Stories from Saturday, May 9, 2020

William A. G. and Sylvia Jane Spencer Grote of Fenton, St. Louis County are celebrating their 50th anniversary. Sylvia was born and raised in Poplar Bluff, William is from Pittsfield, illinois. An at-home celebration with family was scheduled for March 2020, but was postponed due to Covid-19 travel restrictions. ...

Krystal Hobgood of Bernie and her mother Kelly Owens are fairly flexible when it comes to planning special family celebrations. “We have celebrated Mother’s Day in a variety of ways throughout the years,” laughs Hobgood. “There have been early celebrations, belated celebrations, and occasionally, we might be lucky enough to get together on the actual day.”...

Neelyville families, parents and graduates took to their living rooms tonight to celebrate the graduation of the class of 2020. At 6 p.m. the school district started a live stream on its website that was designed in a similar style to a traditional graduation with speeches from administration and those at the top of the class...

Missouri is a diverse state with vibrant metropolitan experiences, charming small towns and rural communities where tourism is a big economic driver. In Missouri, there are 89 state parks and historic sites set amid endless forests, lakes, rivers, streams and trails...

College basketball’s all-time wins leader has retired. After 50 years and 1,300 wins, Three Rivers College men’s basketball coach Gene Bess announced this past season will be his last. “I’ve been realizing the time was near for me to go. The bottom line is, I want to be here to make the players better,” said Bess, who has battled health problems the past few seasons. “I felt like I was just as effective, but I didn’t have the energy level to do what I need to do to excel as a coach...

Whenever he reached another milestone win, Gene Bess always pointed out that it wasn’t his 880th or 1,300th victory, it was a reflection of the hard work a lot of people had done together. Now that he is retiring as head coach of the Three Rivers College men’s basketball team after 50 seasons, Bess once again gives credit to many people in his life — his wife, his family, coaches, players, a support system at the school that includes the administration and the fans...

Gene Bess arrived in Poplar Bluff in the fall of 1969 to be an assistant coach at what was then called Three Rivers Junior College. He told his wife Nelda not to unpack much in case he didn’t make it. The program was in its third season, coming off a losing year and didn’t have a gym to practice in. A year later, Bess was in charge...