Stories from Friday, October 25, 2024

The United States entered the airship era in the early 1920s. A century ago today, headlines reported the monumental USS Shenandoah floated over the Bootheel during its record-breaking, cross-continent voyage.  In other news, Poplar Bluff’s rail yards reopened in 1949 and state troopers felt déjà vu in 1974.

Each year, we try to make our annual edition of UNITED about something that has tied our community together.

Butler County maintains a far higher murder case clearance rate than the national average. The clearance rate is defined as the ratio of crimes to charges laid.

While Butler County maintains a higher-than-average clearance rate for solving homicides, a few cold cases still linger in the records of the Butler County Sheriff’s Department and the Poplar Bluff Police Department.

Butler County’s 1924 ballot included a controversial measure for farmers — a stock law preventing cattle from ranging freely across the county. A group of landowners formally requested their urban neighbors butt out, prompting others to encourage Poplar Bluff residents to use their votes and restrain the destructive herds.

A Poplar Bluff man faces multiple charges after allegedly shooting a dog while intoxicated.

A person was injured in a dog attack in Poplar Bluff on Thursday.

Fay Lavern Powell, 88, of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, passed away Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, at Cedargate Health Care. Fay was born Feb. 20, 1936, to John and Iva Gladys (Walker) Kanell in Poplar Bluff. She married Robert “Bob” Earl Powell Aug. 9, 1959, in Poplar Bluff...

Officers responded Friday, Oct. 25, to the 900 block of Kinzer Street in reference to property damage. The incident is inactive until further leads arise. _ Officers responded Friday, Oct. 25, to the 1300 block of Harper Street in reference to a leaving the scene of an accident. There are no suspect vehicles identified at this time...

Butler County has received the second lowest rating possible on a routine audit by the state. The results of the audit appear to mean the county will need to pay back more than $200,000 in over-collected property taxes, something officials may bring “significant stress” on the county’s finances...