Stories from Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Wayne Edward Plumlee, passed away Monday, Sept. 9, 2013, at his home in Emerald Beach. He was born July 26, 1925, in Oak Grove, Ark., the only child of Alvin and Ila Plumlee. He was preceded in death by his parents and two daughters. Survivors include: his wife, Ruby, of the home; two sons, John Plumlee and his wife, Rowena, of Golden, and Jim Plumlee and his wife, Donna, of Green Forest, Ark.; two grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; and a sister-in-law, Margaret Brandt, of Berryville, Ark.. ...

Verna Mae Williams, 87, of Monett, passed away Thursday, Sept. 12, 2013, at Mercy Hospital in Springfield. She was born Jan 3, 1926, in Monett, the daughter of Charles and Gladys Lorraine (Stark) Summers. She was united in marriage to David Jack Williams on Aug. 3, 1947, and he survives...

Charles Edwin Arnett, 59, of Monett, passed away Friday, Aug. 30, 2013, in his home. He was born March 12, 1954, in Granite City, Ill., the son of James Arnett, who preceded him in death. Survivors include: one son, Dakota Arnett, of Monett; one daughter, Maiki McGee, of Purdy; two brothers, Michael Arnett, of Alton, Ill., and David Arnett, of Illinois; and five grandchildren...

Loretta Fern Ellis, 80, of Farmington, Ark., formerly of Exeter, passed away on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013, at Cox Monett Hospital. She was born on July 23, 1933, in Wayne, the daughter of John and Dafner (Martin) Box. She was a Wayne High School graduate. ...

James William Grace, 73, of Shell Knob, passed away Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, at his home. He was born in Bridgeport, Conn., July 4, 1940, the son of Leo Joseph and Dorothy Veronica (Byrnes) Grace, who preceded him in death. Survivors include: one son, James W. Grace, Jr. and his wife, Theresa, of Riverside, Calif.; one daughter, Deborah Lynn Grace, of Westminster, Calif.; one sister, Maureen Noel, of Long Beach, Calif.; seven grandchildren; and one great-grandchild...

The Environmental Services division of the Barry County Health Department inspected 42 food-service establishments during the month of August. Of that group, 29 establishments had critical violations and six had no critical or non-critical violations...

The Cassville Lady Wildcats dropped two Big 8 Conference games to Seneca and East Newton. On Sept. 12 the Lady Wildcats (4-6, 0-3) fell to East Newton. Things started well for Cassville. The Black and Gold struck first in the top of the first inning...

Despite a setback on the gridiron in week three to Lamar, the Cassville Wildcats football team still remains ranked in this week's rankings. The statewide high school football rankings are compiled by a 15-member panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. First-place votes are in parenthesis...

The Southwest Lady Trojans improved to 3-0 with a straight sets victory over Thomas Jefferson at Washburn on Thursday, Sept. 12. Southwest prevailed 25-12 and 25-20 in their Ozark 7 Conference opener. Despite significant losses to graduation, the Lady Trojans returned depth and experience from last year's squad. Steve Voyak's starting six included four seniors: Montana Hendrix, Shannon MItchell, Britney Mitchell, and Lauren Mitchell; junior Kayna McNabb, and sophomore Jaime Shrum...

Southwest High School's 30th annual "Volleyfest" volleyball tournament is set to begin on Saturday, Sept. 22. 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 12-team, two-state, three court, two-gym spectacular...

By Jared Lankford The Verona Lady Wildcats volleyball team earned a hard fought 2-1 win over Purdy at home on Sept. 12. Verona took the first set 25-20 only to see Purdy take the second set 25-20 before recovering to prevail 25-21 in the third and final set...

The Cassville Wildcats junior varsity football team traveled to Mt. Vernon for its second game of the year on Sept. 9 and earned a 28-12 win. The team lost its first contest by a hair in the last minute against a very athletic Branson JV team. The 'Cats would prove to be the better team on this night and run their record to an even, 1-1...

By Lee Stubblefield On Nov. 5, 2004, the Seneca Indians ended Cassville's football season with a 48-21 loss. Almost nine years would pass before the Wildcats would surrender 48 points in another game. Cassville won 30 consecutive Big 8 football contests going into Friday night's contest at Lamar, a string of victories that led to four consecutive Big 8 titles and back-to-back Class 3 championships...

By Lee Stubblefield The Southwest Lady Trojans volleyball team remained unbeaten on Monday, Sept. 16, downing Cassville in straight sets in front of a raucous home crowd at the Washburn gym. The Lady Wildcats played tough, but fell in both sets by identical 25-20 scores...

By Lee Stubblefield The Cassville Wildcats opened the 2013-14 cross-country season with a solid showing at the Seneca Invitational on Thursday, September 13. The Cassville boys placed sixth in the varsity meet, led by Lane Madison in 22nd place. The Lady Wildcats did not field a full team...

By Ken Pollreisz In the first of two volleyball meetings in the next month, Cassville got the better of Monett on the volleyball court winning in straight sets 25-16, 25-21 on Sept. 10. The Lady Wildcats got off to a fast start as Cassville's Britani Long served 12-straight points to stake the Lady Cats to a 12-0 lead...

The Cassville Wildcats soccer team split two varsity games last week on the pitch. On Sept. 10 the Wildcats (1-6) defeated Monett 5-2. Cassville was led by Zach McGuffey's hat trick. Trever Supulver and Branham each added a goal in the victory. "This year's team is learning what it means to win," said coach Andrew Hoskins. "We are still repairing some areas in our roster, but I feel confident coming into this week."...

50 Years Ago Sept. 25, 1963 Reports form Boy and Girl State representative were a part of the American Legion family dinner and installation Monday night. Three young people gave their reports. They are: Perry Epperly, son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Epperly, of Exeter; Becky Chaney, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Norman Chaney, of Cassville; and Wayne Jones, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Jones, of Cassville...

Vernie and Nancy Morgan, of Seligman, are pleased to announce the engagement and upcoming marriage of their daughter, Kelsey Ann, to Luke Mark Bradley, son of Mark and Kathryn Bradley. Grandparents are the late Benny Morgan and Arlene Morgan and Cleburn and Lou Ann Priest. The wedding will be held on Saturday, Sept. 28 at Gravette, Ark...

McKay Knight, of Republic, daughter of Charles and Donna Knight, of Hastings, Neb., was united in marriage to Jeremy Davis, of Republic, son of Chuck and Lynn Scott, of Purdy, on July 18 at the Loose Mansion in Kansas City with Pastor Paul Lanning officiating the double-ring ceremony. The bride wore a strapless organza ball gown with crystal and pearl beading. The matron of honor was Molly Carlson...

The September Employee of the Month at Mercy Hospital in Cassville is Brad Reid, a pharmacist at the facility. Reid has been a pharmacist for 22 years, having worked at Mercy Pharmacy in Kansas for 13 years and at Berryville, Ark., for five years. He and his wife, Kim, reside at Holiday Island, Ark. ...

The ladies of the Soroptimist Club of Barry County installed three new members during their Sept. 12 meeting. From left, are: Tracy Stoufer, Kayla Ragsdale and Pat Pilant with Mindi Artherton, club president. Soroptimist is an organization for professional women participating in community and world-wide service. Club members are committed to improving the lives of women and girls in Barry County and throughout the world. Submitted photo...

Thursday, Sept. 19 SUPPORT GROUP: The Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) group of Cassville meets at 8 p.m. at 1308 Harold St. in Cassville. For more information, call 846-4044. SUPPORT GROUP: Anyone who is concerned about a friend's or loved one's drinking is invited to attend the Cassville Al-Anon Family Group, which meets at 8 p.m. at the United Methodist Church in Cassville...

By Melonie Roberts Southwest Missouri Solid Waste Management District N held its monthly meeting at All Points Recycling in Cassville to tour the facility. Each year the District offers grants to local businesses and organizations to expand local jobs and reduce solid waste. Grant committee members from District N are Fred Lemons, of Dade County; Wayne Hendrix, of Barry County; and Mona Menezes, of Taney County...

Jeannette Green, development coordinator for TrueCare Assisted Living, and Marci McKie, specialist care consultant with the Greater Missouri Chapter Alzheimer's Association's Springfield office, are pictured in the newly created first floor gathering room of TrueCare Assisted Living & Memory Care. ...

By Melonie Roberts The eighth annual Shakin' in the Shell festival is set to begin with a patriotic program at 9:45 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21 on Needles Eye Road in Shell Knob. Admission is $1 for adults. Children are admitted free of charge. Illinois Slim will perform near the entrance gate during the day-long event...

This year's walnut crop is looking good for local harvesters. "We had a good spring and good pollination," said Andrew Thomas, associate professor at University of Missouri Southwest Research Center in Mt. Vernon. "Then we had that lovely rain in late July and early August, which was a huge benefit. The quality of walnuts will be much better this year."...

A field day concerning small ruminants on limited acreage will be conducted from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 28at the farm of Tou and Mai Her, 26175 Redbud Rd. in Stella. According to Dr. Jodie Pennington, small ruminant educator with Lincoln University Extension, the event will feature hair sheep that have been on one acre for the summer...

By Melonie Roberts The Southwest Little Theatre will present an Old Fashioned Melodrama and Olio at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27. The melodrama has become popular at the Southwest Little Theatre. It has become a modern comedy favorite because of its overly dramatic dialogue and its excessively emotional acting style. The audience will cheer the hero, boo the villain, and throw "tomatoes" at the dastardly villain...

Alex Erwin was named the winner of the Cassville Middle School reading contest in the accelerated reading class, which took place from Aug. 12 through Sept. 6. For every reading test students completed during the contest, their name was entered in a drawing for a football, signed by all of the Cassville varsity team players. Democrat photo/Roberts...

Third-grade students at Cassville Intermediate School had perfect attendance Tuesday, Sept. 10 and were awarded an extra recess for the accomplishment. Cassville Intermediate School rewards students quarterly for attendance of 96 percent or greater. Students look forward to and strive for good attendance. Officials said it is unusual to have all students in a given grade level with 100 percent attendance. Submitted photo...

The Missouri General Assembly recently met for the annual veto session where lawmakers considered bills the governor vetoed after the regular legislative session. In Missouri, a two-thirds vote is required in both the Senate and the House to override a veto. For this reason and others, veto overrides are rare. In fact, prior to this year, only 12 veto overrides have occurred since Missouri become a state in 1821 and for 120 years, 1855 to 1976, no vetoes were overridden...

Good company For the Wildcat alumni recognition before the first home football game, I was in about as good a company as you can get. There were a pitiful number of 11 who showed up for the event and scores who missed a real good outing. It's a good bet most of the packed spectators thought it was unusual that three players from the 1946 team, graduates of 1947, wore that number on their jerseys presented to each of the alums by Cassville R-4. ...

Missouri's U.S. Senators Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt are moving to protect residents and businesses around Table Rock Lake, Mo., from service disruptions and new costs, after a finding that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers--which manages leases around the Lake--entered into its management agreement improperly...

This week's pet of the week at Haven of the Ozarks is Diesel, a large Husky mix weighing in at 75 pounds. Diesel is friendly, good with children and other dogs and ready to meet his forever family. Animals available for adoption at the animal sanctuary are spayed or neutered and up to date on vaccinations. ...

A Verona man is dead following a two-vehicle crash at 11:10 p.m. Saturday on Highway RA about three miles south of Golden. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, the crash occurred when the driver of a 2006 Polaris Predator 500 all terrain vehicle, Rickie L. Fleetwood, 45, of Verona, made a U-turn in front of a 1976 Toyota pickup, driven by Derrick W. Turley, 17, of Berryville, Ark., and was struck head on. Turley was wearing a seat belt...

Congratulations are in order for Patricia Asburry who retired from Regal-Beloit in Cassville during the third quarter of 2013. Asburry had been a part of the Fasco/Regal team since 1992 before her retirement on July 2. After 21 years of commitment and hard work, she said her plans are to just relax and "watch the grass grow." Submitted photo...

Bill Johnson, of Eagle Rock, polished the gargoyle on his 1969 Chevelle during the monthly Cruise-In, hosted by the Cassville Cruisers. The chained demon appeared poised to leap off the hood and devour the unwary. Democrat photo/Kerry Hays

Engine fluid containers on the vehicle of Connie Iles, of Lowell, Ark., have been detailed to increase awareness to the sacrifices made by those who serve. The show was on display at the September Cassville Cruisers Cruise-In on Saturday. Democrat photo/Kerry Hays...

Blast to the past Frontier Days is slated to kick off at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21. The event will feature old fashioned lye soap making, sorghum making, Dutch oven cooking, rope-making, wagon rides and more. This free day-long event will take place on Farm Road 1157, which is about seven miles from Cassville on Highway 248. Follow the signs. For more information, call Edgar Schreiner at 846-7831 or 847-8686...

By Melonie Roberts Members of the Cassville school board hired a number of individuals to fill classroom and staffing vacancies during regular meetings in August and September. In August, board members approved hiring Jaqulyn Kennedy as a special education instructional assistant for the 2013-14 academic year...

Chad Yarnall, owner and agent of Barry County Farm Bureau in Cassville, was named the winner of a 2012 Ford pickup truck, donated by Missouri Ford Dealers and used as a statewide fundraiser for Missouri Farm Bureau. Tickets were sold across the state for the truck, with Yarnall being awarded the vehicle on Friday. ...

Chances are still available to win a 1972 Chevy Nova SS clone donated by Phil Hutchens, of Hutchens Construction Company, in Cassville, during this year's annual Chili Cook-off in Cassville on Saturday, Oct. 26. Proceeds from the drawing will benefit the 39th Circuit Drug/DWI Courts, which includes Barry, Lawrence and Stone counties, and Faith Christian Family Academy of Excellence in Eureka Springs, Ark. ...

A large crowd took advantage of the great weather conditions on Saturday to attend the Cassville Cruisers September Cruise-In at the Barry County Museum. Car enthusiasts and spectators alike had the opportunity to network and discuss various cars, design and graphic work on vehicles displayed. Additional photos can be seen on page 3 of this week's issue. Democrat photo/Kerry Hays...

The 37th annual Ride for Life trail ride, which benefits the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, will be held Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 20, 21 and 22 at Butterfield. The campsite will be open at noon on Friday. Negative Coggins and out-of-state health papers are required for admittance. No dogs are allowed...

The Edgar Schreiner family and friends are hosting Frontier Days, starting at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, at their farm, located seven miles on Highway 248 at Farm Road 1157. Directional signs will be posted. The day-long free event will offer demonstrations of lye soap making, rope making, apple butter making, Dutch oven cooking and wagon rides...

Jenkins Fire Protection District will host a fish fry, starting at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, at Fire Station #1, located on Flat Creek at Highway 248 in Jenkins. Rusty Springs Music, featuring Debbie Batson, will perform starting at 4:40 p.m. Red Edens and Steve Hodges will auction donated items at 6:30 p.m. Door prizes will also be awarded throughout the evening...

Body of Christ Ministries, in Wheaton, has announced the Kelly Miller Circus will roll into town on Saturday, Oct. 19 at the event center, located on Highway 86 in Wheaton. The public is invited to turn out early and watch the animals being unloaded and fed and the elephants raising the big top...

By Kerry Hays Kara Fletcher, of Eagle Rock, is passionate about Lego, a passion that translates into a mission to change young lives. "I think so many kids in our area have so much going against them before they even step in the door," said Fletcher. "Let's do everything we can to empower them and build them up, and show them there is so much opportunity."...