Stories from Thursday, September 19, 2019

Don’t shoot the messenger, but here’s the real deal: Halloween is 42 days away, Thanksgiving is 70 days out and Christmas will arrive in 97 days. This week’s to-do list was inspired by a Harviell reader who wrote in offering suggestions on how early planning for budget-friendly holiday meals is a must. I’m also including some thrifty Halloween ideas, easy Thanksgiving prep and Christmas gift buying strategies to utilize now...

City firefighters responded 1:35 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, to assist emergency-medical-services personnel at 510 N. Sixth St. According to the report, firefighters assisted in moving a patient into an ambulance. _ City firefighters responded at 8:13 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, to a report of an unauthorized burn at the 1706 Saxon St. residence occupied by Ron Short. It was investigation only...

MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL Two area residents were injured in a two-vehicle crash at 7:35 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, on U.S. 67, one mile north of Poplar Bluff. According to the report, Chad A. Benesh, 51, of Jackson was operating a 2013 Honda westbound when it struck a 1999 Toyota pickup in the driving lane...

GIDEON —Ricky Dale Cleaves, 63, of Olathe, Mo., formerly of Gideon, died Sunday, Sept. 15, 2019 at his residence. Visitation will be at 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20 at the Church of Christ in Gideon. The funeral will follow at 2 p.m. in the church with Mr. Kevin Lawrence officiating. Burial will be in Stanfield Cemetery in Clarkton...

City officials cite confidentially in personnel issues when questioned about the status of three Poplar Bluff officers who were placed on paid administrative leave earlier this summer. The officers were placed on paid leave sometime in June for what City Manager Mark Massingham earlier described as “possible policy violations.”...

BROSELEY — Muriel Price, 94, of Poplar Bluff, died Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019 at Westwood Hills Health Care Center, in Poplar Bluff. Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21 at Brown Chapel Cemetery in Broseley with Rev. Jim Sanders officiating. Burial will be in Brown Chapel Cemetery at Broseley...

Maxine Coleman, 80, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., passed away on Sept. 18, 2019, in Poplar Bluff surrounded by family and friends. Maxine was born on March 26, 1939, to Earley and Verna (Greer) Kenser in Essex, Mo. She married William Howard Coleman on Oct. 15, 1966, in Poplar Bluff, Mo...

Poplar Bluff native Charles Jaco will be one of the motivational speakers at the 54th annual Truman Day Rally on Saturday at the Poplar Bluff Holiday Inn. The meet and greet will begin at 6 p.m. Jaco is a former CNN news correspondent and a 1968 graduate of Poplar Bluff High School...

WEST PLAINS, Mo. — Bryanna N. Griffin of Poplar Bluff has been named to the Dean’s List for Missouri State University-West Plains in its 2019 summer session. To qualify, students must have earned a 3.5 to 3.99 grade point average for six or more credit hours taken during the session. Students who maintain a 4.0 grade point average for six or more hours are recognized in the Chancellor’s List, according to a press release from the school...

CAPE GIRARDEAU — A Poplar Bluff man made his first appearance in federal court Thursday afternoon on an indictment charging him with multiple weapons and drug distribution offenses. Payten James O’Neil Ice, 19, was transported to Cape Girardeau on Thursday morning by a Poplar Bluff police officer and turned over to the U.S. Marshal’s Service...

DONIPHAN — Hazel Lorene Conn, 80, died Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019, in Barnes-Jewish Hospital after a short illness. She was a lifelong resident of Ripley County. Visitation will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in the Edwards Funeral Home chapel. A graveside service will follow at noon at Union Cemetery in Ponder, Mo., with Randy Conn officiating...

BROSELEY — Dolly Hanger, 73, of Broseley, Mo., died Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019, at Community Manor in Farmington, Mo. Mrs. Hanger was born March 2, 1946, in Broseley, daughter of the late Frank and Pearl Cade. She is survived by her companion, Junior Merritt of Broseley; two children, Robin Massey of Farmington and James Kelly Jr. ...

Construction of a new Early Childhood Center is about 70% complete, according to a report Thursday to members of the Poplar Bluff R-I Board of Education. Board members approved the most recent payment to Brockmiller Construction of Farmington in the amount of $210,475.35, explained Dr. Amy Jackson, assistant superintendent of business...

The Poplar Bluff R-I Board of Education voted Thursday to allow students from Westwood Baptist Academy to attend the Poplar Bluff Technical Career Center. Westwood Baptist Academy will be added as a non-consortium school, said Charles Kinsey, TCC director. Non-consortium schools are not part of the public schools already served by the TCC, he said...

“Iran has launched an unprecedented attack on the world’s energy supply,” declared Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Putting America’s credibility on the line, Pompeo accused Iran of carrying out the devastating attack on Saudi oil facilities that halted half of the kingdom’s oil production, 5.7 million barrels a day...

Recently, in an editorial the Southeast Missourian weighed in on a very special gift to a local community. Here are their thoughts: There’s giving back to your community. Then there’s Holigan-giving-back to your community. Harold and Hermena Parks Holigan of Dallas set up a family scholarship to pay for any Puxico High School graduate who maintained a 2.75 grade-point average and are pursuing an undergraduate degree at Southeast Missouri State University or Three Rivers College...

The recent threats by Beijing to cut off American access to critical mineral imports has many Americans wondering why our politicians have allowed the United States to become so overly dependent on China for these valued resources in the first place...

The U.S. Department of Justice has recently sued the Baltimore County government alleging that its written test for police officer recruits was unfairly biased against black applicants. It turns out that black applicants failed the written test at a rate much greater than white applicants. ...

Abolish ICE thugs in Colorado want to see the homes and families of immigration enforcement officials set aflame. Denver communists want alien detention facility employees dead, swinging from nooses with broken necks. Both groups are brazenly using Facebook to spread their inflammatory and violent messages. ...

To the Editor, Missouri Citizens, Governor Mike Parson, and our legislators, Missourians are under attack by their own state government. More than 100,000 Missouri children have been dropped from their Medicaid coverage despite the fact that they are eligible for that coverage...

I am an unabashed believer in our Constitutional rights. When the Founding Fathers enshrined gun ownership as a right of American citizens in the Constitution, they knew what they were doing. They were so adamant on the right to bear arms that they declared that this right “shall not be infringed.”...

The Gideons will be ministering at ABUNDANT LIFE CHRISTIAN CENTER at 1888 Bradley St. in Poplar Bluff on Sunday, Sept. 22. 9:45 a.m. Sunday school, 10:30 a.m. Sunday worship. Bring your family and friends. CORNERSTONE TABERNACLE UPC, 3516 N. Westwood Blvd. ...

PIEDMONT — Gloria J. Farrell, 79, of Piedmont, died Wednesday, Sept. 18 at the Clark’s Mountain Nursing Center in Piedmont. Visitation will be at 10 a.m. Monday, Sept. 23 at the Morrison Funeral Chapel in Piedmont. The funeral will follow at noon in the funeral home chapel. Burial will be in the Peachtree Church Cemetery. Online condolences: www.morrisonfuneral.com