Stories from Sunday, April 10, 2016

Local GOP selects delegates, alternates By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Republicans across Missouri came together within their communities Saturday to elect delegates for congressional district conventions and the state convention, as well as consider amendments to the state party platform...

PB man gets 5 years for having child porn By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- A Poplar Bluff, Mo., man was sentenced to five years in federal prison last week for possessing child pornography. Steven Ray Poole was sentenced to 60 months on two counts of possession of child pornography by U.S. District Judge Stephen Limbaugh Jr., according to Assistant U.S. Attorney John "Jack" Koester Jr...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer Eugene Field's "Leader in Me" program, now in it's third year, continues to build a positive school climate and inspire students to become productive citizens. The school held its annual leadership day on Thursday. More than 100 business and community leaders and parents toured the school and viewed presentations on the program...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor DONIPHAN, Mo. -- A Doniphan man suffered burns to his upper body as he attempted to save his toddler son from their burning home Friday afternoon, but both the child and his mother died in the fire. At about 4 p.m. Friday, the Ripley County Sheriff's Department received a call reporting a structure fire, said Ripley County Coroner Mike Jackson, reading from a press release. A neighbor reportedly called in the fire...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor For 17 years, Mitch Heath has provided a support role as a reconstructionist on one of the Missouri State Highway Patrol's crash-investigation teams. The 29-year veteran says he will continue providing a "support service," but now it will be in a "different capacity" as he took over April 1 as Troop E's newest lieutenant...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer A Neelyville R-IV parent says policy that allows the school to keep confiscated cellphones for multiple days puts some students in danger. The ACLU of Missouri says the district's policy violates the Fourth Amendment and the device must be returned at day's end...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer Emanuel House of Praise Outreach Ministries is launching a new business which seeks to combine dining and community outreach in a one-of-a-kind restaurant. EHOP, located at 116 N. Broadway in downtown Poplar Bluff, will bring back the mouth-watering fare of Pastor Leroy Williams, who throughout the 1990s owned Williams Corner Grocery and became famous for hot meals delivered to workers in the industrial park...

By GEORGE F. WILL PRINCETON, N.J. -- One of history's most important battles happened here on a field you can walk across in less than half the 45 or so minutes the battle lasted. If George Washington's audacity on Jan. 3, 1777, had not reversed the patriots' retreat and routed the advancing British, the American Revolution might have been extinguished...

The VA would not approve it Speak Out: The high cost of government-controlled health care can't be measured. I know this because my dad was a loyal patient of a Veterans' Administration hospital, and in my mind there is no question that had he not been, he could have had a better quality of life. I think his story needs to be told especially today when the government is seeking to completely control health care for ALL of us...

Aleshia Miller MALDEN, Mo. -- Aleshia Miller, 52, of Tallapoosa, Mo., died Thursday, April 7, 2016, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Visitation will be from 1-4 p.m. Monday at Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden. Online condolence: www.bradshawfh.com...

Levoy "Mac" McMullin Levoy "Mac" McMullin, 75, of Poplar Bluff, died Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016 at The Manor in Poplar Bluff. Graveside services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 12, 2016 at the Bloomfield Veterans Cemetery with full military honors...

Sherry Virginia (Smith) Willis, 61, of Broseley, Mo., passed away Wednesday, April 6, 2016 in Titusville, Fla. Sherry was born Oct. 13, 1954 in Poplar Bluff, Mo., to Virgil and Grace Smith. Both preceded her in death. She was a member of Ash Hill General Baptist Church, where she served as a trustee. She loved working in the church and enjoyed gardening and quilting. She retired as a correctional officer...

Simply put, the Poplar Bluff girls soccer team is not used to losing at home. It's happened just once in the Mules' last eight games there dating back to the middle of last season. So when they lost a pair of games in their week-long absence, the friendly confines of Whiteley Park never looked so good...

The Missouri State High School Activities Association approved new locations for both the football and basketball state championships Friday. The 2016 Show-Me Bowl will be played at Plaster Stadium at Missouri State University in Springfield, for Classes 1-6. The 2017 games will be played at Faurot Field at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo...

The Mules had their win streak snapped Friday night after extending it to seven games by escaping a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the top of the seventh. Kameron Misner made a diving catch then doubled off a runner at second base to end a 9-8 win over Nettleton (Ark.). Poplar Bluff then managed just one hit and struck out a season-high 11 times in a 2-1 loss to host Williard...

VAN BUREN -- Brandon Hampton and Kody Orchard combined on a no-hitter to highlight the end of a successful weekend for the East Carter baseball team. The Redbirds defeated Liberty-Mountain View 2-0 and followed with a 16-0 rout in five innings over Couch to sweep the Van Buren Wooden Bat Tournament Weekend...

Whatever good luck charms the Raiders have, they need to use them in the sixth inning Sunday. Crowder scored a combined 10 runs in the sixth inning and swept the Raiders 11-0 and 11-2 on Saturday at Roger Pattillo Field. Both games went seven innings...

A new wrinkle was added to one of the best girls basketball rivalries in the state Saturday. Not only will Naylor and Neelyville be playing for an Ozark Foothills Conference championship next winter, they'll likely be going head-to-head for a shot to advance in the state tournament...