Stories from Monday, July 7, 2014

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor A lightning strike during the July 1 thunderstorm knocked out the radio repeater towers for the Butler County Sheriff's Department and the Butler County Fire Department. Both towers are located at the Butler County Highway Department...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer As Poplar Bluff residents gathered in backyards and near the Black River on Friday night for the most anticipated moment of Independence Day, a local family with almost as many years in the fireworks business as they've spent serving this country was in charge of the show...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor An elderly Cape Girardeau, Mo., man was among three who drowned Independence Day on Missouri's waterways, and a pair of brothers also were injured when their jet skis collided on Current River. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, at about 6:15 p.m. Friday, Gary K. Gilbert, 81, lost his balance as he was wading across Castor River, five miles south of Highway 34...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer The 29-year-old is proud of the four years he spent in the Marines, but has faced personal battles with post traumatic stress disorder since returning home. Allred believes the Poplar Bluff, Mo.-based SEMO Veterans Treatment Court may finally have given him the tools to start winning that fight...

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the second of three stories about Poplar Bluff, Mo., writer Carolyn Smith's travels to Africa.

The following students were named on the University of Missouri's spring semester 2014 dean's list: Poplar Bluff, Mo. - Alexa Nicole Atkinson, Sophomore, Nursing; Sarah Kaye Crites, Freshman, Arts & Science; Sarah Harley Davis, Junior, Agr-Food & Nat Resources; Kaleb Stuart Doyle, Junior, Business; Jacob Daniel Henderson, Sophomore, Health Professions; Jillian Leigh Jackson, Senior, Journalism; Marissa Kimberly McLane, Senior, Health Professions; Zachary Samuel Miller, Junior, Engineering; Christopher Lincoln Morse, Sophomore, Health Professions; Allison Lee Poteet, Senior; Darby Ruth Provance, Senior, Social Work; Robert Jeffrey Rowland, Freshman, Arts & Science; Paul Anthony Rush, Junior, Arts & Science; Sierra Nicole Schrieber, Senior, Journalism; Parker Nathaniel Ramsey Smith, Sophomore, Engineering; Shelly Rena White, Sophomore, Business; Brooke Danielle Wiley, Junior, Journalism Advance, Mo.- John Michael Middleton, Junior, Arts & Science Fisk, Mo.- Jeremy Wayne Williams, Senior, Natural Resources. ...

Francis Hulshof and Sally Krapf were married June 26, 1954 at St. Teresa Catholic Church in Glennonville, Mo. They have lived on and farmed the same farm in Portageville for 60 years and counting! The couple has been blessed with six children: David, Janet, Randy, Karen, Mary and Diana, as well as 10 grandchildren...

Gene and Etta Dougherty of Route 1, Williamsville, Mo., celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Saturday, June 28, 2014 at their home. The celebration was given by their children: Terry Dougherty, Lori Morey, Dana and Don Bratton, all of Williamsville, and Doug and Linda Dougherty of Naylor, Mo. Also attending were their nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren...

Area students named to the Chancellor's and Deans' lists for spring 2014 at Arkansas State University have been announced. They are: Bernie, Mo. - William Barnett, CL Campbell, Mo. - Sasha Blake, DL; Rachael Rodery, DL; Meagan Rush, CL Dexter, Mo. - Alex Cliff, DL; Lauren Dudley, CL; Sydney Graves, DL; Chance Holden, DL...

Rev. Calvin Silas Jones VAN BUREN, Mo. -- The Rev. Calvin Silas Jones, 85, of Fremont, Mo., died Thursday, July 3, 2014, in the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. The funeral was at 1 p.m. Saturday at McSpadden Funeral Home in Van Buren with the Rev. Garry Reagan officiating. Burial was be in the Evaline-Green Mountain Cemetery in Fremont...

Tula Langford PUXICO, Mo.- Tula Mae Langford, 93, daughter of the late Junice and Nellie Boismenue Linson, was born in Puxico, Mo. on Sept. 20, 1920, and passed away at the Puxico Nursing Center in Puxico on Sunday, June 29, 2014. She was raised in Puxico, and spent 1941 to 2004 in California before returning to Puxico. She was a member of the Egypt Community Church. She enjoyed quilting and working in her flowers...

Neal Reed Neal Reed, 73, of Poplar Bluff, Mo. passed away Tuesday, July 2, 2014 at his home surrounded by his loved ones. He was born Oct. 11, 1940 to the late Floyce Reed and Nema Tucker Reed. He was a longtime resident of Poplar Bluff. He married Carolyn Gardner in Pocahontas, Ark. June 1, 1963. She survives...

Lassie Dement FISK, Mo.--Lassie Mae Davis Dement, 99, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., formerly of Broseley, Mo., died Wednesday, July 2, 2014 at Mark Twain Caring Center. Mrs. Dement was born Dec. 27, 1914 at Broseley, the daughter of the late Harvey and Ella May Armor...

Iness Dinkins MALDEN, Mo. -- Iness Frieda Dinkins, 96, of The Woodlands, Texas, formerly of Clarkton, Mo., died Tuesday, July 1, 2014, at her residence. Visitation will begin at 11 a.m. Monday at Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden, followed by the funeral at 1 p.m. Burial will be in the Stanfield Cemetery in Malden...

Judy Guilliams PUXICO, Mo. -- Judy Guilliams, 72, of Puxico died Friday, July 4, 2014, at Puxico Nursing and Rehab. Mrs. Guilliams was born April 5, 1942, at Doniphan, Mo. A resident of Puxico since 1972, she was a member of the First Christian Church at Puxico and the Sunshine Circle Club. She was retired from Guilliams Insurance at Puxico...

MALDEN, Mo. -- Earl Richard Christian, 68, of Bernie, Mo., died Wednesday, July 2, 2014, at the Golden Living Nursing Home. The funeral was at 1 p.m. Friday at Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden.

Wilma Buchanan MALDEN, Mo.--Wilma Faye Buchanan, 79, of Gideon, Mo., died Thursday, July 3, 2014, at Gideon Care Center. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturday at Bradshaw Funeral Home. Funeral service will follow at 1 p.m. Saturday at Bradshaw Chapel...

'Jack' Pulley Sr. MALDEN, Mo. -- Sylvester "Jack" Pulley Sr., 101, of Malden died Sunday, June 29, 2014, at St. Anthony's South Campus in St. Louis, Mo. Visitation will begin at noon Wednesday at the Malden Community Center, followed by the funeral at 1 p.m. Burial will be in the Macedonia Cemetery in Malden...

Traffic control, maintenance Since most of us find it an inconvience [sic] to detour via Oak Grove Road on CR 537 would you not think whoever approved the detour would also authorize mowing both sides of the already narrow CR 537?? There's more traffic on the detour than I expected but en route to the careers center I was passed by a vehicle in what appeared to be flying speed. Maybe traffic control and roadside maintenace [sic] both needs alerted!!!!!...

By SHARON RANDALL McClatchy-Tribune News Service Birthday celebrations are not always sparkling affairs. The day I turned 6, I raised my hand to announce to my fellow first-graders: "You are all invited to my grandmother's house today at 4 o'clock to celebrate my birthday. She lives down the road from Smith's Grocery. You can bring a present if you want, or not."...

William Reed Sr. PIEDMONT, Mo. -- William James Reed Sr. of Piedmont died Thursday, July 3, 2014, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Visitation will begin at 6 p.m. Monday at Ruegg Funeral Home in Piedmont. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday in the funeral home chapel. Burial will be in the Masonic Cemetery...

Letter to Editor: In response to the editorial posted in the Daily American Republic on Sunday, June 15, I would like to submit a few facts that are based on science and not only on opinion. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was first found in Colorado in the 1960's. The Colorado Fish and Game research facility has studied CWD for over 40 years. The origin of CWD is not known and might never be known...

Millie Montgomery DONIPHAN, Mo. -- Millie Montgomery 75, of Gatewood, Mo. died Thursday. July 3, 2014, in Ripley County. Mrs. Montgomery is the daughter of the late Lawrence and Azeline (Davis) Bishop. Mrs. Montgomery was born Aug. 30, 1938, in Pekin, Ill...

Alma 'Day' Dean NEELYVILLE, Mo. -- Alma Earlene "Day" Dean, 74, of St. Louis, Mo., died Friday, July 4, 2014,at the Current River Nursing Center in Doniphan, Mo. Visitation will begin at 6 p.m. Monday at Fowler-Sullivan Memorial Chapel in Neelyville. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday in the funeral home chapel. Burial will be in the New Hope Cemetery near Doniphan...

James Hicks WILLIAMSVILLE, Mo. -- James Hicks, 72, of Williamsville, Mo., died Friday, July 4, 2014, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Visitation will begin at 5 p.m. today at Ruegg Funeral Home in Williamsville. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Monday in the funeral home chapel. Burial will be in the Chapel Hill Cemetery near Williamsville...

Lorene Daves Lorene Daves, 86, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Thursday, July 3, 2014, at Westwood Hills Health Care. Mrs. Daves was born Oct. 4, 1927, at McGee, Mo. A former residents of McGee, she was a homemaker and a member of Temple Baptist Church. She also was a member of the SEMO Sportsman Association and enjoyed doll collecting, flower gardening, attending church and spending time with family, especially her grandchildren...

River Mullen FISK, Mo. -- River Baryk Mullen, 16, of Grenada, Miss., died Sunday, June 29, 2014, at his residence. He was an honor student at Grenada High School and in the Teachers Academy. He is survived by mother, Rebecca Mullen and stepfather, Namon Wilkerson, of Grenada; his father, Barry Pugh of Kennett, Mo.; former stepfather, Grant Wilson of Winona, Miss.; grandparents, Opal and Donald Wilkerson of Poplar Bluff, William and Brenda Pugh of Bragg City, Mo.; one sister, Piper Wilkerson, and one brother, Christian Skylar Pugh; a great-aunt, Doris (Barry) Hoop of Tilatoba, Miss., along with several uncles and aunts and great-uncles and aunts.. ...

Patrick Stroupe pulled away from Isaiah Williams to win the 21st annual Butler County Fair 5K while Jessica Stroup won by nearly a minute Saturday morning. Stroupe crossed the finish line in 17 minutes, 17 seconds to beat Williams, a junior at Poplar Bluff High School, who finished in 17:49...

PINEHURST, N.C. -- Carr Vernon advanced to the quarterfinal of the 114th North & South Amateur before losing to the eventual champion Friday. "Didn't play very good in either match," said Vernon of his 2-up victory against JD Dornes and losing 1 up to Michael Cromie...

The Poplar Bluff Mules baseball team capped its best season in over three decades by having two members make the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association All-State team which was released recently. Senior ace pitcher Wesley Pyles was selected to the Class 5 second team for while catcher Alex Lewis earned honorable mention...