Stories from Wednesday, January 9, 2019

Brandan and Sarah Gremminger waited years for a child. Once the couple found out they were expecting, they were thrilled. Kingston Ford Gremminger didn’t make them wait much longer, and arrived sooner than expected. Kingston was born Oct. 5, 2017 at 24 weeks and one day, weighing just 1 pound, 11 ounces. He faced a lot of obstacles...

A newly formed board within the city of Poplar Bluff is setting its sights to clean up blighted properties in the area. The Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority held its first meeting Tuesday morning to organize the board, select officers and discuss the purpose of the group...

PIEDMONT, Mo. - Dorothy M. Wideman, 89, of Patterson, Mo., died Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019 at the Clark’s Mountain Nursing Center in Piedmont. Visitation will be at 5 p.m., Monday, Jan. 14 at Morrison-Worley Funeral Chapel in Piedmont. A prayer service will follow at 6 p.m. at the funeral home chapel with Fr. Daniel Hirtz officiating. Graveside services will be at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 15 at the Wideman Cemetery near Dittmer, Mo. Online condolences may be left at www.morrisonworleychapel.com...

MALDEN, Mo. - Miss Sheila Ann Paul, 57, of Scott, La., formerly of Malden, died Friday, Jan. 4, 2019 at her residence. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., Friday, Jan. 11 at the Landess Chapel in Malden. The funeral will follow at 1 p.m. in the Landess Chapel with Rev. Greg Mullins officiating. Burial will be in the Mt. Gilead Cemetery in Clarkton, Mo. Landess Funeral Home of Malden is in charge of arrangements...

Did you spend November and December promising yourself that come-January, you would stop overindulging and develop better habits? Ah, New Year’s resolutions… so easy to make…but they can be so hard to keep. Area Veterans will be glad to know, however, that at the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center, we aim to help our patients succeed with their resolutions, and with their health care goals in general...

County firefighters responded at 7:31 a.m. Tuesday to a motor-vehicle crash on U.S. 67 South. According to the report, extrication was not needed. ———— County firefighters responded at 12:32 p.m. Tuesday to a grass fire on Highway 67 South, one mile north of the Arkansas state line...

VAN BUREN, Mo. - Bill Norman Tripp, 72, of Ellington, Mo., died Monday, Jan. 7, 2019 at his residence. Visitation will be from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m., Friday, Jan. 11 at the McSpadden Funeral Home in Van Buren. The funeral will be at 11 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 12 in the funeral home chapel with Rev. Jerry Crowley officiating. Burial will be in the Yount Memorial Cemetery in Garwood, Mo...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. - Carol Smith, 69, of Dexter, Mo., died January 8, 2019. Visitation will be after 1:30 p.m., Friday, Jan. 11 until time of services at 2 p.m. at the Chiles-Cooper Funeral Home in Bloomfield with the Rev. Jim Traughber of Dexter officiating...

Steve Hanley, 69, of Poplar Bluff, died on January 6, 2019 in Poplar Bluff, Mo. The family will hold a celebration of life on Saturday, Jan. 12 at 5 p.m. at the Heartland Christian Family Church with Pastor Ken officiating. Moore Funeral Service of Poplar Bluff is in charge of arrangements...

FISK, Mo. - Betty Jean James, age 77, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Tuesday, January 8, 2019 at her residence, in Poplar Bluff. Mrs. James was born March 13, 1941 in Broseley, Mo., daughter of the late Ernest and Virgie Tomes. She was an avid Cardinals baseball fan, and loved spending time with her family. ...

By PAUL DAVIS Outdoors Editor Missouri’s Middle Zone duck season has officially closed, and honestly, most hunters are probably glad that headache is gone. As Ron McKuin and others have said, this was easily the worst duck season they could recall. The season never really got going locally because large numbers of migrant birds didn’t show up in Southeast Missouri. Even with one or two strong cold fronts in December, no significant pushes of fresh ducks appeared...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Two freshman lawmakers from Butler County officially took office Wednesday during the 100th General Assembly swearing in ceremony for the Missouri House of Representatives. Republicans Hardy Billington and Jeff Shawan now serve districts 152 and 153 respectively...

The headstone of a man whose family helped start a Butler County school nearly a century ago was laid to rest Tuesday, decades after it went missing from an area cemetery. Its recovery has not only provided closure for the family of Francis Marion Hendrix, it has helped them rediscover a part of their history that had been lost...