Stories from Saturday, February 27, 2016

By EVAN HOLLEY Staff Writer QULIN, Mo. -- The Missouri Department of Transportation held a public meeting Thursday in Qulin to discuss its plan to construct a new Route 53 bridge over the St. Francis River in Butler and Dunklin counties. The bridge will replace existing St. Francis River and overflow bridges. The new bridge will be 36 feet wide, which is 10 feet wider than the existing structures. The old bridge has been there since 1939, MoDOT officials said...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer It was a good result with a sad finale. Thursday night Poplar Bluff High School said goodbye to a gymnasium they have called home for 50 years. The Lady Mules defeated Notre Dame in what (see game result on B1) likely will be the last sanctioned high school sporting event to ever to be played in E.T. Peters Gymnasium...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor Three area residents may face drugs and weapons charges after local and federal authorities executed a search warrant Thursday on a Cynthia Street apartment. "Yesterday was the culmination of a long-term investigation involving the use and distribution of crystal meth, prescription pills, including Hydrocodone, Xanax, and the normal array of controlled substances," said Poplar Bluff Police Chief Danny Whiteley...

Edward C. Fluech Edward C. Fluech, 67, of Poplar Bluff, passed away Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016, at the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center in Poplar Bluff. Mr. Fluech was born Feb. 26, 1948 in St. Louis, to the late Joseph Bernard and Agnes Elizabeth Stenger Fluech. ...

Pastors' sacred money cow My wife and I have spent many years searching the scriptures to learn for ourselves the true word of God, and the things God has revealed to us has pleased us greatly and but some of these "Revelations" have not sit well with much of the modern day church and has cost us their fellowship. ...

Whether it's your business, your farm or your family, there is one constant responsibility which holds true - you simply can't spend more than you take in. Continually running a deficit would require the doors of your business to close, your farm to stop producing, and the house your family lives in to be seized by creditors...

Donald Ray Trout FISK, Mo. -- Donald Ray Trout, 79, of Broseley, Mo. died Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Mr. Trout was born Sept. 24, 1936 at Campbell. He was a retired farmer and construction worker and was a member of Elk General Baptist Church. On Nov. 28, 1955 he married Linda Huckaba. She survives...

Henry C. Lancaster NEELYVILLE, Mo. -- Henry C. Lancaster, 84, of Doniphan, Mo., passed away Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016, at his daughter's home in Fairdealing, Mo. Mr. Lancaster was born July 19, 1931. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict. He retired from Caterpillar heavy equipment manufacturing where he was a saw cutter. His hobbies were reading, growing flowers, taking pictures and enjoying his grandchildren...

James P. Snyder James "Sam" Snyder, 76, of Poplar Bluff passed away Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Mr. Snyder was born Nov. 13, 1939 in Harviell to the late Pete and Georgia Snyder. He is survived by wife, Diane Snyder; son, Jim Snyder Jr.; daughter, Terry; step-son, Josh Smith and step-daughter, Elizabeth Ethridge; and a sister, Kathy Ramsey and three grandchildren...

Larry Jameson Larry Jameson died peacefully Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016 in Poplar Bluff, Mo. at the age of 58. Larry is the son of the late Lavern and Roy Jameson. He is survived by his son, Michael Jameson of Ellsinore, and his three grandchildren: Jackson, Elyssa, and Samantha Jameson; eight brothers: Monty Jameson of Ellsinore, Johnny Jameson of San Antonio, Texas, Kendall Jameson of Poplarville, Miss., Lindell Jameson of Hillsboro, Mo., Danny Jameson of Dexter, Mo, Kenneth Jameson of Versailles, Mo., Ronald Jameson of Poplar Bluff, Mo. ...

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. ...

JOPLIN, Mo. -- The Raiders spent all night trying to make up for 3 minutes of mistakes. Three Rivers allowed Moberly Area a 12-2 run to open the Region XVI semifinals, and the Greyhound lead largely stayed close to 10 as they went on to win 85-68 on Thursday...

VAN BUREN -- The Lady Tigers are breaking bones in an effort to reach the MSHSAA Show-Me Showdown. In a season full of injuries, Neelyville overcame another setback while preparing for the Class 2 District 2 championship. Senior forward Christina Russom watched from the bench Thursday night with a cast on her right hand as the Tigers led wire-to-wire in beating Alton 53-31...

GIDEON, Mo. -- A ninth consecutive district title for the Naylor Lady Eagles came in routine fashion Thursday night with a 54-23 win over Couch but there were some anxious moments before the opening tip. Sophomore Callee Pickrell, Naylor's leading scorer, injured her left ankle during warmups and for a few precarious moments paced under the basket with her father at her side. Pickrell, however, showed no ill effects once the game started, scoring 16 of her game-high 23 points before halftime...

The Lady Mules closed Peters Gym with a win Thursday night. Seniors Megan Knuckles and Kaitlyn Slaughter scored 11 of Poplar Bluff's first 15 points in a 56-43 win over Notre Dame, the final varsity game at the 50-year-old gym on Victory Lane. "I think they were keyed in, wanting to play well and finish the season right," Lady Mules coach John David Pattillo said. "We were playing for our seniors and our last time we use the Peters Gym. Hopefully that did inspire them."...

DEXTER -- A lot was on the line Thursday when Sikeston visited the Dexter Lady Bearcats for both team's regular-season finales with the winner claiming part or all of the SEMO Conference championship. Shaking off a rough start, the Lady Bulldogs got 50 combined points from Erica Peet and Tyeshia Mitchell to down the Lady Bearcats 74-66...

MALDEN -- After leading for most of the game, the hits kept coming late for Malden in the MSHSAA Class 3 District 1 championship game. Second-seeded Caruthersville chipped away at top-seeded Malden's 8-point lead and delivered the final blow with a bevy of offensive rebounds and free throws to pull away Thursday night...

MALDEN -- With a deep reservoir of playoff experience to draw from, the senior-heavy Twin Rivers Lady Royals knew better than to mess around with their high school careers on the line. The top-seeded Lady Royals let three double-digit leads slip away but held off a final charge from Malden to win their fourth straight MSHSAA Class 3 District 1 championship with a 54-43 victory Thursday night...

Charlotte Gail Crowley ELLSINORE, Mo. -- Charlotte Gail Crowley, 77, of Ellsinore, departed this life Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016 in the Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, with her family by her side. The daughter of the late Roger Oren and Lurdia L. (Harris) Sisco, she was born July 18, 1945 in Ellsinore. ...