News

The Barry County Commission and the Barry County Health Department, in alignment with Governor Parson’s Show-Me Strong Recovery plan, are announcing the extension of the Phase 1 rules until June 15. The rules allow businesses to remain open, while mitigating the potential spread of COVID-19 in Barry County. The rules include requirements for physical distancing, maximum occupancy limits, and source control masking requirements for some service providers...

Married couples are often asked how far they will go for love, and for Roy Burton, that question was answered for his wife, Cindy Burton, Saturday with a remarkable fireworks display south of the city of Cassville. The Burtons are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary on June 2, but there was another reason for the 22-minute, $6,000 lighting of the sky — to celebrate the life of Cindy Burton, who is in the final stages of a five-year battle with cancer...

County health officials are hoping for continued good news regarding COVID-19 (coronavirus) as the local board and state prepare to advance the recovery effort into Phase II. Roger Brock, Barry County Health Department administrator, said how the next step will look depends largely on new guidelines expected from Gov. Mike Parson...

The Barry County government recently received a distribution from the state in the amount of $4,198,764, money from the CARES Act the county will have to distribute to smaller political subdivisions. Gary Youngblood, Barry County presiding commissioner, said the county is in the process of determining a distribution method...

The last invention to be showed on season 11, episode 22 of the popular ABC show Shark Tank was one made in Barry County. Locals Stacy and Colt Hall got a shot to swim with the sharks, and they made it out alive. With a plot twist at the end, the Halls and Potty Safe landed a $50,000 deal for 20 percent of their company with shark Lori Greiner...

Sales tax disbursements in May, generally reflecting sales from businesses in March that report monthly, showed no economic slowdown. On the contrary, sales tax totals reflected the most robust month in more than half a year, with county gain of 12 percent of a year ago...

The full slate of municipal races, school boards and assorted local government positions usually decided in April will be resolved when voters go to the polls on June 2, the new date set by the state because of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. City of Monett...

The Purdy City Council is one step closer to securing railroad crossing improvements. Council members approved paperwork from the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) to begin railroad crossing improvements on Washington Avenue and Commercial Street. ...

The Wheaton school district will spend nearly $124,000 on repairs and renovations to the gym before the 2020-2021 school year. Lance Massey, Wheaton superintendent, said the district believes some of the damage to the gym floor was caused by a leak in the roof...

The flood-prone road district in Purdy appears to have weathered winter better than usual and has modest summer work plans in the queue. “We came through the winter without too much damage to roads,” said Helen Roller, secretary for the Purdy Special Road District...

The awning in front of the Cassville elementary cafeteria crashed down on Friday morning when Lane Vaughn, supervisor at Vaughn’s JDV Inc. in Monett, pushed it down.

Through the 2019-2020 school year, Victoria Henbest’s Cassville kindergarten class tracked the number of days of school.

Excitement was in the air on May 20 for Tracie Greening and Morgan David, who received a surprise check for $1,050 from the Cassville Education Fund for novel sets for the sixth-grade English language arts classes.

If anyone has mobility issues, like walking or standing in lines, they may stop by the county clerk’s office and vote absentee. The Barry County Clerk’s Office will be open Saturday for absentee voting for the Special Election from 9 a.m. to noon. Absentee voting in person continues through June 1 at the Barry County Clerk’s Office in Cassville from 8 a.m. ...

The Barry County Health Department has reported an eleventh case of COVID-19. This is an active case of COVID-19, which is a result of community spread. The individual is now under an isolation order, and as part of the disease investigation, close contacts with the individual will be contacted and if appropriate ordered to quarantine...

A Seligman man was injured Tuesday in a wreck at 8 p.m. on Ridge Crest, 1/10th of a mile north of Seligman. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Donald Hayworth, 56, of Seligman, was driving a 2005 Yamaha R6 motorcycle southbound when his vehicle lost control, ran off the roadway and overturned...

The Barry County Health Department has announced its ninth and 10th cases of COVID-19 in the county, the first new cases since May 7. Administrator Roger Brock said the county was notified by the state after the Barry County resident tested positive in another county...

Amid the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, many small businesses were affected and were unable to serve their customers normally. As the restrictions shift in a another direction, business owners and their customers are grateful to see one another again...

Parents, students and teachers dealt with alternate learning methods throughout the wellness break, but now, school districts have laid out their plans for summer school. The Cassville school district will open its doors to students for the “Return of the Wildcats.”...

Stocking has resumed at Roaring River State Park and campgrounds are available for reservation, but one change is more noticeable than others — the fish-cleaning station is no more. Joel Topham, Roaring River State Park natural resources manager, said initially, staff were allowing anglers to use the station, so long as six-foot social distancing rules were observed. However, Topham said at times, there were still groups of more than 20 gathering at the small facility...

A stinging piece of history was unearthed recently during the vintage wing renovations at Cassville schools. Tucked behind an old bookcase that was nailed to the wall were a couple of significant pieces of wood some former Cassville students may rather forget — two hole-ridden paddles used for discipline in the 1970s...

A Cassville man has been issued a warrant for his arrest on a charge of first-degree statutory rape. Kyle Glenn, 34, of Cassville, is charged with the single felony and a bond of $100,000, cash only, has been set. According to a probable cause statement filed by Abby Parsons, Deputy with the Barry County Sheriff’s Office, the alleged crime took place on or before Aug. 23, 2019, at a home on Farm Road 2200 in Barry County...

While the Cassville school district has been void of its student body for nearly two months, the Vision 150 project list is moving right along, more quickly than previously planned. Richard Asbill, Cassville superintendent, said during the wellness break, the district has had constant construction...

Due to the restrictions from the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic and stay at home orders, one essential service has seen a significant decrease — blood donations. On average, the Community Blood Center of the Ozarks (CBCO) needs 200 units of blood per day...

While students are out for the wellness break, the Exeter school district began moving forward on updating a system that has shown moments of failure over the last year. Ernest Raney, Exeter superintendent, said the wireless application protocol (WAP’s) allow the district to connect to the internet with wireless devices...

After dealing with issues from their previous golf cart used for city purposes, the city of Wheaton decided to purchase a new 2020 Kawasaki Mule for $6,500. Josh Kinnaman, Wheaton utilities supervisor, said the ATV is generally used for projects like gas survey or spraying weed killer...

Members of the Cassville High School Class of 2020 were cheered for their accompolishments during a parade Friday through town.

For families and communities dealing with food insecurity issues, finding help in their biggest time of need can make all the difference. Recently, in a unique partnership between the Ozarks Area Community Action Corporation’s Barry County Neighborhood Center and the Habitat of Humanity of South Barry County ReStore, help can be found in the form of a give-and-take food pantry...

The Ennis Cemetery annual meeting will be held Sunday at 2 p.m. at the cemetery. All interested persons are welcome to attend. The Leann Cemetery annual meeting will also be held Sunday at 2 p.m. at the cemetery. Contributions for mowing and upkeep can be sent to the secretary: Leann Cemetery, Ruby Vincent, 20674 FR 2065, Aurora, MO 65605...

Three people were injured Sunday in a wreck at 8:15 p.m. on Route TT, five miles west of Crane. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Eliza Hohgrefe, 18, of Aurora, was driving a 1998 Chevrolet Malibu westbound when her vehicle lost control, ran off the roadway and overturned...

A Wheaton man was injured in a wreck at 3:10 p.m. Thursday on Highway 97 east of Highway 86, four miles west of Purdy. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Jose Bravo, 27, of Wheaton, was driving a 1989 Buick LeSabre eastbound when his vehicle drove off the right side of the roadway, striking a bridge rail...

A strong community stands together in support of friends and family who recently lost a loved one. Clinton Clark, former Wheaton police chief, died on Friday morning after serving local communities for more than 26 years. Clint Danforth, current Wheaton police chief, said Clark retired in 2018, and from that moment on, his badge number 201 was no longer given out...

COVID-19 has thrown many people for a loop in recent months, but for others, like Wheaton senior Lillian Allen and her mother Kim Tiede, health disruptions and overcoming them are just a way of life. Allen has spent four years battling a respiratory disease for which a diagnosis had been difficult to obtain...

A Cassville man is facing three felony charges after allegedly shooting a woman with a pellet gun in Shell Knob. Austin Day, 18, of Cassville, is charged with first-degree assault, armed criminal action and discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle at a person or structure...

Good news has arrived for local bookworms. The Barry-Lawrence Regional Library will soon be re-opening its branch locations implementing COVID-19 (coronavirus) safety protocols for the protection of staffers and the public. “The staff of BLRL is anxious to see our patrons again and get those materials our readers can’t wait to have into their hands,” said Gina Milburn, director. ...

Dale Forgey, Wheaton High School administrative assistant, addresses graduate Tha Par during an unusual ceremony at the Wheaton campus Thursday.

Purdy High School senior Ezequiel Gaucin shared the sentiments of his class during the senior parade on Saturday, with rolls of toilet paper as part of the Class of 2020 on his sign, as he and fellow graduates rolled through town in a parade honoring seniors...

Exeter’s senior class was honored via parade on May 6, the original scheduled baccalaureate day.

Power of Pink received a $26,687.66 check this year for its 10th anniversary from Plunder Design, a Utah-based jewelry company.

Life 360 has moved its food distribution in Exeter from the school parking lot to the parking lot at the First Baptist Church in Exeter, located at 102 Cass St. The distribution time remains the same, each Friday from 11 a.m. to noon. The line will start on the east end of the church and head west to the parking lot, where the van will be set up...

Tuesday through Friday, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., seniors will be able to return school items to Cassville High School and pick up personal items from lockers.  Senior students will need to return all school property, including text books, library books, class materials, Chromebooks with chargers, and any other school-owned items. ...

A Cassville teacher was arrested Thursday and charged federally with sexual exploitation of a child. Brandon McCullough, 31, a Cassville High School business teacher, is being held for U.S. Marshals in the Greene County jail with no bond. He is accused of having sexually explicit conversations with minors on the messenger app Kik...

Barry County E9-1-1 has addressed community reports that its 9-1-1 service is or was down in Barry County, which is untrue. “Barry County E9-1-1 is up and working and there has been no disruption in service,” said Mike Phillips, executive director. “Our citizens and travelers have called 9-1-1 and business lines with no interruption. ...

An eighth case of COVID-19 is being reported by the Barry County Health Department. The case is likely a result of essential domestic business travel to a COVID-19 hot spot. “The person self- isolated upon return to Barry County and has not had close contact with family or friends,” said Roger Brock, Health Department administrator. ...

Businesses in the Cassville area are excited to be serving customers again.

Getting the chance to present an invention to a group of investors is a big deal, but having that opportunity while being on national television and introducing your product to the world is a huge deal. Stacy and Colt Hall, of Exeter, were faced with a dilemma nearly five years ago while trying to potty train their daughter, and the product they invented will be presented to the cast members and investors of the popular ABC show Shark Tank on Friday at 7 p.m....

Barry County has announced its seventh case of COVID-19, a positive determined in an antibody test for a person who has already recovered and is no longer contagious. According to a press release from the Barry County Health Department and the Barry County Department of Emergency Management, the new case was the result of a serological test, commonly called an antibody test. ...

In its first week in operation, the drive-thru testing option at the Barry County Health Department tested 22 people, none of whom returned a positive result. Roger Brock, Health Department administrator, said the process worked well. “We tested more on Wednesday and Thursday than we did Tuesday,” he said. ...

The 10th annual Power of Pink event scheduled for Saturday at Wheaton’s City Park will go on as scheduled, according to Power of Pink Founder Janice McCracken. “We will not be able to have the banquet [on Friday night] because of the governor’s guidelines, but we will do the walk and the auction on Saturday in the park,” McCracken said. “Being our 10th anniversary, it’s a little depressing we can’t do the banquet and go the whole nine yards, but we are doing the best we can.”...

The first new subdivision in Purdy in two decades has begun construction, and the developer expects to have the first homes built by the end of 2020. Akhtar Estates is a six-home, six-acre project underway by Umar Akhtar. It is located on the west side of Highway 37, north of the junction with Highways B and C. ...