December 2024

William Henry “Bill” Rapp, Jr.
William Henry “Bill” Rapp, Jr., 73, of Foley, Ala., passed away Saturday, November 16, 2024.

Russell Dale “Russ” Johnson
Russell Dale “Russ” Johnson, 44, of Monett, Mo., passed away Wednesday, November 27, 2024. He was born April 24, 1980 in Springfield, Mo., the son of Penelope Brown and Ricky Strong.

Aspen Nicole Lewis
Aspen Nicole Lewis, age 24, of Exeter, Missouri passed away Tuesday, November 26, 2024. She was born August 1, 2000 in Springfield, Missouri the daughter of Johnny Lewis and Kelli Schmidt.
MFA Oil Upgrades Purdy Petro-Card 24 Station
MFA Oil Company, a farmer-owned energy cooperative, announces the completion of significant upgrades at its Petro-Card 24 station, located at 8911 Farm Road 1080 in Purdy. This location is open to the public 24 hours a day and offers regular 87-octane gasoline, 91-octane gasoline without ethanol, and clear and red-dyed diesel fuel.
Bicyclist struck on Hwy. 76
A Cassville man was injured on Nov. 26 in a wreck at 5:28 p.m.
Cassville wins speech and debate awards
In November, 14 members of the Cassville High School speech and debate team competed at the Marion C Early tournament. Cassville competed against 18 schools and received third place in team sweepstakes.

Haven of the Ozarks Pet of the Week, Dec. 4
Meet the marvelous Montgomery! He is a good-looking boy who was lucky enough to land in the yard of a very nice couple to care for him after he was dumped to try to survive on his own. Montgomery is looking for a new forever family to love on him, provide him with a yard to run in and a comfy bed to sleep in. He loves to play and is high energy. He is good with cats, good with dogs, good with children and is house and crate trained. He has even attended dog training classes. He would love to have a dog friend in his new home to play with and keep him entertained. He is tan colored with white around his neck. His estimated date of birth is Oct. 12, 2023. His breed is unknown, but he is possibly a pit mix. Montgomery can climb a chain link fence, so a tall privacy fence would be best for him. Come get this perfect dog. Adopters can complete an application at www.havenoftheozarks.org/adopt.

Through the Years, Dec. 4
40 YEARS AGO: FREE ENTERPRISE WORKS — Typical examples of free enterprise were the actions of two young ladies in Cassville during last Wednesday morning’s awaking to snow covering the ground. Tracie Hill, 14, and Jennifer Dinsmore, 10, took the opportunity of being out of school to earn a few bucks shoveling snow from sidewalks of businesses. Their efforts were rewarding, plus saving owners the trouble of doing the job themselves. A quick warmup of temperatures in the 60’s over the weekend removed all traces of the first ground-coverer of the season.

Lynn Hilburn: It’s that time of year
Although we were poor, most of the families and people that we knew were in about the same boat. For the children and families that attended the rural schools of Barry County, late fall and Christmas was some of our favorite times of the year.

Jeremiah Buntin: The Recorder of Deeds
The Missouri Governors Records from the Missouri State Archives and accessible through the Missouri Digital Heritage website is an interesting place to investigate the nooks and crannies of history. These records from 1837-1901 mostly consist of handwritten letters asking the governor for favors such as pardons and appointments, or signed petitions for various causes, or resignations from local offices. In 1852, Barry County Clerk William Hubbert, of Cassville, wrote Missouri Governor Austin Augustus King notifying him of a vacancy in the State Senate caused by the death of Littleberry Mason and that an election would be held immediately.