the Monett Chamber of Commerce’s Festival of Lights holiday light show at South Park.

Santa was an unexpected guest at the Dec. 5 story time at the Marionville Branch Library.

The Monett City Council will hold a special session at 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 7 at Monett City Hall. Action will include refinancing the city’s tax increment financing (TIF) debt to add the Lowe’s Lane extension on the north side of Highway 60, and opening bids for demolition as part of the Kelly Creek buyout plan. The council will move immediately into a work session preparing the budget for fiscal year 2020-2021...

Purdy High School crowned Clay Henderson, a junior, and Shelby Haskins, a senior, as the 2019 Mister and Miss Merry Christmas at a special coronation ceremony between basketball games on Friday, Dec. 13. The crowning capped a fun-filled Winter Wonderland Week of activities planned by the Purdy High School Student Council, including themed dress-up days such as flannels and fuzzy socks, crazy sweaters, pajamas and favorite Christmas character. ...

Community National Bank, a Monett-based national banking association since 2002, has announced plans to merge with Freedom Bank, a Missouri state-chartered bank located in Cassville. Community National Bank and its branch in Aurora will become branches of Freedom Bank...

Sales tax revenues in December provided a feast-or famine scenario to end 2019, as more than half the bi-county recipients fell short of last December, while big payoffs in other towns left a positive balance for the month. Year-end totals were a similar mixed bag, though those short of 2018 sums fell not far from the mark...

Pierce City School District patrons may have to ponder the possibility of passing an operating tax levy in order to partially fund the position of a school resource officer and meeting additional operating needs of the district. At the December meeting of the board, Superintendent Kelli Alumbaugh provided information on proposing both a 10-cent increase and a 15-cent increase, as provided by L.J. Hart and Co., in investment banking firm in St. Louis...