Stories from Friday, September 19, 2014

For the last three seasons, the Monett soccer program has been in a familiar, yet frustrating pattern. The Cubs possess an impressive front line attack, but lack experience in their defensive end. Monett, in the past, used a patchwork of first-year seniors in goal and sophomores and freshmen to anchor its defense out of simple necessity, caused by low numbers...

Monett cross-country coach Kelly George is a perfectionist. She worries about every little detail when it comes to putting on an event. "I didn't tell anyone, but I didn't sleep the night before Monett's meet on Tuesday," George said. "I was double checking that I had team packets made and all the runners BBs were ready to go."...

The Monett Elementary School Family Fun Fest will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27 at the school. Activities will include inflatables, carnival games, a dunk tank, face painting and a silent Auction. Heno Head will offer science demonstrations from 5 to 6 p.m...

Market Fresh Produce, a Nixa-based produce marketing and distribution company, has acquired the former Harlin Fruit Company building on West Cleveland, south of Monett High School, and announced plans to move and expand its repackaging facility. The firm announced plans to make a $250,000 capital investment in the Harlin Fruit Company building, which has 16,000 square feet. ...

The annual remembrance ceremony for military personnel who served as prisoners of war or remain missing in action, hosted by Tom Wolfe Memorial Post No. 4207, Veterans of Foreign Wars and its Ladies Auxiliary, will be held at 6 p.m. today at the Phantom Jet veterans memorial at South Park...

Every day, Matt Houck is looking out for children. The former Monett police detective, now an employee of the Clark Community Mental Health Center, serves as the school care coordinator, a position created two years ago in collaboration with the Monett R-1 School District. In August, as Houck started his third year on the job, he made his second appearance before the Monett School Board to report on the progress of his role...

Body cameras for police are likely coming to local departments. The topic became widely discussed after the shooting of African American teen Michael Brown in Ferguson on Aug. 9, as U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill called for making body cameras for police standard equipment...

By Murray Bishoff times-news@monett-times.com Life is a journey, with rough spots mixed in along the way. The battle against cancer is one of those bumps, if not more. On Saturday, Monett hosts the 19th annual American Cancer Society Relay for Life, which will respond to one of those road bumps by moving indoors and shortening the time. The event will now be held at the E.E. Camp gymnasium at the Monett Middle School, following the same strategy the last time the event moved indoors in 2009...