Stories from Friday, March 17, 2017

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer Poplar Bluff Municipal Library had a banner year in 2016. Annual reports released last week reflect increases in visitation, material and services usage and program participation compare to the year prior. The library saw approximately 115,500 visitors in 2016. ...

By CHELSAE CORDIA Staff Writer Looking for an interesting and versatile way to hone a green thumb? Straw bale gardening is a simple and effective method to do so without breaking the bank, or the back. Sarah Denkler, horticulture specialist for Butler County's University of Missouri Extension office, said straw bale gardening is perfect for people with limitations including a lack of space, poor soil quality or physical restraints...

By PAUL DAVIS Outdoors Editor The Heartland Gobblers chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation continued its recent growth with more people and more money raised at its 24th annual banquet Saturday evening. "We had 190 people, which was up a little from last year," said chapter president Chuck Stewart. "We grossed $57,000, which was also up."...

By TOM UHLENBROCK Mo. State parks KIMMSWICK, Mo. -- The 8-foot-long mastodon tusk on display at Mastodon State Historic Site looks almost good as new, even though it's more than 10,000 years old. The tusk recently returned to the museum at the state historic site after a six-month stay at the Saint Louis Science Center's Fossil Lab, where it was cleaned and stabilized...

By GEORGE F. WILL WASHINGTON -- Although the National Endowment for the Arts' 2016 cost of $148 million was less than one-hundredth of 1 percent of the federal budget, attempting to abolish the NEA is a fight worth having, never mind the certain futility of the fight...

The House recently took action to fix Missouri's minimum wage law, ensure our state courts are fair to all litigants, and curb unnecessary government regulations that limit economic opportunity. You can read more about the legislative priorities advanced by the House this week below...

Students earning a place on the Neelyville elementary third quarter honor roll includes: A Honor Roll Third Grade: Nicole Akers, Zak Cowley, Parker Ernst, Shane Fisher, Leslie Guthery, Hayden Leach, Darrion Mann, Emma Sheehy, Corey Shipp, Madisyn Stone...

Greenville High School officials have selected Students of the Month for March 2017. Emily A. Abbott, daughter of Brenda Abbot and Louis Abbott of Williamsville, is active in Art Club, Educational Talent Search, and National Honor Society. Her hobbies are: cooking and drawing...

By FRANK CAMPA Mo. Dept. of Conservation Sometimes, recreational outdoor activities sneak up on us and pass us by while we busy living our daily lives. It is important to take the time occasionally to "smell the roses" and enjoy some of the rich outdoor opportunities we have nearby in this great state we call Missouri...

By JOE JEREK Mo. Dept. of Conservation JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) recently received confirmation that two hunter-harvested deer from St. Clair County tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD). The two new cases of the deadly deer disease are the first in this county and this area of the state. ...

Darrell Lee Dunn PIEDMONT, Mo. - Darrell Lee Dunn, 51, died Wednesday, March 15, 2017 at his home near Piedmont. Visitation will be held at noon Sunday at the Morrison-Worley Chapel in Piedmont. Funeral services will follow at 2 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home chapel with Rev. Wayne Street officiating...

By Paul Davis Outdoors Editor From the creation and maintenance of wildlife habitat to introducing children to the joys of fishing, the Southeast Missouri Sportsman's Association has done a lot of good across the region over the last 70-plus years, and even today, the organization remains active...

By CANDICE DAVIS Mo. Dept. of Conservation BUTLER COUNTY, Mo. -- The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) recently certified a new state champion tupelo tree at Allred Lake in Butler County. MDC Resource Forester Mark Pelton waded out in hip-deep water to measure the tupelo that stands in the lake...

The new limits on pitchers this spring will likely not be a factor for the Poplar Bluff baseball team since the Mules could march out a new pitcher every inning for over two full games. And the mound is not the only place the Mules enjoy depth. Third-year coach Steven Edwards says he doesn't have a junior varsity team this year, it's more like a split-squad game...

Coming off its first district championship in program history, the Poplar Bluff Lady Mules soccer program saw a big freshman class come out this spring. The move into the new on-campus Mules Stadium may be a contributing factor for 19 new players but that shiny new district plaque may as well...

When Greenville head coach Olivia O'Dell thinks about last season, she can't help but wonder what might have been. Her team missed out on the chance to play for a shot at the final four due to a bevy of errors, unearned runs and lack of run production against West County in the first round of the MSHSAA Class 1 state playoffs...

Troopers with the Missouri State Highway Patrol were out early Thursday morning working non-related injury accidents in Butler County. At 7:15 a.m., Trooper Chris Leach was sent to a four-vehicle crash on Highway NN, one-tenth of a mile off of Business 60. Also responding to assist were officers with the Poplar Bluff Police Department...

Frieda Hanger PIEDMONT, Mo. - Frieda Hanger, 89, of Piedmont, died Wednesday, March 15, 2017 at Parkland Health Center in Farmington, Mo. Visitation will be held from noon until 2 p.m. Sunday, March 19, 2017 at Ruegg Funeral Home in Piedmont. Services will follow at 2 p.m. at the chapel. Burial will be at Masonic Cemetery, Piedmont...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Property owners on Fairmont and Short Fifth streets have been given a 90-day extension to make repairs to two vacant houses, while a fire-damaged home on Oak Street has been removed by its owner. Extensive work has been completed at 331 Short Fifth and 1205 Fairmont, said building inspector Tony Chilton...

Chris Verkler DONIPHAN, Mo. - Chris Verkler, 47, of Doniphan, Mo., died Tuesday, March 14, 2017, at her residence in rural Ripley County. Visitation will be held from noon-2 p.m. Friday in the Edwards Funeral Home Chapel in Doniphan. Online condolences may be made to the family at edwardsfuneralhome.org...