Stories from Wednesday, February 24, 2016

The Cassville girls basketball team rolled to a 68-48 win over Monett on Monday. The Lady Wildcats rode a 15-point first half performance from Madi Stokes to earn the Big 8 Conference win. Scoring for Cassville: Stokes and Hallie Long, 17 each; Ashlynn Howe, 12; Macey Parsons, 7; Mackenzie Durossette, 4; and Kandace Wallace, 2...

Southwest senior Jaime Shrum scored 41 points to lead the Lady Trojans to a 65-63 win over Sarcoxie in the Class 2, District 12 quarterfinal on Monday. The Lady Trojans advanced to the semifinal tonight (Wednesday) at 6 p.m. against top-seeded Miller...

The Purdy girls basketball team rolled past McAuley Catholic, 58-25, on Monday in the Class 2, District 12 semifinal at Southwest High School. The Lady Eagles face a familiar foe in Pierce City tonight (Wednesday) at 7:30 p.m. for the right to advance to Friday's championship game...

The hottest ticket in Barry County tonight (Wednesday) could be at Southwest High School for the Class 2, District 12 semifinals. The first game pits No. 1 seed Miller against the hometown favorite, No. 4 seed Southwest. The two teams are slated to tip at 6 p.m...

With a 68-48 victory over Monett on Monday, the Cassville girls basketball team and Coach Chris Shore feel like they are prepared to enter district play at Carthage on Monday. "We had a good night against Monett," Shore said. "We were able to get Madi [Stokes] going inside, and we had answers for everything Monett threw at us."...

Cassville Coach Barrett Milleson does not have to search for the right words to describe how far his Wildcats have come this season. The most common word he uses is -- identity. "At the beginning of the season, we struggled to identify almost everything, from who was our scorer and what my expectations were, to what we needed to do to win," Milleson said. "As a first-year coach, you expect to have those kinds of issues."...

The Cassville Area Chamber of Commerce will offer complimentary coffee and coffee mugs to anglers along the riverbanks at Roaring River State Park during Opening Day of Trout Season on Tuesday. Coffee, donated by Walmart, will be served by chamber volunteers beginning at 5 a.m. ...

Opening day of trout season on Tuesday brings to mind the opportunity I had years ago when I met someone who had something to do with the park's existence in the state's system. I was about to enter my freshman year in high school and we were living in St. Louis one summer while my dad was working at a munitions plant during World War II...

This week's pet of the week at the Haven of the Ozarks is Wynne.

Officials at Wheaton High School have announced January Students of the Month.

Exeter Elementary students were chosen by teachers to represent their class at an assembly Friday for demonstrating the character of diligence.

Officials at Southwest Middle School have released the names of students listed to the second quarter honor roll for the 2015-16 academic year. Students are listed by grade level and achievement. Fifth grade: Bryce Hammers, Jordyn Martin and Rachel Willer...

A Golden man was injured and arrested after a wreck on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. on Highway 86, two miles west of Golden. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Larissa Harlan, 43, of Golden, was driving a 1993 Ford Ranger eastbound when her vehicle traveled off the roadway, struck a driveway, overturned onto the driver's side, then came to rest on its wheels...

Two people were injured Friday in a wreck at noon on Intersection of Highway 37 and Farm Road 2090. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Jerry Clark, 45, of Cassville, was driving a 2001 Saturn SL southbound on Highway 37 when a 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix, being driven by Ruby Pozniak, 84, of Purdy, failed to yield, entering the intersection westbound from Farm Road 2090 and struck Clark's vehicle...

Two people were injured Monday in a wreck at 12:33 a.m. on Highway DD, three miles west of Seligman. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, William Rickson, 25, of Seligman, was driving a 1995 Dodge Dakota pickup truck westbound when his vehicle ran off the roadway, struck a tree and overturned...

A Cassville man was injured Friday in a wreck at 5:54 p.m on Highway 37 at Farm Road 2090. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Zachary Hall, 21, of Cassville, was driving a 1992 Chevrolet Silverado northbound when he attempted to overtake a vehicle and did not see a 2002 Toyota Sienna, being driven by Jaqueline Cooper, 80, of Purdy, stopped in the passing lane to make a left turn, hitting the van...

In 2013, the New York Times reported that more lives now end in suicide in the U.S. than in motor vehicle accidents. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in 2013, 41,149 persons committed suicide. These statistics and do not include attempts only. The top three methods used are: firearms, suffocation or poisoning...

A Washburn man wanted for tampering with a motor vehicle in May 2015 and other charges was apprehended in Exeter at the home of a relative and taken into custody on Feb. 8. Shawn Hall, 25, was sleeping on the couch and awoke to find Exeter Police Chief Bobby Stone, Barry County Sheriff Mick Epperly and two county deputies arresting him...

State Rep. Scott Fitzpatrick, R-Shell Knob, met with the leaders of the Regional Sports Authority of St. Louis last week, and if he gets his way, they will be coming back in another week or two. The hearing at the capitol was in regards to the $16.5 million the organization spent pitching the NFL a new stadium in St. Louis, money Fitzpatrick said was overboard and now wasted since the Rams have been moved to Los Angeles...

The public works superintendent for the city of Purdy has been charged with first-degree statutory sodomy relating to alleged sexual incidents with a minor occurring over the past year. Teddy McIntire, 56, of Purdy, was charged with the felony on Friday and is being held at the Barry County Jail on a $40,000 bond. ...

For the last eight years, the Central Crossing Senior Center has offered free Medicare counseling for area seniors. Since its inception, volunteers have advised over 1,370 participants on their health care and prescription options, saving them nearly $300,000...

A new way of holding legal proceedings is coming to Barry County Judicial Center. The Barry County Sheriff's office, in conjunction with the circuit clerk's office, is planning to begin using iPads in the jail to hold arraignments via video teleconferencing, which would eliminate the need and expense of transporting inmates to the Judicial Center for proceedings...

Local schools seem to all be in the same boat when it comes to the high cost of food service. Exeter typically runs $50,000 in the red on food, Cassville is close behind, Southwest was over $50,000 last year and Purdy falls about $29,000 short. Food service in public schools, including breakfast and lunch, is a three-pronged process...

With Opening Day at Roaring River State Park arriving in less than two weeks, many are excited and gearing up for what is a memory-maker for people of all ages. Joe Wright, who never missed an opening day since he was five years old, is one of them...

The Missouri Department of Public Safety has made a ruling regarding the cause of the fire that flattened the Holloway Farms building in Butterfield on Feb. 8. Mike O'Connell, communications director for the department, said the final ruling is that the cause is undetermined, despite early indications the fire started at an electrical panel on the east side of the building...

Renovations of the historic CCC Lodge at Roaring River State Park, which began last July, are almost complete. Steph Deidrick, information specialist for Missouri State Parks, said she expects the lodge to be completed and open for rentals by late spring. An exact cost for rooms has not yet been determined...

Roaring River State Park will celebrate Opening Day on Tuesday, with Gov. Jay Nixon scheduled to attend and possibly fire the opening gun. Scott Holste, press secretary for Gov. Nixon, said while it is always subject to change, the Governor is scheduled to kick off trout season at Roaring River State Park...

As of presstime Tuesday, three people had filed for Barry County sheriff, according to County Clerk Gary Youngblood. Travis Hilburn, a former Missouri State Highway Patrolman based in Cassville, filed for the post, as well as Cassville Police Department Detectives Danny Boyd and James A. Smith...