Stories from Monday, February 23, 2015

By PAT PRATT Mother nature handed us an ice storm on Friday followed by a flood watch on Saturday, to wrap up what has been a miserable week of winter weather in Southeast Missouri. Sleet pounded the ground starting around noon and kept up on and off throughout much of the day and into early Saturday. This created nightmarish conditions on local roads and several accidents reported by the Missouri State Highway Patrol were attributed to icy conditions on Friday and early Saturday...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor EASTWOOD -- Authorities are investigating the death of a Carter County man who was shot and killed early Friday morning in his Eastwood area home. The Carter County Sheriff's Department received a call at about 1:35 a.m. Friday from a woman near Eastwood requesting an ambulance "for a family member who had been shot," according to Sheriff Rick Stephens...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor Local emergency responders are teaming up to bring a first-of-its-kind running event to Poplar Bluff to benefit three charitable organizations. The inaugural Badge of Honor Benefit Run will be held on March 28 at the Black River Coliseum and will feature a 5K, 10K and half-marathon...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer The chances of the New Madrid "big one" rocking the area may be greater than previously thought according a recent update of the US Geological Survey's (USGS) National Seismic Hazards Map. The updates reflect the USGS's best and most recent understanding of when and where earthquakes are likely to occur and how intense they might be. The map was previously released in 2008 and shows earthquake potential across a 50-year period...

Area student listed among the fall graduates at the University of Missouri include: Fisk: Jeremy Williams, Bachelor of Science in Fisheries And Wildlife, Fisheries and Wildlife-BSFW, Minor, Biological Sciences-MI, Cum Laude; Poplar Bluff: Asim Choudhary, Master of Public Health, Public Health - MPH with an emphasis in Veterinary Public Health; Marissa McLane, Bachelor of Health Science, Occupational Therapy-BHS, Magna Cum Laude; Christopher Noall, Bachelor of Arts, International Studies-BA with an emphasis in Peace Studies, Minor, Business-MI;. ...

Every Monday and Wednesday, 9 a.m., the P.A.C.E Class (People with Arthritis Can Exercise) for one hour in the Activity Room. At 11:30 a.m., Monday in the dining room "Inner Peace"--a mother and daughter team-will sing gospel songs for everyone to enjoy...

Tired of being singled out as a criminal [mail] I don't understand the new ordinance about no smoking in the city's motels. Traveling I have stayed in Poplar Bluff on several occasions. I have stayed at, Holiday Inn, Super 8 and Comfort Inn over the years, and have been given a room that is used only for smokers. ...

By PAUL DAVIS Outdoors Editor BRANSON, Mo. -- Crappies certainly are the favorite targets of Southeast Missouri anglers when it comes to fishing in winter - just look at all the boats concentrated on the upper end of Wappapello Lake on the weekends...

If you're in the Branson area to fish, a visit to the Missouri Department of Conservation's Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery makes a good side trip. Open to the public, about 1.2 million rainbow trout and 40,000 brown trout are hatched and raised at the hatchery each year, according to manager Clint Hale. The hatchery also is the only state-operated one to raise brown trout in Missouri...

The Missouri Star Quilters' Guild's Feb. 12 meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by President Dori Caldwell with 20 present. The minutes from the January 2015 meeting were approved as published. Cheryl Maples presented the treasurer's report. Dian Reno, reported collecting due for this year. Ruth McMullin, Teresa Johnson and Teresa Rueck have volunteered to bring refreshments to the March meeting. Sunshine Committee: Ruth McMullin had nothing to report...

By GEORGE F. WILL WASHINGTON -- Barack Obama's tone of mild exasperation when tutoring the public often makes his pronouncements grating even when they are sensible. As was his recent suggestion that Americans, misled by media, are exaggerating the threat of terrorism...

By SHARON RANDALL Tribune News Service At the shallow end of an indoor Olympic-size pool, he waits for a signal from the instructor to join the class. "Come on in, Randy," she calls, and he wades right in, grinning and unafraid, a 4-year-old Neptune splashing boldly into his watery kingdom...

Clinton Summers former PA dies Clinton D. Summers, 76, of Poplar Bluff, died Thursday, Feb.19, 2015 at his residence. Mr. Summers was born Nov. 21, 1938 at St. Francis Hospital in Cape Girardeau, Mo. to Clinton R. and Marjorie Summers, they precede him in death. ...

The historic Route 53 bridge over the St. Francis River in Butler and Dunklin Counties and the Route P bridge over Buffalo Ditch in Dunklin County are available for relocation and reuse by others. Any interested party is encouraged to submit a proposal no later than Sept. 1, 2015, to the Missouri Department of Transportation Historic Preservation Section to obtain either structure...

A Harviell man recently retired after more than 25 years of service with the Missouri Army National Guard, which included three tours in the Middle East and work with the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force. Sgt. 1st Class Jamie Jones Sr. entered service on July 27, 1989, and was assigned to Det. 1, 1138 Military Police unit in Doniphan. He reported to Fort McClendon, Ala., for basic and advanced individual training (AIT) to become a military police officer on Nov. 10, 1989...

Rex Karl Kirkpatrick Rex Karl Kirkpatrick, 89, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., passed away Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Mr. Kirkpatrick was born April 10, 1925 in Evansville, Ind. to the late Rex and Rose Christine Pudell Kirkpatrick. ...

Lloyd Yates PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Lloyd Yates, 87, of Arnold and rural Wayne County, Mo., died Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015 at St. Anthony's Hospital in St. Louis. The visitation will be at 4:30 p.m. Monday at Ruegg Funeral Home in Piedmont, services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday also at the chapel...

Neta Belle Cole DONIPHAN, Mo. -- Neta Belle Cole, 98, of Doniphan died Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff. She was born April 4, 1916, in Warm Springs, Ark. Ms. Cole was a homemaker. She was married to Jiles Cole and he preceded her in death on Dec. 11, 1988...

COLUMBIA -- Matt King, Steven Haley and Chance Moore each fell a win shy of the medal stand Friday night. The Poplar Bluff trio were each knocked out of the consolation quarterfinals at the 85th MSHSAA wrestling championships at Mizzou Arena. "I was real proud of the way they wrestled," Mules coach David Sievers said...

ST. PETERS -- Poplar Bluff's first state-qualifying relay made more history in the preliminaries of the MSHSAA state championships Friday. Taylor Norwood, Morgan McAtee, Cassidy Harris and Haylee Dragon finished second in their heat, advancing to the state final of the 200-yard medley relay with the fifth-fastest time...

David Green DEXTER, Mo. -- David Elliott Green, 64, of Dexter died Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Visitation will be from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter. The funeral will follow at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home chapel with the Rev. Don Adams officiating. Burial will follow in the Bloomfield Cemetery...

_ BLOOMFIELD -- Justin G. Newell, 31, of Dexter, was booked at the Stoddard County Jail on Tuesday on suspicion of a controlled substance and a failure to appear warrant. _ BLOOMFIELD -- Michael Davis, 40, of Essex, was booked at the Stoddard County Jail on Monday on suspicion of third-degree elderly abuse...