Stories from Thursday, March 15, 2012

By SCOTT MOYERS SEMO News Service CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- When Sean M. Smith shot himself in the head last week in front of several Cape Girardeau police officers, it was nowhere near his first encounter with law enforcement. In fact, Smith, who died Tuesday from his wound, had only been released from an Illinois prison nine months before, where he was serving a portion of his 25-year sentence for a 1997 residential burglary in his hometown of Decatur, Ill. ...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor Missouri Severe Weather Awareness Week will culminate Friday with an event at the Walmart Supercenter, where area residents may get their weather radios programmed and sign up for a new text and e-mail alert system...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor Missouri Severe Weather Awareness Week will culminate Friday with an event at the Walmart Supercenter, where area residents may get their weather radios programmed and sign up for a new text and e-mail alert system...

By PAUL DAVIS Outdoors Editor Beginning this fall, turkey hunters in Missouri will no longer be required to have a safety sticker attached to their shotguns. The regulation change was approved last week by the Missouri Conservation Commission, but still must be submitted to the Secretary of State's office, with an effective date expected to be around Aug. 30...

Martha Duncan PHOTO Homewood, Ala. -- Martha Sawyer Duncan, 80, of Birmingham, Ala., formerly of Poplar Bluff, Mo., went to her heavenly glory on March 12, 2012, with her family by her side. Mrs. Duncan was born May 14, 1931, in Graves County, Ky. She graduated from Symsonia High School in 1949 and, being a product of the Great Depression, she knew that a good education was her way to elevate herself from poverty and as such worked hard to pay her way through college. ...

With no hunting seasons open except small geese and trapping for beaver and nutria, outdoor activity is mostly relegated to fishing. Most of the reports from fishing I have received, with one exception, were fishing is tough. The one report was from an angler who was purchasing minnows at Money Mizer the other day. He said he had been catching some good fish in a pond. He said he had one "real big bass."...

Woke this morning to yet another forecast for "abundant sunshine." The sky was blue and cloudless, the mountains were clear and bright. It was 75 degrees, with just enough breeze to ruffle the fronds of the palm trees and the feathers of the finches hanging on the feeder...

PHOENIX -- Sal DiCiccio says he's sorry. It is, he says, no excuse that the complex labor contracts that he, as a member of the city council, voted to ratify for city employees were presented to the council less than a week before the vote. He says he should have seen that the contracts contain some indefensible, not to mention unconstitutional, provisions, such as those pertaining to "release time."...

One of the first vegetables that you will be harvesting this spring will be asparagus. This delicious food has been eaten for more than 2,000 years. Like many other foods, it was first used as a medicine. My mother always grew asparagus and I remember her making a delicious dish of creamed asparagus...

By PAUL DAVIS Outdoors Editor Dan Gowen, a lifelong shooter and hunter, recently found himself with four new trophies to call his own -- a matched set of Winchester Model 70 Super Grade rifles -- when he was drawn as the winner of a SEMO Friends of NRA gun raffle...

Geraldine Crum GREENVILLE, Mo. -- Geraldine Crum, 83, of Greenville, Mo., died Wednesday, March 14, 2012, at Benchmark Healthcare Center of Greenville. Mrs. Crum was born April 2, 1928, at Big Sandy, Tenn. She was married to Charles H. Crum on March 30, 1946, at Dearborn, Mich. He survives...

By PAUL DAVIS Outdoors Editor More than 180 supporters of wildlife conservation came out Saturday night for the National Wild Turkey Federation/Heartland Gobblers' 19th Annual Superfund Banquet in Poplar Bluff, Mo. "That's up some from last year," said chapter President Chuck Stewart, "and we had a lot of new faces this year. I'm really pleased with the way things turned out ... it was more than I expected."...

Faye Kitrel MALDEN, Mo. -- Faye Kitrel, 76, of Malden, Mo., died Monday, March 12, 2012, at Golden Living Center in Malden. Mrs. Kitrel was born May 12, 1935, and was a member of Mt. Gilead Church. She had worked as the office manager of the Delta News in Malden...

Richard Lester MALDEN, Mo. ­-- Richard Dale Lester, 62, of Gideon, Mo., died Wednesday, March 14, 2012, at Gideon Care Center in Gideon. Funeral arrangements are pending with Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden, Mo.

Julia Morse BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Julia Ruth Morse, 96, of Essex, Mo., died Wednesday, March 14, 2012, at her residence. Mrs. Morse was born on Feb. 20, 1916, in Horine, Mo. She had lived St. Louis, Mo., and Jefferson County before moving to Southeast Missouri 71 years ago. She was a member of the Beech Grove General Baptist Church. She had worked at Maupin's Variety Store for many years...

Correction The Rev. Kenny Condray was one of two ministers officiating at the funeral of William Oscar "Bill" Crowley Thursday at McSpadden Funeral Home in Ellsinore, Mo. The funeral home officials had listed him as the Rev. Kenny Crowley in the information they provided the Daily American Republic newspaper...

Carl Abbott MALDEN, Mo. -- Carl Eugene Abbott, 62, of Big Springs, Calif., died Sunday, March 4, 2012, at Shasta Regional Medical Center in Redding, Calif. Mr. Abbott was born June 27, 1949, at Doniphan, Mo. Mr. Abbott had served in the U.S. Marine Corps and attained the rank of corporal...

Walter Tilley BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Walter Junior Tilley, 71, of Bolivar, Mo., died Tuesday, March 13, 2012, at his residence. Mr. Tilley was born on Aug. 6, 1940, in Bloomfield, Mo. He had lived in Bloomfield most of his life. He had worked as a salesman for Haque Quality Water Conditioning. He attended the First General Baptist Church in Bloomfield, was a member of the Bloomfield Masonic Lodge #153 and the Bloomfield American Legion. He was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force...

Haidyn Hastings DONIPHAN, Mo. -- Haidyn Levi Hastings, two-week old infant of Doniphan, Mo., died Monday, March 12, 2012, at the Ripley County Memorial Hospital in Doniphan. Haidyn, son of Larry Joe and Megan (Clifton) Hastings, was born Feb. 26, 2012, in Poplar Bluff, Missouri...

Poplar Bluff area blood drives include: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Bernie General Baptist Church, 201 Fleming, Bernie, Mo. 12:30-5 p.m. Monday, Greenville High School, 178 Walnut Street, Greenville, Mo. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, March 23, Neelyville High School, Park and Broadway, Neelyville, Mo...

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Early on Wednesday, it looked like runs were going to come easy for Three Rivers College. The Lady Raiders scored five runs in the first two innings against previously unbeaten Iowa Central at the University of West Florida Tournament...

Even with only two seniors on the roster, the Poplar Bluff baseball returns plenty of experience to the diamond this spring. Seven varsity players return from a Mules team that finished 7-9. "We were getting some younger guys experience last year," Mules coach Stan Bullington said. "So really I look at some of the juniors as not really juniors. They seem like more than that and there's a couple of sophomores there that seem like they shouldn't be sophomores."...

The surname Walk is a household name at Twin Rivers when it comes to coaching. But for Nathan Walk, the nephew of Jeff Walk who coached the Lady Royals basketball program for 20 seasons until 2008, getting a varsity head coach job in baseball before one in basketball wasn't really anything he could fathom...

Thirteen Qulin Middle School projects placed at the Southeast Missouri Regional Science Fair. They included: • Botany: third place, Austin Spencer and Tanner Watson • Engineering: second place, Landon Craft and Josh Orton • Chemistry: first place, Hannah Baxter and Darian Doser; second place, Jackie Rhody and Haley Brown; third place, Brandon Politte and Ranzo Bryant; third place, Maleena Deken, Hannah Pierce and Erica Love; third place, Katie Gehrke and Kylee Lewis...

By SARABETH WALLER Staff Writer Two of the top three spots in the 56th Annual Southeast Missouri Regional Science Fair went to area students. Victoria Willcut, a senior at Puxico High School, won the high school grand prize, and Julia Hendrix, an eighth grader at Qulin Middle School, won first among her age group...

PHOENIX -- Sal DiCiccio says he's sorry. It is, he says, no excuse that the complex labor contracts that he, as a member of the city council, voted to ratify for city employees were presented to the council less than a week before the vote. He says he should have seen that the contracts contain some indefensible, not to mention unconstitutional, provisions, such as those pertaining to "release time."...

By PAUL DAVIS Outdoors Editor More than 180 supporters of wildlife conservation came out Saturday night for the National Wild Turkey Federation/Heartland Gobblers' 19th Annual Superfund Banquet in Poplar Bluff, Mo. "That's up some from last year," said chapter President Chuck Stewart, "and we had a lot of new faces this year. I'm really pleased with the way things turned out ... it was more than I expected."...

Geraldine Crum GREENVILLE, Mo. -- Geraldine Crum, 83, of Greenville, Mo., died Wednesday, March 14, 2012, at Benchmark Healthcare Center of Greenville. Mrs. Crum was born April 2, 1928, at Big Sandy, Tenn. She was married to Charles H. Crum on March 30, 1946, at Dearborn, Mich. He survives...

Richard Lester MALDEN, Mo. ­-- Richard Dale Lester, 62, of Gideon, Mo., died Wednesday, March 14, 2012, at Gideon Care Center in Gideon. Funeral arrangements are pending with Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden, Mo.

One of the first vegetables that you will be harvesting this spring will be asparagus. This delicious food has been eaten for more than 2,000 years. Like many other foods, it was first used as a medicine. My mother always grew asparagus and I remember her making a delicious dish of creamed asparagus...

Martha Duncan PHOTO Homewood, Ala. -- Martha Sawyer Duncan, 80, of Birmingham, Ala., formerly of Poplar Bluff, Mo., went to her heavenly glory on March 12, 2012, with her family by her side. Mrs. Duncan was born May 14, 1931, in Graves County, Ky. She graduated from Symsonia High School in 1949 and, being a product of the Great Depression, she knew that a good education was her way to elevate herself from poverty and as such worked hard to pay her way through college. ...

Julia Morse BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Julia Ruth Morse, 96, of Essex, Mo., died Wednesday, March 14, 2012, at her residence. Mrs. Morse was born on Feb. 20, 1916, in Horine, Mo. She had lived St. Louis, Mo., and Jefferson County before moving to Southeast Missouri 71 years ago. She was a member of the Beech Grove General Baptist Church. She had worked at Maupin's Variety Store for many years...

Faye Kitrel MALDEN, Mo. -- Faye Kitrel, 76, of Malden, Mo., died Monday, March 12, 2012, at Golden Living Center in Malden. Mrs. Kitrel was born May 12, 1935, and was a member of Mt. Gilead Church. She had worked as the office manager of the Delta News in Malden...

With no hunting seasons open except small geese and trapping for beaver and nutria, outdoor activity is mostly relegated to fishing. Most of the reports from fishing I have received, with one exception, were fishing is tough. The one report was from an angler who was purchasing minnows at Money Mizer the other day. He said he had been catching some good fish in a pond. He said he had one "real big bass."...

Woke this morning to yet another forecast for "abundant sunshine." The sky was blue and cloudless, the mountains were clear and bright. It was 75 degrees, with just enough breeze to ruffle the fronds of the palm trees and the feathers of the finches hanging on the feeder...

Haidyn Hastings DONIPHAN, Mo. -- Haidyn Levi Hastings, two-week old infant of Doniphan, Mo., died Monday, March 12, 2012, at the Ripley County Memorial Hospital in Doniphan. Haidyn, son of Larry Joe and Megan (Clifton) Hastings, was born Feb. 26, 2012, in Poplar Bluff, Missouri...

By PAUL DAVIS Outdoors Editor Beginning this fall, turkey hunters in Missouri will no longer be required to have a safety sticker attached to their shotguns. The regulation change was approved last week by the Missouri Conservation Commission, but still must be submitted to the Secretary of State's office, with an effective date expected to be around Aug. 30...

Walter Tilley BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Walter Junior Tilley, 71, of Bolivar, Mo., died Tuesday, March 13, 2012, at his residence. Mr. Tilley was born on Aug. 6, 1940, in Bloomfield, Mo. He had lived in Bloomfield most of his life. He had worked as a salesman for Haque Quality Water Conditioning. He attended the First General Baptist Church in Bloomfield, was a member of the Bloomfield Masonic Lodge #153 and the Bloomfield American Legion. He was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force...

Correction The Rev. Kenny Condray was one of two ministers officiating at the funeral of William Oscar "Bill" Crowley Thursday at McSpadden Funeral Home in Ellsinore, Mo. The funeral home officials had listed him as the Rev. Kenny Crowley in the information they provided the Daily American Republic newspaper...

Poplar Bluff area blood drives include: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Bernie General Baptist Church, 201 Fleming, Bernie, Mo. 12:30-5 p.m. Monday, Greenville High School, 178 Walnut Street, Greenville, Mo. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, March 23, Neelyville High School, Park and Broadway, Neelyville, Mo...

Even with only two seniors on the roster, the Poplar Bluff baseball returns plenty of experience to the diamond this spring. Seven varsity players return from a Mules team that finished 7-9. "We were getting some younger guys experience last year," Mules coach Stan Bullington said. "So really I look at some of the juniors as not really juniors. They seem like more than that and there's a couple of sophomores there that seem like they shouldn't be sophomores."...

The surname Walk is a household name at Twin Rivers when it comes to coaching. But for Nathan Walk, the nephew of Jeff Walk who coached the Lady Royals basketball program for 20 seasons until 2008, getting a varsity head coach job in baseball before one in basketball wasn't really anything he could fathom...

Thirteen Qulin Middle School projects placed at the Southeast Missouri Regional Science Fair. They included: • Botany: third place, Austin Spencer and Tanner Watson • Engineering: second place, Landon Craft and Josh Orton • Chemistry: first place, Hannah Baxter and Darian Doser; second place, Jackie Rhody and Haley Brown; third place, Brandon Politte and Ranzo Bryant; third place, Maleena Deken, Hannah Pierce and Erica Love; third place, Katie Gehrke and Kylee Lewis...

Carl Abbott MALDEN, Mo. -- Carl Eugene Abbott, 62, of Big Springs, Calif., died Sunday, March 4, 2012, at Shasta Regional Medical Center in Redding, Calif. Mr. Abbott was born June 27, 1949, at Doniphan, Mo. Mr. Abbott had served in the U.S. Marine Corps and attained the rank of corporal...