Stories from Thursday, December 24, 2015

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor Local authorities continue to search for family members of a Poplar Bluff, Mo., man who suffered life-threatening head trauma earlier this week when he crashed his bicycle. At about 12:50 a.m. Monday, officer Shane Bates responded to Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center's emergency room regarding a patient, who had suspected drugs on his person, according to Poplar Bluff deputy police chief Donnie Trout. ...

BY PAT PRATT Staff Writer Members of the community gathered Tuesday evening at Poplar Bluff High School to offer prayers and support for a student recently injured in her home by an accidental gunshot. Junior Kaitlyn Pullam is currently in critical condition at St. Louis Children's Hospital after her father accidentally shot her Monday morning with a black powder rifle...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer A past commander of the Missouri Veterans of Foreign Wars will speak in favor of medical marijuana during a Monday evening fundraiser in Poplar Bluff. New Approach Missouri, a group promoting medical marijuana in the Show-Me-State, will host the event featuring former commander, Tom Mundell at 5:30 p.m. at the Wine Rack bistro, 1212 North Westwood...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer A 3 percent raise for electric and water department employees is included in a Municipal Utilities budget passed Monday by Poplar Bluff City Council members. The utility is currently in negotiations with union workers, according to General Manager Bill Bach. ...

Jimmy Hudson GRANITE CITY, Ill. -- James R. "Jimmy" Hudson, 20, of Granite City passed away Dec. 15, 2015, in Greenville, Mo. Services were held Dec. 19, 2015 in the Irwin Chapel in Granite City. Rev. Ken Schmitt officiated. Burial followed at Sunset Hill Memorial Gardens in Glen Carbon...

Jona Benson Jona Wilson Benson, 88, of Center Point, Texas, formerly of Wappapello and Puxico, died Dec. 13, 2015 in Center Point. Services were held Dec. 18, 2015 at the Morgan Sifford Funeral Chapel in Puxico. Rev. Fred Wilson officiated. Burial followed in the Puxico City Cemetery...

Margaret Cox Margaret Cox, 89, of Dexter, died Dec. 9, 2015 at Cypress Point Skilled Nursing Center in Dexter. Services were held Dec. 12, 2015 at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter. Stan Dauck officiated. Interment followed in the Dexter Cemetery...

At its meeting on Dec. 11, the Missouri Conservation Commission approved recommendations by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) for the 2016-2017 deer-hunting season and the 2016 turkey-hunting seasons. The recommendations include turkey-hunting and deer-hunting season dates, changes to turkey-hunting allowed methods, and changes to the deer-hunting season structure and allowed methods...

Freeman L. O'Neal PUXICO, Mo. - Freeman L. O'Neal, son of the late Lestie and Minnie Mossman O'Neal, was born in Puxico, Mo., on November 26,1931 and passed away at the Puxico Nursing Center in Puxico Missouri on December 20, 2015, at theage 84 years. ...

By GEORGE F. WILL WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Although he is just 22, Andrew Zeller is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in mathematics at Purdue University. He is one reason the school is a rare exception to the rule of unreason on American campuses, where freedom of speech is under siege. He and Purdue are evidence that freedom of speech, by which truth is winnowed from error, is most reliably defended by those in whose intellectual pursuits the truth is most rigorously tested by reality...

By MICHELLE MALKIN Political analysis of the Las Vegas debate immigration dust-up between Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio is missing a key ingredient: the money factor. You can read the lips of the candidates till the cows come home. But you'll get to the truth much faster when you learn where pro-amnesty power brokers have placed their bets and hitched their wagons...

It was a horrific accident. At least it would have been ruled an accident if two drivers had reacted differently. Heavenly Grace Hafford, 13, had been to Mansion Mall shopping for a pair of shoes with a 19-year-old friend on Wednesday, Dec. 9. It was 7:15 p.m. ...

Wanda Reno Wanda Reno, 55, of Poplar Bluff, Mo. died Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2015 at her residence. Arrangements are pending with Cotrell Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Starting Jan. 1, the Army Corps of Engineers will begin issuing America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Interagency Passes at its project offices. Currently, the Corps accepts the interagency senior and access passes at its recreation projects, but is not allowed to sell or issue the passes. ...

Vincin W. White GREENVILLE, MO.--Vincin W. White, 77, of Greenville, died Monday, Dec. 21, 2015 at the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center in Poplar Bluff. No services are planned. Onlinecondolences: www.morrisonworleychapel.com

Georgiana Vanderbol CAMPBELL, MO.--Georgiana Vanderbol, 89, of Farmington, died Monday, Dec. 21, 2015, at Presbyterian Manor in Farmington. Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m., Sunday with rosary at 7 p.m., at Landess Funeral Home in Campbell. Funeral service will be at 11 a.m., Monday at St. Teresa Catholic Church in Glennonville with Father Dave Hulsholf and Father Dan Hirtz officiating...

Velma Reeser GREENVILLE, MO.--Velma Reeser, of Greenville, died Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015 at the Greenville Nursing and Rehab Center. Memorial service will be at 1 p.m., Sunday, at the Faith Assembly of God Church in Greenville. Morrison-Worley Chapel of Greenville in charge of arrangements...

By PAUL DAVIS Outdoors Editor To this point, hunters in Missouri have taken 5,830 deer since the opening of the alternative methods deer season Saturday morning. Last year's season take was 11,025, so hunters have a long way to go to reach that point (and impending wet weather won't help)...

BROSELEY -- With foul trouble plaguing both teams, this Lady Royals Classic semifinal was decided by the bench Tuesday night. Neelyville's reserves outscored their Twin Rivers counterparts by seven in a 63-57 win, sending the Tigers to the championship game for the third straight year...

By CALEB PRYOR Mo. Dept. of Conservation As the November portion of firearms deer season has come to an end here in Missouri, many deer hunters change gears and prepare for the alternative methods season. The alternative methods season, also known by some as muzzleloader season, gives hunters another chance to fill their firearms permits. They swap out their high-powered deer rifle for something a little more primitive, a muzzleloading rifle...

BROSELEY -- A 4-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter was a small victory for Naylor, but as the missed shots and turnovers started piling up, glimmers of the Dexter Lady Bearcats' dominance in the Lady Royals Christmas Classic shined. Second-seeded Dexter used an 11-3 run early in the fourth to finally shake off the third-seeded Eagles and slip into the final with a 57-49 win Tuesday...

BROSELEY -- The Lady Bears pulled rank on another opponent in a game that went down to the wire at the Lady Royals Christmas Classic. Greenville, the sixth seed, advanced to the fifth place game by edging 10th-seeded Malden 38-37 Tuesday night. Greenville senior Makenzy Smith sank two free throws with 1 minute, 39 seconds remaining to give Greenville (6-5) a 36-35 lead...