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The Monett school district is mourning the loss of one of its own. In a letter to staff and families Thursday, Superintendent Mark Drake addressed the death of Melanie Hooten. “It is with deep sorrow that I share news of the death of Ms. Melanie Hooten, a true pillar of the Monett R-1 family,” he said. “Ms. Hooten was a fifth-grade teacher at the Monett Intermediate School and was beloved by everyone that had the privilege of knowing her. She died this morning, Thursday, Jan. 20.”...

Nic Stone, author of the book “Dear Martin” that was removed form the English I curriculum at Monett High School recently, has responded to the district’s decision to remove her work. On her Instagram page, Andrea Nicole Livingstone, better known as Nic Stone, took a screenshot of the district’s email to parents saying the book was reviews and the selection was changed from “Dear Martin” to “To Kill a Mockingbird.”...

The annual Rose Homecoming festivities will be held on Jan. 28, moved from Jan. 21, at the Monett basketball game against Carl Junction, with the coronation before the varsity game and an assembly for the candidates at 2:30 p.m.

The Monett boys basketball team (6-6) has split games at the start of the new year, falling to Aurora, 64-62, but defeating Clever, 76-34. Against Aurora, the Cubs trailed by 1 at the end of the first and by 5 at halftime. A 20-point fourth quarter gave Monett a shot, but the Cubs were just short. ...

The Monett boys wrestling team kept chugging away last week, with three Cubs taking part in Saturday’s 2022 Branson Boys Invitational. Heavyweight Harrison Merriman stole the show for Monett, pinning his first two opponents in 19 seconds and 32 seconds to earn a title match berth...

The Monett girls basketball team (4-11) fell in a road contest to Mt. Vernon on Thursday, 53-27. The Lady Cubs got off to a difficult start, going scoreless in the opening frame, then outscoring Mt. Vernon 8-4 in the second to go into the break down by 8. ...

In the past 22 months, I have heard more Greek alphabet talk than when I lived on-campus in my college days. As it stands, we are in the midst of the grasp of the COVID-19 pandemic’s 15th Greek letter variant — Omicron — with only nine letters left to Omega and the birth of a whole new naming system yet to be determined, according to the World Health Organization...

A new voting rights group is forming in southwest Missouri, aiming to promote voting rights and oppose voter suppression. The volunteer group, VOTE 417, was officially formed in early December 2021. It is a broad coalition open to Democrats, Republicans, and independents, according to Treasurer Jacob Brower...

Due to a rise in COVID-positive numbers among students and staff, the Monett school district has transitioned to virtual learning, beginning today, and continuing through Monday. In the interim, the facilities will undergo deep cleaning. Seated classes will resume Tuesday...

Purdy schools announced Wednesday that they would be taking a wellness break from Thursday through Monday, with school returning in session Tuesday. As of 11:45 a.m. Wednesday, Purdy schools had 14 students who had tested positive and four positive cases among staff members. There were also 18 students and two staff members out of school due to household contact with someone who had tested positive for COVID-19...

A new voting rights group is forming in southwest Missouri, aiming to promote voting rights and oppose voter suppression. The volunteer group, VOTE 417, was officially formed in early December 2021. It is a broad coalition open to Democrats, Republicans, and independents, according to Treasurer Jacob Brower...

A book assigned to freshmen at Monett High School has been pulled from the curriculum, and the school apologized for the stress its inclusion has caused Monett families. In correspondence with parents through text, email, phone call and physical letter, Monett High School addressed the selection of “Dear Martin” in the English I classes...

School districts generally try to stay out of politics, but that has never stopped politics from finding its way into schools. Such was the case this week for the two largest school districts in Barry County — Monett and Cassville. At Monett, word began spreading of a book being deemed unfit for assigned reading. Sure enough, “Dear Martin” had been axed from the freshman English I assignment list, replaced with the ever-maligned “To Kill A Mockingbird.”...

Nic Stone, author of the book “Dear Martin” that was removed form the English I curriculum at Monett High School recently, has responded to the district’s decision to remove her work. On her Instagram page, Andrea Nicole Livingstone, better known as Nic Stone, took a screenshot of the district’s email to parents saying the book was reviews and the selection was changed from “Dear Martin” to “To Kill a Mockingbird.”...

Barry County’s active COVID-19 (coronavirus) cases have reached a new weekly peak, 145 more than the previous weekly record in November 2020. According to the Barry County Health Department and Barry County Office of Emergency Management, there have been 5,910 (+399 from Jan. 12) confirmed positive cases of COVID-19...

Pierce City aldermen approved an ordinance prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to those under the age of 21. Violations of the ordinance could result in fines up to $500 for each occurrence. The action was approved at the regular meeting held Jan. 10 and became effective immediately...