Stories from Thursday, December 13, 2018

College of the Ozarks signed a couple of Bulldogs, in both the literal and figurative sense. "A lot of the hard work ethic, which is what College of the Ozarks is known for," College of the Ozarks coach Neale Richardson said. "They came to our prospect camp, both very hard-working, energetic, enthusiastic, very talented. Exactly what we were looking for."...

LAS VEGAS -- Done gallivanting around the globe to do everything from sight-see to represent Major League Baseball in Japan, Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina will resume his offseason preparation after he has surgery Thursday to address a sore knee. Molina will have a cleanup procedure done to repair a nagging irritation in his left knee something that he described during the season but continued to play through. ...

SENATH, Mo. -- Campbell experienced little difficulty booking a spot in the Senath-Hornersville Christmas Tournament championship on Wednesday. Fresh off a 79-18 victory against No. 6 seeded North Pemiscot in its first pool play contest Monday second-seeded Campbell secured another lopsided victory against third-seeded Armorel, Ark., 74-41 Wednesday...

JACKSON -- Poplar Bluff diver Paige Bradley qualified for state Monday. Bradley finished with an 11-dive score of 406.79 points to qualify as the swim team beat Jackson 73-59. Poplar Bluff and Jackson would have tied at 69, but two Indians swimmers were disqualified in the 500-freestyle. Notre Dame finished third with 47 points and Saxony Lutheran got six points...

With firearms deer season behind us now, waterfowl seasons are now the big thing. What do I mean by that? Let me explain. First of all, the waterfowl migration should be near its peak right now with the cold fronts coming from the northwest, and all three of the duck zones (North, Middle and South) are currently open. Since Missouri is centrally located in the U.S., we include all three zones...

Staff at Wappapello Lake will not begin the annual winter drawdown process at the impoundment this weekend, though Dec. 15 has been the normal time frame to do so for the last several years. Instead, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water control staff in St. Louis have determined the drawdown will begin later this year...

By WALTER E. WILLIAMS How appropriate would it be for a major publicly held American company to hire a person with a history of having publicly made the following statements and many others like them? (In the interest of brevity, I shall list only three.) "The world could get by just fine with zero black people." "It's kind of sick how much joy I get out of being cruel to old black men." "Are black people genetically predisposed to burn faster in the sun, thus logically only being fit to live underground like groveling bilious goblins?". ...

In recent days, many have sought to contrast President Trump with President George H.W. Bush. But there is one area where Trump is channeling his inner George H.W. Bush -- and not in a good way. His response to the murder and dismemberment of Jamal Khashoggi in a Saudi consulate echoes Bush's handling of China's crackdown on peaceful democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square...

Verlina S. 'Leenie; Middleton, 78, of Piedmont, Mo., died Tues., Dec. 11, 2018 at her residence. Visitation will be at 4:30 p.m., Friday, Dec. 14, 2018, at Ruegg Funeral Home, Piedmont. The funeral will be at 2:30 p.m., Sat., Dec. 15, also in the chapel. Burial will be at Mt. View Cemetery at Des Arc, Mo. Online condolences can be made at www.rueggfuneralhomes.com...

NEELYVILLE, Mo. - Oscar Eugene Golden, 84, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., passed away at home on Dec. 11, 2018 in Butler Co. Mo. Mr. Golden was born January 31, 1934 in Fisk, Mo. He was a resident of Poplar Bluff. He worked for East Texas Motor Freight of Neelyville, ABF of Cape Girardeau, Mo. ...

ELLSINORE, Mo. - Misty Dawn Miller, 47, of Ellsinore, died Monday, Dec. 10, 2018 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff, Mo. Visitation will be from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m., Friday, Dec. 14 at the McSpadden Funeral Home in Ellsinore. The funeral will be at 10 a.m., Sat., Dec. 15 in the funeral home chapel with Rev. Pete Joplin offiating. Burial will be in the Carson Hill Cemetery in Ellsinore...

Calvin 'Eddie' Robertson 76, of Poplar Bluff departed this life on Tuesday Dec. 11, 2018 in Poplar Bluff. He was born on Aug. 26, 1942 to the late Calvin A Robertson and Alberta P Nunn. On March 18, 1967 he married Joan E (Harvill) Robertson in Florence Alabama she survives. ...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- Cape Girardeau city officials viewed the opening of the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge 15 years ago today as an economic launchpad for the Mississippi River community. But while the towering span has become a community landmark, it has not paved the way for economic growth like city leaders had envisioned...

Staff Reports Registration for the Three Rivers College spring semester will end Jan. 11 for new and returning students. The spring semester will begin Jan. 14 at locations in Poplar Bluff, Sikeston, Dexter, Kennett, Piedmont and Cape Girardeau. New this year during Winter Break, students will be able to email EnrollNow@trcc.edu for assistance with registering for the Spring semester. ...

The Poplar Bluff High School Speech and Debate team recently proved why they will be a group to watch leading up to the district competition in March. In the first debate of the 2018-19 school year, Poplar Bluff took second place overall at the Drama, Speech and Debate Competition hosted by Dexter High School on Dec. 6 against 14 other schools...

The Rodgers Theatre will present "The Best of Motown" at 7 p.m. Friday. The four-man group, currently with a show in Branson, Mo., pays tribute to the many R&B and soul greats that have defined modern American music. Members of the group include Derek Ventura, who began singing at age 13 and has performed for the last 52 years. ...