Stories from Thursday, December 28, 2017

Poplar Bluff Police Chief Danny Whiteley was recognized Wednesday by city officials after being named "Top Cop," by the Missouri Police Chiefs Association. Mayor Ed DeGaris presented Whiteley with a proclamation during a meeting of the city council...

An amended 2018 budget for the city of Poplar Bluff would reduce deficit spending, but it appears the only thing left in the general fund cash reserve is an IOU for $4.3 million. The city council approved more than $20 million in spending for next year during a special meeting held Wednesday...

Poplar Bluff city officials and the public entered the city council chambers Wednesday evening from one of the coldest nights of the year to a chamber that was not much warmer. According to City Manager Mark Massingham, the cold building was discovered around 3:30 p.m. before the 7 p.m. meeting...

By MICHAEL JENSEN The top priority for the Trump administration in 2018 is welfare reform. And if you seem to recall hearing about welfare reform in the past, you're right. Welfare reform goes back at least to the Reagan administration and was interestingly a high priority during the Clinton administration as well...

By JOHN YOO and SAIKRISHNA PRAKASH Los Angeles Times via Tribune News Service Our 18th century Constitution causes confusion in the 21st by granting the president great power but also demanding great accountability. Donald Trump's defenders believe his authority forges an impenetrable shield that deflects criminal charges. His critics find wrongdoing in every presidential action, order or tweet, especially on law enforcement. Both camps are mistaken...

We've got it, something splendid, the first major tax reform in decades. This GOP congressional achievement will provide tax breaks to just about every Joe, Jane and business venture out there, and - this is the biggie - will almost surely foster significant economic growth...

VAN BUREN, Mo.: A public comment period concerning roads and trails in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways has been extended to Jan. 15. The public can share their thoughts about the Preliminary Alternatives for the Roads and Trails Management Plan during the one-month extension of the comment period...

CAMPBELL, Mo. - Curtis Lee Austin, 74 of St. Louis, Missouri, passed away on Monday, December 25, 2017 at Bellefontaine Gardens Nursing Home in St. Louis, Missouri. Curtis, son of John "Bud" and Opal Golden Austin, was born on Tuesday, March 30, 1943 in Qulin, Missouri...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO - The following students have been awarded scholarships to attend Southeast Missouri State University for the 2018-2019 academic year: Dimitrius Chapman of Malden has received the Residence Life Leadership Award. Chapman is the son of Christy Chapman of Malden and will be a 2018 graduate of Malden High School...

By MARK SKELTON Mo. Dept. of Conservation With the main portion of both the middle and south zone of our duck seasons in Butler County open, there are a few things to keep in mind. Duck hunters should be conscious of duck identification before pulling the trigger. Hunters need to know what waterfowl species they are shooting at to make sure they stay within their daily limits and legal species...

Sheri Ann Gilmore, 39, of Neelyville, died on Wednesday, December 27, 2017 at her residence. Visitation will be held from 4 - 5 p.m. on Saturday, December 30 at Moore Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff, MO. A Celebration of Life will be held immediately following visitation at 5 p.m. in the Moore Funeral Service Chapel...

PIEDMONT, Mo. - Violet J. Hurst, 80, of Piedmont, died Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017 at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff. Visitation will be from 6 - 8 p.m., Friday, Dec. 29 at the Morrison-Worley Funeral Chapel in Piedmont. The funeral will be at 10 a.m., Sat. ...

QULIN, Mo. -- Donald A. Trigg, 83, of Qulin, Mo., died Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017 at his home in Qulin. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 29, 2017 at White-Sanders Funeral Home in Qulin. Funeral Services will follow at 11:30 a.m. in the funeral home chapel with Rev. Jim Sanders officiating. Burial will be in Sumach Cemetery at Holcomb, Mo...

Jessie Ice, 74, of Poplar Bluff, died Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2017 at St. Francis Hospital in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Arrangements are pending with Moore Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff. Online condolences: www.moorefuneralservice.com

PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Steven R. Pruett, 64 of Piedmont, died Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2017, at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff, Mo. Visitation will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at the Morrison-Worley Funeral Chapel in Piedmont. Funeral services will follow at noon Friday at the funeral home chapel with Bro. Richard Sanders officiating. Burial will be in the Rings Creek Cemetery near Patterson...

By PAUL DAVIS Outdoors Editor Even with pretty decent weather for the opening weekend of Missouri's alternative methods deer season, hunters across the state managed to take only 2,900 deer, and that is a three-day total through Monday. That's really no better than last year's opening weekend, which was wet and messy, so I guess maybe folks are just doing other things...

ERIE, Pa. (AP) -- Bitter cold weather has taken hold of much of the northern United States and is expected to stay put for days to come as two Minnesota cities already have set record low temperatures and a city in Pennsylvania continues to dig out from a record snowfall...

DONIPHAN, Mo. -- Dema Marie (Clayton) Scott, 88, of Doniphan died Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Mrs. Scott, the daughter of the late Charles Everton Clayton and Elsie Henson Clayton Lively and her late step-father John Lively, was born Sept. ...

It wasn't pretty, but the Mules found a way to hang on Wednesday night in the opening round of the 31st annual Poplar Bluff Showdown. In six trips to the free-throw line over the final 1 1/2 minutes, Poplar Bluff sank both foul shots just once. A pair of missed one-and-ones earlier didn't help matters as an 11-point, fourth-quarter lead was trimmed to three points...

DONIPHAN, Mo. -- Ora Flo Nance, 89-year-old former resident of Grandin, Mo., departed this life Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017 at the Mark Twain Caring Center in Poplar Bluff, Mo. Mrs. Nance was born Aug. 24, 1928, in Grandin, Mo. to the late Tom and Ora Cooper Roam. Ora retired from Paramount Caps and enjoyed fishing, picking wild green onions, taking rides with her daughter and eating chocolates, going to the river, and camping...

BLOOMFIELD -- Hayti spent the entire second quarter in the bonus, none of the second half in the bonus, and was rewarded by knocking off a pesky Bloomfield squad. The second-seeded Indians led No. 10 Bloomfield by two points at halftime and didn't take its first double-digit lead until there was less than four minutes remaining in the game before winning 65-52...

BLOOMFIELD -- Doniphan put together one of the most dominant quarters of the first two rounds of the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament and did it as the underdog. The sixth-seeded Dons didn't allow a field goal in the first quarter against No. 3 Bernie and led 16-2 after eight minutes. They went on to upset the previously undefeated Mules 68-51 and will play No. 2 Hayti in the semifinals at 8:30 p.m. Thursday...

Tyler Harris finished a point shy of breaking the single-game scoring record for the Poplar Bluff Showdown in the opening game of the 31st annual tournament Wednesday. The senior from Cordova (Tenn.) scored 44 in playing three quarters of a 90-51 win over Bradley Tech of Milwaukee. ...

BLOOMFIELD -- The fourth-seeded Malden Green Wave surged past East Prairie 71-34 Wednesday and into the semifinals of the 61st annual Bloomfield Christmas Tournament. The Green Wave (8-1) turned a close game in the opening minutes into a rout with an opportunistic defense and attacking offense to set up a matchup against top-seeded Dexter at 7 p.m. Thursday at Bloomfield High School...

Wilbert Lee Ball left to be with the Lord on Dec. 25, 2017 at 1:15 a.m. at John J Pershing VA Medical Center. Wilbert was born Jan. 20, 1929 in Parma, Mo., to Ida Mae Henderson and Louis Ball. He was raised by his grandparents Oliva and Henry Blackman...

BLOOMFIELD -- Zach Hargraves amassed 27 points Wednesday, and the 13th-seeded Twin Rivers Royals rebounded from their first-round loss in the 61st annual Bloomfield Christmas Tournament. A day after losing by 21 to fourth-seeded Malden, the Royals shot out to a fast start and beat 12th-seeded Van Buren 69-51 in a consolation quarterfinal...