Stories from Friday, May 15, 2020

I love stories that illustrate how God often works in unusual ways. In the June 2007 issue of Guideposts magazine, Elise Seyfried shared an amazing story about her grandmother Rose that revealed God’s perfect intervention in her family’s life. Grandma Rose had Alzheimer’s disease. ...

Psalm 122:1 rang in my head this whole past week. It goes like this, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Yes, that was the verse, and that is my true sentiment when it comes to going to church. This past Sunday, we tentatively opened our doors to worship...

Barring any unforeseen circumstances or changes in the state mandated “stay-at-home” orders, First Christian Church will gather for worship at 10:30 a.m., Sunday. To ensure everyone’s safety, and in accordance with state and county health department guidelines, there will be:...

JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri State Parks, a division of the Department of Natural Resources, today announced the phased reopening of campgrounds as a part of its continued efforts to return to normal operations in conjunction with Governor Mike Parson’s “Show Me Strong” Recovery Plan...

Sikeston — Southeast Missouri Food Bank has scheduled three more Covid-19 Response Mobile food distributions to respond to the increased need for food assistance following temporary layoffs and school closures due to the outbreak of Covid-19. The next Covid-19 Response Mobiles will be:...

Gates Corporation of Poplar Bluff today announced donations of $7,750 to Bread Shed and Northside Nutrition Center. The donations are part of a global charitable initiative through which the Gates Industrial Corporation Foundation (Foundation) is working with approximately 100 Gates facilities around the world to identify and help fund local nonprofits responding to the pandemic, with charitable giving totaling more than $535,000. ...

MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL A 15-year-old Van Buren resident was injured in a one-vehicle crash at 4:50 p.m. Thursday, May 14, on County Road 306, four miles east of Van Buren. According to the report, a 16-year-old female was operating a 2006 Toyota Corolla eastbound when she failed to negotiate a curve, which caused her car to run off the road and strike a tree...

City firefighters responded at 9:11 p.m. Thursday, May 14, to a structure fire at the 217 N. C St. residence occupied by Denise McNeal and Robert Murph and owned by Clyde Helton. According to the report, firefighters found smoking showing and fire visible on one side of the wood-frame structure...

City council The Poplar Bluff City Council will meet at 6:45 p.m. Monday at the city council chambers, in the Black River Coliseum. A public hearing will be held at 6:45 p.m. Monday, prior to the regular meeting at 7 p.m. The hearing will discuss: annexation into the city of property at 481 State Highway W, owned by Joe and Karen Knuckles, and 465 State Highway W, owned by Kathe Ledwidge; and a grant application for the purchase of a new fire truck...

Voters in two Poplar Bluff city wards will move to new polling places for the June 2 election. All voters also still have time to request an absentee voting ballot, if they prefer not to vote in person at a polling place, said county clerk Tonyi Deffendall...

Butler County officials have reached out to Stoddard County to see if it needs assistance with recent cases of COVID-19 at a facility. "It seems they've been able to handle it well as far as isolating and testing and getting on top of that in one facility," Butler County Emergency Management Director Robbie Myers said. ...

Amid comments of congratulations on Facebook, the Three Rivers College nursing program graduates had their pinning ceremony Friday afternoon.

Sterling Bank announces plans to enter the Northwest Arkansas market with a loan production office opening at 1607 North College Avenue in Fayetteville on June 1. Headquartered in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, Sterling Bank has two locations in St. Louis, numerous locations throughout Southeast Missouri, a location in the Chicago suburb of St. Charles, Illinois, and is set to open its newest location on The Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri, this spring...

With no recent confirmed COVID-19 cases in Butler or Ripley counties, administrative orders were signed allowing all courts in the 36th Judicial Circuit to begin conducting more in-person proceedings on Monday. The orders apply to the circuit and associate circuit courts, as well as the municipal courts in Poplar Bluff, Doniphan and Qulin...

NEW YORK (AP) — The coronavirus pandemic has pushed the storied but troubled department store chain J.C. Penney into Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It is the fourth major retailer to meet that fate. As part of its reorganization, the 118-year-old company said late Friday it will be shuttering some stores. It said the stores will close in phases throughout the Chapter 11 process and details of the first phase will be disclosed in the coming weeks...

The Stoddard County Public Health Center has confirmed a “Hot Spot” of COVID-19 at a local nursing home, according to a statement released Friday.

The city of Poplar Bluff was already seeing a decrease in sales tax collections, even before COVID-19 shuttered many businesses and restaurants. The full impact won’t be known until at least June, when the city receives sales tax collections for April, according to city manager Mark Massingham...