Stories from Friday, May 15, 2015

Kirk Roger Leddon, 60, of Mt. Vernon, died at 12:03 a.m. on Monday, May 11, at Cox Hospital South in Springfield. Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 16, at Meadowview Baptist Church, in Republic. Burial will follow t 2 p.m. Saturday at the Mt. Vernon City Cemetery...

Jim McCaffrey, 74, of Abilene, Texas, passed away Sunday, April 26, at Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene, Texas. Funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, May 25 at St. Lawrence Catholic Church, in Monett. Interment following at Mt. Calvary Cemetery...

The Pierce City boys and girls track teams took first place in the Class 2, District 5 track meets on Saturday. The top four placers in each event advance to Saturday's sectional round in Fair Grove. Medal winners for the Pierce City boys and girls are as follows:...

Coaches like to tell their teams to take games one at a time. For the Monett baseball team, that phrase is now a reality. The Cubs enter the Class 4, District 12 tournament as the No. 1 overall seed and earned a bye until the semifinal round on Monday...

The seventh annual Pierce City Arts Festival will be held Saturday, May 16 at Pierce City's South Park. Area artists will bring with creations, from painting to sculpture. Vintners from 7C's, Keltoi and Meyer Farms Wines will offer a wine tasting. Doors open at 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Live music will be provided by the Caleb Miller Solo Project. Activities will be available for children...

A total of 47 students will soon be making their way across the stage at Pierce City High School to receive their diplomas, putting the caps on their 12-year educational careers and embarking on the next phase of their life journies. College-bound seniors were recognized in a special assembly recently. ...

Members of the top 10 percent of the graduating class received George Washington Carver Awards. Recipients were: Brooke Burnside, Garrett Craig, Tara Hancock, Kiersten Harper, Wesley Kilgore, Isaac Long, McKenna Mahl, Tarek Masri, Saloni Patel, Jessica Perez, Hannah Pitts, Andrew Rausch, Adriel Ridenour, Polet Rodriguez, Kailee Ticknor, Nathan Webb and Willow Welters...

Amy Joann Webb, 47, of Cassville, died Monday, May 11. Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 23, at First Baptist Church, North Kansas City. Burial will be in Garnett Cemetery, Garnett, Kansas. Memorial services will also be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 30, at First Baptist Church, Cassville...

Monett High School has been ranked the No. 20 high school in the state, according to a rankings list released by U.S. News and World Report. David Steward, principal of Monett High School, said the award is a testament to the hard work of faculty and students at the school...

Working into the evening on Monday, Sean Riech with Bearden Carpet in Springfield placed carpeting inside the new performing arts center at Monett High School.

SPRINGFIELD -- A Mexican national living in the state of California pleaded guilty in federal court in Springfield on Tuesday to his role in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of methamphetamine in southwest Missouri. The conspiracy involved four co-defendants, one of whom lived in Monett. All four...

Lawrence County Sheriff's deputies are investigating a series of thefts and burglaries in the Beazley subdivision north of Pierce City on Thursday. Deputies investigated a series of incidents that apparently began around 3:30 a.m. A suspect left evidence of attempted entry over a multi-block area. ...

Results from the first year of health insurance coverage under the Missouri Educators Trust resulted in higher rates per employee, as the Verona district had one of the best records of all 68 participating districts. Superintendent Tony Simmons anticipated a level expense in future years because of the consortium...