Stories from Thursday, February 14, 2019

Gather friends and put your heads together to test your knowledge at the sixth annual Three Rivers Endowment Trust Trivia Night. The event will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, at the Holiday Inn in Poplar Bluff. Doors are scheduled to open at 5 p.m. with dinner served...

The Bluff City Mallards chapter of Ducks Unlimited is in the final planning stages for its annual banquet in Poplar Bluff, set for March 2 at the Black River Coliseum. “It’s shaping up really nice, and it should be a fun event,” said banquet co-chair Jeremy Wethington...

CAMPBELL, Mo. — Thomas ‘Blackie’ Doughten, 73, of Mesquite, Texas, formerly of Holcomb, Mo., died Friday, Feb. 8, 2019 in Dallas, Texas. Memorial services will be at 11 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 16 at Landess Funeral Home in Campbell. Landess Funeral Home in Campbell is in charge of arrangements...

County firefighters responded at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13, to a report of a fire in the 1500 block of County Road 553. According to the report, the fire was found to be a controlled burn. ———— County firefighters responded at 9:45 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13, to a reported vehicle fire on County Road 456...

A 26-year-old Puxico man was injured in a one-vehicle crash at 9:54 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13, on Highway 25, three miles north of Bloomfield. According to the report, Matthew T. Julius was operating a northbound 2016 Ford Explorer when it struck a deer in the road...

SILVA, Mo. — Pearl S. Shoemake Jr., 80, died Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019 at his home near Patterson. Visitation will be at 11 a.m., Monday, Feb. 18 at New Hope General Baptist Church in Silva. The funeral will follow at 1 p.m. at the church with Pastor Dan Ross officiating. Burial will be in the Montgomery Chapel Cemetery in Silva. Memorials may be made to the Montgomery Chapel Cemetery Fund. Online condolences may be left at www.morrisonworleychapel.com...

MALDEN, Mo. — Norma Sue Bridges, 72, of Rogers, Ark., died Monday, Feb. 11, 2019 at Circle of Life in Bentonville, Ark. Visitation will be at noon, Friday, Feb. 15, until time of service at 2 p.m. at the Bradshaw Chapel in Malden with Rev. James Hamlett officiating...

Wappapello Lake made it down to just above winter pool late Wednesday of last week, only to start rising quickly again the next morning after heavy rainwater pounded the watershed. After holding steady at just under 365 feet, 10 feet above normal, for a few days it started rising again Monday after more rain fell...

PIGGOTT, Ark. — Randol Lee Mikel, 59, of Piggott, passed away February 13, 2019, at Flo and Phil Jones Hospice House in Jonesboro, Ark. He was born on March 23, 1959, in Clarkton, Mo., and was the son of James William Mikel and Graphel Sue (Thrasher) Mikel Crum...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Deonte´ Jaquan Gainwell, 20, of Columbia, Mo., passed away Thursday, January 17, 2019, in Columbia. Deonte´ was born on March 11, 1998, in Poplar Bluff, Mo. to Alicia Gainwell and Belafonta Williams. He moved with his mother for better opportunities to Columbia in August of 2000...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — Jerry Lynn Warren Sr. passed away on Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019 at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Jerry was born June 1, 1945 in Poplar Bluff, Mo. to Loyd Chalmer and Altha (Mayberry) Warren. He graduated from Poplar Bluff High School in 1962. ...

BROSELEY, Mo. — Stanley Joseph Lersch, age 88, of Chicago, Ill., died February 3, 2019 in Chicago.  Visitation and entombment service at 1 p.m. on February 16 at Brown Chapel Cemetery in Broseley. Loving husband of Brenda Roberts Lersch. Proud father of Stanley, Joseph Shawn, Melissa, and Shanon. Adoring grandfather to Dylan, Corey, Taylor, Henry, and Helen. ...

PIEDMONT, Mo. — Dixie Ann Cole, 84, of Des Arc, MO., died Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019 at her residence. Visitation will be from noon until 2 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 17 at Ruegg Funeral Home, Piedmont. The funeral will follow at 2 p.m., at the chapel. Burial will be in Mt. View Cemetery, Des Arc. Online condolences can be made at www.rueggfuneralhomes.com...

PIEDMONT, Mo. — Donald Doyle Kemp, age 83, of Mill Spring, Mo., died Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019 at the Clark’s Mountain Nursing Center in Piedmont. Visitation will be at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 16 at the Morrison-Worley Funeral Chapel in Piedmont. A Celebration of Life Service will follow at 3:30 p.m. ...

FISK, Mo. — Brenda Robards, age 70, of Broseley, Mo., died Wednesday, February 13, 2019 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center, in Poplar Bluff, Mo. Mrs. Robards was born March 21, 1948 in St. Louis, Mo., daughter of late Chester and Mary Cooley. Mrs. ...

The Butler County Prosecuting Attorney’s office is in transition. That transition includes a newly elected prosecutor, Kacey Proctor, who took over Jan. 1, and a move from paper files to a paperless case management system. “It’s been challenging, but also it’s been fun to be able to really set up an office the way I think it should be run,” said Proctor...

The Malden High School Commons area will be transformed into a beautiful ballroom filled with Disney Princesses, sweet treats and magical surprises. The MHS Beta Club will be hosting “A Royal Celebration” on Saturday, Feb. 23. Three different time options are available at 1, 4 and 7 p.m. to limit the party sizes so each guest can interact with the princesses...

When Randall Merimee looked at the vision chart with his left eye for the draft board in 1968, the 17-year-old could only identify the sticks of the top ‘E’. Everything else was lost to the haze Merimee had dealt with since childhood. He was legally blind in that eye, and every specialist his father took him to said nothing could be done...

The National Weather Service in Paducah, Kentucky issued a Winter Weather Advisory for area counties from noon Friday to 3 a.m. Saturday with ice accumulations expected. A winter storm system will bring freezing rain, sleet and snow to the area Friday afternoon through Friday night with ice accumulations of around one to two-tenths of an inch and up to two inches of snow and sleet further north...