Stories from Saturday, July 23, 2016

By TODD RICHARDSON EDITOR'S NOTE: Todd Richardson, Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives, is providing a daily report from the Republican National Convention. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Republican National Convention came to a close last night with a shower of confetti and balloons. Delegates and viewers around the country saw Donald Trump formally accept the nomination to be the Republican nominee for president of the United States of America...

By CHELSAE CORDIA Staff Writer NEELYVILLE, Mo. - Neelyville Board of Education members on Monday approved district-wide increases to breakfast and lunch prices for the 2017 school year. Previously free, breakfast will now cost 50 cents. Students on the reduced meal plan will be charged 30 cents, based on the state-minimum requirement...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer Poplar Bluff schools may hire an additional school resource officer (SRO) for the Middle School in the upcoming school year, pending the award of a federal grant. The U.S. Department of Justice would pay 75 percent of the police officer's $68,000 entry-level yearly salary for three years with a 25 percent match from the district. School board members did not vote on a hire during the Thursday monthly meeting, but did opt to begin seeking applicants...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer The last of Poplar Bluff, Missouri's brick and mortar book retailers and one of the few remaining movie rental storefronts will likely close by Oct. 31. Hastings' assets have been sold in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy auction and are expected to be liquidated through a series of store closing sales, according to documents filed Wednesday with a Delaware bankruptcy court...

Frances Alford Frances Alford, 87, of Poplar Bluff, died Tuesday, July 19, 2016 at Mark Twain Caring Center. Frances was born Jan. 15, 1929 in St. Louis, to the late Milton Philo Smith and Anna Marie Catarnichi Smith. She was married to James Raymond Alford. He preceded her in death...

By KRISTEN MScQUEARY Chicago Tribune via Tribune News Service Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker took to the podium in Cleveland on Wednesday night to support the candidacy of Donald Trump and reinforce the calculus that a vote for anyone else would be a vote for Hillary Clinton. ...

Louie G. Townsend PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Louis G. Townsend, 70, of Piedmont, died Wednesday, July 20, 2016 at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff. Memorial services will be held at 4 p.m., Sunday at the Morrison-Worley Chapel in Piedmont...

WASHINGTON -- Political conventions are echo chambers designed to generate feelings of invincibility, sending forth the party faithful with a spring in their steps and hope in their hearts. Who would want to be a wet blanket at such moveable feasts?...

Lura M. Montgomery Lura M. Montgomery, 93, of Poplar Bluff, died Friday July 22, 2016 at her residence. Arrangements are pending with Cotrell Funeral Service of Poplar Bluff.

By BRIDGET BROWN SEMO News Service CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo, -- Hundreds of plastic bottles are floating in the Mississippi River, traveling south toward the Gulf of Mexico. But this is not pollution, and the bottles are not trash. At least, not anymore...

Rickey Gene Emmons Rickey Gene Emmons, 61, of Poplar Bluff, passed away Tuesday, July 19, 2016 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. He was born March 10, 1955 to Ossie and Peggy (Hartwick) Emmons in Poplar Bluff. He graduated from Puxico High School in 1973. He married Sherry Nelson Aug. 22, 1974 in Fisk. Rick owned Swift Creek Residential Care in Poplar Bluff. He previously drove for Pierce Petroleum and raised cattle. Most of all he loved fishing with Ralph and Jake...

Frances Alford -- Poplar Bluff, Mo. Rickey Gene Emmons -- Poplar Bluff, Mo. Lura M. Montgomery -- Poplar Bluff, Mo. Lloyd Edwin Sullivan -- Fairdealing, Mo.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- Jackson police chief James Humphreys enjoyed getting to be a different kind of serious. Humphreys put on his game face a few times Thursday night while he served as the coach of the red team at the Cops and Hawks Bowl, a flag-football tournament combining local law enforcement and the Southeast Missouri State football team, but other than that, it was all fun while raising money for Backstoppers, an organization that provides assistance for families of fallen first responders.. ...

Three Rivers College has hired Greenville baseball coach Jeff Null to be its new softball coach. Null, who has a 112-25 record in three seasons at Greenville and also coaches the Wayne County Lumberjacks in the summer, takes over for Jack Childress after the college decided in June to not renew his contract...

HOLYOKE, Colo. -- Wayne County starter Blakeney Kearbey turned in his second dominant start in five days and Bryce Alcorn knocked in a pair of runs as the Lumberjacks opened pool play with a 2-1 victory over Lamar, Colorado at the Senior Babe Ruth Midwest Plains Regional on Wednesday...