Stories from Wednesday, February 29, 2012

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor More candidates filed Tuesday in four area state Senate districts and five area state House districts. Doug Libla of Poplar Bluff and Billy Pat Wright of Dexter are seeking the Republican nomination in Senate District 25. Democrat Terry Swinger also filed. Both Wright and Swinger are completing eight years as a state representative. District 25 includes Butler, Carter, Stoddard, Dunklin, Pemiscot, New Madrid, Mississippi and Shannon counties...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor A damage assessment team from the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky., will be dispatched to the Puxico area as soon as possible. "This has been an event we hope doesn't happen. Thunderstorms became tornadoes very quickly after midnight," said Beverly Poole, meteorologist in charge of the Paducah NWS office...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor Local authorities are investigating an armed robbery Tuesday night at a local fast-food restaurant, where the alleged suspects took employees hostage and forced the manager to empty the safe and cash registers...

By WALTER E. WILLIAMS Rick Santorum's speech at the Detroit Economic Club stirred a bit of controversy when he said: "I'm not about equality of result when it comes to income inequality. There is income inequality in America. There always has been, and hopefully -- and I do say that -- there always will be." That kind of statement, though having merit, should not be made to people who have little or no understanding. Let's look at inequality...

By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN The political beliefs of Barack Obama, said Rick Santorum last week, come out of "some phony theology. ... Not a theology based on the Bible, a different theology, but no less a theology." Given the opportunity on "Face the Nation" to amend his remarks, Santorum declined the offer and plunged on:...

SEMO News Service FORHNA, Mo. -- A small earthquake struck Monday night near Frohna. The 2.0-magnitude quake hit at 8:42 p.m., centered about 4 miles from Frohna, according to seismologists with the U.S. Geological Survey. It had a depth of 2.6 miles...

VeggieTales Live! God Made You Special Tour will be at the Bess Activity Center at 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 16. The show is one-part story and one-part musical and it will feature the classic duo of Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber along with their veggie friends...

SEMO News Service CARUTHERSVILLE, Mo. -- A local woman was arrested over the weekend after allegedly forcing entry into a man's home and dousing him and his property with gasoline in an attempt to set both on fire, the Daily Dunklin Democrat reported...

PATTERSON, Mo. -- The Wayne County Historical Society will have a free public meeting at the Patterson Community Center at 7 p.m. Monday. The speaker will be Lonny Thiele, who has written a book on mules called, "THAT SON OF A GUN HAD SENSE." He has interviewed more than 70 men and women who gave stories about the mules they have worked...

Melissa L. Rice and Roger A. Combs of Kennett, Mo., have chosen the name Eli James Combs for their 4-pound, 13.5-ounce son born at 5:49 .m., on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012, at the Saint Francis Medical Center's Family Birth Place in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Grandparents are Tommy Rice of Delaplaine, Ark., Allen and Julie Haney of Beech Grove, Ark., Donna and Floyd Ellsworth of Novinger, Mo., and the late James B. Combs, Jr...

BLOOMFIELD -- As the defensive challenges arose, the Doniphan Donettes just continued to conquer them Tuesday night. The fifth-seeded Donettes held Kennett scoreless over the final 3 minutes to stun the top seeded 37-36 in the MSHSAA Class 3 District 1 semifinal...

VAN BUREN -- For the third time this season, the Van Buren Lady Dawgs gave Neelyville all it could handle. The Lady Dawgs took the top-seed to overtime Tuesday night in the MSHSAA Class 2 District 2 semifinals but once again were turned away by a slight margin...

Marie Fleschute PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Marie O. Fleschute, 79, of Piedmont, Mo., died Monday, Feb. 27, 2012, at her residence. Mrs. Fleschute was born March 30, 1932, to the late Aloysious F. Fuytinck and the late Anna V. (Haywood) Fuytinck, in LeMay, Mo. ...

Glenwood Martin ELLINGTON, Mo. -- Glenwood Martin, 86, of Ellington, Mo., died Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2012, at Brent B. Tinnin Manor in Ellington. Mr. Martin was born Feb. 8, 1926, in Ellington. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He had retired from the log woods where he worked as a logger...

PARK HILLS -- The Clearwater Tigers fought until the end Tuesday night but came up a few possessions short against Saxony Lutheran in the MSHSAA Class 3 District 3 semifinals at West County High School. Clearwater led by two at halftime and cut the deficit to two at one point in the fourth quarter but the Crusaders advanced, 50-44...

Jerry VanOrsdall -- Poplar Bluff, Mo. Everett Vinson -- Poplar Bluff, Mo. Glenwood Martin -- Ellington, Mo. Marie Fleschute -- Piedmont, Mo.

Everett Vinson Everett Lee Vinson, 66, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Monday, Feb. 27, 2012 at his residence. Mr. Vinson was born Sept. 25, 1945, in Poplar Bluff and was an artist. He was of the Protestant faith, enjoyed hunting and fishing and antique hunting...

Jerry VanOrsdall FISK, Mo. -- Jerry VanOrsdall, 63, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Monday Feb. 27, 2012, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff, Mo. Mr. VanOrsdall was born Oct. 23, 1948, in Davenport, Iowa. He had lived at Poplar Bluff since 1999. He lived most of his life in Davenport, Iowa, and formerly worked at Montgomery Ward in Davenport...

By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN The political beliefs of Barack Obama, said Rick Santorum last week, come out of "some phony theology. ... Not a theology based on the Bible, a different theology, but no less a theology." Given the opportunity on "Face the Nation" to amend his remarks, Santorum declined the offer and plunged on:...