Stories from Friday, February 2, 2024

A Poplar Bluff man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to arson related to a 2021 house fire. Nathan Dewayne Montgomery pleaded guilty Thursday in front of 36th Judicial Circuit Judge Mike Pritchett. He was sentenced to a decade in prison for first-degree arson, with credit given for the time he’s spent in jail since his arrest...

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) — Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early spring Friday at Gobbler’s Knob in Pennsylvania, the scene of the country’s largest and best known Groundhog Day celebration in the United States. The annual event is a tongue-in-cheek ritual in which Phil’s handlers, members of a club with roots in the late 19th century, reveal whether the groundhog has seen his shadow...

The Missouri State Fire Marshal currently is investigating three Poplar Bluff fires which occurred on consecutive days, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The latest of the alarms sounded at 11:45 p.m. Wednesday, when 10 firefighters responded to a building fire in the location of the former Doctors Regional Medical Center, 600 block of W. Pine Blvd...

After a lengthy process, the efforts of resident Kevin Ellis and State Rep. Hardy Billington are coming to fruition. Pine Street in Poplar Bluff will be dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr. at noon on Saturday, Feb. 10 at the Butler County Courthouse...

Attendees at the 2024 Ag Connect convention at Three Rivers College experienced learning, networking and fun. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., the two day event spans Friday and Saturday at the Bess Activity Center. Regional vendors such as Black River Outdoors, Grandma Bea’s Natural Products and Greenway set up booths in the gymnasium. Event coordinator and Agriculture Instructor Kathryn Clark was proud to see the convention take place at TRC...

M. Ruth Becker, 90, of rural Poplar Bluff, Missouri, departed this life Feb. 1, 2024. Visitation will be held from 5 -7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, in the Edwards Funeral Home Chapel. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, also at Edwards Funeral Home. Interment will be in Oak Grove Cemetery...

Poplar Bluff Middle School has released its second quarter Honor Roll. A Honor Roll Kai Braswell Mia Crain Aria Oehlert Jayson Stievenart Dailon Stewart Ja’Quan Foreman Taelyn Zahner Trenton Morton Alexander Nguyen-Davis Kailynn Wallace Bree Blackwell...

When the calendar changed to January 2024, not only did a new year begin; but a new building was welcomed at the Poplar Bluff Junior High campus. “I’m very excited,” PBJHS Principal Candace Warren exclaimed. “This has exceeded all of my expectations.”...

In 1924, Poplar Bluff joined the nation in mourning the death of President Woodrow Wilson. Fifty years later, Southeast Missourian truckers join a nationwide strike, and despite leaders’ commitment to nonviolence, incidences of violence flare up this weekend...

The following divorces were issued in Butler County during January. Stephan Findall v Dannette Findall Pilar Hopper v Scotty Hopper Daniel Parker v Francine Parker Rachel Brown v Rodney Borwn Zachary Carver v Patricia Sweeton Amy Williams-Robinson v Kelly Robinson...

MDC announces conservation agent Luke Armentrout for Wayne County Armentrout joins 200 existing MDC agents in serving and protecting Missouri’s fish, forest, and wildlife. CAPE GIRARDEAU – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is welcoming conservation agent Luke Armentrout to Wayne County. He joins 200 existing MDC agents in serving and protecting Missouri’s fish, forest, and wildlife...

The moon is our most obvious viewable space neighbor and its daily changing phases are remarkable. The moon produces no light, it simply reflects light from the sun. Ancient farmers knew the best time to plant different crops and the best time harvest options based on the moon. ...