Stories from Monday, October 5, 2015

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Love is manifested in small things, the slightest attention to the everyday life, Pope Francis said a week ago to a gathering of thousands for a Sunday Mass at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. Standing in the crowd as the pope urged the world to show love and compassion, Poplar Bluff, Mo., resident Nick Koeppel felt a sense of happiness and contentment...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Butler County has operated with a nearly $2 million cash loss over the last two years and may find itself significantly in the red at the end of the current budget year. The loss was included in a recently released state audit for the 2013 and 2014 fiscal years. It represents the most substantial cash losses for the county in a decade...

By DONNA FVARLEY Staff Writer The Iron Mountain Depot was relatively new when Buck Rhodes visited the station with the barely controlled excitement of an 8-year-old boy about to take a train ride to visit family in St. Louis, Mo. Later in the 1940s, his wife, Emalee, would take a cab to the station on special weekends for a quick train trip into the city with coworkers from the Metropolitan Insurance Agency for a night at the opera...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer Oak Grove Elementary is seeking the community's help with a program that will improve access to children's books locally. The Little Red Bookshelf project hopes to collect 4,500 new or gently used children's books by the end of the year. Those books will be placed in the community, in locations children normally visit, to foster an interest in reading...

Beloveia Stovall and Randy C. English, of Ellington, Mo., announce their engagement. The bride-to-be is the daughter of the late Bill and Evelyn Stovall of Ellsinore, Mo. The bridegroom-to-be is the son of the late Charles and Mellanee English. The couple is planning a Jan. 30, 2016 wedding...

Brittany Deanna Easley and Matthew Tyler Boyers were united in marriage Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015 at the Central United Methodist Church in Rogers, Ark. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gavin Gillett of Ontario, Canada and Mr. and Mrs. Terry Easley of Mansfield, Texas...

Mike and Kathy Lambert of Poplar Bluff, Mo., will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary vacationing in Orange Beach, Ala. They were married Oct. 4, 1975, in the First Baptist Church in Portageville, Mo. The Lamberts are lifelong residents of Southeast Missouri...

Praise for EMS Yes, I had the opportunity yesterday to be called an ambulance for --I'm 71 years old and I'm in ill health-- and number one service and number twelve service came out to my aid because I'm a large man so it took extra help. And I'll tell you what--that fine man and women, they came to take me out, could not have no better than they were. ...

William "Bill" Woods DEXTER, Mo. -- William Edward Woods, 70, of Dexter, died Friday, Oct. 2, 2015 at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be held 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6 at Watkins and Sons Funeral Home in Dexter. The funeral will follow at 1 p.m. in the funeral home chapel...

William Dildine GIDEON, Mo. - William L. Dildine, 92, of Clarkton, Mo. died Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015 at Gideon Care Center in Gideon, Mo. Visitation will be held noon Sunday at the Morrison-Worley Funeral Chapel in Piedmont. Funeral Services will follow at 2 p.m. in the funeral home chapel...

By CAROLYN SMITH Staff Writer Balloons and party favors will decorate Oakdale Care Center, 2702 Debbie Street, Poplar Bluff, Mo., when family and friends celebrate the 100th birthday of Linnie (Batten) Marler from 2-4 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 17. Her birthday celebration will be a wee bit early as Linnie was born Oct. 22, 1915 to Francis and Pairlee Batten of Broseley, Mo...

Bradley J. Brown, 36, of the 1400 block of Black River Industrial Park Drive, was booked at the Butler County jail Thursday on a Dexter failure to appear warrant for no seat belt. _ Brittany J. Dunivan, 23, of Neelyville, was booked at the Butler County jail Thursday on suspicion of possession of drug paraphernalia...

Police are investigating the theft of bicycles reported at 7:07 p.m. Thursday in the 100 block of South Poplar. _____ Police are investigating counterfeiting reported at 10:04 p.m. Thursday in the 900 block of Business U.S. 60.

Norma Cochran Norma Jean Cochran, 80, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., passed away Friday, Oct. 2, 2015 at her son's residence. Mrs. Cochran, daughter of the late Harvey and Stella (Johnson) Gardner, was born June 13, 1935 in Poplar Bluff. She was a member of the First Church of God and was a homemaker. Mrs. Cochran had worked as an insurance agent for the Walter Thies State Farm Agency. She enjoyed spending time with her family...

William "Bill" Pettet William "Bill" Warren Pettet, 82, passed on to his eternal home on Friday, Oct. 2, 2015, surrounded by his family and clergy. Bill, son of the late John W. and Mildred F. (Murphy) Pettet, was born Dec. 18, 1932 in Caruthersville. He was a lifelong resident of Poplar Bluff, where he proudly served the city as City Clerk for over 20 years...

Vernon Ray Scott SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ.--Crossed that far, western ridge, at age 85, on July 21, 2015. Born to Douglas Robert and Clara Lois Scott on June 22, 1930, in Poplar Bluff, MO., he was the fourth of five children and last remaining. He graduated from Poplar Bluff High School in 1948. ...

Louise D. Burton DEXTER, MO. --Louise D. Burton, 93, of Dexter, died Friday, Oct. 2, 2015, at Cypress Point Skilled Nursing in Dexter. Visitation will be at 2 p.m., Sunday, at the Watkins & Sons Funeral Home with the Rev. Tim Russell of Dexter officiating...

Dicie Whiffen Dicie Whiffen, 89, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., passed away Friday, Oct. 2, 2015 at Westwood Hills Health Care Center in Poplar Bluff. Mrs. Whiffen, daughter of the late James and Alma (Hobgood) Hollis, was born Feb. 24, 1926 in Bernie, Mo. She was a former nurse's aide for Lucy Lee and Doctor's Hospital. Mrs. Whiffen was of the Pentecostal faith and enjoyed gardening and raising roses...

Mildred Sweat SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Mildred R. Sweat, 89, of Springfield, Mo., formerly of Poplar Bluff, died Friday, Oct. 2, 2015, at Glendale Gardens Nursing Center in Springfield. Visitation will be held noon Monday at Cotrell Funeral Chapel in Poplar Bluff with funeral services following at 1 p.m. Burial will be in the City Cemetery in Poplar Bluff...

Jim Conway DONIPHAN, Mo. -- James O. Conway, 85, of Doniphan, Mo., died Friday, Oct. 2, 2015, at his residence. Visitation will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5, in the Edwards Funeral Home Chapel. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6, in the funeral home chapel...

Police are investigating a burglary believed to have occurred between 2 p.m. and 2:50 p.m. Friday in the 400 block of Magnolia. Several pieces of jewelry and other items were reported missing. ------ Police are investigating the theft of four batteries reported stolen sometime Thursday night from a business in the 4100 block of Route PP...

Zachary T. Howard, 34, of Bernie, was arrested at 12:54 p.m. Friday in the 1000 block of Wildwood on a failure to appear warrant. ------ Bobby Kemp, 40, of Dexter, was arrested at 8:32 p.m. Friday in the 700 block of East Main on a probation violation...

SDLqYou do not need to be an expert or interested in only Ag related matters to be involved in 4-H," said Stephanie Milner, regional 4-H youth development specialist with University of Missouri Extension. "4-H is so much more with project opportunities in photography, robotics, foods and nutrition, gardening, animals and much more."...

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- Poplar Bluff's doubles team of Elizabeth Bottorff and Stephanie Hobbs rallied to force a third-set tiebreaker Friday but fell short of reaching the MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 championship match. In the semifinal match, the seniors forced a third set after losing the first, and trailed 5-3 before winning three of the next four games to reach a tiebreaker. Cape Central's Katie Harding and Jordan Maxton advanced with a 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (7-5) win...

A perfect regular season, 116 runs and five run-rule victories -- it all sounds like the makings of a championship team. The Greenville baseball team marches into the Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament with an air of invincibility. Twenty teams have tried to beat the Bears this year. Every one has failed -- some a couple times. Greenville, the No. 1 seed, has accomplished nearly every goal it set this fall with their biggest still in sight...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Scoring in quick bursts has almost become second nature for the Malden Green Wave. They had 12 quick touchdowns through the first six weeks of the season and in their final conference game, the Green Wave nearly doubled it. Malden scored all nine of its touchdowns in three plays or less and claimed its second straight SEMO South Conference title with a 66-13 drubbing of Chaffee on Friday night at Mark Whitaker Memorial Field...

DEXTER -- The Dexter Bearcats football team experienced little difficulty securing a share of the SEMO Conference Central title for a second straight season Friday night at Charles Bland Stadium. Dexter outscored the New Madrid County Central Eagles 55-0 in the first three quarters as it cruised to a 62-20 home victory and finished conference play 3-1...

Summer Shockley and Amber Odell belted home runs as Van Buren beat Naylor 10-6 in the Three Rivers College tournament championship. Shockley, who also pitched in the win, now has four home runs for the season while Van Buren has won 20 games. It was Odell's second home run for the season. She had a 2-run shot in the sixth that gave Van Buren a six run lead at the time...