Stories from Wednesday, October 19, 2016

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Construction on a new Poplar Bluff city hall and police department could begin in less than 10 months, under a proposal by a possible architect for the project. The Poplar Bluff City Council received one response to a request for qualifications from architects to construct a new complex for city hall offices, city court and the police department...

By JOHN R. STANARD Judy Rantz Willman rowed the Poplar Bluff Municipal Library's centennial celebration to a gold medal finish Saturday night at the Tinnin Fine Arts Center. Mrs. Willman, the daughter of Joe Rantz, the key figure in the book "The Boys in the Boat," mesmerized the 135 people who turned out to hear a poignant presentation describing her role in the production of the acclaimed book...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor VAN BUREN, Mo. -- A Poplar Bluff, Mo., man is to appear in Carter County court next week after he recently was charged with sodomizing and raping a woman who authorities say lacked the mental capacity to give her consent...

By JESSE BOGAN St. Louis Post-Dispatch A circuit court judge in Butler County soon will decide if a prisoner's statements about a murder confession will be allowed as evidence in the retrial of a man who has long said he didn't shoot and burn his wife's 67-year-old grandmother in rural southern Missouri...

By TIARA McCLURE The Puxico R-8 School District School Board learned Thursday, Oct. 13, more students are eligible for and should be taking advantage of the free and reduced lunches. According to superintendent Kyle Dare, "Only 67 percent of our kids eligible for free and reduced lunches are actually eating it." He went on to say "I want that number higher. Those not eating are probably the ones who could use the hot meal."...

By GEORGE F. WILL WASHINGTON -- Another small step was taken last week on the steep and winding ascent back to constitutional norms. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, the nation's second-most important court, did its judicial duty by reprimanding Congress for abandoning constitutional propriety...

By MONA CHARENs It's been nearly a week since the Access Hollywood tape helped to persuade key parts of the nation that Donald Trump might have a character problem. "Would you vote for a sexual predator?" asked New York Magazine. "Donald Trump Versus Hillary Clinton: Choose Your Sexual Predator" headlined The Federalist...

Dear Editor: Wappapello Civic Center wishes to thank all who helped make our Fundraiser which was held Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. Special thanks goes out to Modern Woodman (Darrell Atchison) for their matching funds. Our fundraiser's success was made possible through the generosity of these contributors: Wappapello Peoples Community Bank, Puxico First Midwest Bank, Holloway Lumber, Wappapello Lumber, Baldwin GMC, Carolyn's Fashion House, Janis Eubanks, Lenda McDonough, Patti McLean, Ann Veatch, Bonnie Taylor, Danny and Sue Brickel, Brenda McKnight, Reda Huneycutt, Bresserts by Brandi Robinson, JKM Cafe & Co., Millies, Gift Chest Jewelers, Deep Freeze, JW Minehart, Quality Printing Co., Inc., Fern Stephens, Jim Moore and Geri, Jere Elledge, James and Peggy Thurman, Daily American Republic, and Puxico Press.. ...

Dear Editor: The Republican Party Has Always Been the Party of the Working Class Political Stereotypes can persist long after the facts have changed. A co-worker made the ". . . Party of the working class" comment the other day. I did look to see if he was being humorous. Let's briefly fact check that hypothesis...

By MIKE MCCOY SEMO News Service BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Presiding Commissioner Greg Mathis said housing prisoners out of the county was going to drain any financial reserves the county may have accumulated and recommended the practice be "phased out" over the next few months. Mathis brought up the issue at the regular meeting of the Stoddard County Commission Oct. 11...

Union Pacific's "Living Legend," one of the railroad's oldest serving locomotives and the only steam locomotive never retired by the North American Class 1 Railroad, will make stops in Bloomfield and Dexter Wednesday. Union Pacific officials say, its 4-8-4 No. ...

Christine R. Winingnear, 78, of Bloomfield passed away Oct. 12, 2016 at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Visitation and funeral services were held Oct. 15, 2016 at the Sturdivant Apostolic Church. Rev. Dale Holman officiated. Interment followed in the Fagan Cemetery at Puxico...

Nathan Glen Jackson Sr., 57, of Zalma, Mo. died Friday, Oct. 7, 2016. Services were held Oct. 11, 2016 at the Morgan Funeral Home in Advance. Burial followed in the Berrong Cemetery near Gipsy.

Robert N. Johnson Robert N. Johnson, 88, of Mountain Home, Ark., formerly of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016. Arrangements are pending and will be announced by Cotrell Funeral Service of Poplar Bluff.

PUXICO -- Top-seeded Bloomfield made a new wrinkle in its offense look routine and devastating Monday night. Just a couple weeks into working on some new sets, junior Jewel Chism and sophomore Bailey Below seemed to pick up on it rather easily. The Lady Wildcats' two potent net forces combined for 18 of Bloomfield's 22 kills in a 25-7, 25-15 win over No. 4 Puxico in the MSHSAA Class 2 District 2 semifinals...

DEXTER -- Monday was a work day for the Bearcats. There wasn't much to learn from their dismantling of Doniphan. They didn't grow up like they did during the conference tourney. There was a job to do, they did it, and now there's a job to finish. Dexter dominated Doniphan 25-8, 25-8 in the MSHSAA Class 3 District 1 quarterfinals to set up a fourth match against Notre Dame, this time with the season on the line...

SIKESTON, Mo. --Poplar Bluff clung to a slim third-set lead, trading serves 11 times with Jackson as the suspense slowly built in the MSHSAA Class 4 District 1 semifinal. Jackson finally gained momentum and a 21-20 lead, but Poplar Bluff senior Kaitlyn Harris tipped the ball off a block to tie it before the Indians committed three straight hitting errors...

Wappapello Lake Area Association gathered recently to plan its role in the Festival of Lights, St. Louis Sports Show and the Wappapello Woodlands Expo. Nearly 10,000 candy canes were distributed last year during the Festival of Lights (FOL) and Gloria Triplett stated she already has ordered the candy canes through the Wappapello Dollar General Store. A monetary donation is anticipated from Peoples Community Bank for candy canes...

By AMY WALKER On Wednesday, Oct. 12, the Puxico Fellowship of Christian Students loaded up on buses and headed to Poplar Bluff, Mo., for an event held nationwide. Fields of Faith is a Christian worship and testimonial service aimed towards junior high, high school and college students. Although it usually takes place in the Poplar Bluff Mules Football Field, this year due to a rain it was held in the Black River Coliseum.s...

B Boy Powell ELLSINORE, Mo. -- B Boy Powell, 85, of Ellsinore, died Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, his residence. Visitation will begin for the public at 6 p.m, Tuesday, at the Ellsinore Community Pentecostal Church with the funeral service being held at 1 p.m., Wednesday at the church. Rev. James Huffman will officiate. Burial will be in Whites Mill Cemetery in Ellsinore...

Ola M. Rayfield PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Ola M. Rayfield, 95, formerly of Piedmont, died Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, at Delmar Gardens of Merimec Valley Assisted Living Center in Fenton, Mo. Visitation will be held at 11 a.m., Wednesday at the Morrison-Worley Funeral Chapel in Piedmont. Funeral services will follow at 1 p.m., Wednesday, at the funeral chapel. Burial will be in the Carson Hill Cemetery. Memorials may be sent to St. Jude Children's Hospital...

Elsa Lee Boeving Elsa Lee Boeving, 95, of Poplar Bluff, passed away Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016, at The Manor in Poplar Bluff Arrangements are pending and will be announced by Cotrell Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff.

JoAnne Spain JoAnne Spain, 79, of Poplar Bluff, passed away Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. She was born Oct. 23, 1936 to Thornton Robert and Gernelle (Colvin) Prather in Cape Girardeau. She graduated from Cape Central High School in 1954 and Southeast Missouri State University in 1970 with her Bachelors in English. ...

Julian Warren Miller MALDEN, Mo. -- Julian Warren Miller, 96, of Risco, died Monday, Oct. 17, 2016, at Ridgeview Living Center in Malden. Visitation will be at 6 p.m., Wednesday, with Masonic Service at 7 p.m., at Bradshaw Funeral Homes, Inc., Malden. The funeral will be at 10 a.m., Thursday, at Bradshaw Chapel in Malden. Burial in Stanfield Cemetery in Clarkton with Military Rites...

Anna-Mae Gene Vega Anna-Mae Gene Vega, one month old, of Poplar Bluff, passed away Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2016 at St. Louis Children's Hospital. A Memorial Service will be held at 3 p.m., Sunday, in the Moore Funeral Service Chapel in Poplar Bluff. A full obituary will be published in the Daily American Republic...

Mary Lou Sisco Mary Lou Sisco, 89, of Poplar Bluff, died Monday, Oct. 17, 2016 at Westwood Healthcare in Poplar Bluff. Visitation will be at 10 a.m., Thursday, at Moore Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff. A Graveside Service will be held following the visitation at 11 a.m., in Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Poplar Bluff...

In the seventh chapter of Hebrews, the Levitical priesthood of the Israelites under the old covenant is compared to the priesthood of Christ, the great high priest of the new covenant. He said, under the old covenant, there were necessarily many priests because they were mortal and needed to offer sacrifices over and over, first for their own sins, then for the sins of the people. ...

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. -- Twin Rivers made quick work of Hayti, beating the Indians 25-12, 25-11 to advance to the Class 2 District 1 semifinals for the first time since 2013 Monday night. No. 2 Twin Rivers (22-9) will take on No. 3 Portageville (18-11-2) at 6 p.m., while top-seeded Malden (18-8-1), which received a first-round bye, meets No. 4 Senath-Hornersville in the other semifinal at 5 p.m. with a 7:30 p.m. championship match...

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- After allowing both opponents to shoot better than 50 percent in their first preseason jamboree, the Raider defense cut that down to 41 percent overall Saturday. Three Rivers beat Pratt Institute 48-40 and Des Moines Area Community College 46-34 at the Johnson County Jamboree in Overland Park, Kan...

By JOHN R. STANARD Winners of the Municipal Library's Centennial Art and Essay contests were awarded a total of $350 in cash prizes Saturday. Some 100 children and their parents crowded into the library theater adjacent to the Children's Library section of the Municipal Library at noon on Saturday to eat pizza and see if they were contest winners...

The congregation of the Puxico First United Methodist Church received a $2,500 grant from the Missouri United Methodist Foundation which was used to pay a portion of the cost of the new lighted church sign located at the corner of Hickman Street and Richardson Avenue...