Stories from Friday, February 23, 2018

Poplar Bluff city planner Dennis Avery was honored Thursday by local and state officials after 28 years as a public servant. Avery retires March 1, having helped the city improve storm water management, start Buff up the Bluff and mosquito abatement programs, and complete many other projects...

The Twin Rivers R-X Board of Education continued building project discussion during their regular meeting Thursday, Feb. 22. In April, the public will be presented with Proposition K.I.D.S. for the purpose of building a new high school in Broseley and help pay for improvements completed throughout the district over the summer...

After nearly 20 years in office, the only Democrat holding an elected position at the Butler County Courthouse will not file for re-election. Associate Circuit Judge John Bloodworth confirmed this morning he will not seeking a sixth term. Filing will begin at 8 a.m. Tuesday for the Aug. 7 primary election of county, legislative and judicial positions. Filing ends at 5 p.m. March 27...

As the search for an alleged shoplifter enters its third day, authorities say there have been no credible sightings since early Thursday morning. "We had officers out Thursday morning and even checking sightings late last night," but Andrew Millican remains at large, said Poplar Bluff Police Lt. Josh Stewart. " ... I was getting phone calls last night about possible locations."...

The safety and security of children and students is at the forefront of conversation nationally since active shooter situations have increased, the most recent occurring last week at a Florida high school. Locally, administrators at Three Rivers College (TRC) and Poplar Bluff R-1 said they are immersed in the discussion continuously and that each day, decisions and precautions are taken to reflect the best interest of students. ...

Eighteen-year-old Alyssa Cook is a senior at Poplar Bluff High School and currently holds the No. 1 position in class rank. Cook said she attributes her success to three things: dedication, extracurricular activities, and the support of her parents...

Senior Kaitlyn Lloyd is currently ranked No. 2 in Poplar Bluff High School's Class of 2018. The 18-year-old daughter of Karen Beis and Tommy Lloyd said aiming to be the best she can be has led her to a position at the top. "I've always strived to make myself better every single day," Lloyd said. "I've never given into peer pressure and have always done the right thing. I've always asked questions about anything that I needed."...

"You can't do it by yourself," said 17-year-old Sophia Rowland, of attaining the No. 1 rank in Poplar Bluff High School's junior class. "You can't make good grades without the help of your classmates and without the help of your teachers. I stay after class all the time and I have no shame in it. I raise my hand 24/7."...

Senior Adeesh Mishra currently holds the No. 4 position in the Poplar Bluff High School Class of 2018 and said he's earned a top spot by challenging himself year after year. "Throughout high school, I took harder classes," said Mishra, who is the son of Babita Patnaik and Subrat Mishra. "When I was a junior, instead of just taking AP (Advanced Placement) chem, I took AP Physics, as well. I've always tried to push myself with the classes I take."...

This time next year, Wyatt Murphy will be more than halfway through his freshman year at the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) in Colorado Springs, Colo. But for now, the 18-year-old senior at Poplar Bluff High School is holding on to the No. 5 position in the 367 student Class of 2018...

Taylor Spencer currently holds the No. 3 spot in the Poplar Bluff High School (PBHS) Class of 2018. According to the 17-year-old senior, whose 18th birthday is just around the corner, earning a place in the coveted "Top 5" is the result of nearly 12 years of hard work...

"Learn to like learning," said 17-year-old Sara Holland, when asked what advice she would give to students in grades beneath her own. And the Poplar Bluff High School (PBHS) junior seems to be the embodiment of her advice, as she currently holds the No. 2 rank in the Class of 2019...

Jillian Page is a junior at Poplar Bluff High School and currently holds the No. 4 position in a class of 338 students. The 17-year-old daughter of Teri and Tony Page said her education is in her hands. "I've studied hard," Page said. "I always do my homework, always ask teachers for help. I ask my parents for help and just always try to better my education on my own."...

By MARC A. THIESSEN WASHINGTON -- Watching the media fawning over the North Korean delegation at the Pyeongchang Olympics, I recalled a picture that my old boss, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, kept under the glass of a table in his office -- a satellite photo of the Korean Peninsula at night. ...

The No. 3 spot in Poplar Bluff High School's Class of 2019 is held by Carlton McDonald-Jordan. The 17-year-old guard for the varsity Mules basketball team said he works hard day-in and day-out because he plans to succeed in life after high school. "Right now, I just take initiative and put it on my own shoulders just to get done," McDonald-Jordan said. "I'll do whatever it is I've got to do to get into college and get a good job."...

By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN Candidate Donald Trump may have promised to extricate us from Middle East wars, once ISIS and al-Qaida were routed, yet events and people seem to be conspiring to keep us endlessly enmeshed. Recently, a drone, apparently modeled on a U.S. drone that fell into Iran's hands, intruded briefly into Israeli airspace over the Golan Heights, and was shot down by an Apache helicopter...

Sixteen-year-old Mya White is the only member of Poplar Bluff High School's "Top 10 Seniors and Juniors" to include a job in her list of extracurricular activities. "I work at Marble Slab (Creamery) and I love it," said the junior, who currently holds the No. 5 position in the Class of 2019...

By ADRIANA COHEN Discrimination of any kind is wrong, yet across America, conservatives are being discriminated against in the workplace and beyond for their political beliefs -- beliefs they are entitled to hold and express in a democracy that permits many political parties and free elections. Not to mention the right to free speech enshrined in the First Amendment. Yet despite having this unalienable right, conservatives are being targeted in both the public and the private sectors...

Doris M. Mossman, 90, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018 at Westwood Hills Health and Rehabilitation Center. She was born Feb. 20, 1928 at Bloomfield, Mo. to the late Issac W. Corbin and Pearl Brown Corbin. She was a long time resident of Butler County. Doris was of the Baptist faith...

Doris M. Mossman, 90, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018 at Westwood Hills Health and Rehabilitation Center. She was born Feb. 20, 1928 at Bloomfield, Mo. to the late Issac W. Corbin and Pearl Brown Corbin. She was a long time resident of Butler County. Doris was of the Baptist faith...

BERNIE -- Hayti strung together an 8-0 run to take the lead, and senior all-stater Darius Jones made four clutch free throws Thursday night to send the second-seeded Indians to their second-straight MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 championship. The Indians beat top-seeded Bernie 58-54 in a game where the lead changed hands 11 times...

Doris M. Mossman, 90, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018 at Westwood Hills Health and Rehabilitation Center. She was born Feb. 20, 1928 at Bloomfield, Mo. to the late Issac W. Corbin and Pearl Brown Corbin. She was a long time resident of Butler County. Doris was of the Baptist faith...

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- Charleston's Demarcus Sharp had Malden's Malcom McBride in his sights. Already down 9-0, Sharp wasn't about to let that deficit hit double-digits. The 6-foot-2 guard gave chase from behind and a mighty swing sent McBride's shot off the backboard and into another pair of Bluejay hands. Sharp's chase-down block was a sign of what was to come and how Thursday's MSHSAA Class 3 District 1 championship game was going to be won...

VAN BUREN --The Neelyville boys basketball team was able to end one long title drought this season but Thayer's zone defense extended another for the Tigers. The state-ranked Bobcats held Neelyville to 11 first-half points to build a double-digit lead and earned their fifth straight district championship with a 52-35 win Thursday night in the MSHSAA Class 2 District 3 final...

BERNIE -- The top-seeded Puxico Indians overcame a sluggish start Thursday night to beat second-seeded Campbell 60-36 to repeat as MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 champions. The Indians (18-9) will face Oran in a sectional playoff at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Jackson. Top-seeded Oran (19-4) beat Chaffee 56-44 Thursday night to win the District 2 championship...

VAN BUREN --This time around, the Neelyville girls basketball team had an answer for any comeback attempt by Thayer to earn a seventh straight title. The Tigers overcame an early seven-point deficit and maintained a double-digit lead for much of the second half to avoid a repeat of last year's final, winning 63-47 in the MSHSAA Class 2 District 3 championship Thursday night...