Stories from Wednesday, December 16, 2020

A 35-year-old St. Louis woman was seriously injured in a two-vehicle crash at 1:25 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15, on U.S. 60 at Highway N in Stoddard County. According to the report, Melissa D. Buck Hollowell was operating a southbound 2008 Dodge Caliber when she failed to yield to a 2018 Ram ProMaster van being driven westbound by David L. Hanners, 74, of Commerce...

A 17-year-old Poplar Bluff resident was killed in a one-vehicle crash at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15, on Highway KK, four miles west of Wappapello. According to the report, Dominick A. Esquivel was operating a 2014 Dodge pickup eastbound when it ran off the road and struck a tree...

BUTLER COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT Justin David Bishop, 35, of the 2400 block of Victoria was booked at the Butler County jail Wednesday, Dec. 16, on suspicion of peace disturbance. _ David Wayne Hall, 41, of the 1900 block of Glendale Road was booked into the Butler County jail Tuesday, Dec. 15, awaiting transport to the Missouri Department of Corrections to begin serving a five-year sentence...

City firefighters responded at 12:17 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15, to a possible structure fire near the First Church of God on South Westwood Boulevard. According to the report, firefighters found a landscape company was burning leaves behind a nearby building...

PIEDMONT, Mo. — Wilma Ezell, 82, of Patterson, died Sunday, Dec. 13, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Visitation is at 5 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 17, at Ruegg Funeral Home, Piedmont Chapel. Funeral service following at 7 p.m., also in the Piedmont Chapel...

PIEDMONT, Mo, — Bobby Silvy, 85, of Des Arc, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020, at Baptist Memorial Hospital, New Albany, Mississippi. Visitation is at 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18, at Ruegg Funeral Home, Piedmont Chapel. Funeral service following at noon, Saturday, Dec. 19, also in the Piedmont Chapel. Burial is in Mt. View Cemetery, Des Arc...

Three of the five Missourians drawn for the state’s inaugural elk hunt have punched their tags during the current firearms season, which opened Saturday. Joe Benthall of Mount Vernon was the first to score, taking his 5X5 bull on the season’s opening day near the Ozark National Scenic Riverways’ Log Yard area outside of Ellington...

JEFFERSON CITY — The Missouri Conservation Commission recently gave final approval to the Missouri Department of Conservation for the state’s first black bear hunting season framework. The approved framework limits any future bear hunting to areas of southern Missouri and restricts bear hunting to Missouri residents only...

CAPE GIRARDEAU — A Ripley County man was sentenced Tuesday to eight years in federal prison for possessing methamphetamine with intentions of distributing it. Robert C. Widding was arrested twice in three months with methamphetamine in his possession, once while in a stolen vehicle. He was on probation for possession at the time...

Thelma Johnson-Hardin, born Nov. 14, 1940, peacefully graduated from this earth Dec. 11, in her own home. She was undoubtedly greeted at the gates by her husband, Chester Hardin Sr., who let her know every day of her life just how adored she was, her parents, three siblings and many others celebrated her arrival into the kingdom...

FISK — Richard “Sonny” Wells, 85, of Clinton, Missouri, formerly of Fisk, joined his beloved late wife Roselle Lee Wells, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020 at Westwood Living Center in Clinton. Mr. Wells was born June 5, 1935 in Broseley, Missouri, son of the late Chester and Arinda Wells. Mr. Wells was a truck driver and worked for Valley Steel for 30 years...

Cynthia Marie Heller, 59, of Poplar Bluff, Missouri passed away Dec.14, 2020 in Poplar Bluff. Cynthia was born Aug. 14, 1961 to George and Janet (Johnson) Ackerman of Jackson, Michigan. She married Chris Heller Aug. 12, 2010 in Poplar Bluff. Cynthia was a loving, kindhearted soul who always put God first. Cynthia loved attending church with her daughter...

A Qulin woman was charged Tuesday in connection with the death of a pedestrian who died after being hit by a SUV on Highway 51. Misty Dawn Stark, 40, was charged with the Class D felony of leaving the scene of an accident by Butler County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Matt Michel...

BLOOMFIELD — A Bernie man will undergo another mental examination to determine whether he understands the wrongfulness of his conduct at the time he allegedly abandoned the body of a woman in 2018. Associate Circuit Judge Joe Satterfield issued an order Tuesday for Corey L. Gill to undergo a “pre-trial psychiatric examination on the issue of criminal responsibility.”...

VAN BUREN, Mo. — Dennis Lee Keeney, 75, son of the late Floyd and Anna (Clark) Keeney, was born Jan. 18, 1945 in Van Buren, Missouri. He departed this life Dec. 14, 2020 at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. On June 4, 1966, he was united in marriage to Katheryn Johnson. They had been married for 41 years until her passing in 2007...

Nine volunteers used their eyes, ears and experience Tuesday to count birds around Poplar Bluff as they took part in the annual Christmas Bird Count. Volunteers were divided into five teams, each working a segment of a 15-mile diameter circle centered in Poplar Bluff...

Missourians have a new website, mostopscovid.com, which offers facts about the vaccine, those attending the weekly Butler County COVID briefing Wednesday learned. Butler County Emergency Management Director Robbie Myers said Gov. Mike Parson was making a call to local officials at the same time as the briefing...