Stories from Wednesday, August 23, 2017

The Twin Rivers R-X School District's wifi password distribution among teachers dominated the bulk of the discussion during the monthly board meeting Tuesday night. Sharing the district's password with staff failed by a vote of 3-4, with Lewis, Dugger and Ashcraft-Fincher voting in favor of sharing the wifi password with teachers...

WAYNE COUNTY, Mo. -- Day use areas, portions of a bike trail extension and a new overlook will open in September at Old Greenville Recreation Area, as $1 million in upgrades and storm repairs continue. These areas are expected to be ready in time for the annual Old Greenville Days to be held Sept. 16-17...

FISK, Mo. -- Rev. Dalles Henry Merriman, 86, of Williamsville, Mo., died Monday, Aug. 14, 2017 at his residence, in Williamsville, Mo. Visitation was Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017 at White-Sanders Funeral Home, Fisk. Funeral services was Friday, Aug. 18, 2017 in the funeral home chapel with Rev. Jim Sanders officiating. Burial will be in Robertson Cemetery at Ellsinore, Mo...

Patsy Shubert Daniels, 62, died March 11, 2017. A memorial service was held recently at the home of Robbie and Courtney Ruser.

Norma Lee Tipton, 88, of Poplar Bluff, Mo. died Monday, Aug. 14, 2017 at Oakdale Care Center in Poplar Bluff. Services were held Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017 at the Cotrell Funeral Chapel. Rev. Calvin Buhler officiated. Burial followed in the Memorial Garden Cemetery...

FISK, Mo. -- Tamarya Sue Milam, 58, of Fairdealing, Mo., died Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017 at her residence in Fairdealing, Mo. There will be a celebration of life on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017 at Thousand Hills Cowboy Church in Fisk. Condolences: www.whitesandersfuneralhome.com...

PUXICO, Mo. -- Marvin L. Jones, 89, of Shook, Mo., died Monday, Aug. 20, 2017, at the Greenville Nursing Center in Greenville. Visitation will be at 10 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 23, at the Shiloh Church in Shook. Funeral will follow at noon at the church with Rev. Wayne Burchard officiating...

Man violates God's commands, blasphemes his holy name, rebels against his authority, dissipates the life of God has given him and spurns his love and grace--yet God continues to love him. That love is manifested in so many ways---in the sunshine and rain, the fertility of the soil, the vast store of natural resources in the bosom of the earth, in his patient forbearance with a sinful, often unloving people, and in the giving of his laws to lend us direction. ...

For the seventh year, the University of Missouri Extension Center along with Aging Matters will host a Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Conference on Tuesday, Sept. 12, at the First United Methodist Church, 500 N. Main St. in Poplar Bluff. This conference is also for others who are raising children who are not their own...

Puxico school will be closed today, Wednesday, Aug. 23, so that coworkers, friends, family, students, and others can attend the funeral services for third grade teacher, Dawna Leutert. School will resume on Thursday, Aug. 24. Mrs. Leutert, 57, of Fisk, Mo., died Friday, Aug. ...

In May of 2017, Lake Wappapello was affected by what was the second major flood to take place in the past six years. Many of their campgrounds, parks, and roadways were under large amounts of water that caused damage to the recreational location. Now, three months later, the Corps of Engineers has made excessive headway in repairs and progress to restoring the area to the way it once was...

Mingo National Wildlife Refuge is now accepting applications for raccoon hunting on the refuge for the 2018 season. The application period ends Sept. 30, 2017. The raccoon hunts will take place through a random draw process in which parties will be issued a free Special Use Permit that outlines their hunt area and hunt dates. ...

Members of the Glenn Hodge Family gathered Aug. 11 at the Methodist Church in Puxico. Those who attended were: Becky and Schulte of St. Louis, Kevin and Janelle McCoy of Dorsey, Ill., Ron and Bonnie Wilhelm of Brighton, Ill., Barbara Ford of Boring, Ore, Devin Robertson of Puxico, Brock, Ashley and Vivian Williams of Dexter, Shannon, Mike Brooklyn, Sydney and Will Beck of Fairway, Kan., Rudy and Pam Williams of Puxico, Chad, Natalie, Luke and Josi McCoy of Dorsey, Ill., Robb Williams of St. ...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Sales tax revenue to Stoddard County in July fell slightly short of the amount collected in July 2016, according to a report from the Missouri Department of Revenue. The county benefited from very strong June sales tax receipts, so 2017 revenue is $31,769.84 above the same period last year...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- The Stoddard County Commission reappointed four members of the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) of Stoddard County at its recent meeting. The commission also voted to change the county policy regarding employee accumulated sick leave...

Members of the Steinmeier Hawks Family gathered together Aug. 12, 2017 at the Puxico First Baptist Church. Those who attended were: Rudy and Pam Williams of Puxico, Becky and Allen Schulte of St. Louis, Brandon Hodge and friend of Springfield, Ed Sifford of Puxico, Priscilla Robinson of Manchester, Emma Walton of Florissant, Brock, Ashley, Daniel and Vivian Williams of Dexter, Geneva Lacewell of Puxico, Nettie Ward of Puxico, Keith, Anita, Alyssa and Elena Ward of St. ...

By STEPHEN MOORE The danger of a Republican bailout of Obamacare is mounting with every passing day. Moderate Republicans calling themselves the Problem Solvers Caucus are quietly negotiating with Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer to throw a multibillion-dollar lifeline to the Obamacare insurance exchanges...

There are places in the world so potentially volatile that the U.S. cannot leave them to the ebb and flow of geopolitics. The Korean Peninsula and the Middle East come immediately to mind. Afghanistan also belongs on that list - something President Donald Trump has finally come to realize, seven months after taking office...

Sidney Cochran, 79, of Poplar Bluff, died Monday, Aug. 21, 2017 at St. Francis Hospital in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Visitation will be held from 10 - 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017 at Moore Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff. Graveside services will be immediately following at 11 a.m. at Woodlawn Cemetery...

DONIPHAN, Mo. - William Ivan Cates, 93, of Doniphan, Missouri, departed this life on Sunday, August 20, 2017 at the residence of his son in Swansea, IL. Ivan was the son of Grover Cleveland Cates and Sarah Effie (Adams) Cates, and was born May 12, 1924, in Ripley County (Burr), Missouri. ...

FISK, Mo -- Tamarya Sue Milam, 58, of Fairdealing, died Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017 at her residence. Mrs. Milam was born Nov. 23, 1958 in Saint Louis. She had been a nurse in Poplar Bluff for 23 years. She enjoyed spending time on the river. On April 24, 1998 she married Noble Milam. ...

Robert C. Schimweg, 81, of Poplar Bluff, died Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017 at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. The arrangements are pending and will be announced by Cotrell Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff.

VAN BUREN, Mo. - Melvin Everette Willard, son of the late Rev. Leo Melvin and Floy (Clark) Willard was born February 5, 1929 in Van Buren, Mo., and departed this life on August 9, 2017 with his family by his side. He had attained the age of eighty-eight years, six months and four days...

Nothing clears out those first-match jitters like, well, a first match. "You've got to get them out of the way, and that's what I told the girls, let that go and then we'll move on," Puxico coach Hannah Wight said. The Indians and Poplar Bluff combined for 51 errors Tuesday night in the season-opener for both teams. The Mules ended with fewer miscues, more kills and didn't miss a serve to win 25-16, 25-16 at the Senior High Gym...

FISK, Mo -- Tamarya Sue Milam, 58, of Fairdealing, died Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017 at her residence. Mrs. Milam was born Nov. 23, 1958 in Saint Louis. She had been a nurse in Poplar Bluff for 23 years. She enjoyed spending time on the river. On April 24, 1998 she married Noble Milam. ...

SIKESTON, Mo. - The Naylor softball team busted a tight contest wide open with eight runs in two innings to come away with a 10-2 win over Sikeston Tuesday. Naylor (2-0) took control in the top of the fifth with a single from starting pitcher Alyssa Urich. McKenzie Crawford followed it up with an infield single before consecutive fielder's choice plays ended favorably for Naylor...

By MARYBETH NIEDERKORN SEMO News Service Don't throw out Monday's eclipse glasses, said Peggy Hill, physics professor at Southeast Missouri State University. As long as the glasses are rated to ISO requirement 12312-2, adopted in 2015, the glasses will not expire after three years, as some glasses state in their instructions...