Stories from Monday, June 15, 2015

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor The long awaited project to re-align and expand the intersection of North Westwood Boulevard with Oak Grove Road and Katy Lane will begin Monday. "Most of the construction work will be done at night," said David Wyman, area engineer for the Missouri Department of Transportation...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Meteorological spring (March, April and May) was warmer and wetter than a year ago. Figures in the graphics are based on observations at the Poplar Bluff Municipal Airport by the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer A Poplar Bluff man is in custody following the Friday afternoon discovery by authorities of a wide "array" of controlled substances, a firearm and counterfeit currency. Poplar Bluff Police are seeking charges of distribution of a controlled substance, possession of counterfeit federal notes, unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia against Bruce L. Jordan Jr., 31, of the 20 block of Forest Glen...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer R-I officials are still waiting on end of the year assessments results, despite testing consortium Smarter Balanced's promise of a 10-day return. The failure to provide scores for the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment in a timely manor is just another guffaw in a long string of issues over the new test, but likely the last as a funding ban by the Missouri legislature takes the consortium out of the equation...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer VAN BUREN, Mo. -- Needle and thread in hand, 5-year-old Jagur Backus of Puxico, Mo., listened closely Saturday as a National Park Service demonstrator explained how to sew a button to a green piece of fabric during Heritage Day at Big Spring...

By ELEANOR C. HASENBECK Staff Writer While many people kick off their summer on the water, lifeguards at the Black River Coliseum and Huntington Pool aren't relaxing poolside. Some Poplar Bluff lifeguards recently underwent four days of intense physical and skills training as part of the facilities' lifeguard boot camp...

Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland--Butler County Service Unit announces schedule/registration for Oak Hill Day Camp, which will be held Monday through Thursday, June 22-25, 2015. This year's activities will include: arts & crafts, outdoor cooking, relay games, songs and much more...

By ELEANOR C. HASENBECK Staff Writer A big chicken was a big surprise for a Poplar Bluff homeowner. Debora Rayburn's six feet tall chicken was a birthday present from her husband, Jim. "I would say this would be the most surprising birthday present that I've ever gotten her, without a doubt," he said...

Will money fall off table There's been such a tremendous reluctance on the part of the city administrators to even consider maintaining that hospital building, puttin' a roof on it and kinda goin' from there, so odds are pretty good it will get sold--cheap! to a good ole boy friend of the city council who will go in and rehab it with federal grant money like some other buildings in town, turn it into high rent apartment space and the city will raise taxes, get 'em a bond issue and they'll build 'em a new office facility and somebody will make a ton of money off the apartment complex that the hospital gets converted into and I guess there will be a enough gifting under the table to make the city fathers happy. ...

A 50th anniversary banquet for Charles Herbert Breece, son of the late Thurman R. Breece and Katie E. (Gamblin) Breece, and Murlene Breece, daughter of the late Elic and Velma (Bryant) Bowen was held in their honor Saturday, May 16 at the Southside Assembly of God Church in Poplar Bluff with over 100 people in attendance...

Sandra Quick DEXTER, Mo. -- Sandra Sue Quick, 70, of Arnold died Friday, June 12, 2015, at her home. She was born in East Alton, Ill. Oct. 21, 1944 to the late Floyd and Gladys Stephens Leathers. Visitation will begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday at the Watkins & Sons Funeral Home in Dexter. Graveside services will be held 1 p.m. Sunday at the Dexter Cemetery with Rev. Kenneth Biggs officiating. Burial will follow in the Dexter Cemetery in Dexter...

Geraldine "Geri" Whitledge BLOOMFIELD, Mo, -- Geraldine "Geri" Whitledge, 92, of Bloomfield died Thursday, June 11, 2015 at the Golden Living Center in Bloomfield, Visitation will be after 1 p.m. Sunday at the Watkins & Sons Funeral Home in Dexter with funeral services to follow at 2:30 p.m. in the chapel with Steve Morrison of Bloomfield officiating. Burial will be in the North Antioch Cemetery near Bloomfield with Chiles-Cooper Funeral Home of Bloomfield in charge of arrangements...

Clifford Eugene Dicken NEELYVILLE, Mo. -- Clifford Eugene Dicken, 83, of Poplar Bluff, passed away Friday, June 12, 2015 at Westwood Hills Healthcare Center. He was born Aug. 14, 1931 in Harviell to the late Wiloby Dicken and Alice Bellamy Dicken. He was married to Leah Lou Jackson who preceded him in death on Aug. 13, 1970. He then married Thelma Ruth who preceded him in death. On Sept. 5, 1992 at Poplar Bluff, he was married to Leota Epps. She survives...

Norma Guess Norma Dean Guess, 84, of Poplar Bluff, died Friday, June 12, 2015 at Mark Twain Caring Center in Poplar Bluff. She was born April 8, 1931 at Bernie. She was of the Baptist faith and had formerly attended Lone Prairie Missionary Baptist Church. She enjoyed gardening, cooking and baking...

Joe McPherson Joseph "Joe" E. McPherson, 81, of Poplar Bluff, passed away Thursday, June 11, 2015, at his residence. Joe was born Oct. 23, 1933, in Boydsville, Ark., a son to the late Homer Joseph and Mary Ethel (Bryant) McPherson. On April 7, 1967, he was united in marriage to Mary Lou Thomas in Paragould, Ark., She survives of the home...

Charles R. Bowman DONIPHAN, Mo. -- Charles Russell Bowman, 77, life-time resident of Doniphan, Mo., died Thursday, June 11, 2015, at the Current River Nursing Center in Doniphan. Mr. Bowman, son of Nona and Laura Rose (Davidson) Bowman, was born June 15, 1937, in Doniphan. ...

By MONA CHAREN Hillary Clinton had one of the worst campaign rollouts in living memory. Her low-key (to the point of inaudibility) announcement video came in the midst of a months-long period of deeply damaging stories about her mania for secrecy (the private email server), which she indulged even at the expense of the law and national security, and her cavalier acceptance of favors in the form of donations to the Clinton Foundation...

Kenneth Marler Kenneth Marler, 69, of Poplar Bluff died Saturday, June 13, 2015 at SoutheastHealth Center of Stoddard County at Dexter, Mo. Arrangements are pending with White-Sanders Funeral Home in Fisk.

John B. Barker John B. Barker, 92, formerly of Poplar Bluff, passed away June 12, 2015, at the Missouri Veterans Home in Mt. Vernon, Mo. Mr. Barker was born Dec. 9, 1922, in Neelyville, Mo, to the late John Franklin and Effie Boyer Barker. On Dec. 30, 1945, he and Wilma Mae Graves where married in Ft. Scott, Kan. She preceded him in death on July 11, 2007...

_ Dustin E. Calvert, 22, of the 200 block of County Road 4416, was booked at the Butler County jail Friday on suspicion of vehicular assault, careless and imprudent driving, possession of a controlled substance and failure to drive on the right side of the road...

Desean R. Bell, 17, of Neelyville, was booked at the Butler County jail Friday on suspicion of first-degree assault. _ Jon Michael R. Casey, 38, of Poplar Bluff, was booked at the Butler County jail Friday on suspicion of second-degree assault. _ Amber L. Crouch, 35, of Poplar Bluff, was booked at the Butler County jail Thursday on suspicion of second-degree arson, second-degree burglary, receiving stolen property and stealing...

City firefighter responded to the same malfunctioning alarm twice on Thursday - at 10:28 a.m. and 3:40 p.m. - at 1100 Iron Bridge Road. After responding the second time, the alarm was taken out of service.

By ELEANOR C. HASENBECK Staff Writer There's no cure for the summer time blues, but the Butler County MU Extension Office is working to help kids manage them through its 4-H summer programs. Every Monday afternoon, the Extension Office is offering a program that allows kids to get their hands a little dirty. From glue sticks to garden hoes, kids ages 5 to 18 can learn how to scrapbook, plant vegetables, even geocache...

Harold Ash Harold Eugene Ash, 83, of Poplar Bluff passed away Friday, June 12, 2015 at his residence. He was born in Williamsville, Mo. Aug. 2, 1931 to the late Andrew H. and Anna Baker Ash. On October 12, 1963 he and Betty Fox where married in Tijuana, Mexico. She survives of the home...

Football practice may not open for another seven weeks, but the Poplar Bluff Mules may already be 1-0. Poplar Bluff's Week 7 opponent has pulled the plug on its program and the Mules may end up having to take a forfeit victory. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the Maplewood Richmond-Heights school board canceled the upcoming season after two years of low student turnout. Less than a dozen players signed up for the fall season, according to the report...

The Three Rivers College women's basketball roster is nearly set. Lady Raiders coach Jeff Walk has 13 players signed. He is bringing back Samantha Gatewood, Jay Perry and Chelsea Vinson off last year's team and adding a large but skilled class to the mix...

SUGAR GROVE, Ill. -- Carr Vernon and his United States teammates look to hold off the Europeans today to claim the Palmer Cup. The Poplar Bluff native lost his match Saturday 1-up to Max Rottluff after splitting two matches Friday, helping the Americans build a 13.5-6.5 lead at Rich Harvest Farms...

Kenneth Marler, a member of the Southeast Missouri Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame who helped the Poplar Bluff American Legion team win its only state title and was a long-time area coach and teacher, died Saturday. He was 69. Funeral arrangements are pending with White-Sanders Funeral Home in Fisk...