Stories from Wednesday, May 14, 2014

It's probably safe to say there were a lot of prayers answered this past week with the rain showers that visited the area. Generally, gauges put an inch and a few tenths on the ground before the rain departed this area. At the top of the list of those grateful people were those who were in their second and third plantings in their gardens after cold snaps visited the area in weeks past...

Together with their families, Jessica Amber Mitchell and Stuart Wayne Lombard are pleased to announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. The bride-to-be is the daughter of Charlie and Lisa Mitchell, of Seligman. The prospective groom is the son of Lindy and Debbie Lombard, of Wheaton. ...

COLUMBIA -- The Wheaton FFA Chapter placed first in the dairy foods career development event (CDE) at the 86th Missouri FFA Convention. There were 45 teams in the competition. Team members are Vanessa Cook, Emily Killion, Ana Lowry and Skyler Scates. Cook placed first, Lowry placed second, Scates placed fourth and Killion placed 35th out of 169 Students. The Wheaton advisors are David Bolton and Eric Roller...

COLUMBIA -- The Wheaton FFA Chapter won first place in the poultry career development event (CDE) at the 86th Missouri FFA Convention. There were 47 teams in the competition. The winning team members are Haley Beck, Kayla Mason, Lia Boa Yang and Meng Yang. Mason placed first, Lia Boa Yang placed fourth, Haley Beck placed eighth and Meng Yang placed 12th overall out of 178 participants. Their advisors are David Bolton and Eric Roller...

Cassville FFA members recently won Proficiency Awards at the 86th Missouri FFA Convention.

On Monday, the Cassville fifth-grade students were treated to a presentation by Jon Horner, president of Security Bank of Southwest Missouri in Cassville, on the importance of saving as a part of the National Teach Children to Save Day. Boosting financial literacy is one of many ways in which thousands of community banks participate in this annual celebration of community banking and the unique spirit that makes independent community banks an important part of the foundation of their communities.. ...

More than 100 guests are expected to attend the Carnival Fundraiser at Red Rose Health and Rehabilitation on May 17. The event, open to the entire community in celebration of National Nursing Home Week, will run from 9 a.m. to noon at Red Rose, which is located at 812 Old Exeter Road in Cassville...

Alumni Association hosts 'Blasts from the Past' The Cassville High School Alumni Association Banquet will be held on May 24 with a theme of "Blasts from the Past." The program will be provided by seniors Audra Shumaker and Pate Shumaker, and the business portion of the event will include the presentation of scholarship awards, the election of officers and the recognition of classes. ...

SPRINGDALE, ARK. -- Fifty years have passed since the last Frisco Railway passenger train passed through Barry County, but residents may once again ride the rails during the weekend of June 14-15. Members of the National Railway Historical Society will operate a series of charter passenger trains from the headquarters of the Arkansas and Missouri Railroad in Springdale, Ark...

The Southwest FBLA recently volunteered at the Haven of the Ozarks animal shelter.

The Cassville Branch Library is getting ready for summer with new programs for children and adults. Verna Fry, children's coordinator, said that the library is offering something for everyone this summer with four different programs targeted from preschool to adult...

The TRIO Student Support Services program at Crowder College in Cassville is seeking help from area businesses, as it is applying for a five-year grant to keep the program running. Cheyenne Ward, TRIO Student Support Services program director, said the grant, worth more than $200,000 per year over a five-year period, was first awarded in 2010 and will expire in Aug. 2015...

Purdy High School held its graduation ceremony on Saturday night.

PURDY -- The city will host its bi-annual city-wide clean-up starting at 8 a.m. Monday. The clean-up effort is for Purdy residents only. Items must be sorted by category, metal, wood and appliances, with compressors removed. The event will continue throughout the week...

Local teachers were recognized recently at the Cassville Community Teachers Association banquet.

The Little Joe Starchman Scholarship Fund Committee recently announced the 14 winners of its scholarships this year, with each school district in Barry County being represented. Each student will receive a $1,000 scholarship, which is $500 for each student's first two semesters in college, and the funds will be paid directly to the schools each student chooses...

Cassville High School junior Alyssa Pearman and senior Jerica Russell are a bit nervous for this summer, as it will be the first time the two will get to fly in an airplane. Pearman and Russell will join Morgan Shumaker in flying to San Antonio for the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America National Leadership Conference July 6-10, and senior Elisha Michael will be driving to Nashville, Tenn., for the Future Business Leaders of America National Leadership Conference from June 29 to July 2.. ...

The Cassville Senior Center hosted a Mother's Day Brunch on Friday.

A Seligman man received moderate injuries in a one-vehicle crash on Route UU five miles west of Washburn. According to the Highway Patrol report, Rodrigo Martinez, 22, was headed west in a 2007 PT Cruiser at about 11:30 p.m. Saturday when he lost control of the vehicle on a curve, ran off the roadway and struck a tree...

The YMCA in Cassville has new events lined up for the summer to keep children active. This summer, the YMCA will start archery tag, which can be described as dodge ball with arrows. The arrows are padded are for safety. "It's very safe," said Rick Ragsdale, Cassville YMCA youth and sports director, "It feels like getting hit with a giant marshmallow."...

Purdy school leaders have adopted a new insurance strategy for the coming year that will cost the district less and pass more of the cost on to the employees. The school district recently joined the Missouri Trust consortium, having previously participating in the Southwest Missouri Educator's Group (SMEG). The new, larger group secured insurance for a premium increase of 6.5 percent...

Purdy students will be getting up earlier next fall, with the district opting to open classes at 8:15 a.m. The district has opted to go with the proposed earlier schedule with a 3:15 p.m. dismissal to incorporate more time for faculty training. Classes now let out at 3:10 p.m...

New school food requirements are going into effect next year, attempting to make school meals healthier. The changes will affect four major areas. First, The Smart Snacks program requires that all sides must be served with something healthy. For example, if the school sells a cookie, it must be the appropriate proportioned size and include a 1/4 component of fruit. This affects side dishes served at meals, a la carte and even in vending machines...

Exeter graduated 29 seniors on Friday at the graduation ceremony held at the school.

A Bentonville, Ark., man was hit with multiple charges after a crash in southern Barry County on Monday night. According to the Highway Patrol report, Joshua Marcotte, 21, was headed southbound at 9:50 p.m. on Highway 37 one mile south of Seligman when his 2004 Infinity G35 ran off the roadway and hit a tree...

This summer is gearing up to be a life-changing one for Southwest R-5 juniors Kallie Bowman and Chase Logan, as the pair will be visiting Washington, D.C., for the first time, and free of charge. Thanks to the Youth Tour essay contest, sponsored by Barry Electric Cooperative, Bowman and Logan received an all-expense paid trip to D.C. from June 13-19, and each of the students is beyond excited...

Fifth-grade classes at Cassville Intermediate School took a field trip to Roaring River State Park Thursday and Friday, learning about the park and getting to feed the trout at the Roaring River Trout Hatchery.

In a city that has no tornado sirens, there was no warning for Butterfield residents Thursday when a 50-yard-wide EF-0 tornado struck 4 miles west of the city, north of Farm Road 2120 and west of Farm Road 1052. According to Donald Privett, Butterfield police chief, police were not aware of a tornado until they responded to the home of Krista Craig on Farm Road 2115. ...

Opening Day at Roaring River State Park drew in about 2,000 visitors, and the Missouri Department of Conservation is expecting to blow that number out of the water this weekend during Kids' Fishing Day. Paul Spurgeon, manager of the Roaring River Trout Hatchery, which is managed by the department, said he expects about 1,200 children to attend the first Kids' Fishing Day of the year, and if the weather is nice, 3,000 to 5,000 total visitors...

Steve Lindenberg, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Springfield, said missing small tornadoes happens at times because size makes a difference. "This happens from time to time and this one was in an area of stratiform rain and embedded in little thunderstorms not too high up in the atmosphere," he said. "There were not the kinds of conditions we normally get tornadoes out of."...

The city of Exeter is awaiting the arrival of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources after defaulting on its bypass elimination agreement with the organization in April. Paul Duncan,wastewater treatment plant supervisor and operator, said the city has forwarded to DNR its decision and the options the city had, and now, it's just a waiting game...

Cassville coach Kyle Wood didn't have to think very hard to describe his catcher Marcus Weatherman and his playing ability. "Marcus is a beyond average defensive player," Wood said. "In the eight years I have been here, he's the best I've seen, not just at Cassville but in the Big 8 Conference."...

On Wednesday morning six coaches from Seneca, Monett, Carl Junction, Cassville, Seneca and McDonald County assembled at Monett High School to seed the Class 4, District 11 tournament. After an hour of debating, the results were released to the public and left Cassville feeling honored...