Stories from Thursday, March 21, 2019

A Poplar Bluffian and three family members attended a recent ceremony aboard the battleship USS Missouri at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in observance of the 75th anniversary of the launching of the famous warship in 1944 during World War II, and its 20th anniversary as a Living Educational Maritime Museum...

GREENVILLE — Construction is nearing completion on a new addition to the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department. “We were running out of room, and we decided that we needed a kitchen and storage room,” explained Wayne County Sheriff Dean Finch. “We put our heads together, the commissioners and myself, and decided to put the expansion onto the back of the building.”...

Thinking outside the box and being innovative to benefit the people of rural Southeast Missouri, as well as the entire state, had State Rep. Jeff Shawan of Poplar Buff (R-District 153) touring his district this week. After visiting the Three Rivers College program in Dexter on Wednesday morning, Shawan visited with Poplar Bluff leaders during lunch at the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce. ...

Have you ever noticed people who say “I’m a good person” can only make that claim in contrast to others around them or by the standards of the community in which they live?   God’s Word calls us to not compare ourselves amongst ourselves to determine our goodness, but to compare ourselves to God’s standard of righteousness. ...

GLADEWATER, Texas — Harry Don Ferguson, 79, formerly of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died March 19, 2019 at Christus Good Shepherd Hospital in Longview, Texas. Celebration of Life Services will be held at 3 p.m., Sunday, March 24 at Calvary Baptist Church in Gladewater, Texas with his son-in-law, John McGee officiating.

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — Jerry T. Carl, 72, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Wednesday, March 20, 2019 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff. The family is planning a memorial service for a later date.

DEXTER, Mo. — Wallace Glen Holman, son of the late Wallace Holman and Bessie Sweeny Holman, was born on April 5, 1947 in McComb, Ill. and departed this life on March 19, 2019 at his residence in Wappapello, Mo. Mr. Holman was a truck driver and a resident of Wappapello...

City firefighters responded at 8:10 p.m. Tuesday, March 19, to assist police officers with opening a small safe during the execution of a search warrant at 3018 Cravens Road. According to the report, firefighters used forcible entry tools to open a small, personal safe...

An event that both celebrates the timber history of the region and supports community endeavors will kick off at 9 a.m. Saturday at Wappapello Lake. The fourth annual Woodlands Expo will be held at the Redman Creek Recreation Area, with nearly a dozen competitions...

Poplar Bluff business woman, wife and mother Lara Moffitt looked the image of success to many people outside her personal world. Moffitt and her family knew there was a journey she needed to make to save her life, but she had to decide to accept the challenge...

NEELYVILLE — The purchase of a new bus and the food service contract for the upcoming school year were approved Thursday night by the Neelyville R-IV Board of Education. The district, Superintendent Brad Hagood said, received three bids for the purchase of a new 77-passenger bus...

By DENISE KINDER Staff Writer The Poplar Bluff R-1 Board of Education gave administrators the green light to gather numbers for renovating a building on the Middle School campus for a possible Suspension Center. Superintendent Dr. Scott Dill explained to the board Thursday evening after much discussion and research on establishing an alternative school with a Suspension Center at the Mark Twain Building, he has found another way for the district to have value sooner than later...

A board created to help developmentally disabled residents in Stoddard County risks creating gridlock, with nothing being done...

An accident in front of Poplar Bluff’s Early Childhood Center flipped a parked car into a fence along the sidewalk and blocked Main Street for about an hour Thursday afternoon. It occurred at approximately 2:50 p.m., 45 minutes before students were to be released from school. At least one person was taken to a local hospital but officials did not have any additional information as of press time...

Two Butler County polling places will see changes in the April 2 election for school and municipal offices. Residents in Oglesville and Wappapello will move to new facilities starting with this election, said county clerk Tonyi Deffendall. The Oglesville precinct has been merged with the Qulin voting precinct, Deffendall said. These residents will vote at the Qulin City Hall, 481 Second St., and not at the Oglesville Fire Station...

Photo of the first 'Cow Day' held in Poplar Bluff as first published in The Weekly American, now the Daily American Republic, June 13, 1929 edition.