Stories from Wednesday, March 21, 2012

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor Local authorities are searching for a parole absconder wanted for questioning in connection with a Tuesday suspected kidnapping and robbery, which began on the Walmart Supercenter parking lot. At about 7:15 a.m. Tuesday, Poplar Bluff Police Lt. David Sutton said, a 27-year-old Poplar Bluff woman came to the police department to report "she had been kidnapped and robbed as she left Walmart" at about 6:30 a.m., after having made a purchase there...

From staff reports A second candidate is seeking the Democratic nomination for U.S. representative in Congressional District 8. Todd Mahn, 41, of De Soto, Mo., filed Monday in the Missouri Secretary of State's office. Mahn is the owner of Mahn Funeral Home in De Soto and Mahn Twin City Chapel in Festus, Mo. He is chairman of the State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Two buildings used for nearly three-quarters of a century to educate Poplar Bluff children are expected to leave the R-I district this summer. The Poplar Bluff Board of Education voted Tuesday during their monthly meeting to sell the Kinyon building, which was constructed in 1937. It had most recently housed the early childhood program, until those services were moved this year to the Mark Twain campus on Main Street...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Wireless technology capacity at Poplar Bluff Junior High will triple with infrastructure upgrades expected to start this summer, according to measures approved Tuesday by the Poplar Bluff R-I Board of Education. This is done in coordination with a technology plan approved Tuesday by board members, which recognizes the increasing role computers, tablets and other devices play in education...

By SARABETH WALLER Staff Writer Twin Rivers R-X School District will receive three new buses, after a bid from Central States Bus Sales Inc., was approved by the school board 6-1 at Tuesday night's meeting. Jill Worley, Charlie Barker, Roger Baxter, Brian Leutert, Lee Lewis and Dennis Whitlow voted in favor of the motion, while Donna Sue Ashcraft-Fincher voted no...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer A fifth grade student was airlifted just after 9 p.m. Tuesday to a St. Louis hospital after severely breaking his arm during a youth wrestling league match at Poplar Bluff High School. An Air Evac helicopter landed on Strenfel Memorial Field around 8:45 p.m., to transport John Henry Smothers to St. Louis, according to witnesses...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer The Poplar Bluff School District has the only Title V funded project in the state, the Poplar Bluff Board of Education was told Tuesday during their monthly meeting. This approximately $75,000 in federal grant money helped expand services at the Poplar Bluff Graduation Center, which provides an alternative class setting for high school and junior high students. ...

SEMO News Service MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- The Bollinger County Chamber of Commerce has lost its tax-exempt status after failing to file annual reports with the IRS. The federal tax exemption held by the organization was automatically revoked for its failure to file a Form 990 for three consecutive years...

By SARABETH WALLER Staff Writer With more than 60 million electronic tablets in use worldwide, more users are finding the tablets a valuable asset in their businesses. In recent months, the city of Poplar Bluff has also found them useful in the business of running a city...

By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN Rising inequality "is the defining issue of our time," said President Obama in his Osawatomie speech that echoed the "New Nationalism" address Theodore Roosevelt delivered in that same Kansas town a century ago. In the last two decades, the average income of the top 1 percent in the U.S. has grown by 250 percent, bemoaned our populist president, while the income of the average American has stagnated...

By OLIVER NORTH WASHINGTON -- Four years ago, when then-Sen. Barack Obama was campaigning for president, he said of Afghanistan: This is "a war that we have to win." He also claimed, "The Afghan people must know that our commitment to their future is enduring because the security of Afghanistan and the United States is shared." But after three years of Obama's being commander in chief, it ought to be clear that he never really believed his own campaign rhetoric. ...

By WALTER E. WILLIAMS It's not unreasonable to ask how valuable the variously labeled liberal, Democratic or progressive agenda has been to black Americans and whether blacks should proceed in political lock step with this agenda. According to an American Community Survey, by the U.S. ...

Justice: 'Thanks' for caucus' success To the Editor: I would like to thank Butler County Republicans for turning out and being a part of the Butler County Republican Caucus on March 17, 2012. Over 200 of our registered voters made the necessary sacrifice on a beautiful Saturday to come and attempt to make a difference in the course of government in America...

Maxine Lane PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Maxine Lane, 86, of Annapolis, Mo., died Monday, March 12, 2012, at her residence. Visitation will be from 5-9 p.m. Friday at Ruegg Funeral Home Chapel in Piedmont. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at the First Baptist Church in Annapolis. Burial will be at Murphy Cemetery in Piedmont...

Jerry Bratton WILLIAMSVILLE, Mo. -- Jerry Lee Bratton, 69, of St. Charles, Mo., died Monday, March 19,2012, at his residence. Visitation will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Ruegg Funeral Home Chapel in Williamsville. The funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Friday in the funeral home chapel...

Floyd Allen DEXTER, Mo. -- Floyd Allen, 96, of Dexter, Mo., died Tuesday, March 20, 2012, at Golden Living Center in Bloomfield, Mo. Mr. Allen was born on Oct. 3, 1915, in Shelby County, Ill. He had grown up in Pana, Ill., and moved to the Aid Community in 1959. He had worked raising chickens for the Swift Chicken Co. in Dexter before his retirement. He was of the Protestant Faith...

Bill Hale CORNING, Ark. -- Bill Hale, 68, of Corning, Ark. died Monday, March 19, 2012, at St. Bernard's Medical Center in Jonesboro, Ark. Born Nov. 18, 1943, in Camden, N.J., Mr. Hale was a retired locksmith. He served in the Navy and the Army. He was of the Baptist faith...

HUTCHINSON, Kan. -- After completing an impressive comeback, the Three Rivers Raiders fell victim to a decisive one. Three Rivers overcame a 16-point first-half deficit Tuesday to lead by eight heading into the final minutes before Spartanburg (S.C.) Methodist went on a late surge. The Pioneers and held off the Raiders 61-58 in the opening round of the NJCAA National Tournament at the Hutchinson Sports Arena...

Trailing by three runs with just six outs left, the Poplar Bluff baseball team only needed three outs to rally Tuesday. The Mules scored three in the sixth to pull even before Jeffery Rowland's walk-off single in the seventh beat Kennett 6-5. "I was a little disappointed in our defense early but we just kept hanging in there and having good at-bats," Mules coach Stan Bullington said. "Late there in the game we swung a couple of things together and made some things happen."...

Having to replace seven starters from last year's team, it was going to be some what of a wildcard effort by the Poplar Bluff Lady Mules in their season-opener Tuesday night at Whiteley Park. First-year head coach Jamie Waddell will take the results as the Lady Mules came away with a 2-0 win over Anna-Jonesboro, Ill...

HUTCHINSON, Kan. -- The Three Rivers Raiders are now looking to become salvage experts at the NJCAA Division I National Tournament. After losing their opening game to Spartanburg (S.C.) Methodist 61-58 Tuesday at the Sports Arena, the Raiders are forced into the consolation bracket...

By DAR STAFF It started out bad for the Three Rivers College baseball team on Tuesday at Roger Pattillo Field. An error set back the Raiders in the first inning against Dyersburg State and things went downhill from there with losses of 9-5 and 9-8...

NEELYVILLE -- The Senath-Hornersville Lions had Neelyville on the ropes Tuesday afternoon. But they couldn't get the knock out blow. The Tigers scored six runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game and got a run across in the bottom of the ninth on an error by the first baseman to take a 7-6 victory away from the Lions...

Reva Barr QULIN, Mo. -- Reva Jean Barr, 64, of Qulin, Mo., died Tuesday, March 20, 2012, at her residence. Mrs. Barr was born Oct. 4, 1947 in Qulin. She had lived most of her life in the Qulin and Greenville, Mo., areas. She attended school in Qulin and graduated from Qulin High School in 1965. She was a member of Osborn General Baptist Church and was a teacher's aide at Shady Grove State School before retiring...

Gerry Summers MALDEN, Mo. -- Gerry Summers, a long-time resident of Malden, died peacefully with family near her, on Sunday, March 18, 2012. For the past several years, she has resided at Mercy Villa in Springfield, MO. She was 102 years and 6 months old. The family would like to thank the staff at Mercy Villa for their attentive care during her stay and especially during the last few days...