Stories from Friday, January 2, 2015

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor KENNETT, Mo. -- A Poplar Bluff, Mo., man who was supposed to stand trial later this month for witness tampering instead recently pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine. Originally charged with the Class C felony of tampering with a witness, Keith Edgar Atnip had been accused of 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 PAT PRATT Staff Writer The Fellowship of Christian Athletes in conjunction with Poplar Bluff Schools is offering two seminars in January--one that may benefit student-athletes and parents during the college transition and another that could improve player dynamics on the field...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer As the holidays wrap up, the Army Corps. of Engineers at Lake Wappapello wants your live Christmas tree to provide fish habitat at several public use areas. Drop-off locations set up at Redmond Creek by the boat ramp and at Chaonia Landing near the store. They are marked with signs and will be open until Jan. 12. Corps personnel will bundle the trees in stacks of four or five and sink them at various locations...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Sales tax revenues are exceeding projections so bonds can be paid off sooner, according to reports presented during the annual Poplar Bluff Regional Transportation Development District board meeting Tuesday. "The projected principal payments on the bonds in 2014 were $1,225,000, but actual principal payments were $1,400,000, an increase of $175,000. ...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor A new judge and a new presiding commissioner began working today in Butler County. John Shock was sworn in Wednesday afternoon as the Division III judge. "I was both honored and humbled to be sworn in today as the Division III judge for Butler County. ...

By BEN CARSON It was extremely encouraging to see the United States and Sony eventually stand up to the cyberbullying of the North Koreans by allowing the movie "The Interview" to be released despite threats of retaliation. Freedom of speech and freedom of expression are hallmarks of American life, and we must jealously guard these values from both internal and external threats. ...

Keep cash local The recent speak out column highlighted how the City Council voted against hiring a local firm and instead voted to hire a firm that was from out of town. That is the total opposite of what the council voted on. The council voted to hire Dille Traxel a local architectural firm to conduct a feasibility study and not to hire the architectural firm GHN from Springfield, Mo. ...

By MICHELLE MALKIN There's no candy coating the truth: Obamacare has had a very terrible, horrible, crappy, none-too-happy year. What it really means is that the victims of Obamacare -- taxpayers, health care consumers, health care providers, employers and employees -- have had a hellish, nightmarish 2014...

New Home General Baptist Church, 1864 Highway AA, Poplar Bluff, will offer a 10-week series, entitled, "Agents of the Apocalypse." This DVD series by Dr. David Jeremiah will begin at 6 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 4. This is an in-depth look into the book of Revelation which explains the key players and the main events of the End Times...

Helen Wilcox MALDEN, Mo.-- Helen Deen Wilcox, 83, of Malden, died Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014, at the Golden Living Center in Malden. Visitation will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 3, at the Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden. The funeral will follow at 2 p.m. Saturday in the funeral home chapel...

Janet Miller PIEDMONT, Mo.-- Janet K. Miller, 58, of Piedmont, died Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015, at her residence. Arrangements will be announced by Morrison-Worley Funeral Chapel in Piedmont.

Davine Conover will be the luncheon speaker for the Women Aware meeting at noon Thursday in the Grand Ballroom of the Holiday Inn. Conover's topic will be "Starting the New Year off right, get organized and manage your time." She is currently working as the business development specialist at Ozark Federal Credit Union and teaches financial literacy workshops throughout the southeast region. Her passion is encouraging other to success...

Ira Morris Ira Charles Morris, 84, of Piedmont, died Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff. Visitation will be from 9:30 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015, at Ruegg Funeral Home in Piedmont. The funeral service will follow at 11 a.m. in the funeral home chapel...

June Ward June Ward, 78, of Dexter, died, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014, at her residence. Visitation will be from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 3, at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter. The funeral will follow at 11 a.m. Saturday in the funeral home chapel...

Kenneth Hardin QULIN, Mo.-- Kenneth Hardin, 74, of Qulin, died Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015, at his residence. Funeral arrangements are pending with White-Sanders Funeral Home in Qulin. Condolences: www.whitesandersfuneralhome.com

The Mules never led in the 28th annual Poplar Bluff Showdown final until it mattered most. Abiodun Francis beat the buzzer with a layup after a frantic finish that sent Peters Gym in to a frenzy as the Mules edged Union City 52-50 Wednesday night. "Loss for words, I'm speechless," Poplar Bluff senior Chris Stocks said "We were just trying to pull out whatever we could."...

Jesse Townsend MALDEN, Mo.--Jesse Townsend, 69, of Malden, died Monday, Dec. 29, 2014 at his residence. Visitation will be from noon--1 p.m. Saturday at the Landess Chapel in Malden. Funeral services will follow at 1 p.m. Saturday in the Landess Chapel...

Walter Guilliams JACKSON, Mo.--Walter Berrel Guilliams, 81, of Jackson, passed away Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2014, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Dec. 12, 1933, in Doniphan, Mo., to Marvin B. and Joy Hunt Guilliams. He and Ruth Ann Sander were married June 6, 1958, at New McKendree United Methodist Church in Jackson...

When Justas Furmanavicius was a boy, maybe 5 or 6 and not long after he started playing basketball, he told his parents that one day he would go to the United States and play basketball. It was a strange thing for the Lithuanian youngster to say. At the time, Justas was getting pushed around on the court by his older brother and his friends...

CBC of St. Louis held off a late charge by the Chargers to earn third place at the 28th annual Poplar Bluff Showdown with a 70-62 win. The Cadets built an 18-point lead early in the fourth quarter but Grenada finished with a 23-13 swing. Kenny Lesley scored 23 points to lead CBC and was named to the all-tournament team. Jordan Barnes added 13 points, four assists and three steals while Kale Catchings had eight points and a team-high 11 rebounds...