Stories from Thursday, July 25, 2013

At long last, members of the Gary McCullough family might have some closure into the disappearance and death of Gary McCullough, of rural Purdy, who has been missing since 1999 and declared dead in 2000. McCullough's daughters, April Chanel Chandler, of Winslow, Ariz., and Joy Rose McCullough, of Sioux Falls, S.D., filed a civil lawsuit against Sandra McCullough-Klemp, her husband, Kristopher Klemp, Sandra's daughter, Liehnie "Lena" Chapin, and Klemp's ex-wife, Jennifer Lee Brattin, for the wrongful death of Gary McCullough.. ...

The Barry County OACAC Neighborhood Center is still accepting vendors for its 2013 senior fair, which will be held at the Crowder College Cassville Campus Community Center from 8 a.m. to noon on Friday, Sept. 20. "This was such a fun event last year," said Gail Reed, Barry County OACAC director. "We have a lot of information available to help seniors and senior caregivers. We are planning to offer some different information from new vendors this year."...

Dorothy Sue Crabtree, age 77, of Branson West, formerly of Shell Knob, died at 3:45 p.m. on Sunday, July 21. Rosary will be held at 1:30 p.m. and services will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, July 25, in Holy Family Catholic Church in Shell Knob, under direction of Fohn Funeral Home, Shell Knob. Burial will be in Leek Cemetery, Star City, Arkansas...

A prayer of dedication for the Multicultural building "Palabras de Vida Eterna," formerly the YMCA building, was held on June 28. The ribbon cutting to open the doors to the public was held by the City of Monett Mayor Jim Orr and Pastor Wilfor Portillo, vice president of the Alliance of Pastors Carthage and the four states...

EIGHTY YEARS AGO July 25, 1933 Members of the local sportsmen league said they never had a season in which birds frequented bird baths more than they have this year. Large coveys of quail appearing at farmhouses and outskirts of town in quest of water...

Perfect weather helped to make the second annual Purdy Festival on July 20 a successful event. Crowds stayed throughout the day, even returning for the night concert. The concentration of concession stands against the school provided a centralized gathering place. Organizers felt the addition of events and the variety of activities helped to improve the community gathering...

An Aurora man received minor injuries in a single-vehicle crash one mile west of Reavisville on July 21. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Christopher Rowe, 29, was driving west on Highway TT at 8:38 p.m. when his 1999 Ford pickup when the truck ran off the roadway and struck a tree...

Community Blood Center of the Ozarks will hold blood drives from 7 to 10 a.m. on July 24 at Schreiber Foods, 108 W. North St. in Mt. Vernon; from noon to 3 p.m. on July 29 at the Marionville Branch Library, 303 W. Washington; from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 30 at the Missouri Rehabilitation Center in Mt. Vernon; and from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 1 at the First Baptist Church, 602 S. Hickory in Mt. Vernon...

Members of the Pierce City Board of Aldermen approved pay raises for city employees at their July meeting. Employees will undergo individual evaluations and receive up to a four percent increase in merit wages. In other business, aldermen named Jarod Jarvis as emergency management director for the city, replacing Glo Abramovitz, who resigned the position...

A second sign identifying the Monett fire stations went in place on July 12. Daryl Fenski, at center, anchored the sign on the wall to the east of the station entrance, after receiving measuring assistance from firefighters Dustin Stellwagen and Trent Thompson as well as civilian James Waltrip, at right...

The Lawrence County Sheriff's Office, in cooperation with the Missouri Sheriff's Association, will host a Law Enforcement Academy at the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office in Mt. Vernon. Class is scheduled to start Tuesday, Aug. 20. Sessions are held Tuesday and Thursday evenings, Saturdays and some Sundays. Graduates of the Academy will be certified in several basic areas including jail operations...

The Monett City Council has revised its proposed rental rates for the new City Park Casino. During the regular monthly meeting on July 19, council members passed an ordinance setting rental rates. Contrary to government fee schedules in general, this time the Monett City Council opted for lower rates...