Stories from Wednesday, January 6, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wednesday’s congressional joint session to count electoral votes could drag late into the night as some Republicans plan to challenge Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in at least six states. The plan to object to Biden’s electors has added importance to a usually routine step in the path to inauguration and is the broadest effort to challenge a president’s win since the Civil War...

MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL Two Qulin residents were injured in a two-vehicle crash at 7:18 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 5, on Highway 53, five miles south of Poplar Bluff. According to the report, Cody L. Tipton, 24, of Doniphan was operating a 2007 Chevrolet pickup southbound out of a private drive when it struck a 2017 GMC Yukon being driven northbound by Brandon T. Ragle, 31, of Qulin...

City firefighters responded at 2:55 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 5, to an alarm at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center, 3100 Oak Grove Road. It was investigation only. County firefighters responded at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 5, to a grass fire on Highway 67 South, south of County Road 340...

Officers with the Dexter and Malden police departments were among those participating in a special holiday enforcement campaign to reduce the number of traffic fatalities nationwide. From Dec. 18 through Jan. 1, the officers partnered with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for its 2020 holiday season “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” DWI enforcement campaign...

Missouri’s deer hunters finished out the alternative methods season Tuesday by topping last year’s harvest by a pretty large margin. During the 11-day season, hunters took home 14,555 deer. That’s well above the 12,024 taken last year and is the second-highest harvest for that season since it began in 2012. In that inaugural year, 14,921 deer were taken...

The Pike Creek Reorganized Common Sewer District will hold a regular meeting of its board of directors beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 13, at the district office, 4550 Highway PP in Poplar Bluff. The agenda includes approval of prior meeting minutes, a financial report, system performance report and engineer report on phase 4...

Timothy Bridgewater NEELYVILLE, Mo. — Timothy Bridgewater, 70, of Poplar Bluff, Missouri passed away at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021. Timothy was born on June 25, 1950 in St. Louis, Missouri. He enjoyed being with family and friends and selling...

Laverne Holt, 86, of Sullivan, Missouri passed away Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021 at Missouri Baptist Hospital in Sullivan. Laverne was born on Feb. 20, 1934 to Charles and Edith (Tipton) Holland in Grandin, Missouri. She married Robert Joseph Holt on Jan. 12, 1952 in Osceola, Arkansas...

Bobby Junior Stone, 87, of Poplar Bluff, passed away Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021. He was born May 2, 1933 in Bernie, Missouri, to the late Elmer Dee Stone and Goldie Omega (Nolen) Stone. In his school days, he was a member of the Bernie High School basketball team. ...

Mary Ellen Gibson, 64, of Doniphan, Missouri, passed away on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021 at her home. Mrs. Gibson was born on Aug. 1, 1956 in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. She enjoyed deer hunting, taking care of cows, watching westerns, crochet, fishing, cooking and canning...

Andrea Diana Espinosa died Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020 in Bagley, Minnesota, following a long battle with cancer. She was 43 years old. Andrea was born Nov. 9, 1977, in Poplar Bluff, to Tomas Espinosa, M.D., and Cheryl Wegman Espinosa. Andrea was the granddaughter of Tomas Espinosa and Maria Josefina Alcaraz de Espinosa of Monterrey and Clement Anthony and Mary Anastasia (Nekula) Wegman of St. ...

PIGGOTT, Ark. — Stephen Earl Wright, 65, of Kennett, Missouri, passed away Jan. 4, 2021, at St. Bernard’s Medical Center in Jonesboro, Arkansas. He was born Jan. 20, 1955, in Kennett, and was the son of Earl and Doris (Goldsmith) Wright. He was preceded in death by his father, Earl Wright; mother, Doris Wright; sister, Karen Wright; and daughter-in-law, Christina Wright...

Stephen Wright PIGGOTT, Ark. — Stephen Earl Wright, 65, of Kennett, Missouri, passed away Jan. 4, 2021, at St. Bernard’s Medical Center in Jonesboro, Arkansas. He was born Jan. 20, 1955, in Kennett, and was the son of Earl and Doris (Goldsmith) Wright...

Four names have been added to the April ballot for city and school elections.

Butler County Health Department Director Emily Goodin announced at Wednesday’s COVID-19 briefing 13 new cases were added, bringing the number of cases in the county to 3,664 since March.

After two terms spanning eight years as Missouri’s senator for the 25th District, Doug Libla’s time as a lawmaker in Jefferson City has come to an end. “I’m proud of the opportunity to get to go to Jefferson City, and I appreciate the vote of confidence in people who voted for me,” Libla said...