Stories from Wednesday, June 3, 2015

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Construction to replace the 1910 grand staircase from the former Missouri Pacific Depot to Main Street is expected to start June 15. "We received the notice to proceed from the Missouri Department of Transportation Friday," said Shirley Davenport, a member of the Poplar Bluff Historic Depot Restoration Board and steps committee chairman...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor "Did he say stabbed?" Those words set into motion a chain of events on Dec. 12 that would change two men's lives forever -- one would lose his life and the other would take a life. At the time the radio transmission was broadcast, Poplar Bluff Police Patrolman Bob Larkins and Lt. ...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer A Poplar Bluff city council member accused of nepotism was temporarily removed from office Monday by court order. A preliminary order was issued against Jack Rushin, a council member at large, pending a court hearing July 13 in Ripley County...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor Editor's Note: This is the third in a series of stories concerning officer-involved shootings and their impact on our local law enforcement community. Before Bob Larkins fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a law enforcement officer, he made a promise to his wife that he would come home every night...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Members of the Municipal Utilities Advisory Board said Monday they would like to learn more about how to become an autonomous entity capable of acting independently from the Poplar Bluff City Council. The issue was raised at a previous meeting by former city manager Heath Kaplan, but it has not been discussed by the city council...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer The Poplar Bluff City Council seemed Monday to be taking steps to undue the work of recently fired city manger Heath Kaplan, making new decisions regarding payments to Eight Points developers and electric rate increases...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor Editor's Note: This is the second in a series of stories concerning officer-involved shootings and their impact on our local law enforcement community. As this interview was concluding, the officers received a call about a stabbing. A short time later Patrolman Bob Larkins would find himself in a similar situation to the one he had just been discussing. Larkins killed a black suspect who was charging him with a knife...

By MICHELLE MALKIN How many times have you heard President Obama and his minions pat themselves on the back for their noble "investments" in "roads and bridges"? Without government infrastructure spending, we're incessantly reminded, we wouldn't be able to conduct our daily business...

I want to complain a little bit about the graduation at the coliseum. First of all the lines were ridiculous. They had lines around the back of the building and it didn't open up until six, which most people, when I got there. . . I got there early at 5:30 and there were already lines and once you got in there were people saving entire rows of seats for people and if you tried to get one of the seats and if you wanted to come inside the building and sit down you couldn't. ...

To the Editor: Thank you to all the new volunteers at Northside Nutrition Center. You make it possible for us to do our job of feeding the homebound better. If anyone is interested - we are still in need of volunteers. Call Ms. Tammy at 573-686-2074. Also, like us on Facebook at Northside Nutrition Center to keep up with menus and upcoming events...

Audrey Wilson Campbell, Mo.- Audrey Wilson, 94, of Campbell, died Saturday, May 30, 2015, at the General Baptist Nursing Home in Campbell. Visitation will be 1-3 p.m. Tuesday, with funeral services following at 3 p.m. at Landess Funeral Chapel in Campbell, with the Rev. Darren Baker officiating. Burial will be in the Landess addition of the Woodlawn Cemetery in Campbell. Landess Funeral Home in Campbell is in charge of arrangements...

Jane Ellebrecht Jane Ellebrecht, 65, of Hazelwood, Mo., died Friday, May 29, 2015 at her residence. Memorial Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, at Calvary Church in St. Peters, Mo. Moore Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff, Mo. is in charge of arrangements...

Marguerite Guess Piedmont, Mo.- Marguerite Guess, 95, of Piedmont, died Sunday, May 31, 2015, at Clark's Mountain Nursing Center in Piedmont. Services are pending with Ruegg Funeral Home in Piedmont.

The Broseley High School Class of 1969 will host a reunion Saturday, June 6, at the Broseley Community Center. Lunch will be served at noon. All graduates of Broseley High School are welcome to attend. Bring a dish and drinks to share. For more information, please contact Kathy at 573-686-2648...

John Powers Jr. PUXICO, Mo.- John W. Powers Jr., 79, of Wappapello, Mo. died Saturday, May 30, 2015. Visitation will be at noon Tuesday at the Morgan-Sifford Chapel with funeral services following at 1 p.m. with Bruce Pitman officiating. Burial will be in the Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield, Mo...

CAMPBELL, Mo.- The Rev. Charles Leroy Fuller, 90, of Campbell, Mo., passed away on Saturday, May 30, 2015, at the General Baptist Nursing Home, in Campbell. Rev. Fuller, son of Bert Richard and Ollie Elizabeth Roach Fuller, was born on September 12, 1924, in Monette, Ark...

James Price James "Crawford" Price, 94, of Doniphan, Mo., died Sunday, May 31, 2015, at John J. Pershing V.A. Medical Center. Services will be Friday, June 12, at Cotrell Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff, Mo. A full obituary will be published at a later date...

Vote on the next city manager It's very important that this next city administrator is what he should be, so we have to expect a very good board to select him. If I were on the last board I would refuse to serve on this one with the results we had. The decision being apparently made by a first impression which is not the way to decide leaders in my experience. ...

Almost 250 years ago our Founding Fathers eloquently wrote that the inalienable right to life isn't granted by Congress or any legislature, but is endowed by our Creator. Sadly, even as our scientific knowledge and medical expertise advance, this inalienable right is still being debated in Washington, D.C. ...

By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN "What apparently happened was that the Iraqi forces just showed no will to fight. ... We can give them training, we can give them equipment; we obviously can't give them the will to fight." Thus did Defense Secretary Ash Carter identify the root cause of the rout of the Iraqi army in Ramadi...

BY WALTER E. WILLIAMS President Barack Obama's stance, expressed in his 2014 State of the Union address, is that the debate is settled and climate change is a fact. Obama is by no means unique in that view. Former Vice President Al Gore declared that "the science is settled." This "settled science" vision about climate is held by many, including those in academia. ...

By TAYLOR PIERCE Staff Writer Poplar Bluff has a new type of baseball game beginning tonight. A game designed so that kids ages 8 to 18, with special needs, can be a part of a sports team like everyone else. P.B. Buddy Ball is a free service for these youngsters with physical or mental developmental disabilities due to the amount of donations and supporters in the community. The games are set for 5:30 p.m. every Tuesday beginning tonight through July 7 at McLane Park...

Eugene Mansfield DONIPHAN, Mo. -- Eugene Mansfield, 76, of Doniphan, died Monday, June 1, 2015, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. The visitation will begin at 11 a.m. Wednesday in the Edwards Funeral Home in Doniphan. The funeral service will follow at 1 p.m. Wednesday in the funeral home chapel. Burial will be in the Macedonia Cemetery...

Trever Lewis said he had his sights set on playing baseball at a certain college but when things didn't work out he didn't jump at the next pitch. "I just put my faith in God, praying about it," Lewis said. "I had a couple of other schools that may have been showing interest in me but then this one came along and I really felt like this is where I was supposed to be."...

Three Poplar Bluff natives recently graduated from the University of Saint Mary on Saturday, May 9, in Leavenworth, Kan. Stacy Johnson received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Matthew Murphy earned a Doctorate of Physical Therapy, and Benjamin Walker earned a Masters of Business Administration...

Ruby Mae Stanfield BERNIE, Mo.--Ruby Mae Stanfield, 95, of Bernie, died Sunday, May 31, 2015, at Southeast Health Center of Stoddard County in Dexter. Visitation will be from 5-8 p.m. Wednesday at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Bernie. Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. Thursday in the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Chapel in Bernie with with Rev. John Knapp and Rev. Jerry Darby officiating. Burial will follow in the Bernie Cemetery...

Marie Hubbard DEXTER, Mo.--Marie Hubbard, 86, of Dexter, died Friday, May 29, 2015, at the Southeast Health of Cape Girardeau. Visitation and funeral were held Monday in in the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Chapel with Rev. Greg McGhee officiating. Burial followed in the Dexter Cemetery...

Sacred Heart School Fourth Quarter Honor Roll "A" Honor Roll: First Grade: Braden Belknap, Evan Bonifield, Kenzie Clark, Guy Conner, Jack Hirtz, Hollie Long, Gracie Massey, Brayden Poole, Jalynn Proffer, Aaron Reyes-Mortero, Selina Shi, Marcus Tabanera...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor An Annapolis boy, who won the Three Rivers College Southeast Missouri Regional Spelling Bee on Feb. 28, tied for 22nd out of 285 participants in the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. "I am very excited about placing 22nd at the national spelling bee," said River Blount. "My goal was to get into the semifinals. I did that as well as spell my word in round 5 correctly and got 22nd place. I am proud of myself."...

Linda Kay Jones PARMA, Mo.--Linda Kay Jones, 47, of Parma, died Sunday, May 31, 2015 at the Southeast Missouri Hospital in Dexter. Visitation will begin at 12:30 p.m. Thursday at the Watkins & Sons Funeral Home in Parma. The funeral service will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Watkins & Sons Funeral Home in Parma with the Rev. Roger Fowler of Bernie officiating...

By DOUGLAS R. KENNEDY Coordinating Board for Higher Education The Missouri Department of Higher Education is now engaged in an endeavor of utmost importance to the future of our state and its citizens. Realizing that our world is becoming ever more complex with a heightened requirement for education after high school to meets the needs of all Missourians, our legislature has deemed it necessary that a coordinated plan for higher education be developed, identifying higher education needs in the state in terms of the requirements and potential of our young people and in terms of labor force requirements for the development of commerce and industry and professional and public services.. ...