Stories from Friday, January 27, 2017

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer The Poplar Bluff Head Start will be able to more than triple the number of children receiving full-day services through nearly $2 million in federal money to construct a new building and expand programs. The new facility is expected to open by January 2018 on Herschel Bess Boulevard, said Ann Smith, executive director of the South Central Missouri Community Action Agency. ...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Construction crews poured the 64,000-square-foot foundation for a new Academy Sport building Wednesday as they work toward an opening date at the end of June, according to city officials. Nearly 1,200 cubic yards of concrete was expected to be poured before work finished Wednesday night...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer Aaron Likens, autism ambassador for Easter Seals Midwest, spoke to a group of Poplar Bluff Junior High students on Wednesday, telling his story of growing up with Asperger's syndrome in an effort to raise awareness of the disorder...

By MARK BLISS SEMO News Service U.S. Rep. Jason Smith voiced support Wednesday for Donald Trump's executive actions, contending the new president "has done more to help working-class Americans" in his first several days in office than his predecessor did in eight years...

By CHELSAE CORDIA Staff Writer After nothing further came from 22-year-old Rikki Jane Earley's 2013 St. Louis audition for NBC's The Voice, or her 2014 Cleveland audition, in which she advanced to the second round, the Poplar Bluff High School graduate took a year off to hone her skill a little bit more before trying again...

By CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER WASHINGTON -- Barack Obama did not go out quietly. His unquiet final acts were, in part, overshadowed by a successor who refused to come in quietly and, in part, by Obama's own endless, sentimental farewell tour. But there was nothing nostalgic or sentimental about Obama's last acts. Two of them were simply shocking...

On Wednesday the Missouri Realtors made their way to the Capitol. It was great to see Lucy Wheeler, Lori Dunlap, Traci Barbour and Kurt Knodell all of Poplar Bluff. Missouri Society of Accountants had their annual lobby day this week and my good friends Jay Decker and Mark Eads stopped by to see me...

Post Office needs a local box I was wondering why the Poplar Bluff Post Office doesn't have a "LOCAL" box where you could drop. It seems to be a few years ago they did have one. I understand now mail dropped at the Poplar Bluff Post Office goes to St. Louis even if you're mailing letters to someone in Poplar Bluff it goes all the way to St. Louis. That's the way I understand it. I'm just curious as to why that is. Thank you very much...

By GEORGE F. WILL WASHINGTON -- Many Americans are more thoughtful when choosing appliances than when choosing presidents, but the baseball writers whose ballots decide who is "enshrined" -- more about that verb anon -- in Cooperstown's Hall of Fame are mostly conscientious voters struggling to unravel a knotty puzzle: How to treat retired players who are known or suspected to have used performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) while compiling gaudy numbers?...

JONESBORO,Ark. -- Arkansas State University has released the list of students who were awarded diplomas on the undergraduate and graduate levels during the 2016 fall commencement ceremony Dec. 10 in the Convocation Center. Area students include: Missouri:...

Twin Rivers High School's second quarter honor roll includes: Honor Roll Seniors: Hunter Bagwell, Halie Brown, Christopher Deken, Casey Doser, Kathryn Gehrke, Jonathan Ham, Jeren Hicks, Dalton Hunt, Emily Knoppe, Steven Lane, Hannah Lewis, Kylee Lewis, Erica Love, Holden Morse, Sarah Norden, Serenity Oetjen, Taylor Rice, Alyssa Riley, Jo Schalk, Kassidy Sentell, Tanner Watson, Chance Wilkerson, Destiny Willeford, Kelly Williamson...

By FRANK CAMPA Mo. Dept. of Conservation For those specifically interested in waterfowl hunting in southeast Missouri and even the general public, duck season is now closed statewide. The South Zone closed on Sunday. However, the hunting season for all geese (Canada, brant, white-fronted, snow geese and Ross' geese) remains in through Feb. 6...

Do you love archery, muzzleloading, shotguns, pistols or rifles and working with youth? If so, 4-H is the place for you. 4-H is looking for volunteers to expand our shooting sports project in the Butler County area. This would consist of meeting with youth at least once a month for a minimum of one hour each month...

Ellsinore Valentine pageant Ellsinore Youth Center Valentine's Day Pageant will be held at 3 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 11. The entry fee is $25. Peoples' Choice Votes are one dollar per vote and may be collected before pageant day by businesses, family, friends, etc. Dance to follow!...

The Agee Community Ladies met Friday, Jan. 20, at Ryan's Steakhouse for their January meeting. President Cathy Womack chaired the meeting, which opened with the club motto. Nickey Orton offered an invocation before lunch. Roll was answered with: What we want to have this new year. Devotion by Orton was reading, "Starting New" from "Seeds of the Sowers" from the Piggott Times Democrat...

Twin Rivers High School second quarter merit roll includes: Seniors: Mikayla Birchfield, MacKayla Brown, Lane Chaffin, Julienne Davidson, Lee Decourley, David Deken, Maleena Deken, Anabel Doser, Mikaela Dunahoo, Jonah Elkins, Davin Fugate, Collin Garrette, Christopher Hackle-Cade, Samantha Hager, Nicholas Hill, Abigail Isaacson, Nicholas Jackson, Danielle Johnson, Emily Joiner, Sheree Jones, Savanna Jordon, Colton Knight, Jasmine Landers, Skyler Lashley, Jack LeGrand, Alana Madden, Mark McIntosh, Alyson Metz, Jacob Mitchell, Alesha Mize, Alyssa Montague, Lance Mosier, Sara Owen, Robert Pennell, Heather Riebeling, Brittany Ritchie, David Smith, Baylen Teague, Remington Trout, Michael Valenzuela. ...

By MATT COFFEY Ducks Unlimited MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Sunday, Jan. 29, marks Ducks Unlimited's (DU's) 80th anniversary. Started by a small group of sportsmen on a mission to save North America's waterfowl populations - and the continent's strong waterfowling traditions - DU was founded in 1937 during the Great Depression and one of the worst droughts in history, far from ideal circumstances for an organization in its infancy...

By PAUL DAVIS Outdoors Editor Unless you're an avid small-game or snow goose hunter or crappie angler, things are about to get pretty slow around here. Yeah, cabin fever, the winter doldrums ... whatever you want to call it, it's here. All of Missouri's deer and duck seasons have closed, leaving only rabbits, squirrels and predators as legal game, plus snow geese in the upcoming conservation order. Likewise, Arkansas' duck season closes Sunday, so that option almost is gone as well...

Justas Furmanavicius was always the energy guy in his two years at Three Rivers College. In his first season at Ole Miss, the Lithuanian native got the Rebels' final rebound and made a pair of free throws to seal a win over Missouri on Saturday. Furmanavicius had seven points and two rebounds in the 75-71 road win...

Less than two weeks remain before the start of the Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament and nothing is set in stone. It's crunch time for most teams and a chance to gain ground or solidify a spot before the 14 teams tip off on Feb. 4 at Doniphan. For three teams on the boys side, one game could determine who grabs the coveted top seed and where the rest fall by the time seeding takes place on Wednesday...

Alexis Reyes has been playing soccer since he was 5-years old. Trevor Fredwell didn't play until his freshman year at Poplar Bluff High School. The pair recently committed to play next fall at St. Louis Community College. "It's an honor to have Alexis and Trevor to play together," Mules coach Steven Edwards said. "They're going to a nationally-ranked community college in St. Louis, the hub of soccer. There's a lot of exposure for them."...

Lois Arlene Perryman NEELYVILLE, Mo. - Lois Arlene Perryman, 77, of Ellsinore, passed away Monday, Jan. 23, 2017 in Poplar Bluff. She was born April 24, 1939 in Port Angeles, Wash. She was a member of Walton Chapel Church and had worked at the Boy's and Girl's Club as a cook. She enjoyed puzzles, reading, working in her flowers and she loved hummingbirds...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - State Rep. Tila Hubrecht will play a vital role in ensuring accountability and transparency for federal funds coming into Missouri. Hubrecht was selected by Policy Development Caucus Chairman Jeff Messenger to serve as a member of the Subcommittee on Government Oversight - Mental Health and Social Services...

Frances Hamilton Frances Hamilton, 83, of Poplar Bluff, died Wed., Jan. 25, 2017 at Oakdale Care Center in Poplar Bluff. Visitation will be at 11 a.m., Monday, Jan. 30 at the Fowler-Sullivan Funeral Home in Poplar Bluff with the funeral following at noon. A complete obituary will appear in Sunday's edition...

Gale Rose Colter Gail Rose Colter, 68, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., passed away Monday, January 23, 2017 in the arms of her daughters, Karman Rose Lucas and Joann Larra Brand at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Gail was born May 18, 1948 in Billings, Montana to Thomas F. Levan and Dorothy J. (VanHoosier) Levan, who preceded her in death in 2009...

Joyce Jean Livesay Joyce Jean Livesay, 80, of Poplar Bluff, died Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017 at Westwood Hills Healthcare Center. Services are pending with Cotrell Funeral Service of Poplar Bluff.