Stories from Wednesday, July 13, 2016

The Cassville Rotary Club aims to do good throughout the community, and the most recent example of that was when the group purchased school supplies -- about $1,500 worth -- for Barry County foster children. "What we did was we got all the lists through Barry County schools and purchased all the school supplies and backpacks, and sent letters to about 50 families letting them know about the supplies," said Dr. Lisa Roark, M.D., of Roark Family Health, and Rotary member...

Catherine M. "Kay" Adams, 91, of Wheaton, passed away Thursday, July 7, 2016, in Lacoba Homes, Monett. She was born Nov. 2, 1924, in Pioneer, the daughter of Davison Gray and Lela (Jones) McMillen. She was united in marriage to James L. Adams who preceded her in death on Dec. 3, 1958. Also preceding her in death were her parents and a brother, James Edward McMillen...

Jackie L. Brown, 78, of Exeter, passed away on July 7, 2016, at Mercy Hospital in Cassville. He was born on May 28, 1938, in Mason City, Wash., son of Clarence and Virginia (Odle) Brown. On Oct. 20, 1962, he was united in marriage to Patricia Nelson, in Reno, Nev...

Eleanora Rebecca Cole, 88, of Wheaton, passed away Thursday, July 7, 2016, in Roaring River Health and Rehabilitation, Cassville. She was born Aug. 22, 1927, in Cassville, the daughter of Charles Kyle and Cecil Mae (Courtney) Earle. On Jan. 27, 1947, in Columbus, Kan., she was united in marriage to Cal Arnold Cole, who preceded her in death...

Frank Arthur Hartley, age 69, of Cassville, passed away Friday, July 1, 2016, in Missouri Veterans Home, Mt. Vernon. He was born Nov. 22, 1946, in Gary, Ind., the son of Lowell Everett and Violet (Alexander) Hartley. On Aug. 23, 1969, in Muncie, Ind., he was united in marriage to Sandra Lee Preddy, who survives. ...

Henry Carl Thomas, 78, of Cape Fair, passed away Wednesday, July 6, 2016. He was born March 27, 1938 at Cato, the son of Elbert and Oma (Stockton) Thomas. On Sept. 1, 1960, he was united in marriage to Barbara Darlene Daniel, who preceded him in death. Also preceding him in death were his parents; one brother, Glenn Thomas; two half-brothers, Roy Thomas and Roy Snider; four half-sisters, Gladis Snider, Gerelene Thomas, Lottie May Thomas and Dorthy Thomas; stepdaughter, Ronda; and a grandson...

Linda Thomas, 71, of Cassville, passed away in her home on Saturday, July 9, 2016. She was born on Nov. 8, 1944, daughter of William and Thelma (Lawrence) House, in Cassville. She was a 1962 Cassville High School graduate. On Sept. 4, 1964, she was united in marriage to Clyde Thomas in Butterfield. She was a member of Gunter Methodist Church in Butterfield...

Carl "Nig" Porter, 78, of Washburn, passed away Tuesday, July 5, 2016, in his home. He was born Nov. 25, 1937, in Cassville, the son of Sam and Bea (Johnson) Porter. On Nov. 23, 1964, he was united in marriage to Patsy Browning, who preceded him. Also preceding him in death were his parents; two brothers, Ray and James C. Porter...

Doris Jeanne Severson, 94, of Cassville, passed away Tuesday, July 5, 2016, at Roaring River Health and Rehabilitation, Cassville. She was born Sept. 18, 1921, in Lake City, Minn., the daughter of Henry Arnold and Laura Marena (Pearson) Phillips. On Sept. 15, 1946, she was united in marriage to Eric Severson who preceded her in death. Also preceding her in death were her parents and one son, Marc...

Bill Moore, 89, of Springfield, Colo., (formerly of Cassville) passed away July 4, 2016. He was born March 20, 1928, in Mineral Springs. Funeral services were held Saturday, July 9 at the First Baptist Church in Springfield, Colo. Burial was at the Springfield Cemetery with military honors...

Jay Dee Sprueill, 69, of Exeter, passed away Friday, July 1, 2016. He was born October 22, 1946 in Oklahoma, the son of Robert and Lucille (Slate) Sprueill. He was united in marriage to Konnie Ownes, who preceded him in death. Also preceding in death were his parents; one brother Billy Sprueill and his stepfather, Tom Shell...

The Mark Chapman Band will headline this year's entertainment lineup at the fifth annual Jammin' at Jolly Mill Concert in the Country, starting at 6 p.m. on July 23, at Jolly Mill Park, located near Pierce City. The band performs a variety of country, southern rock, acoustic, Americana, Red Dirt, and indie musical styles. ...

One of the aspects of my job I enjoy is telling people's stories. Those stories range from inspirational to heartbreak or as ABC Sports used to advertise-- The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Inside every one of us is that voice that either encourages us to go on, or give up...

The final awards have been released for the Class 2 baseball players, and the Eagles of Purdy were left with plenty of reasons to smile. Joshua Hughes skippered the Eagles to the Class 2 quarterfinal and his team secured four spots on the All-State baseball team...

Brenda Popplewell celebrated her retirement from Regal Beloit America, Inc.,

CASK, which stands for Creative Arts of Shell Knob, held its June meeting at the guild gallery in the Bridgeway Plaza. The group reported that the month flew by, and members are planning events for July. Among upcoming group happenings, Jim Hoover's art takes residence in the special event room for the month. His special talent is painting with oils on wood, and he will have more to share. Hoover will be having an Open House at the gallery on Saturday, July 2, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m...

Nebbie Nose is the Haven of the Ozarks' Pet of the Week.

A large crowd showed up to attend a forum at the Central Crossing Senior Center to ask questions of five of the seven candidates for the Barry County Sheriff's position, as well as the three candidates for the Barry County Public Administrator position. ...

The Cassville Cruisers Car Club presented Bill and Lea Hills with an Eddie Award for their 1959 Chevrolet at their June cruise-in event. Contributed photo

Officials at Southwest Middle School have released the names of students listed to the fourth quarter honor roll for the 2015-16 academic year. Students are listed by grade level and achievement. Fifth grade: Bryce Hammers. Sixth grade: Andrew Cornell, Jared Hayworth, Samuel Jennings, Ryan Lawrence, Christian Long, Amy Reeves and Elizabeth Ross...

Kendra Ennes, a Purdy High School senior, was awarded the $2,000 MFA Foundation scholarship at the school's recent award assembly.

Officials at Southwest Middle School have released the names of students who achieved perfect attendance for the fourth quarter of the 2015-16 academic year. Fifth grade: Logan Campbell, Anna Church, Jacob Corter, Bryce Hammers, Jacob Nelson, Colton Pendergraft, Hunter Peterson, Tyler Sadr-Momtaz, Harley Setzer and Signe Suchowski...

Officials at Purdy High School have released the names of students listed to the fourth quarter honor roll for the 2015-16 academic year. Students are listed by grade level and achievement. Seniors: Umar Akhtar, Desirie Ennes, Brooke Farris, Mikala Fletcher, Breanna Keeler, Robbie Ortega, Abby Parsons, Maria Perez, Katie Real and Jonatan Salazar...

This area, Cassville included, could have missed the boat when it came to electrical power through Rural Electrical Administration (REA) advantages due to a controversy involving the service 69 years ago. The city of Cassville, and a short outreach into neighboring areas, was once served by Missouri Southern Public Service Co. (MSPSC), owned by a Kentucky holding company...

A Verona woman sustained moderate injuries in a single-vehicle crash that occurred at 6:45 a.m., Monday on Hwy. WW, about three miles south of Aurora. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Ulyssa L. Martinez, 18, of Verona, was driving a 2008 Chevrolet HHR eastbound when the vehicle ran off the right side of the roadway, overcorrected, went off the lest side of the roadway and overturned. The vehicle struck a fence and came to a rest on its top...

A Washburn woman sustained minor injuries in a single-vehicle crash that occurred at 11:30 a.m. Sunday on Hwy. 248, about five miles west of Jenkins. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Curtis G. Bonner, 63, of Washburn, was driving a 2005 Ford F150 westbound when his pickup ran off the right side of the roadway, overcorrected, ran off the left side of the highway, struck a ditch and then overturned...

Children swarm around a table of traditional games made of wood, hoping to get a chance to play with one.

Cassville resident, Greg Harter, holds a good-sized bullfrog he caught from a pond over the weekend, after frogging season officially began in the state June 30.

Several handmade quilts created by the ladies at St. John's Lutheran Church will be given away at the annual Stones Prairie Picnic, held at the church at 6 p.m. on Friday. The big prize will be the "Eliza's Medallion" queen-sized quilt pieces by Nancy Kielblock. A "Peek-A-Bo Monkeys" baby quilt was pieced by Carolyn Schad. Both were hand quilted by the St. John's Quilters...

Staff at the Cassville Primary School understand just how important instilling good behaviors in small children is, and they just about have the market cornered with what they have learned over the last few years after implementing their Positive Behavior Support (PBS) program...

According to Superintendent Richard Asbill, the Cassville school district was able to conservatively manage its general fund, as it came in $82,000 under budget for the 2015-2016 fiscal year. "The board is very conservative, which is a reflection of our fiscally conservative communities," Asbill said. ...

The city of Seligman has completed several upgrades and improvements to its park system to create a place to go for residents of all ages. In addition to its state-of-the-art splash pad, which was completed last year and has been very popular with families, new playground equipment has been purchased, a sandbox completed, the city's skate park restored, and a walking trail has been created. A basketball court is also available...

Preparations are complete for the fifth annual Purdy Festival, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, in and around the Purdy City Park and school district. "The Purdy Festival is in its 5th year, and there is no way we could put together this great day without all of our community sponsors and volunteers," said Renae Neill, festival chairperson. ...

An explosive device found in a towed vehicle in Cassville resulted in a call to the bomb squad in Bentonville, Ark., on Friday and the subsequent disposal of the suspect box. According to Sheriff Mick Epperly, the arrest of two subjects on Thursday led to the discovery of the alleged bomb. ...

The Cassville school district and five other nearby districts may soon be getting a valuable service come September, when CoxHealth, which currently provides telemedicine services for Cassville school employees, may extend the same services to elementary students...

The majority of Barry County sheriff candidates are in favor of implementing body cameras for deputies, and if proposed, cost of the equipment is a sticking point. Cherry Warren, Barry County presiding commissioner, said no proposal for purchasing body cameras has ever been presented to the commission, but that does not mean one would not be considered...

The role of the Barry County Public Administrator is one that can be demanding and challenging, and it requires the public's trust. The individual elected to fill the role of county public administrator will be responsible for a number of day-to-day duties, including administrative, clerical and reception. ...

A recent poll of Barry County registered voters showed that the public is generally pleased or indifferent about the performance of the county's elected officials. The Monett Times poll on Thursday asked whether voters approved or disapproved of the job performance of outgoing Sheriff Mick Epperly, Prosecuting Attorney Amy Boxx and Presiding Commissioner Cherry Warren...

A recent poll of registered voters showed the Republican primary for Barry County public administrator to be a statistical three-way tie. Exactly half (252) of the The Monett Times poll's 504 responders on Thursday said they were undecided. Of those with stated preferences, 18.06 percent (91 responses) said they favor Andy Reavis of Cassville, 16.4 percent (83 responses) said they favor Rodney Hughes of Cassville, and 15.48 percent (78 responses) prefer Keith Daniels of Exeter...

A recent poll of Barry County registered voters shows that former highway patrolman Travis Hilburn of Cassville is clinging to a slight lead outside the margin of error for the Republican nomination for Barry County sheriff, with many voters undecided...

Knowing the numbers is one thing. Knowing what they mean is another. Here are the five major things we should take away from the polling results in today's edition: 1. These races are close. Real close. Former highway patrolman Travis Hilburn has a slight lead outside the margin of error in the Barry County sheriff's race. ...