Stories from Thursday, January 30, 2014

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor GREENVILLE, Mo. -- A Piedmont, Mo., man was ordered to stand trial Tuesday morning in connection with the October shooting death of his stepson-in-law. After meeting with his client, Samuel Jerry Lee Whitaker, Grant Wobig with the Public Defender's Office handed Associate Circuit Judge Randy Schuller a written waiver signed by Whitaker waving his rights to having a preliminary hearing in his cases...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor A Poplar Bluff, Mo., man was charged Tuesday with sodomizing a 5-year-old girl while staying in her family's home in late December. Bruce Wayne Ross, 31 of the 1500 block of County Road 521 was charged with the unclassified felony of first-degree statutory sodomy by Butler County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Paul Oesterreicher...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor The Missouri Department of Natural Resources issued a notice of violation Tuesday to Nichols Disposal of Poplar Bluff, Mo., for operating a solid waste processing facility without a permit. Attorney General Chris Koster said today he has obtained a temporary restraining order in Butler County against Michael Nichols and Nichols Disposal LLC to prevent further violations of Missouri's Solid Waste Management Law...

Aloyce Barnhill CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Aloyce M. Barnhill, 81, a resident of Poplar Bluff and formerly of East Prairie, died at 5:45 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2014, at the Mark Twain Nursing Center in Poplar Bluff, Mo. Arrangements are incomplete with the McMikle Funeral Home in Charleston...

By FRANK CAMPA Mo. Dept. of Conservation Heads up on hunter education: There are several hunter education certification skills courses scheduled already around the state. Remember, you cannot just stroll into one and get certified in one night. As a matter of fact, you cannot even get into one before doing two very important things...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- Landowners can learn to use prescribed fire as a land management tool at a Prescribed Fire Workshop presented by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) on March 4, at the MDC's Southeast Regional Office in Cape Girardeau...

By PAUL DAVIS Outdoors Editor As winter trudges along with these goofy, back-and-forth weather patterns, more and more of Missouri's hunting seasons have closed or are headed that way. On Friday, the furbearer and statewide goose hunting seasons close, as does the trapping season for badgers, bobcats, foxes, mink, opossums, raccoons and skunks...

By WALTER E. WILLIAMS Part of the progressive agenda is to create hate and envy. One component of that agenda is to attack the large differences between a corporation's chief executive officer's earnings and those of its average worker. CNNMoney published salary comparisons in "Fortune 50 CEO pay vs. ...

People are out to get us I am concerned about our community. People are coming in from outside of Poplar Bluff setting up shop to take people for what they have. I noticed today A man giving away government phones from his car. And notice he had this device taking people information, A lot of people was getting the phones yet some was coming back saying the phones did not work, The man told this one elderly lady that he was not going to stop because her phone did not work. ...

The past weeks have been filled with various legislative committee hearings. As a member of the Senate Education Committee, I heard testimony on legislation that would implement performance-based funding for public four-year higher education institutions in our state. ...

Wilma McGuire DEXTER, Mo. -- Wilma "Pinkie" A. McGuire, 64, of Essex, Mo., died Monday, Jan. 27, 2014, at Southeast Health Center of Stoddard County in Dexter. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. Friday at the Watkins and Sons Funeral Home in Dexter. The funeral service will follow at 1 p.m. at the chapel with the Rev. James Malloy of Essex officiating. Burial will be in the Triplett Cemetery near Dexter...

Blake Green MALDEN, Mo -- Michael "Blake" Green, 23, of Cassville, Mo., died Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014. Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday Stanfield Cemetery in Clarkton, Mo., with the Rev. Jack Allen officiating. Landess Funeral Home of Malden is in charge of arrangements...

Jerry Wilson PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Jerry Wilson, 71, of Salem, Mo., died Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014, at his residence. Visitation will be at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Ruegg Funeral Home in Piedmont. Services will be held at 1 p.m. Friday also at the funeral home...

BERNIE -- Now with his National Letter of Intent signed, all Josh Stevens needs to worry about now is having a good spring season with the Bernie Mules and perhaps winning a district title. Stevens signed Tuesday morning with Mineral Area College and brings some hitting and versatility to the field for the Cardinals...

With his roster an injury away from having more players in street clothes than in uniform, Three Rivers Lady Raiders coach Jeff Walk resorted to recruiting ... Three Rivers College. Walk added Three Rivers freshman Tori Cole and sophomore Raven Sturgeon to the Lady Raider roster hours before Monday's 5 p.m. deadline to do so...

GREENVILLE -- A late turnover nearly cost Naylor its first Ozark Foothills Conference win Tuesday night. An ill-advised inbounds pass gave Greenville a couple of late chances to tie the game as sophomore Tristin Wood stole the pass of Naylor senior Dawson Goodrum...

Herschel Vernon Herschel A. Vernon, 57 of Poplar Bluff, Mo., passed away Monday, Jan. 27, 2014, at his residence. Mr. Vernon was born Jan. 25, 1957, at Poplar Bluff to the late Herschel and Anna B. Upton Vernon. On March 12, 1977, he and Beverly E. White were married in Fisk, Mo. She survives of the home...

Donald Casselberry Donald Wayne Casselberry, 74, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2014, at his home. Arrangements are pending and will be announced by Cotrell Funeral Service.

Area students on Avila U Dean's List Avila University announces the Dean's List for Fall of 2013. Candidates possessed a grade point average of at least a 3.5. Avila University is a Catholic, co-educational, values-based liberal arts institution founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, offering undergraduate, graduate, and adult degree programs. Avila University is located at 119th and Wornall Rd. in southwest suburban Kansas City, Mo...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Alcohol compliance checks conducted by the Poplar Bluff Police Department have resulted in employees at seven businesses being issued a summons on suspicion of selling alcohol to a minor. Miles P. Callahan, 24, of the 2500 block of North Main Street allegedly failed to ask for identification when a minor purchased a six-pack of beer at Money Mizer in the 500 block of East Pine Street at 3:40 p.m. Friday, according to the report...

DONIPHAN -- The Doniphan Dons earned their third straight win Tuesday night as they beat the East Carter Redbirds at home in Ozark Foothills Conference play. The Dons, which were coming off winning the consolation title at the Mountain View-Liberty Tournament over the weekend, outscored the Redbirds 36-16 in the first half...

DEXTER -- The SCAA Tournament semifinals are set following a pair of blowouts Tuesday night at the Bearcat Event Center. Top-seeded Bernie beat No. 8 Richland 70-27 and No. 2 Advance beat No. 7 Bell City 84-52. Advance will play No. 6 Woodland in the first semifinal Thursday at 7 p.m. and Bernie will play No. 5 Puxico in the nightcap at 8:30 p.m...