Stories from Wednesday, September 14, 2016

The officers of the Poplar Bluff Police Department are asking citizens to join them for a cup of coffee at McDonald's on Highway 53 on Friday morning. Beginning at 8:30 a.m. that day, the department will be hosting "Coffee with a Cop," a program, which offers citizens the opportunity to meet with local officers and discuss community issues...

By CHELSAE CORDIA Staff Writer FISK -- Students at Fisk elementary and middle schools hosted a first-responder breakfast Friday to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, in which the lives of 411 first-responders were lost...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer Enrollment at Poplar Bluff Public Schools saw an increase of nearly 150 students this year, an upward trend school officials say likely will continue in the foreseeable future. The R-I school district reports enrollment of 5,072 on the first day of school Sept 1. The figure reflects a gain of 148 students compared to first day enrollment in 2015, and a slightly smaller gain of 111 students compared to first day enrollment figures in 2014...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer The annual Butler County Democratic rally, Truman Day, will be held Saturday at the Elks Lodge. The evening starts with a welcome at 6 p.m., a steak dinner at 6:30 p.m., and speeches from state and local candidates expected to start around 7:30 p.m., according to event co-chair Judy Potter. A silent auction will be held throughout the evening...

Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center recently was recognized with an Excellence through Insight award for Most Improved Employee Satisfaction & Engagement for a large bed hospital by HealthStream, Inc. Poplar Bluff Regional was awarded this honor for its commitment to excellence. ...

We have all heard the famous quote "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." This week as the U.S. Congress once again gaveled back into session, the same results held true as we were immediately met with new details of just how partisan and politically minded this Administration is. ...

Junior Franklin Gribble Junior Franklin Gribble, 79, of Doniphan, died Monday, Sept. 12, 2016 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Visitation will be held from 9:30 - 11:30 a.m., Friday, at the West Point United Pentecostal Church in Doniphan. Funeral services will be held immediately following the visitation at 11:30 a.m. in the church sanctuary...

To the Editor: The September 1 issue of the DAR published a Letter to the Editor by Dr. Tom Dodd. I want to personally thank Dr. Dodd for this article and Mr. Berry and the DAR for publishing it. It is really important. Many will remember Dr. Dodd as a competent and caring phyusician. He took good care of many people until health issues intervened...yet I never heard him complain. This article shows that Dr. Dodd is also a caring and patriotic citizen...

Kevin Lee McClendon GIDEON, Mo. - Kevin Lee McClendon, 42, of Gideon, died Friday, Sept. 9, 2016 in Doniphan, Mo. A visitation was held at 6 p.m., Monday, Sept. 12 at Bradshaw Funeral Home in Gideon. The funeral was at 10 a.m., today, Tues., Sept. 13 at Bradshaw Chapel - Gideon with Rev. Andy Evans officiating. Burial was in Stanfield Cemetery with Military Rites...

Mary Louise Hall Mary Louise Hall, 80, of Poplar Bluff, passed away Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016 at Cedargate Healthcare in Poplar Bluff. She was born March 27, 1936 to James and Mildred (Weston) Huskey in Cape Girardeau. She married Don Hall May 16, 1991 in Van Buren...

By CHELSAE CORDIA Staff Writer Sterling Bank was recently named to DepositAccounts.com's 2016 list of the nations Top 200 Healthiest Banks, landing at no. 140. Established in 2004 by Ken Poteet, Sterling Bank is headquartered in Poplar Bluff, Mo. and is the 24th largest bank in the state...

Larry Harty Larry Harty, 68, of Clubb, Mo., formerly of Wappapello, Mo., died Monday, Sept. 5, 2016, at Greenville Nursing Center in Greenville, Mo. A graveside service was held Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016, at the Richmann Cemetery, with Larry Underwood officiating...

Randy Grunau Randy Grunau, 56, of Puxico, Mo., died Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016. A Masonic service was held Tuesday, Sept. 6, and the funeral service was held Sept. 7, 2016, at Morgan Sifford Funeral Home in Puxico. Burial followed in the Puxico City Cemetery...

More than 135 people gathered Sunday afternoon at Lake Wappapello to honor the area's first responders and to remember all those lost 15 years ago during the largest terrorist attack on American soil. The event kicked off at 2 p.m. with a parade of first responder vehicles traveling the four-mile distance between the Wappapello United Methodist Church to the Redman Recreation Area. Within five minutes, the sound of sirens could be heard from miles away...

PHS Alumni Association honored the Puxico High School Class of 1966 on its 50th year on Aug. 12 at the school as part of Puxico's homecoming festivities. This class was remarkable in that it was the 50th graduating class, so now it has been 100 years since the first students gained their diplomas from the hallowed halls of the school...

NAYLOR -- The Shockley sisters took over the diamond Monday afternoon. Summer Shockley carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning and only gave up two hits while her sister Morgan ignited Van Buren's offense with two hits, an RBI and a run in a 4-1 win over Naylor...

BERNIE --Madi Wooldridge provided a pair of set-saving kills and Kayli Tanner completed Bernie's opening-set comeback with a drive in the middle Monday night. Tanner also had three of her team-high eight kills during a 10-3 second-set run to match point as the Mules edged Poplar Bluff 28-26, 25-22 at home...

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- Shelby Sievers hit a pair of home runs, driving in five runs while striking out 10 in Poplar Bluff's 9-3 win Monday at Farmington. It was the second multi-homer game for the junior who was 3 for 3 with a walk. Sievers (5-2) allowed one earned run on seven hits and two walks in seven innings...

Hours before the annual Meet The Raiders event at Three Rivers College, Camron Reedus took a bunch of weight off his shoulders. Reedus decided, and then announced before the fans in the Bess Activity Center, that he has verbally committed to play for Arkansas-Little Rock next season...

PIEDMONT -- Baylen Teague tossed a complete game four-hitter and the Twin Rivers Royals played error-free baseball to beat Clearwater 3-1 on Monday. Twin Rivers (5-5), which scored three runs in the final four innings to rally from a 1-0 deficit, improved to 3-0 in the Ozark Foothills Conference with the win...

A Wayne County man recently was elected as the new chairman of the 8th Congressional District Democrats. The group, led by chairman Jim Skaggs, met Tuesday, Sept. 6, at Van Buren, Mo., for party reorganization. Prior to reorganizing, Tiara McClure told the group about her attendance at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Penn...

For those needing hunter education certification before the fall hunting seasons, the Missouri Department of Conservation will host a skills class Saturday at the Wappapello Lake Bill Emerson Memorial Visitor Center. Another class is scheduled for Sept. 19 at the Brown-Mabry American Legion Post 153 in Poplar Bluff, Mo...

Larry Patterson Larry David Patterson, 74, of Fagus, Missouri, passed away September 10, 2016, at the Piggott Community Hospital in Piggott, Arkansas. He was born on November 16, 1941 in Fagus, Missouri, and was the son of the late Louie Arthur and Donnie (Jones) Patterson...

God has deposited His richest treasure in earthen vessels--weak, and often sinful, human beings--the unsearchable riches of His love and grace by the preaching of the gospel revealing the light and the knowledge of the glory of God that shone in the face of Jesus Christ, His Son, our Savior...