Stories from Saturday, April 20, 2019

Francisco Casas, 56, of Wheaton, died Monday, April 15. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 20, at St. Edwards Catholic Church in Cassville, under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial will be at Purdy Cemetery in Purdy...

Jeffery “Jeff” Harris, 57, of Cassville, died Sunday, April 14. Graveside services were held at 11 a.m. Friday, April 19, at Oak Hill Cemetery in Cassville, under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Visit www.fohnfuneralhome.com for online obituaries, guestbook and private condolences...

Corinne Marcelline Harrel, 91, of Wichita, Kan., died Wednesday, April 17. Cremation arrangements are under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Shell Knob.

David Henry, 65, of Purdy, died Saturday, April 13. Private services were held at Bethel Baptist Cemetery under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville.

Richard James Schmitz, 74, of Shell Knob, died Saturday, April 13. Services and presentation by VFW Post 2203 were held Tuesday, April 23, at Central Community United Methodist Church in Shell Knob. Pastor Bill Kenagy conducted the services. Burial will be at a later date at Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Springfield...

Ricky Dean Swearingen, 60, of Cassville, died Monday, April 15. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 20, at Corinth Baptist Church in Cassville, under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville. Burial will be at Horner Cemetery in Cassville...

Dwight Ray Wilmoth, 84, of Mt. Vernon, died at 5:57 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16, at his home. He was born May 18, 1934, in Stotts City, the son of Frank William and Lora Irene (Lewis) Wilmoth. A private family funeral and burial will be held on Saturday, April 20. Burial will be at the Ozark Prairie Cemetery...

Recently, Monett attorney Jim Randall Sr. observed that in the next 30 years, the largest transfer of wealth in the history of the world will take place. Randall referred to how the Greatest Generation, those who fought through the Great Depression to rise from the lower class, many starting as impoverished immigrants, to a solid middle class. Those people have been leaving the scene for the last 20 years, and now it is their children, the Baby Boomers, who take their turn passing on...

With a quick glance at the Monett swimming record book, a person will see the name Kelli Sangston dotted all over. The senior fell in love with swimming at a young age and that set her on a path that is now paving the way for her education. Sangston, a four-year member of the Monett swim team, signed with Millikin University in Decatur, Ill., making her the first Monett swimmer to earn a scholarship in the sport...

The Monett baseball team (11-4) could only muster two runs in the second inning, but that was more than enough for pitcher Corey Spain (4-0), as the Cubs defeated Mt. Vernon Thursday on the road, 2-0. Spain shut down Mt. Vernon, throwing a complete game shutout. He struck out 12, while only allowing one hit and walking one. At one point, the senior hurler retired 16 Mountaineers consecutively...

Four students from the Scott Regional Technology Center in Monett placed among the top three in the state in the State SkillsUSA Contest, held April 4 to 6 at State Technical College of Missouri in Linn. Receiving medals were: • The welding fabrication team of Joshua Howard of Aurora, Emmit Neely of Marionville, and Ryan Raucher of Mt. Vernon, second place;...

Students in Monett High School Concert Band earned a 1 rating at the Missouri State High School Activities Association Large Ensemble Festival, held at Webb City.

Officials at Monett Elementary School have chosen students demonstrating the characteristic of being safe as Students of the Week for April 8.

Cody Blalock of Cleora, Okla., formerly of Monett, received a Dr. Harvey and Corinne Price Endowed Scholarship at Oklahoma State University’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences in Stillwater.

The Liberty tree program, offered through the University of Missouri 4-H Foundation, awarded Barry Co. 4-H with the opportunity for an active role in preserving American history in Barry County. Liberty trees, dating back to the Revolutionary war, were once the site of civil discussion in communities. The location where townspeople would gather, under the shade, to determine the future of the township through debate...

USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced that higher levels of coverage will be offered through the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), a safety net program which began April 8. The 2018 Farm Bill also increased service fees and made other changes to the program, including service fee waivers for qualified military veterans interested in obtaining NAP coverage...

The annual Salad Luncheon hosted by the St. Lawrence Council of Catholic Women will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 24 at the church fellowship hall, 405 Seventh St. in Monett. Cost is $7. Tickets are now available from ladies at the church...

Children attending story time for preschoolers at the Marionville Branch Library on Thursday had fun seeking eggs during an in-house Easter Egg Hunt.

Marionville aldermen heard from Jon Wezner, of Azavar Audit Solutions, an Illinois-based company that evaluates whether municipalities are receiving all the fees, franchise taxes, utility service fees and other revenue sources to which they are entitled...

This flowering crabapple tree, located at the home of Charlotte Bounous in Monett, sprinkled showers of delicate petals on the breeze early Wednesday morning.

Two faces changes on the Freistatt Board of Trustees during the reorganizational meeting on April 11, and two recipients were announced for the 2018 Freistatt Community Service Award. Following approval of the election results, Clerk Deborah Schoen administered the oath of office to Larry Howard, elected to office for the first time; Richard Knight, who returned to office after a previous term; and Elmer Conway, who has been on the board since 2002...

The Monett school board has acted to expand the new consortium to help educate severely autistic children and heard about strategies for dealing with soaring healthcare costs. In preparation for the coming school year, the board approved adding the Wheaton school district as a member of the Monett Regional Support Center, the new consortium of districts sending severely autistic students to Monett for class. ...

The Monett High School National Honor Society Chapter is again launching its Monett Rocks campaign, and invites the public to participate. According to Susie Kinlock, NHS chapter sponsor, participating is easy and fun. She suggested three options for joining the effort upon discovering a painted rock around town:...

Students at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Pierce City are taking their teachings to heart with a new program called Mercy Mondays. Students typically have a four-day school schedule, Tuesday through Friday, since their schedules are based off of Pierce City public school’s calendar. ...

Pierce City council members recently discussed repairs to the municipal pool, as well as set an earlier opening date for this season. According to Shelby Berry, public works, some cracks have developed in the pool and he has had difficulties in getting someone from Springfield or Joplin in to determine the scope and cost of repairs...

Monett Street Department crews have busily worked on completion of the new parking lot at Fourth and Front, on the lot of the former New Beginnings ice cream parlor, acquired by Monett Main Street as parking to support events at the Glen and Sharon Garrett Park...

A Monett woman and a Mexican national have been sentenced in federal district court in Springfield for their alleged roles in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Rebecca Castillo, 37, and Heradio Rios-Zarate, 27, a citizen of Mexico, were sentenced in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes on April 15...

With a month remaining before the end of the regular school year, the Monett school board has filled many of its outstanding vacancies. One open administrator post, created by elevating Stephanie Heman to the job of high school principal, was filled from within as the board tapped Ty Goetz as the new assistant principal at Monett High School, beginning his duties on July 1...