Sales tax totals mixed in April
Sales tax receipts to Barry County cities and county government bodies in April, while generally flat or marginally lower, received a big boost from Monett that pushed totals to a respectable 5% overall gain, not counting the local use taxes.
Purdy struggles revising city code
Missing chapter, dissected ordinances present challenges
News Briefs, May 7
The Cassville High School Annual Alumni Dinner will be held on May 24 from 5-8 p.m. at the performing arts center.
Camp clean-up: Camp Barnabas recovering from 90 mph straight-line winds

Hundreds of volunteers have converged at Camp Barnabas this week, working through the days to repair facilities and clean up the grounds in preparation for opening week after the Camp was struck by straight-line winds up to 90 miles per hour on Tuesday.
Spring Vocal Concert delivers songs, smiles

Karma Kessinger, right, hugs Jenny Ortega after receiving her senior award at the end of the 2025 Spring Vocal Concert on April 15 at the performing arts center. Kyle Troutman/ktroutman@cassville-democrat.com
Two seconds at Cassville Relays

Apair of second-place team finishes were awarded to Cassville’s boys and girls track and field teams at the Cassville Relays on April 22, and the teams combined for 11 individual first-place finishes.
Weathering the weather

Storm season is upon us. As I pen this piece on Tuesday morning, we are in between lines of thunderstorms, and two tornado warnings had been issued in Lawrence County in the last hour — and I literally just had to stop typing this to post a storm damage report in Monett at Highways 37 and 60 and in South Park.
Dye-tracing scientists present findings

A five-year project to delineate Roaring River Spring’s recharge area is complete. Ben Miller, hydrologist and Cave Research Foundation (CRF) volunteer, was at the Emory Melton Inn and
Conference Center in Roaring River State Park on April 18, where he presented information about the study, which he and co-CRF volunteer, Robert “Bob” Lerch completed in late 2023.
Hall Theatre tied up in debts
More than $340K owed in deeds, taxes, judgements
Cooking up a win

Purdy High School took home first place at Missouri State University’s annual Culinary Showdown on April 4, where students from across Missouri competed in a fast-paced culinary challenge that tested creativity, teamwork and technical skills.