Stories from Wednesday, June 18, 2014

By SAVANNA MAUE SEMO News Service The thousands of screaming St. Louis Cardinals fans didn't faze Staff Sgt. Matthew Peters as he walked onto the field at Busch Stadium on Friday night. Peters had eyes for one person: his 8-year-old daughter Kylie, who just finished singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" with her second-grade class from St. Paul Lutheran School during the seventh inning stretch of the game against the Washington Nationals...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor DONIPHAN, Mo. --An afternoon of swimming on Current River Saturday ended tragically when a Chaffee, Mo., man drowned after jumping from a rock into the river. The body of Jeremy P. Evans, 34, was recovered by the Missouri State Highway Patrol just before 6 p.m., more than three hours after he was last seen struggling in the water...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor PIEDMONT, Mo. -- An early-morning accident Sunday left one Piedmont man dead and another in jail accused of leaving the scene of the crash. Jacob C. Waller, 19, was pronounced dead at 5:10 a.m. by Wayne County Coroner Gary Umfleet...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor GREENVILLE, Mo. -- A Piedmont, Mo., man is to appear in a Wayne County court next month after being charged in connection with an accident, which left one of his passengers dead. Dakota Lee Carter, 24, was charged with the Class D felony of leaving the scene of a motor-vehicle accident by Wayne County Prosecuting Attorney Robert Ramshur...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor By a 4-2 vote following a debate on the conflict of interest section, the Poplar Bluff City Council approved a job description for the position of city manager Monday night. Council members Betty Absheer and Ed DeGaris, who voted "no," questioned why the conflict of interest section needed to be included in the job description...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor MALDEN, Mo. -- A Malden man was to be arraigned this morning in a Dunklin County court after being charged with pulling a gun on a another Malden man, who then allegedly was stabbed multiple times by his teenage relative...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor A Sidewalk Improvement Plan adopted 24 years ago is being re-implemented by the Poplar Bluff City Council. Mark Massingham, the interim city manager, said the cost of repairing sidewalks will be "split 50/50 with the property owner."...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor A discussion about accepting a final plat for a commercial subdivision became entangled with another issue during the Poplar Bluff City Council meeting Monday night. Eventually, Southern Missouri Bancorp's request to accept the final plat for a commercial subdivision at the northeast corner of Shelby and Oak Grove roads was approved 6-0. Johnny Brannum was absent...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor A Poplar Bluff, Mo., man was ordered to stand trial Monday afternoon for tampering with a witness in the upcoming trials of those accused of the 1999 murder of a woman whose remains were found scattered in a secluded area near Qulin, Mo...

By CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER WASHINGTON -- What is it with Susan Rice and the Sunday morning talk shows? This time she said Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl had served in Afghanistan "with honor and distinction" -- the biggest whopper since she insisted the Benghazi attack was caused by a video...

Wake up PB [website] Recently on a visit to see my mother in Poplar Bluff, I had the opportunity to observe the new city council and mayor in action. Former residents of Poplar Bluff ( I live in the Kansas City area but grew up here) keep up with what goes on by following on Facebook and the DAR online. ...

By GEORGE WILL WASHINGTON -- When the dyspeptic poet Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867), who loathed Belgium even more than most things, was asked to imagine an epitaph for that nation, he suggested: "At last!" Which is how many Europeans feel about the rapidly growing disgust with the European Union, which is headquartered in Brussels...

Timothy Hillis receives two honors Timothy Hillis, a sophomore from Williamsville, Mo., was recently named to the Blackburn College 2014 Spring Dean's List. To be named to the Dean's list students must achieve a minimum 3.6 GPA. The Blackburn College Provost releases the list each semester to recognize the student's academic achievement...

Alice Hale PUXICO, Mo.--Alice I. Hale, 97, Wappapello, Mo. died Saturday, June 14, 2014 at her residence. Arrangements pending with Morgan-Sifford Funeral Home in Puxico.

George Belmar PIEDMONT, Mo.--George Earl Belmar, 77, of Des Arc, Mo., died Saturday, June 14, 2014, at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Visitation will be today at 5 p.m. at the Ruegg Funeral Home in Piedmont. Funeral will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Beulah Baptist Church in Brunot, Mo...

Amanda Elaine and Ryan John Bader of Campbell, Mo. have chosen the name Trenton John Bader for their 7-pound, 14-ounce son born at 12:12 p.m. Monday, June 9, 2014 at Saint Francis Medical Center's Family BirthPlace in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Trenton was 21 and one-quarter inches long...

Register for free babysitting class Register for a free Babysitting course! The Butler County University of Missouri Extension Center and the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center will offer a Babysitting Basics Short Course 9 a.m. to 4 p.m Thursday, July 24 at the Poplar Bluff Municipal Library. The Babysitting Basics workbook, meals, and snacks are provided by the sponsors. The course is free of charge...

E. Carter honor roll East Carter Elementary Fourth Quarter Honor Roll First Grade Mrs. Stahl- Benjamin C. Abrams, ELijah Bales, Rance Bourbon, David Callahan, Adalaide Carter, Nadia Chambliss, Anna Crowley, Ethan Gambling, Conner Hardy, Diana Martin, Jazmine Millsap, Mykencie Hutchison, Gavin Lofts, Joshua Pflum, Mallory Stucker, Allyssa Williams...

Butler County USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Executive Director Aaron Sandlin announced that county committee election nominations began June 15. Farmers, ranchers and landowners are encouraged to nominate farmer and rancher candidates to serve on their local FSA county committee...

Piggott student gets scholarship to A-State JONESBORO, Ark. -- Allison Gurley of Piggott, Ark., is one of the 2014 recipients of the Joe McAlister Cache River Valley Seed (CRVS) scholarships at Arkansas State University. The scholarship is named the Joseph E. ...

By MIKE JENSEN Publisher Sikeston Standard Democrat Those who relentlessly continue to support the missteps of this administration have crossed the line from being partisan to being delusional. And I don't use that term in an off-handed, casual manner...

By GEORGE WILL WASHINGTON -- The morning after, at breakfast at the Republicans' Capitol Hill Club, Virginia Rep. Robert Goodlatte was, as befits one of Washington's grown-ups, measured in his reaction to what 36,120 Virginia voters did the day before. ...

By CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER WASHINGTON -- Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord. And although retribution shall surely come in the fullness of time, a ballplayer can only wait so long. Accordingly, when Boston slugger David Ortiz came to bat against Tampa Bay's David Price at the end of May -- for the first time this season -- Price fired the very first pitch, a 94 mile-an-hour fastball, square into Ortiz's back...

SEMO News Service BERNIE, Mo. -- A weekend drug bust in Bernie, Missouri, resulted in four people being put behind bars. They are the following: Bernie police chief Justin Allen said the bust was a cooperative effort between the Bernie Police Department, the Stoddard County Sheriff's Office and the office of Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney Russell Oliver...

Wilma Brinkley NEELYVILLE, Mo.--Wilma Little Brinkley, 84, of Naylor, Mo., passed away Sunday, June 15, 2014 at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. She was born Nov. 20, 1929 in Pocahontas, Ark. She worked as a homemaker who enjoyed her grandchildren, visiting with friend and gardening. She was a member of Elm Grove General Baptist Church in Naylor and a member of the gospel singing group, Twin City Gospel Singers. She was a lifelong resident of Ripley County...

Retired teachers to meet Wed. The Butler County Retired Teachers and School personnel will meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday in the Altrusa Room at Twin Towers. Rep. Todd Richardson, Rep. Steve Cookson and Sen. Doug Libla have been invited to speak. All area administrators, teacher and school personnel are invited to attend. Persons with questions should call Jan Duffy at 300-6828...

Richard Towns Richard Towns Sr., 79, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Saturday, June 14, 2014 at his home. Arrangements are pending with Fowler-Sullivan Funeral Home in Poplar Bluff, Mo.

Ella Mae Dixon DEXTER, Mo. -- Ella Mae Dixon, 94, of Dexter died Monday June 16, 2014 at Crowley Ridge Care Center in Dexter. Funeral arrangements are being handled by the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter and are incomplete at this time.

Michael Judson Michael Judson, 63, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Monday, June 16, 2014 at his residence. The arrangements are pending and will be announced by Cotrell Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff.

George Ray George Edward Ray, 89, of Poplar Bluff, Mo. died Sunday, June 15, 2014 at his home where he lived for the past 42 years. George spent the earlier years of his life serving in the U. S. Army during World War II and the Korean War where he became a Staff Sergeant. In his civilian life he worked at various jobs and retired from the Florsheim Shoe Company in 1975...

William Henry Campbell MALDEN. Mo. -- William Henry Campbell, 84, of Cape Girardeau, Mo., died Saturday at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be held from 2-3:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Landess Funeral Chapel in Malden followed by graveside services 4 p.m. at the Rosewood Cemetery in Malden...

Mary Sanders VAN BUREN, Mo.--Mary Leonard Sanders, 68, departed this life Tuesday, June 10, 2014 at her home in Van Buren. She was born March 5, 1946 in Princeton, N. J. to the late John A. Wood III and Ruth (Baker) Wood. Mrs. Sanders had resided in Van Buren since October 1996 and was previously of Winter Springs, Fla. ...

EAST PRAIRIE -- There was no rust to be found on the Poplar Bluff Mules Senior Babe Ruth baseball team Monday night. Ten days after their most recent games, the Mules dominated East Prairie Senior Babe on the road with 11-1 and 15-0 wins. Poplar Bluff (9-1) had three hitters with multiple RBIs in the opener...

Jacob Waller PIEDMONT, MO. -- Jacob Charles Henry Waller, 19, died Sunday, June 15, 2014 near Piedmont. Visitation will be graveside at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Masonic Cemetery in Piedmont until the funeral at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Masonic Cemetery. Ruegg Funeral Home of Piedmont is in charge of arrangements...

Alice Hale PUXICO, Mo. -- Alice Irene Hale, 97, of Wappapello, Mo., died Saturday, June 14, 2014, in her home. Mrs. Hale was born Sept. 25, 1916, the daughter of George and Leona (Paige) White. She married Jessie Hale in 1932. He preceded her in death on Oct. 22, 1974...

Mossy Oak Properties-Mozark Realty has been named a finalist for its 2013 Office of the Year award by Mossy Oak Properties, Inc. The Office of the Year award is given annually to the Mossy Oak Properties franchise office that not only achieves a high sales volume for the previous fiscal year, but also embodies the core vales that Mossy Oak Properties bases its business upon. Due to the growth of the Mossy Oak Properties network, competition for the award was very healthy...

By RUTH CAMPBELL SEMO News Service PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- With the expansion of its middle class, China is a vast untapped market for American agriculture, said John LaRose, publisher and editor of MidAmerica Farm Publications Inc. LaRose, of Perryville, recently returned from a U.S. ...