Stories from Monday, April 13, 2020

The Animal Welfare Alliance (AWA) will participate in ACTS Day on Wednesday, April 15, in hopes of gathering a new supply of pet food. Any pet food donated will be given to area pet owners suffering financially because of layoffs or other problems created by the current virus emergency, according to a press release from AWA...

MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL A 25-year-old Malden man was injured in a one-vehicle crash at 1:03 p.m. Saturday, April 11, on Highway 25, one mile south of Bernie. According to the report, Autsten R. Swinger was operating a 2012 Ford Escape southbound when it ran off the left side of the road and struck a residence...

City firefighters responded at 5:19 p.m. Saturday, April 11, to a report of a sewer fire at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center Behavioral Health, 2620 N. Westwood Blvd. According to the report, hospital security directed firefighters to an area where a discarded cigarette had caught some trash on fire and was smoking out of a drain pipe. The fire was out upon the fire department’s arrival...

Emmons is Top Producer Lucas Edington, broker/owner of Mossy Oak Properties Mozark Realty, has announced Derek Emmons as the Top Producer for March. Emmons has been in real estate since September of 2014. He is a member of the Missouri Board of Realtors, is the current MLS Director for the Three Rivers Board of Realtors, an active board member for the University of Missouri extension office in Butler County and is active in the community. ...

Doris “Diane” Powell, 76, of Poplar Bluff, passed away Friday, April 10, 2020.

The stay-at-home orders recently enacted in Stoddard, Carter and Wayne counties are very similar to what was mandated in the Stay Home Missouri order issued by Gov. Mike Parson. All call for the residents to stay at home and avoid public places, except for obtaining food, medicine and supplies and seeking medical treatment...

As of Monday afternoon, there have been 17 positive cases of COVID-19 in Butler County. The Butler County Health Department released updated figures, with six of those 17 cases recovered and seven are unknown. Among age demographics, four cases are of people who are 60-69 years olf and three are for people who are 30-39 years old...

Mark Kelly Starnes, renowned musician, composer, and son of H.B. and Lorene Starnes was born in Poplar Bluff on February 20, 1960 and concluded his career of earthly service to the Lord Jesus Christ on April 9, 2020. Mark attended Poplar Bluff School system. He played in the PBHS Marching Band and graduated in 1978. Later in the early 80ʼs he majored in music at Three Rivers Community College...

Comfort Inn employees thwarted a theft Monday morning when they confronted a hotel guest who was attempting to steal money from a cash drawer. “Initially, (the call) came out as a robbery” at 9:18 a.m., Poplar Bluff Police Lt. Josh Stewart said. “That’s more the staff (saying), ‘We just had someone try to rob us.’”...

Ronnie D. Sells, son of the late Wesley Sells and Norma Welchel, was born on August 25, 1945 in Corning, Arkansas and joined his heavenly Father on Good Friday April 10, 2020. He died at Barnes-Jewish hospital in St. Louis, MO at the age of 74.

VAN BUREN — The National Park Service is soliciting applications for an agricultural permit for hay cutting covering one parcel in Ozark National Scenic Riverways within Shannon County, Missouri. The Special Use Permit (SUP) will be awarded based on the following criteria: (1) ability to perform the work; (2) interest in and knowledge of the agricultural permit program within the park; and (3) payment of the required annual fee. ...

The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown ordinary routines out the window and disrupted even the best-laid plans. Farmers are no exception. Even when workers get sick and elected officials order quarantines, agriculture must go on. Maintaining the food supply is essential, and the planting window doesn’t wait for anything...

Sharon Elaine Dorris, 71, of St. Peters, MO, formerly of Clubb, MO, passed away Sunday, April 12, 2020, at her residence. Visitation is from noon - 1:00 p.m., Thursday, April 16, 2020, at Ruegg Funeral Home, Greenville Chapel. A private funeral will follow. Burial: Graham Cemetery, Clubb. Online condolences: www.rueggfuneralhomes.com...

The number of positive cases of COVID-19 in Butler County increased to 17 Monday as Butler County Health Department officials confirmed two additional residents have the virus. “We got two new ones over the weekend,” said Health Department Administrator Emily Goodin. “We are doing our contact tracing and making sure we get in contact” with anyone,...

Curtis Raymond Divine, 63, of Poplar Bluff passed away Saturday, April 11, at the Saint Claire Hospital in Fenton. He was born in Michigan to Charles Divine and Sandra Murphy. He married Debbie Crossen and worked as a heavy equipment mechanic. During his free time, he enjoyed scuba diving...

Editor's note: This is a daily briefing updating the latest information on the COVID-19 pandemic at 4 p.m. each day. The Butler County Health Department released a breakdown of positive tests for COVID-19 in the county Monday. Of the 17 positive tests reported to the Health Department, six patients have recovered and one remains hospitalized while 10 are "unknown" outcomes. ...

Three months after injuring his knee on a fire scene and then experiencing life-threatening complications following surgery, Poplar Bluff Fire Chief Ralph Stucker returned to light duty Monday. Stucker had injured his knee Jan. 13 while attempting to retrieve equipment from the bed of his pickup on a fire scene and had surgery Jan. 30 at a St. Louis hospital to reattach the meniscus back to the bone...

Westbound U.S. 60 in Butler County will be reduced to one lane as Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform bridge repairs. The bridge is located over the Black River in Poplar Bluff. Weather permitting, work will be performed from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 15, through Thursday, April 16...

During this time of COVID-19 and self-isolation, you may feel a little discouraged. You are not alone. Remember, you are involved in a huge part of history and what a great time to record everything going on right now. Butler County and St. Louis County 4-H personnel have developed a book as a way to preserve memories, trends, feelings and more...

The University of Missouri Extension Office will host four public Q&As every Wednesday starting this week in an effort to keep people informed about agriculture during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each week, the town halls will cover home horticulture from 11 a.m. until noon, commercial horticulture from noon until 1 p.m., forages/livestock from 1:30-2:20 p.m. and field crops from 2:30-3:30 p.m...

A supplemental budget law, signed by Gov. Mike Parson Friday, distributes additional funds in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.