Stories from Saturday, June 27, 2015

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Butler County will spend almost $241,000 on an asphalt overlay program this budget year that will touch 10 roads. Bids were accepted last week from the low bidder, Robertson Bridge and Grading of Poplar Bluff for 83.10 per ton of overlay...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor Emergency personnel rescued a Poplar Bluff woman Thursday afternoon after she apparently hit her head when she jumped from the Founder's Bridge into Black River. At about 5:05 p.m., Poplar Bluff Police Patrolman Brandon Hopper was sent to the area of Ray Clinton Park in reference to a woman who wasn't breathing...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer New enhancements to the Missouri Automated Criminal History website will allow schools to get employee background checks back more quickly. The website is administered by the Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) Criminal Justice Information Services Division, the central repository for all Missouri criminal history files. MSHP Capt. John Hotz says results should now be available within 24 hours, instead of 4-8 weeks...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer The Poplar Bluff R-I Board of Education received an unwelcome, but not astonishing, update on graduation rates and approved a $52 million budget for the upcoming year that included a last-minute pay raise. Four year graduation rates - based on freshman enrollment plus and minus transfers - dropped one point to 84 percent in 2015. However, that number is still up significantly from a low five years ago of 77.6 percent...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Laid-off NORDYNE workers, who have found other jobs or are still unemployed, are being helped by the Career Education and Workforce Development staff at Three Rivers College. Jonathan Stevenson, a 24-year-old Wappapello resident, was among the NORDYNE workers who were laid off 10 months ago...

By WALTER E. WILLIAMS Rachel A. Dolezal, the recently resigned president of the Spokane, Washington, office of the NAACP, has come under a bit of controversy. Both of her parents are white, but for eight years, Dolezal claimed that she was black. In addition to her role as president of an NAACP chapter, Dolezal was an instructor of Africana studies at Eastern Washington University...

By MICHELLE MALKIN Unlike Pope Francis, I believe that air-conditioning and the capitalists responsible for the technology are blessings to the world. Perhaps the head of the Catholic Church, who condemned "the increasing use and power of air-conditioning" last week in a market-bashing encyclical, is unaware of the pioneering private company that has donated its time, energy and innovative heating, ventilating and air-conditioning equipment to the Vatican's most famous edifice for more than a decade.. ...

Leda Brooks FISK, Mo. -- Leda Diane Brooks, 72, of Ellsinore, died Wednesday, June 24, 2015, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. She was born July 5, 1942 at Holland, Mo. She was a member of Walton Chapel Church and enjoyed flower gardening, decorating, crocheting and embroidering...

Karen Clark Laney FISK, Mo. -- Karen Janette Clark Laney, 48, of Poplar Bluff, died Thursday, June 25, 2015, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. She was born July 23, 1966. She was of the Baptist faith. She enjoyed riding motorcycles, fishing and hunting arrowheads...

Erden Richardson Erden Richardson, 87, of Poplar Bluff, died Thursday, June 25, 2015, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. until time of services at 11 a.m. Tuesday at First Baptist Church. A full obituary will be printed in the Sunday edition...

Brenda Williamson BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Brenda Faye Williamson, 64, of Bloomfield, died Wednesday, June 24, 2015, at her residence. The 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. Saturday at the funeral home chapel. Burial will be in the Dexter Cemetery in Dexter with Chiles-Cooper Funeral Home of Bloomfield in charge of arrangements...

Teresa R. Sneed, 53, of Poplar Bluff, was arrested at 11:52 p.m. Saturday near the intersection of Fifth and Cedar on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia. She was booked at the Butler County jail...

Mary Jane Bilbrey Keele WILLIAMSVILLE, Mo. -- Mary Jane Bilbrey Keele, 73, of Tallahassee, Fla., formerly of Williamsville, was born June 1, 1942, and passed from this life at home on June 12, 2015 surrounded by her family after a long illness. Mary was the daughter of the late Clifford and Opal Bilbrey. She was preceded in death by three brothers: Carl, Lavern, and Bill; and one sister, Betty...

It's been 10 years, but Sam Houston has signed another Raider. Three Rivers sophomore Torry Butler has signed to play next season at Sam Houston State University. "I wanted to be a part of a winning team, first of all. When I went on my visit, they showed me a great time and I liked it more than I liked any other schools," Butler said. "When I went on my visit, the team welcomed me in a nice way. I liked it, the way they greeted me."...

Bobby Martin POCAHONTAS, Ark. -- Bobby Gene Martin, 56, of Poplar Bluff, passed away Tuesday, June 23, 2015. He was born July 4, 1958, to John and Zelma Jackson Martin in Bakersfield, Calif. He is survived by his wife, Sheila Miller Martin; mother, Zelma Bozwell; children: Joe (Tamra) Martin and Bobby Martin; brothers, John (Valarie) Martin, Jerry (Gay) Martin, Dennis ( Vickie) Martin; sister, Tammy Alexander; grandchildren, Bobby, Xander, Zachary, and Zayden Martin; and nephew Wesley (Norisbel) Dennison.. ...