Stories from Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Group protests shutdown by entering Mingo refuge SEMO News Service PUXICO, Mo. -- Although they were told by federal employees they would be cited for trespassing, several in a 20-person group that gathered Sunday afternoon outside Mingo National Wildlife Refuge in Southeast Missouri crossed onto closed federal lands to protest the government shutdown...

By KEITH LEWIS SEMO News Service CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- The excitement created by the filming of 20th Century Fox's "Gone Girl" is a major reason for the "Gone Girl" novel being gone from the shelves of some local bookstores. Gillian Flynn's "Gone Girl," the best-selling 2012 thriller novel and the basis for the motion picture, is experiencing a slew of new sales locally, and booksellers couldn't be happier...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor In addition to contacting U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, Butler County Commissioners Ed Strenfel, Jeff Darnell and Don Anderson have written letters to U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt and the Federal Bureau of Prisons expressing their opposition to the possibility of locating a federal halfway house on the East Outer Road southwest of Poplar Bluff, Mo., or at 117 County Road 605 southeast of the city...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Another step in the long process to construct Phase I and Phase II of the Pike Creek Walking and Bicycle Trail was taken by the Poplar Bluff City Council Monday night. With Smith & Co. engineers being the only one to submit a statement of qualifications, council members discussed authorizing Mayor Ed DeGaris to execute engineering consultant agreements with the Poplar Bluff firm for the projects...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor City Cable's equipment upgrade to increase Internet speeds for residential and business customers has been completed, according to Bill Bach, general manager of Municipal Utilities. "There has been no increase in rates," Bach told the Poplar Bluff City Council Monday night...

Enforce the regs Yes, all these companies that make Medicare/Medicaid runs for our prescription--some of those drivers are gettin' so many hours it's dangerous. I know one personally who drove to Branson last week and some them drivers are just not gettin' enough sleep. ...

By STAR PARKER Scripps Howard News Service Let's get clear about the political realities behind the budget impasse in Washington and the government shutdown. Nothing captures the distortions being perpetrated more than the headline of a Washington Post column by Anne Applebaum that reads: "The GOP Undermines Democracy."...

By BETSY HART Scripps Howard News Service My 14-year-old daughter is really into the gym-rat life. She works out regularly, and thoughtfully. Upon picking Madi up the other day, she mentioned that it was odd we use machines to mimic the exertions people once probably did naturally in everyday life...

Qulin's Holiday Shopping Extravaganza will be held Saturday, Oct. 12, at the Qulin Lions Club. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will feature vendors like Scentsy, Arbonne, Origami Owl, Thirty-One Gifts, Silpada, S & L Pumpkins, Rada Cutlery and more. ...

By MONA CHAREN Cannon to the right of them, Cannon to the left of them ... Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of Hell Rode the Six Hundred --The Charge of the Light Brigade -- Alfred, Lord Tennyson Almost exactly 159 years ago, a British light cavalry brigade rode directly into Russian guns at the battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War. ...

Linda Ayers WAPPAPELLO, Mo. -- Linda Kay Ayers, 62, of Wappapello, Mo., passed away Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Mrs. Ayers was born Aug. 30, 1951, in Sikeston, Mo., to Bob and Ruth Hargrove Schwab. In 1998, she married Gary "Bud" Ayers in Poplar Bluff. He preceded her in death in 2002...

More than $10.8 million in prizes of $1,000 or more were awarded to Missouri Lottery players during September. Following are winners from this area: Pick 4 winners: Anita Rothlisberger, Dexter, $1,000 Elmer Clark, Malden, $3,500 Ida Clark, Malden, $7,000...

Berniece Miller Berniece Lucille Miller, 56, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., passed away Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013, at her residence. Mrs. Miller was born Nov. 19, 1956, in St. Louis, Mo., to Robert and Catherine Mick Gehlbach. Mrs. Miller previously worked at Rick's 66. She enjoyed spending time with her family, doing crafts, watching movies and Facebooking with friends...

By WALTER E. WILLIAMS Trade-offs apply to our economic lives, as well as our political lives. That means getting more of one thing requires giving up something else. Let's look at some examples. Black congressmen and black public officials in general, including Barack Obama, always side with teachers unions in their opposition to educational vouchers, tuition tax credits, charter schools and other measures that would allow black parents to take their children out of failing public schools. ...

A Wisconsin lawmaker wants to make it a felony to harm or kill an infant by sleeping with it while intoxicated. There's little doubt that sharing a bed with a baby after drinking or taking drugs increases the risk of the adult crushing or suffocating the infant. One study in the British Medical Journal several years ago said such behavior increased the risk of death by nearly half...

Violetta Maclin DEXTER, Mo. -- Violetta Ruth Maclin, 75, of Parma, Mo., died Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013, at her residence. Visitation will be from 5-8 p.m. today at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter. Funeral services will be conducted at 10 a.m. Wednesday in the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Chapel with the Rev. Jason Redden officiating. Burial will follow in the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield, Mo...

Marie Baxter NEELYVILLE, Mo. -- Marie Attebery Baxter, 96, of Grandview, Ill., formerly of Naylor, Mo., died Monday, Oct. 7, 2013, at Illinois Valley Community Hospital in Peru, Ill. Visitation will be from noon until service time at 2 p.m. Friday at Fowler-Sullivan Memorial Chapel in Neelyville. Burial will be in Eaton Cemetery near Naylor...

Those concerned about all the money sloshing around in American politics will want to pay attention Tuesday, when the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in a case that could open the campaign-financing spigot even wider. The court has been asked to strike down restrictions on how much a person can contribute in each two-year election cycle (now limited to $48,600 to candidates and $74,600 to political parties and political action committees, for a $123,200 total). ...

By BILL O'REILLY Amid all the madness over Obamacare and the government shutdown comes a fascinating poll about "we the people." For years, the Gallup organization has asked the following question: Do you trust the American people to make good judgments about political issues?...

Charles Campbell VAN BUREN, Mo. -- Charles, Malcom "Mack" Campbell, 82, son of the late Charles Tecumsah and Mazo (Holland) Campbell, was born July 11, 1931, at Chilton, Mo., and departed this life on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013, in the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff, Mo...

Cecil Woods Cecil J. Woods, 74, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013, in Poplar Bluff. Visitation will be at 11 a.m. Saturday followed by the funeral service at 1 p.m. at the Fitch-Hillis Funeral Home Chapel. A complete obituary will run Thursday...

Poplar Bluff's comeback ended just as it was getting started Monday night. Needing to sweep doubles play, the Lady Mules were ahead in two of the three matches when Cape Central's top-seeded pair ended the MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 quarterfinal early...

Bill Walker FISK, Mo. -- William L. "Bill" Walker, 63, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., passed away Monday, Oct. 7, 2013, at his home. Mr. Walker was born Nov. 7, 1949, in St. Louis, Mo., and after growing up in the Coon Island Community of Neelyville, Mo., had lived in Poplar Bluff most of his life. ...

Gracie King went 4-for-4 and scored a pair of runs as Poplar Bluff beat East Carter 9-3 Monday at Bacon Park. Kaitlyn Slaughter added two more runs off a pair of hits for the Lady Mules. Maci Coleman was 2-for-3 wth a run and Lara Hafford was 2-for-4 with a run...

VAN BUREN -- Van Buren led 9-6 going into the sixth inning but the Twin Rivers brought up 14 batters in the sixth and scored 10 runs to take the lead and eventually win 19-13. Twin Rivers (7-10) got 26 hits off Hayley Burnham, who also had two strikeouts and gave up one walk. ...