Stories from Saturday, January 18, 2014

Voters will be asked on April 8 to decide if Poplar Bluff R-I School District should be allowed to increase its operating tax levy ceiling by 80 cents per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation for purposes that include:...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Attorney John Scott is the third candidate to file for three seats on the Poplar Bluff School District Board in the April 8 election. Scott is a member of the Poplar Bluff Parks and Recreation Board. The other two candidates are incumbents Steve Sells, who is seeking his third term, and Alana Robertson, who is seeking her second term...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Holding signs that read, "Our kids. Our community. Our future. VOTE YES," Poplar Bluff School District patrons celebrated Thursday as the Board of Education approved ballot language for an 80-cent tax levy increase that would fund the relocation of the high school, as well as improvements at nearly every campus...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Butler and Ripley counties are now among only five counties in the nation (four of them in Missouri) to hold the designation of a Certified Work Ready Community, Gov. Jay Nixon announced Thursday at the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor Local authorities continue to investigate an early morning shooting, which sent one woman to the hospital and two others to jail. Poplar Bluff Police officers responded at about 1 a.m. Friday to an apartment building in the 600 block of D Street after the victim's boyfriend called 911 reporting she had been shot, according to Detective Bryce Colvin...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor The former bookkeeper for a local construction company was ordered to stand trial Thursday afternoon for allegedly stealing nearly $200,000 by using company credit cards to make personal purchases. Accompanied by her attorney, Devin Kirby, Heather Easterday appeared before Associate Circuit Judge John Bloodworth for a preliminary hearing in her case...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Presiding Circuit Judge Michael Pritchett ruled Thursday in favor of the city of Poplar Bluff and against Charles Brannum, Chris Browning and CSE Enterprises concerning acceptance of a higher bid for a project at the city power plant...

Following are winners at the Jr. Beta Convention held Wednesday at the Black River Coliseum. Missouri Jr. Beta Candidate Winners President-Taylor Harlow- Bunker R-III School Vice President-Bailey Burns-Puxico Jr. High School Secretary-Julianna French-Malden Jr. High...

Eugene Field Elementary has released the honor roll for the second quarter of the 2013-2014 school year. Students on the list follow: A Honor Roll: Second Grade Emily Elliott, Abigail Gardner, Caleb Morris, Kurt Rosson, Brennen White and Karli Wilkerson...

Songwriters to meet Tues. NSAI Poplar Bluff and Southern Missouri songwriters will have a song writing workshop at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2414 Katy Lane. Bring a new song and a few copies of its lyrics if interested in a critique...

Fisk Middle School has released its second quarter honor roll for the 2013-2014 school year. Students named to that list follow: Honor Roll: 5th Grade Andrea Arnold, Johnna Bagwell, Alexis Cobb, Zachary Deken, Hannah Eddy, Abbey Hester, Erin Inman, Madison Inman, Avery Jackson, Bryce Johnson, Allison Kacynski, Jacob Logan, Wysteria Oetjen and Ayden Wilkerson...

By MONA CHAREN John F. Kennedy broke some sort of record for stating the obvious when he noted that "life isn't fair." More evidence for the unfairness of the nation's evaluations of presidents emerged in a recent Washington Post poll showing that, five years after he returned to Texas, George W. ...

By MIKE JENSEN Publisher Sikeston Standard Democrat If you pay attention to the administration's talking points for 2014, you now know our national obsession is ending economic inequality. That lofty yet ill-defined goal will be a major talking point when the President makes his annual State of the Union address. In fact, many of the political talking heads were rehearsing the issue this past Sunday...

Twin Towers activities for week The Housing Authority office, library, senior citizen office and Twin Towers dining room will all be closed Monday, Jan. 20 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Activities will resume Tuesday at 11 a.m. when Bill Anderson Country Boys sing and play a variety of songs for those who will be enjoying lunch in the dining room...

Area Red Cross blood drives in this area for January include: Jan. 18 from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, Fifth and North Main in Poplar Bluff, Mo. Carter County: Jan. 27 from 2-6:30 p.m. at East Carter County High School FEMA Building, 24 S. Herren in Ellsinore, Mo...

Cynthia Dean named officer Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH) has selected its 2014 board officers. The 15-member board oversees all MFH activities and grantmaking, helping to address the health needs of Missourians, especially the uninsured and underserved. Members serve a maximum of two three-year terms...

Belmont Dean's List Megan Richardson and Abigail Simpson, both of Poplar Bluff, earned spots on Belmont University dean's list recipients for the Fall 2013 semester. Eligibility is based on a minimum course load of 12 hours and a quality grade point average of 3.5 with no grade below a C...

Loyce Reed DEXTER, Mo.--Loyce L. Reed, 93, of Dexter died Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014 at the Golden Living Center in Dexter. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Saturday at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home. Funeral service will follow at 1 p.m. in the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Chapel with Rev. Elijah Allen officiating. Burial will follow in the Dexter Cemetery...

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Ruth Robinson Duccini, the last of the original female Munchkins from the 1939 movie "The Wizard of Oz," has died. She was 95. With her death, only one actor who played one of the original 124 Munchkins in the movie remains alive. Duccini died of natural causes in Solari Hospice Care Center in Las Vegas on Thursday...

Rita Vinson Rita Justine Vinson, 94, of Jasper, Ga., died Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. The arrangements are pending and will be announced by Cotrell Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff.

By FRAZIER MOORE AP Television Writer NEW YORK (AP) -- Actor Russell Johnson, who became known to generations of TV fans as "The Professor," the fix-it man who kept his fellow "Gilligan's Island" castaways supplied with gadgets, has died. He was 89...

The Three Rivers Lady Raiders have forfeited their Jan. 4 win against Mineral Area. Coach Jeff Walk said it was because an ineligible player played and could not comment beyond that. Walk said he learned about it Tuesday and reported it after that. With the loss, the Lady Raiders are now 0-3 in Region XVI play and have lost four of their last five after being ranked No. 12 in the preseason NJCAA polls...

Samuel Anderson QULIN, Mo. -- Samuel Joe Anderson, 77, of Piggott, Ark., died Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014, at Piggott Community Hospital at Piggott. Mr. Anderson was born Nov. 8, 1936, at Qulin and had lived there all his life. He was a retired construction worker and was of the General Baptist Faith. He also was a member of Four Mile #212 AF and AM at Campbell, Mo...

GREENVILLE -- The Twin Rivers Lady Royals trailed for much of the night but had a chance to rally from a double-digit deficit late Thursday. The Lady Royals rimmed out attempts around the bucket in crucial moments, including a game-tying attempt with about six seconds left, as Greenville held on for the 45-43 Ozark Foothills Conference win...

NEELYVILLE -- The Neelyville Tigers earned a district win over Puxico Thursday night as they outscored the Indians by seven in the second half for 56-53 victory. Neelyville senior Lane Spencer had a big night with 18 points, including two 3s. Matt Nicolay added 14 for the Tigers (6-5) while Sam Phillips chipped in with 11 points...