Stories from Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Construction started last week on repairs to the home of Wilbur and Anna Schmit. Approximately $40,000 in donations were raised by community members and from the charity Purple Heart Homes to help the World War II veteran and his wife, following May storm damage...

"It was a sad sight to see," Bishop Ron Webb of Mt. Calvary Powerhouse Church said describing the scene in Houston, Texas, last week after Hurricane Harvey left its mark. "People were weeping and crying because they had nothing left." While filming at The Jim Bakker show in Branson, Mo., Webb was asked to accompany a team from the show to Houston...

Day use areas and a new overlook at Greenville Recreation Area are expected to be open by Saturday morning, just in time for an annual celebration of local heritage. The 26th Old Greenville Days will be held Saturday and Sunday featuring craft booths, entertainment, a living history encampment and children's activities...

MACO Management Corp., home office in Clarkton, Mo., named Carolyn Watson of Piedmont 'Property Manager of The Year' at its annual meeting. MACO Management, which manages rental properties in six states, held its annual meeting with management personnel at the Black River Coliseum...

River Mist has received the Excellence in Action award from NRC Health, which recognizes assisted living communities that achieve the highest overall resident satisfaction scores nationally. NRC is the largest source of senior-living satisfaction metrics in the United States. River Mist is an Americare Senior Living community in Poplar Bluff...

By STEPHEN MOORE Has anyone noticed -- through the fog of Russia, James Comey, Charlottesville and now two monster hurricanes -- that the U.S. economy is booming faster than it has since the late Clinton years? It is undeniable. In the last year of the Obama administration, the economy was decelerating, with a dismal 1.6 percent growth rate. ...

By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN Recently, a columnist-friend, Matt Kenney, sent me a 25-year-old newspaper with his chiding that my column had been given better play. Both had run in The Orange County Register on June 30, 1991. "Is there no room for new nations in the New World Order?" was my title, and the column began:...

MALDEN, Mo. -- Eugene James "Gene" Parker, 89, of Malden died Monday, Sept. 11, 2017, in Malden. A visitation will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017, at Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden. Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017 in the chapel with Brother Jerald Burger and Brother Richie Parker officiating. Burial will be in Rosewood Cemetery in Malden...

Over the past month, farmers across southeast and south central Missouri have let me into their day to day lives, opening up their homes - and their barns - sharing the issues they struggle with and talking about what I can do to help. During last year's focus on farms, the biggest concern I heard about was government overreach and regulations. ...

WAPPAPELLO, Mo. -- Barbara A. Lawrence, 75, of Wappapello, Mo., passed away Monday, Sept. 11, 2017 at her residence. Barbara, the daughter of the late Marshall and Mavis (Brawley) Bryant, was born Nov. 14, 1941 in Morehouse, Mo. Barbara was of the Protestant faith and was a retired registered nurse. She was dedicated to her family and her job of taking care of babies. In earlier years she enjoyed cooking, camping and being outdoors...

Jordyn Caldwell provided the first of five two-out hits, breaking a scoreless tie in the fourth inning Tuesday, after Shelby Sievers and the Mules wiggled out of a bases-loaded jam. Jackson couldn't get the final out of the fourth until Poplar Bluff plated its first four runs of an 11-3 win at Bobby Strenfel Field...

Joyce W. Schoonover, 81, of Poplar Bluff passed away Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center Mrs. Schoonover was born Jan. 7, 1936 in Quinton, Okla. to the late Frank and Beulah Morris. She is survived by children: David Trail, John Trail, James Trail, Jane Smith, and Acie Trail; sisters: Berthie Thomas, Florie McLeland; brother, Anthony Morris; and several grand and great-grandchildren...

NEELYVILLE, Mo. -- Deborah Joan Donley Putman, 54, of Cape Girardeau, Mo., died Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017 at St. Francis Hospital. No services have been scheduled. Fowler Sullivan Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Patients emerging from cancer surgery want to know, "Did you get it all?" Now scientists are developing a pen-like probe to help surgeons better tell when it's safe to stop cutting or if stray tumor cells still lurk. The device is highly experimental, but laboratory tests show it uses molecular fingerprints to distinguish between cancerous cells and healthy ones far faster than today's technology, Texas researchers reported Wednesday...

By TYLER GRAEF SEMO News Service Tremors are common in Arriaga, Mexico. Ron Mouser lives there with his wife Ivonne and their five young children. It's in Chiapas, the southernmost -- and poorest -- Mexican state, near the Guatemalan border and about a half-hour from the ocean...

JACKSON, Mo. -- The past week has been a bit of an adventure for the Jackson boys soccer team, as it twice had to erase multi-goal deficits in order to remain unbeaten on the season. On Tuesday, the Indians made sure a slow start was never an issue...

BERNIE -- Wyatt Moon opened play by blasting a home run through the dying winds of Hurricane Irma, blowing in from left field, to give Neelyville a two-run lead in the top of the first inning. However, 14 of the next 15 Tigers were retired as Bernie pulled away to win 10-3 on Tuesday...

PIEDMONT -- When the Clearwater volleyball team couldn't shake visiting Doniphan early in the second game Tuesday night, never leading by more than a point, all it needed was faith. Clearwater junior Faith Hoppe's serve found the back corner of the court just inside the line, sparking a 5-1 run that allowed the Tigers to take control. Clearwater served up four more aces in the opening set to cruise past the visiting Donettes 25-12, 25-16...

Poplar Bluff built a 20-17 lead in both games Tuesday night only to see Notre Dame serve up a come-from-behind sweep. Alexa Clark's serve clipped the net and fell in to break a 23-all tie in the first game, while her serve helped the Bulldogs rally in the second for a 25-23, 25-23 win over the Mules in a SEMO Conference match at the Senior High Gym...

BERNIE -- Bernie coach Jason Long was getting the effort he needed from the Mules, but he wasn't getting the intelligence he needed. "We played hard the first set, we realized that we needed to make a few adjustments. We needed to play smarter," Long said. "We've been struggling. Part of the reason we have been struggling is we haven't been playing smart."...

CLEARWATER -- Fynnegan Cooper blasted a home run and Trey Rivas tripled as the Clearwater baseball team beat Lesterville 13-2 in five innings Tuesday. Cooper was 2 for 3 with four RBIs and run scored. Jackson Eaton drove in three runs, Jesse Holmes knocked in five and five other players recorded a hit for Clearwater (7-1), which finished with seven...

Jackson School District assistant superintendent Matt Lacy recommended to the board of education Tuesday to pay to allow each enrolled junior at Jackson High School the opportunity to take the ACT once. At the regular school board meeting Tuesday, Lacy requested $18,000 to cover the cost of assessment, which he said would be $45 per student...

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) -- ESPN distanced itself from anchor Jemele Hill's tweets one day after she called President Donald Trump "a white supremacist" and "a bigot." "The comments on Twitter from Jemele Hill regarding the president do not represent the position of ESPN," the network tweeted Tuesday from its public relations department's account. "We have addressed this with Jemele and she recognizes her actions were inappropriate."...

What prosecutor would give away their entire case? Answer: Ian Page. And, as a result, Ben Ressel walked away from court Monday acquitted of leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident without so much as one witness being called. As most readers know, Ressel, a well-known Poplar Bluff businessman, was indicted by a grand jury for leaving the scene in the death of local teenager Heavenly Hafford. ...