Stories from Thursday, October 5, 2017

Poplar Bluff is decked out in pink this month for breast cancer awareness and the annual UCAN fundraiser. Pink Out day will be held Friday, with a tailgate party starting at 6 p.m. at Mules Stadium on Oak Grove Road. Money raised from T-shirt sales and other donations collected during October help the United Cancer Assistance Network provide direct assistance to people battling cancer in Butler, Ripley, Stoddard, and Wayne counties...

Officials who work with local foster care children are asking for the community's help in playing Santa Claus for those who might otherwise do without. The 36th Judicial Circuit Juvenile Office and Chartwells food service are hosting a fundraiser dinner from 5-7 p.m. ...

Many new moms are faced with the decision of whether or not to continue breastfeeding their child once the time comes to return to work. Several factors come into play with this decision such as time and private space. The Twin Rivers R-X School District, in conjunction with the Butler County Health Department, have worked to make the decision to continue breastfeeding easier on new moms by providing private lactation rooms for pumping at each campus and recognizing the district as a Missouri Breastfeeding Friendly Worksite.. ...

Zach McAnulty's Adidas tennis shoes are his favorite pair. He loves them. They're not dirty, not even a little. He keeps them clean and shows them off any chance he gets, including to a crowd of nearly 3,500 at Wednesday's 10th Annual Fields of Faith gathering at Mules Stadium...

By STEPHEN MOORE Donald Trump's latest tax-cut plan would be a steroid injection for the U.S. economy. Bravo to the White House and congressional leaders for packaging the biggest pro-growth tax cut since Ronald Reagan. My only quibble is that I wish the "Gang of Six" negotiators had stuck with President Trump's call for a 15 percent business tax rate -- which was in the campaign plan that Larry Kudlow and I helped draft. ...

To the Editor This past Saturday, The Friends of Margaret Harwell Art Museum hosted their 3rd annual "Fork and Cork". This was a fun evening (despite the heat) in the Friends Sculpture Garden. The food was by Tasteful Creations, the music was by the Millstones, the beverages were provided by Luecke. The evening was wonderful!...

Chaffee will get another swing at Van Buren for the MSHSAA Class 1 District 1 softball title after the teams earned shutout wins Wednesday. The Red Devils dispatched third-seeded Neelyville 8-0 after Van Buren began its state title defense with a 10-0 win in six innings over Naylor at Rains Field...

PIEDMONT, Mo.-- Anneliese Fink, 85, of Mill Spring, Mo. died Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017 at the Clark's Mountain Nursing Center in Piedmont. Visitation will be held from noon-1 p.m. Friday at the Morrison-Worley Funeral Chapel in Piedmont. Graveside services will be held at 3 p.m. Friday at the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield, Mo. Memorials have been suggested to the Wreaths Across America Program...

Kaysea Iler, 36, of Poplar Bluff, Mo. died Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017 at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Visitation will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017 at Moore Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff. Funeral services will be following visitation at 3 p.m. in the Moore Funeral Service Chapel...

It's been called the Delta Bowl for many years, but on Friday night it may as well be called the Wyatt Bowl. Joel Wyatt, the former head coach at Malden, leads the Kennett football team into The Swamp for the first time since he was hired by the Indians back in March...

By RANDY ZELLERS AGFC In two long weekends, Arkansas hunters harvested 94 alligators during the 2017 alligator hunting season, eclipsing the previous record of 66 taken in 2016. Mark Barbee, AGFC biologist at the Monticello Regional Office who coordinates the annual hunt, says the increase is largely the result of increased permits being available to hunt...

PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Alma Kleisner, 87, of New Bern, N.C., formerly of Wayne County, Mo., died Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017, at Homeplace of New Bern in North Carolina. Visitation will be held from noon - 2 p.m., Saturday, at Ruegg Funeral Home, Piedmont. Funeral services will follow at 2 p.m., also at the Piedmont Chapel...

By PAUL DAVIS Outdoors Editor Deer harvest numbers across the region really shot up over the weekend, with some counties doubling their numbers in just a couple days. The weekend was warm and breezy, especially Sunday, and it appeared as if the deer were moving during mid-day and again late in the evenings...

Walter Warren Charles "Butch" Hale, 61, died Friday, Sept. 15, 2017, at his home in Poplar Bluff. Graveside funeral will be at 3 p.m., Sunday in Ellington, Mo.

MALDEN, Mo. -- Jerry Paul Sturgeon, 81, died Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017, at his residence in Malden, Mo. Visitation will be at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6, with Masonic Services at 7 p.m. at Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden. Funeral services will conducted at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, in the chapel with Brother Randy Moore, officiating . Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery in Malden...

FISK, MO. -- Nancy Jane Abernathy, 58, of Bernie, Mo., died Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017 at her residence. Mrs. Abernathy was born March 19, 1959 in Campbell, Mo. She was a member of First Southern Baptist Church at Malden, Mo. She had worked for several years at 1st Midwest Bank in Dexter...

Makenna Chilton felt more comfortable hitting eighth in the order than the clean-up spot that Van Buren coach Jack Childress had the senior penciled in to start. Turns out she was right. Chilton drove in five runs with four hits as the Lady Dawgs cruised past Naylor 10-0 in six innings Wednesday in the MSHSAA Class 1 District 1 semifinal...

Dexter faces arguably its toughest test of the season Friday in a road game at Park Hills Central. The undefeated Rebels are ranked third in the Class 3 media poll and are the top team in the district with 48.94 points. "They speak for themselves. Very physical, they do what they do," Dexter head coach Kevin Goltra said. "They have a lot of experience on that football team, as well. Very tough opponent, very physical, good defense."...

The 21 seniors on the Poplar Bluff football team will be honored prior to Friday's game at Mules Stadium, then continue their chase of history. The Mules, ranked seventh in the latest state media poll, are 7-0 for the first time since 2003 and one of just 28 unbeaten teams left in Missouri...

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. -- Top seeds are set to collide in the Bootheel Conference Tournament championship after picking up semifinal victories in straight-set fashion Wednesday night. Top-seeded Campbell beat No. 4 Senath-Hornersville 26-24, 25-11 while No. 2 Malden hammered its way past South Pemiscot 25-8, 25-17...