Community News

Meet Blacky, the Haven of the Ozarks Pet of the Week.

Meet Harper, the Haven of the Ozarks Pet of the Week. This week, the Haven is looking for a very special family and a certain type of home for a sweet kitten.

Max Lyall, 6, of Cassville, scored big on Christmas morning with a new Ninja Turtles bike. Contributed photo

The 21st Annual Herrin Toy Drive at Herrin Animal Hospital collected numerous toys for children in need in the area.

Meet Tia Branson, the Haven of the Ozarks Pet of the Week. Tia was transferred in from another shelter when she was found as a stray.

The substance of Christmas is communication. Angels communicated with Mary and Joseph concerning the birth of Jesus. The shepherds communicated Christ immediately; “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them” (Luke 2:20). If you know the story of the miraculous birth of Jesus, you ought to tell it to others.   ...

Meet Hugo, the Haven of the Ozarks Pet of the Week.

Wayne Hendrix, Barry County southern commissioner, was honored during a party on Monday for his three terms, or 12 years, in the position.

Meet Augusta, the Haven of the Ozarks Pet of the Week.

When I think of Christmas memories past, I don't remember many Christmas presents. I know that I was excited on Christmas mornings, but it isn't the presents I remember.     I remember that our old station-wagon broke down on Interstate 40 in a bitter blizzard. ...

Sunday’s snowstorm reminded me of an exchange I had with a church member. Most preachers receive an ample supply of good natured ribbing, especially in regard to the sermons they preach. Such a case occurred the weekend when a good Christian man said, “Pastor, that snowstorm we had yesterday reminds me an awful lot of your sermons.”...

Meet Dodger, the Haven of the Ozarks Pet of the Week.

The Cassville Community Foundation received a $1,000 grant during the annual Affiliate Appreciation Conference for the Community Foundation of the Ozarks.  The CFO selected 10 affiliates from its 51-member affiliate network for $1,000 grants at the Nov. 12 virtual conference, and two others received $5,000 grants. The recipients were drawn from affiliates that had completed annual activities and provided conference inspiration...

Meet Rebel, the Haven of the Ozarks Pet of the Week.

Meet Pistol, a very special Haven of the Ozarks Pet of the Week.

In the fall of 1621, Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoag Indian tribe, heard musket shots. He sent 90 of his warriors to investigate. He feared that a warring tribe had attacked the pilgrims, who he had promised to protect. There was no danger. The governor of the new colony had given his men permission to hunt fowl, so that a day of Thanksgiving might be observed...

The Cassville FFA Chapter is planning its annual food drive this holiday season, and the group is asking for the help and support from the community. In this time of hardships, basic luxuries that some take for granted are not accessible for many local families. Now more than ever, the need for food in the community is prevalent and real...

• Joe Daryl Andrus, Mt. Vernon, second degree burglary, fel. C, probation revoked, seven years with the Missouri Department of Corrections (DOC); resisting/interfering with an arrest for a felony, fel. D, probation revoked, four years with the DOC. • Joe D. ...

Students were recognized recently for showing self-discipline, to celebrate Red Ribbon week and say no to drugs.

• Trevor Lynn Sparkman, Lindale, Texas, take/possess over daily limit/possession limit of trout, misd. A, $110.50 and court costs. • Tyler L. Spreeman, Cassville, seat belt violation, infr. $10. • Jaden Austin Steele, Eagle Rock, driving while license is revoked/suspended, misd. D. $80.50...

Nominations are being accepted for the January 2021 public election of Barry County’s University of Missouri Extension Council, according to Council Chairman Marcia Moreland. Council members are elected or appointed to two-year terms and may not serve more than two consecutive terms. Nominees must be at least 18 and must reside in Barry County...

Meet Ash, the Haven of the Ozarks Pet of the Week.

I still believe in old-fashioned, week-long, fall church revivals. I was driving to Council Grove, Kan., to preach one. I had plenty of time, so I decided to take the scenic route through the Flint Hills. It was a gorgeous day, and the hills were still green and covered with cattle. ...

Six employees of Able 2 Products Company in Cassville were recognized for milestone employment anniversaries at a company-wide meeting on Nov. 10.

Meet GeeGee, the Haven of the Ozarks Pet of the Week.

SKITS board members Don Herbert and actor Cliff Przbyl, along with Table Rock Community Foundation members Judy Reynolds and Nita Jane Ayres, attended the recent Table Rock Community Foundation grant recipient luncheon at Silver Dollar City. The annual event celebrates the work and endeavors of philanthropic organizations, such as The Table Rock Community Lake Foundation, which has made a huge impact by virtue of their continued support to non-profit organizations in Stone County and southeast Barry County,. ...

  First Baptist Church in Cassville and New Site Baptist Church and in Monett are not waiting until Thanksgiving Day to express gratitude. Instead, they are giving back by lovingly packing gifts of joy for children around the world living in extreme poverty or affected by war, disease and natural disaster. Operation Christmas Child — a project of Samaritan’s Purse — is the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind...

• Gerald Clayborn Ritchie, Monett, financial responsibility violation, misd. D, $80.50 and court costs; seat belt violation, $10. • Wayne Dudley Rogers, Exeter, speeding, misd. B, $200 and court costs. • Shayler Dane-Joseph Route, Rocky Comfort, DWI, misd. B; no valid driver’s license, misd. D, $380.50 and court costs...

The 22nd annual Check Out Hunger campaign begins Nov. 1 with more than 60 local grocers partnering with Ozarks Food Harvest to help provide meals for families during the holiday season. The campaign continues through Dec. 31. Check Out Hunger allows customers to add a $1, $3 or $5 tax-free donation to their grocery bill when checking out at local retailers. ...

Meet Patricia Star, and lots of other adorable kittens, the Haven of the Ozarks Pets of the Week.

Some Americans are disappointed by the outcome of this week’s 2020 election — others are elated. We all know that in any contest there will be a loser and a winner. The question you may be asking is, "What do I do now?” Whether your candidate won or lost, the Bible indicates an appropriate response.    ...

• Cameron Michael Hunter, Exeter, endangering welfare of a child, misd. A, $250; possession of marijuana/synthetic cannabinoid, misd. D, $100; unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, misd. D, $100. • Kala M. Jones, Exeter, second degree endangering welfare of a child, misd. A, $250; possession of marijuana/synthetic cannabinoid, misd. D, $100; unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, misd. D, $100...

Meet Bohemian, the Haven of the Ozarks Pet of the Week.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today has announced Oct. 30, as the deadline to submit applications for the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program – Plus (WHIP+) for 2018 and 2019 losses. USDA did not originally specify a deadline when the program was announced...

Meet Svetlana, the Haven of the Ozarks Pet of the Week.

I suppose that every political election comes with a little mudslinging. We might even consider a little mudslinging as normal. But, what we are experiencing this election cycle reminds me of my trips through the monkey house at Wichita’s Riverside Park when I was a boy. The agitated monkeys were slinging more than mud through the bars...

Jesus is in the miracle working business. He delights in taking those things that are not what they should be and miraculously changing them for the better. For example, on one occasion, there wasn’t enough wine for all the wedding guests. Jesus took water and turned it into wine. It was the best wine anyone had ever tasted! ...

Meet Sour Patch, the Haven of the Ozarks Pet of the Week.

• Elvis H. Alarcon, Springdale, Ark., DWI, misd. B, failure to drive on right half of roadway, misd. C, suspended imposition of sentence (SIS), $250 and two years unsupervised probation. • Shelley Kellai Antle, Marionville, speeding, misd. C, $70.50...

Growing up in the big city of Dallas, Dr. Mitchel Norton knew he wanted to practice medicine in a small town. Add to that his love for fly fishing, and it may be no surprise he chose Cassville as the perfect place to settle down. “I wanted to really get to know my patients and be able to take care of them in the clinic and hospital,” Norton said. ...

Meet Tanya Ray and her siblings, the Haven of the Ozarks Pets of the Week.

It seems as though every form of immorality has witnessed an unprecedented explosion. Adultery, divorce, premarital sex, co-habitation, rape, incest, homosexuality, child molestation, suicide, abortion, alcoholism, drug addiction, gambling, etc. have risen at alarming rates. Uninhibited immorality is affecting America’s children.  ...

“I think something must be wrong with me.” That was the self-assessment of a dear Christian friend. Her discouragement, like mine, stems from the many deceptive lies of our oldest enemy, Satan. The perilous times we are living in may have caused you, too, to doubt your faith.   ...

Meet Shooting Star, the Haven of the Ozarks Pet of the Week.

Meet Ferrari, the Haven of the Ozarks Pet of the Week. This gorgeous 2-1/2-year-old girl has been shuffled around quite a bit in her short life.

I know many old stories. I don't like to tell old stories, so I do it judiciously.   There must be a good reason for me to tell a joke that my readers may have already heard. With that in mind, forgive me if you have heard this story before. The new minister in town went to visit a rural family, and much to his surprise, discovered that the man of the house acted like the family pet. He was horrified when the wife set a bowl of dog food in front of her husband...

Electronics Technician 1st Class Matthew Dallis, of Exeter, a member of the shipboard COVID-19 Rapid Response Team, sprays disinfectant on stores pallets on the flight deck of the amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42).

Meet Butterscotch, the Haven of the Ozarks Pet of the week.

The rapture might be just around the corner. Perhaps now, more than ever before, Christians are contemplating what Jesus called, “the signs of the times” (Matthew 16.3). For the uninformed, the rapture is when the dead in Christ will be resurrected and living Christians will be “caught up” to meet the Lord in the air. What will it be like on earth after all faithful believers are removed from planet earth?...

Roaring River State Park invites the public to attend a Fall Wild Edibles Workshop Sept. 19 and Sept. 20. The workshop will include three programs highlighting identification, foraging techniques and preparation of wild foods found in Missouri. Participants can sign up for one program or all three. All programs are free and open to the public. Pre-registration is required and can be done by calling the nature center at 417-847-3742. ...