Stories from Thursday, February 25, 2016

By EVAN HOLLEY Staff Writer Sacred Heart School in association with Southern Bank will host its 6th annual Dancing with P.B. Stars event at 7 p.m. Saturday at Rodgers Theater. The event is a fun way to raise money for the school's programs while allowing couples from the area to show off their best moves...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Absentee voting for the April 5 city and school board elections began Tuesday in the office of Butler County Clerk Tonyi Deffendall on the second floor of the Courthouse. "The last day to register to vote for the April 5 election is Wednesday, March 9," Deffendall said...

By EVAN HOLLEY Staff Writer The Mason-Dixon Chili Society will hold its 11th annual Chili Cook-Off from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Black River Coliseum to raise money for the United Gospel Rescue Mission. The event is free to the public and donations will be accepted to benefit the Rescue Mission. Twenty-eight teams will heat up the Coliseum in a competition to crown the city's best chili cooks. There also will be live music to enjoy while sampling the spicy menu...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor A contest has developed for Eastern District commissioner in the Aug. 2 primary election in Butler County. Bobby King of Broseley, who filed today, will challenge Don "Butch" Anderson for the Republican nomination...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Candidates for U.S. representative, state senator and state representative filed for the Aug. 2 primary election in the Missouri secretary of state's office Tuesday. U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, who represents the Eighth Congressional District in Southeast Missouri, already has two challengers for the Republican nomination. ...

Conversation at a Ward 2 public meeting Tuesday turned into a shouting match between candidates and a current Poplar Bluff City Council member, as city spending on technology, the Eight Points retail development and other projects were discussed. One resident walked out, saying it was a waste of time to listen to the arguments...

By EVAN HOLLEY Staff Writer The Twin Rivers school board voted Tuesday to hire Leann Mann to replace Clinton Salyer as principal of Fisk Elementary. Salyer will retire at the end of this year. Salyer has been in education for 27 years, the last nine of which have been at Fisk...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Fraud may have been committed when the city of Poplar Bluff spent approximately $3.5 million on no-bid technology projects in 2014, according to officials who answered questions Tuesday at a public meeting for Ward 2. City manager Mark Massingham admitted during the meeting he believes fraud was involved in the purchases, saying a forensic audit is being conducted...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor As Jeff Vitale prepares to take the helm of the local Missouri State Highway Patrol troop, the self-described "behind-the-scenes guy" is looking forward to the challenges that lay ahead. After serving as one of Troop E's lieutenants for nearly 10 years, Vitale recently was promoted to captain, and he will assume the role of the troop's commanding officer...

Al D. Ensz DONIPHAN, Mo. -- Alvin D. Ensz, 90, of Doniphan, departed this life Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, at Missouri Veteran's Home in St. James, Mo. Mr. Ensz, son of the late Dietrich and Nettie (Deckert) Ensz, was born Dec. 19, 1925, in Marion, S. D. He had been a truck driver. Mr. Ensz was a veteran of the U. S. Army and a member of the Masonic Lodge and American Legion. He especially enjoyed being the announcer for the Ripley County Saddle Club for many years...

Who thinks a state senator or state representative should quit their job as a public servant for a lucrative position lobbying their former colleagues? Or who believes in citizen legislators who temporarily serve in public office then return to the lives they came from?...

By STEPHEN MOORE When I was a smart-aleck college student, I had a sign on my dorm-room door that read: "Reality is for those who can't handle drugs." Maybe the 2016 version should go like this: "Bernie Sanders and socialism are for those who can't handle reality."...

Valentines for Veterans Eagles Tribute Band, led by Poplar Bluff native and Army veteran Jon Paul Sousan performed to an audience estimated at 3,500. photos by Corey Matthews Sponsored by John J. Pershing VA Medical Center

By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN As the returns came in from South Carolina Saturday night, showing Donald Trump winning a decisive victory, a note of nervous desperation crept into the commentary. Political analysts pointed out repeatedly that if all of the votes for Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Jeb Bush and Ben Carson were added up, they far exceeded the Trump vote...

Laura Wright MALDEN, Mo. -- Laura Wright, 94, of Bernie, Mo. died Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016, at her residence. Visitation will be at 1 p.m. Friday until the funeral at 2 p.m. Visitation and funeral will be held in the Landmark Pentecostal Church in Malden. The Rev. Leroy Young will officiate. Burial will be in the Bernie Cemetery. Bradshaw Funeral Home of Malden is in charge of arrangements...

Bertha Mae Jobe MALDEN, Mo. -- Bertha Mae Jobe, 93, of Gideon, Mo., died Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016, at Gideon Care Center. Visitation will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden followed by the funeral at 11 a.m. in the Bradshaw Chapel in Malden with Rev. Bruce Vinson officiating. Burial will be in Stanfield Cemetery in Clarkton...

Linda Kay Merriman MALDEN, Mo. -- Linda Kay Merriman, 55, of Campbell, Mo., died Monday, Feb. 22, 2016, in the Piggott Community Hospital in Piggott, Ark. Visitation will be held at noon Friday at Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden. Funeral services will follow at 2 p.m. in the funeral home chapel, with Rev. Jack Allen officiating. Burial will be held in Woodlawn Cemetery Landess Addition in Campbell...

KENNETT, Mo. -- Poplar Bluff ended the regular season with a second straight conference road loss after a comeback win. Kennett sank five fourth-quarter 3-pointers to surge past the Mules for a 79-72 SEMO Conference win Tuesday. "We gave up too many open 3s in the fourth quarter," Mules coach William Durden said. "They shot it well all night."...

VAN BUREN -- Neelyville coach Beck Hale didn't even need to look at the stat sheet to know her team had its worst shooting performance of the season Tuesday night. It wasn't pretty, but the Lady Tigers got back in the MSHSAA Class 2 District 2 final for a seventh straight year by beating fourth-seeded Van Buren 48-34...

Thurman Dearl Starnes MALDEN, Mo. -- Thurman Dearl Starnes, 71, died Monday, Feb. 22, 2016, at his residence in Malden, Visitation will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m., Thursday in the Bradshaw Funeral Home chapel with Rev. Bobby Ryan officiating. Burial will be in Rosewood Cemetery in Malden...

John David Kitchen NEW ORLEANS -- John David Kitchen passed away on Monday evening, Feb. 15, 2016 at Ochsner Hospital, following a long battle with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. The beloved husband of Linda Lastrapes Kitchen, John and Linda had been married for 48 years. ...

Blanch Marie Laughlin FISK, Mo. -- Blanch Marie Laughlin, 84, formerly of Poplar Bluff, Mo. died Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016 at Bethesda Meadow in Ellisville, Mo. Mrs. Laughlin was born May 6, 1931 in Butler County, Mo. to the late Amos and Una (Longbottom) Berry. ...

Charles Shipman DEXTER, Mo. -- Charles Shipman, 92, died Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016 at his residence in Bloomfield, Mo. Visitation will be from 5-8 p.m. Thursday at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter on Thursday. Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. Friday in the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Chapel with Clyde Jacques officiating. Burial will follow in the Hagy Cemetery in Dexter...

Imogene Laverne Kleffer DEXTER, Mo. -- Imogene Laverne Kleffer, 86, of Essex, Mo., died Monday, Feb. 22. 2016, at her residence. Visitation will be from 9-11:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter with funeral services following at 11:30 a.m. Thursday in the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Chapel with Rev. Lonny Mittag officiating. Burial will follow in the Dexter Cemetery...

Joe L. Scott DEXTER, Mo. -- Joe L. Scott of Grayridge, Mo. 77, died Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016, at his home in Bloomfield, Mo. Visitation will be from 5-8 p.m. Thursday at the Watkins & Sons Funeral Home in Dexter. The funeral service will be held at noon Friday in the Watkins & Sons Chapel in Dexter with the Rev. Ray Rowland of Dexter officiating. Burial will follow in the Missouri Veteran's Cemetery in Bloomfield with full military honors...

MOBERLY, Mo. -- The Lady Raiders did everything they needed to do to upset Moberly Area in the Region XVI Tournament, with one exception. Three Rivers limited the Lady Greyhounds' biggest threat, won the rebounding and turnover battles and held Moberly Area to either 15 or 16 points in every quarter...

MALDEN -- Malden coach Andrew Halford found himself dipping deeper into his bench than he's used to Tuesday night. In a foul-filled MSHSAA Class 3 District 1 semifinal against New Madrid Central, all five of the Green Wave's starters found foul trouble, making way for a bevy of reserves who preserved a comfortable lead until late in the fourth quarter...

CAMPBELL -- Through 27 minutes, the biggest lead for either Bloomfield or Campbell was four points. Even during the stretch that Campbell coach Steve Fowler called the turning point in the game -- when Bloomfield scored eight points in 90 seconds, including a pair of 3s -- the margin was still four points or less...