Stories from Saturday, March 16, 2019

Do you like playing with your food? Are you a reader of books? Would you like to support reading in our community? Yes! Yes! Yes! Join Friends of the Poplar Bluff Public Library’s fundraiser – Incredible, Edible Book Contest, our first attempt at this international book festival...

When I first decided to run for office, I did so with the hopes of being a strong voice in support of our rural values and communities. Like so many of you, I grew sick and tired of seeing millions and millions of dollars in taxpayer money going to bring new businesses and opportunities to St. Louis and Kansas City with little more than an afterthought being paid to our smaller, rural communities.  ...

A rural Naylor couple faces charges for the alleged physical abuse of their toddler over a period of several months. Michael T. Powell, 26, and Mindy D. Powell, 26, are set to go before a judge May 1 for preliminary hearings in the case. The couple was arrested Monday and booked at the Wayne County Jail. Both were released on their own recognizance Tuesday after being arraigned in Ripley County Circuit Court...

The proverb “It Takes a Village to Raise a Child” is proving true through a month-long donation drive hosted by Tim and Cheryl Hicks to help local children in the foster care system. The community is being asked to rally together and donate items at The Bluff Church for foster care purposes, which will then be distributed through the Children’s Division of the Department of Social Services and FosterAdopt Connect in Poplar Bluff...

The weather was just right earlier this week for a noontime walk around downtown Poplar Bluff. The sun was shining and it was 60 degrees. The conditions were just too good to pass up. On my way back to the newspaper I noticed the line outside the United Gospel Rescue Mission as lunch was about to be served. It made me think of all the volunteer work that goes into preparing those meals, and all the other work by hundreds of volunteers in Butler and surrounding counties...

The theme for the Sarah Jarboe White United Cancer Assistance Network (UCAN) Walk Saturday, April 27, taken from Ephesians 5:1-2 is “Walk in Love.” The walk shirts have 120 names on them. While several of these people are survivors, many had their lives cut short by cancer. Each name has a story to tell. The survivors, their family and friends are walking in love, but so are the families of those who died during their battles. They are walking in remembrance and to raise funds to help others...

Members of Rodgers Theatre Inc., hope to celebrate the historic building’s 70th anniversary this summer by closing a gap in matching money needed secure a grant for roof repairs. The nonprofit has raised about $29,000 of the approximately $45,000 needed for the project. In August 2018, a grant of $336,900 was awarded for the project by the Missouri Department of Economic Development, on the condition that the matching money be secured...

Over 80 years have passed since Orson Welles’ paralyzed radio listeners in 1938 with his chilling broadcast of H.G. Well’s “War of the Worlds.” His realistic reading caused widespread panic amongst the people of the United States. In the decades preceding and following, Americans have fallen victim in believing numerous urban legends, hoaxes and the existence of such illusive creatures as Paul Bunyan, flying saucers, Big Foot, Yeti (not the cup!), The Jersey Devil, The Bell Witch, Chupacabras and the like. ...

Regardless of what happens in Lubbock, Texas, this coming week, it’s been a season to remember for the Three Rivers College women’s basketball team. Unsure of what to expect from a team primarily made up of newcomers at the beginning of the season, fans have been treated to 20 wins in a row and the program’s third trip to the national tournament in its 37-year history. The other two trips to the national tournament were in 1995 and 2004...

MALDEN, Mo. -James Cordell Morgan Sr., 82, of Malden, died Saturday, March 16, 2019 at his residence. Visitation will be from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. Tuesday at Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden followed at 2 p.m. by a funeral and burial with military rites at Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield, Mo. Online condolences: www.bradshawfh.com

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. - Helen Marie Giffin, 83, of Bloomfield, died at her home in Englewood, Fla., Monday, March 11, 2019. Visitation was Saturday, March 16, 2019 at the Chiles-Cooper Funeral Home in Bloomfield. Services were Sunday, March 17, 2019 at the Chiles-Cooper Funeral Home in Bloomfield with Pastor Alice Fowler of Bloomfield officiating. Burial followed in the Oak Ridge (Bloomfield) Cemetery in Bloomfield with Chiles-Cooper Funeral Home of Bloomfield in charge of arrangements. Memorials may be made to the Trinity United Methodist Church, P O Box 302, Bloomfield, MO 63825. Online condolences: www.watkinsfuneralhome.com