Stories from Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Jerry Donald Pierson, 74, of Exeter, passed away on Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015. He was born on June 3, 1941, in Columbus, Kan., son of John and Beulah (Cain) Pierson. He was a 1959 graduate of Columbus High School. On June 20, 1960, he was united in marriage to Glenda Hayward in Columbus, Kan. After making numerous trips to fish at Roaring River State Park Jerry and his wife decided to move to Exeter in 1986. He worked at the Walmart Jewelry Warehouse in Bentonville, Ark...

Floyd Priestly McDonnell, Sr., Republic, Missouri, born on October 5, 1933, beloved husband and best friend of Carol McDonnell (nee McDonald) for 40 years, passed away peacefully, surrounded by the ones he laughed with, lived for, and loved, on December 12, 2015. ...

Vernon Marine, 96, of Algona, Iowa, formerly of Pocahontas & Rolfe, died on Wednesday, December 9, 2015 at the Algona Good Samaritan Society. Vernon DeLoy Marine, the son of George and Gletha (Myers) Marine, was born on April 11, 1919 in Paton, Iowa. ...

I love Christmas time. As a child, I used to love to wake up and run to the tree to see what Santa had brought. After the gifts were opened, we would all gather at the table for a great Christmas meal. We would eat, share, talk and laugh. We had many great times at the table. ...

For the past 18 months, and ramping up in the past couple weeks, the Cassville school district has been dealing with an issue seemingly outside of the realm of education -- sidewalks. The issue began for the district a year-and-a-half ago, when it put together a committee to study and deal with the impending Missouri Department of Transportation sidewalk project, where the department has been tasked by the U.S. ...

The Purdy girls basketball team is heading to the 32-team Pink and White Lady Classic on Monday, which will be held at the Drury University campus in Springfield. The Lady Eagles will compete in the 16-team pink division, which includes Kickapoo, Springfield Central, Spokane, Marshfield, Strafford, Branson, Miller, Pickerington Central, Ozark, Camdenton, Willard, Fort Smith Northside (Ark.), Springfield Catholic, Aurora and Buffalo...

The Cassville wrestling team had a good showing in the McDonald County JV Tournament on Saturday. Michael Hunter took fist place in the 145 pounds-C division to highlight the team's accomplishments. "We had a good day," said Brian Barbee, interim wrestling coach. "We are still building on our fundamentals, and that will be our focus the rest of the season."...

The 33rd annual Southwest Holiday Tournament tips off on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. with Pea Ridge (Ark.) and Exeter. In recent years, the tournament has featured teams from Arkansas and Missouri. The eight-team field reflects this tradition again this season, with Pea Ridge and Gentry rolling in from the Natural State...

The second annual girls Southwest Holiday Tournament tips off on Saturday with Pea Ridge (Ark.) and Omaha (Ark.) battling at 11 a.m. The second year of the tournament features a new local team in Cassville, which had been in the Berryville (Ark.) Tournament the last three seasons...

Tim Orrell and Regina O'Donnell were united in marriage on Oct. 10 at Riverwood Winery Estate Vineyards in Weston.

Students from Eunice Thomas Elementary School in Cassville were recognized for having the best attendance in November.

Fifth-grade students at Cassville Intermediate School had the best overall attendance for the intermediate building for second quarter.

Members of the Cassville FFA Chapter recently traveled to Louisville, Ky., for the 88th National FFA Convention and Expo.

Ricky Alvarado, Springdale, Ark., six months probation for careless driving/accident. Michael Ash, Marionville, one year probation and court costs for driving with a revoked license. Emily Aileen Barnes, Seligman, $191.50 and one year probation for driving with a revoked license, a financial responsibility violation, displaying the plates of another person and failure to register a vehicle...

Two men were injured and the driver was arrested after a wreck on Tuesday at 9 p.m. on Route DD, 2.3 miles west of Seligman. According to a Missouri Highway Patrol report, James Easter, 37, of Gateway, was driving a 2001 Ford Ranger eastbound when his vehicle traveled off the roadway and overturned...

A Purdy woman was injured Friday in a wreck at 4:50 p.m. on Route YY at Shell Knob. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Kenda Healey, 37, of Purdy, was driving a 2003 Hyundai Santa FE westbound when her vehicle traveled off the roadway, struck an embankment and overturned...

Two Springfield residents suffered injuries Saturday in a wreck at 1:45 p.m. on Highway 86, one mile east of Golden. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Brian Uentillie, 41, of Springfield, was driving a 2003 Dodge Ram eastbound on Highway 80 when his vehicle failed to negotiate a curve, ran off the right side of the road and struck several trees...

A Cassville teen was injured Saturday in a wreck at 10:35 p.m. on Farm Road 1120, 2 miles south of Cassville. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Jacob Holz, 17, of Cassville, was driving a 2007 Saturn southbound when his vehicle struck the rear of a 2010 Toyota Tacoma, being driven by River Phelps, 17, of Shell Knob...

An Arkansas man has been transferred to the Barry County jail and is facing charges of burglary and theft in relation to numerous items stolen from a home on Highway DD in Seligman. Duel Walker, 50, of Gravette, Ark., was originally arrested by Benton County, Ark., deputies in early November, where Barry County deputies interviewed him in relation to the stolen property after serving a search warrant at his home on Nov. 9, one of two search warrants turning up allegedly-stolen property...

Two Cassville residents are facing multiple burglary and drug charges after allegedly stealing items from a home on Holman Road during a remodeling project. Charles Hughes, 37, and Barbara Hughes, 32, both of Cassville, are each facing charges of burglary, theft, theft of a firearm and possession of a controlled substance...

Giving blood is a breeze and welcome break from the day for Cassville residents Trent Oliphant, left, and Brandon Lakey.

Christmas Lighting contest winners Cassville residents Garry and Tess Elliott lit up Old Exeter Road for passersby with a dazzling display of Christmas decorum, making the season bright.

The city of Wheaton has announced the winners in the float contest during its annual Christmas parade. For religious floats, Wheaton United Methodist Church took first place, New Hope Baptist Church took second and Bethlehem Free Will Baptist Church claimed third...

Senior Lindsey Wubker, right, was voted Exeter High School's Miss Merry Christmas Queen on Dec. 15 in between the girls' and boys' basketball games against McAuley Catholic.

Of all the alternative ways a family could enjoy festive Christmas activities, a train ride topped the list for about 172 passengers on the Arkansas-Missouri Railway that traveled from Seligman to Exeter on Saturday. The Santa Train, as it is locally known, has been traveling the tracks during the month of December for about eight years...

Thanks to the joint efforts of local businesses, individuals, schools, banks, churches, employers and the community at large, Christmas will be generously shared with about 368 Barry County children this year. "We're kind of the central point for the program here," said Gail Reed, OACAC Neighborhood Center supervisor for the county. ...

A new business coming to Purdy requested permission to build a new sidewalk into Commercial Street. Aldermen reacted positively while requesting more details. Bill Young spoke in behalf of his son, Devin Bennett, a partner in Innovative Natural Solutions. The business, which is affiliated with Ed Mareth's Project Genesis, plans to install a fruit and vegetable juice processing plant. The business is expected to employ eight people, Young said...

The Lawrence County Sheriff's Office and the Monett Branch of the Barry-Lawrence Regional Library have teamed up to offer an online safety course for parents. "In this digital age, we need to do everything we can to protect our children form online predators," said Sheriff Brad DeLay. "This course will offer information to parents on social media networking, cyber-bullying, impersonation, identity theft, sexting and more."...

All the Cassville High School Mr. and Miss Merry Christmas candidates gather for a selfie, shot by Miss Merry Christmas Audra Brooks, right middle in front.

The city of Cassville passed its 2016 budget on Dec. 14, with three aldermen voting in favor of the financial ordinance, and one alderman voting against it. Terry Heinz, who cast the lone nay vote, said he did so out of concern over the way transportation tax dollars are being used, and over the proposed water and sewer rate hike not being high enough to build larger reserves for upcoming projects...

James T. Pitts, 47-year resident of Lynnwood, Wash., passed away Dec. 7, 2015. He was born on June 1, 1918, in Wheaton, Missouri. He lived with his family in Wichita, Kansas, for 18 years before moving to Lynnwood in 1968. James grew up as a farmer before joining the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1941 and later that year joining the Army Air Force. ...