Stories from Wednesday, October 29, 2014

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer As the nation reacts to the newest case of Ebola on American soil, local medical and emergency personnel are taking this opportunity to become better prepared to respond to an infectious disease. The Butler County Emergency Management Agency will meet next week with a new infectious disease subcommittee comprised of doctors, nurses and other medical partners, said Director Jeff Shawan. ...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Four local banks submitted interest rate bids for a loan so the city can fund a $4.7 million information technology improvement project unanimously approved by the Poplar Bluff City Council on Oct. 20. Commerce Bank, USBank, Bank of Missouri and Southern Bank submitted interest rates for five, seven and 10-year loans...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor A mother was reaching for a glass in a kitchen cabinet to get a drink when a huge tree being removed from the adjoining lot fell the wrong way. It smashed her house at 1104 Hickory St. around 5:15 p.m. Friday. Patricia Montiel was injured when the cabinets were knocked off the wall and a microwave on a shelf above the range hood fell...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Members of Three Rivers College faculty and staff received a sneak peak Friday of the institution's new Sikeston campus. The three-story, 40,000 square foot structure will replace a converted racquet ball court with about 8,000 square feet of usable space where classes are held now...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer Butler County RSVP, (Retired Senior Volunteer Program) will host an Arts and Crafts Fair from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Black River Colosseum. The event, now in its 15th year, will feature more than 40 vendors. The $1 admission fee for the general public, and the fees paid by the vendors, benefit RSVP, which is one of the area's largest volunteer networks for people ages 55 and over...

BY PAT PRATT Staff Writer Twin Rivers will enter the high school automaton battlefield for the first time in the school's history with the recent formation of Royal Robotics, a robotics team of juniors and seniors who come from a wide swath of academic disciplines...

Volunteer to fix staircase Holy Moley! The grand staircase at the depot! I've said for years that it will never be replaced even though they got the money. They keep rejecting one bid after another. My thought is, being an old country boy from Butler County all my life and a good taxpaying Democrat, why can't some of these big construction companies from around here get together and say, Hey, let's build those staircases, and everyone of them come down there with a crew, tear it out and build it in a matter of a few weeks and get it over with and say, Poplar Bluff, this is a present to you all. ...

By MONA CHAREN Can you walk out on the messiah? Appearing at a campaign rally for gubernatorial candidate Anthony Brown in Maryland last Sunday, President Obama sought to capture the magic that had electrified audiences in 2008 and, to some considerable degree, even in 2012. ...

By GEORGE F. WILL WASHINGTON -- The early morning paramilitary-style raids on citizens' homes were conducted by law enforcement officers, sometimes wearing bulletproof vests and lugging battering rams, pounding on doors and issuing threats. Spouses were separated as the police seized computers, including those of children still in pajamas. ...

Agee Club meets Nickey Orton was the hostess for the Agee Community Club's luncheon and meeting at Ryan's Oct. 16. Club president Cathy Womack opened the meeting with the members repeating the club motto. Invocation and Devotional from Psalms 121: 1-8 was given by Orton. Jeanie Figgins gave the secretary and treasurer's reports. Old business was a reminder of November needlework month and the clubs upcoming anniversary. New business was the Christmas project...

Twin Rivers High School First Quarter Honor Roll and Merit Roll Honor Roll Seniors: Cheyenne Buie, Mason Douglas, Madison Dunlap, John Horn, Shana Jennings, Kendra Joiner, Owen Jordan, Ashley Kennedy, Ashley Malkowski, Jesse Robards, Savanna Smothers, Cheyanne Waggoner, Austin Wall, Nathan Watson, Shelby Wayne...

The Animal Welfare Alliance (AWA) will hold its Sixth Annual "Howling at the Moon" party on Friday, Nov. 7, at the Westwood Center in Poplar Bluff. The event -- sponsored by Coffman & Company - Your CPA, and by Key Drugs -- will start at 6 p.m. and last until 10 p.m...

Annie Pruett BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Annie E. Pruett, 85, of Bloomfield, Mo., died Friday, Oct. 24, 2014, at her home. Visitation will be held from 5-8 p.m. tonight at Bloomfield Assembly of God Church. Funeral services will begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Assembly of God Church. Burial with be in the Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield. Chiles-Cooper Funeral Home of Bloomfield is in charge of arrangements...

Boil water order Neelyville cancels school Classes in the R-IV district were canceled Monday and the town of Neelyville is under a boil water order due to a broken water main. A spokesperson with city hall said that sometime during the night a water main was broken. The main has been repaired and the school does have water, but the order is in place until further notice...

Public workshops will be held at Wappapello Lake and Piggott, Ark., to discuss the new water control plan for the lake. The plan is still under review. Presentations will be given on the new water control plan and dam safety by members of the St. Louis District U. S. Army Corps of Engineers' staff. The staff will also host a question and answer session regarding operations...

By MONA CHAREN Back in August, when news first broke of a shooting in Ferguson, Mo., the media world, perpetually tingling with eagerness for white-on-black violence stories, plunged into delirium. An unarmed, black 18-year-old "gentle giant" had been shot in the back while running away from a white police officer! He was just preparing to enter college in the fall. ...

By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN When this writer was 3 years old, the Empire of Japan devastated Battleship Row of the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor. Before I was 7, Gen. MacArthur was in an office in Tokyo overlooking the Imperial Palace, dictating to a shattered Japan...

Westwood Baptist Academy honor roll for first quarter PRINCIPAL'S LIST 1st Grade: Freedom Bates, Reese Hampton, Gavin Osburn, Addyson Prater, Cody VanDover 2nd Grade: Kenneth Fiske, Madyson Kordick, Caleb Smith 3rd Grade: Alexander Carson, Cordelia Elder, James Hawley, Jorja McCollough, Anna Prater, Lillian Yarbro...

To the Editor: Downtown Poplar Bluff would like to extend its gratitude and appreciation to those involved in making the 5th annual Iron Horse Festival a great success. The festival again had record attendance and 11 partner sites this year. The festival would not be possible without our sponsors and volunteers...

Twin Rivers High School has named its Students of the Month for September. Freshman student of the month is Katelyn Renee Baxter, daughter of Roger and Debbie Baxter. Katelyn is a member of FCA, FFA, FBLA, and plays volleyball and basketball. Her hobbies include reading, hunting and drawing. After graduating, she plans to attend the University of Missouri and earn a degree in chemistry...

Bessie Sronce Bessie Sronce, 65, of Hunter, Mo.,died Monday, Oct. 27, 2014, at her residence. Arrangements are pending and will be announced by Cotrell Funeral Service.

The Three Rivers Endowment Trust has received a $770,000 donation following the sale of properties held in trust for late Piedmont resident James Adams. The majority of the donation will go towards Three Rivers College's proposed sports complex project, with the remainder going towards the Endowment Trust's upkeep and expenses, according to a press release...

Marvin L. Sheridan Marvin L. Sheridan, 65, of Poplar Bluff, Mo. died Monday, Oct. 27, 2014, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Arrangements are pending and will be announced by Cotrell Funeral Service.

Beverly Elaine Doser QULIN, Mo. -- Beverly Elaine Doser, 68, of Qulin, passed away Monday, Oct. 27, 2014 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center surrounded by her family. Mrs. Doser was born Aug. 6, 1946 in Malden, Mo., the daughter of the late Herbert and Betty Arrington...

Gary W. Karlish MALDEN, Mo.--Gary W. Karlish, 67, of Malden, died Monday, Oct. 27, 2014 at his residence. Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at the Landess Funeral Chapel in Malden. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Landess Funeral chapel with Dr. Jeff Krupinski and friend, Bob Phillips officiating...

Pooh is a shooter. Jay is a lock-down defender. Pooh speaks quietly. Jay does not. The Perry sisters can both sing, they share an infectious smile, and they will both start in the Lady Raider backcourt when Three Rivers College begins the basketball season a week from today...

Louis Obards DEXTER, Mo.--Louis Obards, 66, of Bloomfield, Mo., died Friday, Oct. 24, 2014 at his residence. He served in the U. S. Army in the Vietnam Era. A memorial service will be conducted at 2 p.m., Thursday, at the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield with full military honors...

Fair Street bridge closed The Fair Street bridge over Pike Creek on the north edge of the Poplar Bluff Industrial Park will be closed Wednesday. Workers from the Smith and Co. engineering firm in Poplar Bluff will be doing subsurface exploration. "We have to do drilling to determine soil types in preparation for designing a new bridge," said Jeremy Manning, an engineer with Smith and Co...

In a week's time, Three Rivers went from losing and tying two halves against Evangel to sweeping the Crusaders. The Raiders beat Evangel 33-31 and 40-31 and then split with Philander Smith, winning the first half 49-39 and losing the second 42-33 during a jamboree Saturday at the Bess Activity Center...