Stories from Thursday, January 7, 2016

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Wappapello and Clearwater lakes are receding today from their highest crests since the record flooding of 2011. About 85 percent of the roads, boat ramps, campsites and beaches remain flooded or inaccessible at Wappapello Lake, which is still nearly 24 feet above normal pool for this time of year...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Officials in area counties have been conducting damage assessments after the flood waters receded. From 6.5 to 8 inches of rain fell in the three days after Christmas, causing rivers and creeks to overflow their banks. Some roads had washouts that had to be repaired...

Thanks MoDOT for roundabout Thanks MoDOT!! I travel back and forth on PP Highway daily and have done so for the last 12 years. We all know that something had to be done on that terrible intersection by Green Forest Grocery. There has been a lot of conversation the last couple of years about the roundabout that was proposed. ...

A few years ago, BET had a commentary titled "Where Are the Grocery Stores in Black Neighborhoods?" One wonders whether anyone thinks that the absence of supermarkets in predominantly black neighborhoods means that white merchants do not like dollars coming out of black hands. Racial discrimination cannot explain the absence of supermarkets in black communities...

By MARGARET SHACKLEFORD As part of the partnership with the Vietnam War Commemoration for the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War, the Poplar Bluff Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution announces Joe Taylor as a "Hero of the Month" for January...

Theodore (Ted) Joseph Hall ALLEN, Texas--Theodore (Ted) Joseph Hall, 84, passed from this life to his home in heaven on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015, in Baylor-Scott-White Hospital in McKinney, Texas. Ted was born in Poplar Bluff, Mo., Feb. 24, 1931 to Joseph Arvil Hall and Alice Bell Sinks Hall. He graduated from Poplar Bluff Senior High School in 1949 and joined the U.S. Air Force on 1951 and was sent to Korea during the Korean Conflict...

Martha Frances Fowler DEXTER, Mo. -- Martha Frances Fowler, 81, of Dexter, died Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016 at her residence. Visitation will be from 9:30 - 11 a.m., Saturday at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter. Funeral services will follow at 11 a.m., Saturday in the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Chapel with Rev. Greg McGhee officiating...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer Poplar Bluff Technical Career Center (PBTCC) will seek almost $160,000 in improvements for the upcoming year, the majority funded through a vocational enhancement grant. According to PBTCC director Charles Kinsey, the money would fund improvements and upgrades for a number of high-demand programs. Poplar Bluff public schools would need to make an investment of $159,569, but would receive $117,377 back - resulting in an actual investment of $42,192...

Joshua Dale Collier NEELYVILLE, Mo. -- Joshua Dale Collier, 35, of Neelyville, passed away Monday, Jan. 4, 2016 at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Mr. Collier was born Feb. 12, 1980 in Ellsworth Air force Base in Rapid City, S. D. He worked as maintenance for the Westwood Hills Health Center. His hobbies included hunting, fishing, being with friends and family and most of all, his children. He was a lifelong resident of Butler County...

Loyd Snider BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Loyd Snider, 97, of Bloomfield, died Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016 at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff. Visitation will be from 5:30 - 8 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016, at the Chiles-Cooper Funeral Home in Bloomfield. Funeral services will at noon, Friday, Jan. 8, 2016, at the Chiles-Cooper Funeral Home in Bloomfield with the Rev. Jerry Darby of Malden officiating...

Brooklyn Elizabeth Chappell and Brandon Li Cook of Scott City have chosen the name Braxton Li Cook for their 8-pound, 1-ounce son born Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015 at Saint Francis Medical Center's Family BirthPlace in Cape Girardeau. Grandparents are Debbie Chappell of Sikeston, Allen Chappell of Bloomfield, Amanda House and Danon House, both of Poplar Bluff...

Logan Hart and Brianna Clark of Poplar Bluff, Mo., have chosen the name Quinn Annaliese Hart, for their 6-pound, 8-ounce daughter born Thursday, Dec. 24, at 6:48 a.m. at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Quinn was 19 inches long. Grandparents are Ron and Kristian Clark and Richey and Sheila Calvert all of Poplar Bluff...

JaQueshia Monique Howard and Marvin Price Jr. of Poplar Bluff have chosen the name Mar'Leigh A'Kristen LaKaye Price for their 6-pound, 13-ounce daughter born Monday, Dec. 21, 2015, at Saint Francis Medical Center's Family BirthPlace in Cape Girardeau...

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- Missed shots turned into points for the Poplar Bluff Mules when they needed them most Tuesday night. Second-chance points on three straight possessions gave the Mules enough breathing room to hold off Farmington 59-55. "When the ball doesn't go in we miss defensive assignments on the other end," Mules coach William Durden said. "They kind of cleaned it up and I think they battled tonight...

Morgan McAtee needed some competition in the 100-yard breaststroke. The Poplar Bluff junior had been swimming around the 1-minute, 14-second mark and need to cut a second and a half off that in order to qualify for state. At the Black River Coliseum on Tuesday, Taylor Norwood jumped into the event for the first time to give McAtee just what she needed...

NEELYVILLE -- Rashawn McComb scored a game-high 16 points as the Neelyville boys basketball team picked up their first Ozark Foothills Conference win of the season with a 55-50 victory over East Carter on Tuesday. The Tigers won their second game in as many days for the first time this season...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- Prior to Saturday's practice, the Cape Central boys basketball players were advised to bring along some warm clothes. Their coach said there was some work to be done. Three days after winning their first Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament in 19 years, the Tigers took to the Red Star District, an area on the north end of town that was exposed to some of the worst damage caused by the city's historic flood...