Stories from Sunday, March 11, 2018

First year Neelyville Junior Beta Club Sponsor Rachel Hagood could relate to her students when nerves began to hit at the state convention. The hard work of campaigning a club member for a state office, competing in academic and arts and craft competitions as well as quiz bowl was about to come to fruition...

William Terry, a rail worker from Desoto, Mo., was passing through Poplar Bluff on May 9, 1927. After his arrival on May 8 from Little Rock, Ark., the father and husband was killed when a historic tornado swept through the town. Artifacts Terry was carrying at his time of death, including his wallet, can be found at the Poplar Bluff Museum at 1010 North Main St...

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- The former Noranda aluminum smelter will reopen in May with plans to employ 450 people near term and potentially as many as 900 with future expansions, equaling the number of jobs lost when the plant shut down two years ago. Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens said the smelter will provide jobs with an average annual wage of $64,000...

Helen Keller challenged Lions Club International members to be "knights of the blind" nearly 100 years ago, and local club members continue to met that challenge as they raise funds to improve the sight of many area residents each year. In issuing her challenge, Keller "wanted to enlist the help of all Lions Club members to put their efforts toward helping those with visual impairments," explained Poplar Bluff Lions Club member/retired optometrist, Dr. Jerry Long...

Roy Lee Morgan, 87, formerly of Fisk, Mo., passed away Feb. 27, 2018. Funeral and burial were at St. Ann, Mo., March 2, 2018. Wife Rosemary Morgan, father and mother Tom and Annie Morgan, brothers J.P. Morgan and Billy J. Morgan, sister Ruth Wicks, preceded him in death...

The children's play series presented by the Patrons of the Arts wrapped up Friday, Feb. 23, exposing some students to theater for the first time. Poplar Bluff students grades K-5 were provided an opportunity to see one of the following plays performed by the Repertory Imaginary Theatre Company at the Tinnin Fine Arts Center: "The Nutcracker," "The Country Mouse and City Mouse" or "Laura Ingalls Wilder: Voice of the Prairie."...

HILLSBORO, Mo. -- Miller Career Academy landed the first punch against the Dexter Bearcats and never let up Saturday in a MSHSAA Class 4 quarterfinal. The Phoenix shot out to a big first-quarter lead and rolled past Dexter 63-44 at Jefferson College...

JOPLIN, Mo. -- The Lady Raiders lost their first game of the season Friday to a top-10 ranked team. Three Rivers won its first game of the Crowder Bash 3-2 over Johnson County, then lost to No. 6 Northeast Oklahoma A&M, ending Three Rivers' season-opening winning streak at nine games...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The Hayti Indians played with a lead most of the way Friday but ultimately finished a basket shy of securing its first state title since 1983. The Van-Far Indians rallied from an eight-point deficit in the final two minutes of regulation to force overtime and scored with four seconds left to edge Hayti 56-55 in the Class 2 state championship at the JQH Arena...

NEELYVILLE, Mo. -- Katina Renee (Davidson) Thomas, 45, of Naylor, Mo., died Wednesday, March 7, 2018, in an auto accident on Highway 142 East near Doniphan. She was born Oct. 27, 1972, in Poplar Bluff, Mo. A homemaker, she was a lifelong resident of Ripley and Butler counties, who had lived briefly in West Plains, Mo. Her hobbies were reading, shopping, art work in coloring and music...

TRENTON, Mo. -- The Raiders won their first series of the season. Three Rivers won 3 out of 4 at North Central on Friday and Saturday. It split Friday, winning 5-1 and losing 8-4, Then swept Saturday 4-3 and 11-2 in seven innings. "Got pretty good pitching through games. Got the hitting when we needed it and didn't leave too many guys on base," Three Rivers coach Stacey Burkey said...

MALDEN, Mo. -- Charles Martin "Chuck" Stucker, 50, of Lowes, Ky., formerly of Gideon, Mo., died Wednesday, March 7, 2018, at his residence. Visitation will begin at 12:30 Monday at Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden, followed by the funeral at 2 p.m. with Pastor Mark Pickard officiating. Burial will in the Stanfield Cemetery at Clarkton, Mo...

Alvoy Richardson, 97, of Poplar Bluff, Mo. died Thursday, March 8, 2018, at Westwood Hills Nursing Home. She was born Aug. 10, 1920 in Fort Worth, Texas, to the late Berry Gideon and Eula May Davis Gideon. She was a long time resident of Poplar Bluff. She was a member of the Church of Christ...

MALDEN, Mo. -- Gary Lynn Kinsey, 65, of Malden died Thursday, March 8, 2018 at Malden Nursing & Rehab. Visitation and the funeral were Saturday at Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden with the Rev. Travis Lambert officiating. Online condolences: www.bradshawfh.com...

DONIPHAN, Mo. -- Luther Ray Dell Fairris, 73, of Doniphan died Wednesday, March 7, 2018, at St. Louis University Hospital. Visitation will begin at 5 p.m. Monday at Edwards Funeral Home in Doniphan, followed by the funeral at 7 p.m. with Brother Kent Wilfong officiating...

Unhappy customer Poplar Bluff I know I'm not the only one that's disgruntled at the moment over the recent changes in these electronic meters that the city has hung on our homes and businesses. The outrageous readings and the electric bills that our community is now facing is absolutely outrageous. ...

By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN Unless there is a late surge for Communist Party candidate Pavel Grudinin, who is running second with 7 percent, Vladimir Putin will be re-elected president of Russia for another six years on March 18. Then we must decide whether to continue on course into a second Cold War, or engage Russia, as every president sought to do in Cold War I...

The Butler County Genealogy Society met Feb. 22 at the First United Methodist Church with 17 members and two guests attending. President Barb Rexroat presided at the meeting. Member Mildred Coursey presented a program on the history and educational system of black families in the Poplar Bluff and Butler County area. ...

A Dexter woman was one of two students at Williams Baptist College who have been inducted into Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society. They were inducted into the Alpha Delta Pi chapter of the society at WBC during a ceremony Feb. 28...

Building Our American Communities (BOAC) on behalf of Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) is pleased to award Rombauer Rascals 4-H Club a BOAC Grant to assist in the construction of a pavilion in Rombauer Community Park. Land was donated to Rombauer General Baptist Church for a community park from the Zoll estate. The land was cleared and leveled...

By ADRIANA COHEN As a consumer, if you abhor censorship and want to protect free speech -- a basic human right in a democracy -- you must help keep print media alive. Circulation for newspapers and magazines is at an all-time low, thanks to mobile phones and other internet-enabled devices diverting our attention, not to mention that of advertisers, to search engines and other digital platforms...

John L. Romo, 79, of Poplar Bluff, passed away on Thursday, March 8, 2018, at his residence. He was born on May 29, 1938, to Felipe and Leona (Simpkins) Romo in Alton, Ill. He graduated from Alton High School in Alton, Ill. in 1955. Immediately after high school, he enlisted in the United States Navy and served his country for several years until he was honorably discharged...

VAN BUREN, Mo. -- Judith "Judy" Ann Jackson, 77, of Van Buren, formerly of Ellington, Mo., died Friday, March 9, 2018 at Riverways Manor Nursing Home in Van Buren, Mo. Public visitation was Saturday, March 10, 2018, at the McSpadden Funeral Home in Van Buren, with the funeral services being held at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 11, 2018 in the Funeral Home Chapel. Officiating: Rev. Ron Robinson. Burial: Van Buren City Cemetery in Van Buren...

Poplar Bluff High School senior Adeesh Mishra has advanced in the National Merit Scholarship program to finalist, earning a 50 percent chance of receiving a scholarship through the corporation, if not directly from a higher education institution. Among the highest scoring entrants on the preliminary SAT in Missouri, Adeesh scored a 1,480 out of 1,520 points, acing the math portion of the test and only missing three questions overall. ...

Recently, the Missouri Senate debated several meaningful pieces of legislation that are sure to not only bring high paying jobs, but also protect countless Missouri children. Two of those bills were top priorities of mine for the 2018 legislative session, Senate Bill 894 and Senate Bill 800 were bills I filed, and both were passed...

Alfred J. Hillman, 95, of Poplar Bluff, Mo. died March 8, 2018 at the Manor Nursing Home. A memorial service will be 2 p.m. Sunday, March 11, 2018 at Fitch-Hillis Funeral Home Chapel. Online condolences: fitchhillisfm.com

MALDEN, Mo. -- Billie Jean Volz, 33, of Marston, Mo., died Thursday, March 8, 2018, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo. Visitation will begin at noon today at Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden, followed by the funeral at 2:30 p.m. with the Rev. Leroy Young officiating. Burial will be in the Essex Cemetery...

The University of Missouri Extension in Butler County is offering a Boost Your Brain & Memory: Brain Fitness Class. The workshop will cost $35 and will meet on eight consecutive Mondays, starting April 2 at the Extension Center located at 614 Lindsay Ave, Suite 3 in Poplar Bluff, Mo. from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. or 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m...

This weekend marks Daylight Saving Time. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) wants to remind everyone of the simple life-saving habit of changing the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Change the batteries when you change your clock!Daylight saving time starts at 2 a.m. Sunday March 11 when clocks are set ahead one hour...

HILLSBORO, Mo. -- Dexter's lone senior, Hannah Thurmon, went out with a bang following a high school career filled success. Thurmon scored a game-high 16 points in the Bearcats' 63-44 loss to Miller Career Academy in a MSHSAA Class 4 quarterfinal Saturday at Jefferson College...