Stories from Wednesday, April 29, 2015

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer A beloved R-I instructor will be missed by students, and perhaps even more by food lovers in the community, when he leaves next month due to a family move. Chef Aaron Hudlow, who has taught the culinary arts program through the Poplar Bluff Technical Career Center for the past eight years, will resign effective the semester's end due to his wife being transferred to Nashville with her job...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer The International Thespian Society has awarded Poplar Bluff drama teacher Jo Nell Seifert with the Inspirational Theatre Educator Award - an honor bestowed on only three teachers in the world per year. But that high note comes with a caveat, as Seifert has announced that she will retire effective the end of the school year...

Julia Hillis Julia Mae Berniece Hillis, 87, of Williamsville, died Monday, April 27, 2015, at her residence. Visitation will be at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Williamsville Assembly of God Church. The funeral time has changed to 1 p.m. Thursday also at the church. Burial will follow at the Holliday Cemetery, Williamsville...

By GEORGE F. WILL WASHINGTON -- Smoking, said King James I in 1604, is "loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to the lungs." Three years later he planted a colony in Jamestown. Its tobacco enhanced the royal treasury until Virginia produced a bumper crop of revolutionaries, including the tobacco farmer George Washington...

Refuse to take common core Just wanted to let all parents know that Poplar Bluff will be starting Common Core testing for grades 3-8. If you chose not to have your child's and your information shared with the world you must refuse the test for your child, because they have hidden this test under Map test, which you can't opt out of you must refuse it. ...

By MICHELLE MALKIN America has an alphabet soup of visa programs for foreigners to choose from: B-1 for business visitors, B-2 for tourists, EB-5 for investors, F-1 for students, and so on. All are overwhelmed, loosely monitored and riddled with fraud and corruption. According to the recently unsealed federal indictment against him, sleazy Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., took it upon himself to add his own very special, crooked path to the U.S...

Mary Lou Moylan Mary Lou Moylan, 78, of Clarkton, died Sunday, April 26, 2015, in Paragould, Ark. Visitation will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden. The funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home chapel. Burial will follow in the Stanfield Cemetery in Clarkton...

Free comic book day at library The Poplar Bluff Municipal Library will give away free comic books (one per person) at the library from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 2, in celebration of Free Comic Book Day. The comic books are sponsored by local comic book store Ken's Comic Man. Free Comic Book Day is held annually on the first Saturday in May to promote independent comic book stores, thank returning customers and introduce new readers to comic books and graphic novels...

SIKESTON -- Things didn't look too bright for the Poplar Bluff Mules after six holes of the SEMO Conference golf tournament Monday. Nick Woolard had carded six straight bogeys while younger brother Nathan was a shot back with a double-bogey on his card. Tyler Norton had bogeys on three straight holes and the Mules were looking nothing like the last time they tore up Fox Haven Country Club to break 300...

NAYLOR -- When Crowley's Ridge College coach Tye Clothier came to scout Naylor senior Brooklyn Urich this past season, he just couldn't keep up with his note taking. Whenever Clothier would glance down at his notes, he would look up and see Urich driving to the hoop in a flash...

PIEDMONT -- Judging by the account of the first inning, it was looking like both Wayne County starting pitchers might not last too long in Monday afternoon. Clearwater had to go deep into rotation and starter Tristan Holmes allowed six base runners in the first inning. Greenville righty Blakeney Kearbey, meanwhile, struggled to adjust to the strike zone with three first-inning walks and a couple wild pitches...

Antinio Tims, 18, of the 300 block of Fifth, was arrested at 12:43 a.m. Monday in the 200 block of South Westwood on failure to appear warrants for shoplifting and non-moving traffic offenses. He was booked at the Butler County jail. _ Lavonta L. Earls, 36, of the 1000 block of Cole, was arrested at 6:06 p.m. Saturday at Wal-Mart on suspicion of shoplifting and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was booked at the Butler County jail...

Sara Asher DONIPHAN, Mo. -- Sara Francis (Bass) Asher, 54, of Poplar Bluff, passed away Sunday, April 26, 2015, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Ms. Asher, daughter of Elva Lee and Daisy Francis (Chitwood) Bass, was born Jan. 20, 1961, in Doniphan. She was a photographer in the newspaper industry. Sara enjoyed reading, sitting and caring for children and her photography work. She was a member of the Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Poplar Bluff...

Eugene L. Mitchell, 27, of Pacific, was arrested at 9:10 p.m. Saturday in Wayne County on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, failure to stop at a stop sign and no insurance. He was placed on a 12-hour hold at the Wayne County Jail. _ Timmy L. Stone, 52, of Advance, was arrested at 11:06 p.m. Saturday in Stoddard County on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and failure to drive on the right side of the road. He was booked at the Stoddard County Jail...

Rick M. Massey Rick M. Massey, 56, of Poplar Bluff died Monday, April 27, 2015 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. The arrangements are pending and will be announced later.

Charles Barham, 34, of the 400 block of South Broadway, was booked at the Butler County jail Sunday on failure to appear warrants for non-moving traffic violations. _ Crystal E. Crump, 25, of Corning, Ark., was booked at the Butler County jail Sunday on suspicion of shoplifting...

Kory Ann McCuiston and Callie Stanhouse are headed to nationals. The two Lady Raider rodeo members had strong performances over the weekend to finish the season in the top three in their respective events, qualifying them to compete at the College National Finals in Casper, Wyo., in June...

ELLSINORE -- Trever Lewis homered twice and Brandon Hampton also went yard as the East Carter Redbirds won an Ozark Foothills Conference game, 11-6, over Twin Rivers Monday afternoon Lewis finished 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs. Tyler Henfling, Logan Saffle and Hampton each had two hits. Saffle drove in two runs for the Redbirds (12-5)...