Stories from Wednesday, October 5, 2016

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor One week after filing additional charges against a Poplar Bluff, Mo., man accused of the bludgeoning death of his fiancee's grandmother, the state has asked for a continuance of the man's upcoming preliminary hearing...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor VAN BUREN, Mo. -- A Carter County judge did not find sufficient evidence to order an Ellsinore, Mo., woman to stand trial in connection with the theft of more than $14,000 from the Ellsinore Nutrition Center. Accompanied by her attorney, Wallace Duncan, Marsha R. Bowman appeared before Associate Circuit Judge Michael Ligons on Sept. 27 for a preliminary hearing on the Class C felony of receiving stolen property...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Poplar Bluff City Council members voted 6-1 Monday to purchase a portion of the service area of a county water district for $79,000. The area includes a section of Oak Grove Road where the city is already providing water service to Menards, Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market and the new Southern Bank headquarters...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer The Poplar Bluff City Council voted Monday to use money generated by the Oak Grove Transportation Development District to help pay for a 2.5 mile extension of Shelby Road. Projects for the Oak Grove TDD already have been completed, said city manager Mark Massingham. Funds collected by the district can only be used now for the Shelby Road extension, which will run from Kanell Boulevard to Highway 53...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor A Holcomb, Mo., man already on probation for stealing a vehicle is accused of leading authorities on a multicounty pursuit Sunday in a suspected stolen vehicle. During the alleged pursuit, a Clay County deputy's patrol car struck an SUV in Rector, Ark., killing its 84-year-old driver, Sadine Dixon...

By TOM KRISHER and DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Auto Writers DETROIT (AP) -- Your car knows more about you than you think. Newer cars that connect to the internet can collect vast amounts of data about drivers, such as where you went to dinner, if you broke the speed limit or if your seat belt was buckled...

By BRIDGET BROWN SEMO News Service The Noranda plant in New Madrid, Missouri, has a new owner and a new future. What that future entails, however, is unclear. According to Missouri bankruptcy court documents, ARG International, a metals trading company based in Switzerland, submitted a $13.7 million bid for the Southeast Missouri property. ...

Barbara Wade Barbara Wade, 86, died peacefully Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016, after several years of heart related health issues. Barbara was born to James and Minta Brown in 1930. She was the beloved wife of Thurman Wade (deceased), mother of Douglas West, dear step-mother of Marna Wade, wonderful grandma to Karen and Tracy, devoted cousin and friend to many...

Ralph Donaldlee Allen FESTUS, Mo. -- Ralph Donaldlee Allen, 89, of De Soto, passed away Friday, Sept. 30, 2016, at his home. He was born Sept. 19, 1927, in Fairdealing, the son of the late Sylvia (nee Hutchison) and Dewey R. Allen. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Velma (nee Boyd) Allen; sons, Michael R. ...

C. Lucille Sparling SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- C. Lucille Sparling, 96, of Raymore, Mo., was called to the Lord earlySaturday, Oct. 1, 2016, from the skilled nursing facility at her residence inFoxwood Springs. She was born in Miller, Mo., June 27, 1920, the daughter of Loyd and Wava (Bryant) Dilday. ...

Frank S. Warmack PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Frank S. Warmack, 89, of Greenville, died Friday, Sept. 30, 2016, at Jefferson Barracks Hospital, St. Louis. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016, at the Eagles Club #4187 in Greenville...

Joseph Robert Hecker, Sr. VAN BUREN, Mo. -- Joseph Robert Hecker, Sr., 53, of Ellsinore died Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center with his family by his side. Visitation will be from noon to 1 p.m., Thursday, at the Youth and Community Center in Ellsinore, Followed by a Celebration of Life at 1 p.m., with Military Honors. Rev. Keith Boyer, officiating...

Joyce W. Smith MALDEN, Mo. -- Joyce W. Smith, 90, of Malden, died Friday, Sept. 30, 2016, at Ridgeview Living Community in Malden. Visitation was held Sunday at Landess Funeral Chapel. Funeral service followed at the chapel with Brother Fred Williams, officiating. Burial in Elder Cemetery in Campbell...

By JAY AMBROSE Tribune News Service It was two against one in the Monday night presidential debate. We had moderator Lester Holt, who apparently assumed he was a candidate, too, and Hillary Clinton, well-equipped with policy malformations, against Donald Trump. Trump wasn't nearly as bad as I anticipated - much closer to reality on the economy, police, guns and Iran, for instance, if issues still count in this contest...

John Prince PUXICO, Mo. -- John Prince, 74, of Cardwell, son of the late John and Marie Hanner Prince, was born in Memphis, Tenn., Sept. 6, 1942, and passed away at his home Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Mr. Prince had lived in Poplar Bluff and Puxico before moving to Cardwell in 1979. He was a member of the Forest Grove Baptist Church in Cardwell...

Clayton Pruitt PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Clayton Pruitt of Piedmont died Monday, Oct. 3, 2016, at Clark's Mountain Nursing Home. Arrangements are currently pending with Ruegg Funeral Homes, Inc. Online condolences: www.rueggfuneralhomes.com

By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN Is America still a serious nation? Consider. While U.S. elites were denouncing Donald Trump as unfit to serve for having compared Miss Universe 1996 to "Miss Piggy" of "The Muppets," the World Trade Organization was validating the principal plank of his platform...

Donald Trump, always the hero of his own tales, closed out the first presidential debate with a tribute to his own courtesy and high-mindedness: "I was going to say something extremely rough to Hillary, to her family," he said. "And I said to myself, I can't do it. I just can't do it. It's inappropriate, it's not nice. But she's spent hundreds of millions of dollars on negative ads on me."...

Raymond Britton Raymond Britton, 60, of Celina, Ohio, died Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, at his home. Arrangements are pending with Fowler-Sullivan Funeral Home in Poplar Bluff.

Lexi Hafford smiled Monday. It was the biggest win of the season for the Poplar Bluff softball team. "We were just glad to have her back today," Mules coach Lisa Boyer said of the senior, still grieving the death of her mother two days earlier. "I know the circumstances are extremely difficult. It was good for our girls for her to be here and I think it was good for her as well."...

Baseballs were flying over the wall in left-center field Monday at Roger Pattillo Field. Jacob Rich hit a solo home run in Naylor's first inning and Brandon Cook connected on a two-run shot in the sixth as the fifth-seeded Eagles powered past No. 4 Clearwater for a 7-5 upset win in the first round of the Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament...

BROSELEY -- Kiley Staley boosted her average with a perfect 5 for 5 day at the plate and Hannah Tuncone broke the game open with a two-run single in Van Buren's 14-5 win over Twin Rivers Monday. The game was back-and-forth with five lead changes, and tied 4-4 heading to the top of the fifth...

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth inning, East Carter senior Hunter Berry took advantage of Neelyville's biggest blunder. But not before making his own. Berry sprinted home from third when Kody Orchard put the ball in play with a grounder to shortstop and mistakenly slid past the plate. ...

PUXICO -- Dexter played the way its been practicing and suffered its biggest reality check of the season Tuesday. After not losing a game since Labor Day, the Bearcats played poorly in every facet and went 2-4 in the Stoddard County Activities Association Tournament, finishing with the No. 4 seed going into the single-elimination tournament...