Stories from Wednesday, January 29, 2020

After nearly 70 years in service, Poplar Bluff’s Baugh Lane water tower is coming down. Constructed in 1947, the 100,000-gallon water tank at the corner of Baugh Lane and Barron Road provided water to the north end of the city for decades, but population growth and expansion of the city required changes...

Dangerous menaces are spreading from mainland China to the United States. Surgical masks and Big Pharma vaccines, however, won’t protect this nation from its infiltration. The problem doesn’t lie with bats. It lies with America’s batty pursuit of globalization at all costs...

A lot of seasons in Missouri are winding down this week, and for hunters, that will leave rabbits, squirrels, crows and geese as options. Easily the most popular season closing is the one for ducks. The state’s South Zone season will close 30 minutes after sunset Friday...

Community members may enroll in Taking Care of You, a University of Missouri Extension program offering practical strategies for dealing with stress and life challenges. Developed by an interdisciplinary MU Extension team, the research-based program focuses on positive psychology and mindfulness in sessions held over four weeks. ...

City firefighters responded at 6:33 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28, to a smoke detector sounding at 513 S. Ninth St., owned by Don McGruder. According to the report, a neighbor told firefighters she heard the detector sounding in an adjacent apartment and called the property manager...

MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL A 2-year-old Dexter boy was injured in a one-vehicle crash at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28, on Highway AF at Dexter. According to the report, Cody D. Marks, 19, of Poplar Bluff was operating a 2010 Dodge Avenger eastbound when he failed to stop at an intersection, and his vehicle ran off the road and struck a tree...

Haven House, Inc., of Poplar Bluff will hold its annual Volunteer Orientation at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, The annual orientation is a time for those interested in volunteering to learn about the shelter, its services and what being a volunteer entails...

There is still time to pre-register for the 34th annual Ag Expo 2020 Beauty Pageant Saturday at the Black River Coliseum in Poplar Bluff. The divisions include: 9:30 a.m., Baby Girl, birth to 11 months; 10 a.m., Toddler Girl, first birthday to 23 months; 10:30 a.m., Petite Miss, 2 to 4 years; 11 a.m., Little Miss, 5 to 7 years; 11:30 a.m., Junior Miss, 8 to 12 years; noon, Miss Ag Expo, 13 to 18 years...

Saint Francis Healthcare System is pleased to announce that Christopher Martin has joined Kneibert Clinic in Poplar Bluff as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

Future and current college students should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2020-2021 school year by Feb. 1 to receive priority consideration for federal and state grants and scholarships.

WAPPAPELLO LAKE — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will host a Winter Watch Saturday, Feb. 1, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m at the Bill Emerson Memorial Visitor Center. Starting at 9, visitors can look for eagles, migratory waterfowl and birds at the designated viewing stations around Wappapello Lake...

Judge W. Dean Million The following cases were disposed of in Municipal Court in November. Dollar amounts may be fines, court costs or any combination of the same. Daniel Ray Withers, 37, Neelyville, no seat belt, $10; possession of drug paraphernalia, $357...

By BARBARA ANN HORTON Staff Writer The Northside Nutrition Center and the United Cancer Assistance Network are putting fun into their joint Valentine’s Day fundraiser. They are preparing and selling chocolate covered strawberries for $18 a dozen. UCAN will use its money to help finance transportation for cancer patients. Northside Nutrition Center’s money will go to expand its storage area...

The Drug Enforcement Administration may soon lose what agents consider an important tool in its fight against those trafficking synthetic Fentanyl, if the U.S. Congress doesn’t act. For the last two years, the emergency scheduling act has classified synthetic Fentanyl and any analogs as schedule I controlled substances, meaning they have no medical use and are highly addicted, explained William Callahan, the special agent in charge of the DEA’s St. Louis division...

A vote Wednesday by Poplar Bluff City Council members was critical for construction timelines and possible federal funding for Highway 67 south work, according to officials. Council members held a special meeting to select a firm to complete an environmental review, voting 6-0 for Wood Environmental & Infrastructure Solutions of Ballwin, Missouri. Council member Ron Black was absent...