Stories from Monday, February 17, 2014

By SARABETH WALLER Staff Writer On a weekend when many are turning to chocolates and flowers to express their feelings, volunteers with one local organization spent Saturday morning showing "the love of Christ" to their neighbors by giving out bags of food...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor Laughter and stories filled the halls of the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center Friday morning as Darryl Worley visited with patients and staff members. Worley, who headlined the "VAlentines for Veterans" concert Friday night at the Black River Coliseum, spent time going from room to room visiting with many of the veterans living in the VA's 40-bed community living center/veterans' home...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor Lack of action by the Missouri Senate prompted the governor to withdraw the name of his candidate to fill a vacancy on the Board of Probation and Parole. Former Rep. Dennis Fowler of Advance, Mo., was nominated in December by Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon to serve a six-year term on the Board of Probation and Parole...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor Making sure veterans and their sacrifices never are forgotten was the resounding message of country music star Darryl Worley Friday night as he honored them with a "VAlentines for Veterans" concert. Sponsored by the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center, Help Hospitalized Veterans and numerous local donors, the concert was the culmination of the VA's week-long National Salute to Veterans...

By CLAUDETTE RILEY Springfield News-Leader SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) -- Seven months into a second stay at the Missouri Hotel, 8-year-old Evan White has a simple hope for his next home. "I want a regular one," he said. The second-grader said "it's embarrassing" to talk about living with another family, the weeks spent bouncing between friends' couches and ending up in a homeless shelter. ...

Check the site To the guy who keeps writing about how there's going to be a tornado on Oak Grove Road, has he driven down there in the last 20 years? Does he realize there's already a school there? It's called the 5th & 6th Grade Center. There's also the Technical Career Center and Oak Grove Elementary. It's also the direction in which the community is growing. Thank you, Speak Out. I love you...

Cassidy Harris barely had time to dry off Thursday before jumping in the car and making the 82-mile trip back to Poplar Bluff. The junior won one race and helped win another at the Show Me Conference swimming championships before making another mad dash, this time from Cape Girardeau to Peters Gym where the Lady Mules were playing New Madrid Central in basketball...

By GEORGE F. WILL WASHINGTON -- Distilled to their discouraging essence, Republicans' reasons for retreating from immigration reform reflect waning confidence in American culture and in the political mission only Republicans can perform -- restoring America's economic vigor. Without this, the nation will have a dismal future only Democrats can relish: government growing in order to allocate scarce opportunity...

To the Editor, On behalf of the Poplar Bluff Salvation Army Service Unit, I would like to thank all those individuals who volunteered to 'ring the bells' this past Christmas season. We had over 600 bell ringers. My heartfelt thanks go out to each one of these very special people. A kettle standing silently gathers only pocket change but adding a smiling face and the sound of a ringing bell increases our donations significantly. Thank you for serving your community...

By CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER WASHINGTON -- In the ongoing saga of the Affordable Care Act, oddly referred to by Democrats as the law of the land even as it is amended at will by presidential fiat, we are beginning to understand the extent of its war on jobs...

Nicky Miles Nicky Lynn Miles, 61, of Poplar Bluff, Mo. passed away Thursday, Feb. 13, 2014, at the Kansas City Hospice House, in Kansas City, Mo. Mr. Miles was born Jan. 30, 1953 in Poplar Bluff to the late Howard and Alice Coffel Webb. He was of the Christian faith and had retired from the Union Pacific Railroad where he had worked as a conductor for 41 years. Mr. Miles enjoyed spending time with his family, gardening, fishing and hunting...

Michael Joe Bame Michael Joe Bame, 50, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Thursday, Feb. 13, 2014, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Arrangements are pending with Fowler-Sullivan Funeral Home in Poplar Bluff.

Mable Rodgers Mable Rodgers, 94, of St. Louis, Mo., formerly of the Broseley/Morocco area, died Saturday, Feb. 15, 2014, in St. Louis. Arrangements are pending at Cotrell Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff, Mo.

Milton Taylor Sr. Milton Roy Taylor Sr., 76, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Saturday, Feb. 15, 2014, in Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Arrangements are pending at Cotrell Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff.

Louie Davis QULIN, Mo. - Louie "Vern" Davis, 76, of Qulin, died Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2014 at North Florida Regional Medical Center at Gainesville, Fla. He was born Oct. 5, 1937 at Broseley, Mo. He served in the Army during the Vietnam War. He had formerly owned and operated Joe's MFA, Penny Pinchers Convenience Store and D & D Excavating in Qulin. He enjoyed spending winters in Old Town, Fla. and helping people fix things. On June 26, 1959 he married Wanda Faye Kilburn. She survives...

Christine Weaver MALDEN, Mo. -- Christine Louella Weaver, 75, of Malden, Mo., died Friday, Feb. 14, 2014, at her sister's residence in Clarkton, Mo. Visitation will be from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Monday at the Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden. A graveside service will be at 2:30 p.m. Monday in Stanfield Cemetery at Clarkton...

FARMINGTON -- After two close calls the previous two years, Aaron Vincent is finally going to Columbia. The Poplar Bluff senior reached the championship match at 132 pounds Saturday at the MSHSAA Class 3 District 1 tournament to advance to the state championships...

HILLSBORO -- Literally every time Jefferson mounted any momentum in the second half, Anna Vogt stopped it. The Lady Vikings, down by 10 at halftime, got within four points of Three Rivers at six different spots in the second half but never took the lead. At each moment, Vogt either scored, got an assist, or in the final instance, grabbed a key defensive rebound with Three Rivers up by three...

Three Rivers will finish last in Region XVI for the second year in a row. The Raiders suffered their seventh straight region loss Saturday as MSU-West Plains won 83-75 at the Bess Activity Center. The Raiders went into Saturday's game with a chance to leap frog Mineral Area and the Grizzlies into third place under the region tie-breakers, but now will face either State Fair or Moberly Area on the road in the first round of the season-ending tournament...

The Twin Rivers Royals were the underdog in more than one way coming into the Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament championship Friday night at Bess Activity Center. Seeded No. 3 and playing against the top-seeded Clearwater Tigers, the Royals hadn't played their best basketball over the last several weeks with a tough schedule and inconsistent practices during the bad weather. They also hadn't beaten Clearwater, the tournament's defending champions, since December 2010...

Shelby Moon idolized the Neelyville Lady Tigers at the beginning of their Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament championship dynasty. Two straight years now, Moon has played a couple of the best games of her young career on the big floor at Bess Activity Center in that same championship game...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Jordan Barber walked across the court during Notre Dame's homecoming ceremony wearing a protective boot on his injured left foot. Chase Urhahn also didn't dress as the Bulldogs were without two starters Friday night. It didn't matter...

GIDEON -- Top-seeded Clarkton got upset in the championship game of the Tri-County Conference Tournament as it came up short against No. 2 Risco, 68-55, Friday night. Senior Marco Alvardo led the Reindeer with 14 points while senior Reid Morgan added nine and senior Dylan White had eight points...