Stories from Wednesday, April 1, 2015

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Contests in 18 area school districts will be decided during the April 7 election. East Carter is the only school district with two contests. POPLAR BLUFF (2 to be elected to 3-year terms) Kent Eyler (I) Kenneth Davis...

By ERIN RAGAN SEMO News Service CAPE GIRARDEAU -- In a few weeks, mail processing by the U.S. Postal Service will come to an end in Cape Girardeau, which employees of the center say could lead to longer waits for letter and package deliveries. April 18 is the official end date given to employees for mail processing at the Richard G. Wilson Processing and Distribution Facility at 475 Kell Farm Drive in Cape Girardeau, said Greg Davidson, president of American Postal Workers Union Local 4088...

Spending is killing the city There was a plan in place to build a new City Hall/Municipal Utilities/Police Department at the beginning of 2014. The Council at that time had reserves in the "Capital Improvement Fund" of $2,000,000. Municipal Utilities was planning on funding $4,000,000 for their portion of the new facility. This money would have come from the anticipated sale of City Cable which netted an $8,000,000 surplus to Municipal Utilities...

By GEORGE F. WILL WASHINGTON -- Every day the Chinese go to work, Americans get a raise: Chinese workers, many earning each day about what Americans spend on a Starbucks latte, produce apparel, appliances and other stuff cheaply, thereby enlarging Americans' disposable income. Americans similarly get a raise when they shop at the stores that made Sam Walton a billionaire...

By MONA CHAREN Maybe I'm too sensitive, but when a foreign autocrat leads his people in chants of "Death to America," I take it personally. President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry apparently don't. The chant, which became a staple of the Islamic Republic during the 1979 revolution, is not a relic of the past. ...

In their home opener Monday, the Poplar Bluff Lady Mules looked good in stretches. But a breakdown early in the first half cost them a pair of goals and then Saxony Lutheran added two more late to take a 4-0 win at Whiteley Park. The Lady Crusaders (5-0) netted two goals within 1 1/2 minutes of each other at the 25-minute mark...

Ronna McPhail Ronna Marie McPhail, 57 of Poplar Bluff, formerly of Centralia, died Tuesday, March 17, 2015 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. She was born Aug. 8, 1957 in Centralia, daughter of Harold and Venita Maxfield. She married Jimmy Ray McPhail, and he survives in Poplar Bluff...

Zain Siddiqui's injury forfeit was Poplar Bluff only loss Monday in a home match with Arcadia Valley. Siddiqui and his younger brother Humza earned an win in their doubles match but Zain was unable to play his top-seeded singles match due to an elbow injury, Mules coach Charlie Harper said...

Sarah Young Sarah Young, 81, of Poplar Bluff, died Sunday, March 29, 2015 at her residence. She was born June 25, 1933, in Mammoth Springs, Ark. to the late James and Josephine Pitts. She enjoyed doing crossword puzzles, and being with her grandchildren and family...

Lavedia Moran NEELYVILLE, Mo. -- Lavedia Lorene Moran, 76, of Neelyville, died Sunday, March 29, 2015, at St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro, Ark. Mrs. Moran was born June 9, 1938, in Harris Ridge, Mo. She was a Neelyville High School graduate and worked as a school bus driver for the Neelyville district as well as a substitute teacher. She enjoyed coin collecting, gardening, flowers, and spending time with grandchildren...

What the Lady Mules lack in quantity they will make up for in quality this spring. Poplar Bluff returns an all-state jumper and thrower while adding a state champion hurdler to a team that features just nine upperclassmen. "It's a small group but it's nice because they're very talented," Lady Mules coach Beth Lewis-Muse said. "There's lots of talent and they do multiple things."...

Donna M. Atkins Donna M. Atkins, 87, of Poplar Bluff, died Monday, March 30, 2015 at Westwood Hills Healthcare Center, in Poplar Bluff. The arrangements are pending and will be announced by Cotrell Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff.

Gerald D. Lour DONIHAN, Mo. -- Gerald D. Lour, 53, of Doniphan died Wednesday, March 18, 2015 at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Graveside services will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 1, 2015 at the Macedonia Cemetery in Grandin.

With the addition of an extra class in track and field this spring, the Poplar Bluff Mules are no longer the small fish in the big pond. Falling into Class 4, Poplar Bluff is one of the biggest schools and with a roster of about 40, the Mules have the depth to match...

Freda Krivohlavek Freda Lindsay Krivohlavek, 79, of Poplar Bluff, passed away Monday, March 30, 2015, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Mrs. Krivohlavek was born Nov. 11, 1935, in Chaonia, Mo., to the late Luther and Mary Noldge Wilson. She was a member of Second Baptist Church in Poplar Bluff, where she was a Sunday School teacher, a member of the benevolent committee and a nursery worker. ...

Emma Fay Wallis Emma Fay Wallis, 90, of Poplar Bluff, died Tuesday, March 31, 2015 at The Manor in Poplar Bluff. Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. Thursday at Cotrell Funeral Chapel in Poplar Bluff. The funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday. A full obituary will appear in the Wednesday edition of the Daily American Republic newspaper...

Thomas Robertson ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Thomas Lawrence Robertson, 91, of Imperial, Mo., died Saturday, March 28, 2015, at Orchid Terrace in St. Louis. He was born Feb. 4, 1924, in Qulin to the late Tom Robertson and the late Parlee Hays Robertson. He was a veteran of the United States Navy...

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Two Lady Raiders made their collegiate pitching debut and seven different players were used at second base for Three Rivers in the doubleheader. Four took a turn at shortstop. Four played third base. Kaelie Smith played four positions in one game...

Callie Stanhouse picked up some points in the Ozark Region goat tying standings in what has become a three-way race for two spots. The top three finishers in the region standings in each event at the end of the season qualify for the National Finals in Casper, Wyo...

MORLEY -- The Bloomfield Wildcats plated all of its runs in the first inning Monday afternoon to earn their first win of the season, 3-2, over Scott County Central. Nate Cazee had a 2-run single with two outs in the first. Tyler Battles, who was 2-for-4, hit an RBI single earlier in the inning...