Stories from Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Debra Jean Reeves, 63, of Wheaton, passed away Tuesday, July 18, 2017, at her home. She was born Feb. 21, 1954, in Iowa City, Iowa, the daughter of Lawrence Herman and Agnas (Ambrose) Schmidt. Preceding her in death were her parents and one brother, Rick Schmidt...

Gary L. Walden, 74, of Warsaw, passed away Thursday, July 27, 2017, at University Hospital in Columbia. He was born Dec. 26, 1942, in Washburn, the son of Clovis Abe and Mary Bernice (Elgin) Walden. Preceding him in death were his parents; two sons, Mike and Teddy; and one sister, Rowena Hendrix...

August has arrived, and it’s as good a time as any to give some recognitions that have come my way as a result of the recently received professional journalism organizations’ honors. First of these efforts has to go to the guy that signs the checks at the Cassville Democrat, Jacob Brower. Chosen by the ownership to be publisher, this McDonald County native has family roots that go back far enough in the former “McDonald Territory” to have knowledge of the southwest corner of Missouri...

Cassville High School’s Riley Fletcher and Gavin White targeted both deep and shallow bass to win the National Youth Fishing Association (NYFA) Arkansas Division Championship Sunday at Norfork Lake. Fletcher and White caught a four-bass limit weighing 9.27 pounds to win the high school competition of the championship and collect $2,000 in scholarship money...

The smile on the face of Jake Forste is a little bigger this season. Last year, the Cassville soccer coach’s Wildcat squad and he enjoyed a successful honeymoon. Forste admits that is was a square-one type season where players were learning the basics and fundamentals of his style of play...

The Cassville Rotary Club will again be providing school supplies for local foster families, starting Wednesday, Aug. 2, until the time school starts on Aug. 16. Dr. Lisa Roark, of Roark Family Health Care, who is a Rotary Club member, said she appreciated local foster families and hoped to make their lives a little easier by helping with the purchase of school supplies...

On July 20, CFM Insurance received the Missouri Association of Independent Agents (MAIA) Top Partner Award, an honor given to an insurance company in Missouri that has demonstrated the greatest commitment to, and support of, the American Agency System and its independent agent partners...

To best meet the needs of the communities it serves, over the last few months, The University of Missouri Extension has been busy collecting a multitude of information from several communities across southwest Missouri and examining data to determine the future path and direction of the organization...

The Silver Discovery group will hold their August meeting at Angus Branch Steak House, 114 Chapel Drive, Monett, on Thursday, Aug. 3, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Silver Discovery is a networking group for those who are advocates and/or have resources for senior citizens. ...

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock District, will be hosting a public meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 1, at United Methodist Church, 25682 State Hwy YY, Shell Knob, to discuss its Table Rock Lake shoreline management plan revision. Staff will be available to answer questions...

Meet Vince, the Haven of the Ozarks Pet of the Week.

The Farwell Reunion will be held Saturday starting at noon in the Cassville High School commons area. The mean will be at noon, and pictures will be at 1 p.m. Local family and friends may bring a covered dish. Meat, plates and utensils will be supplied. For more information, people may call John Sullivan at 417-847-7625 or Chip Kammerlohr at 417-847-7500...

Storyteller Will Stuck’s presentation at the Cassville Branch Library July 27 was full of action, keeping children, and adults, in stitches.

With summer coming to a close, students will return to class at area schools in coming weeks. Cassville school district will be hosting a Stop-Drop-and-Go event for grades k-eighth on Monday, Aug. 14 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the primary and middle school campuses, and a Freshman Orientation and new student Open House will be held the same date at 7 p.m., in the high school gymnasium. Food will be available at the Stop-Drop-and-Go event, provided by Cox Health Systems...

With the abundance of garden produce over the summer months, Tuesday has been dubbed national Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night, a holiday started by Pennsylvanian Tom Roy as a positive way to share surplus zucchini from gardens. "Everyone who has grown zucchini knows that it can be difficult to keep up with the yield. ...

An Eagle Rock man is facing two felonies after allegedly assaulting a victim and not allowing the victim to leave a home for two days. Christopher Stills, 34, of Eagle Rock, is charged with first-degree domestic assault with serious injury and second-degree kidnapping...

The inaugural Stop, Drop and Run 5K Walk/Run to support the Wheaton Rural Fire Department will be held starting with check-in at 7:30 a.m. on Aug. 26 at the Wheaton City Park, with the walk/run starting at 8 a.m. A registration fee of $25 must be included with the registration form, which can be picked up at Wheaton City Hall, Security Bank at the Wheaton, Exeter, or Cassville locations, US Bank in Wheaton, Wheaton Family Market or Angel Tree Floral in Wheaton. ...

Due to black bears increasing in number in southern Missouri, including Barry and nearby counties, as evidenced by increased sightings and motor-vehicle reports, it may be time to heed the Missouri Department of Conservation's catch-phrase, "Be Bear Aware."...

Sales tax receipts in July, following the big quarterly payout in June, tend toward unimpressive totals. However, this July brought big numbers to nearly all Barry County cities, as only one saw negative returns, and even that was marginal. The seven Barry County cities collecting sales tax received $734,479.93, up 25 percent from a year ago...

A Purdy man is facing four felonies and two misdemeanors after allegedly assaulting and threatening police officers at an apartment in Purdy. Herschel Harry, 27, of Purdy, is charged with two counts of third-degree assault, one count of third-degree assault on a special victim, second-degree terroristic threatening, misdemeanor second-degree property damage and misdemeanor resisting arrest...

A Cassville man is facing four felonies, on top of multiple charges in previous cases, after allegedly leading police on a foot chase and being caught in possession of drugs, including suspected black tar heroin. Travis Jones, 38, of Cassville, is charged with felony resisting arrest and three counts of possession of a controlled substance...

The Cassville school district has completed its new alumni tributes, which are on display in front of the Rock Gym on the school campus on Main Street.

The Cassville Branch Library and sisters of Becky Fischer, who served as children’s librarian for 13 years, are trying to find a compromise over a mural dedicated to her memory. On a recent visit to the library, Vicky Harp, Fischer’s twin sister, questioned why the mural, which covers the back wall of the teen section, was partially covered by bookshelves...

The primary election for county offices is little more than a year away, but the thought of candidacy has begun circulating among principals considering a run for office. One contest sure to generate significant interest is the race for Barry County presiding commissioner, where Cherry Warren is a six-term incumbent. Warren hung on to a 141-vote margin to edge out a win in the August 2014 Republican primary in a three-way race...