Stories from Thursday, August 12, 2021

Thirty-five teams fished last Saturday’s Angler’s Choice tournament at Wappapello Lake, but at the end of the day, it really was no contest at all. Paul Henderson and his son, Kason Henderson, ran laps around the field as they dominated the day. The pair had a five-bass limit weighing 26.51 pounds, for a whopping average of 5.3 pounds per fish...

POPLAR BLUFF POLICE DEPARTMENT Monday, Aug. 9, a 16-year-old juvenile was arrested on an active warrant for misdemeanor property damage. Custody of the juvenile was transferred to a juvenile officer. POPLAR BLUFF FIRE DEPARTMENT Poplar Bluff firefighters responded to an apartment fire at 6:32 a.m. ...

POPLAR BLUFF POLICE DEPARTMENT Robert Ernest Sharp, 32, of Neelyville was arrested at 3:11 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 11, in the 500 block of South D Street on a Butler County warrant for probation violation for possession of a controlled substance. He was booked into the Butler County jail...

POPLAR BLUFF POLICE DEPARTMENT Charles Timothy Stacy, 35, of Poplar Bluff was arrested at 9:50 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 11, in the 1400 block of Black River Industrial Park Road on a Poplar Bluff failure to appear warrant and a warrant from Probation and Parole. He was booked into the Butler County jail...

The Butler County Public Health Department reported 127 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, as completed vaccination rates for the six-county region lag far behind state rates. Across the state, 49.4% of the population has initiated a vaccination, and 42.3% have completed a vaccination regimen, according to figures reported by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Completed rates for Butler, Carter, Dunklin, Ripley, Stoddard and Wayne counties average less than 24%...

Leslie H. Powell, 63, of Poplar Bluff, passed away Tuesday, August 10, 2021. He was born May 24, 1958 in Coon Island, Missouri to the late Ephriam Fredwell Powell and Dorothy Ellen (Kearby) Powell. He was a longtime resident of Butler County. He proudly served in the Army. ...

Jenni Marie Ferraresi, age 37, of Qulin, Missouri, died Tuesday, August 10, 2021, in Qulin. Ms. Ferraresi was born May 22, 1984, in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. She loved being outdoors, grilling and cooking. She especially loved spending time with her son...

Addiction, incarceration or unexpected deaths are just three reasons the number of grandparents raising grandchildren has been growing for nearly three decades. John Fuller, human development and family sciences specialist with the Butler County University Extension Office, shared insight about those who are raising their grandchildren or other family members’ children...

Assistance is available to help area families improve the energy efficiency of their homes, something those with the program say provides not only financial benefits, but also health benefits. “The biggest thing we have learned so much more about is how a home can affect how people live,” said Gary Nichols, weatherization director for South Central Missouri Community Action Agency...

The next chapter for many Three Rivers College students started Thursday. While returning students moved into their apartment-style dorms on Wednesday, new students moved in Thursday with classes set to begin next week. “It’s exciting,” said freshman cheerleader Chloe Watkins, who got a room on the first floor. “We don’t have to lug everything upstairs. I packed my car full of stuff, so I didn’t have anybody riding with me on my way here.”...