Stories from Wednesday, December 17, 2014

By BARBARA ANN HORTON News Editor Ag Expo, one of the largest ag trade shows in the region, will celebrate its 29th anniversary Jan. 30 - 31 at the Black River Coliseum. The annual event is sponsored by Butler County University of Missouri Extension Council and the Ag Club of Three Rivers College...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor Santa Claus came early to more than 100 Butler County area children Saturday morning as they wandered the aisles of the Wal-Mart Supercenter looking for the perfect gifts for themselves and family members. "Do you like Ninja Turtles? There's all kinds of Ninja Turtles stuff right there. You like Legos?" Union Pacific Special Agent Matt Backer asked Dalton Paubel, 6, of Fisk, Mo. "You missed all kinds of cool stuff down here."...

By EMILY PRIDDY and SAVANNA MAUE SEMO News Service Quick thinking by employees at a pair of Regions Bank locations led to the arrest of a Hannibal, Missouri, man accused of scamming older adults in two Southeast Missouri counties. William E. Riley, 50, faces a Scott County charge of attempted financial exploitation of the elderly and a Perry County, Missouri, charge of resisting arrest...

By AMBER CARSON Arrow By next fall, Southeast Missouri State University students will have a more difficult time being recognized on the Dean's Honor List. They will be required to maintain a grade-point average of 3.75 or above, earn B's or higher and have no failing grades in credit-only and pass/fail courses. The summer session also will be removed from consideration...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer A delay by the city in selecting a broker for its property and liability insurance has likely cost the city its chance to seek bids for the product in 2015, according to information presented Monday at the city council meeting...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Only one candidate was waiting for City Hall to open today -- the first day to file for the April 7 city election. Ed DeGaris is seeking re-election in Ward 2 to his third three-year term on the Poplar Bluff City Council...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer The final phase of improvements to Oak Grove Road will cost the city nearly $600,000 less than expected. This is money that can be returned to the taxing district, which funded the project through sales tax collections, according to information presented Monday to Poplar Bluff city council members...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer The city of Poplar Bluff will have a balanced budget in the new fiscal year, city manager Heath Kaplan promised during a presentation Monday at the regular city council meeting. The figures used to make that happen and the affect on individual departments were not known at press time. City council will approve the budget at a special meeting Dec. 29...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer Neelyville R-IV Board of Education members on Monday terminated plans for a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) safe room that had been discussed since March 2013. "We terminated that project," said R-IV Superintendent Brad Hagood. ...

Let's grieve and then heal This incident in Ferguson happened as do many others. Nobody planned it. Nobody could have predicted what would occur. The police are at risk every tour of duty. No one person should be blamed for this. I do wonder the reaction if the officer had been killed. ...

By MONA CHAREN Rush Limbaugh is a savvy guy who thinks Republican leaders are wrong to shun the idea of another government shutdown. Appearing on "Fox News Sunday," he argued that the only important poll is the one held on Election Day. "(The GOP) won a landslide election 10 months after that so-called shutdown. ... The essence of a poll is an election, and I've got two of them. And we would have won in 2012 if 4 million Republicans hadn't stayed home."...

By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN Hopefully, Russians realize that our House of Representatives often passes thunderous resolutions to pander to special interests, which have no bearing on the thinking or actions of the U.S. government. Last week, the House passed such a resolution 411-10...

Boyd Turnbow Boyd Nolan Turnbow, 79, of Poplar Bluff, Mo. passed away Monday, Dec. 15, 2014, at Poplar Bluff Regional Hospital. Mr. Turnbow was born Nov. 6, 1935, in Holland, Mo., to the late William Thomas and Myrtle Irene Montgomery Turnbow. On July 21, 1961, he and Frances Craft were married in Bernie, Mo. She survives of the home...

To the Editor: Another Thanksgiving Day has gone. Hope everyone who reads this paper had a lovely day. I am sure many thought of the many blessings we have to be thankful for. Or I hope they thought of and appreciated all of the many blessings we have. One thing we should mention first, when we are counting our blessings, is isn't it wonderful that we were born in the United States. I really do think many people think about that when they are counting their blessings...

Arlie Sanders PIEDMONT, Mo.-- Arlie Sanders, 81, of Piedmont, died Saturday, Dec. 13, 2014, at his residence. Visitation will be from noon until 2 p.m. at Ruegg Funeral Home, Piedmont. Services will follow at 2 p.m. at the chapel. Burial will be at Masonic Cemetery. Online condolences can be made at www.rueggfuneralhome.com...

Ladell Norman DEXTER, Mo.-- Ladell Norman, 85, of Dexter, died Saturday, Dec. 13, 2014, at his residence. Visitation will be from noon to 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter. The funeral services will follow at 2 p.m. in the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Chapel. Burial will follow in the Essex Cemetery...

Alan Turley VAN BUREN, Mo.-- Alan Reed Turley, 85 of Van Buren died Thursday, Dec. 11, 2014, at his residence. He was the longtime publisher of The Current Local. He was born Feb. 1, 1929, in Van Buren to parents, Carlisle Payton (C.P.) and Bernice (Polk) Turley...

Dale Barks Dale Onard Barks, 74, of Poplar Bluff, Mo. died Thursday, Dec. 11, 2014, at his residence. Mr. Barks was born on Dec. 17, 1939, in Shook, Mo. He was a member of the Calvary Baptist Church and a self-employed timber worker. He loved the outdoors, going on trips, and he never met a stranger...

This week I made one of the most difficult votes of my career. I voted for a funding bill that makes major cuts that reflect our rural values and prepares the way for a fight with President Obama over his planned illegal amnesty order. I voted for this bill because it was the most conservative option in front of me. ...

By MICHELLE MALKIN The wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round, just like the endless cycles of big, bad government programs to federalize preschool and daycare. The White House Summit on Early Education has unveiled nearly $1 billion in new "investments" to "expand access to high-quality early childhood education to every child in America" from "birth and continuing to age 5." It's a retread of President Obama's 2013 State of the Union school-spending plan, which was a repackaging of his 2011 Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge program.. ...

June Luke MALDEN, Mo.-- June Delores Luke, 85, of Malden, died Sunday, Dec. 14, 2014, at Malden Nursing & Rehab Center. Visitation will be from 9:30 a.m. until service time Wednesday at Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday in the funeral home chapel...

Donna Hurst MALDEN, Mo.-- Donna Marie Hurst, 40, of Clarkton, Mo., died Monday, Dec. 15, 2014, at her residence. Visitation will be from 1 p.m. Wednesday at Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden. The funeral service will follow at 2:30 p.m. at Bradshaw Chapel...

Boyd Turnbow Boyd Nolan Turnbow, 79, of Poplar Bluff, Mo. passed away Monday, Dec. 15, 2014, at Poplar Bluff Regional Hospital. Mr. Turnbow was born Nov. 6, 1935, in Holland, Mo., to the late William Thomas and Myrtle Irene Montgomery Turnbow. On July 21, 1961, he and Frances Craft were married in Bernie, Mo. She survives of the home...

Floyd Freeman FISK, Mo.--Floyd Edward Freeman, 87, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Sunday, Dec. 14, 2014 at his residence. He was born July 11, 1927 in Stringtown, Mo. to Daniel and Alice (Crofford) Freeman. He was a Psychiatric Aid at St. Louis State Hospital and a farmer. He was a member of Stringtown Baptist Church and enjoyed hunting and fishing. On Aug. 21, 1948 he married Mary Virginia Kyle in St. Louis. She preceded him in death on Jan. 7, 2009...

PIEDMONT -- Teams usually make a defensive adjustment against Clearwater and Lexi Morris. Twin Rivers did some of that too, with a box-and-1, but was much more dominant when it abandoned the focused defense and went with what it does best. The Lady Royals forced 21 steals and dominated with their full-court press to beat Clearwater 66-41 Monday in an Ozark Foothills Conference game...

Susan Tolkan-Hamric VAN BUREN, Mo. -- A memorial service will be Wednesday for Susan Ann Tolkan-Hamric, 64, of Van Buren, whose remains were found on Nov. 23, 2014 in rural Van Buren. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. in the McSpadden Funeral Home Chapel in Van Buren, with Rev. Dixon Hayes officiating. Burial of her ashes will be in Strawberry Point, Iowa beside her parents...

Faye Little DEXTER, Mo.--Faye M. Little, 89, of Dexter, died Saturday, Dec. 13, 2014 at the ElsberryHealth Care Center at the age of 89. Visitation was held Sunday evening at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter. Funeral services was conducted Monday, in the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Chapel with Rev. Jack Stafford officiating. Interment followed in the Hagy Cemetery...

Faye Little -- Dexter, Mo. Donald Roy Pickard Sr., -- Naylor, Mo. J. C. Bissel -- Parma, Mo. Floyd Freeman -- Poplar Bluff, Mo. Boyd Turnbow -- Poplar Bluff, Mo. Donna Hurst -- Clarkton, Mo. June Luke -- Malden, Mo. Susan Tolkan-Hamric -- Van Buren, Mo...

Donald Roy Pickard Sr. Donald Roy Pickard Sr., 72, of Naylor, Mo. died Sunday, Dec. 14, 2014 at his residence. He was born Dec. 15, 1941 in Poplar Bluff, Mo. On July 17, 1963 he married Lois (Rankin) Pickard in Poplar Bluff. She survives. Mr. Pickard, Sr. ...

CLARKTON -- The No. 3 East Carter Redbirds got another big night offensively from Aaron Boyer as they advanced over No. 6 South Pemiscot, 70-64, in the first round of the Clarkton Christmas Tournament Monday night. East Carter (6-3), which has won four straight games, were tied with South Pemiscot with about 45 seconds left before hitting some free throws to secure the win...

J. C. Bissel PARMA, Mo.--J. C. Bissel, 86, of Parma, died Sunday, Dec. 14, 2014, at the Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Visitation will be from 5-8 p.m. Today at the Watkins & Sons Funeral Home in Parma. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Watkins & Sons Funeral Home in Parma, with the Rev. Frank...

As blowouts go, this one was a doozy. Courtney Knuckles (Poplar Bluff HS) outscored the entire RMU-Peoria team as Illinois-Springfield won 104-17 Wednesday. Knuckles finished with 24 points on 10-for-14 shooting. It was more than double her season average of 10.6 points and her season-high through eight games...