Stories from Wednesday, October 28, 2015

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer Staff and clients at Hillcrest Animal Hospital raised more than $1,200 in funds and equipment this summer for military canines serving in the Middle East. "I would like to thank our clients. Most of them donated to this and we made a small donation too, but hopefully this will help somebody out," said veterinarian Dr. Michael Shepard...

VAN BUREN, Mo. -- Two area residents died Saturday night at local hospital of injuries they suffered in a one-vehicle crash on U.S. 60, five miles west of Van Buren. According to the report, Christopher S. Dawson, 41, of Van Buren, was operating a 2002 Chevrolet pickup westbound at about 7:30 p.m. when he braked abruptly, which caused his truck to run into the median and overturn...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor NAYLOR, Mo. -- The Naylor assistant high school principal is on administrative leave after being charged Sunday with multiple sexual-related offenses allegedly involving a student. John F. Mullins, 52, of Gatewood, Mo., was charged Sunday with the felonies of first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy and two counts of sexual contact with a student by the Ripley County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, according to a press release from Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. ...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor A recent investigation by Missouri Department of Natural Resources officials found changes made by the owners of Brick's Off Road Park were successful in preventing pollution to the Little Black River and Beaver Dam Creek during its September event...

By BARBARA ANN HORTON News Editor Help stamp out breast cancer, the employees at the Poplar Bluff Branch of U.S. Post Office challenge area residents. Post Office branches across the country have been selling the Breast Cancer Research Stamp since it was issued on July 29, 1998...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer Poplar Bluff school principals met with the board of education during a Monday work session to discuss results of the annual performance report (APR). The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) use the APR to determine accreditation of the district as a whole. While not used for accreditation, each campus also receives a report...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Area farmers are very thankful for the dry fall so they could easily harvest most of their crops, but the rain this week will delay combining the remaining soybeans. "The weather has been phenomenal. It has allowed us to get a lot done," Curtis Worley said Monday. "This has really been a good fall. It has been several years since it has been this dry."...

Greenville High School has released the names of their September and October Students of the Month. They are for September: Justin Logan Darnell, son of Mike and Alesia Darnell of Poplar Bluff, Mo., has been active in Student Council, FCCLA, Sr. Beta, FBLA, and high school basketball, Grades 9-12. ...

Amanda Vinson, a student at Three Rivers College, has received the Allison Grace Daughhetee Scholarship. Vinson, a non-traditional nursing student, received a $1,000 scholarship for the 2015-2016 school year. A mother of two children, as well as three foster children, Vinson currently works as a CNA while she completes her nursing degree...

By MONA CHAREN Think of today's Democratic Party as the little village of Hamelin. A piper called Bernie Sanders toots his socialist tune, and all the little Democrats skip along behind him to ... where exactly? According to the medieval legend, the Pied Piper of Hamelin led the children away and drowned them...

Tearoom & craft show at Wappapello The members of the Lake Wappapello United Methodist Church will be hosting their Annual Fall Tearoom & Craft Show from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov.7. The tearoom will open from 10:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. There will be baked items, homemade apple butter and other bazaar items will be available...

Pauline Hicks GREENVILLE, Mo. - Pauline Hicks, 93, of Silva, died Sunday, Oct. 25, 2015 at the Stockoff Memorial Nursing Home in Fredericktown, Mo. Arrangements will be announced by Morrison-Worley Funeral Chapel in Greenville, Mo.

Christopher "Chris" Dawson VAN BUREN, Mo. - Christopher Shane "Chris" Dawson, 41, died Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. Visitation will be at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 27 at the McSpadden Funeral Home in Van Buren. The funeral will be at 11 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 28 in the funeral home chapel with Pastor Darrel Davis officiating. Burial will be in the Houses Creek Cemetery. Online condolences may be made at www.mcspaddenfh.com...

To the Editor: Military veterans receive some of the best medical training and experience available when serving our country. Their sacrifices, commitment to duty, and ability to get the job done in austere environments make them exceptionally well suited for working as EMTs and paramedics in our communities upon their honorable separation from the U.S. ...

First Quarter Honor Roll A Honor Roll Third Grade: Lauryn Cosgrove, Makynli Day, Reese Dobbins, Elijah Dollins, Hayden Dugas, Caia Gipson, Shalynn Hanna, Xavior Hill, Jenna Hunter, Toryn Kendle, Bridget Million, September Preslar, Allyson Rogers, Charles Shands, Casen Stephens, James Sturtevant...

Betty Norton PIEDMONT, Mo. - Betty Norton, 68, of Piedmont, died Monday, Oct. 26, 2015 at the Clark's Mountain Nursing Center in Piedmont. Arrangements will be announced by Morrison-Worley Funeral Chapel of Piedmont.

Carrie "Lucille" Kitchen ELLSINORE, Mo. - Carrie "Lucille" Kitchen, 96, died Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015 in The West Chester House in St. Louis, Mo. Visitation will be at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 27 in the McSpadden Funeral Home in Ellsinore with funeral services following in the funeral home chapel. Burial will be in the Masonic Cemetery in Van Buren, Mo. Online condolences may be made at www.mcspaddenfh.com...

A Dexter man has located a second prize on a Missouri Lottery Scratchers game. Donald Ritch, 51, won the $100,000 second prize on a "$4,000,000 Payout" Scratchers ticket he purchased at Town & Country, 707 Specialty Drive, in Dexter. This is the second $100,000 prize to be claimed in the game...

Virginia Hill Virginia Hill, 83, of Poplar Bluff, died Friday, Oct. 23, 2015 at her residence. Arrangements are pending with Moore Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff. Online condolences: www.moorefuneralservice.com

Lyda Green Lyda Joyce Green, age, 82, of Poplar Bluff, Mo. died Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. She was born Feb. 5, 1933 at Frisbee, Mo. On June 12, 1971 she married James Henry Green. He preceded her in death on June 25, 1989...

Frank Rayfield PIEDMONT, Mo. - Frank Rayfield, 71, of Piedmont, died Sunday Oct. 25, 2015, at Landmark Hospital in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Arrangements are pending with Ruegg Funeral Home in Piedmont. Online condolences can be made at www.rueggfuneralhome.com...

April Waters April Waters, 36, of Poplar Bluff, died Sunday, Oct. 25, 2015 at her residence. The arrangements are pending and will be announced by Cotrell Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff.

Cynthia Milner Cynthia Milner, 61, of Poplar Bluff, died Monday, Oct. 26, 2015 at her residence. The arrangements are pending and will be announced by Cotrell Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff.

Clayton Wilson DEXTER, Mo. - Clayton Aaron Wilson, 40, died Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015 near Sikeston. Visitation will be from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m., today at Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter. Funeral will be at 11 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 28 in the funeral home chapel with Rev. David Wilson, Rev. Jeff Clark and Rev. Larry Matthews officiating. Burial will be in the Walker Cemetery near Bloomfield...

Helen Brooks Helen Walker Brooks, 91, of St. Louis, Mo., formerly of Poplar Bluff, died Sunday, Oct. 25, 2015 at Barnes Jewish Center Hospice in St. Louis. The arrangements are pending and will be announced by Cotrell Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff...

Twin Rivers Fisk Middle School Honor and Merit Rolls for the First Quarter have been released. HONOR ROLL 5th Grade Jacob Chronister, Abigail McCollough, Serenity Porch, Sierra Rommel and Warren Thurman. 6th Grade Taylor Barrett, Olivia Goodrich, Jacob Guess, Simon Heller, Paul Long, Brandon Ratley, Joshua Vest, Kimberly Wagner, Arizona Walker, Emily Ward, Hannah Wright and Gracie Yarbrough...

By ALEX WEST Staff Writer Balancing convenience with trust is not easily accomplished in the banking world. Machines may make things easier but for some they do not provide that human interaction so necessary for a sense of financial security. Interactive Teller Machines (ITMs) are now bridging that gap, and Southern Bank is the first in the region to offer them...

Betty Norton PIEDMONT, Mo. - Betty Jean Norton, 68, of Piedmont, formerly of Camdenton, died Monday, Oct. 26, 2015 at Clark's Mountain Nursing Center in Piedmont. Funeral services will be conducted through Hedges-Scott Funeral Home in Camdenton, Mo. Local arrangements were made through Morrison-Worley Funeral Chapel in Piedmont. Condolences may be made at www.morrisonworleychapel.com...

Prescilla Weaver VAN BUREN, Mo. - Prescilla Ann Weaver, 46, of Poplar Bluff, formerly of Van Buren, died Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident near Van Buren, Mo. Visitation will be at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 28 at McSpadden Funeral Home in Van Buren. ...

By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN "If the Cold War is over, what's the point of being an American?" said Rabbit Angstrom, the protagonist of the John Updike novels. A haunting remark, since, for 40 years, America was largely united on the proposition that our survival depended upon our victory over communism in the Cold War...

By MIKE JENSEN Publisher Sikeston Standard Democrat When the FBI is investigating you and when you're poised to testify before a Congressional committee on failures during your tenure as secretary of state, the obvious political decision is to play the race card...

By CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER WASHINGTON -- Guess who just popped up in the Kremlin? Bashar al-Assad, Syrian dictator and destroyer, now Vladimir Putin's newest pet. After four years holed up in Damascus, Assad was summoned to Russia to bend a knee to Putin, show the world that today Middle East questions get settled not in Washington but in Moscow, and officially bless the Russian-led four-nation takeover of Syria now underway...

A lifelong dream came true for Riley Washburn on Monday. The Neelyville senior first picked up a softball around the age of 5 and from that moment on knew she wanted to take her playing career to the highest point. By the time she hit high school, Washburn had her sights set on playing for Central Methodist University. And, equally important, the No. 5 ranked NAIA team in nation wanted her as well...

Three Rivers basketball will get its first trick or treat of the season Halloween weekend. Both the Raiders and Lady Raiders have completed their preseason schedules and play their first two games of the regular season Friday and Saturday. The Raiders won all four of their halves against Evangel and Dyersburg State. It was the second time this preseason Three Rivers played Evangel and the results were a little better the second time around...

Elmer Sunny "Moose" Campton Jr. Elmer Sunny Campton Jr., 63, of Poplar Bluff, died Friday, Oct. 23, 2015, at his residence. A memorial visitation service will be held at 6 p.m., Thursday, at the Calvary General Baptist Church, PP Hwy., followed by a Masonic service at 6:30 p.m...

Joanna Lea Chitwood NEELYVILLE, Mo. - Joanna Lee Chitwood, 57, of Fairdealing, Mo., passed away Sat. Oct. 24, 2105 at her home. Mrs. Chitwood was born March 17, 1958 in Savannah, Il. She served on the board at the Shelter Workshop in Doniphan and volunteered time at the Springhill Missionary Baptist School of Hope in Fairdealing. She worked as a homemaker and enjoyed cooking, gardening, taking care of her home, and working outdoors...

Zora Mae Fred Zora Mae Fred, 84, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Monday Oct. 26, 2015 at Cedargate Nursing Facility. She was born Jan. 23, 1931 in Wayne County to the late James Boyer and Maude Durrow Boyer. She was a long time resident of Poplar Bluff. Zora retired from the Lucy Lee Hospital housekeeping department...

April Waters April Michelle Waters, 36, of Poplar Bluff, passed away Sunday, Oct. 25, 2015 at her residence. April, the daughter of the late Lonnie Joe and Sharlene (Bailey) Waters was born Dec. 11, 1978 in Poplar Bluff. She was of the Baptist faith, and enjoyed spending time with her daughter and family...

Virginia "Irene" Shearrer PIEDMONT- Mo. Virginia "Irene" Shearrer, 76, of Patterson, Mo., passed away Monday, Oct. 26, 2015 at her residence. Visitation services will be held Thursday, Oct. 29, 2015, at 1:30 p.m. at Ruegg Funeral Home in Piedmont, Mo. Funeral services will follow, Thursday at 3:00 p.m., also at the Piedmont Chapel. Burial will take place at Rowland Woods Cemetery. Online condolences can be made at www.rueggfuneralhomes.com...

James Melvin Jones CORNING, Ark..--James Melvin Jones, 70, of Corning passed away Friday, Oct. 23, 2015 at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Mr. Jones was born Feb. 9, 1945 in Little Rock, Ark. He retired from Neelyville School District after 30 years of teaching history. He enjoyed beekeeping and raising show birds. He was a member of 4th and Vine Church of Christ...

Frank Rayfield PIEDMONT, Mo.--Frank Rayfield, 71, of Piedmont, died Sunday, Oct. 25, 2015, at Landmark Hospital, Cape Girardeau. Visitation Services will be at 5 p.m., Wednesday, at Ruegg Funeral Home in Piedmont. Funeral Services will be held at 11 a.m., Thursday at the Piedmont Chapel...

Bobby Paul "Bob" Shaw DEXTER, Mo.--Bob Shaw, 87, of Highland, Ill., formerly of Dexter, died Friday, Oct. 23, 2015 at his residence. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., Wednesday, at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter. Funeral services will be conducted at 1 p.m., Wednesday, in the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Chapel...

Mabel Rowe FISK, Mo.--Mabel Rowe, 80, of Fisk, died Monday, Oct. 26, 2015 at her residence. Visitation will begin at 6 p.m., Wednesday at White-Sanders Funeral Home in Fisk. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m., Thursday in the funeral home chapel with Rev. Jim Sanders officiating. Burial will follow in Brown Chapel Cemetery at Broseley...