Stories from Sunday, May 27, 2018

Jeffrey James Taylor, 59, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Tuesday, May 22, 2018 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. A graveside service and burial will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 29 at the Poplar Bluff City Cemetery with Rev. Brandon Spain and Rev. Dave McCormick officiating...

Staff Reports Local author and Dunklin County Genealogy Society member John C. Fisher presented a program on his book "Southeast Missouri from Swampland to Farmland: The Transformation of the Lowlands" to the Butler County Genealogy Society on April 26 at the First Methodist Church with 17 members and two guests attending...

Staff Reports Celebrate how much "Libraries Rock" at the Poplar Bluff Municipal Library during the Children's Summer Reading Program. Starting June 4 and ending Aug. 4, the free program is open to children and young adults between the ages of 3-17 and features prizes, performers, and events...

Joe and Vera Danner of Rogersville, Missouri, will celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary Tuesday, May 29, 2018. The couple married May 29, 1948, in Piggott, Arkansas. They have two daughters, Jo Shrable of Seymour, Missouri, and Paula Christian of Springfield, Missouri; two granddaughters, Kerre Clark of Seymour and Wil Shrable of Rogersville. They have five great-grandchildren...

By GEORGE F. WILL WASHINGTON -- No elaborate catechism is required to determine if someone is a conservative. A single question, as simple as it is infallible, suffices: For whom would you have voted in the presidential election of 1912? That year, a former president and a future president ran against the incumbent president, who lost, as did the country, which would have been much better off giving another term to William Howard Taft. ...

QULIN, Mo. -- Ronald Gene Lock Sr., 64, of Qulin, died Sunday, May 20, 2018 at his residence in Qulin. Mr. Lock was born Oct. 24, 1953 in Kokomo, Ind., to the late Cecil Everett and Lois June Lock. Mr. Lock served in the Army during the Vietnam War...

MALDEN, Mo. -- Delma Thompson, 83, of Malden died Friday, May 25, 2018 at her residence. Visitation will begin at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, May 27, 2018 at the Bradshaw Funeral Home Chapel in Malden. The funeral will follow at 2 p.m. Burial will be held on Tuesday, May 29, 2018 in Memorial Park Cemetery in Malden...

Downtown Poplar Bluff, Inc. would like to extend their gratitude and appreciation to those involved in making the BBQ Street War event a great success. The weather was perfect and we had a great crowd! This event would not be possible without our sponsors and volunteers. ...

Contractors will officially begin work July 16 on an overpass project at the Poplar Bluff Industrial Park. Butler County commissioners signed documents Friday giving Robertson Contracting notice to proceed on the $4 million project, which is expected to be complete by early March...

DONIPHAN -- With a one-gallon sprayer in his hand, Dan Hill isn't after weeds or insects as he enters the cemetery gate. A sense of honor, respect and an appreciation for his ancestors and history has led the retired teacher to undertake a special project...

ELLINGTON, Mo. -- Rev. William "Bill" T. White went to his heavenly home on May 19, 2018 surrounded by his family at his home in Ellington. He was born Oct. 1, 1935 in Portageville, Mo., to the late T.W. White and Clara (Carter) White. He attained the age of 82 years, seven months and 18 days. Bill was also preceded in death by his oldest son, Ronnie White on Aug. 17, 2003. Three brothers and six sisters also preceded him in death...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- Southeast Missouri State University's iconic "gum tree" has met an early demise. The university announced Friday on its social media accounts the tree had been split in two. In an email to the Southeast Missourian on Saturday, Southeast communications director Ann Hayes said the gum tree has been a campus icon for years and the university expects to make an assessment next week concerning its replacement...

NEELYVILLE, Mo. -- Mary Lee Newcomb, born Jan. 6, 1918, departed this life May 25, 2018. She married the love of her life, Jakie E. Newcomb. They were married 67 years before his passing in 1998. They were farmers at Wardell and Neelyville, Missouri...

MARSHALL, Mo. -- Lloyd H. Leonberger, 77, of rural Sweet Springs, Missouri, died Thursday, May 24, 2018, at his home. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 29, 2018, at Campbell-Lewis Chapel in Marshall with Rev. Willie Leonberger and William W. ...

DEXTER, Mo. -- Debra Ann Harlan, 59, of Grayridge, Mo. died Thursday, May 24, 2018, at her home in Grayridge. A celebration of life will be held at the home in Grayridge at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 27, 2018. Watkins & Sons Funeral Service of Dexter in charge of arrangements...

A recently formed group of Poplar Bluff High School students held a political forum Friday night to have what was described as a "useful dialogue" regarding gun violence with candidates running for state offices and the district's superintendent. The forum was held on the same day another school shooting occurred. This time it was at a suburban Indianapolis middle school. A male student reportedly opened fire, injuring another student and a teacher...

FISK -- An elderly Fisk resident died Friday when her home at 511 Lowry Street caught fire, officials from the Butler County Fire Department reported. According to Butler County Coroner Andy Moore, 82-year-old Mary Clark died as a result of a house fire authorities believe started inside the home...

The Green Wave are going to have a hard time playing a final four game more interesting the their past two games, and that's probably good because their fans might not survive anything worse. "My family has told me to stop giving them heart attacks, going right down to the wire," Malden pitcher and second baseman Tye Miller said. "Everybody loves it, the whole town has been behind us and supporting us this whole run. We just hope to keep it going and not let them down."...

JEFFERSON CITY -- Markarius Bell and Wyatt Murphy had a pair of second-place finishes as the Mules finished 14th at the MSHSAA Class 5 State Championships. Bell had a throw of 168 feet, 10 inches in the discus, about nine feet better than his previous personal record, and was nearly 14 feet shy of Jefferson City's Devin Roberson...