News

The number of active COVID-19 (coronavirus) cases have been cut almost in half since last week, but two new deaths have been announced and the positive test rate remains at 14 percent. According to the Barry County Health Department and Barry County Office of Emergency Management, there have been 2,760 (+89) confirmed positive cases of COVID-19...

The city of Cassville has been making overtures to state and federal agencies to rejoin the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), and after many years and meetings, the possibility is on the table. Steve Walensky, Cassville city administrator, said the city hopes to get some exceptions and guarantees from agencies like FEMA, SEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers, among others, that would help officials move forward with developing a long-term flood mitigation plan not possible without rejoining the program.. ...

Barry County department heads are seeking an additional $600,000 in funding in 2021 over what was requested in 2020 and nearly $1 million more than what the county actually spent. County Presiding Commissioner Gary Youngblood said county revenues out-matched county expenses in 2020, and some county departments are hoping to bank on that growth and increase their budgets in the coming year...

Barry County’s newly elected Sheriff Danny Boyd is settling into his position with the county, and he is making some changes to the office as he assumes his role. The biggest change to the Barry County Sheriff’s Office is the rank of its deputies, as Boyd has pulled all ranks and is implementing his own promotion process...

Camp Barnabas is preparing for its seventh annual Snow Ball, scheduled for Jan. 23, and this year, the camp is taking the event into the virtual realm. Because COVID-19 (coronavirus) continues to be a concern throughout the nation, and large gatherings have been limited due to safety concerns, Camp Barnabas is hosting its annual dance via Zoom and invites all campers and staff to the party without having to ask them to leave the safety and comfort of their homes...

A total of five new faces have joined or will soon the Cassville Police Department, three of whom have already been hired. Dana Kammerlohr, Cassville Police Chief, said there were several reasons as to why there were five positions which needed to be filled...

Kyah Saffold, 2020 Miss Merry Christmas, is crowned by 2019 winner Bailey Saffold.

Samantha Alley, of Cassville, places a bid on one of the many silent auction items available at the benefit for Ruth Primrose on Saturday.

Southwest high school presented “Gold Rush,” a production centering around a small town experiencing the thrills of a treasure map, on Saturday.

Sherry L. Smith, Barry County Assessor; has announced that the 2021 Personal Property and Business Assessment lists were mailed out on Jan. 4. Those who received an assessment list but have not yet either filed online using the “Online Filing Pin Number” displayed on the list, or filled it out and returned it by mail or in person should do so immediately to avoid a late assessment penalty. ...

A Cassville girl was injured Thursday in a wreck at 3:45 p.m. on Route M, 10 miles east of Cassville. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, a 17-year-old female, of Cassville, was driving a 2006 Honda Element southbound when her vehicle ran off the right side of the roadway, overcorrected and overturned...

A Golden woman was injured Tuesday in a wreck at 10:40 a.m. on Highway 112, six miles south of Cassville. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Judy Shumaker, 80, of Golden, was driving a 2016 Lincoln MKX northbound when her vehicle drove off the roadway and struck a bridge...

The number of active COVID-19 (coronavirus) cases have gone up since last week, and the positive test rate is now double what it was in November 2020. According to the Barry County Health Department and Barry County Office of Emergency Management, there have been 2,671 (+145) confirmed positive cases of COVID-19...

Nearly two years ago, voters passed a $4 million no-tax-increase bond issue for the Cassville school district to move forward on the Vision 150 plans. From playgrounds to a renovated Vintage Wing, the last year and nine months have been full of projects and progress as the Cassville district, literally, hammers out the final items on their lists...

According to those who knew him, John Starchman never knew a stranger. A longtime insurance salesman and community leader in the Cassville area, Starchman passed on Dec. 30, 2020, leaving a legacy of his family, his friendliness, his leadership and a little bit of music...

Wintech Inc., a Monett-based company, has been operating in Cassville for more than a year, and the business is looking to expands. In 2017, Wintech purchased the old Thorco property in Cassville, and over the years, continuous growth has been seen company-wide...

  During Monday’s inauguration at the Missouri State Capitol, Missouri State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick was sworn-in for a four-year term by Barry County Associate Judge Johnnie Cox. The Treasurer was elected November 3 with more votes than any treasurer in Missouri history...

Three Cassville residents are facing nine felonies each after law enforcement served a warrant at a home on Schell Street on Jan. 1 and found drugs and paraphernalia in the home. Cassville residents Anthony Pagano, 52, Rebekah Penney, 44, and Paul Miller, 32, are each charged with attempt to manufacture a controlled substance, delivery of a controlled substance, six counts of possession of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia and misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance.. ...

The Southwest Missouri Council of Governments (SMCOG) has contracted with SEMA and the Barry County Commission to prepare a five-year update to the Barry County Multi-Jurisdictional Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan. A plan update kick-off meeting will be held virtually on Jan. 21, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m...

Stacy Clement, left, medical assistant, administers a free COVID-19 test to a patient in a vehicle at Access Family Care in Cassville on Saturday.

Sherry L. Smith, Barry County assessor, has announced that the 2021 Personal Property and Business Assessment lists were mailed out on Jan. 4. Those who received an assessment list but have not yet either filed online using the “Online Filing Pin Number” displayed on the list, or filled it out and returned it by mail or in person should do so immediately to avoid a late assessment penalty. ...

The number of active COVID-19 (coronavirus) has nearly doubled in the first week of the new year, and the positive test rate continues to climb. According to the Barry County Health Department and Barry County Office of Emergency Management, there have been 2,526 (+130) confirmed positive cases of COVID-19...

It took almost 18 months longer than expected, but the Roaring River Hatchery spring project is done and the spring and hatchery area are open for business. Paul Spurgeon, Roaring River Hatchery manager, said the $1.9 million project is down to just punch list items and minor finishing touches...

A staple of home-cooked meals and familiar conversation in Cassville had been the Cr-ose Cafe until the beginning of this year. After having to close the doors to the seated restaurant, Cr-ose Cafe Owners Stu and Laveta Crowe, made the decision to try their hand at the food truck industry...

A Cassville man is facing two felony charges for allegedly kidnapping a child and enticing the minor for sex. Shawn Hall, 30, of Cassville, is charged with child kidnapping, a Class A felony, and enticement of a child, a unclassified felony. According to a probable cause statement filed by Thaddaeus Harris, deputy with the Barry County Sheriff’s Office, the crime allegedly occurred on Dec. 25, 2020, at about 8 p.m. at a rural Exeter address...

In August 2019, a fire broke out in the main lift station of the Washburn sewer system, and needed repairs were recently completed. James Libertus, Washburn maintenance supervisor, said the process has been slow, but it is finished now. “The cause of the fire was hard to pinpoint, and we are still unsure at this time,” he said. “Most of the damage was caused by heat inside the lift station. Several things needed repaired, and many plastic and rubber components were melted.”...

Nearly 30 percent of people diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer will later develop metastatic breast cancer. One of those individuals is a local woman who has been on a breast cancer journey — not once, but twice. Ruth Primrose, 58, of Cassville, beat cancer once, back in 2018...

The State of Missouri is partnering with the Missouri Primary Care Association and MAKO Medical to continue hosting free COVID-19 testing events throughout the state.  Community testing events are scheduled in the following counties over the next two weeks: Atchison, Barry, Benton, Camden, Cape Girardeau, Clay, Gentry, Hickory, Holt, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Nodaway, St. Clair, St. Francois, St. Genevieve, St. Louis City, Stone, Washington and Worth...

For the seventh time in eight months, since the economic impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began showing itself in monthly sales tax, revenues to local cities and county governments ended the year with a double-digit percentage gain, showing gains for all but three recipients...

After the holiday weight gain, from Halloween candy to Santa’s cookies, one of the more popular New Year resolutions is to lose a few pounds, get into better shape or simply just keep with the progress they had made the year before. Locally, people can find the equipment, support and activities to meet their New Year’s resolutions at the Cassville YMCA...

Danny Boyd, right, new Barry County sheriff, took his oath of office, administered by County Clerk Jill LeCompte, Tuesday morning.

hool students now have access to more Title 1 classes for better enrichment and opportunity. Kandie Eads, Southwest special services director, said the new Title 1 classes at the middle school are remedial reading classes. “They are for students that are having difficulty with reading,” she said. “In the past, most of our Title services have concentrated on elementary students. However, middle school can be some of the toughest years a student encounters.”...

The Barry County Health Department began administering Moderna vaccines for COVID-19 this week after receiving its first round of doses the week of Christmas. Roger Brock, Department administrator, said the office received 100 doses of the vaccine, and the first ones were given on Monday...

A heartwarming outpouring of help flooded the community during the holiday season, as the Cassville Community Food Pantry gave out nearly 350 boxes of food Dec. 22-23, and the Barry County Neighborhood Center helped more than 300 children with Share Your Christmas...

Camp Barnabas at Teas Trail lost a girls cabin to a structure fire on Tuesday after some winterizing clean-up efforts went awry. Monett Rural, Pierce City Fire and Monett City Fire responded to a call of a structure fire at Camp Barnabas in rural Purdy at about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday...

This fall, 2,001 students earned degrees from Iowa State University. The graduates were recognized in a virtual ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Isaac Rex, of Eagle Rock, earned a Bachelor of science in electrical engineering, graduating summa cum laude...

This year, more than ever before, school districts, students, teachers and parents have all learned the pros and cons of virtual learning. A necessity to virtual classrooms is the ability to access the internet. T-Mobile has offered students in the Wheaton school district a better opportunity to this access for those who need it with the access to 50 Franklin T9 hotspot devices with 100 GB of data per year through the T-Mobile Project 10Million...

Since 2008, the city of Wheaton has been working on a project to replace sidewalks and street lights. The most recent phase was in February 2019, which included the school in the transportation enhancement grant. The focus was extending the sidewalk to the ballfields...

Beginning Tuesday, Cassville High School will be returning to a five-day-per-week seated student attendance schedule. As a result of the recent adjustments by the Centers for Disease Control and the modified quarantine guidance from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, as well as the Barry County Health Department, district administrators said they believe this provides the school great options to keep staff and students safe while also offering in-person learning. ...

Talents of a coach is an ability to be patient. Coaches take talents, train them, mold them and then have to wait for everything to come together on the court. For Purdy Coach Brandon Moore, his plan was working initially, but the team took a small step back and is just now figuring out what needs to happen...

The number of active COVID-19 (coronavirus) had been dipping, then spiked again and now have been cut in half as 2021 begins. According to the Barry County Health Department and Barry County Office of Emergency Management, there have been 2,396 (+158) confirmed positive cases of COVID-19...