Stories from Wednesday, February 26, 2014

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer The name of Missouri's high school equivalency test may have changed -- the HiSET has replaced the GED -- but the pride that comes with that accomplishment is the same. Both 71-year-old Dora Thacker, who completed the GED, and Hazel Bryant, 25, a recipient of the HiSET, say that their passing grades came with a feeling of accomplishment they had waited for for a long time...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Candidates seeking nominations in the Aug. 5 primary election to fill county, legislative and judicial positions will begin filing Tuesday. Winners of the county, judicial and state senate races will be elected to four-year terms during the Nov. 4 general election. Winners of U.S. and state representative contests will be elected to two-year terms...

By AMITY SHEDD SEMO News Service CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- Two years ago on Feb. 23, the United States Postal Service confirmed it intended to close Cape Girardeau's Richard G. Wilson Processing and Distribution Facility, saving the agency about $3.8 million annually and eliminating about 100 positions...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor The lawsuit filed by the Morse Harwell Jiles Insurance Agency against Councilwoman Angela Pearson will be heard in Carter County Circuit Court at Van Buren, Mo. Presiding Circuit Judge Michael Pritchett granted Pearson's motion for a change of venue in Butler County Circuit Court Monday...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer In the long battle to keep 63-year-old Pat Bickford's heart beating, doctors have implanted a defibrillator and a pacemaker. She also has needed five bypasses and numerous stints, the most recent just a week before Christmas...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- A Poplar Bluff, Mo., man already in prison for a drug-related offense pleaded guilty Monday afternoon in federal court to a weapons charge stemming from the same 2012 incident. Atari Jawaun Amos, 31, pleaded guilty as charged to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm before U.S. District Judge Stephen Limbaugh Jr., according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Sorrell...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Absentee voting started Tuesday for persons who will not be in Butler County for the April 8 election when city and school leaders are elected. Persons may vote absentee in the office of County Clerk Tonyi Deffendall on the second floor of the Butler County Courthouse from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor ELLSINORE, Mo. -- A 2-year-old boy is in a St. Louis, Mo., hospital recovering after nearly drowning Monday in a creek near his rural Ellsinore home. "I have heard from a family member this morning (who reported) that the baby's vitals are looking good," explained Carter County Sheriff Rick Stephens, who declined to release the toddler's name at this time...

By GEORGE F. WILL WASHINGTON -- One hundred years ago this coming Aug. 4, the day Britain declared war on Germany, socialists in the German Reichstag voted for credits to finance the war. Marxists -- including Lenin, who that day was in what now is Poland -- were scandalized. ...

By WALTER E. WILLIAMS Evil acts are given an aura of moral legitimacy by noble-sounding socialistic expressions, such as spreading the wealth, income redistribution, caring for the less fortunate, and the will of the majority. Let's have a thought experiment to consider just how much Americans sanction evil...

By MICHELLE MALKIN Question: If Obamacare officials cannot prevent accused embezzlers from infiltrating their offices, how can they protect enrollees from grifters, con artists and thieves in the federal health insurance exchange system? Here in my home state, a director of Connect for Health Colorado -- the state-sponsored Obamacare health insurance exchange -- was just put on administrative leave. ...

Leonard Voyles VAN BUREN, Mo. -- Leonard Roy Voyles Sr., 44, of Van Buren died Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014, near Ellsinore, Mo. Visitation will be held at 6 p.m. today in the McSpadden Funeral Home in Van Buren. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home with the Rev. Melba Duncan officiating. Burial will be in Gresham Cemetery...

Vickey Hoetzle Vickey L. Hoetzle, 55, of Malden, Mo., died Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, at Southeast Health Center in Dexter, Mo. The arrangements are pending and will be announced by Cotrell Funeral Service.

Leo Hoopingarner PUXICO, Mo. -- Leo Hoopingarner, 67, of Puxico died Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014, at the St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Mr. Hoopingarner, son of the late Marion Hoopingarner Sr. and Verla Loman Hoopingarner, was born in Dudley, Mo., on June 20, 1946. He had lived in the Puxico area all of his life where he was a row crop and live stock farmer and also had a salvage yard. He was a member of the Mingo Tractor Club...

James Vernon of Poplar Bluff, Mo., made the Dean's List at The University of Akron for the fall 2013 semester. To be eligible for Dean's List, Vernon maintained a GPA of 3.25 or higher and was enrolled in 12 or more credit hours.

The Poplar Bluff Elks Lodge will host a meat shoot on Sunday. Target practice begins at noon with the meat shoot starting at 1 p.m. Food will be available. For more information contact Vickie Spratt at 573-429-4172.

Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center is partnering with the American Heart Association to bring the HeartChase to Butler County. Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in the region, ranking above all forms of cancer. The fundraising event, which hopes to raise awareness of the importance of heart health, will take place Saturday, May 3 at PBRMC's Oak Grove Campus...

By MONA CHAREN Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, may be the brightest light to adorn the Republican Party in many years. He knows how to make the case for conservative ideas, pointing, for example, to the contrasting fates of Detroit and Houston to illustrate the superiority of conservative policies. ...

By CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER WASHINGTON -- I repeat: I'm not a global warming believer. I'm not a global warming denier. I've long believed that it cannot be good for humanity to be spewing tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. I also believe that those scientists who pretend to know exactly what this will cause in 20, 30 or 50 years are white-coated propagandists...

A few weeks ago, President Obama challenged Congress to make 2014 a "year of action." I am hopeful 2014 can be a year to begin rebuilding America's economy to create an environment that encourages private sector growth and job creation. Conservatives in the House of Representatives have a plan that lays the groundwork for a stronger economy and brighter future for all Americans...

PIEDMONT -- The Clearwater Lady Tigers scored 1,458 points this season. They needed two more. Clearwater had the ball at the end, but missed a pair of shots and lost 47-46 to Arcadia Valley in the Class 3 District 2 semifinals Monday. Down by six points with a minute left, Lexi Morris scored for Clearwater and then the team committed a quick foul. Megan Williams stepped to the line in the bonus for Valley and missed...

Lincoln University of Missouri releases the name of a local student who qualified for the Fall 2013 Dean's List: Craig Jones of Malden, Mo. In order to qualify for the Dean's List, Jones acquired at least a 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale, with a minimum of 12 credit hours in qualifying course work...

MALDEN -- The defending champions got off to a good start Monday in the MSHSAA Class 3 District 1 semifinal, while the top seed needed a good finish as both teams advance. Doniphan didn't allow a field goal over the final 7 1/2 minutes as the top-seeded Donettes shook off East Prairie 58-44...

FARMINGTON -- Poplar Bluff's bench gave the Lady Mules a third-quarter lift Monday. Megan Knuckles, Kaitlyn Slaughter and Ronnetta Taylor accounted for eight of Poplar Bluff's 12 third-quarter points and the Lady Mules didn't allow a field goal to build a double-digit lead in a 50-39 road win...

John Evans John Monroe Evans, 66, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Monday, Feb. 24, 2014, at Oakdale Care Center in Poplar Bluff. The arrangements are pending and will be announced by Cotrell Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff.

Wanda Blaylock MALDEN, Mo. -- Wanda Pickard Blaylock, 84, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., formerly of Malden, died Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, at Westwood Hills Health Center in Poplar Bluff. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday at the Landess Funeral Chapel in Malden. A graveside service will be held at noon at Stanfield Cemetery in Clarkton, Mo., with James Powell officiating...

Joyce Higginbotham QULIN, Mo. -- Joyce Pauline Higginbotham, 62, of Qulin passed away peacefully in her sleep and went to her eternal home on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, at her residence. Born June 7, 1951, she was formerly a teacher's aide at Edgerton Elementary School in Edgerton, Kan...

Michael Bame Michael Joseph Bame, 50, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Thursday, Feb. 13, 2014, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Survivors include his mother, Elizabeth Clark; and siblings, Laura Pickard, Margaret Sparks and Wendell (Ricky) Bame Jr...

VAN BUREN -- Although they had their issues on the boards and with turnovers, the Neelyville Tigers were on the cusp of a major upset Monday night in the MSHSAA Class 2 District 2 semifinal. The Tigers took top-seeded Thayer to overtime but were outscored by 10 points in the extra four minutes for a 63-53 loss to end their season...

RISCO -- One year ago it took a halfcourt shot at the buzzer from Dawson Goodrum to push the Naylor Eagles past the Gideon Bulldogs in their first-round district matchup. Monday night, Goodrum played a deciding role much closer to the basket in handing the fourth-seeded Bulldogs a 75-72 upset loss in MSHSAA Class 1 District 1 play at Risco...

Shantel M. and Ovell Brown, Jr. of Cape Girardeau, Mo. have chosen the name Malachi Malik Brown for their 6-pound, 15-ounce son who was born at 4:31 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2014 at Saint Francis Medical Center's Family BirthPlace in Cape Girardeau. Malachi was 20 and three-quarter inches long...

RISCO -- Marco Alvarado finished with 20 points for Clarkton as the top-seeded Reindeer comfortably advanced in the first round of the Class 1 District 1 tournament Monday in Risco. Clarkton (15-9) put up 22 points in the first quarter on No. 8 North Pemiscot (1-18) and led 40-21 at halftime...

Michael and Jenna Blackmon of Poplar Bluff, Mo., have chosen the name Masyn Carter Blackmon for their 8-pound, 1-ounce son who was born at 11:03 p.m. Monday, Feb. 10, 2014, at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Masyn was 20 and one-half inches long...

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer DETROIT (AP) -- The United Auto Workers' membership and dues are down sharply from just six years ago. In another sign of weakness, the union suffered a stunning defeat this month when it tried to organize a Tennessee factory run by labor-friendly Volkswagen...

By ALEX WEST Staff Writer "A true asset to Wal-Mart" is a phrased used to describe one Poplar Bluff, Mo., woman who recently celebrated 40 years with the company. Rita Seesengood, market office administrative assistant, was recently honored at Wal-Mart headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., for her dedication to the company...