Stories from Friday, January 11, 2013

By PAUL DAVIS Outdoors Editor For the fourth time in just a few weeks, a mountain lion has been captured by a trail camera in Missouri. The latest images come from Warren County, west of St. Louis, Mo., where a cat was photographed three separate times, on Dec. 9, Dec. 23 and Jan. 3 on private land...

PUXICO, Mo. -- The wood duck is considered by many to be one of the most strikingly beautiful creatures in nature. The males, with their iridescent green heads, are truly a sight to see. Today, wood duck sightings have become a much more common occurrence; however, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, this wasn't the case as habitat loss and overharvesting led to declining populations...

Dr. John Loughead Dr. John Robert Loughead, 90, passed away Monday, Jan. 7, 2013, at the Mark Twain Caring Center. Dr. Loughead was born July 20, 1922, in Unionville, Mo., to George Robert and Esther E. Loughead. He was graduated from Poplar Bluff High School in 1940. ...

John Vernon John Michael Vernon, 61, of Poplar Bluff, passed away Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013, at the home of his father surrounded by his loving family. John was born Nov. 7, 1951 in Poplar Bluff. He was a graduate of Poplar Bluff High School, and Bailey Technical School in St. Louis. John was a self-employed Licensed Master Plumber and had served 6 years in the Missouri National Guard. John enjoyed spending time with his family, farming, and restoring antique cars...

It's a much-anticipated time of year - Girl Scout cookie time. Through mid-March, girls will go door-to-door and set up booths at local merchants to sell eight delicious varieties of Girl Scout cookies to eager customers. All proceeds from Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland's Girl Scout Cookie Program benefit girls in the area; girls earn troop proceeds and Girl Scout Cookie Credit that can be used to pay for Girl Scout camp, leadership programs, uniforms, and more. ...