Stories from Sunday, August 13, 2017

DONIPHAN, Mo. -- The state amended the charges Thursday morning in the case of a Doniphan man who is accused of fatally shooting his brother-in-law during an apparent argument. Benjamin Michael Ruhl remains charged with the Class A felony of first-degree murder, the Class B felony of first-degree assault, four Class D felonies of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child and two unclassified felonies of armed criminal action...

DONIPHAN, Mo. -- A former Gatewood, Mo., school bus driver was charged Thursday afternoon with having inappropriate sexual contact with a female student. Kerry Benard Murphey, 44, of Gatewood was charged with the Class D felony of sexual contact with a student by Ripley County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kacey Proctor...

Nearly $200 million in commercial construction and renovation in the past five years has caused a shake-up in where Poplar Bluff shoppers spend their money. A recent city report shows that three new businesses have pushed their way onto the 2016 list of top 10 sales tax collectors...

Peter Kinder, Missouri's former lieutenant governor, has been appointed by President Donald Trump to serve as alternate federal co-chairman of the Delta Regional Authority. The White House announced the appointment Thursday, but Kinder said the appointment has been in the works since March...

As schedules become more and more busy everyday, friends have a hard time coordinating time together. Debbie Rodewald of Qulin and her friends, who are now all over the world, make their get-togethers a priority. "My friends are a hoot," Rodewald said of her group of friends who have kept in touch for more than 50 years...

On the same day football teams around the state kicked off the season with jamborees, the Missouri State High School Activities Association released the class and district assignments for the remaining fall sports. MSHSAA announced assignments for cross country, boys soccer, softball, girls tennis and volleyball. None of the 17 local teams moved class or district in any sport...

MALDEN, Mo. -- Cecilia Moore, 75, of Malden, Mo., died Friday, Aug. 11, 2017 at Malden Nursing and Rehab. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. Monday at Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden. Funeral services will follow at 11 a.m. Monday at the funeral home. Burial will be in th Dexter Cemetery,...

Pageants for all ages are slated for the Missouri Peach Fair in Campbell from Aug. 18-26. Kicking off the fair Friday, Aug. 18, Miss Missouri Peach Fair Queen will be crowned in the Campbell Community Building. The competition will begin at 8 p.m. and is for ages 16-19. Competition will be conducted in pageant wear and casual wear...

By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN "When a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight," Samuel Johnson observed, "it concentrates his mind wonderfully." And the prospect of a future where Kim Jong Un can put a nuclear weapon on a U.S. city is going to cause this nation to reassess the risks and rewards of the American Imperium...

A new study says that halving legal immigration, as President Donald Trump and Republican Sens. Tom Cotton and David Perdue want to do, will have a negative effect on the size of the economy and the labor force. A lot of journalists are citing the study, with some of them noting that it is associated with the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, which Trump attended...

GREENVILLE, Mo. -- Billy George Hollida Sr., 81, of Silva, Mo., passed away Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017, from complications with Alzheimer's. He was born Nov. 3, 1935 in Combes, Texas and moved to Wayne County, Mo., when he was 6 years old, where he would reside the rest of his life...

By CHARLES LANE As if Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) weren't miserable enough over his failure to repeal and replace Obamacare, President Trump has been badgering him on Twitter about eliminating the 60-vote Senate filibuster. According to Trump, this procedural relic was to blame for stalling his legislative agenda in Congress: "Republicans in the Senate will NEVER win if they don't go to a 51 vote majority NOW. They look like fools and are just wasting time....."...

FISK, Mo. -- Myrtle Willeford, 92, of Fisk, Mo., died Friday, Aug. 11, 2017, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff, Mo. Mrs. Willeford was born March 7, 1925, in Fisk, daughter of the late Sanford and Flossie Hayes. She was a member of Highland Drive Church of Christ...

When Poplar Bluff High School Senior Josh Wilson boarded the plane in St. Louis, he was celebrating a number of firsts in his life. He had never flown, he had never been out of the country, and he had never been on a mission trip. In preparation for his early morning flight, his mother drove him to St. ...

Bonnie Knowles, 100, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017 at Mark Twain Caring Center in Poplar Bluff. Arrangements are pending with Fitch-Hillis Funeral Home of Poplar Bluff.

DONIPHAN, Mo. -- Howard Thomas Ballew Jr., 68, of Doniphan, died Friday, Aug. 11, 2017, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau, Mo. A visitation will be held 4-7 p.m. Monday at the Edwards Funeral Home in Doniphan. The funeral service will follow at 7 p.m. in the funeral home chapel with Pastors Deborah and Oscar Robertson officiating...

PUXICO, Mo. -- Lonnie Clubb of Puxico, son of the late Odis and Martha VanMatre Clubb, was born in McGee, Mo., on Sept. 14, 1941, and passed away at his residence in Puxico on, Aug. 11, 2017, at the age of 75 years, 10 months and 27 days. Lonnie lived in the Puxico area most all his life. He was a minister of the General Baptist faith and was a member of the Elk General Baptist Church in Broseley, Mo...

Patsy Shubert Daniels, 62, was born June 29, 1954 in Puxico and entered into rest Saturday, March 11, 2017. Patsy spent her life as a homemaker. Pat is survived by two brothers: John Shubert of Pasco, Wash. and Joseph Overton of Puxico; five sisters: Bevelyn Clark, Wappapello, Evelyn Everson, Grand Praire, Alberta, Canada, Sandra Julius and Sally Waller, Puxico and Sarah Rogers, Summers, Ark...

VAN BUREN, Mo. -- The workshop of Ariel Heise will soon be filled with the sweet scents of pumpkin and cheesecake, and maybe occasional hints of smoky bonfire as she gears up for the holiday season and one-year anniversary of Southern Temptations by Ariel...

EPHRATA, Wash. - The run is over. Poised to take the next step in their Senior Babe Ruth World Series journey, the Charleston Fighting Squirrels were stopped in their tracks Friday evening. Charleston lost 1-0 in a rematch with Cape Cod, Massachusetts during the tournament semifinals, ending a streak of 14-straight wins and a perfect showing of four-straight victories on the national stage...

ROLLA, Mo. -- Logan Bell's first throw to Tyson Cox was on target for a touchdown as the Poplar Bluff receiver raced down the sideline Friday night in a preseason jamboree. The over-the-shoulder catch and run for 40 yards was the first of four touchdowns by the pair as the Mules prepared for the upcoming season a week away...