Stories from Sunday, August 6, 2017

Police and sheriff department officials are asking local voters to approve a use tax measure Tuesday they say would provide much needed funding not only for general city and county operations, but also for law enforcement. The vote comes as Butler County Sheriff's Department already has begun layoffs in an attempt to balance a strained budget, according to county sheriff Mark Dobbs...

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- No evidence of foul play was found during a Friday autopsy of a Poplar Bluff, Mo., man authorities say drowned in Black River. The body of Thomas Mayabb, 41, was recovered from the river Wednesday afternoon at a location more than 6 miles from where he was last seen...

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- A Friday morning autopsy confirmed a Rombauer, Mo., man died from the gunshot allegedly fired by his older sister during an apparent argument at their shared home. During the autopsy at a Farmington hospital, Dr. Russell Deidiker found Michael Leslie, 47, died as the result of a gunshot wound to his abdomen, according to Butler County Coroner Andy Moore...

A rezoning matter that split both the Poplar Bluff City Council and planning and zoning commission faces a deciding vote Monday, after being rescheduled twice. Members of the Barbour family have asked that approximately 1.75 acres of property between Barron Road and Katy Lane be rezoned from residential to office professional...

PUXICO, Mo. -- If thoughts of goat burgers are tantalizing your taste buds, youngsters are begging to join in the turtle walk and frog jump or you want to visit with friends you haven't seen this year, you are probably planning to attend the 71st Annual V.F.W. Homecoming Tuesday - Saturday, Aug. 8-12, in Puxico,...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A Poplar Bluff, Mo., man preempted his upcoming trial by pleading guilty Friday morning in connection to a December 2015 hit-and-run accident that killed a local teenager, Heavenly Grace Hafford. Randel Craig Sparks, 43, pleaded guilty to the Class D felonies of leaving the scene of a motor-vehicle accident and tampering with physical evidence before Judge David Jones in Greene County after Butler County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Paul Oesterreicher filed an amended information with the court.. ...

PUXICO, Mo. -- Jerry Wayne Crisel, 75, of Puxico, son of the late Herbert Eugene and Roxie DeCelis Crisel, was born April 20, 1942, in St. Louis, Mo. and passed away Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017 at the St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was a life long resident of Puxico. He was self-empolyed in the trucking business and was a farmer. He was a member of the First Baptist Church, the Masonic Lodge #596 and had been a Puxico School Board Member for several years...

DEXTER -- Dexter football was always going to be better in 2017 than it was in 2016. Last season, the team was switching from a spread option offense to a power running offense under new coach Kevin Goltra. There were four seniors, and the offensive line was mostly underclassmen...

About the City of Poplar Bluff proposed Use Tax on the August Ballot Poplar Bluff and Butler County will decide whether to impose a local use tax on purchases made out of state. The state of Missouri as well as over 130 Missouri cities currently have a use tax in place. The statewide use tax is 4.225 percent the city's proposed tax is 2.25 Percent the same as the city's current sales tax...

Dimon Lee Sansoucie, 79, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., passed away Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017, in the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. He was born July 30, 1938, in Walnut Ridge, Ark., to the late Chris Sansoucie and Delta (Rennison) Sansoucie. He is survived by his fiance, Glenna Keown; his daughter, Diana Inman of Dexter, Mo.; one sister, Carolyn Deaton of Poplar Bluff; as well as four grandchildren, Jeremy, Sarah, Susan and Shannon; and three great-grandchildren, Amelia, Noah and Bailey...

I have always been a strong supporter and contributor to the important needs of Poplar Bluff. The Tuesday, Aug. 8 use tax vote needs the support of all of us in the city and county. It is not a local tax increase, it is a use tax charged by corporations on online purchases. ...

DEXTER, Mo. -- Norman B. Harty, son of the late Walter and Nellie Harty, was born in Puxico, Mo., and died at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo., on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017, at the age of 81. A well known local businessman, Mr. Harty owned N.B. Harty Contractors and a total of 10 branches of First Commercial Bank across southeast Missouri. Through his contracting industry, he conducted business on an international scale...

MAYFIELD, Ky.-- Verba Lurleen Perry Gross, 94, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., formerly of Graves County, passed away Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017, at Cedargate Healthcare in Poplar Bluff, Mo. She was a member of Qulin Baptist Church, a former member of Cuba Baptist Church and a retired employee of Missouri Baptist Hospital...

This is just a note to let you know what the Use Tax would do for Butler County. It would generate approximately $350,000 a year that can be used in various areas such as the Sheriff's Department, Road and Bridge, salaries, grounds and maintenance just to name a few. Butler County faces the loss of sales tax due to out-of-state Internet sales which are growing every day. Butler County would be entitled to receive our share but only through the voters of this county...

FISK, Mo. -- Michael Franklin Leslie, 47, of Rombauer, Mo., died Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2017. Mr. Leslie was born Sept. 21, 1969 in Belleville, Ill. He was a member of the Rombauer General Baptist Church. He is survived by one brother: William Leslie and one sister: Judith Kimbrell, both of Rombauer; and five nieces and nephews...

YPSILANTI, Mich. -- Poplar Bluff's Logan Bell placed fourth in the 17-18 age division javelin at the AAU Junior Olympics on Friday. Bell threw 166-feet, 8-inches to earn a medal at Eastern Michigan University's Rynearson Stadium. Chandler Ault of Midland, Mich. ...

RaShawn McCain is back on the football field with his teammates for the first time in over a year and the Poplar Bluff senior may be better for it. "Hopefully," McCain said, "We'll see this fall." McCain, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, watched as the Mules won eight games for a second straight season. He wasn't alone on the sideline...

MALDEN -- There's a new man in charge at The Swamp but not much has changed. For the first time in 13 seasons, Kevin Collier conducted his first official week of preseason practice at the program's helm. Collier, who has been the Green Wave's defensive coordinator since stepping down as head coach in 20004, moved into his old role with a sense of comfort...

Tom and Eileen Melton of Doniphan will celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary Sunday, Aug. 13. They were married by Rev. Gubi at Rochester, Ind. in 1952 and traveled the world for a few years but have made their home in Ripley County for the past 40 years...

Poplar Bluff city and county voters have an important decision to make on the August 8th ballot. Voters must decide in the city and county on whether or not online retail purchases should be taxed at the same rate they would pay if the purchases were made locally...

Reba Johnson, who divides her time between Poplar Bluff, Mo., and Lexington Ky., became a Facebook friend of Stevie Ogutu, of Kisumu, Kenya, never dreaming it might take her halfway around the world. A licensed associate minister at the True Believer Church, Reba followed Ogutu's postings of inspiration, motivation and compassion for others." When Reba asked if women were embraced by this ministry, Ogutu explained women were an integral part of their worship services and they were also embraced as ministers and pastors. ...

By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN Saturday, Kim Jong Un tested an ICBM of sufficient range to hit the U.S. mainland. He is now working on its accuracy, and a nuclear warhead small enough to fit atop that missile that can survive re-entry. Unless we believe Kim is a suicidal madman, his goal seems clear. He wants what every nuclear power wants -- the ability to strike his enemy's homeland with horrific impact, in order to deter that enemy...

MALDEN, Mo. - Alene Moore, 94 of Jonesboro, Ark., formerly of Malden, died Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017 at St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro. Visitation will be from 1 - 2 P.M., Saturday, Aug. 5, 2017 at the Landess Funeral Home in Malden. Funeral service will follow at 2 p.m. at the funeral chapel with Rev. Keith Luke and Rev. Floyd Pyle officiating. Burial will be in the Stevens Cemetery in Malden...