Stories from Wednesday, January 11, 2017

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer A proposal to construct 48 low income housing units on Poplar Bluff's north end continues to face an uphill battle, following a nearly two-hour Planning and Zoning Commission meeting Tuesday. The commission has been tasked with deciding if it is appropriate to change the zoning on a vacant lot at the end of Eugene Boulevard, a dead end road, from commercial to multi-family residential...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor JACKSON, Mo. -- Jury selection began this morning in Cape Girardeau County in the trial of a Doniphan, Mo., man accused of shooting another man to death in an apparent dispute over prison happenings. About 70 Cape Girardeau County residents were to report to the courthouse at 8:30 a.m. to begin the selection process in the trial of Michael L. Futrell, according to Circuit Clerk Patti Wibbenmeyer...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- A former Republican candidate for Ripley County sheriff is free on bond after being indicted federally on multiple felonies, including Social Security fraud. Bryan L. Hart of Doniphan, Mo., made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Abbie Crites-Leoni on Dec. 20, according to court records...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor Authorities say a Poplar Bluff, Mo., man died of hypothermia Saturday after he apparently slid into the Black River while walking along its steep bank. Joshua R. Sutherland was found by passersby in a ditch about 15 feet from the river after he apparently crawled up the bank to get out of the water. He later died at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center...

"I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God." That is the oath I stood, raised my right hand and swore to uphold before God and the American people this Tuesday as the 115th Congress convened.. ...

By STEPHEN MOORE The day after the presidential elections, Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club, glumly called the Donald Trump victory "devastating for our climate and our future." Well, yes, if you're a climate-change alarmist who hates fossil fuels, you're in for a bad four and maybe eight years...

By LINDA CHAVEZ Shortly after Benjamin Netanyahu won his bid for re-election as prime minister of Israel in March 2015, I wrote a column describing President Barack Obama as being "on track to go down as more hostile toward Israel than any president in the past 68 years." I warned that President Obama was so anti-Netanyahu that administration officials were signaling the president might change U.S. ...

Thomas James Maxwell, Sr. Neelyville, Mo. ---- Thomas James Maxwell Sr., 77, of Neelyville, passed away Friday, Jan. 6, 2017 at his home. Mr. Maxwell was born July 7, 1939 in Braggadocio, Mo. He worked as a header operator and enjoyed gardening, NASCAR, St. Louis Cardinals baseball, fishing, hunting and his grandchildren...

Robert Lee Bullock KENNETT, Mo. - Robert Lee Bullock, son of the late Elmer and Mary (Cochran) Bullock, was born September 25, 1911 in Hickory Plain, Arkansas and departed this life January 7, 2017 at the age of 105 years. He was preceded in death by three wives: Nettie Beatrice, Alma Potts and Aleene Sells...

Pike Creek Sewer District will meet at 6 p.m. today at the district office, 4878 Highway PP. Items on the agenda include a system performance report, financial report and an phase 4 engineering report. A closed session is also planned.

MARQUAND, Mo. -- Nearly every player on the bench got some playing time and scored as the Greenville Bears crushed winless Marquand-Zion 73-42 for their third win in a row Monday night. Tye Huff scored 15 points leading a group of three players in double figures. Trey McDaniel added 12 points and Lane McDaniel scored 11...

BROSELEY -- Twin Rivers wasn't going to let it happen again. In five of their eight losses this season, the Lady Royals have let leads slip away while failing to compete for a full 24 minutes. Less than two days after falling to Oran under the same circumstances, Twin Rivers faced a stiff challenge from Poplar Bluff -- a team the Lady Royals haven't beaten much...

R-1 schools closed Jan. 16-17 Poplar Bluff Public Schools will be closed Monday, Jan. 16, for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Tuesday, Jan. 17, for teacher collaboration day. Classes will resume Wednesday, Jan. 18.

Vesta Stevens VAN BUREN, Mo. -- Vesta Pearl Stevens, 92, of Van Buren, died Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017 at the Riverways Manor in Van Buren. Visitation will begin for the public at 6 p.m., Tuesday, at the McSpadden Funeral Home in Van Buren with the funeral services being held at 1 p.m., Wednesday, in the Funeral Home Chapel. Rev. Don Foerster and Rev. David Russell will be officiating. Burial will be in Big Barren Cemetery in Ripley County...

Zachary Lee Brittain DONIPHAN, Mo. -- Zachary Lee Brittain, 17, of Doniphan, departed this life Monday, Jan. 9, 2017, in Ripley County. Zachary was born Nov. 19, 1999 in Poplar Bluff. he was a student at Couch High School and loved video games, swimming, going to Rocky Falls, music, and driving around in his car...

By MIKE MCCOY SEMO News Service The Stoddard County Ambulance District (SCAD) Board of Director approved a 2017 budget showing revenues of $3,258,100 and expenditures of $2,926,449 at its regular meeting last week. The board also amended the 2016 budget prior to the end of the year...

By MIKE MCCOY SEMO News Service BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- The opening of a replacement bridge on County Road 354 in Pike Township created considerable discussion between Stoddard County Commissioners, two Pike Township board members and an engineer with Smith & Company. The discussion closed with Engineer Jeremy Manning saying the contractor, Keith Simpson Contracting, would fix a problem with the approach to the bridge at no cost to the county...

Students looking to start classes at Three Rivers College still have time left to enroll in Spring semester classes before the Jan. 13 registration deadline, according to officials at the college. Online and on-site registration will close at end of day Jan. 13 at the Poplar Bluff campus, as well as the locations in Sikeston, Dexter, Kennett, Malden, and Cape Girardeau. The Spring semester starts on Tuesday, Jan. 17...

By MIKE MCCOY SEMO News Service BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- The Stoddard County Commission approved several amendments to the 2016 budget in a special meeting last week. It was the last meeting for District 1 Commissioner Danny Talkington, who was defeated by Steve Jordan in the Primary Election...

Shirley M. Nelson FISK, Mo. -- Shirley M. Nelson, 87, of Fisk, died Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017 at Westwood Hills Health Care Center, in Poplar Bluff. Mrs. Nelson was born Sunday, Dec. 8, 1929 in, Michigan to the late Ira and Marie Vinson. She was a member of Twin Rivers General Baptist Church at Fisk. She loved her birds and her gardening...

Robert Anderson Robert Anderson, 81, of Poplar Bluff, died Monday, Jan. 9, 2017, at The Cedargate in Poplar Bluff. Arrangements are pending with Fowler-Sullivan Funeral Home in Poplar Bluff.

Cecil E. Gould GREENVILLE, Mo. -- Cecil E. Gould, 64, of Wappapello, died Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017, at his residence in Wappapello. Visitation will be held from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m., Friday, at Ruegg Funeral Home, Greenville. Funeral Services will be held at 1 p.m., Friday, at Ruegg Funeral Home, Greenville...

Claude A. Miller, Jr. MALDEN, Mo. -- Claude A. Miller, Jr., 82, of Knoxville, Tenn., formerly of Malden, died Friday, Jan. 6, 2017, at Park West Hospital in Knoxville. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. - noon, Wednesday at the Landess Funeral Chapel in Malden. Funeral services will follow at 1 p.m., Wednesday at the Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield with Pastor Steve McCullar officiating. Burial will be in the Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield...

Dena Willis FISK, Mo. -- Dena Willis, 63, passed away at her home in Poplar Bluff, Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017. She was born Nov. 28, 1953, in Corpus Christi, Texas, to Clarence and Pearl Willis. Dena grew up in Mississippi and Missouri and graduated from Poplar Bluff Senior High School. ...

Jim Spain Jim Spain, 82, of Poplar Bluff, passed away Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017 at his residence. He was born Dec. 15, 1934 to Earl and Wilma (Waters) Spain in Clarksville, Texas. Jim graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in 1955, where he lettered in track two years. ...

Kathy Griffin Kathy Griffin, 71, of Poplar Bluff, died Monday, Jan. 9, 2017 at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff. Arrangements are pending with Fowler-Sullivan Funeral Home in Poplar Bluff.

Dana Mechelle Lepold-Beckwith NEELYVILLE, Mo. -- Dana Mechelle Lepold-Beckwith, 48, of Naylor passed away peacefully Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017, following a courageous 19-year battle with cancer. Her final victory was won surrounded by those she lived for...

By JOSH MILOT SEMO News Service DELTA, Mo. -- Maybe Sam Sides' halftime speech was just much better than his pregame pep talk. Maybe his Saxony Lutheran girls basketball team just needed a little wakeup call. Whatever the case, the Crusaders took a much-needed leap forward in the second half, as second-seeded Saxony put a sloppy start behind it and opened the third quarter on an 11-0 run that took control of the game and pushed it past No. ...

By PAUL DAVIS Outdoors Editor PUXICO, Mo. -- The Missouri Department of Conservation, in its efforts to recruit more people into the outdoors, will once again host a women's rabbit hunting with beagles clinic in February. The Discover Nature Rabbit Hunting Clinic, designed for those women with little or no hunting experience, will be held Feb. 11 at the Duck Creek Conservation Area...

By BRIAN ROSENER Sports Editor Leon Cookson, a member of the undefeated state championship Puxico basketball team and longtime coach and teacher, died Friday, Jan. 6, 2017. He was 84. Cookson taught high school history for 38 years, the first nine at Scott City were he also coached basketball and won the school's first district title in 1964. He later taught and coached at Fox High School in Arnold...

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Army Corps of Engineers will host Eagle Days, Feb. 4, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Eagle Days event includes live eagle presentations at Mingo National Wildlife Refuge every hour and wild eagle viewing locations at Mingo, Duck Creek CA and Wappapello Lake...

Students at the Puxico Junior High School earning places on the second quarter honor roll include: Eighth Grade Highest Honors: Blake Aikey, Kendall Armstrong, Morghan Armstrong, Gavin Brawley, Katlyn Brotherton, Jeffrey Clark, Nolan Foster, Taylor Hobbs, Dylan Mondy, Caleb Robison, Jonna Vaughn and Gracey Wilkerson...

Melvin Dildine PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Melvin Curtis Dildine, 80, of Patterson died Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Visitation will be held from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., Thursday, at Ruegg Funeral Home, Piedmont. Services will follow at 1 p.m., also at the chapel. Burial will be at Wesley-Dixon Cemetery near Hiram...

Melba Sherfield DEXTER, Mo. -- Melba J. Sherfield, 95, of Dexter, died Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017, at Cypress Point Skilled Nursing Center in Dexter. Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m, Tuesday, at the Hagy Cemetery in Dexter with Rev. Roy Sherfield officiating with Watkins & Sons Funeral Service of Dexter in charge of arrangements...

Charles Dewayne Brooks Charles Dewayne Brooks, 36, of Poplar Bluff, died Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017, at his home. Arrangements are pending with Fowler-Sullivan Funeral Home in Poplar Bluff.

Cecil E. Gould GREENVILLE, Mo. - Cecil E. Gould, 64, of Wappapello, Mo., died Sat., Jan. 7, 2017 at his residence. Arrangements are pending with Ruegg Funeral Home, Greenville, Mo. Online condolences may be made at www.rueggfuneralhomes.com

MaryLou Dinkins, 79, of Wappapello passed away Jan. 1, 2017 at her home after a lenghty battle with cancer. A visitations was held Jan. 6, 2017 at the Cotrell Funeral Chapel in Wappapello. A private graveside service will be held at a later date in the Dinkins Family Cemetery in Wappapello...

Gregory Alan Korrison, 51, of Wappapello lost his fight with cancer Dec. 22, 2016 in St. Louis. A celebration of Greg's life will held at a later date. Memorial donations may be made to American Cancer Society-Hope Lodge St. Louis, 4215 Lindell Blvd., St, Louis, MO 63108...

Harrison Charles Surber, 73, of Little Rock, Ark. passed away Dec. 28, 2016. Services were held Jan. 11, 2017 at the Trinity Assembly of God and was officiated by Dwayne Maynard and Tony Jones. Little Rock Funeral Home in charge of arrangements. Online condolences to the family may be made at: www.littlerockfuneralhome.com...

PUXICO, Mo. -- Dwight Leon Cookson, 84, of Puxico, son of the late James Otto and Beulah Kaiffer Cookson, was born in Puxico, Nov. 1, 1932, and passed away at Advance Assisted Living in Advance, Friday, Jan. 6, 2017. Mr. Cookson had lived in the Puxico area most of his life. ...

As we begin a new year, I hope it is with deep gratitude to God, not only for the blessings of the past year but for the hope of new opportunities in which we may accomplish his purposes for us. It is so easy to get caught in a web of activities pertaining to our personal desires that we neglect the spiritual aspect of our lives...