Stories from Friday, December 2, 2011

By PAUL DAVIS Outdoors Editor Deer donations are down a little locally, but thanks to generous hunters, Missouri's Share the Harvest program continues to feed the area's needy. Share the Harvest is "a wonderful program and opportunity to supply meat to folks across the state," said Wayne County Conservation Agent Mic Plunkett. "It falls right in line with the conservation motto of 'wise use without waste.'"...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Groundwork by officials from Three Rivers College shows construction of an eastern campus at Sikeston is feasible. Next is a funding campaign for the building. Three Rivers president Dr. Devin Stephenson presented the findings from a feasibility study to about three dozen area residents Tuesday...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Brian Becker's attempt to sue the city of Poplar Bluff, Mo. for $1 million over open access Internet services has failed. Carter County Circuit Judge Michael Ligons has granted the city's motion for a summary judgment against Poplar Bluff Internet Inc., owned by Becker and doing business as semo.net...

From Staff Reports Area children are invited to visit with Santa and enjoy seeing the trains at the Moark Regional Railroad Museum in Downtown Poplar Bluff from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday. The museum is located in the historic Frisco Depot across South Fifth Street from the Black River Coliseum. This depot was built after the 1927 tornado destroyed the first depot and was used until the Frisco Railroad ceased operating through Poplar Bluff in 1965. The first Frisco Depot was built in 1901...

By PATRICK T. SULLIVAN SEMO News Service An initial presentence report on Clay Waller's federal conviction suggests he spends six to 10 months in a penitentiary for threatening his sister-in-law on an online message board, but the prosecution argues his sentence range should be higher...

By SARABETH WALLER Staff Writer Area parents looking for a way to Christmas shop without their children can find just that at the Broseley Preschool and Daycare on Saturday. In exchange for non-perishable food items that will be donated to the Qulin Food Pantry, daycare owner Shelley Guess will offer her services for up to 20 children from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m...

By PAUL DAVIS Outdoors Editor Deer donations are down a little locally, but thanks to generous hunters, Missouri's Share the Harvest program continues to feed the area's needy. Share the Harvest is "a wonderful program and opportunity to supply meat to folks across the state," said Wayne County Conservation Agent Mic Plunkett. "It falls right in line with the conservation motto of 'wise use without waste.'"...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Brian Becker's attempt to sue the city of Poplar Bluff, Mo. for $1 million over open access Internet services has failed. Carter County Circuit Judge Michael Ligons has granted the city's motion for a summary judgment against Poplar Bluff Internet Inc., owned by Becker and doing business as semo.net...

From Staff Reports Area children are invited to visit with Santa and enjoy seeing the trains at the Moark Regional Railroad Museum in Downtown Poplar Bluff from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday. The museum is located in the historic Frisco Depot across South Fifth Street from the Black River Coliseum. This depot was built after the 1927 tornado destroyed the first depot and was used until the Frisco Railroad ceased operating through Poplar Bluff in 1965. The first Frisco Depot was built in 1901...

By SARABETH WALLER Staff Writer Area parents looking for a way to Christmas shop without their children can find just that at the Broseley Preschool and Daycare on Saturday. In exchange for non-perishable food items that will be donated to the Qulin Food Pantry, daycare owner Shelley Guess will offer her services for up to 20 children from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m...

VAN BUREN -- The top-seeded Neelyville Lady Tigers got all they could handle in the semifinals of the Lady Dawg Classic on Thursday. Neelyville was down five heading into the final frame and took the lead midway through the fourth quarter before holding on to defeat fifth-seeded Van Buren 47-44...

A story which appeared in the Tuesday edition about the Poplar Bluff Mules wrestling team incorrectly stated that senior Kyle Bratcher was new to the team. Bratcher was on the team last year. The DAR regrets the error.

BERNIE -- Early in the semifinals of the Bernie Invitational Thursday night, the host Mules looked poised to have a chance to defend their four consecutive tournament titles. Bernie knocked down four 3-pointers in the first quarter, led at halftime by 13 points and also led by 15 with 5:09 left in the third quarter...

DONIPHAN -- The Doniphan Donettes earned their first win of the season by beating last year's MSHSAA Class 2 runner-up Couch, 34-31. The Donettes (1-1) went 17-for-30 from the free-throw line as a team. "We were taking it to them and drawing fouls," Doniphan coach Erika Smith said...

By DALE McFEATTERS Scripps Howard News Service Washington, D.C., is a city of holes in the ground. They're constantly being dug, and it's not easy as its residents found when they built the subway system. Half the city is reclaimed swamp, and it tends to revert to such in a heavy rain, and the other half of it is the hard rock of the piedmont. If you need a hole in Washington, you've really got to want it. The capital doesn't do casual excavation...

By DAN K. THOMASSON Scripps Howard News Service WASHINGTON I'm not in the habit of passing along anything from the blizzard of frequently clever, often outrageous, mostly anonymous and sometimes funny but surprisingly right-on-target Internet offerings forwarded by friends. Most of them, I have learned not to open...

Unemployed! I've always got along with the police department. Have a lot of respect for 'em. But, here Thanksgiving night, when they come out to a house and arrested a women with three babies on a misdemeanor charge and put a $500 cash only bond on her until after the holiday that is absolutely heartless! Heartless! Heartless! Heartless! And, unthoughtful! I hope St. ...

Benjamin Woods ELLSINORE, Mo. -- Benjamin Morgan "Ben" Woods, 81, of Ellsinore, Mo., died Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011, in The Manor care center in Poplar Bluff, Mo. He was born Dec. 10, 1929, in Mount Vernon, Ark. Mr. Woods had lived in Ellsinore since moving from Cape Girardeau, Mo., in 1955. He was a retired river barge engineer with the Norman Brothers Barge Line of Alton, Ill. He was of the Christian belief. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, working in his yard, canning vegetables and making wine...

Ronald Eakens MALDEN, Mo. -- Ronald L. Eakens Jr., 43, of Risco, Mo., died Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. Sunday followed by a memorial service at 10:30 a.m. at Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden. Burial will be in Rosewood Cemetery...

George Baker DEXTER, Mo. -- George Leon Baker, 94, of Essex, Mo., died Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born on Oct. 23, 1917, in Dexter, Mo. Mr. Baker was a member of the Essex United Methodist Church, Bloomfield Masonic Lodge, and Essex Lions Club. ...

Virginia Trimmer ELLINGTON, Mo. -- Virginia Trimmer of Ellington, Mo., died Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011, at Advanced Healthcare in Ellington. Funeral arrangements are pending with McSpadden Funeral Home in Ellington.

Larry Libla FISK, Mo. -- Larry William Libla, 68, of Fisk, Mo., died Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital North in St. Louis, Mo. Mr. Libla was born Oct. 9, 1943, at Fredricktown, Mo. He has lived at Fisk for the past 39 years. He was raised in the Greenville, Mo., area and was a graduate of Greenville High School. He had worked with his parents in their furniture store. He later worked at Electricomm in Paoli, Ind...

Robert Reitenbach Robert Frank Reitenbach, 70, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011, at Westwood Hills Healthcare Center in Poplar Bluff. Mr. Reitenbach was born Aug. 1, 1941, in St. Louis, Mo. He was a member of Highland Church of Christ and had retired from AT&T. Mr. Reitenbach enjoyed spending time with his family and working in his back yard...

Robert Reitenbach -- Poplar Bluff, Mo. George Baker -- Essex, Mo. Benjamin Woods -- Ellsinore, Mo. Virginia Trimmer -- Ellington, Mo. Larry Libla -- Fisk, Mo. Ronald Eakens -- Risco, Mo.

DONIPHAN -- The Doniphan Donettes earned their first win of the season by beating last year's MSHSAA Class 2 runner-up Couch, 34-31. The Donettes (1-1) went 17-for-30 from the free-throw line as a team. "We were taking it to them and drawing fouls," Doniphan coach Erika Smith said...

VAN BUREN -- The top-seeded Neelyville Lady Tigers got all they could handle in the semifinals of the Lady Dawg Classic on Thursday. Neelyville was down five heading into the final frame and took the lead midway through the fourth quarter before holding on to defeat fifth-seeded Van Buren 47-44...

A story which appeared in the Tuesday edition about the Poplar Bluff Mules wrestling team incorrectly stated that senior Kyle Bratcher was new to the team. Bratcher was on the team last year. The DAR regrets the error.

BERNIE -- Early in the semifinals of the Bernie Invitational Thursday night, the host Mules looked poised to have a chance to defend their four consecutive tournament titles. Bernie knocked down four 3-pointers in the first quarter, led at halftime by 13 points and also led by 15 with 5:09 left in the third quarter...

By DALE McFEATTERS Scripps Howard News Service Washington, D.C., is a city of holes in the ground. They're constantly being dug, and it's not easy as its residents found when they built the subway system. Half the city is reclaimed swamp, and it tends to revert to such in a heavy rain, and the other half of it is the hard rock of the piedmont. If you need a hole in Washington, you've really got to want it. The capital doesn't do casual excavation...

By DAN K. THOMASSON Scripps Howard News Service WASHINGTON I'm not in the habit of passing along anything from the blizzard of frequently clever, often outrageous, mostly anonymous and sometimes funny but surprisingly right-on-target Internet offerings forwarded by friends. Most of them, I have learned not to open...

Unemployed! I've always got along with the police department. Have a lot of respect for 'em. But, here Thanksgiving night, when they come out to a house and arrested a women with three babies on a misdemeanor charge and put a $500 cash only bond on her until after the holiday that is absolutely heartless! Heartless! Heartless! Heartless! And, unthoughtful! I hope St. ...

Robert Reitenbach Robert Frank Reitenbach, 70, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011, at Westwood Hills Healthcare Center in Poplar Bluff. Mr. Reitenbach was born Aug. 1, 1941, in St. Louis, Mo. He was a member of Highland Church of Christ and had retired from AT&T. Mr. Reitenbach enjoyed spending time with his family and working in his back yard...