Stories from Friday, September 16, 2011

The images Americans witnessed on Sept. 11, 2001, as the Twin Towers fell and the Pentagon smoldered following terrorist attacks, are something not even time can wash away, Missouri Speaker of the House Rep. Steven Tilley told those gathered Saturday at the 9/11 Memorial Banquet...

By BARBARA ANN HORTON News Editor A grandfather's love for reading inspired his granddaughter not only to love books, but also to encourage students in her hometown to develop a love for reading. Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, native Poplar Bluffian and writer of the hit show, "Designing Women," started the Charlie Classics reading program 20 years ago in honor of her late grandfather, Charles Bloodworth, who was an avid reader, judge and newspaper editor. ...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer GREENVILLE, Mo. -- A strip of yellow tape about knee high on the office door of Greenville Mayor Don Scowden marks where he estimates spring flood waters would have reached if a series of pumps and a community-built levee had not confined the flow to the north corner of town...

By MELISSA MILLER SEMO News Service Calling exports a "sweet spot" for Missouri's economic growth, Gov. Jay Nixon on Thursday visited BioKyowa in Cape Girardeau, a company that attributes 75 percent of its sales to exports. Nixon is touring businesses across the state to urge the legislature to pass the proposed Made in Missouri jobs package during the special session that starts next week...

By SARABETH WALLER Staff Writer Sandra Blume, 54, of Broseley, Mo., has accomplished something few have: she has lived 33 years with a kidney donated to her by her brother. Richard Blume, 55, of Malden, Mo., is also still surviving and healthy. Sandra said she was born with a birth defect that resulted in kidney failure. Her brother remembers her diagnosis...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Eight days after ordering a Bernie, Mo., woman be committed to a mental health facility to determine her competency to stand trial for the brutal stabbing death of another man, a Stoddard County judge reversed that decision...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer The City of Greenville's high water situation was the topic of conversation Wednesday when U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt stopped at the town during an information tour of the area. "Everyone is working together to determine the various elements that may have come together to create this problem for the community," Blunt said following the meeting with city and county officials. "Everyone is excited about Highway 67, but there is one big question, did everything work?"...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer When Scarlett Halifax decided to sleep in on the last day of a vacation to New York City, she didn't realize it was a choice that would save her life and those of her two sisters. Ten years later, the Poplar Bluff, Mo., woman still finds it difficult to speak of the morning nearly 3,000 Americans were killed...

By SARABETH WALLER Staff Writer As animal lovers Jaymeey and Robert Hatfield returned to their home near Poplar Bluff, Mo., from the store one day in April 2008, something caught their eyes alongside KK Highway. "We saw this mass of red," Jaymeey said. "He looked like a cherry."...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Local educators have joined with community partners to ensure children who might otherwise go hungry have food on the weekends. The two programs providing this service send food home with students in backpacks on Fridays. When they resume in the next two weeks, Poplar Bluff 5th and 6th Grade Center and Naylor Elementary will for the first time be included in the efforts...

By CAROLYN SMITH Staff Writer Altrusa Club will sponsor its Fourth Annual Tablescapes Contest from 1 - 4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 10 in the Fellowship Hall of the First United Methodist Church, 500 N. Main St. Tablescapes is a fancy name for tables ornately decorated with a theme. The contest is open to professionals and amateurs. Whether you are a professional designer or someone who simply enjoys beautifying your surroundings, Altrusa Club encourages your participation...

By SARABETH WALLER Staff Writer It's not often a band from the Ozarks of Carter County, Mo., gets international recognition, but that's exactly what's happening for Powder Mill of Van Buren, Mo. While performing in France earlier this summer, band members learned Powder Mill was featured in Washington Post music critic Chris Richards' "What You Should Be Listening to" column. Richards referred to Powder Mill's "Money, Marbles and Chalk" album as "one of the best rock albums of 2010."...

ALTON, Mo. -- A landowner's trail camera has confirmed a mountain lion sighting in Oregon County. The camera image, which was of the back-portion of a mountain lion, was sent to Conservation Agent Brad Hadley on Aug. 29. Hadley forwarded the image on to the Missouri Department of Conservation's (MDC) Mountain Lion Response Team. ...

BY JOHN WILLEY Staff Writer Community Cares Corporation, a community-wide campaign to support local charaties that has been in the planning stages for about a year, will be rolled out Monday on two fronts. A publicity campaign to promote and explain the goals of the organization is set to begin. Representatives also will begin contacting larger employers, explained Matt Funke, one of the organizers and a board member...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor The Butler County Commission awarded a $3,618,174 contract Wednesday to R.L. Persons Construction Inc. for the Poplar Bluff Industrial Park Bypass Road. Construction is expected to start in late October and be completed within one year, according to Greg Bell and Steve Hicks, engineers with Smith & Co...

From behind the smoke of cannon fire, Union and Confederate encampments perform drills used to prepare soldiers for battle. Nearby, the calvary demonstrates horse and saber techniques while women in period clothing make traditional crafts. Civil War Days at Fort Benton in Patterson, Mo., will bring to life on Friday and Saturday a critical part of Wayne County's history...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor An ordinance relocating a portion of South 11th Street between Cherry and Oakwood streets was unanimously approved by the Poplar Bluff City Council Tuesday night after an agreement was reached on increasing the sight distance for drivers backing out of a parking lot...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor DUDLEY, Mo. -- Stoddard County authorities seized about 600 suspected marijuana plants Wednesday from what is described as one of the larger outdoor-grow operations found in the county. The plants, which ranged in height from around 8 to 12 feet tall, were spotted from the air and subsequently eradicated by Stoddard County deputies, who were assisted by members of the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Missouri State Highway Patrol, in a "multijurisdictional effort," according to Sheriff Carl Hefner.. ...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Events from the Butler County Republican Central Committee, Three Rivers College and area churches will be held this weekend in remembrance of the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. "We want to champion what the terrorists were trying to destroy and were unable to destroy, the American spirit," explained BCRCC Chairman Eddy Justice. "We strive to overcome, no matter who attacks us."...

By SARABETH WALLER Staff Writer While some may see blindness as a hindrance, musician Michael "Blindcat" McIntire of Eminence, Mo., says it has helped him hone his skills. The Shannon County man has recently been playing in Poplar Bluff, Mo., each week...

By SARABETH WALLER Staff Writer School looked a little different for Grandin Head Start students, who began classes Sept. 6. After a May 25 tornado damaged the program's facilities in the old Grandin school building, staff began moving into Head Start's current location, the First General Baptist Church in Ellsinore, Mo. While staff await fire safety approval for the facility to house students, teachers are visiting each student in individual 90-minute home visits...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Briggs & Stratton Corp. today announced 202 workers will be laid off at its Poplar Bluff plant, beginning Oct. 14. "Due to economic conditions and the seasonal nature of our business, we need to adjust production schedules to manage finished goods inventories to planned levels," said Dave DeBaets, vice president of North American operations for Briggs...

VAN BUREN, Mo. -- The Carter County Extension Council will host the Carter County Fall Festival from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Courthouse Square in Van Buren. There will be many different craft and food vendors from the surrounding area. Live entertainment will be provided:...

By SARABETH WALLER Staff Writer Visitors to the Three Rivers Shriners Fourth Annual Championship Rodeo tonight and Saturday will be in for a special treat, as area businessmen and women will compete in the first ever businessman's wild donkey ride. The rodeo starts at 7 nightly at the Ray Clinton Park Arena...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Plans for the second annual Iron Horse Festival and All Grad Reunion on Oct. 1 were discussed during the Poplar Bluff City Council meeting Tuesday night. "Things are coming together. It is looking really good," said Tracy Frish, executive director of Downtown Poplar Bluff, Inc., which sponsors the event with the help of many local groups and volunteers, including DPB board members...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor VAN BUREN, Mo. -- A Poplar Bluff, Mo., woman will stand trial in the spring of 2012 in connection with a boating accident on Current River that left two people dead and three others injured. Presiding Circuit Judge David Evans set Radeena Proffer's jury trial for April 30 through May 2, according to Carter County Circuit Clerk Cathy Duncan Terry. Proffer's previous trial date had been in August...

By SCOTT MOYERS SEMO News Service Neal E. Boyd has already won one big competition that required him to earn the most votes. The 2008 "America's Got Talent" winner and Sikeston, Mo., native now says he hopes to win another contest that will land him the state's 160th House District seat...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor DONIPHAN, Mo. -- After being in custody for nearly 15 months, a preliminary hearing date was set Wednesday afternoon in the case of a Doniphan teenager accused of murdering an elderly couple found dead inside their burned home...

By MELISSA MILLER SEMO News Service CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- Cape Girardeau's mail processing facility is one of 250 across the nation being studied for closure U.S. Postal Service, potentially eliminating about 100 local jobs. The postal service expects to save about $3 billion annually by closing about half its mail processing facilities, reducing its workforce by 35,000 positions and increasing the processing time for first-class mail, according to a postal service news release...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- An Ellsinore, Mo., man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison Monday for illegally possessing a firearm when he fired shots into a mobile home. Phillip W. Catlett Jr., 38, was sentenced to 120 months on the felony of being a felon in possession of a firearm by U.S. District Judge Stephen Limbaugh, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Sorrell...

By TOM UHLENBROCK Missouri State Parks (EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the third in a random five-part series about the Civil War in Missouri.) A large cannon guards the entrance to "Civil War Missouri: A House Dividing," a new exhibit at the Missouri State Museum on the first floor of the Capitol in Jefferson City. But it's a much humbler-looking weapon inside that Julie Kemper, the museum's curator of exhibits, picked as her favorite among the artifacts on display...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Efforts to improve the drainage from the Poplar Bluff Industrial Park have changed to Plan B due to a property misunderstanding. As a result, some of the information presented during the Poplar Bluff City Council meeting Tuesday night was incorrect...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor A Williamsville, Mo., man is wanted for questioning as a person of interest in connection with multiple vehicle break-ins in which purses were stolen Sunday morning at Agee Fellowship Church. "Between 11:30 (a.m.) and noon, we got the call to Agee Fellowship Church ... and (upon arrival) found five different vehicles had their windows busted out of them," explained Butler County Cpl. Randall Huddleston...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor PIEDMONT, Mo. -- A Kennett, Mo., woman remains in a Cape Girardeau, Mo., hospital after she was seriously injured Saturday afternoon when she fell off the jet ski she was riding on at Clearwater Lake. The accident happened at about 4:20 p.m. on the Black River arm of Clearwater Lake, approximately one mile from Bluff View, in Reynolds County, according to Missouri State Highway Patrol Cpl. Terry Richardson, with the patrol's Water Division...

The following are events that will be held during Civil War Days at Fort Benton and the nearby Patterson Community Center in Patterson, Mo. Entrance to grounds and events are free. Friday 5-10 p.m. Grounds open Events and activities open free to the public include: Turner Brigade Union encampment, Big River Volunteers Confederate encampment; Ordinance Museum Tent, with a large collection of Civil War artifacts; and antique wagon display...

By SARABETH WALLER Staff Writer Hard rock bands Theory of a Deadman and Alter Bridge will be performing at the Black River Coliseum Saturday in the Poplar Bluff, Mo., leg of the Carnival of Madness tour. Hard rock acts Black Stone Cherry, Adelitas Ways and Emphatic will round out the lineup...

By NOREEN HYSLOP SEMO News Service DEXTER, Mo. -- When a local law officer was assaulted Monday night, there were several witnesses on the parking lot on Business U.S. 60 where the incident occurred. Many of them scattered when the officer was struck by one of the individuals involved in a fight that brought police to the scene initially...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor DEXTER, Mo. -- Nearly $117,000 in money stolen from the Dexter Public Schools last month has been recovered as authorities continue "diligently" investigating the crime. The investigation surrounds funds, which were "illegally accessed through electronic transfer," Dexter's superintendent, Dr. Thomas Sharp, said earlier...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor DEXTER, Mo. -- A Dexter police officer is recovering at home today from serious injuries as the men accused of assaulting him sit behind bars. A 10-year veteran of the Dexter Police Department, Patrolman Kevin Moore, who was injured while responding to a fight in progress Monday night, was released late last night from St. Louis University Hospital, according to Dexter Detective Trevor Pulley...

By CAROLYN SMITH Staff Writer Students returning to Oak Grove Elementary School this year got a surprise--an outdoor classroom! A few months ago, an outdoor classroom was merely a dream of Kim Murphy, the art teacher at Oak Grove. As she talked it over with friends, Murphy was encouraged to pursue her dream. ...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor State and federal investigators are investigating an early morning fire that could have destroyed the Grand Avenue Baptist Church had an alert motorist not intervened. Just before 5 a.m. today, the Poplar Bluff Police Department was notified by Bill Clifford that the church, located at 822 N. Grand Ave., was on fire...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Jubilation filled the hearing room in the Missouri Capitol Building Monday when Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center received approval to relocate its $173 million hospital from Highway PP to Oak Grove Road...

By MELISSA MILLER SEMO News Service Missouri business leaders say the state is being outgunned by its neighbors when it comes to competing for new jobs, but local lawmakers aren't sure the Made in Missouri jobs package is the solution. The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, presidents of the state's three largest chambers of commerce and the president of the AFL-CIO urged support for the Made in Missouri Jobs package earlier this week, and Gov. ...

By MELISSA MILLER SEMO News Service As a video camera rolls, a young girl is sitting on a man's lap. But this scene is not being saved as a sentimental keepsake. The man is not kind. The girl is not smiling. The man is sexually assaulting her as she screams...

SUMMERSVILLE, Mo - A landowner in Texas County shot a mountain lion on Sept. 5 after encountering it on his property. The landowner then called Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) regional offices to report the incident. Shannon County Conservation Agent Justin Emery responded to the incident and conducted an investigation. ...

SEMO News Service MALDEN, Mo. -- School officials in Malden said a student who was pulled out of school Thursday was planning a violent assault. Thursday afternoon, during the last period of the school day, a student was noticed writing in a notebook. The teacher confiscated the notebook and upon review, the student was escorted to the principal's office. The student's mother checked her child out of school...

By TOM UHLENBROCK Missouri State Parks (EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the second in a series of five articles being randomly run about the Civil War in Missouri. They are written in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of the war.) In the fall of 1864, the Civil War was going badly for the South. The Confederacy needed a morale-boosting victory, and chose Missouri as the battleground...

The 18th Annual Neelyville Community Harvest Festival will be held Saturday in Kramer Park. On this 10 year anniversary of 9-11, festival organizers want to take the opportunity to honor those who fearlessly and tirelessly serve the community and country. They will pay tribute to military, firefighters, law enforcement, EMTs and other medical staff...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor A request by the Poplar Bluff Historical Preservation Commission to grant a City Landmark Designation to historic hitching posts, hitching rings and mounting blocks was discussed during the Poplar Bluff City Council meeting Tuesday night...

By LECIA FORESTER SEMO News Service KENNETT, Mo. -- New charges of possession of child pornography have been filed against a Senath, Mo., man accused of murdering his 3-year-old neighbor. Shawn Morgan, 43, appeared in a Dunklin County courtroom Tuesday morning before Judge John C. Spielman, his third appearance since being charged with the disappearance and death of 3-year-old BreeAnn Rodriguez, also of Senath...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer The high school anticipates an 85 percent graduation rate this year, Principal Mike Kiehne told Poplar Bluff R-I Board of Education members Thursday during their monthly meeting. Board members also heard updates from the food service program and acted on personnel matters. Board member Steve Sells was absent...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Poplar Bluff R-I schools will hold the first of eight shortened school days Wednesday as staff members begin a new program designed to provide more time for collaboration and improve the curriculum they bring to students...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer The Poplar Bluff R-I Board of Education approved a new policy Thursday during their monthly meeting designed to help schools better understand and manage their rainy day funds. In other financial matters, the board also approved paying new bills related to its former self insured health insurance consortium, discussed possible impacts to grants for adult student tuition at Poplar Bluff Technical Career Center and learned about legislation related to possible new funding.. ...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- A Stoddard County judge has ordered that a young boy allegedly sodomized by a Dudley, Mo., teenager will not have to face his accused attacker during upcoming court proceedings. Associate Circuit Judge Joe Satterfield issued his order after hearing testimony and evidence during an August hearing regarding the admission and use of certain out-of-court statements as "substantive evidence" in the case of Allen Blaine Heaton and the use of an "in-camera" videotaped deposition of the alleged victim at a preliminary hearing and trial.. ...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Property owners along Highway 142 and County Road 314 object to a proposed agreement to relieve flooding in the NORDYNE parking lot in the Poplar Bluff Industrial Park. Jerry Lee Dicken of Sikeston, Mo., who owns land on the south side of Cravens Road, has agreed to allow the city of Poplar Bluff, Butler County and NORDYNE to discharge stormwater during high flow and flooding events into his field ditch...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- A text message sent to the wrong person tipped authorities off to search a Perryville home where officers reportedly discovered drugs. Amy R. Horman, 24, mistakenly sent a text message to a Perry County Sheriff's Department employee and offered drugs for sale, said Perry County Sheriff Gary J. Schaaf...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer A sea of pink will descend on Poplar Bluff, Mo., Friday afternoon as almost 60 women compete in more than 100 tasks to raise money and awareness for one worthy cause, the United Cancer Assistance Network. The Amazing Race for Life scavenger hunt will run from 1-6 p.m. Friday and take participants, each wearing a pink shirt, to a new business or location around the city for every task...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer The value of property owned within the Three Rivers College taxing area has gone down for the first time in 16 years, according to Board of Trustees' member and Butler County Assessor Marion Tibbs. The dip resulted in a slight change to the school's tax levy, which was approved Thursday by the board during a special meeting at the Tinnin Fine Arts Center. ...

By SCOTT MOYERS SEMO News Service CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- Clay Waller confessed to his father that he murdered his estranged wife and buried her in a hole he dug beforehand, federal prosecutor Larry Ferrell said Thursday in a federal courtroom. In addition, Ferrell said, strong physical evidence links Waller to the crime, including blood that police collected from Waller's Jackson home. ...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer In the largest single fundraiser ever held for the Poplar Bluff, Mo.-charity United Cancer Assistance Network, a five-hour scavenger hunt held Friday netted more than $10,000. Amazing Race for Life sent 14 teams of four on 111 tasks around town, with competitors asking at every stop for donations, while raising awareness about the work done by UCAN...

By SCOTT MOYERS SEMO News Service CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- Cape Girardeau's growing deer population has city leaders willing to take another look at the idea of urban deer hunting in hopes of curbing ravaged landscapes, car collisions and irritated residents...

By SCOTT MOYERS SEMO News Service She didn't deserve to live. A divorce would be a death sentence. And if he couldn't get to her, he would kill the children just to cause her pain. In Jacque Waller's diary that became public last week, she describes an anguished existence that she claims came at the hands of her estranged husband in the years before her June 1 disappearance...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Lightning struck a 69KV transformer in the Municipal Utilities substation on Morrison Road, knocking out power to 1,275 customers in the north part of Poplar Bluff, Mo., at 7:49 a.m. today, according to MU Distribution Superintendent Lyndell Coleman...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer More than 400 people are expected to attend Women Aware's 24th annual conference, which began this morning at the Black River Coliseum. Conference Director Sabrina Ridings believes the experience this event offers is as big a draw as the well known keynote speakers who take the stage each year. This event features Carolyn Kepcher, a successful business woman who also appeared as a top executive of Donald Trump's in the television series "The Apprentice."...

By BARBARA ANN HORTONNews Editor Twenty people who attend the Women Aware conference Thursday, Sept. 15, will be invited to share a VIP dinner with keynote speaker and former Apprentice star Carolyn Kepcher. Kepcher was executive vice president of the Trump Organization and chief operating officer for Trump Golf Properties before becoming the founder and CEO of Work Her way, www.WorHerWay.com, an enterprize created for and by career women...

VAN BUREN, Mo. -- The Carter County Extension Council will host the Carter County Fall Festival from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Courthouse Square in Van Buren. There will be many different craft and food vendors from the surrounding area. Live entertainment will be provided:...

By MELISSA MILLER SEMO News Service CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- Cape Girardeau's mail processing facility is one of 250 across the nation being studied for closure U.S. Postal Service, potentially eliminating about 100 local jobs. The postal service expects to save about $3 billion annually by closing about half its mail processing facilities, reducing its workforce by 35,000 positions and increasing the processing time for first-class mail, according to a postal service news release...

The 18th Annual Neelyville Community Harvest Festival will be held Saturday in Kramer Park. On this 10 year anniversary of 9-11, festival organizers want to take the opportunity to honor those who fearlessly and tirelessly serve the community and country. They will pay tribute to military, firefighters, law enforcement, EMTs and other medical staff...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer The high school anticipates an 85 percent graduation rate this year, Principal Mike Kiehne told Poplar Bluff R-I Board of Education members Thursday during their monthly meeting. Board members also heard updates from the food service program and acted on personnel matters. Board member Steve Sells was absent...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer The Poplar Bluff R-I Board of Education approved a new policy Thursday during their monthly meeting designed to help schools better understand and manage their rainy day funds. In other financial matters, the board also approved paying new bills related to its former self insured health insurance consortium, discussed possible impacts to grants for adult student tuition at Poplar Bluff Technical Career Center and learned about legislation related to possible new funding.. ...

JACKSON -- Allison Huskey and Anna Crescitelli finished second and third as the Poplar Bluff took the sophomore division at the Jackson Invitational cross country meet Saturday. The Mules placed fifth in the senior division led by Luke Pelton's 11th place finish while Bailey Davidson was fourth in the sophomore race...

Miscues and mistakes left both Poplar Bluff and New Madrid County Central searching for a first win heading into Friday night when the two football teams meet at Morrow Stadium. Coming off a 2-point loss, the Mules will look to avoid extending a losing streak to double digits against the last team they beat...

Play the fifth-ranked team in Class 4 after a four-plus hour drive with a 3 p.m. kickoff on Saturday? That's the test facing the Poplar Bluff football team this week as the Mules will play Savannah in Webb City. "It will be a good test for us," Mules coach Mark Barousse said. "Savannah executes real well on both sides of the ball. They're well coached...

In a blink of an eye, one play can turn momentum and a game. For the Poplar Bluff football team so far this season, those big plays have gone the other way. The Mules are averaging more rushing yards per attempts than their opponents, picking up just as many first downs and forcing more turnovers...

The Poplar Bluff softball team finished second at a tournament while the volleyball Lady Mules lost to the runner-up in the quarterfinals of another tournament and cross country team picked up hardware at a meet Saturday. The Mules cross country team placed fifth in a 26-team division as sophomore Bailey Davidson placed 15th...

DEXTER -- Poplar Bluff's tennis team had its undefeated season end Tuesday by the slimmest of margins. Dexter edged the Lady Mules 5-4 by winning a doubles match 8-6 and three singles matches by an 8-5 score while Poplar Bluff won two tiebreakers on the road...

ST. LOUIS -- Before his race Saturday, Poplar Bluff Junior High cross country runner Isaiah Williams told his coach, "I'm going to give you something to brag about." He did just that. Williams broke the course record at the sixth annual Forest Park Festival, winning the 2,000-meter race in 6 minutes, 35 seconds...

The Poplar Bluff softball team built a 4-run lead after four innings Monday before the wheels came off late. An error allowed Farmington to score two runs in the fifth before the Knighettes scored five in the sixth to beat Poplar Bluff 8-5 at Bacon Park...

For the first time this season the Poplar Bluff tennis team found itself trailing heading into singles play Thursday. Dexter took 2 of 3 matches in doubles play but the Lady Mules rallied for a 5-4 home win to stay unbeaten. "We found ourselves working through some things in our doubles matches which left us down," Lady Mules coach Cortney Barnett said...

A tight match turned on an elbow Tuesday night. Poplar Bluff closed out the opening game with a 6-1 run that featured kills from four different Lady Mules, a block and a save by Danielle Farmer's elbow. Jackson never recovered and, after a 10-2 run in the second game, the Lady Mules cruised to a 25-20, 25-14 win at Peters Gym...

While the Poplar Bluff volleyball team rolled out its usual lineup Thursday night, visiting Bloomfield tinkered with its starting six. The difference showed as the Lady Mules won 25-13, 25-19 at Peters Gym. "The girls had to get adjusted to it," Bloomfield coach Starly Pulley said of the lineup change. "I just told them don't let this game define your season, it's just one game."...

Ally Brooks has cut red meat out of her diet, but the junior sank her teeth into the first pitch see saw in the seventh inning of a tied game Thursday. With two outs, Brooks lined a single to the left-field gap to score the winning run as the Lady Mules rallied to beat visiting Scott City 2-1 at Bacon Park...

The horseshoe returned to midfield at Morrow Stadium and it may have brought a little luck with it. Fortune smiled on the Mules when -- not one, but two -- snaps sailed away from the punter to set up scores for Poplar Bluff. Another fumble by New Madrid County Central provided another short drive...

WEST PLAINS -- The Poplar Bluff Junior High cross country team got two big wins Tuesday. Isaiah Williams won his second straight race while the Lady Mules beat the host by placing four in the top 10 at the West Plains Invitational. Williams won the 1.5-mile race in 7 minutes, 59 seconds...

BLOOMFIELD -- The Bloomfield Lady Wildcats played two tough games Monday with Dexter but came out on top with a 25-21, 27-25 win. "The girls came together and played a solid game," Bloomfield coach Starla Pulley said. Trailing in the first game, Dexter's Jessica Lindsay went on a serving run to get the Lady Bearcats back in it. But the Lady Wildcats held them off...

PIEDMONT -- Chasity Fowler had three RBIs for Van Buren as it upset Clearwater, 5-3, on Tuesday. Brittany Hager had two hits and scored two runs while Gavy Cipponeri had a home run in the win for the Lady Dawgs (5-4). "It was a big win for us," Van Buren coach Jeff Lindsey said. "Clearwater is a good team, it was good to go on the road and play a tough opponent and get the victory."...

NAYLOR -- Kendal Rogers had two hits and an RBI to help Naylor defeat rival Neelyville at home, 3-1, on Thursday. Andrea Sullivan added an RBI for the Lady Eagles (4-1) while Ericka Engelman had a double. "It was a big win," Naylor coach Gene Deckard said. "It was our third win in a row this week."...

Thanks to the defense, Poplar Bluff needed just one snap and 1-yard to take the lead Friday night. The Mules scored on their first offensive play after turning the first of three fumbles by New Madrid County Central into points. Poplar Bluff also returned a kickoff for another score in a 20-0 win at Morrow Stadium, overcoming a rough night on offense to end a nine-game losing streak...

NEELYVILLE -- Dairan Elam-Pyles had a home run and three RBIs for Clearwater as it a got a comeback win over Neelyville on Tuesday, 15-13. Lexi Morris and Leigha McKinney each had three hits while Hannah Rowold had three RBIs. With her team down 13-11, Carrie Adams hit a three-run home run to put her team ahead for good in the seventh...

NAYLOR -- Fresh off a huge Ozark Foothills Conference road win at Clearwater earlier this week, the Naylor Eagles were brought back down to earth on Thursday in their conference home opener. The Neelyville Tigers took advantage of four errors in the first two innings to build a huge lead and went on to a 14-2 victory...

GREENVILLE -- The East Carter Redbirds had one big inning at the plate and hung on with the bases loaded for Greenville with no outs in the bottom of the seventh to take a 4-3 over the Bears, who were unbeaten in Ozark Foothills Conference play. The Redbirds got a double play and Dylan Nichols struck out the final batter for the win...

MALDEN -- The Malden Green Wave endured a humbling experience Friday night. Playing against a tough Hayti squad, the Green Wave played a mistake-filled game and took their first home loss since the home finale in 2009 with a 42-16 defeat. Malden (1-1) led by two points late in the first quarter before Hayti unleashed 30 unanswered points...

After playing and suffering a lopsided loss to Jackson in their season opener Tuesday, the Poplar Bluff Mules were in a hurry to turn around their fortunes Thursday The Indians shut the Mules out for 80 minutes, but in just the third minute against Fredericktown at Whiteley Park, the Mules found the back of the net and went on to 5-1 victory...

DONIPHAN -- What a way to start a coaching career. In Amanda Lance's first match as Doniphan volleyball coach, the Donettes rallied Tuesday night to beat Twin Rivers, 20-25, 25-22, 25-17. The Donettes never trailed the rest of the night after tying the game at 17 in the middle of the second game...

BROSELEY -- Home has been sweet so far for the Twin Rivers volleyball team but it hasn't been easy to stay unbeaten there. Greenville never led in the first game and put the pressure on in the last game Tuesday night but the Lady Royals got the win, 25-20, 27-25...

SIKESTON -- When Mark Barousse left Poplar Bluff after a successful five-year run in 2001, Sikeston fans were probably not too sad to see him leave. That's because in Barousse's time as head coach, his Mules never lost to the Bulldogs. Now, 10 years after leaving Poplar Bluff to coach in his hometown of Lafayette, La., Barousse is back...

The Jackson boys soccer team overmatched Poplar Bluff on all levels Tuesday evening. The Indians' 7-0 win provided the evidence. The Mules (0-1) struggled to contain Jackson in their opening game of the season. "Jackson, I think, definitely their starting 11 and they got a few bench players that are pretty solid," Poplar Bluff coach Jamie Waddell said. ...

ELLSINORE -- East Carter's Kelen Smith led the way and her team put the ball in play just enough Thursday. Smith, who allowed just one hit, held Poplar Bluff down for seven innings and the Lady Redbirds pushed across a run in the seventh for the 1-0 win...

Southeast Missourian CAPE GIRARDEAU -- There was a time when Jason Stinson was able to focus primarily on the X's and O's of high school football. In 2008, Stinson was coach at Pleasure Ridge Park High School in Louisville, Ky. He looked like the average coach -- a former Division I player, a big man with a voice that carried. By his own admission, his team also was average, a .500 program during his five years at the school...

More often than not, Poplar Bluff comes out on the losing end against Cape Central on the soccer field. After going 0-3 last year, including an elimination in districts to the Tigers, the Mules got goals Thursday from the Ventura brothers to take a 2-1 win at Whiteley Park...