Stories from Thursday, October 30, 2014

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Three local firms have submitted proposals on insurance brokerage services for property casualty, professional liability and other coverages for the city of Poplar Bluff. Proposals for architectural services also are being reviewed...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Jessica Yeley began working Monday as the new administrative assistant for City Manager Heath Kaplan. "I'm very excited for this opportunity. I want to learn as much as I can," said Yeley, who was born and raised in Poplar Bluff...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer As demolition looms large, individuals fighting to save the old Washington School are frustrated that the Neelyville R-IV Board of Education is declining to give them a chance to preserve the structure. "They (school officials) can't relate to what we're trying to tell them we are feeling and the need for us to maintain that building. ...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer Fisk Elementary students hosted a living history fair Tuesday posing as characters ranging from baseball players to rock stars in order to learn and teach others about some of Missouri's most influential people. The fourth-grade class donned costumes to play the part of those historical characters and created backdrops with some of the history of each. Visitors could push a "button" on the hands of the kids and hear some details of the lives of the character...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer A Poplar Bluff man serving time for methamphetamine related offenses says helping animals get a second chance in life has given him one as well. The story of Mark Mock mirrors that of many state offenders who, through through the Missouri Department of Corrections (MoDOC) Puppies for Parole program, have saved more than 2,600 animals from abuse or death...

Three Puxico, Mo., residents were injured in a one-vehicle crash at 7:18 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22 on Highway PP, just west of County Road 275 in Stoddard County. According to the report, Brittany M. Waller, 17, was operating a 1991 Chevrolet pickup westbound when it ran off the right side of the road. Waller reportedly overcorrected, which caused her truck to cross the center line of the road...

Charles McKnight Charles Ray McKnight, 77, of Wappapello died Oct. 18, 2014 at Southeast Health in Cape Girardeau. Services were held Oct. 21, 2014 at Cotrell Funeral Service in Wappapello. Pastor Neal Chilton officiated. Burial followed in the City Cemetery in Poplar Bluff...

By ALEX WEST Staff Writer Life gets hectic, but meeting the needs of man's best friend is easy with the services offered by one local business. Whether it be boarding, obedience training or doggie daycare, Sit & Stay Dog Boarding & Training provides such service to dog owners of Southeast Missouri...

Eighth Grade: HIGHEST HONORS: Bailey Burns, Jordan Calzoni, April Forshee, Sophia Hancock and Dawn Whitehead. HONOR ROLL: Kasen Barnfield, Jamie Craft, Jake DeVaughn, Eli Fisher, Dalton Heath, Shelby Hobbs, Lindsay Hutcheson, Tayler Jones, Kyle McNew, Kaleb Miller, Tommy Parsley, Marissa Peters, Brandon Siler, Bianca Thomas, Zabrina Starnes, Jacob Taylor, Hunter Walker, Austin Wilson and Cole Yoebstl...

By MICHELLE L. VARVIL Three members of the Puxico chapter of Future Farmers of America attended the Washington Leadership Conference with their advisor July 15-20 hosted at the Omni Shoreham near downtown Washington, D.C. FFA members from all over the United States travel to Washington, D.C., each year to attend the Washington Leadership Conference. This year, Puxico students Brianna Doublin, Jonathan Roberts and Chris Siler attended with their FFA advisor, Randy Stephens...

By MICHELLE L. VARVIL The Puxico Lady Indians advanced to the semi-finals of the Missouri State High School Activities Association Class 2 District 2 Volleyball Tournament before losing to Bloomfield and ending their season. The fourth seed Lady Indians faced fifth seed Scott City in first round action Oct. 20...

A public workshop to discuss this past year's water control operations and dam safety at Wappapello Lake is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4 at the Wappapello Lake Bill Emerson Memorial Visitor Center. Presentations will be given on the new water control plan, which is still under review 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...

Puxico Nursing & Rehab Center resident for October is Stella Linson and the employee of the month is Heidi Wilder. Linson was born in Illinois and lived Michigan before moving to Puxico, Mo. She and her late husband, Raymond, have seven children including two daughters, Norma and Rita, and five sons, Don, Glen, Jim, Raymond and Roy...

The members of the Little Brushy Baptist Church in Wappapello will be hosting a Trunk 'n Treat beginning at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31. There will be lots of food, games and fun for all ages. Come dressed as your favorite Bible character. Everyone is welcome...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer Finding work is tough for job seekers when they are young, have no degree and no work experience, but one local program is seeking to build bridges between those individuals and the labor market. The Gateway to Jobs program, in partnership with the Poplar Bluff Chamber of Commerce, Poplar Bluff R-1 Schools and area businesses, graduated 11 students with a Work Ethic Certification last week. ...

By MICHELLE L. VARVIL It was a time of celebration at Mingo National Wildlife Refuge as staff, volunteers and members of Mingo Swamp Friends welcomed the public Saturday, Oct. 25 for a day of activities celebrating National Wildlife Refuge Week and the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act as well as the official open house for the new visitor center...

We rather proudly call our nation a Christian nation-a nation "under God," yet we are drinking deeply at the fountain of idols. Some of which are: Intellectual development, purely secular, without the stabilizing and ennobling insights of divine revelation; material possessions, status seeking, sex and pleasure seeking. ...

By MICHELLE MALKIN President Obama says he's "shaken" by the violent attacks on three soldiers in Ottawa by an Islamic jihadist. He immediately phoned Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to offer support and "solidarity." He vowed to "remain vigilant."...

To the Editor: St. Vincent de Paul food pantry in conjunction with the Sacred Heart Catholic Church youth group of Poplar Bluff would like to extend a most gracious "thank you" to the community for donating to our most recent food drive. During our "Trick or Treat So That Kids Can Eat" food drive we collected over 600 non-perishable food items along with over $100 in monetary donations...

By PAUL DAVIS Outdoors Editor ALTON, Mo. -- Floating through a tunnel of vibrant fall colors and rocky bluffs towering over the crystalline Eleven Point River in the fall, it's easy for anyone to get absorbed in his or her surroundings. Landing a trophy-class rainbow trout or a fat smallmouth bass makes it even easier to enjoy this out-of-the-way gem...

By PAUL DAVIS Outdoors Editor Poplar Bluff High School freshman trap shooter Hannah Cash continues to impress, showing the national championship she won in the intermediate/entry-level division at Sparta, Ill., in August was no fluke. Cash was the top shooter during last weekend's Area Fall Shoot, hosted at the Poplar Bluff Gun Club. Ninety-three shooters from nine different area schools, including 15 females, competed...

By WALTER E. WILLIAMS Here's how my Aug. 11, 2003, column began: "Anyone who believes President Bush's Africa initiative, including sending U.S. troops to Liberia, will amount to more than a hill of beans is whistling Dixie. Maybe it's overly pessimistic, but most of Africa is a continent without much hope for its people." More than a decade has passed since that assessment, and little has changed to suggest a more optimistic outlook. ...

TRC media department wins awards Three Rivers College's Communications Department has won five "Medallion" awards for excellence in public relations from District 5 of the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR). The department earned first place awards for the college's website, a promotional "Graduation Success Stories" video, and the college's monthly "President's Perspective" e-newsletter, according to a press release. ...

To the Editor: Amendment 3 will be on the Nov. 4 ballot, and we are asking you to vote no. This amendment is very costly, and will treat students like numbers instead of individuals. Funding is a problem for many schools, and implementing more standardized tests will take money away from the classrooms. ...

Cross makes Dean's List Kristina Cross of Poplar Bluff, Mo. was named to the Columbia College dean's list for the May-July 2014 and August-October 2014 sessions: Cross is a student at the college's St. Louis, Mo., campus. To be named to the dean's list a student must have completed 12 semester hours in a 16-week period and achieved a minimum GPA of 3.5 on a four-point scale...

Master Gardeners meet Sat. The Poplar Bluff Master Gardeners will host their monthly meeting begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Holy Cross Episcopal Church (420 N. Main St.). Guest speaker Corey Stevens will talk about bee keeping.

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer Disabled American Veterans (DAV) is asking for the public's help in supporting the men and women who have defended our freedom by volunteering as a driver to take veterans to medical appointments in Poplar Bluff and surrounding areas...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Jen Teachenor grew up in Piggott, Ark., attending elementary school across the street from the house where Earnest Hemingway wrote "A Farewell To Arms." For a poor kid from a small, rural community, Teachenor said, it was a symbol of amazing possibilities...

East Carter Elementary Honor Roll for the first quarter includes: First Grade Lexi Brown, Emma Eudaley, Sarah Fouts, Alexis Hosentfeld, Kyla Leader, Carson Maxwell, Katelyn  Nichols-Brown, Payton Quigley, Gabe Randazzo, Alexander Reasons, Makayla Shonk, Bryce Stahl, Alyssa Barker, Torryn Burkhart, Mayson Chestnut, Trevor Davis, Cordell Duckett, Adrian Hernandez, Whitney Kearbey, Lilianna King, Emma Mcgehee, Gracie Miller, Cason Price, Drayden Shaffer, Kaylynn Spicer, Alberto Thompson, Charles Brame, Gracie Brown, Dylan Crafton, Delilah Belle Emerson, Cameron Forsythe, Tegan Green, Colton Harvey, Eli Holt, Riley Hopkins, Kaitlyn King, Madison Newman, Sebastian Ochoa, Abigail Price, Aleah Tinnin. ...

Cathy Ogelvie DEXTER, Mo.--Cathy M. Ogelvie, 58, of Bernie, Mo., died Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014, at her residence. Visitation will be from 5-8 p.m., Wednesday, at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter. Funeral services will be conducted at 1 p.m., Thursday in the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Chapel...

At this point, Gene Bess' coaching tree can not be drawn, only imagined. Paul Hale became one of the first limbs after the Raiders took fourth in the 1971 national tournament. Lennies McFerren added another after the Raiders finished fourth again in '73...

Richard Pascoe, Sr. PIEDMONT, Mo.--Richard Pascoe, Sr., 74, of Piedmont, died Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014, at his residence. A memorial service will be held at the Alive in Christ Church at 1 p.m., Friday. He will be buried in Chapman Cemetery in Mancelona, Mich...

Marvin Sheridan Marvin L. Sheridan, 65, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., passed away Monday, Oct. 27, 2014, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Mr. Sheridan was born Dec. 6, 1948, in Doniphan, Mo., to Albert and Thelma Cope Sheridan. On Aug. 14, 1976, he and Brenda McGowen were married at Little Brushy Baptist Church in Wappapello, Mo., where he was a member. ...

Amber and Steve Foster of Dexter, Mo., are the parents of a son, Camden Michael Foster, born at 7:13 p.m. Friday Sept. 26, 2014 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Camden's weight was 6 pounds and he was 18 inches tall. His grandparents are Michael and Jacqueline Tidwell of Qulin, Mo. Great-grandparents are Glenda and Kermit Angel of Marble Hill, Mo. and George Tidwell of Qulin and the late Margaret Tidwell. His sibling is Braxton Foster of Dexter...

Qulin Lions Thanksgiving dinner Sun. Qulin Lions Club Thanksgiving Dinner will be held from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Sunday. Menu includes: turkey and dressing, fried chicken mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, corn, seven-layer salad, dessert and drink. Cost: $8, adults; $5, children...

FARMINGTON -- His teammates and coaches weren't sure if Adam Vincent was going to play Tuesday in the MSHSAA Class 3 District 1 semifinal. The Poplar Bluff sophomore, whose father had died the previous night, wasn't certain at first. "I thought about (not playing) but then I was thinking my team might need me," Vincent said. "I need to come help them and support them and be a part of this team because they're my family."...

Charlotte Jolliff DEXTER. Mo.-- Charlotte Jolliff, 71, of Dexter, died Sunday, Oct. 26, 2014, at the Southeast Healthcare of Stoddard County in Dexter. Visitation and funeral were today at Watkins and Sons Funeral Home in Dexter. Rev. Kenneth Biggs of Dexter, officiated...