Stories from Thursday, October 22, 2015

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer PARK HILLS, Mo. - Performances by the Poplar Bluff High School SHO-ME Marching Band and color guard earned top marks Saturday at the Central Rebel's Invitational, one of the biggest competitions in the state. The competition, now in its 30th year, features 16 bands from across the state that compete in a preliminary and then final round for the Dan Stecker Grand Champion Award - awarded this year to the Potosi Trojans...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer Twin Rivers schools breezed through a light agenda Tuesday, focusing mostly on policy updates stemming from changes in Missouri law and current social climate. Board members approved nine policy changes and tabled one, a measure policy writer Missouri Consultants for Education stated would assist districts with "the emerging issues of transgender students."...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor A Cape Girardeau, Mo., convicted felon sits in the Butler County jail today charged with unlawfully possessing a firearm and may face more charges after authorities found about 8 ounces of suspected crystal methamphetamine when he was booked into the jail...

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor The deadline for dropping mail in the box at the Poplar Bluff Post Office is 11 a.m. Monday through Saturday. It is reasonable to expect mail will be postmarked the same day if the deadline is met. But this does not always happen and people have had to pay sizable penalties for not having a payment postmarked by the deadline...

By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN Barack Obama sought as his legacy to bring an end to the two longest wars in U.S. history. On Oct. 15, he, again, admitted failure. The 9,800 U.S. troops in Afghanistan will remain another year. And, on Inauguration Day 2017, 5,500 U.S. troops will still be there...

Dolores Barriner Dolores Barriner, 57, of Poplar Bluff died on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015 at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo. She was born on Sept. 21, 1958 to Charles and Sharron (Maas) Lewis in Pontiac, Mich. Dolores graduated from Poplar Bluff High School in 1976 and retired as a Supervisor for DECA. She married Dennis Barriner, Sr. and he preceded her in death...

Investigation by Lawmakers Leads to Planned Parenthood Doctor Losing Privileges The continued investigative efforts of committees in the Missouri House and Senate have prompted the University of Missouri to strip privileges from a Planned Parenthood doctor in Columbia. Committees from both chambers have spent the last several weeks taking a closer look at the abortion provider because of videos that appeared to show the organization breaks federal law by selling fetal tissues for profit...

By FRANK CAMPA Mo. Dept. of Conservation It is now late October and the 2015 fall firearms deer season is just around the corner. Our archery deer and turkey season has been in full swing since Sept. 15. As the weather gets cooler, so does animal activity, along with hunting activity and success. ...

By PAUL DAVIS Outdoors Editor Witnessing a knock-down, fight-to-the-death battle between white-tailed bucks or bull elk is a rarity, but that's exactly what happened to one visitor at the Peck Ranch Conservation Area last week. As the man was driving through the public viewing area, he saw two bull elk in a heated battle. Unfortunately, it didn't end well for one of them...

To the Editor, The Wappapello Civic Center board would like to say a big, "THANK YOU," to the following for helping to make our October 17th Fundraiser of "All You Can Eat Ham & Beans, Gun Raffle and Dance" a successful event: DAR, Puxico Press, Kent's Guns & Reloading,LLC, Quality Printing, Lenda McDonough and Janis Eubanks for decorating, Dennis Worley and RED LIGHT band members mand guest country music artists DJ and Melanie Lynn, to those that helped in the preparing of food and dessert donations, to those who donated cakes for the cake auction, 50/50 donations, to volunteers who helped sell raffle tickets, and especially to those that purchased a raffle donation for the Smith & Wesson and to all that came to this event or helped in anyway.. ...

Sharon Lee Scott PUXICO, Mo. -- Sharon Lee Scott, 58, of Puxico died Monday, Oct. 19, 2015, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Mo. Mrs. Scott was born Nov. 12, 1956, in Eureka, Calif. She was a homemaker. She married Rick Scott Oct. 8, 1995 in Nevada. He survives...

Peter Peterson GREENVILLE, Mo. -- Peter Peterson, 49, of Broseley, Mo., died Monday, Oct. 19, 2015 at the University of Missouri Medical Center in Columbia, Mo. Arrangements are pending with Morrison-Worley Funeral Chapel in Greenville.

Marvelene Riepe Marvelene Riepe, 79, of Poplar Bluff died Monday, Oct. 19, 2015, in St. Francis Medical Center at Cape Girardeau. She was born Dec. 18, 1935, at Hollywood, Mo. Marvelene was a nurse's aide and a foster grandparents at Eugene School. She was a member of the Abundant Life Christian Center...

Kenny Hunt DONIPHAN, Mo. -- Kenny Hunt, 60, of Gatewood, Mo., died Tuesday evening, Oct. 20, 2015, at Southeast Health of Ripley County. Funeral arrangements are pending with Edwards Funeral Home in Doniphan and will be announced upon completion.

Herbert Webb DONIPHAN, Mo. -- Herbert "Sonny" Webb, 73, of Doniphan, Mo. died Tuesday evening, Oct. 20, 2015 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center Funeral arrangements are pending with Edwards Funeral Home in Doniphan and will be announced upon completion...

Willard Bales Willard Bales, 90, of Poplar Bluff, passed away on Monday, Oct. 19, 2015 at the VA Medical Center in Poplar Bluff, Mo. He was born on March 29, 1925 to Oliver and Alice (Willard) Bales in Thomasville, Mo. He was an Army Veteran and was stationed in France during World War II where he was awarded The Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and many other medals. ...

Richard W. Alexander DEXTER, Mo. -- Richard W. Alexander, 67, of Dexter died Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015 at SoutheastHEALTH in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Visitation will be from 9-10 a.m. Thursday at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter with the funeral service following at 10 a.m. in the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Chapel with Rev. Kenneth Biggs officiating. Burial will follow in the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield, Mo...

HILLSBORO, Mo. --Maybe a first-round bye into the MSHSAA Class 4 District 1 semifinal wasn't a good thing. It didn't seem to help either team Tuesday night as top-seeded Farmington fell in three sets and Jackson knocked out second-seeded Poplar Bluff 25-20, 25-15...

BLOOMFIELD -- When Bloomfield's Katie Tippen stood behind the service line with the MSHSAA Class 2 District 2 championship on the line, both she and Bloomfield coach Sherilyn Long were thinking about last season. In both the district and sectional championship last year, Tippen had the serve in her hands with the game on the line and drilled an ace...

MALDEN -- Call it a curse or just plain bad luck -- the Malden volleyball team can't seem to get over the hump. Loaded with their best team in years, a conference title and just two regular-season losses, the Green Wave didn't play like the top seed Tuesday night in a 25-18, 25-18 upset loss to No. 3 New Madrid Central in the MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 championship...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- Notre Dame coach Tara Stroup cautioned her players before the start of the Bulldogs' MSHSAA Class 3 District 1 championship game against the defending champion Dexter Bearcats that they were going to have to fight for every point...

BERNIE -- Bernie volleyball coach Jason Long challenged his team to forget about the past and focus on the next two points with the second set of the MSHSAA Class 1 District 2 championship tied at 23 Tuesday night. "I just tried to challenge them on their home floor and remind them that we've worked hard, I've tried to push them hard and it's the first team to two on your home floor," Long said of a timeout. ...

Two seniors led the Mules in scoring and Poplar Bluff celebrated its first win against Notre Dame in over a decade with a 5-3 victory on Senior Night at Whiteley Park. Tuesday's win marked the first time the Mules (13-9) have defeated the Bulldogs (12-10-1) since 2004. Poplar Bluff won 3-1 that season, but for the past 10 years Notre Dame has outscored the Mules 15-3...