Stories from Sunday, January 28, 2018

She was married when she was merely a senior in high school, and later became a teenage mother, twice. Today, Sharon Kissinger is a respected financial planner, business owner, benefactor, and the 2018 Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year...

By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN Asked if he would agree to be interviewed by Robert Mueller's team, President Donald Trump told the White House press corps, "I would love to do it ... as soon as possible. ... under oath, absolutely." On hearing this, the special counsel's office must have looked like the Eagles' locker room after the 38-7 rout of the Vikings put them in the Super Bowl...

By GEORGE F. WILL WASHINGTON -- Like Horatius at the bridge, or the boy who stood on the burning deck whence all but he had fled, or the Dutch boy who saved the city by putting his finger in the dike -- pick your analogous heroism -- the Trump administration last week acted to stanch the flood of foreign-made washing machines that are being imported because Americans want them. ...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The first weeks of dialysis were the best ones. Three days a week my mother would go to the dialysis center. Long a diabetic, her kidneys failed in her 40s. She was cheerful as she sat there hooked to a machine that would clean her blood over about a three-hour period, doing the job her kidneys couldn't...

Cure problem with food boycott Hello Speak Out. You know if the folks who are confined in the various extended care and nursing homes facilities, the ones that serve food that's not fit to be eat. If they would just boycott the dining room then something would have to be done. So long as they put up with sorry food, ill prepared, bad portions, no taste, bad taste, nothin's gonna change. And the only way you can get the attention is to simply boycott. Just don't eat it! Thank ya...

"Our Nation, Our District, Our Community" is the theme for the 2018 Congressional Art Competition for high school students in public, private and home schools across southeast and south central Missouri, Congressman Jason Smith announced. Students may submit original paintings, drawings, collages, mixed media, computer-generated art, and photographs. Congressman Smith and a panel of art experts will select a winning work of art to be displayed in the Capitol for one year...

Ralph and Elsie Kirkman of Poplar Bluff celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. A vacation is planned to the Gulf of Mexico where they honeymooned 50 years ago. The Kirkmans founded Rhema-Word Ministries 27 years ago. Ralph has authored two Christian books Adventure in Discovery of the Word of Healing and Faith Words. He presently is writing two other books, Re-discovering the lost language of Eden and The Garden of Eden Gods Kingdom on earth...

Charles Edward Bertholomey Jr., 62, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Friday, Jan. 26, 2018, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Mr. Betholomey was born Oct. 31, 1955, in Chicago, Ill. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge in Grandin and was a truck driver...

Twin Rivers High School staff announces the second quarter honor and merit rolls Second Quarter Honor Roll Seniors: Lindsey Bagwell, Katelyn Baxter, Cameron Bleem, Brooke Blume, Haley Burke, Shaina Chaffin, Sarah Conner, Olivia Crites, Olivia Douglas, Tara Dunning, Hannah Finley, Catey Hester, Bailey Knight, Taylor Lourance, Crysta Mounce, Hannah Phillips, Dakota Pullum, Madison Richmond, Jamie Robards, Melissa Stadler, Kyle Stewart, Tomas Stitz, Britni Thurman, Kayleigh Wilkerson, Jarrica Williams, Jaylen Williams. ...

Produce growers in Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky have asked many questions regarding the new Federal Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) produce rule and the requirements that go with it. The University of Missouri Extension will offer a produce safety workshop to provide training for growers who are required to comply with the new Produce Safety Regulations in the Food Safety Modernization Act. ...

Malden, Mo. -- Billy Gene Terry, 88, of Malden, formerly of Risco, died Friday, Jan. 26, 2018, at Malden Nursing & Rehab. Visitation will begin a 9 a.m. Monday at Pleasant View General Baptist Church in Risco until the funeral at 11 a.m. at the church with Re. Mark Powell officiating. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery in Malden with Military Rites...

GREENVILLE, Mo. -- Nora D. Bennett, 98, of Greenville, Mo., died Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Visitation will be held Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018, from 5 p.m., at Ruegg Funeral Home, Greenville. Services will follow Monday, Jan. 29, 2018, at 11 a.m., also at the funeral home chapel. Burial will be at Kirkpatrick Cemetery near Greenville...

Ron Resnik, 71, of Poplar Bluff, died Saturday, Jan. 27, 2018 at his residence. Visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018 at Moore Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff. Mass of Christian Burial will be 11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 31, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Poplar Bluff. Moore Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff is in charge of arrangements...

PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Marvin G. Lueddecke, 86, of Piedmont died Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018 at the Clark's Mountain Nursing Center in Piedmont. Visitation will be held from 5-7 p.m. Sunday at the Morrison-Worley Funeral Chapel in Piedmont. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Monday at the funeral home chapel with Rev. Sean Montgomery officiating. Burial with Military Honors will be in the Annapolis Cemetery...

DEXTER, Mo. - Clifford Wamble, son of the late Louis Wamble and Joyce Robinson Wamble was born on April 3, 1940 in Dexter, Mo. and departed this life Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018 at his residence in rural Dexter at the age of 77 years, surrounded by his wife and two children and daughter-in-law...

VAN BUREN, Mo. -- Gov. Eric Greitens was the intended recipient of a comment made last week criticizing the response of elected officials to historic flood damage in Carter County, according to presiding commissioner Don Black. Black says he misspoke when including U.S. Rep. Jason Smith in a group of officials he believes disappeared after the photo ops ended in late April and early May 2017...

The city of Poplar Bluff may let invoices issued by a Michigan technology provider after the company was fired prevent the collection of more than $1.2 million in taxpayer-funded computer equipment. Information Systems Intelligence has claimed since August 2015 the city owes it an additional $376,000...

Dominique Hardimon made a twisting runner over a defender kiss high off the glass, clip the rim and in to complete a fourth-quarter comeback Thursday night. The Poplar Bluff junior broke a tie with 2.2 seconds left as the Mules knocked off state-ranked Cape Central 50-48 in a SEMO Conference game that made for a memorable homecoming...

Beating No. 16 Moberly Area at full strength would have been a tough task. The Raiders, though, had two options for subs while Moberly had 13 players log minutes. With seven active players, including the addition of Kolby Bess, grandson of Three Rivers coach Gene Bess, the Raiders faded as time wore on and lost 103-74 on Saturday at the Bess Activity Center...

Doni Everts' big night and timely 3-point shooting in the third quarter helped the Poplar Bluff Mules beat Butler County rival Twin Rivers 58-48 Saturday at the Senior High Gym. Everts scored a season-best 23 points with 15 coming in a tightly contested first half...

A former Poplar Bluff, Mo., city manager and former technology contractor may have worked together to exploit a loophole in city purchasing policies, a law firm says. Emails between fired city manager Heath Kaplan and Ryan Leestma, owner of Michigan-based Information Systems Intelligence, discuss "rearranged" pricing on equipment to meet criteria for no-bid contracts, according to a letter from Husch Blackwell...

The Lady Raiders are getting closer. After losing to Moberly Area by 25 points two weeks ago, Three Rivers pushed the undefeated and No. 7 ranked Lady Greyhounds all night before suffering a 76-63 loss Saturday at the Bess Activity Center. "In the locker room after the game I told them, 'We will beat them next time,'" Three Rivers coach Jeff Walk said...

ELLSINORE -- Twin Rivers junior Hayden Thomas scored his 1,000th point Friday. Backed by Thomas' 23 points, the Royals won 65-49. Twin Rivers led by eight after the first quarter, and then tacked on five points in the third. Thomas had seven points in the first quarter before a scoreless second. He got going in the third with a pair of field goals and a pair of free throws. He then had nine of Twin Rivers' 18 points in the fourth quarter, including three free throws...

DEXTER -- Nate Dillinger and his fellow seniors will cherish their Stoddard County Activities Association Tournament championship. The third-seeded Bernie Mules posted their second-straight upset, beating top-seeded Dexter 53-50 Friday night to win their first conference tournament championship since 2015...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Poplar Bluff's 200-yard freestyle relay earned a ticket to the state championships Saturday as Audrey Cisne, Paige Bradley, Raegan McAtee and Taylor Norwood had their fastest time of the season at the Springfield Invitational. Norwood won the butterfly in 58.69 seconds and placed second in the individual medley by just 0.21 of a second...