Stories from Monday, September 23, 2013

Poplar Bluff resident and fourth generation Butler Countian, Larry Kimbrow, has formally announced his campaign as a Republican candidate for Butler County Presiding Commissioner. Kimbrow attended Broseley High School before graduating from Poplar Bluff High School. He served 28 years in a combined enlisted and officer status with the United Stated Navy and served in the Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars...

By SCOTT BORKGREN Sports Writer The stadium tunnel is an emotional place. There, separated from thousands of people by shadows and a thin curtain, every anticipatory hope and fear tugs at what little composure discipline and drilling has left intact...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer The moment that helped Liz Murray go from "Homeless to Harvard" came at 15, when she watched construction workers throw dirt on the pine box in which her mother was buried. Murray was the keynote speaker Saturday at the 26th Annual Women Aware Conference at Black River Coliseum...

Mark Twain National Forest will offer a fee free weekend for National Public Lands Day and National Tribal Lands Day Sept. 27-29. National Public Lands Day is the nation's largest hands-on volunteer weekend to improve and enhance public lands Americans enjoy. ...

Good Samaritan My sister and I went out to visit our mother's and pop's grave at Memorial Gardens Cemetery. The cemetery was just awful with weeds and dried grass and cut-up flowers by the mower. It was everywhere. Both headstones were covered so much they you couldn't hardly find them. ...

Rachel Marie Grady and Lance Dodson Cravens of Poplar Bluff, Mo., were married Saturday, Sept. 7, 2013, at their residence. Rev. James Albin officiated at the double-ring ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Ken and Trish Grady of Poplar Bluff. Dodson and Carolyn Cravens, also of Poplar Bluff, are the parents of the bridegroom...

Hazel Weaver VAN BUREN, Mo.--Hazel Gladys Weaver, 89, of Van Buren, formerly of Ellington, Mo. and St. Louis, Mo. died Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013, in the Riverways Manor Nursing Home in Van Buren. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. Monday in the McSpadden Funeral Home in Van Buren with the funeral service following at 2 p.m. in the funeral home chapel. Geraldine Rains will officiate. Burial will be in the Van Buren City Cemetery...

By GEORGE F. WILL WASHINGTON -- In January 1938, Rep. Louis Ludlow, an Indiana Democrat, proposed a constitutional amendment strongly supported by the public: "Except in the event of an invasion of the United States or its territorial possessions and attack upon its citizens residing therein, the authority of Congress to declare war shall not become effective until confirmed by a majority of all votes cast thereon in a nationwide referendum." Although narrowly defeated, 209-188, it might have passed without President Franklin Roosevelt's last-minute opposition.. ...

On Saturday, Oct. 5, in Van Buren, Mo., the Van Buren Area Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring the Fall City-Wide Yard Sale. Booths will be set up from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Courthouse square and throughout the city. In case of heavy rain, sale will be held the following weekend. For more information, call 573-300-6210...

Rayeline Hall-Collins The sun set on Rayeline Amylya Hall-Collins on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013. She was 4 years, 5 months and 11 days old. Rayeline was born to Dorothy Hall and Ira Collins April 7, 2009 in Mena, Ark. She was raised and loved by both her parents but also by their spouses, "Daddy David" Kvacek and "Momma Carol" Ready. She lived most of her life in Neelyville, Mo...

By BETSY HART Is there a double standard as to how we treat girls' sexuality versus boys'? I don't think there should be a "double" standard -- but there should darn well be a different one. Precisely because in many ways it does take a village to raise a child...

Cecil "Buzz" Kelley FISK, MO. -- Cecil Wayne "Buzz" Kelley, 74, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013, at Westwood Hills Health and Rehabilitation Center, which he considered home. Mr. Kelley was born March 22, 1939. A retired truck driver, he served in the Army during the Korean War. He loved baseball especially the Cardinals and keeping up with the news...

Dorotha Beck MALDEN, Mo. -- Dorotha Rae Beck, 87, of Clarkton, Mo., died Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013, at Gideon Care Center. Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. today at Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden. The funeral will be at 2 p.m. Monday at the funeral home chapel with burial in Stanfield Cemetery in Clarkton...

Imogene Birmingham PIGGOTT, Ark.-- Imogene Birmingham, 90, of Piggott, Ark. passed away Monday, Sept. 16, 2013, at her home. She was born on June 14, 1923, in Lowndes, Mo., and was the daughter of the late Oscar William and Eda Edline Smith Mullins. Imogene had nine siblings: Carrie, Eunice, Aubrey, Beulah, Lowell, Oren, Homer, Inez and Robert. Imogene was next to the youngest of the ten children...

Joyce Moore MALDEN, Mo. -- Joyce M. Moore, 66, of Malden died Friday, Sept. 20, 2013, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. today at Landess Funeral Home in Malden. The funeral service will be at 2 p.m. Monday at the funeral home chapel with the Rev. Kenneth Carnell officiating. Burial will be in Rosewood Cemetery...

Jerry Triplett DEXTER, Mo. -- Jerry Fredrick Triplett, son of the late Fred Triplett and Essie Williamson Triplett, was born on May 31, 1933, in Essex, Mo., and departed this life in the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center on Friday, Sept. 20, 2013, at the age of 80 years...

Donald Thompson PUXICO, Mo.--Donald Ray Thompson, 61, son of Mary Brantley Thompson and the late Charles W. Thompson, was born in St. Louis, Mo. on Dec. 19, 1951, and passed away at his home in Shook, Mo., on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013. He had lived in St. Louis before moving to the Shook and the Greenville area 27 years ago. He was a self employed HVAC service business...

ST. LOUIS -- The Poplar Bluff cross country team took on a course where the hills have names like Ma-maker, Roller Coaster and Confidence Breaker on Saturday at the Paul Enke Invitational. Baily Davidson placed 14th with a time of 18 minutes, 8 seconds on the 3.1-mile course at Sioux Passage Park while Isaiah Williams was 18th in 18:15. Clayton Carpenter finished in 85th at 20:10 for the Mules...

SCOTT CITY -- In the last two weeks, the Malden Green Wave have been second to none when it comes to the second half. Friday night at Scott City, the Green Wave scored four unanswered touchdowns after halftime to roll up the Rams 42-7 in SEMO South play...

DEXTER -- By the end of Friday night, Dexter had one uninjured offensive lineman left among the preseason starters. "This first four weeks on us has been pretty brutal, physically and from a scoreboard standpoint, as well," said assistant coach Brain Becker, who was filling in for head coach Justin Peden for the second straight week...

Jackson lined up to punt early in the fourth quarter deep in its own territory, leading Poplar Bluff by a single point on a rainy Friday night at Morrow Stadium. The Mules, however, jumped the snap resulting in a penalty for a first down and Jackson scored the first of its three fourth-quarter touchdowns six plays later as Poplar Bluff lost 26-6...

Just wasting our money Mosquito truck. Here it is 5:15 p.m. again and he goes flying down the street. I'll be glad to see it over if all they are going to do is waste our money, spraying bugs and mosquitoes here at 5: 15 in the afternoon. I said, they're just wasting our money...

By CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER WASHINGTON -- In the liberal remake of "Casablanca," the police captain comes upon the scene of the shooting and orders his men to "round up the usual weapons." It's always the weapon and never the shooter. Twelve people are murdered in a rampage at the Washington Navy Yard, and before sundown Sen. Dianne Feinstein has called for yet another debate on gun violence. Major opprobrium is heaped on the AR-15, the semiautomatic used in the Newtown massacre...

Geri Thomas DONIPHAN, Mo. -- Geraldine Ann (Olick) Thomas, 64, of Doniphan died Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013, at her residence. Visitation will begin at 4 p.m. Thursday at Edwards Funeral Home in Doniphan. A formal memorial service will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Also, a celebration of life will be held from 6-8 p.m. Friday at Patsy's Journeyman Restaurant on Hwy. 21 in Doniphan...

Lela Crusoe Lela Mae Crusoe, 81, of Parma, Mo, passed away Saturday, September 21, 2013, at Poplar Bluff Regional Hospital in Poplar Bluff, Mo. Arrangements are pending with Cotrell Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff.

Marvine Foster FISK, Mo. -- Carrie Marvine Foster, 80, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Friday, Sept. 20, 2013, at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Mo. Mrs. Foster was born Sept. 4, 1933, at Larkin, Ark. She was a homemaker. She was married on Dec. 12, 1975, to Charles Foster. He preceded her in death on Dec. 2, 2001...

In seven fights, nobody has been able to last until the third round against Zach Fears. Since graduating from Missouri Baptist a year and a half ago, Fears, who grew up in Poplar Bluff and fights out of The Fighters Gym, dominated all comers and is now 7-0 in amateur mixed martial arts...

By SAMANTHA RINEHART SEMO News Service Former Major League Baseball player turned pastor Darryl Strawberry spoke to a crowd of about 100 people Sunday night in Cape Girardeau as he shared his story of recovery and restoration. With four World Series championships under his belt, Strawberry is widely known for his successes on the field and his more damaging lifestyle off it...

Welton Wilson DEXTER, Mo. -- Welton J. Wilson, 93, of Dexter died Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2013, at the Southeast Health Center of Stoddard County in Dexter. Visitation will be after 9 a.m. Wednesday at the Watkins and Sons Funeral Home in Dexter. Graveside services will be follow at 10 a.m. at the Missouri Veteran's Cemetery in Bloomfield, Mo., with full military honors...

When Three Rivers starts its 2013-14 season, the familiar face of Jordan McGowan will be on the sidelines. The Bernie alum and former Raider was hired as a Three Rivers student assistant in late August. He will be helping out with both the men's and women's basketball programs...

Dunivan gets 'White Coat' Christina Dunivan from Poplar Bluff, Mo. recently took part in a White Coat Ceremony at St. Louis College of Pharmacy, symbolizing the first step in becoming a pharmacist. The white coat is a symbol of commitment to professionalism...