Stories from Sunday, June 18, 2017

Two men, who abducted and robbed a Cape Girardeau woman before releasing her unharmed, were arrested Friday night by officers of the Kansas Highway Patrol and the U.S. Marshals Service. Cape Girardeau police Sgt. Rick Schmidt said John Czarnecki and Christopher Smith were arrested in western Kansas at approximately 7:50 p.m...

PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Coral-like rock structures fill much of a mile-long canyon that was carved out of the land west of Clearwater Lake this May through the sheer force of water. Fragile land bridges, fractured caves and 45-foot high red clay banks replaced an open, grassy field in less than 13 days of flow across the secondary spillway at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' project in Wayne County...

An update for folks interested in attending the Restore the Rodgers Theatre fund raising dinner to benefit the building's needed renovations, ticket sales have been extended to include at the door on the night of the event. Prior to the change, tickets had to be ordered in advance for the benefit scheduled for 7 p.m. ...

Residents along County Road 484 in Butler County are frustrated with the United States Postal Service in Poplar Bluff. For the last two years, mail delivery has been disrupted twice a year, for nearly a week at a time and, according to residents, without notice. The halt in service has been based solely on the opinion of post office employees, despite the fact authorities say service could have continued...

A better solution Well, it's official. MoDOT is rebuilding T Highway just like it was so it can wash out again for half the price they were expecting!! Looks like they could take the rest of that money and seal that roadway in concrete so maybe it would stand a chance of surviving, but they won't. ...

By WALTER E. WILLIAMS George Orwell said, "The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history." In the former USSR, censorship, rewriting of history and eliminating undesirable people became part of Soviets' effort to ensure that the correct ideological and political spin was put on their history. Deviation from official propaganda was punished by confinement in labor camps and execution...

Ronnie Lee Kirby Jr., 51, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., passed away unexpectedly Monday, June 12, 2017, in Illinois. Ronnie, the beloved son of Ronnie L. Sr. and Louise Ellberg Kirby of Poplar Bluff, was born Aug. 25, 1965, in St. Charles, Ill. He was a member of the Palace of Praise and worked as an over-the-road truck driver for LTI Trucking Company...

Elsie Reva Walters, 94, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., passed away Thursday, June 15, 2017, at The Manor. Mrs. Walters, the oldest of eight children of the late Thurman Laroy and Sue Beatrice (Haynes) Rodgers, was born Nov. 25, 1922, in New Madrid, Mo. She was a member of Bluff City Apostolic Worship Center, where she served as secretary of the church, choir director and a Sunday School teacher...

PUXICO, Mo. -- John E. Lewis Sr. of Puxico died Friday, June 16, 2017, at the Puxico Nursing and Rehab Center. Arrangements are pending with Morgan Sifford Funeral Home at Puxico.

By MONA CHAREN We make a big fuss about mothers in our culture. Think of how often politicians offer sympathy to "heroic" single moms who are doing such an amazing job. Many do, and of course, their lives are extremely hard and they deserve sympathy. As a mother of three sons, I cannot imagine how I would have managed alone. That much having been said, this Father's Day is a good time to remember that fathers are crucial to their children's happiness and success...

Robert Lawrence Stucker, 75, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Friday, June 16, 2017, at his residence. The arrangements are pending with Cotrell Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff.

Area students earning places on the Missouri State University at Springfield spring 2017 dean's list include: Ellsinore: Kenna Sheppard; and Poplar Bluff: Elizabeth Bottorff, Hannah Burnett, Joseph Eyler, Ethan Glick, Nikkia Hickman, Baily Koppelmann, Sydney Nabert, Alisha Payne, Paige Reinbott, Maria Zavala and Montana Zitnak...

Entries are being accepted for the 30th Annual Pictures by the People photo contest at Margaret Harwell Art Museum. The deadline for entries is 4 p.m. June 25. They can be dropped off at the museum or mailed to 421 N. Main St., Poplar Bluff, MO 63901...

The race for the Semoball Cup ended up being the closest yet. Eight schools won state championships in a team sport while two more had multiple individual state champions during the 2016-17 school year. Only one school will take home the Cup at the fourth annual Semoball Awards on Saturday, July 8 at the Southeast Missouri State University River Campus in Cape Girardeau, Missouri...