Stories from Wednesday, June 2, 2021

EMINENCE — Ozark National Scenic Riverways, in partnership with Missouri State Parks, the Ozark Riverways Foundation and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, will be offering free paddling activities on the upper Current River on Sundays this summer. Paddling skills clinics will be conducted on June 13 and 27, July 11 and 25, and August 1 and 15...

Donnie Carter, age 50, of Poplar Bluff, passed away Saturday, May 29, 2021 at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff. He was born December 20, 1970 in Coos Bay, Oregon, the son of Donell Carter and Lorraine (Sanders) Carter. Donnie had formerly lived in Piedmont where he attended Clearwater High School. He was married to Angie Watson October 17, 2020 at Poplar Bluff and worked for the Mid Continent Nail Corp...

Delivery services such as Instacart, DoorDash and Uber Eats and curbside pickup were starting to gain in popularity before the COVID-19 pandemic hit last spring — but they took off in the last year, thanks in part to people trying to minimize contact with others and limit any potential exposure to the coronavirus...

A 25-year veteran newspaper hawker with the Daily American Republic, Kevin Ray Dean, 54, of Qulin died Thursday, May 27, in Southeast Hospital at Cape Girardeau. Dean is remembered by his coworkers, the community and Eagles as a “super nice guy.” Dean “was a valuable player on the Daily American Republic team,” said Rachel Coleman, the newspaper’s business manager. “He sold newspapers on the street for us prior to my employment in 1998.”...

Cross Street Pentecostal Church, 2110 Cross St., will celebrate homecoming at 2 p.m. Sunday. Brother Emanuel Patent of Germantown, Tennessee, will be the special speaker. Everyone is invited to the homecoming and the fellowship dinner after the program...

The Spencer Family Reunion will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday in the First United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall in Maynard, Arkansas.

Despite all the rain we’ve had lately, the area’s lakes and rivers are pretty much at normal levels. Clearwater Lake, as of Wednesday morning, was just a foot above normal at 499.06 feet on the gage. Looking at the data, it appears the lake is dropping a couple hundredths of an inch per hour, so the fall is pretty slow...

ROLLA —Recreation managers at Mark Twain National Forest are interested in hearing your comments on a proposal for changes to the recreation fees on the forest. Fees will be utilized to maintain and improve the sites, to ensure that people can continue to use and enjoy these sites into the future, which supports the Forest’s overall strategy of establishing a sustainable recreation program to deliver maximum public benefit...

EMINENCE — Celebrate National Trails Day at Ozark National Scenic Riverways on June 4 and 5 with a ranger-led birding hike at 9 a.m. each day at Round Spring. Bring your binoculars and meet at the Round Spring pavilion. A park ranger will lead the group though the Round Spring area in search of a variety of bird species...

JEFFERSON CITY — The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is seeking public input on potential regulation changes for both recreational and commercial paddlefish harvest in the state. People can comment on the potential regulation changes by going to https://mdc.mo.gov/paddlefishcomments. The comment period will end June 8...

Carter County has become one of a dozen in the state to join a program that seeks to provide more transparency in how state tax dollars are spent. The effort, Show-Me Checkbook, is a website created in 2018 with the goal of making it easier for Missourians to see where money goes, according to officials...

How many high schools in the area do you know can brag about having their own student-built solar-powered vehicle? Neelyville high school can and building it was a valuable lesson in teamwork for six high school seniors. It all began when Neelyville High School art teacher Lisa French had an idea to form a class that would build a solar-powered vehicle, which is not as easy as you might think. ...

Marilyn Harris, 74, of Fort Worth, Texas passed away Thursday May 27, 2021 at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth. Marilyn was born April 8, 1947 to Herbert and Veda Lamkin in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. After marriage to William Harris, Marilyn became a homemaker with two kids and helped her husband in his business. Later, she joined Motorola with her daughter and had one of the best times of her life...

Ronald Lee Briggs, 63, of Poplar Bluff, Missouri. passed away on Monday, May 31, 2021 at his home. Mr. Briggs was born on October 2, 1957 in Granite City, Illinois to the late Elmer and Ethel Briggs. Ronald had worked as a baker for 35 years. He enjoyed woodworking, building furniture, baking, traveling, repairing things, bowling, glass etching, karaoke, going to the show and attending his grandchildren’s events. He also loved his dog baby...

Linda Smith, 65, of Mill Spring, died Thursday, May 27, at her son’s residence. A graveside service will be held at 1 p.m., Friday, June 4, at Carson Hill Cemetery, Mill Spring. Online condolences can be made at www.rueggfuneralhomes.com

The Withrow-Rommel-Ward family reunion will be from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Whiteley Park. Meat will be provided for the meal and families should bring vegetables, salads and desserts. Also please remember drinks are not furnished. Those who can’t cook could bring chips, bread or water. The meal will begin shortly after noon at Pavilion 2. For more information, call 573-718-4518...

An order from the Missouri Supreme Court that became effective Tuesday removes mask requirements in state courtrooms. The order also lifts restrictions on the number of people allowed in a courtroom, said Presiding Circuit Judge Michael Pritchett, of the 36th Judicial Circuit, which serves Butler and Ripley counties...

City firefighters responded at 1:14 p.m. Tuesday, June 1, to a report of a motor vehicle accident with injuries at the intersection of Westwood Boulevard and Highway PP. According to the report, when firefighters arrived, Poplar Bluff Police Department officers and Butler County EMS were already at the location. When the vehicles were removed, they cleaned the roadway...