Stories from Wednesday, September 23, 2015

A Joplin man is facing five felonies and two misdemeanors for alleged crimes committed in Cassville and Monett, including eluding authorities in a chase near Cassville. Kyle Stirewalt, 30, of Joplin, is facing charges of possession of a firearm, resisting arrest creating risk of injury or death, resisting arrest, second-degree burglary and theft, all class C felonies. ...

The Missouri House and Senate recently completed its 2015 veto session, where local lawmakers overrode 10 of Gov. Jay Nixon's vetoes from the last legislative session. Nixon, who has set the record of being the most overridden chief executive in state history, vetoed 33 bills last session and made 120 line-item vetoes in the budget. The legislature responded by overriding 10 of those vetoes and 47 of the line-item vetoes...

A house in Cassville was destroyed in a structure fire at about midnight Saturday. According to Assistant Fire Chief Chuck Miner, no one was injured in the blaze at 2007 Business Highway 37 in Cassville, as the home was unoccupied. According to Jennifer Evans, Cassville city clerk, the tenants of the home, owned by R.G. Edmondson, moved out about two weeks before the fire...

Seligman Mayor Jerry Montgomery, who has served in his role for a total of five years, officially retired from his post on Sept. 14. Montgomery told Seligman aldermen he was stepping down due to health issues. "We will be sad to see him go," said Brian Nichols, Seligman city clerk. "If he saw a problem, he was ready to dig in and fix whatever was needed to be done. It's something different here every day at city hall, kind of a challenge, and I think he liked that as well...

Changes at the Children's Center in Monett have adjusted operations and continue to aid in helping children affected by sexual abuse. Cassie Meier, child advocate, said the Monett facility has undergone technology changes. Interviews are still conducted in a small, comfortable room, one-on-one with a trained interviewer. Instead of having law enforcement and other specialists watch the interview from the other side of a two-way mirror, viewing is now done from across the hall by a video stream...

Area residents may have noticed a drastic change in trees lately, as they are losing leaves and covered partially or completely with webbing, giving them an unsightly, ghost-like appearance. The cause is fall webworms. A sign that fall has arrived, the webworms, a type caterpillar which transforms into a moth, like to invade walnut, hickory, persimmon and wild cherry trees, but pestilize many species of forest, shade, fruit and ornamental trees throughout southwest Missouri. ...

Barry County sheriff's deputies are on the hunt for a person who allegedly broke into the Jug-N-Plug in Shell Knob in the early morning hours Thursday. Mick Epperly, Barry County Sheriff, said there are no suspects as of yet, and deputies are working to identify the intruder...

Barry County Collector Janice Varner said at the recent delinquent tax sale, 57 of 151 properties sold, netting $30,350.21. The sale marks an 80 percent drop in revenue compared to last year, which brought in $150,441.38 for the county. "I'd consider it a good sale," Varner said. "We had some larger properties to sell last year. The tax sale in general is an interesting procedure."...

An Eagle Rock man has been charged with second-degree burglary, first-degree property damage and stealing after an incident at a vacant rental house in Eagle Rock. According to a probable cause statement filed on Sept. 17 by the Barry County Sheriff's Department, Ryan Grissom, 31, of Eagle Rock, broke into a house on Farm Road 2280 in Eagle Rock on Sept. 16 at approximately 9:40 p.m...

The ladies at Quilting 4 Charity are always doing good deeds, and this time, the recipients of those deeds are several Cassville families whose lives and homes were impacted by the flood waters that ravaged Barry County this summer. "We have been busy," said Pat Biles, member of the quilting group. "We're going to give the quilts to [the Ozarks Area Community Action Corporation (OACAC)] for the people in the flood."...

Students at Cassville High School are going "Around the World" this week, as the football Homecoming Spirit Week theme is preparing Wildcat Nation for Friday's gridiron contest between the Wildcats and Carl Junction. A week's worth of festivities, along with two assemblies to get students and staff pumped for homecoming, are being held. ...

The Seligman Cemetery Association recently attended a city council meeting to ask the city to take over ownership and operations of the Seligman Cemetery, which dates back to the Civil War era. John Deans, board member and treasurer on the Seligman Cemetery Association, said the reason is because there is not enough manpower or funds to continue the upkeep and maintenance of the grounds, which includes between two and three acres on one plot, and about three acres on another empty plot that was donated for future use.. ...

After much consideration, the city of Seligman is taking steps to close its part-time library, which has been available to residents at city hall since about 2007. The reason, according to Seligman City Clerk Brian Nichols, is lack of use or demand for books and materials, and lack of volunteers to staff the library...

The Barry County University of Missouri Extension office is now accepting applications for its Master Gardener courses. The courses, which include 10 sessions, are designed to help people become certified as Master Gardeners, who advise and educate the public on gardening and horticulture...

Caitlyn Bonass, 8, of Shell Knob, works her way up the rock wall at Shakin' in the Shell on Saturday.

After much anticipation, runners are given the green light to take off for the Pumpkin Run 5K at the Exeter Corn Maze, which took place Saturday and raised money for 5-year-old Blazi Lowe.

Mercy Hospital in Cassville recently held a food drive, donating 1,367 pounds of food to the United Methodist Church Food Pantry.

Betty King of Cassville prepares to get a flu shot from Pharmacist Ryan Harness at the Senior Fair Friday at the Family Life Center in Cassville.

Cassville seniors and student council members Zach Denton, left, and Alyssa Brewer paint the front window of the Cassville Democrat office ahead of Friday's Barry County Brawl with Monett.

Today, we've reached either the best or second-best time of the year -- the first day of autumn. It never has been quite clear to me, in my 86 years of recollections, whether spring or autumn should be ranked atop of the seasons that seem to be rolling by even more quickly than they once did...

The Carson & Barnes Circus will be providing hours of fun for all in Cassville on Wednesday (today) at the American Legion Grounds on Highway 112. At 3 p.m., the biggest stars of the circus, the Carson and Barnes elephants, will receive a full spa treatment, and the public is invited to watch free of charge. ...

No one can ever accuse Cassville of playing a watered down football schedule this season. For the fourth time in six weeks, the Wildcats will face a state-ranked team. History, this season, is not favoring the 2-3 Cassville squad, as all three losses have come to teams with a top-10 mark, including Mountain Grove, Lamar and Monett...

A 2-3 record at the midway point of the season is not what the Wildcats football team had in mind. With Cassville giving up two straight 30-point games, the team is are looking to turn the season around, beginning with Friday's homecoming game against Carl Junction...

Southwest High School's 32nd annual Volleyfest tournament is set for Saturday. Under the direction of Lady Trojans Coach Steve Voyak, the volleyball tournament has grown into one of the area's premier competitions. In the last decade, the tournament has grown from a five-team, one gym event into a 10-team, two-state spectacular...

Monett made the trip to Cassville on Monday to challenge the Wildcats in a freshmen football contest, and Cassville dominated both offensively and defensively en route to a 41-6 victory. The Wildcats scored early and often in the first half, finding the scoreboard in five of their six first-half possessions...

The Cassville soccer team is off to a slow start in the 2015-2016 season, winning just once in its first 10 games.

Hosting its Guest Day, ladies from Monett, Holiday Island and the King's River Orphans joined the Cassville Women's Golf League for a four-lady scramble. The winners were: First place, with a 71, was Linda Cantrell, Kay Haupert, Robin Riley and MaryLee Meyerkord; second place, with a 71, was Leta Higgs, Nancy Hassler and Sue King; third place, with a 72, was Janie Watson, Joan Miller and Barb Vesely; and fourth place, with a 72, was Susie Jacobs, Leta Cruz, Sherri Miller and Janet Farris...