Stories from Wednesday, May 20, 2015

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Poplar Bluff city officials say they have no further information to release at this time concerning the May 12 closed meeting in which city manager Heath Kaplan was fired. The city has been directed by its attorneys that there is no public record from the meeting beyond the vote, city clerk Pam Kearbey said Monday morning. When asked if Kaplan will receive a severance package, Kearbey said she could not comment on closed session discussion...

PARMA, Mo. -- A store clerk was shot to death during an apparent armed robbery in Southeast Missouri. New Madrid County Sheriff Terry Stevens said Brenda Smith, 59, of rural Parma was shot and killed about 5:30 a.m. Monday as she and another employee were opening the D&L One Stop...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer An approximately 6.5 percent electric rate increase will be recommended for residential and commercial customers, according to a 3-1 vote Monday by the Municipal Utilities Advisory Board. Industrial power customers will be exempt from the increase, which is expected to generate almost $1.7 million in new revenue annually...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Todd Richardson, a Poplar Bluff Republican, has made a quick rise to the top position in the Missouri House. He was unanimously elected the Missouri House Speaker on May 8 following the resignation of Speaker John Diehl a day earlier...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer A special Poplar Bluff City Council meeting may be needed before the end of the month to help advance the city's efforts to repay money owed to Eight Points developers. The council has been asked to hire St. Louis law firm Bryan Cave to represent the city as it sets up an industrial development corporation...

By CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER WASHINGTON -- "Wolf Hall," the Man Booker Prize-winning historical novel about the court of Henry VIII -- and most dramatically, the conflict between Thomas Cromwell and Sir Thomas More -- is now a TV series (presented on PBS). It is maddeningly good...

By WALTER E. WILLIAMS Hustlers and people with little understanding want us to believe that today's black problems are the continuing result of a legacy of slavery, poverty and racial discrimination. The fact is that most of the social pathology seen in poor black neighborhoods is entirely new in black history. Let's look at some of it...

By MICHELLE MALKIN She's baaaaaaaack. And she's maaaaaad. First lady Michelle Obama delivered the commencement address at Tuskegee University last weekend. She'll do it again at Ohio's Oberlin College -- the UC Berkeley of the Midwest, Ground Zero for racial grievance-mongering and fake hate crimes -- next week...

Among the many events scheduled for Memorial Day weekend is the annual 100-Mile Yard Sale. Each year, participants set up tables along Highway 25 from Kennett, Missouri, to Jackson, attracting bargain hunters from across the region. A list of local attractions, gas stations and more features along the route is available at 25yardsale.com...

Brian Blackburn PUXICO, Mo. -- Brian Lee Blackburn, 43, of Puxico, died Saturday, May 16, 2015, at his residence. Visitation will be at 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Morgan-Sifford Funeral Home in Puxico. A graveside funeral service will begin at 11 a.m. Wednesday in the Hobbs Chapel Cemetery, Puxico. The Rev. Chuck Clark will be officiating...

Bertha Mae Kimes PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Bertha Mae Kimes, 97, of Owensville, formerly of Wayne County, died Monday, May 18, 2015, at her residence. Visitation will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Ruegg Funeral Home, Piedmont, with the funeral following at 1 p.m. also at the chapel. Burial will follow at Murphy Cemetery near Piedmont...

Cathy Warren GREENVILLE, Mo. -- Cathy Warren, 57, died Tuesday, May 19, 2015, at her residence near Greenville. Arrangements will be announced by Morrison-Worley Funeral Chapel in Greenville.

Everett Whaley GREENVILLE, Mo. -- Everett Whaley, 73, of Greenville, died Tuesday, May 19, 2015, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Arrangements are pending with Ruegg Funeral Home, Greenville.

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- With a one-goal lead at halftime in a MSHSAA Class 3 District 1 semifinal, all the top-seeded Poplar Buff Lady Mules had to do was maintain their momentum for the next 40 minutes. "It was simple. I Just told them 'Hold on. Hold on and do the things we had been doing.' That's all we needed to do," Poplar Bluff coach Nick Toniazzo said...

BERNIE -- The Camels put their heads down in the fourth inning and were five feet away from losing their minds in the seventh. It wasn't to be, though, and Bloomfield won 9-6 to advance to the semifinals of the MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 tournament. Campbell had scored three of its first four runs off a pair of home runs over Bernie's short fence, measuring 320 feet to straight away center...

Mary Gromer DEXTER, Mo. -- Mary Gromer, 82, of Dexter, died Monday, May 18, 2015, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. today at the Watkins & Sons Funeral Home in Dexter. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home chapel with the Rev. Dean Williams of Dexter officiating. Burial will be in the Dexter Cemetery...

Brenda Morgan Brenda Morgan of Poplar Bluff, died Saturday, May 16, 2015, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. The arrangements are pending and will be announced by Cotrell Funeral service in Poplar Bluff.

Betty Noyes DEXTER -- Betty June Noyes, 82, died Monday, May 18, 2015 at her residence in Essex. Visitation will be from noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter with the funeral service following in the funeral home chapel with Rev. James Malloy and Phil Dawson officiating. Burial will follow in Hagy Cemetery...

Sarah Shanks DEXTER -- Sarah Ellen Wilson Shanks, 83, of Gray Ridge died Sunday, May 17, 2015 at Golden Living Center in Dexter. Visitation will be from 5-8 p.m. Wednesday at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter. The funeral service will be conducted at 2 p.m. Thursday in the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Chapel with Rev. Jeff Wells officiating. Burial will follow in the Hagy Cemetery...

SEDALIA -- A flock of back-9 birdies helped the Poplar Bluff golf team overcome a rough start in the first round of the MSHSAA Class 4 state tournament Monday. The Mules, however, are sixth heading into today's final round. "That shows you a lot about my guys, how they fought back," Mules coach Billy Pyland said...

FESTUS -- Clearwater scored nine runs in the fourth inning and won in five, beating Grandview 13-1 in the MSHSAA Class 3 District 3 quarterfinal. Steven Carter had two hits for Clearwater (16-1) and Eric Hillis had two RBIs. Carter also pitched in the win and had seven strikeouts over four innings...

DONIPHAN -- The Dexter Bearcats kept things close for more than four innings but came up short in its bid to knock off host Doniphan in the opening round of the MSHSAA Class 4 District 1 tournament Monday at Bob Byrd Field. Sixth-seeded Doniphan broke a 1-1 tie with three runs in the top of the fifth inning and added four insurance runs in the sixth inning on its way to an 8-1 victory against third-seeded Dexter...