Stories from Friday, December 15, 2017

A Cape Girardeau lawyer, who serves on the Missouri Supreme Court's Commission on Racial and Ethnic Fairness, will hear the public's concerns and thoughts Saturday about the state's juvenile-justice system. Jacob Zimmerman said the public forum will be from 10 a.m. to noon at St. James AME Church at 516 North St., in Cape Girardeau. Zimmerman said all public testimony will be recorded...

By JOHN R. STANARD Oak Grove Elementary School has a new "oak grove." Representatives of the Poplar Bluff City Tree Advisory Board recently planted seven willow oak trees that eventually will provide shade for the playground at Oak Grove Elementary School...

The Neelyville R-IV Board of Education was presented with the findings of the 2016-17 audit report during its monthly meeting Thursday, where "nothing major was found," Superintendent Brad Hagood said. The audit, completed by Dwayne Clark of Hayti, Mo., had two findings which Hagood said are common for the district...

For many people, Christmas is a bittersweet time of the year. A time for remembering both persons and events which have been important in their lives. Life offers changes; many are sad and challenging. This is the time of the year with the longest night. Lake Wappapello UMC offers a quiet, meditative worship service which allows time for reflection, a space to be open to God and to be still in preparation for the coming of Jesus...

By STEPHEN MOORE The Senate-passed tax bill is a policy triumph that will provide a shot of performance-enhancing drugs to the veins of the economy. It's not perfect, but with the combined effect of cutting business tax rates, eliminating the state and local tax deduction and repealing the Obamacare individual mandate tax, we are at the precipice of the biggest conservative policy victory since the Reagan years...

A tyke's newest toy: Facebook Milestones when your child reaches age 6: Her first baby tooth comes out. He wobbles through his first bike ride. She can count to 100, and his vocabulary tops 5,000 words. Now there's a new rite of passage _ that first Facebook chat...

PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Joan Marie Thompson, 83, of Pleasant Prairie, Wis. died Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017 at Hospice House in Pleasant Prairie. Visitation will be held from 10 a.m. - noon Saturday, Dec. 16, at Ruegg Funeral Home in Piedmont. Funeral services will begin at noon also at the Piedmont Chapel. Burial will immediately follow at Masonic Cemetery in Piedmont...

By MONA CHAREN Republican politics was starting to feel like a version of Mel Brooks' "The Producers." In the play, two scammers devise a tax write-off scheme in which they will make a killing by losing money on a Broadway show. They reach for the most grotesque, tasteless musical the human mind can conceive -- "Springtime for Hitler" -- and are undone when it's a surprise hit...

GREENVILLE, Mo. -- Edward "Ed" Lee Hodge, 64, of Greenville, Mo. formerly of Piedmont, Mo., died Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017 at his residence. Visitation will be held from 5-8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 16, at Ruegg Funeral Home, Piedmont. Services will begin at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17, also at the chapel. Burial will be at Masonic Cemetery, Piedmont...

Rosemary McBride, 78, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Monday, Dec. 11, 2017, at The Manor. A memorial visitation will begin at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17, at Fowler-Sullivan Funeral Home in Poplar Bluff. The memorial service will follow at 3 p.m. at the funeral home. Fowler-Sullivan Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements...

CAMPBELL, Mo. -- Nettie Suzanne Kerperien, 95, of Glennonville, Mo., died Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017 at the General Baptist Nursing Home in Campbell. Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m., Friday, Dec. 15, at the Landess Funeral Home in Campbell with Rosary at 7 p.m. Funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 16, at St. Teresa Catholic Church in Glennonville with Father William Hennecke officiating. Burial will follow at St. Teresa Cemetery in Glennonville...

To the Editor, The lovely holiday season will soon be here. Will be so sad for so many people. Because of some very sick person on a shooting spree. I agree with what I think Pres. Trump said, "It is not a gun problem, it is a mental health problem."...

Hershel Hager Sr., 93, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017. Arrangements are pending with Fowler-Sullivan Funeral Home in Poplar Bluff.

Cora Claudine Sharp Jett and her identical twin were born Dec. 7, 1917, in Marston, Mo., and grew up in New Madrid, Mo. The twins participated in sports throughout their school years, playing basketball, tennis, and running track. Their favorite activity, however, was dancing. If music was playing, they were dancing. Cora continued to love dancing throughout her life...

The Three Rivers men's basketball team has to vacate three wins from earlier this season after using an ineligible player. It is the first time in school history that the men's basketball team will vacate a win. The Raiders self-reported the violation for games against Southwestern Illinois College, Hocking College and Lang Prep...

Alice Brown, 90, of Poplar Bluff, died Wednesday, December 13, 2017 at her residence in Poplar Bluff. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, December 20, 2017 from 2 - 3 p.m. at Moore Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff. Funeral services will be immediately following visitation at 3 p.m. in the Moore Funeral Service Chapel...

Annunda "Ann" Sutton, formerly of Piedmont, died at Friendswood, Texas Thursday, December 14, 2017. Services are pending with Ruegg Funeral Home, Piedmont, MO.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- Paige Bradley broke her own school record for a six-dive competition Thursday to secure a win for the Poplar Bluff swim team. Bradley scored 206.25 points to win the dive while Peyton Moore placed fourth and Kaylee Harris was sixth to give the Mules a 96-90 win over Jackson, three days after the teams raced at the SEMO Aquatics Center...

A restaurant worker at the Huddle House in Dexter, Mo., was confirmed to have hepatitis A and was potentially contagious while handling food, state health officials said Thursday. Anyone who ate at the restaurant between Nov. 21 and Dec. 2 should seek medical care if they have symptoms of hepatitis A...

Dexter is the top seed once again in the Lady Royals Christmas Classic. The Bearcats have won the tournament four of the past five years and eight of the past 12. They received 10 first-place votes as they look to continue their run on top. After coming off a third-place finish at state, the Bearcats brought back most of their firepower from last year's team. ...

The Poplar Bluff R-1 Board of Education voted at Thursday's meeting to withhold payment from K&S Construction pending further review of pay requests submitted Oct. 20 to Nov. 30. The pay requests are for construction work done at the high school and additional warranty work on athletic facilities, specifically the tennis courts. ...

PUXICO -- Three Puxico players scored in double figures Thursday night in the Indians' 79-78 overtime loss to the Scott County Central Bravettes at Puxico. Faith Oliver scored a game-high 25 points, Sophie Hancock had 24 and Kayt Haynes had 21. BreAsia Jones paced Scott County Central with 24 points...

Poplar Bluff, Mo., officials fired a street superintendent Thursday who has been accused of threatening another employee with a gun. Denis Kearbey also faces new accusations this week of discrimination involving a separate employee. He remained on paid administrative leave from Sept. 13 through his firing, which was effective immediately, according to city manager Mark Massingham...