Stories from Wednesday, August 31, 2016

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer Poplar Bluff Public Schools will begin classes Thursday and administrators would like to remind the public a number of traffic changes have taken place with the recent high and middle school campus moves. High School Poplar Bluff High School is now located in the 3200 block of Oak Grove Road, and due to the new buildings and new stadium, several changes are in effect for public entry/exit procedures...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer A mother and her son are facing a list of criminal charges after allegedly stealing three different vehicles in a 24-hour period. Rhonda A. Huber, 38, of Naylor, Mo., was arrested and booked into the Butler County jail Saturday on suspicion of four counts of first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle, stealing a motor vehicle, second-degree assault and a parole violation...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer GREENVILLE, Mo. -- City leaders in Greenville will ask voters on Nov. 8 to support a 1 cent increase in sales tax. The new money would help pay what the Board of Aldermen has said could be $100,000 in back state and federal taxes...

Annette Duke MALDEN, Mo. - Annette H. Duke, 79, of Gideon, Mo., died Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016 at Gideon Care Center in Gideon. Visitation will be at 9:30 a.m., Tues. Aug. 30 at Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden, Mo. The funeral will follow at 10:30 a.m. at the Bradshaw Chapel. Burial will be in Woodlawn Landess Addition Cemetery in Campbell. www.bradshawfh.com...

Shirley Jo "Hoggard" Edwards MALDEN, Mo. - Shirley Jo "Hoggard" Edwards, 67, of Holcomb, died Sat., Aug. 27, 2016 at General Baptist Nursing Center in Campbell. Visitation will be at 1 p.m., Tues., Aug. 30 at Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden. The funeral will follow at 2 p.m. at Bradshaw Chapel. Burial will be in Rosewood Cemetery in Malden. www.bradshawfh.com...

Lorene Christian Lorene Christian, 90, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Sun., Aug. 28, 2016 at Mark Twain Caring Center in Poplar Bluff. The arrangements are pending and will be announced by Cotrell Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff.

Louis J. "Lou" Watson Louis J. "Lou" Watson, 89, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Sat., Aug. 27, 2016 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. The arrangements are pending and will be announced by Cotrell Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff.

A general economic principle is that any law or regulation that restricts market entry tends to impose the greatest burden on those who can be described as poor, latecomers, discriminated-against and politically weak. The president of the NAACP's St. ...

By CHELSAE CORDIA Staff Writer It was the chance of a lifetime and local businessman Robert Whelan put everything he had into it. Whalen recently spoke to the Entrepreneurship Students Club during the Harvard Business School's Business Expert Forum held July 29 and 30...

By MIKE HASHIMOTO The Dallas Morning News Tribune News Service When last you and I checked in on the most accept-any-substitute presidential election in many a year, one of us _ me, I'm sure _ was grousing that it was a tough time to be a Republican, even in a red state like Texas...

Each of the two major-party candidates evokes more negative feelings than any previous major-party nominee since the advent of polling. That means the campaign is not only unpleasant but demoralizing. By now, many voters feel a powerful desire for a shower, a coma or a one-way ticket to Costa Rica...

The descendants will celebrate their 66th Annual Deckard Family Reunion Sunday, Sept. 4, at Hillview School, which is located on Hwy. 160 near Harviell. Doors will open about 10:30 a.m. Please bring a covered dish and drink. All family and friends welcome. For additional information, call 573-785-1848...

The Oak Grove Homemakers Club met Wednesday, Aug. 17, at the home of Nellie Woods for a noon luncheon. Helen Birdsong and Donna Pirc were the hostesses with 18 in attendance. Shirley Garner gave the invocation. President Dorothy Robbins presided at the business meeting. A devotional was read by Birdsong from Ephesians 2:5-10. Roll call was answered by school memories club members had in elementary or high school with interesting and entertaining responses...

The Wills, Massey and Daniels families will host their annual reunion from noon until 5 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 4. Location has been moved to the Poplar Bluff Elks Lodge 2452 on Hwy. 67 north. Lunch will be served at 1 p.m. and everyone is asked to bring a covered dish and an item for the raffle. For more information contact Norma: 776-7577...

Kearbey Chapel Cemetery annual meeting will be held Saturday, Sept. 10. Lunch on the grounds at noon with meeting following. If inclement weather, the lunch and meeting will be held at Bethel Chapel Church on County Road 415. Donations may be mailed to Sandy Emerson, 3372 CR 426, Poplar Bluff, Mo 63901...

Wills, Massey, Daniels reunion The Wills, Massey and Daniels families will host their annual reunion from noon until 5 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 4. Location has been moved to the Poplar Bluff Elks Lodge 2452 on Hwy. 67 north. Lunch will be served at 1 p.m. and everyone is asked to bring a covered dish and an item for the raffle. For more information contact Norma: 776-7577...

Deckard reunion set for Sept. 10 The descendants will celebrate their 66th Annual Deckard Family Reunion Sunday, Sept. 4, at Hillview School, which is located on Hwy. 160 near Harviell. Doors will open about 10:30 a.m. Please bring a covered dish and drink...

Kearbey Chapel Cemetery mtg. Kearbey Chapel Cemetery annual meeting will be held Saturday, Sept. 10. Lunch on the grounds at noon with meeting following. If inclement weather, the lunch and meeting will be held at Bethel Chapel Church on County Road 415...

Clinton "Leeroy" Walton Jr. PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Clinton "Leeroy" Walton Jr., 63, of Fredericktown, died Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016 at Mercy Jefferson Hospital, Festus. Visitation will be held at 5 p.m., Tuesday, at Ruegg Funeral Home, Piedmont. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m., Wednesday, also at the Piedmont Chapel...

Charles "Eddie" Hale PUXICO, Mo. -- Charles "Eddie" Hale, 59, of Puxico, died Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016 at Southeast Hospital in Dexter. Visitation will be from 4 - 6 p.m., Wednesday, at Morgan-Sifford Funeral Home in Puxico. Arrangements handled by Morgan-Sifford Funeral Home in Puxico...

Cane Creek Club meets Cane Creek Community Club met Wednesday, Aug. 10, at Twin Towers. Marie Box offered the thought of the day: "At some point you just let go of what you thought should happen and live in what is happening." Meeting was opened with the Pledge of Allegiance. Roll call was members revealing "the most dangerous thing they had ever done."...

Gracie King rounded third base and headed home trying to score the game-tying run in the fifth inning Monday. Playing her first game with a broken nose, the Poplar Bluff senior dove head-first past the catcher to score on Cali Gerber's two-run triple...

A six-run explosion in the fifth inning led the Van Buren softball team to a convincing 10-0 run-rule victory over Cape Central Monday at Rains Field. Makenna Chilton, Courtney Tripp, Jenny Morey and Kiley Staley each had an RBI in the fifth. Van Buren (2-0) finished with nine hits and scored in all but two innings...

James Earl Tessner MALDEN, Mo. -- James Earl Tessner, 77, of Malden, departed this life Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, at the Golden Living Center in Malden. He was born May 11, 1939 in Hackleburg, Ala. to the late Charlie Tessner and Hattie Holmes Tessner...

Louis John (L.J.) Watson Louis John (L.J.) Watson, 89, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., passed from this life into the arms of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. He was surrounded by his loving family and Pastor and friend, Steve Proctor...

DEXTER -- The Bearcats righted some weekend woes Monday. After going winless at the St. Francis Borgia Invitational on Saturday, Dexter picked up its second win of the season by beating Farmington 25-27, 25-12, 25-17 on Monday at the Bearcat Event Center...

Lorene Christian Lorene Christian, 90, of Poplar Bluff, Mo. passed away Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016 at Mark Twain Caring Center in Poplar Bluff. Mrs. Christian, the daughter of the late William Henry and Josie Wheeler Hubbard, was born Dec. 25, 1925 in Briar, Mo. She was an active member of First Church of God and was a homemaker. Mrs. Christian was also active in the Gideon International and was a member of the Rebekah Lodge. She enjoyed spending time with her family and her church family...

BERNIE -- The Bernie baseball team has a thing for the comeback. For the sixth time this season, the Mules failed to score the first run of the game but overcame two, one-run deficits to rally for a 5-3 victory over Twin Rivers on Monday afternoon. Bernie senior Jayce Burk may be one of the smallest Mules on the team but he carried a big bat, driving in three runs, including the game-tying run in the bottom of the sixth inning. ...

Brenda Kay Hawkins BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Brenda Kay Hawkins, 65, of Bloomfield, 65, died Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, at the Southeast Health Center of Stoddard County in Dexter. Private family services will be conducted at a later date. Chiles-Cooper Funeral Home in Bloomfield in charge of all arrangements...

Charles Alexander (Buddy) Shelby, of Poplar Bluff, Mo. died Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016 at his residence. Mr. Shelby, son of the late Charlie and Velma Richars Shelby, was born Jan. 9, 1930 at Lilbourn, Mo. Buddy was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, having served during the Korean War. He later started his career in Consumer Finance and retired after 35 years...