Stories from Saturday, April 18, 2015

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer A man is in critical condition at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center this morning after a shooting in the 500 block of Cynthia Street. The victim is not from this area and officers were still working at press time to identify the man, a white male, according to Poplar Bluff Deputy Police Chief Jeff Rolland. No further information was available concerning the nature of the victim's injuries...

NEW MADRID, Mo. (SMNS-- A former teacher is charged with possessing child pornography. Online court records show a warrant was issued Tuesday charging Amy R. Walker, 36, of Lilbourn, Missouri, with felony possession of child pornography. In a probable-cause statement filed by New Madrid County Sheriff deputy Danny J. ...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Location remained a central topic of discussion Thursday during the second meeting of the city hall feasibility study committee. The committee discussed the pros and cons of maintaining a downtown presence, relocating the police department to an area adjacent to Three Rivers College or moving all offices to property on Barron Road...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor NEELYVILLE -- John French was elected president of the Neelyville School Board during a reorganizational session Thursday night. Other officers are: Donna Akers, vice president; and non-board members Paul Petty, secretary; and Kim Toth, treasurer. Akers served as president during the past year...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer A reorganized Poplar Bluff R-I Board of Education appointed leaders, voted on salaries and additional teachers and named the new 4-6th grade center during Thursday's monthly meeting. After the swearing-in of newly elected board members Ken Davis and Heather Tuggle, members voted local attorney John Scott board president. Scott was elected to the board in April 2014...

Cane Creek Community Club met for its April 8 meeting in the home of Irma Epps. The business meeting was opened by repeating the Pledge of Allegiance. President Nancy Wujick asked for the secretary's and treasurer's reports. Both were approved. The account balance was $30.85. The club received a thank you note from Recycling Grace for its contribution...

Sacred Heart School's third quarter honor roll is as follows: A Honor Roll First Grade: Braden Belknap, Evan Bonifield, Kenzie Clark, Jack Hirtz, Gracie Massey, Brayden Poole, Jalynn Proffer, Aaron Reyes-Mortero, Selina Shi, Marcus Tabanera Second Grade:...

I recently met with school superintendents and county commissioners in south-central Missouri to give an update on the Secure Rural Schools funding program. Twenty-one of the 30 counties in our congressional district receive this federal funding, which benefits many rural schools in our area, but authorization for this program expired at the end of Fiscal Year 2013. ...

Maintain trash trucks Wouldn't it be nice if the trash hauling companies in this area would actually care a little bit about the functionality of all of their equipment? Everything from burned out headlights, taillights and turn signals and anything else that don't function or are so covered over with the garbage they haul that you can't see them even in the dark. ...

By MONA CHAREN Who controls the past controls the future. -- George Orwell, "1984" The candidates who are announcing for president will be cheered to know that the Democratic Party has been hemorrhaging popularity the way the housing market lost value in 2008. In 2009, 62 percent of Americans had a favorable view of the party. In January, only 46 percent said the same...

Start the week off with exercise at 9 a.m. Monday and Wednesday by joining the P.A.C.E. (People with Arthritis Can Exercise) class. You'll feel better! A mother and daughter team,"Inner Peace," will sing gospel songs at 11:30 a.m., Monday. for everyone to enjoy...

Joseph Nolan Forbes, Jr. MALDEN, Mo.--Joseph Nolan Forbes, Jr., 6 months, of Kennett, died Sunday, April 12, 2014 at Twin Rivers Regional Medical Center at Kennett. Visitation will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Bradshaw Funeral Home. The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Bradshaw Chapel with burial in Rocky Hill Cemetery in Campbell...

By GEORGE F. WILL WASHINGTON -- What began as a trickle has become a stream that could become a cleansing torrent. Criticisms of the overcriminalization of American life might catalyze an appreciation of the toll the administrative state is taking on the criminal justice system, and liberty generally...

Elizabeth Inman Elizabeth M. Inman, 100, of Poplar Bluff, Mo. died Thursday, April 16, 2015, at Mark Twain Caring Center. Arrangements are pending with Fitch-Hillis Funeral Home. A complete obituary will be in the Sunday edition of the Daily American Republic...

Walter Grams Walter Michael Grams, 100, of Poplar Bluff, died Friday, April 17, 2015, at The Manor. Arrangements are pending and will be announced by Cotrell Funeral Service.

The second annual Staff Sgt. Eric W. Summers Play for Honor Golf Tournament on Saturday, June 6, will benefit the Veterans Wall in front of the Black River Coliseum. Summers, 32, survived five deployments in combat zones, but he was one of four U.S. Marines killed Nov. 13, 2013, while clearing a range of unexploded ordnance at Camp Pendleton near San Diego. He was buried in Poplar Bluff following a funeral procession that attracted thousands of people with flags...

Virginia Wallace MALDEN, Mo. -- Alvie Virginia Wallace, 86, of Risco, died Thursday, April 16, 2015, at Southeast Health of Stoddard County, Dexter. Visitation will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden. The graveside service will follow at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Memorial Park Cemetery in Malden. Burial will follow the service...

Paul Graham PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Paul L. Graham, 77, of Piedmont, died Thursday, April 16, 2015, at the Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Arrangements will be announced by Morrison-Worley Funeral Chapel, Piedmont.

Nora Bennett DEXTER -- Nora Yvonne Bennett, 79, of Dexter died Tuesday, April 14, 2015, at the St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will begin at noon today at the Watkins & Sons Funeral Home in Dexter with the funeral starting at 1 p.m. in the funeral home chapel with the Rev. Brandon Powell of Dexter officiating. Burial will be in the Missouri Veteran's Cemetery in Bloomfield...

Kenneth Vert Kenneth Vert, 65, of Fisk, Mo. died Wednesday, April 15, 2015 at the Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Mr. Vert was born Dec. 27, 1949 in Poplar Bluff. He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He retired from the John J. Pershing VA Hospital. He enjoyed hunting and fishing...

Doris Laverne Blough MALDEN, Mo. -- Doris Laverne Blough, 84, of Risco died Wednesday, April 15, 2015 at Ozark River View Manor in Ozark. Visitation will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Risco First Baptist Church until the service time at 2 p.m. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery in Malden...

Earl Dunlap NEELYVILLE, Mo. -- Earl Dunlap, 81, of Naylor died at 10 p.m. Wednesday, April 15, 2015 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff. He was born March 25, 1934, at Bumcomb, Mo. Mr. Dunlap was a farmer. He had lived in the Naylor and Neelyville areas until he moved to Stoddard County in October, 2014. His parents were Clarence Dunlap and Iva Hover Dunlap, they preceded him in death...

Howard Lee Smith DEXTER, Mo. -- Howard Lee Smith, 77, of Puxico, died Wednesday, April 15, 2015, at his residence. A memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday in the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Chapel in Dexter. Arrangements are being handled by the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter...

Robert T. McGinley Jr. MALDEN, Mo. -- Robert T. McGinley Jr., 60, of Clarkton, died Wednesday, April 15, 2015, at the St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. The visitation will be at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden. The funeral will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home chapel. Burial will be in the Stanfield Cemetery in Clarkton...

Paige Caroline and Daniel Ross Garner of Poplar Bluff have chosen the name Beckett Ross Garner for their 7-pound, 8-ounce son born at 2:43 p.m., Sunday, April 12, 2015 at Saint Francis Medical Center's Family BirthPlace in Cape Girardeau. Beckett was 20 1/2 inches long...

Edward "Eddie" Foerster VAN BURN -- Edward "Eddie" Foerster, born Sept. 20, 1920 left this world to meet his Lord on April 15, 2015, at the age of 94. The youngest son of German immigrants, Conrad Foerster and Anna Maria Boenig, Eddie was born in Barren, Mo. ...

Pauline E. Bess DEXTER -- Pauline E. Bess, 90, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, April 14, 2015 at Puxico Nursing Center in Puxico The daughter of the late Oma Nelson and Frank and Louella Gunter, she was born on Aug. 3, 1924 in Advance. Mrs. Bess was a member of the Lynwood Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau...

Poplar Bluff will replace one hall of fame basketball coach with another. The school officially hired John David Pattillo as the Lady Mules next coach Thursday night during closed session of the district board meeting. Pattillo returns to his alma mater 10 years after leading the Mules to consecutive state titles and finishing with a 157-90 record as the boys basketball coach. He takes over the program after Kirk Chronister resigned in March following his 39th season leading the Lady Mules...

Carr Vernon was selected Friday morning to represent the United States team in the Palmer Cup. The Poplar Bluff native was the only non-Division I college player selected for the event, which takes the top college golfers from the United States and Europe in a Ryder Cup style event. The teams were announced on The Golf Channel...

The Poplar Bluff baseball team wasted little time Thursday, playing their first home game in nearly a month. The Mules sent 12 batters to the plate and brought around seven in the first inning of a 10-0 win in five innings against Piggott, Ark. at Strenfel Memorial Field...

NEELYVILLE -- Neelyville busted open a 2-run lead by scoring three runs in the sixth inning and extracted revenge on state-ranked East Carter with an 8-4 win Thursday afternoon. The Redbirds, ranked second in Class 2, previously beat Neelyville the last two years in the district final and the Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament this past fall...

Before being honored between games on sophomore day, Kelen Smith honored the fans with one of her best performances of the season. "I think it fired her up. The fact that she threw a shutout, and she is really throwing the ball better, it seems, each time out," Three Rivers coach Jack Childress said...

ST LOUIS -- The Raiders ended a four-game slide with a pair of strong pitching performances. After five days off, since Three Rivers' last game, starters Dylan Slayton and Cody Wills each allowed four hits to pick up the wins as Raiders swept St. Louis 6-0 and 5-1 on Thursday to get back above .500...