Stories from Friday, October 5, 2018

Let me tell you a story; A long time ago, a much-promised baby was born. Now, when I say much promised, I mean that people talked about his coming 1,000 years before. The nation he was born into was a nation overrun with enemies. His people, who had claimed ownership of the land over 1,000 years before, had been defeated in battle, and the enemy came in and took over...

By GEORGE F. WILL WASHINGTON -- Preferring verbal felicity to practical wisdom, a character in a Benjamin Disraeli novel quipped, "A majority is always the best repartee." Not really. Open societies that want to remain so should prefer persuasion to raw power, even the power of majorities. Which is why Republican Sen. Jeff Flake served the nation, its highest tribunal, constitutional morality and even his ungrateful party by not being a team player...

By ADRIANA COHEN Those in the #MeToo mob and their radical supporters on the left insist we must believe all women who make sexual assault allegations against men, regardless of the facts involved or the evidence. If that's the new normal, congratulate a liberal, as they've just destroyed the entire U.S. judicial system -- a legal system founded on the premise that we're all equal under the law...

By MONA CHAREN These have been hard times for American institutions. Over the past four to five decades, confidence in nearly every institution of American life has declined. A 2018 Gallup survey found, for example, that trust in Congress stood at 42 percent in 1973 and dropped to 11 percent this year. ...

Marsha (Tee) Gladney, 53, of Poplar Bluff, Mo. died Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018 in St. Louis, Mo., A visitation will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018 at Fitch-Hillis Funeral Home Chapel. The funeral will follow at noon in the chapel. Burial will be at City Cemetery. Online condolences: fitchhillisfh,com...

Billie Jean Phipps (Venable), 86, of Poplar Bluff departed this life on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018 at her residence. She was born on May 27, 1932 in Essex, Mo,. to the late Elmer and Lydia Burns. She was of the Baptist Faith, was a homemaker, loved traveling, reading, gardening, she loved it when family and friends would come to her home for visits and meals...

Khelie Spence and Kiley Bess each had a big nigh as the Mules picked up a big win. Spence has 12 kills and a block and Bess had 11 kills and a block as Poplar Bluff defeated Dexter 26-24, 14-25, 25-21 on Thursday in Poplar Bluff. The Mules have now won three in a row and four of five going back to Sept. 20. Thursday was the first time Poplar Bluff had beaten Dexter (11-7-1) since 2011, when the Mules finished the season 19-14-3, losing in the second round of the district tournament...

ST. LOUIS -- Never assigned to a specific position in high school, Fred Thatch was apt to assume all roles on the basketball court within any given game. On one possession he might take the inbound pass and run the offense. On the defensive end, it was not unusual to see him use his 6-foot-3 inch frame to guard a 6-8 opponent. And when the ball went the other way again, he might be seen posting up against a frail and helpless guard...

BERNIE -- A trio of seniors played pivotal roles in the Bernie Mules' 26-24, 25-19 victory over Bloomfield on Thursday night at Bernie High School. The Mules honored seniors Cymber Arnold, Daisy Eaton, Ryleigh Foster, Makayla Turner and Madison Wooldridge before the matchup between two of the top volleyball teams in the SCAA...

Jaden Deaton and Dylan Cisne earned first and second place for Poplar Bluff boys cross country Thursday in the Barry-Cody Bootheel Classic. Deaton finished first by a 47-second margin with a time of 19 minutes, 15 seconds. Jacob Thurman earned fifth to round out three top-five finishes for the Mules. Poplar Bluff finished first in the team standings with 21 points...

Lawrence Edward "Pat" Fererro, 73, of Wappapello, Mo., died Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018 at his residence. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018, at the gatehouse pavilion, at Wappapello Lake. Online condolences: www.rueggfuneralhomes.com...

Poplar Bluff girls tennis was one of several teams to wake up, get on the bus and head to Farmington at the crack of dawn Thursday morning. Due to inclement weather in Farmington, the team had to make the same drive back when the Class 2 District 1 girls tennis tournament was moved to Poplar Bluff...

Poplar Bluff started the season 2-1 and has gone 2-13-1 since. The young Mules roster is now on a four-game losing streak, its longest of the season, and is consistently suffering from the same problems. Poplar Bluff struggled to connect passes all night and spent much of the game on defense, eventually losing to Parkview 3-1 on Thursday at Mules Stadium...

Staff Reports After 39 years leading newspapers in Poplar Bluff and the surrounding area, Daily American Republic publisher and president of Butler County Publishing Don Schrieber will retire at the end of the month. The move coincides with control of Butler Country Publishing, which also includes newspapers in Dexter, Puxico and Doniphan, transitioning from Gary W. Rust to Rust Communications, a corporation led by Rust's three sons...

With the help of two area businesses, the Neelyville R-IV School District and community are enjoying a new piece of equipment that is normally only seen in larger schools. Sponsorships from Bank of Grandin and Ellis Battery fully secured a 14-by-10-foot video board in the high school gym at no cost to the school district...

Staff Reports JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri Mike Governor Parson recently announced six new appointments to various boards and commissions, including a pair of Poplar Bluff businessmen. Andrew Moore was appointed to the State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors, while Robert Whelan was appointed to the Missouri State Board of Accountancy...

The 28th annual Poplar Bluff Life Chain will meet at the Butler County Courthouse to pray for those victimized by abortion from 2-3 p.m. Sunday. Annually on the first Sunday in October, Life Chain invites churches and others in the cities and towns across North America to stand on a designated local sidewalk and pray for one hour, while holding one of the following approved pro-life sign messages: "Abortion Kills Children; Abortion Hurts Women; Jesus Forgives and Heals; Adoption: The Loving Option; Lord, Forgive Us and Our Nation; Pray to End Abortion; Men Regret Lost Fatherhood; Life -- The First Inalienable Right.". ...