Stories from Monday, August 15, 2016

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer The City of Greenville will hold a public meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Frank Henderson building, 250 Maple St., to discuss how to handle the city's ongoing financial problems. Aldermen announced last week unpaid employee withholding taxes to the state and federal government could exceed $100,000, with an unpaid sales tax also owed to the state from water and sewer collections...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer Butler County and most of Southeast Missouri is under a flash flood watch until Monday evening. A stalled cold front is expected to dump 4-8 inches of rain on the area. The National Weather Service at Paducah, Kentucky, says waves of rain will likely plummet the entire Mississippi and Ohio valley region, with some forecast models predicting temporary intensities of 2-4 inches per hour in some areas...

By CHELSAE CORDIA Staff Writer Two Poplar Bluff, Mo. landmarks and other nearby establishments suffered collateral damage as a result of Wednesday's downtown fire. Noted as the worst fire in 24 years, it demolished a century-old building and everything inside, including McNeely's Shoe Repair, Rosie's Collectibles and an adjoining building, home to Sandy's Cab Co...

From Staff Reports A special fund for five families whose apartments were destroyed by fire Wednesday in downtown Poplar Bluff has been created at First Midwest Bank. "These victims lost everything they own," Jeff Shawan said. "Our community needs to step up and help these people get a new start. I am just asking our community to come together for the victims."...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer Poplar Bluff Public Schools will open on Sept. 1 and officials say while some construction projects will still be underway, the new buildings will be ready for students to return to classes. "We are going to be ready," said superintendent Scott Dill. "We have to be. The community has entrusted us with their tax dollars. And we've had a long summer, I know as a parent and an educator I am ready to start school."...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Confusion over the boundaries of federally-controlled wetlands has landed a local farmer in trouble with the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Terry Goodrum, 70, will receive a $15,000 fine and have to turn over control of approximately 35 acres of property to a conservation easement under a proposed settlement that is open for public comment until Aug. 17...

Lucy May Campbell and Justin Lee Daves, both of Poplar Bluff, announce their engagement. The bride-to-be is the daughter of Sandra Campbell of Poplar Bluff and Ian Campbell of New Smyrna Beach, Fla. Jerry Daves of Poplar Bluff and Ronda DeLaRosa of Chico, Calif., are parents of the bridegroom-to-be...

The Fisk Fall Festival is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 24 at the City Park located at 508 Garfield St. The small town of 350 swells to three times its size for this homecoming. Many come to enjoy reunions with classmates, friends, and family! By 9 a.m. ...

By CAROLYN SMITH Staff Writer For five days, Tuesday, July 12 through Saturday, July 16, 2016, Poplar Bluff High School students, Angelica "Angel" Oesterreicher, daughter of Paul and Linda Oesterreicher, and Diontay Cochran, son of the late Vicki Cochran, participated in the 14th Annual Missouri Youth Leadership Forum for Students with Disabilities, hosted by the Governor's Council on Disability and Paraquad. ...

By MONA CHAREN We know that America is feeling like a cancer patient at the moment. Doctors explain that there are only two options: amputate a limb or go through chemotherapy, which might save the limb, but also might kill us. We shuffle around in a daze, scarcely believing that there are no good exits from this house of mirrors...

To All Involved, The members of the Poplar Bluff Fire Department would like to express their greatest appreciation for all those involved in supporting us during the major downtown fire in Poplar Bluff on Wednesday, August 10, 2016. To say "THANK YOU" just doesn't cut it and there were entirely too many of you to personally acknowledge!!...

James Davis James Davis, 73, of Wappapello, Mo., passed away Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016 at his residence. Arrangements are pending with Cotrell Funeral Service of Wappapello.

Rod Bowling PUXICO, Mo. -- Rod Bowling, 64, of Sturdivant, Mo., died Friday, Aug. 12, 2016 at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Friends may call 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 16 at the Watkins and Sons chapel in Puxico. The funeral will be held 11 a.m. Wednesday in the Watkins and Sons chapel. Burial will follow in the Rock Hill Cemetery near Puxico...

Debra Ann Vail Debra Ann Vail, 61, peacefully passed Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016 at her home in Poplar Bluff, Mo. Debra, formerly from Little Rock, Ark. and also Monticello, Ark., was born Aug. 21, 1954 in Farmington, Ark. to the late Charles Cunningham and Betty Workman...

As the Poplar Bluff Mules football and soccer teams gear up for their season openers, the finishing touches are being put on their new home. Mules Stadium. For the first time in 81 years, the football team will host an opponent at a place other than Morrow Stadium when Riverview Gardens comes to town Friday...

Two Poplar Bluff coaches pounded the pavement while learning about their city along the way this summer. Beth Lewis-Muse is a lot of things. She's a mom, an experienced coach with reach in multiple sports, but most of all she's a proven runner. So you might not be too surprised to learn that the Mules cross country head coach and her assistant coach Kyler Sowell had a somewhat "serious runner" goal this summer: to run every street in Poplar Bluff...