Stories from Monday, December 1, 2014

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Ringing the bells for Salvation Army carries special meaning this Christmas season for a Poplar Bluff mother and daughter. Jennifer Smith and daughter, Emryn, 12, have enjoyed helping fill the charity's kettles every year since they moved here from Michigan...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor With Christmas less than a month away, local law enforcement and emergency responders again are teaming up this year to make the holiday brighter for some less-fortunate Butler County children. Last year, more than 100 children had a brighter Christmas when they got to shop for themselves and/or family members thanks to the efforts of the Poplar Bluff Fraternal Order of Police No. 28 and its "FOP/Cops and Kids" program...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer City Manager Heath Kaplan will go before the city utilities board Monday to discuss plans to combine the utilities and general funds. This is a measure current and former Municipal Utilities Advisory Board members have spoken out against, saying they fear it could lead to higher rates...

By SHARON RANDALL Tribune News Service Somewhere on the road between our home in Las Vegas, and the coast of California, where we planned to spend Thanksgiving week with our family, we stopped to eat. The restaurant was filled with old photos and antiques, not quite a Cracker Barrel, but close. Waiting to be seated, I saw something that made me smile...

Michael Morgan DUPO, Ill. -- Michael Raymond Morgan, 70, of East Carondelet, Ill., passed away on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014 at Memorial Hospital in Belleville, Ill. Mr. Morgan was born, Nov. 19, 1944 in Detroit, Mich. Mr. Morgan was a retired carpenter. He was a United States Army Veteran...

Joyce Knodell Joyce Marie (Hinkle) Knodell, 81, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., passed away Friday, Nov. 28, 2014 at her home. Mrs. Knodell was born Sept. 29, 1933 in Zion, Mo. to the late Charley and Zella Hinkle. She was a retired register nurse and a pastor's wife for 50 years. She was a member of First Baptist Church in Poplar Bluff and enjoyed sewing, gardening and cooking...

Three Rivers College conducted its third annual fall mass casualty training event (a mock earthquake disaster) Tuesday, Nov. 25. The training helps prepare students in participating programs for a mass casualty emergency such as a natural disaster or terrorist attack, and tests the college's emergency response plans. ...

Evelyn Bell Potter QULIN, Mo. -- Evelyn Bell Potter, 88, of Fagus, Mo. died Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2014 at Oakdale Skilled Nursing in Poplar Bluff, Mo. Mrs. Potter was born Oct. 14, 1926 at Fagus, the daughter of the late Robert and Mary Josephine Bradley. She was a member of Fagus General Baptist Church. She enjoyed traveling and spending time with her family...

By GEORGE F. WILL WASHINGTON -- Before the tryptophan in the turkey induces somnolence, give thanks for living in such an entertaining country. This year, for example, we learned that California's Legislature includes 93 persons who seem never to have had sex. ...

Rachael Lynn Brodell of Jonesboro, Ark. and Matthew C. Morrison of Springfield, Mo. were united in marriage the afternoon of Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014, at Anthony Chapel in Garvan Woodland Gardens, Hot Springs, Ark. Miss Brodell is the daughter of Tony and Caroline Brodell of Jonesboro, Ark., formerly of Poplar Bluff, Mo. Her grandparents are Mary Jane van Slyke, the late Clay Tyner, Hubert Brodell and the late Dorothy Brodell, all of Jonesboro...

America wake up! This is in response to the "Conspiracy" in the Sunday's paper. This is not a conspiracy against the President. I think it's a conspiracy against the American people. America wake up! This is all done to get our minds off of what's going on in politics and what going on in the Middle East. ...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer A Christmas Bazaar to support the Patterson Community Center will be held Saturday, Dec. 6 at the center, featuring food, an arts and crafts fair and live music. The event will kick off with breakfast at 7 a.m. The arts and crafts fair will open at 9 a.m. and lunch will be served at 11 a.m. At 2 p.m. the Punches Family, gospel/bluegrass, will take the stage...

Caroline Sue Faughn NEELYVILLE, Mo. -- Caroline Sue Faughn, 68, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Thursday, Nov. 27, 2014, at St. Luke's Hospital in St. Louis, Mo. Visitation will begin 6 p.m. Monday at Fowler-Sullivan Memorial Chapel in Neelyville. Services will begin 1 p.m. Tuesday in the funeral home chapel with burial in Ashcraft Cemetery...

Mary Hampton PIEDMONOT, Mo. -- Mary Ellen Hampton, 94, of Piedmont died Thursday, Nov. 27, 2014 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff. Visitation will be held 9 a.m. Tuesday at Morrison-Worley Funeral Chapel in Piedmont. Funeral services will follow at 11 a.m. Tuesday in the funeral home chapel. Burial will be in the Masonic Cemetery. Online condolences: www.morrisonworleychapel.com...

Orville Riggins Orville Riggins, 97, formerly of Poplar Bluff, Mo. died Friday, Nov. 28, 2014 at Liberty Village in Maryville, Ill. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Monday at Cotrell Funeral Chapel. Funeral service will begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the chapel...

Stella Parrish WEST FRANKFORT, Ill. -- Stella Magill Parrish, 74, of Carterville, Ill., formerly of Poplar Bluff, Mo. passed away at 10:01 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2014 in West Frankfort with her family by her side. She was born Sept. 18, 1940 in Poplar Bluff, Mo. to Henry and Vada (Hendrix) Magill. She married Tarrell Parrish and he preceded her in death on July 2, 1993...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer As Christmas trees and holiday lights are the source of hundreds of house fires and millions in damage every holiday season, firefighters are asking the public to use caution this holiday season. While live trees are cherished by those wanting a more traditional Christmas theme, a dry tree is a virtual tinderbox. ...

The Raiders held onto their perfect record despite losing a starter early Friday night. Three Rivers made and attempted a season-high number of free throws in beating Dyersburg State 88-64 at the Bess Activity Center in the Peoples Community Bank Classic...

By TYLER GRAEF SEMO News Service At 8 years old, Jennifer Jones told her mom she wanted to be a foster parent when she grew up. Her mom told her she'd end up like the old lady in the shoe. "I said, "When I'm grown, I'm going to adopt all the kids who don't have any parents,'" she recalled. She wasn't sure where the urge came from at the time, and it still strikes her as odd now...

PARAGOULD, Ark. -- Three turnovers in the final 40 seconds derailed a fourth-quarter comeback by the Poplar Bluff Mules in their season opener Saturday afternoon. Westside sank all eight of its free throws in the final minute after seeing its eight-point lead disappear, as the Warriors edged Poplar Bluff 71-66 at Greene County Tech High School...

It took a running 30-footer off the glass at the buzzer to end the Raiders' undefeated start to the season. Northeast Oklahoma A&M's Jaylen Lowe hit the buzzer beater to beat the Raiders 67-65 on Saturday at the Bess Activity Center in the finale of the Peoples Community Bank Classic...