Stories from Monday, May 19, 2014

A Neelyville, Mo., man was charged Friday with abusing his 2-year-old daughter, who is being treated at a St. Louis, Mo., hospital for her injuries. Thomas Leeroy Moore, 31, was charged with the Class B felony of abuse or neglect of a child -- serious emotional or physical injury, according to Casenet, Missouri's online court reporting system...

Wearing a crown and purple survivor T-shirt, 5-year-old Jasmine Moss of Doniphan, Mo. joined more than 1,200 people Saturday morning on the hill behind the Danny Bell Cancer Treatment Center for the Sarah White Walk Because UCAN event. Moss was surrounded by family and friends wearing T-shirts with the words "Prayers for Jazzy" scrawled across the chest in neon orange...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- A Wappapello, Mo., man and his brother are expected to turn themselves in to federal authorities this week after they recently were indicted for illegally selling firearms. A federal grand jury handed down indictments Thursday against John Lyn Rush, 50, and his 55-year-old brother, David Hilton Rush, charging them with the felonies of unlawful transfer of a firearm and engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor Local authorities say charges are being sought against three men accused of stealing tools from Menard's last week. "In the late evening hours of (Thursday), officers with the Poplar Bluff Police Department arrested a group of shoplifters, who have recently plagued several retail businesses in the Poplar Bluff area," according to a news release from Poplar Bluff Police Capt. David Sutton...

Vanguard recipients: Kaiser, Bagby, Cobb, Boyer By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer The following awards were given Friday at the Three Rivers College ACE Awards event, held at the Black River Coliseum for faculty and staff. The President's Impact Award and trophy was given to the nursing and allied health program faculty. The award honors an individual or team who has made a significant impact on the college in the last year...

Neelyville top grads By SARABETH WALLER Staff Writer As she wrapped up her last day at Neelyville High School Tuesday afternoon, valedictorian Kenna Sheppard reflected on her time spent there. "It's been sad realizing it's the last day," she said...

David and Terrie Montgomery announce the engagement of their daughter, Stephanie Nicole Montgomery, to Ryan Wayne Pennington, all of Poplar Bluff, Mo. Pennington is the son of Terry and Debbie Pennington, also of Poplar Bluff. The couple will be married at 5 p.m., Saturday, May 31, 2014, at the First Baptist Church in Poplar Bluff...

Wally and Kathy Duncan of Poplar Bluff, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Nicole Leigh Duncan, to Ryan Andrew Arnett, also of Poplar Bluff. Arnett is the son of Bob and Lynne Arnett of Sullivan, Ind. The couple will be married Saturday, June 14, 2014, at the Westwood Wedding Chapel in Poplar Bluff...

Get a new flag If they're gonna fly a state flag at the public library, they need to get a new one. That one is tore and you should never fly a torn flag of any kind. Thank you. Bar more than one You know I don't condone that Sterling and the LA Clippers if he really said that and they prove that he said it. ...

The Ozark Foothills Regional Community Foundation was honored with an Affiliate of the Year award at the annual conference of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. The CFO selected four affiliates, each representing a geographic region of its 44-member affiliate network, for the first annual Affiliate of the Year honors on April 24. The OFRCF received $2,500 for its unrestricted grantmaking fund in recognition of its excellent work in 2013-14...

Lee Kirby DONIPHAN, Mo. -- Herbert Lee Kirby, 85, of Doniphan, died Friday, May 16, 2014, at Southeast Health of Ripley County. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Edwards Funeral Home in Doniphan. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday in the funeral home chapel with Ron Weist officiating. Burial will be in the Doniphan City Cemetery...

By CAROLYN SMITH Staff Writer Larry Kimbrow of Poplar Bluff, Mo. was the recipient of the Lion Recognition Medal at the Missouri Lions 92nd Annual State Convention held in Sedalia, Mo. Saturday, April 26, for his work in making the all-inclusive playground in Cape Girardeau, Mo. ...

John Glandt Fisk, Mo. - John Glandt, 61, of Broseley, Mo., died Friday, May 16, 2014, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Arrangements are pending with White-Sanders Funeral Home in Fisk, Mo. Condolences may be made to the family at: www.whitesandersfuneralhome.com...

Mary Lou Nance DONIPHAN, Mo. -- Mary Lou Nance, 74-year-old resident of Grandin, Mo., died Friday, May 16, 2014, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Mrs. Nance, daughter of Leroy and Florence (Stilts) Evans, was born Feb. 13, 1940 in Mounds, Ill. She was self-employed, having worked in the grocery business. She enjoyed fishing, gardening, spending time with family and visiting with people...

Alan Shoat ELLSINORE, Mo.--Alan Wade Shoat, 52, of Ellsinore died Thursday, May 15, 2014 in the Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Mo. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 24, in the McSpadden Funeral Home in Ellsinore. Rev. Keith Boyer will officiate. Burial will be in the Kearbey Cemetery...

Michael Brent SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Michael James Brent of Nixa, Mo., was born Dec. 8, 1947, in Poplar Bluff, Mo., and died May 15, 2014. He is survived by his loving parents, Jim (Junior) and Patsy (Martin) Brent of Nixa, Mo.; son, Billy, his daughter, Olivia, and her mother, Esther; daughter, Courtney; son Jeff, his daughter, Paeson, and her mother, Caitlyn; and numerous family, friends, and coworkers...

Leoma Cravens PARMA, Mo. -- Leoma Beatrice (Nixon) Cravens, 95, died Saturday, May 17, 2014, at the Golden Living Center in Malden, Mo. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday at the Watkins & Sons Funeral Home in Parma. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Parma General Baptist Church. Burial will be in the Memorial Park Cemetery in Malden...

Derek Austin Freeze ELLSINORE, Mo. -- Derek Austin Freeze, 29, of Ellsinore, Mo., departed this life Friday, May 16, 2014 in the Clark's Mountain Nursing Center in Piedmont, Mo. He is the son of Jonathan "Quintin" and Tonya Faith (Wilder) Freeze, and was born July 1, 1984 in Poplar Bluff, Mo...

Jetty Skaggs DONIPHAN, Mo. -- Jetty Louise Skaggs, 84, of House Springs, Mo. died Friday, May 16, 2014 at The Crystal Oaks in Crystal City, Mo. Visitation will be from noon until 2 p.m. Monday at the Edwards Funeral Home in Doniphan with the funeral beginning at 2 p.m. at the funeral home with Bro. Elijah Brady officiating. Burial will be in Elizabeth Cemetery...

Frances Pulliam Frances Ruth Pulliam, 82, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., passed away Saturday, May 17, 2014, at her family residence. Mrs. Pulliam was born July 4, 1931, in Milan, Mo., to the late Lindley and Zelphia Morley Baldridge. On Sept. 4, 1956, she married Frank Pulliam in Kirksville, Mo. He preceded her in death on Feb. 5, 1993...

Wally Duncan's resignation last week as city attorney came as no surprise. After watching the city council fire his boss, City Manager Doug Bagby, Duncan probably figured he was next. So, he preempted the "new coalition" on the city council. No doubt he didn't want to take the chance of Mayor Angela Pearson trying to humiliate him by having a policeman escort him from city hall like she did after Bagby was fired during a council meeting...

By CAROLYN SMITH Staff Writer "Happy," an Aussie Boston Terrier Mix, has brightened the lives of the residents of Westwood Hills Health and Rehabilitation Center of Poplar Bluff, Mo., 3100 Warrior Lane, Poplar Bluff, Mo., since she took up residence in early March of this year. ...

IMPERIAL -- The Lady Mules won more events than Jackson, but Poplar Bluff finished second in the race for the MSHSAA Class 4 District 1 title Saturday. JJ Ellis, Lexi Hafford, Cassidy Harris and Soley Webb each won for the Lady Mules while Webb, Hafford, Netta Taylor and Megan Knuckles teamed up to take the 400-meter relay...

"I'm so happy. I'm so emotional. I just feel like a fat kid who gets chocolate for the first time." That is how Kennett senior Kelsey Lawrence summed up winning the first MSHSAA Spring State Softball Championship and the first state championship for a girls' sport at Kennett...

Bob Coonce has made the three and a half hour drive from his home in Illinois to see a grandchild graduate from Neelyville High School, not once or even twice, but four times. The long trip is important, according to Coonce, whose granddaughter Alisha Coonce was salutatorian during the Class of 2014 graduation Saturday...

Dorothy Rowland DEXTER, Mo. -- Dorothy Louise Rowland, 85, of Dexter, died Friday, May 16, 2014 at Crowley Ridge Care Center. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter and are incomplete at this time.V

CHARLESTON -- The No. 3 seed Clearwater Tigers got off to a great start in MSHSAA Class 3 District 2 play Saturday afternoon. After scoring runs in each of the first three innings, the Tigers scored seven times in the bottom of the fifth to run-rule the No. 6 East Prairie Eagles 10-0...

BERNIE -- With the win Saturday morning in the opening round of the MSHSAA Class 2 District 3 tournament, the No. 4 Bloomfield Wildcats now find themselves surrounded by three state-ranked teams in the semifinals. Other than the first inning against No. 5 Puxico, the Wildcats looked like a team capable of competing with the best as they won 8-2...

SIKESTON -- The Poplar Bluff Mules had two individual tennis players make the MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 quarterfinals while a doubles team advanced to the semifinals Saturday. On Friday, the Mules lost 5-2 to Oakville in the team district as Humza Siddiqui and Brett Payne were the lone winners...