Stories from Thursday, October 1, 2015

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer On the last normal day for the Garner family, grandmother Lori was enjoying summer break by taking on extra baby-sitting duties with her first granddaughter, Camryn. The pair met her daughter, Chelsea, late that Friday afternoon for one of their regular walks at McLane Park...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer In light of National Bullying Prevention month in October, administrators say the problem still rears its ugly head at Poplar Bluff R-I - as it does in many U.S. schools. Poplar Bluff Middle School Principal Brad Owings says the school tries to address every incident. However, bullying is often a complex issue that takes an effort on the part of administrators, teachers and the students themselves...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Historic Downtown Poplar Bluff is the place to be Saturday to participate in the numerous activities planned for the sixth annual Iron Horse Festival. The festival will begin at 10 a.m. and continue until 5 p.m., but some events will start earlier Saturday...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor A Poplar Bluff, Mo., man admitted to calling in a bomb threat Tuesday at the Eagles Lodge, where his ex-girlfriend worked, as well as setting fires at two local homes the day before. "Yesterday morning, we got a call from someone associated with the Eagles saying he may have information on the two house fires," which occurred Monday morning, explained Poplar Bluff Police Detective Scott Phelps. ...

Ada Bates Ada Bates, 79, of Wappapello died Sept. 23, 2015 at her residence. Services were held Sept. 28, 2015 at Morgan Sifford Funeral Home in Puxico. Rev. Jimmy Clark officiated. Burial followed in the Puxico City Cemetery.

Danny Buttry Danny L. Buttry, 63, of Barnhart, Mo., died Sept. 3, 2015 at his residence. Graveside services were held Sept. 27, 2015, at Brown General Baptist Church cemetery in Puxico. Rev. John Buttry officiated. Morgan-Sifford Funeral Home of Puxico is in charge of services...

Jay W. Shubert Jay W. Shubert, 63, of Puxico died September 15, 2015 at his residence. A private memorial service will be held at a later date. All arrangements are being handled by Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter.

Robert Merick Robert Eugene Merick, 86, of Wappapello died Sept. 17, 201 at the Golden Living Center in Dexter. Graveside services were held with full military honors Sept. 22, 2015 at the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield. Cotrell Funeral Service in charge of arrangements...

Marie Davis Malinda "Marie" Davis, 92, of Wappapello, formerly of Essex, died Sept. 21, 2015 at Lake View Residential Care in Wappapello. Services were held Sept. 24, 2015 at Watkins & Sons Funeral Home in Dexter. Rev. Kenneth Boggs of Dexter officiated. Burial followed in the Chalk Bluff Cemetery near Dexter. Watkins & Sons Funeral Home in Dexter in charge of arrangements...

By GEORGE F. WILL WASHINGTON -- America's loopy left is enamored of someone who becomes cranky about bobblehead figurines. Sober Democrats are queasy about nominating Hillary Clinton, who has much to apologize for but no aptitude for apologies. Those Republicans who hope she is denied the nomination are perhaps imprudent. ...

History was made this week when Pope Francis addressed a joint session of Congress and was the first Pontiff ever to do so. Some of the most poignant remarks from Pope Francis focused on the importance of religious liberty. His observations come during a time when the religious rights of millions across the world and here in America are being trampled...

By MICHELLE MALKIN There's only one time when you can depend on the chronically backlogged, recklessly inefficient Department of Homeland Security to perform smoothly: election season. While hundreds of thousands of visa overstayers and deportation fugitives remain on the loose, federal bureaucrats at the U.S. ...

The Butler County Health Department has launched a new media campaign to increase breastfeeding awareness. A series of life-sized photographs of five local women breastfeeding their babies ("standees") will be placed throughout physician offices, community buildings and local businesses...

Driver exam station time changes Captain George E. Ridens, commanding officer of Troop E, announces that the Charleston, Fredericktown, and Kennett driver examination stations will be closed Wednesday, Oct. 7, for an administrative meeting. The Poplar Bluff Driver Examination Station will be open that day from 8 a.m. ...

Rogers 68th anniversary party Sun. Jack and Gerry Rogers, of Lowndes, Mo., will celebrate their 68th wedding anniversary from 2-4 p.m. Sunday at the Community Church of Christ in Lowndes, with an open house. Mr. and Mrs. Rogers were married Sept. 26, 1947, in Midland, Mich. They have lived in Missouri most of their married life, including Shook, Pevely, Dexter, Zalma and Lowndes...

Class of '55 breakfast The Poplar Bluff High School Class of 1955 will meet for breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Friday at Myrtle's Place. All class members, spouses and guests are invited to attend. Any questions, call 686-1019.

Saturday, Oct. 17, Bob and Wanda Stinson will host another reunion for the people interested in seeing Carter School, Highway HH. All "graduates," friends and interested neighbors are welcome to join them. Sandwiches and snacks will be served from 1-4 p.m., providing people ample opportunity to see the one-room schoolhouse. This is likely the only one-room schoolhouse in Butler County with a pot belly stove, outhouse, some desks, pictures of students, attendance logs and lots of books...

Sybil Bennett PUXICO, Mo. - Sybil Bennett, 89, formerly of Puxico, died Saturday, Sept. 26 at Crowley's Ridge Nursing Home in Dexter. Visitation will be at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 30 at Morgan Sifford Funeral Home. The funeral will also be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, at the Life Chapel Assembly of God Church in Puxico. Burial will be in the Puxico City Cemetery in Puxico...

By FRANK CAMPA Mo. Dept. of Conservation There are some of our fall hunting seasons that are already in full swing - squirrels, doves, archery deer and turkey to name a few - with a couple openers just around the corner. Fall firearms turkey season opens Thursday, and the early portion of the Canada goose season opens Saturday and goes through Oct. 11...

By PAUL DAVIS Outdoors Editor Forty-six teams fished Saturday's Chaonia Buddy Bass Tournament under cloudy skies and cool temperatures. "Overall, it went pretty well," said Chaonia Landing owner Dallas Rich. "There were a lot of fish caught ... just not a lot of big ones."...

Helen B. Killion PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Helen B. Killion, 94, of Patterson, Mo., died Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015 at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff. Arrangements will be announced by the Morrison-Worley Funeral Chapel.

Two pitches after a bases-loaded walk tied the game in the fifth inning Tuesday, Gracie King quickly untied it. The Poplar Bluff junior doubled in three runs as the Mules rallied for a 4-1 win over Kelly at Bacon Park. "We knew it was going to be a competitive game because they're always good," Mules coach Lisa Boyer said. "We knew it would be a hard fight."...

East Carter graduate Alex Coggins is joining a few of his former teammates and has a chance to become a two-sport athlete at the collegiate level. Coggins, who graduated in May, signed to play baseball in June at Fontbonne University in St. Louis, and will also try out for the basketball team this winter...

Raider Madness starts tomorrow. The annual kickoff to the season is at 6 p.m. Thursday. Both men's and women's basketball programs will have an intrasquad scrimmage open to fans. The Lady Raiders will open the night at 6 p.m. with a shooting drill that fans may remember from last year's Raider Madness. The women, as a team, will attempt to make over 100 points worth of 3s in a set amount of time. After that, the team will have a 10 minute scrimmage...

Terry Edward Hatton MALDEN, MO.--Terry Edward Hatton, 57, Clarkton, Mo., died Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015, at Twin Rivers Medical Center at Kennett, Mo. Visitation will be at 6 p.m., Thursday, at Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden. Funeral will be at 11 a.m., Friday at Bradshaw Chapel in Malden. Burial in Stanfield Cemetery in Clarkton...

Danny Lee Mitchum DONIPHAN, Mo..--Danny Lee Mitchum, 67, of Fairdealing, Mo., died Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015, at his residence in rural Ripley County. A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015, at the Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield, Mo...

BERNIE -- Brock Beacham struck out 10 and allowed two walks and two hits in the complete-game shutout as the host Mules beat Bloomfield 3-0 in the Bernie Showdown semifinals. Austin Beck hit two solo home runs in his first two at bats. Bernie added a third run in the fifth on hits by Gavin Brown and Own Foster and a RBI groundout by Trey Kirkpatrick...

Terry Joe Sullivan DONIPHAN, MO.--Terry Joe Sullivan, 59, long-time resident of Doniphan, departed this life Friday, Sept. 11, 2015, at his home in rural Ripley County, Mo. Mr. Sullivan, son of James E. and Juanita M. (Yates) Sullivan, was born July 22, 1956, in Port Huron, Mich. ...

Linda Webster PUXICO, Mo. -- Linda Webster, 71, of Puxico, Mo. died Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015, at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Mo. She was born July 12, 1944, in Shook, Mo. She was preceded in death by her parents, Maggie and Roy Cruthcfield...

Mark Quintin Gearhart NEELYVILLE, Mo.--Mark Quintin Gearhart, 43, of Corning, Ark., died Monday, Sept. 28, 2015 at his residence. Visitation will be held from 1:30 - 2:30 p.m., Wed. Sept. 30, 2015 at the Fowler-Sullivan Memorial Chapel in Neelyville. A graveside service will begin at 3 p.m. Wed. at the Corning Cemetery with Roger Hovis officiating...

Joy Whitaker CALIFORNIA, Mo.--Joy Lynn (Spratley) Whitaker, 58, of California, Mo., passed away Monday, Sept. 28, 2015 at her residence. She was born June 14, 1957 in Hannibal, Mo. to Richard Spratley & Leota ( Epps) Spratley. She married William (Bill) Whitaker Sept. 24, 1977 in Molina, Mo. He preceded her in death...

Mark Hodge Mark D. Hodge, 54, of Qulin died Sept. 22, 2015. Services were held Sept. 25, 2015 at the Morgan-Sifford Funeral Home in Puxico. Bruce and Pittman and Rev. Doyle Mitchell officiated.