Stories from Sunday, January 31, 2016

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer For more than two decades, Vicky Bush has operated Heavy Duty Trux, a coast-to-coast trucking company headquartered in Bloomfield, Mo. As other companies fell under high diesel costs, she tightened her belt and held on...

Sgt. First Class Kenneth James Cline served with valor in Vietnam, credited with ensuring the safety of his fellow soldiers while under constant threat of enemy of attack during night time mine sweeping operations. He was awarded medals for his courage and leadership as a combat engineer and demolition specialist...

FROM STAFF REPORTS One man was taken to a Cape Girardeau, Mo., hospital by Air Evac following in a collision Saturday morning between two boats on Wappapello Lake. The accident occurred at 9:30 a.m. at Lost Creek, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer Chartwells and Poplar Bluff R-I officials discuss in detail some of the changes coming to lunch services in the wake of a rodent infestation at a school food storage area. Butler County health inspectors responded Jan. 5 to a complaint that mouse dropping covered goods and items two-years expired were delivered that day to the kindergarten cooler...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Twenty-seven years ago, a Southeast Missouri woman wrote a letter and a poem to Donald Trump to encourage him to "run for President." "I hope to live to see the day you do. I'll get to the polls if I have to crawl just to vote for you," 75-year-old Wanda Lee Flynn told Trump in her letter dated Jan. 25, 1989...

Nancy Summers of Harviell, Mo., and Martin W. "Bill" Lotz of Jacksonville, Ill., were married Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016, at the Family Worship Center in Poplar Bluff, Mo. Pastor Bud Goins performed the double-ring ceremony. The bride was the daughter of the late Fred and Mary Venable...

The Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center (HPMEC) in Piggott, Ark. will host the American Short Story Reading Retreat Friday, April 1 and Saturday, April 2. The cost of the retreat is $100, which includes copies of three books, meals throughout the weekend, and a ticket to the party. ...

There are always needs. But who should decide these needs? Should the people saying we have these needs decide it? Or should it be the people who will be paying for these needs? That's the issue now being debated in the Missouri Legislature. Missouri's roads and bridges need work. That's a given. How should that work be paid for? That's up for debate...

Poplar Bluff schools and lunch provider Chartwells were handed a huge "mouse dropping" sandwich this week and rightfully forced to take a bite. The public is disgusted that food two-years expired surfaced in a kindergarten cooler. The public is disgusted that food warehouse conditions prompted public health inspectors to suggest donning masks and cited "mice running over their feet" in the course of their duties...

Jimmy Dale Forkum MALDEN, Mo. -- Jimmy Dale Forkum, 57, of Malden died Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Visitation will be at 1 p.m. Sunday at Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden until service time at 2 p.m. Burial will be in the Bethany Cemetery in Campbell...

By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN With the Iowa caucuses a week away, the front-runner for the Republican nomination, who leads in all the polls, is Donald Trump. The consensus candidate of the Democratic Party elite, Hillary Clinton, has been thrown onto the defensive by a Socialist from Vermont who seems to want to burn down Wall Street...

Floyd Gene Jenkins VAN BUREN, Mo. -- Floyd Gene Jenkins, 80, died Friday, Jan. 29, 2016 at his residence in Van Buren. Visitation will be at 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 1, in the McSpadden Funeral Home in Van Buren with the funeral service following at 11 a.m. Rev. Bill Orr will officiate. Burial will be in the Jenkins Family Cemetery...

Rickie Anderson Rickie Anderson, 52, of Van Buren, died on Friday, Jan. 29, 2015 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Arrangements are pending with Moore Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff. Online condolences: www.moorefuneralservice.com

A.J. Duff DONIPHAN, Mo. -- A.J. Duff, 82-year-old resident of Oxly, Mo., died Friday, Jan. 29, 2016 at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff, Mo. Mr. Duff was born Dec. 8, 1933 in Maynard, Ark. to the late Andrew Jackson Duff and Alma Crowell Duff. ...

Oneil Sullivan NEELYVILLE, Mo. -- Clarence Oneil Sullivan, 82, formally of Naylor, Mo., passed away Friday, Jan.29, 2016 in Poplar Bluff, Mo. He was born Sept. 11, 1933, in Hickory Flat, Miss., to the late Jessie Wyatt Sullivan and Lucille (Edwards) Sullivan...

Charlotte Elizabeth Smith Charlotte Elizabeth Smith, 67, of Ellington, Mo., passed away Friday, Jan. 29, 2016 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center lovingly surrounded by her family. She is free of pain and will be dearly missed. Mrs. Smith, the daughter of the late James G. ...

John W. Taylor John W. Taylor, 85, of Poplar Bluff, Mo. passed away Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016. Mr. Taylor, the only child of James and Edith Taylor, was born March 4, 1930 in McCrory, Ark. He retired in 1994 as a regional sales representative for the Balfour Class Ring Company. Mr. Taylor was a member of the First United Methodist Church and a member of the Masonic Lodge for over 50 years. After retirement, Mr. Taylor enjoyed spending time on his farm in Grandin, Mo...

James "Chris" Buck James "Chris" Buck, 57, of Poplar Bluff died on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016 at St. Luke's Hospital in St. Louis, Mo. Arrangements are pending with Moore Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff. Online condolences: www.moorefuneralservice.com...

Ida Miskle Chapman PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Ida Miskle Chapman, 70, formerly of Des Arc, Mo., died Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016, at St. Clare Hospital in Fenton, Mo. Visitation will be held from noon until 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31. The funeral will follow at 2 p.m. all at Ruegg Funeral Home, Piedmont. Burial will follow at Mt. View Cemetery, Des Arc, Mo...

Sacred Heart School Honor Roll for the second quarter includes: "A" Honor Roll First Grade: Katie Acre, Palyn Bourd, Ireland Byrne, Audrey Cato, Tripp Cauthen, Macey Savat, Rion Tenchavez, Presley Tinsley Second Grade: Guy Conner, Gracie Massey, Selina Shi, Marcus Tabanera...

ST. CHARLES -- Tristen Francisco picked a good time to score his only points Saturday. The Poplar Bluff senior came away with a missed free throw by teammate Marcedus Leech with 61 seconds left in regulation and scored to put the Mules ahead by a point...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Taylor Norwood completed a state qualifying sweep while freshman Raegan McAtee earned her first individual state cut Saturday as Poplar Bluff swimmers placed fourth as a team. Norwood won the 100-yard butterfly, helped the 200-medley relay win and tied for third in the 50 freestyle in a state-qualifying time. It was the eighth and final event the sophomore needed to become the first swimmer in Southeast Missouri to qualify for state in each event...

DEXTER -- The top-seeded Woodland Cardinals are tall, lengthy and can present matchup problems for teams they regularly tower over. But Bloomfield had seen it before and on Friday, none of that mattered. Senior Noah Vandiver attacked one of the area's tallest starting lineups to the tune of 25 points and the third-seeded Wildcats lit up from the outside all leading to a 73-58 SCAA Conference Tournament championship at the Bearcat Event Center in Dexter, Mo...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Poplar Bluff turned up the pressure and took advantage on the other end as the Lady Mules beat Cairo (Ill.) 60-30 at the Charleston Shootout on Saturday. "As soon as we got a turnover we attacked," Poplar Bluff coach John David Pattillo said. "We got to the basket quite a bit."...

Poplar Bluff couldn't stop Al Young for much of Friday's SEMO Conference game but especially in the closing minutes. The Cape Central senior scored 11 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, scoring consecutive baskets after the Mules got within a basket with just over a minute to play in the Tigers' 73-64 win...

VAN BUREN -- Ellington's Wes Sharp had 44 points in the Big Spring Conference tournament semifinals. In the championship game, Winona was able to hold him to four points in the first quarter. Only problem is, Winona didn't stop Marshon Morrisey. The Whippets focused their offense on getting Morrisey the ball in the post. ...

High school athletes throughout the region were recognized Saturday as 55 student-athletes from across Southeast Missouri were announced as finalists for the Third Annual Semoball Awards. Final nominees from eight different sport categories -- football offense, football defense, volleyball, boys soccer, boys and girls cross country, boys swimming and diving and girls tennis -- were revealed on air on SEMO ESPN Radio...

BROSELEY -- Two weeks after scoring a career-high 30 points, Twin Rivers freshman Hayden Thomas nearly hit the same mark in a big Ozaark Foothills Conference matchup. Thomas drained seven 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 27 points to lead the Royals in an 83-66 victory over Neelyville on Saturday night...

DONIPHAN -- At this point in the season, the Malden boys basketball team feels right at home no matter where it plays. It's been an invigorating feeling for the Green Wave, who haven't played a game on their home court in over two weeks, and their latest stop was no different...