Stories from Monday, October 7, 2013

The Boys & Girls Club of Poplar Bluff is excited to announce Mike Matheny, manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, will be the keynote speaker at this year's Steak & Burger Dinner. The event will take place on Dec. 12 at the Black River Coliseum beginning at 6 p.m...

By DONNA FARLEY and SARABETH WALLER Staff Writers The Iron Horse festival kicked off with five Vietnam veterans being inducted into the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center's Wall of Valor. The ceremony was held on the lawn of the Butler County Courthouse...

By SARABETH WALLER Staff Writer More than 2,000 residents visited the Iron Horse Festival in downtown Poplar Bluff Saturday before rain, wind and lightning around 2 p.m. forced vendors to close shop. While last year's event faced cold temperatures, Saturday's high boasted an 88-degree heat index, followed by 0.36 inches of rain in an hour...

Jodi McElhaney, from Cortney Barnett's class, has been chosen as Eugene Field's first grade student of the month. She is the daughter of Mike and Sabrina McElhaney. Jodi enjoys playing on the swing set, hanging upside down and eating macaroni and cheese. ...

Oak Grove Elementary School announces the Students of the Month. Jasper Edmundson, son of Matt and Shannon Edmundson, is a first grader who was nominated by his teacher Staci Barker because he is "always smiling and friendly to everybody. If you need help he is always willing to help and never hesitates when asked."...

Green energy vs. milk prices While only a couple of the national news media sources have put out just a small sound bite about milk possibly reaching $6 a gallon or more because of Congresses inability to pass a farm bill. There's an even darker and unmentioned cause for this spike in prices and it's because the farmers are now having to give up their food sources for their animals--the corn that they used to feed them, the soy bean meal and the forage and waste from the corn. ...

Hannah Schweiger, from Ms. Gray's class, has been chosen as Lake Road's first grade student of the month. Hannah's favorite part of school is the morning activities in the gym. Her favorite class is art because she wants to be an artist when she grows up. ...

By CAROLYN SMITH Staff Writer "A Mansion for Molly," the second novel in the "Sling Shot Circuit Rider Series" written by local author Randy G. Pogue of Poplar Bluff, Mo. will be released Tuesday, Oct. 15. Two local book signings have been scheduled: Friday, Oct. 25 from 5:30 - 7 p.m. at Hastings Books Movies and Videos, 950 N. Westwood Blvd., and Sunday, Oct. 27, 4:30 - 6 p.m., at Bluff First Assembly of God Church, 2518 Barron Road, Poplar Bluff...

By GEORGE F. WILL WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court must feel as though it is plowing an ocean as it repeatedly reminds Congress that the anodyne label "campaign finance reform" can encompass a multitude of sins. Come Tuesday, the court will have another occasion to consider that not all regulations of the indispensable means of disseminating political speech -- money -- are constitutional just because they are presented as means of preventing corruption or its "appearance."...

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. (AP) -- An Oregon bartender just got the tip of a lifetime. One of Aurora Kephart's regulars at Conway's Restaurant and Lounge in Springfield often tips her with Keno tickets from the Oregon Lottery. On Tuesday evening, the man who wishes to remain anonymous asked Kephart to choose two...

Dude Fielder MALDEN, Mo. -- Cecil Marie "Dude" Fielder, 94, of DeSoto, Mo., formerly of Gideon, Mo., died Friday, Oct. 4, 2013, at her residence in St. Peters. Visitation will be at noon until service time on Sunday at Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden. The service begins at 2 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home chapel with burial in Stanfield Cemetery in Clarkton, Mo...

'Bob' McGowen Robert Lee "Bob" McGowen, 81, of Poplar Bluff passed away Aug. 29, 2013. He was born April 3, 1932, at Lone Hill, Mo., to the late Bertha (Pennington) McGowen and Artie McGowen Sr. On Dec. 25, 1990, he married Thelma Louise McGowen. She preceded him in death on Sept. 6, 2010...

Lois Kirkman FISK, Mo. -- Lois Ina Kirkman, age 89, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Friday, Oct. 4, 2013, at her residence. She was a homemaker. She graduated from Rombauer High School and had attended SEMO. She was a member of Hobbs Chapel Church. On Dec. 22, 1943, she married W.V. "Bill" Kirkman. He survives...

By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN In the showdown over the shutdown of the U.S. government, the Obamaites tipped their hand yesterday as what their strategy is. Taking a page out of Saul Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals," the plan is to maximize the people's pain -- to maximize the political damage to the enemy, the Republican Party...

MALDEN -- It was almost like Dremond Robinson and Nick Thompson had their own game within a game Friday night against Hayti. Who can plow through the line for a touchdown better? Who can tackle an Indian rusher the hardest? Fortunately for Malden fans, both jobs the duo did were for the same cause. A Green Wave homecoming victory...

Bi Nguyen took a meandering path as the Poplar Bluff junior ran for over 200 yards Friday night. Collin Jones, meanwhile, twice made a beeline to the punter. Jones, who blocked a punt last week leading to an early score, got two more punt blocks as the Mules beat Northwest 28-7 for homecoming at Morrow Stadium...

DEXTER -- Dexter played its most complete game of the season Friday night but were unable to find a way to win. Bearcats quarterback Peyton Pollock threw for nearly as many yards as New Madrid County Central gained as a team and the Bearcat defense forced three turnovers as Dexter lost a SEMO Central game 21-20 Friday...

BERNIE -- The offensive surge continued for the top-seeded Neelyville Tigers Friday night in the championship of the eight-team September Showdown baseball tournament at Bernie. Neelyville, fresh off a 25-3 quarterfinal win against Southland and 10-0 semifinal victory against Leopold, shut out second-seeded Bernie 10-0 in six innings to secure its third straight run-rule victory...

By DAR STAFF CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Four Poplar Bluff runners finished in the top 44 at the 12th annual Notre Dame Invitational on Saturday as the Mules finished sixth out of 12 teams with 153 points. Bailey Davidson took fifth in 17 minutes, 14 seconds on a wet 3.1-mile course...