Stories from Friday, September 27, 2024

It’s becoming a more common sight in Poplar Bluff — pedestrians walking beside busy roads and an increased number of bicycles and smaller motorized bikes. Following a spate of accidents between bicyclists and vehicles in town, Poplar Bluff Police Department Patrol Capt. Chuck Harris is urging more caution...

The Poplar Bluff R1 School Board discussed the results of a parent poll regarding the proposed policy to ban cell phone use for students in the district. Superintendent Dr. Aaron Cornman reported that out of the 922 respondents to the poll, almost 75% replied that they either “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that “cell phone usage is a growing concern among our youth.”...

On today’s date, Southeast Missourians protested a 1949 dam project that, if enacted, would flood sweeping portions of Shannon and Ripley counties. In 1974, proceedings for a June murder in Mark Twain National Forest changed course when one suspect was released and the other was committed to a state hospital. ...

The east loop of the Poplar Bluff electric transmission loop currently has a fault, according to an employee of Municipal Utilities. The affected are is currently being backfed by power from the western loop. The employee, who wished to remain anonymous, stated a breaker locked out and the areas of town on the eastern line lost power for five minutes. The line crew is searching for the fault...

“If I’m being completely honest — if it weren’t for my faith in God, I don’t know how I would make it through this career sometimes.” Those words were the heartfelt sentiments of Capt. Randle Huddleston with the Butler County Sheriff’s Office.

A wet and rainy Friday morning greeted 28 different veterans and 20 guardians as they loaded onto a bus to leave for the annual Honor Tour.

Several construction projects are underway in Poplar Bluff.

Visitors will learn about railroad history, crossing safety, model train layouts, Amtrak train trips and railroad jobs at the Mo-Ark Regional Railroad Museum. During the 15th Iron Horse Festival, they can also win prizes by dropping in from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday...

A Columbia restauranteur who was the subject of a nationwide police dragnet is reported to have surrendered to officers Thursday. Dunklin County Prosecuting Attorney Nicholas Jain said Crystal Umfress, 43 of 4803 Gillespie Bridge, Columbia, was arrested by an investigator in connection to her latest felony charges that relate to the 2023 burning of Lupita’s Mexican Restaurant at Kennett...

I want to share my thoughts on two important amendments that will soon appear on your ballot—Amendment 3 and Amendment 7. Your vote on these amendments will have a significant impact on the future of our state. I strongly urge you to oppose Amendment 3 and to support Amendment 7, as they touch on issues critical to Missouri’s values, the protection of our children, and the integrity of our elections...

For those trying to come to terms with a particularly tumultuous election year full of deep divisions, ideological invective and personal insults, guidance can come from a historical figure whose insights into American politics still prove useful. As I chronicle in my new book, “Citizen Cowboy: Will Rogers And The American People,” Will Rogers stood as perhaps the most influential commentator on public affairs in the United States a century ago. ...

Doris Louise Williams (nee Sargent) was born March 15, 1932, near Kennett, Missouri and died peacefully at home Sept. 26, 2024, in Columbia, Missouri at 92 years of age. She is preceded in death by her mother, Notria Brown; her husband, Leroy Wellington Williams; her sister, Jewell Pauline King; her brothers, Edward Leon (EL) Jackson and Wayne (Bill) Sargent; her son, Kerry Cameron Williams and his wife Cheryl Depew Williams...