Stories from Wednesday, December 9, 2015

It wasn't many years ago, perhaps 50 or so, that this time of the year signaled time to head to the woods and find a suitable cedar tree that would be the family Christmas tree. Not just any tree would do, it had to conform to the wish of a little girl in the crowd who usually got the last word in the selection process...

For three years, Purdy senior Courtney White has pursued her dream of playing college volleyball. With an acceptance letter now in hand from Fort Scott Community College in Fort Scott, Kan., the dream is now a reality for the Lady Eagles' standout...

Encouraged by a second-place finish at the Blue Eye Tournament, Cassville rolled to a win over Pierce City on Monday, leaving its coach in good spirits. "I think we are improving every day," said Chris Shore, Cassville coach. "Defensively, I have been pleased with our growth and development. We played man-to-man against Spokane in the championship game, and the girls held a high-flying offense to 38 points."...

Pictured are the Top 10 photos from Cassville's 2015 football season.

This week's pet of the week at the Haven of the Ozarks is Hero, beautiful and gentle young kitty who is currently residing at Haven of the Ozarks.

The Cassville Cruisers car club presented Rick and Heidi Fisher the Eddie Award at the Nov. 14 Cruise-In.

The winning ticket for the GFWC Silver Leaf Benefit Club gift basket offered at the annual Cassville Chili and Salsa Cook-off was held by Charlene Berman, of Grove, Okla. Proceeds from the drawing will be used to support local charities.

Cassville High School Principal Jeff Swadley, Barry County Advertiser Sports Reporter Rachael Freeman, Dr. Greg Johnson of Johnson Chiropractic Sports and Wellness Clinic, and Commerce Bank Commercial Administrative Assistant Skyler Beebe, were accepted as new board members for the Cassville Chamber of Commerce at a meeting Tuesday...

The following Cassville Primary students were recognized for October's Students of the Month.

Alexia J. Belisle, Cassville, $150 for stealing. Alyssa Nicole Boughner, Cassville, $150 for stealing. Evan Nicholas Cowfer, Cassville, $100 for failure to register a vehicle. Christopher Shawn Ferguson, Purdy, $300 for disorderly conduct. Gina Renee Norris, Cassville, $75.50 for failure to register a vehicle...

John Breyel, Verona, six months probation for failure to yield at an intersection; $10 for a seat belt violation. Christian Ray Dunegan, Wheaton, six months probation for operating a vehicle in a careless manner/accident. Gary Lee Farsone, six months probation for failure to register a vehicle and a seat belt violation...

Cassville High School recently announced the names of its Mr. and Miss Merry Christmas candidates.

The Eagle Rock Library would like patrons to grab their passports for a Christmas Adventure. On Dec. 19, beginning at 11 a.m. at the Eagle Rock Community Center, the library will start with a story for Mrs. Claus, then go to different stations for holiday crafts. There will also be several special guests for photo opportunities...

Several children got pictures with Santa for a keepsake Saturday at the Cassville Branch Library's Santa Social.

The New Hope Baptist Church float was one of many festive floats in the Exeter Christmas Parade Saturday.

The Cassville school district reported its scores in the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP) improved by over five percent compared to last year. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released district data for the 2015 MSIP evaluation, and Cassville scored an average of 81.8 percent. Cassville Schools earned 114.5 points of the 140 Annual Performance Report points possible...

The Table Rock Lake Community Foundation recently awarded over $5,657 in grants to non-profit organizations in Barry County at a luncheon at the Reunion Mill restaurant at Silver Dollar City. The Foundation distributes grants derived from interest earned from endowed funds through the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, which is located in Springfield. The awards were part of the organization's 2015 grant cycle...

The Cassville school district is offering a new type of course for primary and intermediate-aged students -- a course devoted exclusively to technology. In addition to physical education, art, music and library, the students will now have a class just to learn about technology, the Internet, and all that goes along with it...

Everyone appreciates a hearty, homemade meal. Not only do they taste better than anything from a microwave, but being hand-made and hand-delivered by a friendly face makes them that much tastier and extends a simple act to something beyond a meal. The home-delivered meal program, based out of Shell Knob's Central Crossing Senior Center and an outreach of the Southwest Missouri Office on Aging, has been dishing up homemade meals, comfort, and company to residents of Barry County since 2000...

Purdy Elementary School students sang and performed at a special holiday program presented Thursday night in the elementary school gym. The elementary classes assembled on risers and on the stage, most dressed in pajamas, for their musical numbers. Many waved to family as the various groups took their places. Murray Bishoff times-news@monett-times.com...

Faced with an opportunity to pay less for liability and catastrophic coverage insurance, the Purdy Board of Education opted to use the savings instead to buy increased coverage. Superintendent Steven Chancellor reported the premium for insurance through the Missouri United School Insurance Council (MUSIC) totaled $80,003 for the coming year, down from $82,039 last year. ...

The Cassville school district is planning to build a new monument to honor alumni members from the classes of 1922-1972, which are imprinted on a sidewalk on campus outside of the JC Duncan Gymnasium. Traditionally, the high school has honored its alumni by stamping the names of every graduating student on the sidewalk, but after years of weathering and foot traffic, many names are no longer legible due to deteriorating concrete...

A Shell Knob man was arrested Friday and charged with allegedly molesting a 14-year-old girl multiple times over a six-year period. Richard Bastura, 63, of Shell Knob, is charged with first-degree child molestation, first-degree statutory sodomy and first-degree endangering the welfare of a child...

A large void can now be seen at 90 Main Street where Corn Signs has sat for more than 60 years. After the South Barry County Hospital District purchased the property this summer to expand Mercy Hospital's parking lot, plans were tentatively set to demolish the business, and adjacent home, soon thereafter. The property sat untouched for a months, until the morning of Dec. 2, when Couch Excavating Company began the demolition at 7 a.m...

Santa Claus waves to the large crowd gathered in front of the Barry County Courthouse for the annual Christmas Parade through Cassville Saturday.

The Missouri Department of Transportation, on a shoestring budget, is responsible for inspecting and maintaining almost 10,400 bridges in the state, and about 641 of them are considered to be in critical condition. The average age of bridges in the state is 44 years old, and most were designed to last only 50 years. More than 1,600 of the bridges are more than 75 years old, and about 5,000 are 50 or older...