Barry County

Exeter boys hoops wants to peak at season’s end
The Exeter boys basketball team has had a challenging start to its season, but Coach Tremanye Williams is less concerned about the beginning as he is the end. Finishing at 10-16 last season, the Tigers return three seniors — Kason Nelson, Jesse Eaton and Kendal Gorman — to this year’s squad.

’Twas on the press before Christmas
’ Twas 7 days before Christmas, and at The Cassville Democrat, Busy hands were a’typing requests for iPhones and snacks. Each year we ask second- graders their wishes from Santa, And while most requests are common, some make us say, my lanta! There are more than 250 printed for Kringle this year, And we hope they bring parents and and the jolly ole elf cheer.
Debbie Kober: Gardening beyond annuals, a fresh look at perennials
Seed catalogs are out, and it’s time to select spring garden plants, with tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, beans and squash being the popular choices. These are all grown as annuals, plants that grow for a single season and are started again from seed the following year.

Michelle Hilburn: Cherishing the love, the magic, and the moments
The holiday season is here, and like many educators, I’m running on fumes. The holidays are stressful both in and out of the classroom.

Through the Years, Dec. 18
40 YEARS AGO: CHRISTMAS, AN IMPORTANT PHASE — Started in early October, the Little Joe Transplant Fund in Cassville is nearing the halfway point as funds bump the $175,000 figure. Goal of the effort for a heart-lung transplant for six-year-old Joe Starchman is $350,000.
Christmas coming for 315 children
On Christmas morning, the smiles of 315 Barry County children stand to be a bit brighter, all thanks to local businesses, individuals and volunteers who support Share Your Christmas. A service of the Ozark Area Community Action Corporation’s (OACAC) Barry County Neighborhood Center, Share Your Christmas provides gifts directly to families in need, for a variety of reasons, that may not have a gift budget otherwise.
News Briefs, Dec. 18
The Roaring River Nature Center on Jan. 11 and Feb.

An eye for an eye
Seventeen years ago, Skip White, owner and director of White’s Funeral Home and Crematory in Cassville, promised lifeless 9-year-old Rowan Ford that he would watch her killer’s execution. On Dec.

Tense debate over poultry farm
Sharp exchanges and misinformation fueled a meeting at the Barry County Courthouse on Dec. 9 as neighbors and Barry County officials grappled with a proposal to build another poultry farm south of Aurora.

Jail features lauded at ribbon cutting
Barry County Sheriff Danny Boyd cuts the ribbon for the new Barry County Jail on Dec. 4. Boyd said he aims to have the jail operational by the last week of December.