Stories from Thursday, August 9, 2018

"Frontier justice" costs too many citizens of all races, creeds, and backgrounds their freedom and their lives. In the old days of the Wild West, vigilantes worked outside the judicial system to punish rivals regardless of their guilt or innocence. Today, outlaws operate inside the bureaucracy to secure criminal convictions at all costs...

WAPPAPELLO, Mo. - The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is seeking public input on a possible regulation change for crappie fishing at Wappapello Lake in Wayne County to both allow anglers to keep more crappie and promote more consistency in the quality of the fishery. According to MDC, crappie are the most popular fish sought by anglers fishing the lake...

How is it that a town of less than 900 inhabitants, annually draws thousands of visitors to its streets? Why do people from all over the country flock to a rural community, nestled off the beaten path mid-way between Memphis and St. Louis? What makes the second full-week of August so significant that many calendars are marked a year in advance and the date guarded vigilantly? What sparks the community spirit that binds citizens in a common cause year-after-year-after-year? And probably the most pressing question of all: A goat burger?. ...

"Science, like the Mississippi, begins in a tiny rivulet in the distant forest." -- Abraham Flexner WASHINGTON -- In 1933, when America's most famous immigrant settled in Princeton, New Jersey, Franklin Roosevelt tried to invite Albert Einstein to the White House. ...

Things are pretty slow in the outdoors right now, but there were a couple of good bass tournaments over the weekend. Thirty-three teams fished Sunday's Angler's Choice event at Wappapello Lake, and almost every team brought fish to the weigh-in. Don Hampton and Ron Carnahan topped the field with a stringer weight of 14.04 pounds, and their efforts earned them a cool $1,640...

DONIPHAN, Mo. - The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), along with the University of Missouri Extension and Quality Deer Management Association, will host a wildlife management habitat workshop for landowners 6-8 p.m. tonight, at the First Baptist Church in Doniphan. The workshop is free with drinks and snacks provided...

Whether you realize it or not, we are going through a transition right now with our hunter education certification program, which began last year. Any Missouri resident 16 years of age or older can go through the entire certification course online at the Missouri Department of Conservation website, mdc.mo.gov ($15). With this new option, it is not totally necessary to ever take any courses in person...

Millions of Americans head outdoors in the summer, whether for a day at a nearby lake or a monthlong road trip. For environmental economists like me, decisions by vacationers and outdoor recreators offer clues to a challenging puzzle: estimating what environmental resources are worth...

Tribune News Service When it comes to bees, the more people know about the insects' habitat needs, the better their populations can thrive. That's the idea behind the recently released report, "Bees and Their Habitats in Four New England States," co-authored by Francis Drummond, professor of insect ecology and insect pest management at the University of Maine...

Aaron Arnzen had been riding since 6 a.m. and already logged 180 miles on his bike that day. But with a storm rolling in and a chance at first place looming, he decided it was no time to rest. Instead, he hopped back on his bike and kept pedaling. Over 24 hours later, early in the morning of July 26, Arnzen crossed the finish line in second place in the Trans South Dakota Race. ...

Poplar Bluff officials expect to approve this month two new efforts this month aimed at cleaning up the city, an adopt-a-street program and a bulk trash service. The street program received unanimous support Monday by council members, who are expected to sign off on the trash service at their Aug. 28 meeting...

Since players and fans began to arrive at Bellerive Country Club on Monday, two main attractions have dominated conversations. There's the obvious one: 42-year-old Tiger Woods, his medically fused back and quest for lost glory, is playing in his first PGA Championship since 2015, here to punctuate a promising comeback season with his first tour victory in five years...

The Charleston Fighting Squirrels baseball team lost a three-run lead and fell, 7-6, to Northern Fairfax County (Va.) in extra innings in pool play of the Senior Babe Ruth World Series on Wednesday in Jamestown, New York. Despite the Squirrels' first loss at the tournament, they finished first in the American Division with a 3-1 record, earning a bye into the semifinals Friday...

VAN BUREN -- Park rangers at the Ozark National Scenic Riverways are inviting the public to participate in a workshop Saturday that teaches a traditional Ozark craft. Members of the Heritage Workshop will instruct residents and visitors on how to make a shallow wooden dough bowl during a class from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will be held at the park headquarters in Van Buren...

Richard G. Pitchie, 88, of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, died Sunday, Aug. 5, 2018 in Poplar Bluff. A graveside service will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2018 at the Poplar Bluff City Cemetery. A full obituary will run in the Friday edition of the Daily American Republic...

NEELYVILLE, Mo.-- David Edwin Teel, 62, of Corning, Ark. died Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018 at his home. Visitation will take place after 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 12, 2018 at the Fowler and Sons Funeral Home in Neelyville. The funeral will begin at 11 a.m. in the chapel with Donnie Fowler officiating. Burial will follow at the Bloomfield Veterans Cemetery...

Efforts by two area communities could help reduce flood damage in the future. Poplar Bluff officials hope the creation of some additional flood protection will help residents on the south side of town. They also approved this week the demolition of seven other properties through a flood buyout...

Community pride Residents in several Poplar Bluff neighborhoods need to recapture their community spirit, If everyone would take a few minutes and pickup the trash tossed in their yard, each of our neighborhoods would improve. While outside, take the time to at least smile and wave at your neighbors. Who knows you might become friends and create a real "old-fashioned" neighborhood again where share their lives and watch out for each other...

Poplar Bluff streets How long does it take the city of Poplar Bluff to dig a hole in the middle of the street and not fill it? Evidently about all summer. I guess you have to get every vehicle in Poplar Bluff out of line and have your windshields broke out before you can fix the hole in the street that the city's dug...