Stories from Monday, October 3, 2011

By CAROLYN SMITH Staff Writer When we last heard from Bob Mueller, grandson of Pat and John Uebelein of Poplar Bluff, Mo., it was early July and he was riding his unicycle across the country. His grandparents had just returned to Poplar Bluff after visiting their grandson in Clinton, Iowa on his way west. ...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer With a cup of coffee, a smile and a little gossip, 80-year-old Cleo Crofford helps customers 20 hours a week at a local insurance office. A great-grandmother to 14 children, Crofford reinvented her life when she lost her husband of more than 50 years by going back to work and earning a GED at age 73...

By Patrick T. Sullivan SEMO News Service Although the state believes it tried the right person for a Cape Girardeau man's murder, the case remains open with no new leads. Woody Ervin died after being shot twice on Bloomfield Road on June 26, 2010. Thomas D. Evans was charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action but was acquitted of both charges Sept. 9. Evans had admitted to the killing after eight hours of police interrogation and had Ervin's blood on his shoes...

The Silver Haired Legislative delegates from all areas of the state met in Jefferson City, Mo., Monday, Sept. 19 - Wednesday, Sept. 21 for their 38th Annual Legislative Session. Delegates debated and voted on 18 separate proposals during the two day session that took place at the Capitol Plaza Hotel and Convention Center, as well as the House and Senate Chambers of the Capitol. The Silver Haired legislators were welcomed by Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder...

By BILL O'REILLY Nobody likes buying oil from OPEC. Nobody likes coal dust dropping from the sky. We all know that pollution is bad, and greedy oil sheiks are not looking out for us. The problem is, we don't have a realistic alternative fuel option. So we have to live with a bad situation...

By CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER WASHINGTON -- While diplomatically inconvenient for the Western powers, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' attempt to get the U.N. to unilaterally declare a Palestinian state has elicited widespread sympathy. After all, what choice did he have? According to the accepted narrative, Middle East peace is made impossible by a hard-line Likud-led Israel that refuses to accept a Palestinian state and continues to build settlements...

By DAN K. THOMASSON Scripps Howard News Service I suppose it only fitting in a nation plagued by obesity that a modern day potential candidate for president should match if not exceed the girth of the 27th U.S. chief executive who was easily the heaviest person to occupy the White House...

Kids cannot walk to school I think it's real funny that Big Brother is not lettin' kids ride the school buses no more on the side of town that doesn't have any sidewalks, has narrow ditches. There's no possibility of puttin' a sidewalk on. You know, talk bad all you want about the old Main St. ...

Jerry Overbey PUXICO, Mo. -- Jerry D. Overbey, 73, of Puxico, Mo., died Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011, at Puxico Nursing and Rehab. Mr. Overbey was born June 29, 1938, in Leora, Mo. He was retired from the Quaker Corporation. Survivors include three sons, Mark Overbey of Springfield, Mo., Rod Overbey of Colorado and Chuck Overbey; and his caretaker, Angelia McIntyre...

Joyce Hemby PUXICO, Mo. -- Joyce Hemby, 81, lifetime resident of Puxico, Mo., died Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Mrs. Hemby was born March 9, 1930, in Puxico. She attended Bluff City Pentecostal Church for years before attending Life Chapel Assembly of God in Puxico. Mrs. Hemby was a homemaker and enjoyed spending time with her sons and grandchildren...

The Butler County Genealogy Society met Sept. 22 at Twin Towers. Members and guests totaled 25. President June Allen called the meeting to order and introduced the guest speaker, Erin Rigby, who is a genealogist and a librarian at the Poplar Bluff Public Library. Her presentation was entitled, "Searching for Ancestors before 1840." Since the U. S. Census records prior to that time listed only heads of households, it is often difficult to find the children of those "heads of households."...

DLA Distribution Commander Navy Rear Adm. Thomas Traaen recently presented Freddie Hildrich with the DLA Superior Civilian Service Award for his contributions toward establishing the first ever DLA Distribution Theater Consolidation and Shipping Point (TCSP) in Afghanistan...

The SEMO Regional Water Safety Council was awarded a grant from the National Water Safety Congress (NWSC) to establish additional life jacket loaner stations at boat ramps located on Clearwater and Wappapello Lakes. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers nationwide has been mandated to offer a life jacket loaner station at a boat ramp on their facilities in order to combat drowning on Corps' lakes. ...

Take Off Pounds Sensibly--TOPS MO 734 met at 10 a. m., Wednesday, Sept. 28 at the First Presbyterian Church. Linda Morgan, leader, called the meeting to order with 18 TOPS and three KOPS members present. Lou Ann Wrather read the secretary's report which was approved as submitted...

Mary Barton GREENVILLE, Mo. -- Mary H. Barton, 78, of Greenville, Mo., died Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011, at Benchmark Healthcare in Greenville. Mrs. Barton was born Jan. 26, 1933, in Laredo, Ark. She formerly lived in St. Louis where she worked for McDonnell-Douglas Aircraft. Mrs. Barton retired in 1972 and made her home in the Greenville area. She was of the General Baptist faith...

The Clearwater softball team kept its offense rolling over the weekend. The Lady Tigers won three straight games to take home the title of the Three Rivers Invitational. They beat Poplar Bluff JV and Naylor before taking care of Notre Dame JV 5-0 in the championship game...

Vera Vincent FISK, Mo. -- Vera Vincent, 83, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011. at Westwood Hills Care Center in Poplar Bluff. Mrs. Vincent was born Sept. 27, 1928, in Wappapello, Mo. She had lived in the Poplar Bluff and Wappapello areas most of her life. Mrs. Vincent was a member of the Order of Eastern Star...

Wilma Ellis BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Wilma Long Ellis, 91, of Hendersonville, Tenn., died Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011 at the Elmcroft of Hendersonville Care Center. Mrs. Ellis was born Oct. 15, 1919, in Bloomfield, Mo. She had lived in Pine Bluff, Ark., where she worked at the Pine Bluff Arsenal. Mrs. Ellis later moved to Hendersonville and was a member of the Southern Baptist Church...

Kids cannot walk to school I think it's real funny that Big Brother is not lettin' kids ride the school buses no more on the side of town that doesn't have any sidewalks, has narrow ditches. There's no possibility of puttin' a sidewalk on. You know, talk bad all you want about the old Main St. ...

By CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER WASHINGTON -- While diplomatically inconvenient for the Western powers, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' attempt to get the U.N. to unilaterally declare a Palestinian state has elicited widespread sympathy. After all, what choice did he have? According to the accepted narrative, Middle East peace is made impossible by a hard-line Likud-led Israel that refuses to accept a Palestinian state and continues to build settlements...

Betty Evans DEXTER, Mo. -- Betty Lou Evans, 80, of Bloomfield, Mo., died Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011, at her residence. Mrs. Evans was born June 18, 1931, in Bell City, Mo. She was a seamstress at Elder's Manufacturing for 40 years before retiring. Mrs. Evans was a member of the Trinity Methodist Church in Bloomfield where she was active in the United Methodist Women's Group...

Jerry Overbey PUXICO, Mo. -- Jerry D. Overbey, 73, of Puxico, Mo., died Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011, at Puxico Nursing and Rehab. Mr. Overbey was born June 29, 1938, in Leora, Mo. He was retired from the Quaker Corporation. Survivors include three sons, Mark Overbey of Springfield, Mo., Rod Overbey of Colorado and Chuck Overbey; and his caretaker, Angelia McIntyre...

The SEMO Regional Water Safety Council was awarded a grant from the National Water Safety Congress (NWSC) to establish additional life jacket loaner stations at boat ramps located on Clearwater and Wappapello Lakes. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers nationwide has been mandated to offer a life jacket loaner station at a boat ramp on their facilities in order to combat drowning on Corps' lakes. ...

Wilma Ellis BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Wilma Long Ellis, 91, of Hendersonville, Tenn., died Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011 at the Elmcroft of Hendersonville Care Center. Mrs. Ellis was born Oct. 15, 1919, in Bloomfield, Mo. She had lived in Pine Bluff, Ark., where she worked at the Pine Bluff Arsenal. Mrs. Ellis later moved to Hendersonville and was a member of the Southern Baptist Church...