Stories from Friday, October 6, 2017

Overcoming drug and alcohol addiction is a feat many strive to accomplish, but Poplar Bluff native Willie Holloway did it and in a few weeks. He will share his story with the world during an episode of The 700 Club. Tim Smith, a Nashville-based producer with the Christian Broadcast Network, was in Poplar Bluff Thursday to film Holloway's segment. ...

A man who experienced one of the most under-reported crimes in America will speak in Poplar Bluff about childhood sexual abuse and his belief that anyone can move from victim to victory. Greg Holtmeyer, a Missouri educator and advocate, will be the keynote speaker for the 15th Annual Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Conference. The free daylong educational event will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 31, with a registration deadline of Oct. 20...

A piece of history was planted on the Qulin Elementary playground for the entire town and future family members to enjoy. The Qulin Royal Riders 4-H Club received a Liberty Tree and celebrated the occasion by planting it with the elementary school in attendance as a part of National 4-H Week...

Ashley and Amanda Rommel of Poplar Bluff have chosen the name Alaina Rose Rommel for their 7-pound, 11-ounce daughter who was born Friday, Sept. 8, 2017, at 4:26 p.m. Alaina was 20 1/2 " long. Grandparents are Tim and Debra Darnell and Wendell and Frankie Rommel, all of Poplar Bluff; great-grandparents are: Wanda Cunningham and the late Rex Cunningham of Fisk, the late John and Patsy Darnell of Poplar Bluff, Vivian Winn and the late Steve Winn of Tunnelhill, Ga., David and Joyce Wooten and Erma Rommel, all of Dalton, Ga., and the late Walter Rommel of Poplar Bluff.. ...

To the Editor: The last City Hall that was in a building built for that purpose was in the early 1900s on South Broadway. A 1917 picture of that building, which also served as the fire department, shows a horse-drawn fire wagon. In the 1970s the city purchased several buildings in the next block of South Broadway and moved city offices to them. ...

The Poplar Bluff Garden Club recently bestowed on Kenneth Clanahan of Poplar Bluff the "Federated Garden Clubs of Missouri, Inc. Citation of Commendation" for his hard work and dedication for helping restore the historic railroad depot and beautifying the grounds around it...

MALDEN, Mo. -- Mllton Nelson, 84, of Parma Mo., died Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017, at his residence. Visitation will be at 11 a.m. Monday, Oct. 9, at he Parma Community Center and the funeral will follow at noon with the Rev. Moses Grayson officiating. Burial will be in Macedonia Cemetery in Malden...

By GEORGE F. WILL SEATTLE -- Amazon, which has made this city the epicenter of a retailing revolution, is not the Northwest's only commercial disrupter. In the nearby city of Everett, Liberty Ziska and some other bikini baristas, giving new meaning to coffee as a stimulant, have provoked the City Council to pass, unanimously, ordinances requiring baristas to be less nearly naked when they work. ...

Kasandra Iler, 36, of Poplar Bluff, passed away Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017 at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. She was born on June 29, 1981 to Michael Herrmann and Patricia Iler in St. Louis, Mo. Kaysea enjoyed watching Netflix movies and all kinds of music, especially Frank Sinatra. Most importantly she loved children and spending time with her nieces and nephews...

By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN "An act of pure evil," said President Trump of the atrocity in Las Vegas, invoking our ancient faith: "Scripture teaches us the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." "Our unity cannot be shattered by evil. ...

PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Alma Jean Kleisner, 87, of New Bern, N.C., formerly of Iron and Wayne counties, Mo., passed away Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017, at Homeplace of New Bern in North Carolina. She was born Dec. 16, 1929, to the late Raymond Miller and Alma (Meyers) Miller in Annapolis, Mo...

ELLSINORE, Mo. -- Mark Anthony Smith, 60, died Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff. A Memorial Service will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, at the McSpadden Funeral Home in Ellsinore. Online condolences: www.mcspaddenfh.com...

PIEDMONT -- The Neelyville Tigers have quietly been rebuilding for a few years now. Fielding many quality but youthful teams over the past three seasons, the Tigers have come up short in the Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament, even losing as the sixth-seed in the 2014 final...

IMPERIAL, Mo. -- For a second year the Poplar Bluff softball team was stuck on 21 wins after a 3-2 loss in the MSHSAA Class 4 District 1 semifinal. Defending champion Seckman scored three times in the sixth Thursday, rallying past the Mules with three straight extra-base hits...

Kylie Wilhite and the Chaffee Lady Devils wiggled out of a first-inning jam unscathed then shut down the defending MSHSAA Class 1 state champs Thursday. Wilhite tossed a three-hit shutout, Carlie Milz drove in three runs, including the go-ahead hit in the top of the first, as Chaffee beat Van Buren 7-0 in the District 1 championship at Three Rivers College...

DONIPHAN -- They washed cars, sold watermelons and delivered takeout dinners by the armload. After three years of raising money to put the finishing touches on a new ballpark, the Doniphan softball team will realize a dream Friday -- playing for a district championship on top of the big hill next to the high school campus...

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. -- The Malden Green Wave entered Thursday's Bootheel Conference Tournament championship with plans of providing the Campbell's defense with a heavy dose of middle hitter Gracie Thomas. "Our gameplan coming in was to feed it to Gracie Thomas every time because she scores when she hits," Malden coach Brittany Crane said...

WOODLAND, Mo. -- Bloomfield coach Haley Silman is breaking out the flamingo jacket. The jacket is about as loud as jackets go, colorful and flamboyant and perfect for any Jimmy Buffet concert. It belongs to a student, the superintendent's son in fact. ...

WOODLAND, Mo. -- Both Dexter and Bernie coaches used a timeout within the first 15 points. Nobody was happy. First it was Bernie that was making too many errors, then it was Dexter. Both teams hit their first serve long and of the first 15 total points, there were nine errors...

Jaden Deaton and Katie Sliger won on Poplar Bluff's new cross country course Thursday at the Senior High School campus. Deaton finished the 3.1-mile course in 18 minutes, 2.56 seconds while Sliger ran it in 21:25.67 to win as the Mules won their own meet...

The Poplar Bluff Junior High football team became the Mules' first team to go unbeaten in consecutive season's with a 42-14 win over Sikeston at Morrow Stadium Thursday night. The eighth grade Mules (5-0-1) scored six touchdowns against the Bulldogs to go undefeated in both years since the program added a seventh grade team in 2010 after finishing last year 6-0...