Stories from Friday, December 29, 2017

By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN The original question the FBI investigation of the Trump campaign was to answer was a simple one: Did he do it? Did Trump, or officials with his knowledge, collude with Vladimir Putin's Russia to hack the emails of John Podesta and the DNC, and leak the contents to damage Hillary Clinton and elect Donald Trump?...

You may have noticed some new faces and fuller pews at church this Christmas. A welcome sight, to be sure, but attendance figures will return to normal all too soon. Unfortunately, "normal" these days adds up to fewer people than ever _ and that's bad news for everyone...

Banning specific words in federal budget requests is invariably a bad look. But it's especially alarming when a public-health agency, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shies away from using terms as fundamental to its mission as "science-based" and "evidence-based."...

Sheri Ann Gilmore, 39, of Neelyville, died Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2017 at her residence. She was born Aug. 30, 1978 to Jeff and Cassie (Atwell) Gilmore in Goldsboro, N.C. Sheri graduated from Neelyville High School in 1996. She was baptized and a member of the Neelyville United Methodist Church...

Lottie Aleene Sweeza, 73, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. The family will plan a memorial service at a later date. Fowler-Sullivan Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

NEELYVILLE, Mo. -- Lenny Luye, 49, of Naylor, Mo., died Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2017, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Mr. Luye was a farmer. He was born Feb. 20, 1968, in Chicago, Ill. He formerly lived in Longview, Texas. He enjoyed cars and his children and his grandchildren. He was a family man who loved his family very much, the outdoors and working on his yard...

Fidel "Poncho" Perez Aquino, 82, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., passed away Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2017 at his residence. Poncho, the son of the late Fidel and Reyes (Perez) Aquino, was born April 24, 1935 in Mexico City, Mexico. He was of the Baptist faith and had retired after 42 years as an OR Porter for Lucy Lee Hospital. ...

CAMPBELL, Mo. -- Ruby Sullivan, 96, of Campbell died Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017, at the General Baptist Nursing Home in Campbell. Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 29, 2017 at Landess Funeral Home in Campbell. The funeral will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 30, 2017, at Landess Funeral Campbell in Campbell with Rev. Randy Vaughn officiating. Burial will be Woodlawn Cemetery in Campbell...

BLOOMFIELD -- The top-seeded Dexter Bearcats held on by the skin of their teeth Thursday night. Malden's Dashawn Butler made a pair of 3-pointers in the final 11 seconds as the Green Wave nearly overcame a seven-point deficit but fell short as the Bearcats won 44-43 in the semifinals of the 61st Bloomfield Christmas Tournament...

BLOOMFIELD -- Hayti tried everything to slow down Doniphan's Klay Barton and failed. In the final seconds, a desperate double team watched as Barton's potential go-ahead jumper rimmed out. "We tried to face guard him, we tried to run and jump, we tried to do a lot of different things," Hayti coach Aaron Bidewell said. "He was just having one of those nights where you prayed that you had a couple good stops in the end and we did in the end...

Adrian Webb and his Poplar Bluff teammates watched Cordova's Tyler Harris score 44 points in three quarters during the first day of the 31st annual Poplar Bluff Showdown. Facing the Wolves and Harris in the semifinal Thursday night, the Mules looked to just slow down the senior guard...

MEMPHIS -- The Lady Raiders lost their third straight game after posting their second-lowest rebounding total of the season. Three Rivers College was out-rebounded by Lewis & Clark 55-27, had 19 fewer offensive rebounds, was minus-17 on second-chance points and lost 82-76 Thursday in the Southwest Tennessee Classic...

Jonesboro (Ark.) is back to defend its Showdown title, reaching the final for a third straight year after beating CBC 76-65 in Thursday's semifinal. The Hurricanes (9-1) improved to 10-1 all-time at the Showdown. Their lone loss was in the 2015 final but they won the rematch with Kenwood of Chicago last season...

HOXIE, Ark. --Kiley Bess outscored Poplar Bluff's opponent as the Mules opened the eight-team Mustang Classic with a 60-22 win over Midland (Ark.) on Thursday. Bess finished with 24 points, scoring 13 first-quarter points as the Mules (7-3) raced out to a 24-4 lead. Doni Everts chipped in 14 points while Shelby Sievers added eight...

BLOOMFIELD -- Nate Dillinger scored 30 points, and the third-seeded Bernie Mules rolled past Bloomfield 76-55 in a fifth-place semifinal Thursday at the 61st annual Bloomfield Christmas Tournament. The Mules (10-1) rebounded from a 17-point loss to sixth-seeded Doniphan in the quarterfinals Wednesday to beat 10th-seeded Bloomfield, who fell to 6-4...