Stories from Wednesday, March 14, 2012

By SARABETH WALLER Staff Writer The Veggie Tales are coming to Poplar Bluff Friday night on the God Made You Special Tour. The show begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Three Rivers College Bess Activity Center. The show is set in the Silly Song Warehouse, where one of the group's famous songs has gone missing. Larry the Cucumber, Bob the Tomato and the gang search for the song and sing through popular songs including "The Hairbrush Song," "His Cheeseburger" and "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything."...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor ELLINGTON, Mo. -- Father and son loggers from Ellington are free on bond after being charged earlier this month with stealing nearly 440 trees in 2011. Lonnie L. Cowin, 49, and his 27-year-old son, Levi John Cowin, both of the 500 block of County Road 502, were charged with the Class B felony of stealing by Crawford County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Seay, who was appointed as special prosecutor for the cases. ...

By PATRICK T. SULLIVAN and SCOTT MOYERS SEMO News Service The man suspected of assaulting a woman on a Cape Girardeau trail before shooting himself after a police chase last week died Tuesday afternoon. Sean M. Smith, 43, of Cape Girardeau died at Saint Francis Medical Center on Tuesday, a week after he led every available Cape Girardeau police officer on a pursuit that ended in his now fatal injury...

By SARABETH WALLER Staff Writer Residents looking for help sprucing up their homes and gardens can stop by the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce Home, Garden and Leisure Show Saturday at the Black River Coliseum. Admission is $1 and children under age 11 get in free. The event begins at 9 a.m. and runs through 4 p.m...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor The city of Poplar Bluff will receive a $16,125 grant through the federal Historic Preservation Fund, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources announced Tuesday. The city, which is a Certified Local Government, will use the grant to conduct a land use and building condition survey of its downtown area including the Poplar Bluff Commercial Historic District that is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. ...

By SARABETH WALLER Staff Writer Twin Rivers R-X administrators fielded bond issue questions from residents Tuesday night in meetings in Qulin, Mo., and Fisk, Mo. Chris Ball of Jack Ball Architects and Tyson Markham of McLiney and Company, the district's bonding agency, also discussed the project, a $3.5 million fifth through eighth grade at Broseley...

By SARABETH WALLER Staff Writer Twin Rivers R-X administrators fielded bond issue questions from residents Tuesday night in meetings in Qulin, Mo., and Fisk, Mo. Chris Ball of Jack Ball Architects and Tyson Markham of McLiney and Company, the district's bonding agency, also discussed the project, a $3.5 million fifth through eighth grade at Broseley...

SEMO News Service SIKESTON, Mo. -- Brown Shoe Co. Inc. announced Wednesday its plans to close a Sikeston distribution center as part of its ongoing portfolio realignment efforts. The phased closure is expected to begin in May and conclude in October. During this time, operations will move to other locations, as the company works to reduce excess capacity in its distribution network, officials said in a news release...

Health Management Associates, parent company of PBRMC, named one of World's Most Admired Companies Health Management Associates, parent company of Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center (PBRMC), has been named by Fortune magazine as one of the World's Most Admired companies in Health Care...

CHESTERFIELD, Mo -- Schultz and Summers Engineering joined over 200 engineers at the annual American Council of Engineering Companies of Missouri (ACEC/MO) awards banquet in Chesterfield, Mo. They were one of the 26 awardees recognized. SSE owner Stan Schultz said, "For our company to be recognized for our work in rural Missouri is a true honor. ...

The Mason Dixon Chili Society and the United Gospel Rescue Mission would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in the annual Chili Cook-off. This year was the most successful year so far, with over $14,000 collected, thanks to the generous contributions of time and money. All proceeds from the event will be donated to the United Gospel Rescue Mission...

By WALTER E. WILLIAMS Last month, at a Raeford, N.C., elementary school, a teacher confiscated the lunch of a 5-year-old girl because it didn't meet U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines and therefore was deemed nonnutritious. She replaced it with school cafeteria chicken nuggets. ...

Dorothy Hancock PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Dorothy Beard-Hancock, 81, of Piedmont, Mo., died Tuesday, March 13, 2012, at Clark's Mountain Nursing Center in Piedmont. Mrs. Hancock was born Nov. 13, 1930, at Piedmont and was a lifelong resident. She worked at Brown Shoe Company and later worked as a nurses aide and medicine technician at Clark's Mountain Nursing Center. She attended Faith Family Worship Center in Piedmont...

Geraldine Crum GREENVILLE, Mo. -- Geraldine Crum, 83, of Greenville, Mo., died Wednesday, March 14, 2012, at the Benchmark Healthcare Center of Greenville. Funeral arrangements are pending with Morrison-Worley Greenville Chapel.

Julia Morse BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Julia Morse, 96, of the Avert Community in Stoddard County, Mo., died Wednesday, March 14, 2012, at her residence. Funeral arrangements are pending with Chiles-Cooper Funeral Home in Bloomfield.

Charles Chaney Charles V. Chaney, 89, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Tuesday, March 13, 2012, at Oakdale Care Center in Poplar Bluff. Funeral arrangements are pending with Cotrell Funeral Service of Poplar Bluff.

Bill Crowley ELLSINORE, Mo. -- William Oscar "Bill" Crowley, 75, of Ellsinore, Mo., died Tuesday, March 13, 2012, at his residence. Mr. Crowley was born Aug. 28, 1936, in Ellsinore. He had lived most of his life in Ellsinore. He was a retired foreman for Southwest Truck Body. ...

The Three Rivers men's basketball team did it again. After allowing a season-high 92 points in the first meeting, the Raiders clamped down on the defensive end early Tuesday night in the rematch with Highland (Ill.). The Cougars went 5 1/2 minutes without scoring and never recovered as the Raiders won 103-79 at a packed Bess Activity Center...

The Raider rollercoaster is headed to Hutch. Three Rivers clinched its 17th appearance in the NJCAA National Tournament with a 103-79 win over Highland (Ill.) on Tuesday night at the Bess Activity Center. "It was a bad season if we didn't make it to Hutch," said sophomore Rudy Harrell...

By WALTER E. WILLIAMS Last month, at a Raeford, N.C., elementary school, a teacher confiscated the lunch of a 5-year-old girl because it didn't meet U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines and therefore was deemed nonnutritious. She replaced it with school cafeteria chicken nuggets. ...

Julia Morse BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Julia Morse, 96, of the Avert Community in Stoddard County, Mo., died Wednesday, March 14, 2012, at her residence. Funeral arrangements are pending with Chiles-Cooper Funeral Home in Bloomfield.

The Mason Dixon Chili Society and the United Gospel Rescue Mission would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in the annual Chili Cook-off. This year was the most successful year so far, with over $14,000 collected, thanks to the generous contributions of time and money. All proceeds from the event will be donated to the United Gospel Rescue Mission...