Stories from Saturday, November 9, 2013

By SARABETH WALLER Staff Writer The Poplar Bluff Police Department continues to search for a suspect in a reported strong arm robbery around 6:15 a.m. Wednesday at Wal-Mart Supercenter. According to Wal-Mart associates, a loss prevention associate approached a shoplifting suspect as he exited the store, carrying merchandise. ...

By ALEX WEST Staff Writer One local church celebrates its long history this Sunday. Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church, located on Garfield Street, began its fellowship in Poplar Bluff, Mo., 138 years ago. In 1875, a Poplar Bluff couple, Bro. and Sis. ...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Area residents have an opportunity during a 45-day public comment period to express their views on the Long-Range Transportation Plan released Thursday by the Missouri Department of Transportation. "We want folks to visit our website missourionthemove.org and tell us what they think," said Mark Shelton, who has been MoDOT's Southeast District engineer since 2005...

By CAROLYN SMITH Staff Writer At 4 p.m. Sunday Aug. 11, 10 members of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri embarked on the first of two mission trips that month to the Diocese of Lui in South Sudan, flying from St. Louis, Mo., to Detroit, Mich., to Amsterdam, Netherlands and then on to Entebbe, Uganda, arriving at 11:30 p.m. some 20 hours after leaving Missouri...

Very important decisions loom for the first national park area to protect a river system. With the release today of a draft General Management Plan, the final public comment period opens before the adoption of a new guiding document that will rule decisions made in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways for the next 20 years...

By MARTIN SCHRAM Scripps Howard News Service Covering politicians as a journalist has one thing in common with playing golf. The central premise of both is that you must play it as it lies. In golf, everyone watching can recognize a bad lie for what it is. When our eyes or the camera sees the ball buried in tall grass or behind a tree, we know instantly the golfer is the victim of a mighty bad lie...

By BETSY HART Scripps Howard News Service I remember when my children were very young, and we lived in Virginia, I came to see my family's life as being on a familiar loop: Putting up the Christmas lights, followed by hunting for Easter baskets and celebrating a raft of spring birthdays, then summers at the pool and, before long, the hunt for the perfect Halloween costumes...

By CLIFFORD D. MAY Scripps Howard News Service At last month's Values Voter Summit, a Washington gathering of conservative activists from around the country, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., gave a speech on what he called "a worldwide war on Christians by a fanatical element of Islam."...

Henry Kestner DEXTER, Mo. -- Henry Kestner, 89, of Dudley, Mo., died Friday, Nov. 8, 2013, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at this time and will be announced by Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter.

COLUMBIA -- The first mistake was letting him go freely off the line. Although the option play that the University of Tennessee ran wanted Missouri defensive lineman Kony Ealy to be left on an island, the former New Madrid County Central standout kept his eyes on the football and immediately chased Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs...

If the Three Rivers Raiders' season continues on its current course, Saturday night's home game against Lincoln Trail (Ill). will be a close contest. In three games this season, Three Rivers (2-1) has either won or lost by nine points or less. It took overtime for the Raiders to beat North Lake (Texas) 83-79 on Nov. 2 and in their only road game Monday, Itawamba (Miss.) won 79-77 on a tip-in at the buzzer...

On the road at the Mineral Area Classic this weekend, Three Rivers coach Jeff Walk half joked that the key to success for the Lady Raiders will be to run an offense. Not execute, run. No. 12 ranked Three Rivers (1-1) led by two with five minutes left against Itawamba Monday and failed to get into its offense late, losing 89-75. Consequently, practice this week has focused on mental preparation...

Steve Bass DONIPHAN, Mo. -- Steven C. Bass, 61, of Doniphan passed from this life Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau, Mo., following a brief illness. He was surrounded by his loving family. Steve, the youngest son of Charles (Lewis) and Emma Bass, was born June 30, 1952, in Ellington, Mo. ...

Everett Stucker ELLSINORE, Mo.-- Everett Edwin Stucker, 92, of Salem, Mo., died Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2013, at the Salem Care Center in Salem. Visitation will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday in the McSpadden Funeral Home in Ellsinore with the funeral following at 2 p.m. Rev. David Barbee will officiate. Burial will be in the Henson-Hilltop Cemetery in Ellsinore with full military honors...

Charles Kelley WAPPAPELLO, Mo.--Charles M. (Pete) Kelley, 76, of Wappapello, passed away Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Mr. Kelley was born Jan. 6, 1937, in Current View, Mo. to Charles Frank and Ermine Roberts Kelley...

Cletis Ellinghouse PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Cletis R. Ellinghouse, 76, died Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013, at Clark's Mountain Nursing Center in Piedmont. Arrangements will be announced by Morrison-Worley Funeral Chapel in Piedmont.

Norma Burns DEXTER, Mo. -- Norma Jean Burns, 79, of Essex, Mo., died Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo. A memorial service will be conducted at 11 a.m. Monday at the Methodist Church in Essex with the Rev. Roy Sherfield officiating. Arrangements are being handled by the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter...

The AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary to Post 29 met Monday, Nov. 9 at 6:30 p.m. Ethel Johnson offered the opening prayer. Minutes were read by Jewel Scholl, secretary, and were approved with corrections. Reports were submitted by committee chairpersons. Community service chairmen, Patsy Phelan was absent, however, a visit to Oakdale in October was reported. Visits scheduled for November include: Oakdale, Nov. 12; Westwood Hills, Nov. 14; and Whispering Oaks, Nov. 26. There will be 11 November birthdays...

Gary and Amy Ethridge of Poplar Bluff, Mo. have chosen the name Lukas Andrew Ethridge for their 8-pound, 12-ounce son born at 5:57 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12, 2013 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff. Lukas was 21 inches long. Lukas has a brother: Preston Ethridge, who is 5 years old...

Would you like the opportunity to participate in a leadership development, education and training program that will help you to apply the skills in leadership, public policy education and advocacy to make a difference in your community, church, family, and organizations? The Missouri Association for Family and Community Education (MAFCE) of Butler County will sponsor Family and Community Leadership (FCL) training...

By SARABETH WALLER Staff Writer The Poplar Bluff Police Department continues to search for a suspect in a reported strong arm robbery around 6:15 a.m. Wednesday at Wal-Mart Supercenter. According to Wal-Mart associates, a loss prevention associate approached a shoplifting suspect as he exited the store, carrying merchandise. ...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Very important decisions loom for the first national park area to protect a river system. With the release today of a draft General Management Plan, the final public comment period opens before the adoption of a new guiding document that will rule decisions made in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways for the next 20 years...