Stories from Thursday, April 10, 2014

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Cheers rang out Tuesday night at Butler County Courthouse when supporters of a tax levy measure for Poplar Bluff schools learned it passed by more than 600 votes. The 80-cent increase to the R-I operating tax levy had an approval rating of more than 56 percent, succeeding 2,850-2,226...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Newcomer John Scott will join two incumbents on the Poplar Bluff R-I Board of Education, following Tuesday's election. Each candidate will serve a three-year term. Scott won 26.1 percent of votes, Steve Sells 24.7 percent and Alana Robertson 19.8 percent. Challengers Jim Ward and Cindy Boyers did not win a spot on the board, with 15.7 percent and 13.5 percent of votes, respectively...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Three new members were elected to three-year terms on the Poplar Bluff City Council Tuesday. The closest race was in Ward 5 where Peter Tinsley defeated incumbent Robert Smith 176-149. Smith has served on the council 12 years...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor DONIPHAN, Mo. -- A Fairdealing, Mo., couple was placed on probation Tuesday morning after pleading guilty to providing false information to obtain their concealed weapons certification. Accompanied by their attorney, Devin Kirby, Randy S. Hart and his wife, Cindy Hart, appeared before Associate Circuit Judge John Bloodworth to enter pleas...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Two new members will join the Three Rivers College Board of Trustees. Voters on Tuesday selected challengers Chris Williams (38.3 percent) and Eric Schalk (35.2 percent) over incumbent Wilbur Thornton (26.3 percent). Williams and Schalk each will serve a six-year term for Three Rivers' Sub-District 1. This will be the first term for both on the college board...

H indicates winners. I -- incumbents. POPLAR BLUFF CITY COUNCIL 2 at-large seats Susan McVey(I), 1,014 H Jack Rushin, 1,210 H David Johnson, 1,195 Ron Black, 914 Ward 5 seat Robert Smith (I), 149 Carolyn Marshall, 27 H Peter Tinsley, 176 POPLAR BLUFF...

Dollar General will celebrate the opening of its new location at 5505 Hwy 158 in Harviell, Mo., at 8 a.m. Saturday with free prizes and special deals. Additionally, the first 50 adult shoppers will receive a $10 Dollar General gift card and the first 200 shoppers will receive a Dollar General tote bag, among other giveaways...

United Parks announced today the purchase of former Bluff Falls Water Park. The water park will reopen under new management and the name Hydro Adventures. Besides the name change, United Parks will be making many other improvements throughout the year, including the addition of a major new water slide named Twisted Six, opening July 4th weekend, and a Triple Threat Basketball attraction...

The Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce invites area businesses to celebrate Administrative Professionals Day on April 23. Business owners and managers can recognize their staff by taking their assistant, secretary and other office support staff to the Fourth Annual Administrative Professionals Day luncheon from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. ...

Stop the ad when it's sold Yea, DAR, I've called you before and told what a good job you do and sometimes what a bad job you do, but on your phone ads-the ones up to $50 you can put in there free for so many days, at least the people could do is to call you back and tell you when they sell it. ...

By JOHN PRATT Mo. Dept. of Conservation This weekend will be an exciting event for many turkey hunters. April 12-13 are the dates for the youth spring turkey hunting season. The youth spring turkey hunt is open to both resident and nonresident youngsters who are aged 6 through 15. Valid permits are the resident spring turkey hunting permit, resident landowner spring turkey permit and nonresident spring turkey hunting permit...

By PAUL DAVIS Outdoors Editor Missouri's spring turkey hunters, especially those in the southeast region of the state, should expect a "pretty good season," according to Resource Scientist Jason Isabelle with the Missouri Department of Conservation...

By PAUL DAVIS Outdoors Editor Committee members of the Three Rivers Buglers chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation are in the final planning stages of the organization's 16th annual big game dinner, set for May 10 at the Black River Coliseum...

By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN Is the Republican Party's Middle East policy up for bid? For four days, a quartet of presidential hopefuls trooped to Las Vegas to attend the annual gathering of the Republican Jewish Coalition. Impresario: Sheldon Adelson, the Vegas-Macau casino mogul whose fortune is estimated at $39 billion -- 8th richest man on the planet -- and who dumped $92 million into the election of 2012...

Voters in Carter and Wayne counties decided two issues Tuesday. Other issues include two in Puxico and two in road districts in Stoddard County. A contest for a road district board position was decided in Ripley County. CARTER CO. Half-cent sales tax for sheriff's dept...

House Approves Second Amendment Preservation Act (HB 1439) Members of the Missouri House of Representatives came together this week to stand in defense of the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners. The House passed a bill that would enact the Second Amendment Preservation Act to protect Missourians from attempts by the federal government to infringe on their gun rights...

Residents in 12 area communities decided 18 city contests Tuesday. There were mayoral races in Bernie, Ellington and Grandin and aldermanic contests in Bernie, Bloomfield, Campbell, Clarkton, Doniphan, Ellington, Ellsinore, Grandin, Malden and Puxico...

Voters in 11 area school districts decided school board contests Tuesday. Three winners in each district were elected to three-year terms. BERNIE Ashley Robertson, 121 CAMPBELL Rickie Holloway Jr., 39 Matt Steward, 239 Randy Biggs, 134 Travis Bedwell, 214...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor VAN BUREN, Mo. -- By a slim margin, Carter County voters approved a half-cent sales tax to benefit its sheriff's department Tuesday, making it possible for additional personnel to be hired. When the votes were tallied Tuesday night, the tax had passed by 19 votes, 434-415...

FESTUS -- A false start may have helped Lexi Hafford break a record. In her third meet, the Poplar Bluff freshman set a team record in high jump Tuesday by clearing 5-feet, 6-inches at the Festus Tiger Town Invitational. Hafford was disqualified in the 100-meter hurdles on a false start before heading to the high jump. Lady Mules coach Beth Lewis-Muse said Hafford has been battling an upper hamstring injury and was later scratched from the 300 hurdles...

Ria Fortner HOMOSASSA, Fla. -- Ria K. Fortner, 83, of Homosassa passed away on Tuesday, April 1, 2014, at Seven Rivers Regional Medical Center in Crystal River, Fla. A native of Lauterbach, Germany, she was born June 30, 1930, to Heinrich and Marie (Ruppel) Otterbein, one of five children. On June 30, 1967, she married Vernon Fortner, who preceded her in death on May 26, 2002...

DEXTER -- All season long Dexter seniors Paige Patterson and Alison Jarrell have been reaching milestones. From each player scoring their 1,000 career point to reaching the Class 4 championship game for the first time the duo have shared plenty of memorable moments in their final year with the Lady Bearcats...

Anna Reece Anna (Cooper) Reece, 51, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Monday, April 7, 2014, in Poplar Bluff. Mrs. Reece was born Oct. 3, 1962, to the late Elbert and Betty (McNew) Edwards. She enjoyed music. She is survived by her husband, Michael J. Reece; two sons, Joshua and Joseph Summers; a sister, Angie Blagg; three brothers, Junior Harmon, Randy Quigley and David Edwards; and grandchildren, Jayden Summers, Elijah Russell and Jerick Summers...

Donald Auckerman FISK, Mo. -- Donald Chas Auckerman, 75, of Warren, Mich., died Saturday, April 5, 2014, at St. John Macomb Hospital in Warren. He was born March 5, 1939, at Cincinnati, Ohio. He is survived his companion, Maria Mathea of Warren; three brothers, Blaine Auckerman (Gloria), Jim Arrighi and Larry Plogman (Juanita); one sister, Bertha Auckerman; and several nephews and nieces...

Otto Becker DONIPHAN, Mo. -- Otto P. Becker, 82, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., departed this life to be with the Lord on Tuesday, April 8, 2014, at his residence in rural Poplar Bluff. Mr. Becker, son of Frank C. and Willie Mae (Reynolds) Becker, was born July 25, 1931, in Jasper, Ark. He had been employed in construction. Mr. Becker was of the General Baptist faith and enjoyed gardening, hunting and fishing...

Richard Scarbrough FISK, Mo. -- Richard Scarbrough, 59, of Bloomfield, Mo., died Monday, April 7, 2014 at his residence. There will be a memorial service at 3 p.m. Thursday at White-Sanders Funeral Home in Fisk. Condolences: www.whitesandersfuneralhome.com...

Pete Peterson GREENVILLE, Mo. -- Pete Peterson, 82, of Greenville died Tuesday, April 8, 2014, at his home near Greenville. Visitation will begin at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Morrison-Worley Funeral Chapel in Greenville. Funeral services will follow at 1 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home chapel with the Rev. Jerry Montgomery officiating. Burial with military honors will be in the Old Shiloh Cemetery at Shook, Mo...

Blood drive here Friday A blood drive will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at Butler County Health Department, as part of National Public Health week. An appointment to donate can be scheduled by calling 573-785-8478 or visiting www.redcrossblood.org...

By SARABETH WALLER Staff Writer Two challengers and one incumbent will be sworn into three-year terms at the next Neelyville R-IV school board meeting. Challenger Robert Dean Fisher took the most votes with 367, followed by challenger Paul Petty with 291 and Shane Eaker with 273...

By SARABETH WALLER Staff Writer Challengers Robert Thurman and Billy Watson, along with incumbent Roger Baxter, earned three-year terms on the Twin Rivers R-X school board Tuesday. Thurman earned 455 votes (20.7 percent), Watson received 425 (19.4 percent) and Baxter earned 380 (17.3 percent)...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor GREENVILLE, Mo. -- For a third time, Wayne County voters rejected making their prosecuting attorney full time. The proposition failed by a vote of 1,150 to 693. "I thought there was a chance it would go down ... since it hadn't passed before, but I was surprised by the margin," explained Wayne County Prosecuting Attorney Robert Ramshur...

DEXTER -- Three Rivers coach Jeff Walk has added a local prospect to his 2014 recruiting class. Dexter's Erika Cobb signed Tuesday to play basketball at Three Rivers College next fall. "It's close to home. It seemed like a pretty good school to go to and coach Walk seems pretty cool," Cobb said. "It's really exciting."...

After sitting out the past three rodeos after her big win in the goat tying event at Texarkana, Ark., Three Rivers College's Callie Stanhouse returned to finish third in the goat tying Long Round this past weekend. The finish puts her back on track to qualify for the College Finals Rodeo. With one event left in the season, Stanhouse is third in the Ozark Region standings with 538 points, maintaining a narrow three-point lead on Kesia Smith of Troy University...

By SARABETH WALLER Staff Writer Despite earning a simple majority, a $1.55 million bond issue in the Neelyville R-IV school district fell short of the 4/7ths vote needed to pass Tuesday night. Of the 576 residents who voted on the issue, 298 voted yes while 278 voted no. It received 51.7 percent of the vote. The issue would have required 76 more yes votes to pass...