Stories from Tuesday, December 5, 2017

The city of Poplar Bluff will move forward with the purchase of Northwest Medical Center after a motion Monday to hold a citizen vote on the location was defeated. The final cost of the project is still uncertain, even among council members, who already have started the process to secure up to $8 million in financing...

The Second Annual Nashville Christmas Music Series will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Tinnin Fine Arts Center, located on the Three Rivers College Campus. Sponsored by Kiwanis International, last year's event raised more than $9,000 to benefit the all-accessible playground equipment installed at Kiwanis Bacon Memorial Park during the summer...

A judge is expected to decide in January whether a Poplar Bluff, Mo., man should stand trial for murdering his stepgrandfather whose unresponsive body was pulled from their burning home in June. Accompanied by his attorney, Danny Moore, Brett Wade Payne, 29, appeared before Associate Circuit Judge John Bloodworth Monday afternoon for a preliminary hearing on the Class A felonies of first-degree murder and first-degree arson...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor Poplar Bluff's street superintendent, who has been suspended for nearly three months, was ordered to stand trial Monday afternoon on a charge he exhibited a shotgun in a threatening manner in front of another employee...

GREENVILLE, Mo. - Carole Lee Berry, 66, of Greenville died Sunday, Nov. 26, 2017 at St. Louis University Hospital. A graveside service will be at 1 p.m., Tues., Dec. 5, at George Twidwell Cemetery near Silva. Online condolences may be made at www.rueggfuneralhomes.com...

Joyce Bayne, 48, of Poplar Bluff died Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Visitation will be a 1 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 5 at Fowler-Sullivan Funeral Home, 844 Cedar Street in Poplar Bluff and a graveside funeral will follow at 2:30 pm at Gum Cemetery in Naylor, with the Rev. Kevin Ford officiating...

By GEORGE F. WILL WASHINGTON -- The conversation about a cake lasted less than a minute but will long reverberate in constitutional law. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear 60 minutes of speech about when, if at all, making a cake counts as constitutionally protected speech and, if so, what the implications are for the Colorado Civil Rights Commission's contention that Jack Phillips violated the state's law against sexual-orientation discrimination...

To the Editor, By now everyone should be understanding what the shape of the world is in today, and I am not meaning round. If you do not understand or noticed then you, my friend, have been living under a rock for the past 300 and some odd days. I read an interesting story today where a preacher was saying how unless we, the people, do not start acting as one then we are heading in a direction nobody wants to head towards. ...

By MIKE JENSEN Publisher Sikeston Standard Democrat Thursday marks the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor that brought America into the Second World War. Few living today and fewer still reading this column can remember that fateful Sunday morning when 353 Imperial Japanese aircraft attacked military bases in Hawaii and killed 2,403 American military personnel...

Northside Nutrition Center Tuesday, Dec. 5 Ham & Beans/Cornbread, Stewed tomatoes, Seasoned Cabbage, Apple Wednesday, Dec. 6 Beef Vegetable Soup, Peanut Butter, Beets, Orange

Annie Mae Favorite, 86, beloved mother of Mary Greiwe (George), Teresa Chambers, Kerry Favorite, and Baby Shelton went to be with her Lord and Savior Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017. She was a devoted Christian, a member of Poplar Bluff Full Gospel Church in Poplar Bluff...

Patricia K. Randall, 70 of Poplar Bluff passed away Friday, Dec. 1, 2017 at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Mrs. Randall was born May 27, 1947 to the late William James and Zola James. She had worked as a cook and sales clerk. On Sept. 4, 1993 she married Phillip Randall in Poplar Bluff. He survives...

Bertha Hodge, 71, of Poplar Bluff, died Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017 at Cedargate in Poplar Bluff, Visitation will be at noon, Friday, at Fowler-Sullivan Funeral Home in Poplar Bluff. The funeral service will follow at 1 p.m. in the funeral home chapel with Rev. Bonnie Goins officiating...

MALDEN, Mo. -- Thomasene Pyles, 83, of Campbell, died Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017, at General Baptist Nursing Home in Campbell. Visitation at 6 p.m., Tuesday, at Bradshaw Funeral Homes, Inc., in Malden. The funeral will be at 1 p.m., Wednesday, at Bradshaw Chapel in Malden with Rev. Richard Blagg officiating. Burial at Stanfield Cemetery in Clarkton...

QULIN, Mo. -- Wanda June Burkhead, 71, of Piedmont, died Sunday, Dec. 3, 2017, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Graveside services at 11 a.m., Wednesday, at Qulin Cemetery in Qulin with Rev. Jim Sanders officiating. Burial will be in Qulin Cemetery at Qulin...

VAN BUREN, Mo. - Mr. Clarence D. "C.D." McKinney Jr., age 93 years, of Jefferson City, Mo., passed away on Friday, Dec. 1, 2017 with his wife Rae and his family by his side. C.D. was born Aug. 9, 1924 in Grandin, Mo. the son of Clarence D. Sr. and Nora Mae Fisell McKinney. He was married on May 20, 1949 in Van Buren, Mo. to Elma Rae Jackson...

Sacred Heart Catholic School first quarter honor roll. "A" HONOR ROLL First Grade: Jacob Acre, Calista Cummings, Morgan Ellsworth, Xavier Kaup, Eli Makari, Bridget Popp, Eder Salinas, Landon Schindler, Sophie Stuckenschneider, Jude Williams Second Grade: Kayla Daves, Jaydon Eddy, Isabella Gillihan, Samuel Massey, Charlie McCollough, Castin Rommel...

Raymond E. Nunnery, 83, of McClure, IL., passed away Friday, Dec. 1, 2017, at the Missouri Veteran's Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Jan. 14, 1934, in Denton, Mo., to Nathaniel and Nora (Waldrop) Nunnery. He was a graduate of Holland High School and received a bachelor's degree in education from Southeast Missouri State University...

Frances Lorraine (Owens) Conover, 76, of Poplar Bluff died Saturday, December 2, 2017. Mrs. Conover was born May 7, 1941 in Poplar Bluff. She was an active member of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, and retired as a highly respected and influential elementary school teacher in Poplar Bluff in 2008. Known by many as "Grannie Frannie", she enjoyed spending time with her family-especially her grandchildren, reading, listening to gospel music, and studying the Bible...

Phillip James Crites, 66, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Sunday, December 3, 2017 at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Arrangements are pending with Cotrell Funeral Service and will be announced when completed.

PIEDMONT, Mo. - Cecil A. Wyatt, 60, of Lonoke, Ark., formerly of Wayne County, Mo., died Monday, December 4, 2017 at his residence. Visitation will be from 1 - 3 p.m., Wednesday, December 6 at Ruegg Funeral Home, Piedmont,. The funeral will follow at 3 p.m. in the chapel. Online condolences may be made at www.rueggfuneralhomes.com...

NEELYVILLE, Mo. - Tammie Denise Deckard, 52, of Poplar Bluff, died Friday, Dec. 1, 2017 at her residence. Ms. Deckard was born Oct. 30, 1965 in Kennett, Mo. and was a lifelong resident of Butler County. She previously worked on the assembly line at the Briggs & Stratton plant in Poplar Bluff. Ms. Deckard enjoyed her dogs, shopping, cooking and riding horses. She was of the Baptist faith...

Glen Arthur Wisdom, 51, passed from this life Dec. 1, 2017 at Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Mo. Glen was the son of Dicky and Vicki (Catt) Wisdom of Poplar Bluff. He was born on Nov. 19, 1966 in Poplar Bluff. Glen was a 1985 graduate of Poplar Bluff High school and attended ASU...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Dexter boys basketball coach Josh Dowdy kneeled down outside his team's locker room Monday night, trying to make sense of the Bearcats' enormous victory in the SEMO Conference Tournament. The seventh-seeded Bearcats had just upset second-seeded Charleston 59-54 in the first round of the league tournament at the Sikeston Fieldhouse...

BROSELEY -- Smaller and quicker, the Lady Royals dialed up their pressure. Twin Rivers' relentless press steadily wore down Portageville and the Royals went on to win 53-37 on Monday. "They handled it pretty well in the beginning, but then when they started getting tired and it started working out," said Twin Rivers' Katelyn South, who led the team with 15 points along with Brooke Blume. "We could get our hands on passes and we could stop them before they got to the bucket."...

Warm water to swimmers is like a headwind to runners. Poplar Bluff senior Taylor Norwood qualified for the MSHSAA state meet in the 500-yard freestyle Monday in the blustery water of the Black River Coliseum Aquatic Center. "It's every bit of 88 degrees here now," said Norwood after the Mules beat Notre Dame 254-196...

ST. LOUIS --Aidan Saunders' jumper not 6 minutes into the game put the Raiders ahead by 10, and they were never threatened after that. The Three Rivers men's basketball team extended its lead in the second half and beat Southwestern (Ill.) Community College 106-90 on Sunday...

CLEARWATER -- Cheyanne Burton had a career-high 37 points for Clearwater in an 83-48 win over Ellington on Monday. Burton made all three of the team's 3-pointers and closed the game with 16 of Clearwater's 24 points in the fourth quarter. She was also 4 for 9 on free throws...