Stories from Friday, August 23, 2013

By BRADLEY KLAPPER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration searched for answers Wednesday about a reported chemical weapons attack in Syria that would mark the most flagrant violation yet of the U.S. "red line" for potential military action. But the possibility of intervention seemed ever smaller after America's top general offered a starkly pessimistic assessment of options...

By SAMANTHA KLUESNER SEMO News Service BENTON, Mo. -- The girlfriend of a Scott City man accused of murdering his mother was charged Wednesday with helping cover up the crime. Tiffany Warner, 24, of Jackson was arrested Wednesday in connection with the death of Scott City woman Cynthia Canoy. ...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Poplar Bluff schools are saving for the future, school officials reported this month in a state financial report. The district closed the 2013 fiscal year more than $4.3 million in the black, with nearly three-quarters of those funds deposited in a capital projects fund. The remainder was split between scheduled debt payments and the general operations fund, where it helped pay more toward employee salaries...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor The city of Poplar Bluff, Mo., has acquired one acre of land through a tax sale to extend the runway at the municipal airport. A transfer of $3,205.71 from the general fund to the airport fund to pay the back property taxes was approved by the Poplar Bluff City Council Tuesday night...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor The second annual Poplar Bluff Kiwanis Club Tour de Bluff bike ride through scenic Southeast Missouri will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, at Kiwanis Bacon Park. Adults may choose between rides of 15, 30 or 60 miles. The entry fee is $40. The routes will go east of Poplar Bluff on paved roads through the flat farmland...

Ripley Co. woman in 4-H Hall of Fame "Making the best better" for generations of Missouri 4-H club members, 47 luminaries joined the Missouri 4-H Hall of Fame, Aug. 17 at the State Fair Community College campus in Sedalia, Mo. Inductees from 40 counties established a legacy totaling 1,465 years of service to 4-H. Family members and friends attended the seventh annual event. Inductees were nominated by their counties for outstanding volunteer work in local 4-H programs...

The Poplar Bluff football team is traveling nearly 60 miles farther for its preseason jamboree than previous years. Mules coach Mark Barousse feels this will pay off for his team during the regular season. "It's going to be nice to see somebody different," he said...

By DAN K. THOMASSON Scripps Howard News Service The life's blood of politics is perception. Certainly, a president perceived as strong is more likely to succeed than one who isn't -- thus Ronald Reagan was far more successful than Jimmy Carter. But the perception thing also extends to who will or won't run and how the probable competition stacks up...

The Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce was instrumental in assembling a team of community leaders to be the first county in the state to submit an application for the Missouri Work Ready Communities Program. Butler County was also the first county in Missouri to meet the first goal towards becoming certified...

The Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce helps the local community "stay connected" in several ways: Calendar of Events - posted on www.PoplarBluffChamber.org, not only includes Chamber events and those of Chamber members, but any events in the area. Want something to do? Check the chamber out!...

FISK, Mo. -- Erma Carroll, 90, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2013 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff. Mrs. Carroll was born Jan. 16, 1923 at Broseley, Mo. On Feb. 9, 1961 she married James Lavon Carroll. He preceded her in death on May 16, 1994. She was the former owner operator of Erma's Cafe at Broseley, Mo...

By JOHN PRATT Mo. Dept. of Conservation September is just around the corner, and the dove season opens on Sept. 1. This is an eagerly-awaited event for a lot of hunters. Dove season is viewed as the start of the fall hunting season. Today, I'm going to talk about some simple suggestions hunters can employ to avoid violating the laws pertaining to dove hunting...

Floyd Graham VAN BUREN, Mo. -- Floyd Eugene Graham, 80, of Bloomsdale, Mo., died Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2013, in Wilderness, Mo. Visitation will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday in the Wilderness Freewill Baptist Church with the funeral service following at 1 p.m. with the Rev. Tom McMurtry officiating. Burial will be in the Wilderness Cemetery...

Twelve people will graduate in January from the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce 2013 Gateway to Leadership Program. Gateway to Leadership (GTL) started in 2009 and is an innovative community program designed to identify and motivate emerging and/or relocated leaders and to develop their potential for community leadership roles by acquainting them with the opportunities, realities and challenges of the community. ...

By PAUL DAVIS Outdoors Editor A year removed from a record-setting banquet which ranked ninth in the nation in 2012, the SEMO Friends of NRA continues to shatter records. With a large local support base, nearly 750 visitors attended Saturday's 21st annual banquet, topping last year's turnout by more than 100...

The Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors is made up of 15 members, each serving a three year term. Listed are the 2013 Board of Directors: n Allen Brooks: McLane Transport n Brock Littles: Southern Bank n Charles Stewart: Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center...

University of Missouri Extension centers are gearing up for Master Gardener classes this fall. The Master Gardener program helps individuals who want to learn more about horticulture and gardening, says Kent Shannon, a University of Missouri Extension natural resources engineering specialist...

Three Rivers College women's basketball coach Jeff Walk is going to find out real fast how his Lady Raiders compare to some of the best competition in the Midwest. Walk has added four preseason dates this year, the first of which is an Oct. 6 trip to Kansas City to play in the Heartland Jamboree. A full slate of teams have not been finalized, but State Fair, Moberly and eventual Region XVI champion Crowder all competed last year...

Recently I had a phone call asking for directions about preparing spaghetti squash. Spaghetti squash is actually a winter squash that looks like spaghetti when prepared. In fact it can replace spaghetti in most recipes and is topped with a variety of pasta sauces...

One of the Greater Poplar Bluff Chamber of Commerce's biggest events, the Golf Outing, has been announced again for its 23rd year. It will be held Friday, Sept. 27 at the Westwood Hills Country Club. This event is open to Chamber members and non-members...

Holding up cable firms You know it sounds like ABC and CBS are just trying to hold up these cable companies and force the rates to go up. I hope they stay in there. Try freezing your peaches I'm calling in about Phyllis Flanigan about the peaches are ripe right now to pick 'em. ...

2012 -- Francisco Esquivel 2011 -- David and Doug Libla 2010 -- Danny Whiteley 2009 -- Robert Callahan 2008 -- Brent Davis 2007 -- Mark Melloy 2006 -- Jim Bailey 2005 -- James Belknap 2004 -- Dr. Tom Lawson 2003 -- Kay Porter 2002 -- Riley Mathias 2001 -- Jay Decker...

TOPS MO 734 Take Off Pounds Sensibly was called to order at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 14. Seventeen TOPS and three KOPS were present as leader, Linda Morgan, called the meeting. Following roll call, Lou Ann Wrather read the secretary's report that was approved. The best losers this week were Wrather for TOPS and Mary Lou Phesson for KOPS. The chapter welcomed Bertha Hart of Poplar Bluff as a visitor...

The Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce helps the local community "stay connected" in several ways: Calendar of Events - posted on www.PoplarBluffChamber.org, not only includes Chamber events and those of Chamber members, but any events in the area. Want something to do? Check the chamber out!...

Throughout the year, Poplar Bluff Industries (PBI) works on retaining and recruiting new businesses. Many companies are interested in our area, due to our central location, Highway 60/67 improvements, skilled manufacturing workforce, low utility costs, access to training through Three Rivers College and low cost of living and the recent opening of a new, state of the art hospital...

By PAUL DAVIS Outdoors Editor Missouri's Conservation Commission set this fall's waterfowl hunting seasons during its monthly meeting last week. Thanks to continued high bird numbers, duck hunters still will be able to enjoy a 60-day season. The only difference this year is the possession limit has been increased from twice to three times the daily limit...

Dorothy M. Munch, DO, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., was appointed secretary of the A.T. Still University (ATSU) Board of Trustees when the board met July 26-27 in Newport, R.I., to appoint officers and elect new members at its quarterly meeting. Dr. Munch is in solo practice at Poplar Bluff and has more than 25 years of experience in family medicine. ...

By MIKE JENSEN Publisher Sikeston Standard Democrat I've been AWOL for the past two weeks. Put my quill pen aside and coordinated my absence with the Obama vacation. Hey, if he's not working, neither am I! I did return to the office with a new granddaughter which was my original reason for fleeing the office...

By MONA CHAREN In Duck Soup, one of the stuffy characters responds to Groucho's raillery with the protest: "I didn't come here to be insulted!" to which Groucho quips "Oh really? Where do you usually go?" I went to Scotland. Don't misunderstand, the Scots were delightful hosts -- friendly, accommodating and, of course, a delight to the ears. The country is as beautiful as advertised, and the castles, museums and lochs live up to their billing...

Charles Whittenburg Charles "Butch" Whittenburg, 66, of Caruthersville, Mo, died Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2013, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Visitation will begin at 11 a.m. Friday and the funeral will be at noon at Fowler-Sullivan Funeral Home in Poplar Bluff, Mo. Burial will be in City Cemetery...

Robert Miller Robert Ferrell Miller, 82, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2013, at his residence. Bob was born in Macomb, Ill., on July 15, 1931, to Oscar F. and Vernette Johnson Miller. On Aug. 22, 1952, he married Faye Crites in Essex, Mo. She survives...

Addie Rebecca Layne of Poplar Bluff, Mo., has graduated from Central Methodist University in Fayette, Mo., with an Associate of Science in Business, according to CMU President Roger Drake. Layne was one of approximately 200 CMU students who completed coursework through the main campus in Fayette either this past spring or during the summer...

It's been a very active and enjoyable year for the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce, according to officials heading the organization. "We've tried a few new things this year, continued to build on things that we've done well in the past, and most importantly, tried to listen to what our business community needs," said Matt Hillis, Chairman of the Board for the Chamber. ...

By DERRIK J. LANG AP Entertainment Writer "Saints Row," the shoot-'em-up video game franchise that debuted in 2006 as a knockoff of "Grand Theft Auto," has always been unapologetically low-brow and self-consciously silly. "Saints Row IV" (Volition, for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, $59.99) doesn't veer from that pre-established mindlessness. In fact, it drives right through it, off a cliff and straight into outer space...