Stories from Sunday, May 8, 2016

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor MILL SPRING, Mo. -- A Poplar Bluff, Mo., woman reported missing by her family last week was found alive early Saturday morning along U.S. 67 near York Village in Wayne County. An off-duty Butler County EMS worker was driving northbound on U.S. 67 when he found Kelly Holcomb on the side of the road at about 6:30 a.m. Saturday, according to Wayne County Sheriff Dean Finch...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- A former Dexter, Mo., pastor did not stand trial this week for forging a church document after the state dismissed the charge against him. Marcus Credale Geuin was supposed to stand trial Thursday and Friday on the Class C felony of forgery before Presiding Circuit Judge Robert Mayer...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor Athletes and coaches from across Southeast Missouri will gather Tuesday night in Poplar Bluff, Mo., for the ninth annual Fellowship of Christian Athletes home-team banquet. This year's keynote speaker will be Tom Matukewicz, who is entering his third season as head football coach at Southeast Missouri State University...

From Staff Reports Senior volunteers from Williamsville and Poplar Bluff were among four from Southeast Missouri and 34 from across the state to receive the 2016 Lieutenant Governor's Senior Service Award this week in the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer It takes a lot of hard work for a single mother to provide a home for three children, but Sherri Joiner always has made time for Sarah's recitals, Emily's basketball games and movie nights with Zach. That's one of many reasons her children say this Mother's Day no one could be more deserving of the gift Joiner received last week -- the title to a house in the Twin Rivers School District where both mother and children were raised...

By GEORGE F. WILL Donald Trump: "We've got to get rid of the $19 trillion in debt." Washington Post: "How long would that take?" Trump: "I would say over a period of eight years." -- March 31 Fortune: "You've said you plan to pay off the country's debt in 10 years. How's that possible?"...

Anna Myrtle Bruce DEXTER, Mo. -- Anna Myrtle Bruce, 84, of Bloomfield, died Friday, May 6, 2016, at Cypress Point Skilled Nursing Center in Dexter. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., Monday, at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter. Funeral services will follow at 1 p.m., Monday, in the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Chapel with Rev. John Stepp officiating. Burial will be in the Garden of Memories Cemetery in Sikeston...

Lendel Strauser BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Lendel Strauser, 73, of Bloomfield, died Thursday, May 5, 2016. Visitation will be from 5 - 8 p.m., Sunday, at the Chiles-Cooper Funeral Home in Bloomfield. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m., Monday, at the Chiles-Cooper Funeral Home in Bloomfield with the Rev. Bob Bradford of Delta, officiating...

To the Editor, I write in response to the comments in Speak Out about Doug Libla or the Libla family as it were. I'm a long-time friend of the Libla family so any comments I make could be considered biased; therefore, I'll just suggest that anyone interested in what the Libla family has contributed to Poplar Bluff should ask any board member of Haven House, the Poplar Bluff Boys and Girls Club, Ozark Family Resource Agency, Three Rivers College or Bishop Ron Webb of Mt. ...

By CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER WASHINGTON -- What lies behind Donald Trump's nomination victory? Received wisdom among conservatives is that he, the outsider, sensed, marshaled and came to represent a massive revolt of the Republican rank and file against the "establishment."...

PHOTO By BRIAN SHARP Grace Christian Fellowship There was tremendous passion to go along with the high attendance at this year's National Day of Prayer in front of the Butler County Courthouse. The first Thursday of May is always designated for this purpose nationally...

Charles T. "Buddy" Houchins DEXTER, Mo. -- Charles T. "Buddy" Houchins , 71, of Cape Girardeau, Mo. died Thursday, May 5, 2016, at The Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be after noon, Monday, at the Watkins & Sons Funeral Home in Dexter. Funeral services will be at 1 p.m., Monday, in the Watkins & Sons Chapel in Dexter, with Rev. Jack Owens of Scott City officiating...

Kameron Misner already beat Notre Dame with his arm once this year. With higher stakes on the line in the SEMO Conference Tournament championship Friday night, he brought his bat. The Poplar Bluff senior powered the top-seeded Mules with the deep ball, Trevor Fredwell provided key hits and Joe Darlin closed the door on the Bulldogs' late rally in a 12-10 victory at Bobby Strenfel Field...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A few years ago, the Region XVI baseball teams decided to switch up the rules for their doubleheaders a little bit. The first game would continue to be a seven-inning game, but the nightcap would go nine innings, because all Region XVI tournament games were nine innings...

Poplar Bluff's speed couldn't match Jackson's depth and distance dominance during the SEMO North Conference championships Friday. Krisman Eakin won two races and finished second in another while the Mules won two relays and got wins in the field from Autumn Dodd and Tehya Williams at Sam Giambelluca Track...

Coming into the SEMO North Conference meet, Poplar Bluff coach Mark Barousse figured his team could win by the slimmest of margin if everything worked out. It ended up being even better. "The way it was seeded, I had us winning by one (point)," Barousse said. "Two big flips, (Makarius) Bell winning the discus --that was a seven-point flip -- and a seven-point flip in the 800."...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- The Malden boys track team finished 1.33 short of the MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 title Saturday. Woodland edged the Green Wave 95.83-94.5 in the team standings. In the final event, the 1600-meter relay, Malden was 1.12 seconds from picking up an extra two points in placing third...

DEXTER -- A pair of top-seeded teams tuned up for the postseason Friday with Dexter beating a short-handed Poplar Bluff tennis team 6-3. "Both coaches agreed we each faced our toughest competition of the season so it was great prep for both teams," Mules coach Charles Harper said...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- Less than 24 hours removed from getting his team out of a jam in the SEMO Conference Tournament championship, the Mules needed Joe Darlin again Saturday. The junior drove in the game-winning runs with a triple late in Poplar Bluff's 9-6 victory over DeSmet and returned to the hill in the nightcap to earn a 6-4 win against Scott City in a doubleheader at Notre Dame High School...