Stories from Wednesday, August 12, 2020

BUTLER COUNTY SHERIFF Kevin Cunningham, 34, of Fisk reported at 5:33 p.m. Monday, Aug. 10, that he noticed earlier that day his kayak had been stolen. _ Jerry C. Moore, 53, of the 2800 block of Southwind Drive reported at 10:47 a.m. Monday, Aug. 10, that earlier that night a group of teenagers was knocking on his and neighbor’s doors and running away...

Three Rivers College is working on ways to use CARES Act funding to provide both short-term and long-term benefits for students and staff.

Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center staff reported today that 11 patients are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, with four of them on ventilators. “We are having a rise in inpatients,” Johnna Craft, chief compliance officer, announced at the COVID -19 briefing Wednesday, which is held weekly with Butler County officials...

On Saturday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers staff at Wappapello Lake will host several events, including the annual duck blind drawing. The morning will kick off with live music by Xan Graves and his band, 1/One More Tyme. The band will begin its performance at 9:30 a.m. at the lake’s shelter No. 3, which sits between the visitor center and the gatehouse at the dam...

CAPE GIRARDEAU — Ruby-throated hummingbirds winter in southern Mexico and Central America. From Missouri, that’s a long trip for a little bird. People can learn more about the fall migration hummingbirds make at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) free virtual program “A Hummingbird’s Journey South.” This online program will be from 10-11 a.m. ...

CAPE GIRARDEAU — Paddling a canoe is a great way to relieve stress and connect with nature. People who want to see and learn more about the outdoor world around them can do so from the seat of a canoe during two Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) paddling sessions at Lake Girardeau Conservation Area in Cape Girardeau County on Aug. ...

Butler County law enforcement agencies and other agencies in the surrounding area have almost 100 boxes of evidence from sexual-assault examinations that have never been tested or need to be retested, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office has found...

Virgie M. Montgomery Virgie M. Montgomery, 84, of Poplar Bluff, passed away Monday, Aug. 10, 2020 at Cedargate Healthcare. Virgie was born April 13, 1936 to John and Esther Tuttle Webb in Poplar Bluff. She married Oliver Montgomery Nov. 28, 1954. Virgie enjoyed cooking, quilting and gardening...

Rhonda England Martinek, 68, of Poplar Bluff, passed away Aug. 10, 2020 in Poplar Bluff. Rhonda was born Feb.4, 1952 to Cleo and Juanita England. She is survived by her loving daughters Tammy Mallard (Shane), Heather Hastings (Mark) and Lesli Campbell (Terry)...

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas State University System institutions now require everyone on campuses to wear face coverings in all indoor and outdoor settings where physical distancing of six feet or more cannot be maintained as a key preventative measure in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Connie Alice Kays, 73, of Poplar Bluff, passed away Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2020. She was born May 10, 1947 to the late Richard and Allene (Hance) Brooks in Rolla, MO. Connie enjoyed playing bingo, doing crafts, researching genealogy and spending time with her grandchildren...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Saint Francis Foundation and the Saint Francis Auxiliary awarded healthcare scholarships to twenty-two local students in August. Each student received $2,000 in scholarships toward a degree in a healthcare-related profession.

The culmination of eight years of work reached a milestone Wednesday morning with a ribbon cutting for the Poplar Bluff R-I Early Childhood Center.

The Twin Rivers R-X school board voted in a special session Tuesday night to change food service programs.

Butler County COVID-19 cases jumped by eight Wednesday, bringing the total to 278, and the number of patients hospitalized at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center have gone from zero two weeks ago to 11 inpatients, with four of those being on ventilators...

Richard W. Wright of Poplar Bluff, Mo. passed away Monday, Aug. 10, 2020 at his home after a lengthy and courageous battle with cancer. Richard was born March 15, 1950 in Broseley, Mo. He married Darlene Pennington on March 9, 1973 in Poplar Bluff. Richard was a member of Westwood Baptist Church. ...