News

Barry County’s positive COVID-19 (coronavirus) cases and number of total quarantines both took dips in the last week. According to the Barry County Health Department and Barry County Office of Emergency Management, there have been 4,377 (+57 from Sept. 22) confirmed positive cases of COVID-19...

Two Barry County Sheriff’s Office deputies have received Letters of Commendation from the Office, as they helped to save a person that had suffered a gunshot wound to the chest. On Aug. 23, Deputy Clinton Bray and Deputy Jeremiah Anderson were dispatched to a home for a gunshot wound. Upon arrival, Bray located the injured person, determined the person had been shot in the chest and began administering first aid...

Groups like Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and Celebrate Recovery have been operating locally for many years, but the First United Methodist Church in Cassville is helping sponsor a new program to heal those struggling with things like addiction or mental health issues...

Scam artists are targeting area residents claiming to be representatives of CoxHealth. Scam callers have managed to “spoof” phone numbers associated with the CoxHealth network, making it appear that calls are coming from within the CoxHealth system...

Staff members at Roaring River State Park invite the public to the park amphitheater from 7:15-8:15 p.m. Saturday to meet the divers who are currently filming and conducting research on Roaring River Spring. Past dive teams from 1979 and 1999 were limited due to traditional scuba equipment and could descend only 224 feet into the spring before they were stopped by a narrow constriction. ...

Two people were injured on Saturday in a wreck at 9 a.m. on Highway 76, 3/4-mile south of Cassville. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Mark Malanca, 59, of Chicago, was driving a 2012 Harley Davidson motorcycle northbound when a southbound 2004 Toyota Sienna, being driven by Michael Parvi, 74, of Cassville, pulled into the motorcycle’s path and was struck by it...

A Homecoming parade will be held in Cassville on Oct. 1 at 1 p.m., starting downtown and ending at Cassville High School. The parade is being hosted by Cassville High School Student Council, and the theme is “Once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat.” Parade participants will line up will be on 6th Street beginning at the Chamber of Commerce. ...

Daisy Mae applies face paint to Athena Shoemaker, 9, who traveled from Nebraska for the 2021 Shakin’ in the Shell event in Shell Knob. For more photos from the event, go to: https://www.cassville-democrat.com/gallery/39315.

The annual TroutFest event was held on Saturday.

The Southwest High School Student Council and Community Blood Center of the Ozarks will sponsor a blood drive on Oct. 6. The event in the high school gymnasium starts at 9 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m. and appointments are strongly encouraged. The event is open to the public and students and staff. All donors will receive a Kansas City Chiefs T-shirt. For more information, contact Southwest High School at 417-826-5413...

Barry County’s positive COVID-19 (coronavirus) have held steady this week, with only six more active than last week. According to the Barry County Health Department and Barry County Office of Emergency Management, there have been 4,320 (+77 from Sept. 15) confirmed positive cases of COVID-19...

A Monett man who was a survivor of a fatal wreck in August is helping spearhead a campaign to make the intersection where the crash occurred safer for motorists. Ronald Bertalotto, of Monett, was a passenger in the back seat of a vehicle northbound on Highway 37 when another vehicle westbound pulled into its path...

Cassville School Resource Officer Zack Thompson is hoping to improve traffic impacts near the district this fall, recently calling on drivers to pay more attention and observe rules during certain hours. Thompson said on social media he has noticed a few things while working traffic in the crosswalk at Main Street and East 14th Street in the afternoons, and he hopes to bring the issues to the public’s attention...

Suicide is a heartbreaking event that shakes the lives of many people regardless of socioeconomic or social status. Locally, Senior Life Solutions is hosting events to help acknowledge victims lost to suicide and give their families and friends a way to celebrate their lives...

Staff members at Roaring River State Park invite veterans to a day of free fishing from 7:30 a.m. to 7:15 p.m. on Saturday. This is the third year of the event, and any individual with a veteran status will be welcome to fish inside the park for free all day...

Discovery Quilters is hosting its biennial show on Sept. 25-26 at the Shell Knob Elementary School with the theme “Crazy for Quilting.” The judged event showcases the talents of the group’s membership with a colorful display of beautiful quilts. The show hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 25 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sept 26. Attendees will be able to view local quilters’ works, shop vendors and visit the boutique that features many hand-made items for sale. Door prizes are also up for grabs...

There was a pile-up early on in the Demolition Derby, as the Power Wheels portion of the event pitted youth against one another in the arena Saturday.

Jayson Peterson, of Cassville, showed in the mini Hereford division of the cattle show at the Barry County Youth Fair on Saturday.

Rick and Soshia Wertz, of Aurora, sell their unique carvings at the Purdy Craft Fair Saturday.

Cassville High School will be purging the cumulative school records for the graduating class of 2016. People who would like to have their records must pick them up in person at Cassville High School between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.  If unable to pick them up in person and someone else can do it with a signed, written request...

Barry County’s positive COVID-19 (coronavirus) dipped below 100 again in the last week, and one new death was reported. According to the Barry County Health Department and Barry County Office of Emergency Management, there have been 4,243 (+65 from Sept. 1) confirmed positive cases of COVID-19...

In 2001, life for many of us in our southern Barry County communities was much different. In March of that year, former Missouri Secretary of State Matt Blunt fired the gun for Opening Day at Roaring River State Park, and one of the top lunkers of the opener weighed in at 3.6 pounds...

Editor’s Note: This story was written after Murray Bishoff, currently retired contributor to the Cassville Democrat, visited the 9/11 Memorial Museum not long after it was opened to the public. This is an edited version of the story that was published in the September 2015 Connection Magazine...

For the second time, the Cassville TroutFest will bring fun, food, activities, vendors and more to the community. An event that was launched in 2020 in conjuncture with the 175th anniversary of Cassville, TroutFest is coming back on Sept. 18 with events starting at 7 a.m. TroutFest will be held at the Cassville South Park...

The remains of a Cassville soldier killed during World War II will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery on Sept. 13. Funeral services for Army Sgt. John V. Phillips will be performed by Everly-Wheatley Funeral Home in Alexandria, Va., preceding the interment...

A Cassville resident is facing three felony charges after allegedly supplying a minor with drugs and engaging in sexual acts with a victim under the age of 17. Alexander Weinreber, 27, of Cassville, is charged with second-degree statutory rape, first-degree endangering the welfare of a child and fourth-degree child molestation...

September is National Hunger Action Month, and the Cassville Pantry is inviting the community to join together with the national movement by advocating heightened awareness about the problem of food insecurity within Barry County’s local neighborhoods...

Hurricane Ida left a trail of damage and destruction along the Gulf Coast following its landfall on Aug. 29. In response, Missouri’s electric cooperatives mobilized to answer a call for help. At the request of DEMCO Electric Cooperative of Baton Rouge, La., more than 150 Missouri lineworkers from 30 of the state’s electric cooperatives, including five from the Barry Electric Cooperative, traveled to Louisiana to assist in the cleanup. ...

  September is National Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month, and Mercy Hospital Cassville’s Senior Life Solutions is working to educate the community on the risk factors and warning signs of suicide. Talk of suicide should never be dismissed. If you, or someone you know, are thinking of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255...

Good food, unique crafts and fine arts will be on hand in Purdy this weekend for the seventh annual Purdy Craft and Vendor Fair scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. This year, organizer Julie Terry said the show is going to be bigger than ever with more than 90 vendors coming from all over the region...

Lauren Lippold helps young Baylee Lippold, 2, at the dart toss at the Crane Broiler Festival.

The Barry County Republican Club will meet on Sept. 23 at Steak Inn in Shell Knob at 6:30 p.m. The Corsicana Special Road District will meet on Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. at the home of Garry Bartkoski, located at 5086 Farm Road 2057 in Monett. Have you ever wondered if you had an ancestor on the Mayflower? Come to the Daughters of the American Revolution September meeting to find out about the Mayflower Society. The Monett Chapter of DAR will hold its first fall meeting on Saturday, at 10:30 a.m. ...

Chappell Drive and the South Park Trail was paved on Thursday, and the affected portion of the walking trail will be closed until after the asphalt has cooled. Today, milling equipment will complete preparatory work on West Street, Cedar Drive, Vine Street, Birch Drive and Bee Tree. Asphalt paving on these streets will begin on Tuesday and is expected to conclude on Thursday...

Barry County’s positive COVID-19 (coronavirus) spiked 75 percent in the last week, the first week school was back in session. According to the Barry County Health Department and Barry County Office of Emergency Management, there have been 4,178 (+99 from Aug. 26) confirmed positive cases of COVID-19...

After a summer full of adventures in the warm sun and water, students are back in the classroom for the adventure of the 2021-2022 school year. For Cassville students, that adventure started on Aug. 24, and 1,889 students were welcomed back onto campus...

An Exeter man has been arrested again on drug charges, allegedly in possession of an ounce of methamphetamine after being pulled over by the Barry County Sheriff’s Office. Dale Silva, 36, of Exeter, is charged with delivery of a controlled substance, misdemeanor possession of marijuana and misdemeanor driving while revoked...

Cafeterias, hallways and classrooms fill once again as the 2021-2022 school year is underway. Barry County students were welcomed back last week, and the opening day enrollment numbers show an increase all around. Southwest welcomed 775 student on its first day of school, which was an increase of 44 students from last year...

Sales tax revenues to Barry County cities continued their COVID-19 pandemic uptick, besting last August’s receipts but with slowed gusto, reflecting more modest gains seen since April. The seven Barry County cities collecting sales tax took in $698,151.19, up 5 percent from a year ago. Only Seligman failed to top last August’s totals...

A Cassville man is facing a felony sex crime charge for alleged relations with a victim under 17 years of age. Gairon Lombard, 22, of Cassville, is charged with second-degree statutory rape. According to a probable cause statement filed by Det. Abby Parsons, with the Barry County Sheriff’s Office, Lombard allegedly committed the offense by having sexual intercourse multiple times with a victim less than 17 years old at the time and while he was 21 years old...

Between pumpkin carving and sipping apple cider, people find warmth in the fall at the Exeter Corn Maze. For more than two decades, the Coles have been offering fun-filled-frights to locals and out-of-towners alike, first with the haunted barn, which was followed with expansion after expansion to the fall attraction people can visit now...

A Monett man was injured and arrested following a wreck at 8:03 p.m. on private property on Farm Road 2050, two miles north of Purdy. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Nathan Scott, 21, of Monett, was riding a 2020 Yamaha dirt bike southbound when it overturned and ejected him...

A Verona woman was injured and arrested following a wreck at 3:44 p.m. on Farm Road 2010, two miles south of Aurora. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Rachel Littig, 34, of Verona, was driving a Buick passenger vehicle, year unknown, westbound when her vehicle drove off the right side of the roadway and struck a tree, catching on fire after the collision...

Purdy fifth-grade students Sophie Tyson, left, and Paige Ozbun check out their new lockers on the first day of school.

Kyle Kuhn, left, sped up the Wizzer ride at the Wheaton BBQ Saturday, much to the delight of Avery Schlessman, 12, of Wheaton. For more photos from the event, go to: https://www.cassville-democrat.com/gallery/39201.

The Seligman Chamber of Commerce will have a special guest on Saturday, as Scotty Plant, from Texas, will play with in-house band Copper Creek from 7-10 p.m. at the Seligman Event Center weekly dance. Plant is the Texas state champion fiddle player and is in the Texas Hall of Fame. Admission is $10 per person, and youth 18-and-under are free. No alcohol is allowed. The Center is located on Highway 37 north of Seligman. For more information, people may call 417-662-3612...

A Seligman man is facing an attempted murder charge after allegedly shooting another man from his vehicle on Monday. Charles Hallett, 34, of Seligman, is charged with first-degree assault (also known as attempted murder), armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm...

Barry County law enforcement is seeking information on the whereabouts of Exeter resident Michael Eugene Thomas following alleged threats made over the telephone to an employee in the Barry County Prosecutor’s Office. According to a probable cause statement filed by Justin D. ...

Barry County’s positive COVID-19 (coronavirus) cases held steady in the last week, dropping by 9, though 71 new cases were added. According to the Barry County Health Department and Barry County Office of Emergency Management, there have been 4,079 (+71 from Aug. 18) confirmed positive cases of COVID-19...