Stories from Saturday, December 30, 2017

Mary W. Reed, 84, of Qulin died Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2107 at her residence. Services were held Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017 at the White-Sanders Funeral Home in Oulin. Rev. Jim Sanders and Leman Reed officiated. Burial followed in the Qulin Cemetery. Online condolences: www.whitesandersfuneralhome.com...

BLOOMFIELD -- A little "Christmas dinner" fatigue wasn't enough to keep Doniphan's depth down. With help from some extra bodies in the second half, the No. 6 Dons successfully pressed No. 11 Puxico and turned a five point halftime deficit into a 64-51 win in the first round of the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament...

From Staff Reports Jan. 19 and 20 will mark another installment of the Heartland Agriculture and Natural Resources Expo (Ag Expo), which will be held at the Black River Coliseum in Poplar Bluff, Mo. Ag Expo has continued to grow and add new events each year to bring something fresh to the public, said Sarah Denkler, Butler County Program Director for the University of Missouri Extension Service. ...

The St. Louis District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers currently is updating the Wappapello Lake Master Plan and the Shoreline Management Plan. The purpose for updating these plans is to bring them into compliance with current U.S. Army Corps of Engineers policies and regulations, update visitor use trends and obtain public input to ensure future activities are accomplished in an environmentally sustainable manner...

Once the presents have been opened and the feast eaten, there's one last gift you can give this Christmas season - to your local fish or wildlife habitat. Christmas trees can be used to improve habitat in ponds, lakes or even a back yard. Christopher Kennedy, a Fisheries Regional Supervisor with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), said this time of year brings an easy opportunity to give fish a place to hide from predators and thrive. ...

I suppose God looks upon our lives as a whole rather than breaking them up in fragments of time we call days and months and years. But, since we do fragmentize time, it seems fitting at the beginning of a new year that we look back on last year with greater determination and renewed hope of accomplishing that which God would have us to and of becoming the kind of person we want to be. ...

A group of employees from the Daily American Republic broke a tradition this year and decided to spread some Christmas cheer outside the newspaper office. Instead of buying Christmas presents for one another within departments, the employees pulled their money together and made sure a group of elderly people would have a very merry Christmas...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Bo's Jewelry & Pawn of Sikeston, Mo. presented a $5,000 check from Jewelers for Children (JFC) to the Kenny Rogers Children's Center recently as part of a Local Grant Program. JFC, a non-profit organization founded by the jewelry industry in 1999, is dedicated to helping children in need. ...

The Missouri Corn Growers Association and Missouri Corn Merchandising Council will be awarding seven deserving students $1,000 scholarships. Applications for the Missouri Corn Scholarship Program are now available for high school seniors and college juniors pursuing a degree in agronomy or related area of agriculture."This program is a way for growers to help students interested in agriculture expand their education so they can make a positive impact in the corn industry," notes Brian Lehman, Missouri Corn Scholarship chairman and farmer from Versailles. ...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - There's no need to rescue wildlife, even in winter, according to Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) naturalists. Though winter is a challenging season for wildlife, each species has their own method of surviving the cold. Some of them migrate, some hibernate, and others simply den up and stay warm...

It's just like in the movies. Two cheerleaders from Scott City headed across the Atlantic Ocean next week to perform in the London New Year's Day Parade with 650 other high-school cheerleaders to represent Varsity Spirit. While it may seem like a fairy tale, their tickets to this once-in-a-lifetime experience come solely through hard work and talent...

District 153 State Rep. Steve Cookson recently was appointed by Gov. Eric Greitens to serve on the state's Organ Donation Advisory Committee. His term will last until January 2020. Earlier this year, Cookson was diagnosed with kidney failure and in April announced on the Missouri House of Representatives floor he is in need of a life-saving liver transplant. Cookson said he plans to use his position on the committee to raise awareness about the need for organ donation...

By CALEB H. SWALLOWS Puxico Press The Puxico Police Department officially has started the process of training a K9 unit dog to bring to the department's task force. This advancement for the police department would not have been possible without the desire and dedication of the Puxico officer Michelle Priest...

Register for the Ag Expo Beauty Pageant Saturday, Jan. 20 to be held at the Ag Expo 2018 at the Black River Coliseum in Poplar Bluff. Divisions include: 9:30 a.m., Baby Girl, birth to 11 months; 10 a.m., Toddler Girl, 1 year to 23 months; 10:30 a.m., Petite Miss, 2 to 4 years; 11 a.m., Little Miss, 5 to 7 years; 11:30 a.m., Junior Miss, 8 to 12 years; noon, Miss Ag Expo, 13 to 18 years...

Owners of a Dexter restaurant that was at the root of a community health scare recently released details regarding the experience and are assuring local residents their facility is up and running with business as usual. It was confirmed in mid-December a former employee of Dexter's Huddle House on Business 60 had tested positive for Hepatitis A after working at the restaurant just seven days. ...

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a ... 6-foot-tall bicycle? Commuters and pedestrians may have noticed a rather tall road bike making its way across town in the last several months. In fact, spectators at the Parade of Lights last month may have seen several like it there...