Stories from Saturday, April 23, 2016

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer Boys and Girls Club of Poplar Bluff will host its 10th annual Taste of the Town, one of the areas most beloved culinary events, at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 28, at Black River Coliseum. For a single admission price of $40 the "come as you are" mixer offers dishes and drinks from more than 25 local food and beverage vendors, as well as live music, making it one of the most festive fundraisers in the area...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Developers expect to begin construction in September on a $6-8 million project that could add 10 or more new businesses to the Eight Points shopping area. The new retail stores and restaurants could begin opening as soon as May 2017, said developer Jeff Otto, who spoke Thursday to the city's Board of Adjustments...

By EVAN HOLLEY Staff Writer It took backhoes, shovels, sledgehammers and some "elbow grease." And eventually, a small, wet, whining, bedraggled dog was pulled from partially water-filled culvert Thursday morning. The Poplar Bluff Police, Animal Control, and Street Department all teamed up to save Bandit, a 3-month-old hound mix who had somehow become trapped in a pipe beneath the driveway at 2011 Kentucky St...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer Chartwells will remain lunch provider for Poplar Bluff schools following contract renewal Thursday, the first since a rodent infestation was uncovered in January in a food storage area. Company regional vice president Bruce Norman also spoke at the meeting, touching on the company's successes in the district over the years. In light of the rodent incident, Norman cited better communication and increased transparency...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer Poplar Bluff Police arrested a man on sexual misconduct charges Thursday evening after he allegedly exposed himself to a walker in Ferguson Grove Park. Richard A. Cecil 30, of the 5000 block of Nellie Sue Circle, was booked at the Butler County jail following the incident on suspicion of third-degree sexual misconduct and a Butler County leaving the scene of an accident warrant...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer As a spring breeze drifted through the branches of century-old crepe myrtle's Thursday, it caught the colorful cupped glass of the most recent addition to Margaret Harwell Art Museum's sculpture garden. The many arms of the "Glassinator," dipped and spun in a weaving dance meant to catch both the eye and mind...

Lucy Faye Boatner Lucy Faye Boatner, 81, of Poplar Bluff, died Wednesday, April 20, 2016, at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Visitation will be at 1 p.m., Saturday, at Fowler-Sullivan Funeral Home. Funeral service will follow at 2 p.m. at Fowler-Sullivan Funeral Home...

Jacqueline S. Griffin DEXTER, Mo. - Jacqueline S. Griffin, 63, of Dexter, died Tues., April 19, 2016 at Cypress Point Skilled Nursing Center in Dexter. Visitation was held Thurs., April 21 at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter. The funeral will be at 2 p.m., Friday, April 22 in the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Chapel with Rev. Mike Kohlbaker officiating. Burial will follow in the Dexter Cemetery...

PIGGOTT, Ark. -- Birdie Elaine Blackwell Harrison, 94, of Poplar Bluff, passed away Monday, April 18, 2016, at the Mark Twain Caring Center in Poplar Bluff. She was born on July 26, 1921, in Lextoning, Ala., and was the daughter of the late James and Retta Thigpen Pettus...

Mary Alice Feeney MALDEN, Mo. -- Mary Alice Feeney, 75, of Bonne Terre, died Thursday, April 7, 2016 at Missouri Baptist Hospital in St. Louis. Visitation will be at noon, Saturday, at Bradshaw's Funeral Homes, Inc., in Malden. A memorial service will follow at 1 p.m., Saturday at Bradshaw Funeral Home Chapel with burial in Memorial Park Cemetery in Malden...

Cane Creek boil water order lifted Butler County Public Water Supply Disrict. 1 lifted the boil water order for all customers southwest of Cane Creek at 12:16 p.m. Thursday. For further information, call 573-785-5010. Office hours are: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m...

A total of 35 Poplar Bluff High School juniors were inducted into the National Honor Society during the annual spring ceremony April 6 in the Kay Porter Theater. The pledges represented the largest group Principal Mike Kiehne had the privilege of welcoming since he took his position five years ago, he noted...

By CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER WASHINGTON -- How far they've come. And I'm not talking about the GOP, whose front-runner representing 37 percent of the Republican electorate has repudiated post-Reagan orthodoxy on trade, entitlement reform, limited government and Pax Americana (and possibly abortion, but who knows?). I'm talking about the Democrats...

Does this sound familiar? "They wanted something new, something fresh, and they found in this man a radical discourse. He said he would get rid forever of the old elites." Or this: "He ran as the outsider, the non-politician in a country which had come to distrust politicians. The media loved him, and he loved them back. ... They gave him huge amounts of newspaper space and hours on television."...

Shame on Senator Libla Shame on Senator Doug Libla for refusing to donate any money to TRCC sports complex unless they replaced the Gene Bess name with his now the Libla sports complex. Come on the Bess name is the true legacy 1,000 plus wins as head coach. Shows his true colors! Donation was around 10 percent...

To the Editor, On Saturday, April 16, 2016 The Poplar Bluff Museum Association held the 2nd Annual Night at the Museum Gala: A Salute To Sam. This year's gala was dedicated to our founder, Sam Giambelluca, who passed away on September 7, 2015. This is our major fundraiser for the museum, which relies on community donations in order to keep the museum running...

Neelyville Jr. Beta fundraiser The Neelyville Jr. Beta raffle will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 30, in the high school gym. More than 100 items will be auctioned off for 50 cents, $1, $1.5 or $5 per chance. A general list of raffle items includes: Cardinals basket including two tickets, two tickets to Silver Dollar City, helicopter ride, custom painting, custom furniture, TV, tools, gifts certificate for Walmart, Kroger, Papa John's, Colton's and Papa Murphy's, Drury Hotel stays, hair products, massage, manicure, pedicure, hair appointments, photography sessions and shop lights.. ...

Extension gardening classes offered The University of Missouri Extension is offering several education classes for gardeners or for Master Gardener Training, said Sarah Denkler, University of Missouri Extension Center. Persons wanting to become a Master Gardener must attend a minimum of 10 different sessions. ...

Genealogical group meets The Butler County Genealogical Society met March 24 at the First United Methodist Church. The program was presented by Margaret Shackleford on Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and was very informative. A committee has been formed to organize a Family History Research Workshop scheduled for Aug. 6. More information will be released as plans are finalized...

Bertha Friar DONIPHAN, Mo. -- Bertha Friar, 88, of Doniphan, Mo. died at her residence in rural Doniphan Thursday, April 21, 2016. Funeral arrangements are pending with Edwards Funeral Home in Doniphan and will be announced upon completion.

By MARGARET SHACKLEFORD As part of the partnership with the Vietnam War Commemoration for the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War, the Poplar Bluff Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution announces John Henry Schulte as a "Veteran of the Month" for April...

The Agee Community Club met on April 8 at the Bread Company. Nadine Johnson was hostess. Club President Cathy Womack opened the meeting with the ladies repeating the club motto, "When the heart is full of love, the world is full of beauty." Jeanie Figgins gave the invocation...

Edna Lee McCoy Edna Lee McCoy, 75, of Poplar Bluff, died Thursday, April 21, 2016, at Westwood Hills Healthcare Center in Poplar Bluff. Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. Sunday at Cotrell Funeral Chapel. The funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Monday...

JACKSON, Mo. -- It took an inning for Kameron Misner to settle in, but he got the job done. The senior left-handed ace allowed three hits in six stellar innings of work, leading the Poplar Bluff baseball team to a 10-3 SEMO Conference win over Jackson on Thursday at Whitey Herzog Stadium...

Vicky Lynn Maddux Vicky Lynn Maddux, 65, of Poplar Bluff, Mo. died Thursday, April 21, 2016, at her residence. The arrangements are pending and will be announced by Cotrell Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff.

Neelyville waited a full year for another crack at the Ozark Foothills Conference championship. Last season, Naylor came all the way back from a six-run deficit and hit a walk-off single to capture its third title in four years. Thursday, there was no collapse and revenge was exacted by the Lady Tigers with an exclamation point...

Mary Alice Feeney -- Bonne Terre, Mo. Birdie Elaine Harrison -- Poplar Bluff, Mo. Lucy Faye Boatner -- Poplar Bluff, Mo. Marie Elizabeth Haynes -- Greenville, Mo. Bertha Friar -- Doniphan, Mo. Gertie Mae (Massie) Ross -- Van Buren, Mo. Edna Lee McCoy...

The Doniphan softball team needed a little more late-inning magic Thursday night. After fighting back from a three-run deficit to tie it in the fifth inning, the Donettes had one more chance to end their Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament on a high note...

BERNIE -- It was a perfect case of deja vu for the Bernie softball team in the SCAA championship Thursday evening. For a second straight year, Bernie relinquished a multi-run lead in the seventh inning, but once again found a way to walk away with the top prize in extra innings Thursday...

VAN BUREN -- The Shockley sisters were nearly unhittable as Van Buren cruised to a four-inning, 15-0 win over Summersville. Summer Shockley and sister Morgan Shockley combined for a one-hitter. Summer started and pitched three innings with six strikeouts. Morgan then pitched the fourth and final inning. Morgan also hit her first career home run while Summer drove in three runs...

Marie Elizabeth Haynes GREENVILLE, Mo. -- Marie Elizabeth Haynes, 91, of Greenville, Mo., died Thursday, April 21, 2016, at Greenville Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Greenville. Visitation will be held from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday, April 23, at Ruegg Funeral Home, Greenville. Services will follow at 2 p.m. at the chapel. Burial will be at Wesley-Dixon Cemetery near Hiram...

By BRIDGET BROWN SEMO News Service A family with ties to Southeast Missouri is part of a national ad campaign for Honey Maid graham crackers. Georgia and Josh Hogan grew up in Cape Girardeau. They graduated from Cape Girardeau Central High School and Southeast Missouri State University together before moving to the Chicago area, where they raise their two sons, Henry, 11, and Rex, 8...

Gertie Mae (Massie) Ross VAN BUREN, Mo. -- Gertie Mae (Massie) Ross, 86, died Thursday, April 21, 2016, her residence in Van Buren. The committal service at Pleasant Site Cemetery will be at 5 p.m. Friday, April 22. McSpadden Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements...

Fisk man missing By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor The Butler County Sheriff's Department continues to investigate the report of a missing Fisk, Mo., man from earlier this month. On April 5, Aaron Harbin reported his 50-year-old father, Timothy Scott Harbin, missing from his home in the 200 block of County Road 632. The elder Harbin has been last seen by his son the prior weekend...

By DAVID BAUDER AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) -- It's only April and already 2016 is a terrible year for music. That's not to slight Kendrick Lamar, Sturgill Simpson, Beyonce or some unknown creator working in a basement to turn the sounds in their head into a file for everyone to hear and enjoy...