Stories from Monday, January 19, 2015

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer By day he's a regular fourth-grader at Oak Grove Elementary, but behind the scenes he's the Rubik's Cube master of Poplar Bluff. Ethan Hudlow, 9, has been working the iconic puzzle since September, but he can already solve it in 27 seconds...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor PUXICO, Mo. -- A Puxico teen died around midnight Friday after he apparently stepped on a live electrical line following a motor-vehicle crash on Highway 51. The teen is identified as Marcus Lauder, 19. He is a 2014 graduate of Puxico High School, where he played varsity basketball...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer NewWave Communications is willing to return to the city of Poplar Bluff a judgement against a now-defunct Internet company for debt valued at more than $200,000. Poplar Bluff Internet, owned by Brian Becker of Williamsville, Mo., successfully argued before a judge in December the debt became the property of NewWave when the Poplar Bluff cable division was sold...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Harold Robinson, who excelled in football at Poplar Bluff High School and Lincoln University, will speak during the Martin Luther King Day program at 11 a.m. Monday at Wheatley School. The public is invited to attend the event in the historic school at 921 Garfield St...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Grammy Award winning band The Kentucky Headhunters will headline this year's Valentines for Veterans concert, which will be held Feb. 13 at the Black River Coliseum. The fifth annual event is hosted by John J. Pershing VA Medical Center and is part of the National Salute To Veteran Patients week...

By SHARON RANDALL Tribune News Service Nana duty is not for sissies. It requires you to do things you once did as a mother: Feeding, tending and cleaning up after little people who seem to think they own your soul simply because, for some reason, you love them more than life...

By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN "I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend to the death your right to say it." That maxim of Voltaire was among those most invoked by the marching millions in Sunday's mammoth "Je Suis Charlie" rally in Paris...

Julie Becker, president of International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) -Three Rivers Chapter, invites area residents to attend Steve Halter's presentation, "Leading Successful and Engaging Meetings" at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 27, in room #E105 of the Tinnin Fine Arts Center on the campus of Three Rivers College. The presentation is free to attend and membership to IAAP is not required...

Terry Allen PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Terry Allen, 59, of Piedmont, formerly of the Clubb, Mo., died Friday, Jan. 16, 2015, at his residence. Arrangements are pending with Ruegg Funeral Home in Piedmont. Online condolences can be made at www.rueggfuneralhome.com...

'Jill' Shearrer PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Angela "Jill" Shearrer, 73, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., formerly of Wayne County, died Saturday, Jan. 17, 2015, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Arrangements are pending with Ruegg Funeral Home in Piedmont. Online condolences can be made at www.rueggfuneralhome.com...

Randle Milde NEELYVILLE, Mo. -- Randle Milde, 71, of Poplar Bluff, formerly of Neelyville, died Thursday, Jan. 15, 2015, at Westwood Hills Heath Care in Poplar Bluff. He was born Dec. 18, 1943 to William Milde and Lerlean Rickman Milde in Broseley. Both preceded him in death...

PUXICO, Mo. -- Marcus Lauder, 19, of Puxico died Friday, Jan. 16, 2015, following an automobile accident on County Road 284. Mr. Lauder was born Oct. 28, 1995, in Rockford, Ill. A four-year resident of Puxico, he was 2014 graduate of Puxico High School, where he played varsity basketball. He was employed at W.W. Wood Products at Dudley, Mo...

CAPE GIRARDEAU --Former Southeast Missouri State baseball and basketball player Don Metz recalled a missed phone call from Southeast director of athletics Mark Alnutt a few months ago. "Back in November of last year I got a call from Mark, and I wasn't at the office that day, but the following morning I came in and saw that he'd called. ...

ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- Poplar Bluff's Steven Haley and Matt King won their weight divisions Saturday at the St. Charles Invitational. King earned an overtime victory with a takedown for a 4-2 decision at 120 pounds while Haley won 7-2 in the final at 195 pounds to lead the Mules...

Crowder College came into the Bess Activity Center on Saturday afternoon on an even bigger slide than host Three Rivers. The Lady Roughriders, with 10-straight losses and just one win since Nov. 11, snapped their skid. The Lady Raiders tied it up on a couple occasions late while Crowder never led by more than 10 points in a 77-73 victory over Three Rivers...

BERNIE -- After winning only two of their first 11 games, this past week has been a breath of fresh air for the Dexter Bearcats. Their latest win came on Friday when the Bearcats played the role of spoiler at rival Bernie's homecoming with a 66-54 come-from-behind win...

BROSELEY -- Nobody seemed happy with their performance in the latest meeting of Butler County rivals Friday night. Poplar Bluff may have beaten Twin Rivers 85-53, but it didn't feel that way to the Mules. "It felt like more of a loss in terms of laying it all out on the floor," said Poplar Bluff's Chris Stocks who scored a career-high 34 points...

BLOOMFIELD -- Just three days after Malden senior Cortez Dobbins scored 67 points, Bloomfield held him to 13 and the Wildcats prevailed 45-44 Friday night. The Wildcats led 26-13 at halftime before the Green Wave rallied to tie it up at 33. Tyler Battles was big for Bloomfield in the fourth with six of his 12 points. Noah Vandiver led Bloomfield with 17...

WEST PLAINS -- The Raiders' memory will be tested after this one. Three Rivers collapsed late and lost to MSU-West Plains 83-81 on the Grizzlies' homecoming night Saturday. "It was a complete meltdown," Three Rivers coach Gene Bess said. "It was one of those games you have to get past as quick as you can because there were so many mistakes."...