Stories from Saturday, December 12, 2015

From staff and wire reports The Cape Girardeau and Jackson police departments have notified the FBI more than 50 prepaid cellphones were purchased at Cape Girardeau and Jackson Wal-Mart stores on the same day last week. FBI spokeswoman Rebecca Wu of the agency's St. Louis division confirmed Thursday the federal law-enforcement agency has been notified of cellphone purchases but offered no details...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer Should Twin Rivers public schools build or repair? That question is currently the central focus of the district's advisory committee, whose members cite deteriorating conditions at multiple campuses. The advisory or "steering" committee met Thursday with St. Louis based general contractors Control Technology and Solutions (CTS) for an informal assessment of the district's infrastructure and to discuss how to proceed in securing funding...

Eugene Field hosted a first grade Christmas program featuring the seven habits and how they affect Santa's toy production.

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor GREENVILLE, Mo. -- A Wayne County jury convicted a Kansas man Thursday afternoon of sodomizing his young niece at a family reunion and sentenced him to more than 20 years in prison. Darrell Antone, 59, of Topeka, Kan., stood trial Wednesday and Thursday before Circuit Judge Sidney Pearson III on the unclassified felony of first-degree statutory sodomy...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor A judge's review of a video-recorded statement of a Poplar Bluff, Mo., man regarding an alleged assault of another man, who was reported missing by family members earlier this summer, may result in his case going to trial...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer EMINENCE, Mo. --The public is invited to join the Alley Mill community for an afternoon and enjoy an old fashioned Christmas celebration from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. The free event will include cocoa and cookies in the Alley General Store, where participants can make Christmas ornaments to take home and hang on their own tree...

Computers are all that's left Poplar Bluff city council was sooooo eager to fire Doug Bagby and hire a "professional" city manager. Well, look what we got--a con artist and the council took the bait hook line and sinker. Had we kept Bagby and never gotten in bed with Kaplan and this ISI group out of Michigan that sold us a bill of goods - we probably would have had enough money for a new city hall. ...

Lance and Tabitha Hensley of Poplar Bluff have chosen the name Ella Grace Hensley for their 4-pound, 8-ounce daughter,, born at 1:01 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 8, 2015 at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Ella was 18 inches long. Grandparents are Sandra Greer and Eric Hicks of Poplar Bluff and Basil and Connie Hensley of Ellsinore...

By GEORGE F. WILL WASHINGTON -- In today's culture of hyperbole, born of desperate attempts to be noticed amid the Niagara of Internet and other outpourings, the label "genius" is affixed promiscuously to evanescent popular entertainers, fungible corporate CEOs and other perishable phenomena. But it almost fits the saloon singer -- his preferred description of himself -- who was born 100 years ago, on Dec. 12, 1915, in Hoboken, New Jersey...

By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN In the first-round of regional elections in France, the clear and stunning winner was the National Front of Marine Le Pen. Her party rolled up 30 percent of the vote, and came in first in 6 of 13 regions. Marine herself won 40 percent of her northeast district...

"We are pleased to announce that this year 15,397 food items to help our families during the coming holiday seasons were collected," according to Mike Dineen, district executive o Greater St. Louis Council of the Boy Scouts of America. That will feed approximately 1,539 families who would otherwise not have enough food from Thanksgiving through Christmas, he said. This food has come from our area and remains in our area at a time when it is most needed...

Two area projects are included in the contracts awarded Wednesday by the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission. A $391,273 contract was awarded to R. L. Persons Construction of Poplar Bluff for a bridge replacement over Main Ditch on Route HH in Dunklin County...

By MARK BLISS SEMO News Service U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, has been chosen to serve on a powerful leadership committee in the House, the first Missourian appointed since U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., was a House representative years ago. Republican colleagues Thursday elected the 8th District congressman to serve on the Republican Steering Committee, a group of House leaders tasked with choosing committee chairmen and who will serve on the various legislative committees...

Darrell Swinger DEXTER, Mo. -- Darrell Swinger, 63, of Dexter died Friday, Dec. 4, 2015, at the Southeast Health Center of Stoddard County in Dexter, Memorial services will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, at the Dexter Eagles Aerie in Dexter. Watkins & Sons Funeral Service in charge of arrangements...

Clarence "Jim" Steinmeyer FISK, MO.--Clarence "Jim" Steinmeyer, 79, of Poplar Bluff, died Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015 at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Mr. Steinmeyer was born July 5, 1936 at St. Charles. He retired in 1985 after 33 years of service in the Air National Guard. From 1985 until retiring from the Federal Government in 1996 he was a government contractor in the aviation field. He was an active life member of the AmVets. He enjoyed fishing and hunting...

NEELYVILLE -- A well-rounded, nightmare of a matchup. That's Neelyville in a nutshell. But for the first time all season the Lady Tigers didn't have a comfortable lead at halftime Thursday against Ozark Foothills Conference rival Twin Rivers, and Neelyville coach Becky Hale let her team have it...

Margaret Cox DEXTER, Mo. -- Margaret Cox, 89, daughter of the late P.D. Allen and Ilah Oberbey Allen, was born on June 21, 1926 in Lamar, Ark. and departed this life on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015 at the Cypress Point Skilled Nursing Center in Dexter. Mrs. Cox was a member of the Dexter Church of Christ and a resident of Dexter. She had worked at the Collier Company as a licensed real estate agent before retiring...

By DAR STAFF PARAGOULD, Ark. -- A team from Southeast Missouri will play for the title at the McDonalds Shootout as Poplar Bluff and Dexter opened with wins Thursday. The Mules, which beat Nettleton (Ark.) 56-50, will face Dexter, a 74-69 winner over Greene County Tech (Ark.), in the semifinal tonight with the winner advancing to Saturday's championship...

By DAR STAFF DEXTER, Mo. -- The Poplar Bluff wrestling team earned a pair of dual wins Thursday night against the host Bearcats and Notre Dame. Poplar Bluff beat Dexter 48-21 and Notre Dame 69-4. Johnny Jaco, Storm Massey and Josh Lewis each had pins on both of their matches for the Mules while Kade Richardson, Garrett McClure and Chance Moore earned a pin and a forfeit win...

SIKESTON -- With four minutes remaining and a running clock in effect since the third quarter, Sikeston got a rebound and went on a 5-on-1 break against the Mules. It was the final straw for Poplar Bluff coach William Durden, who subbed out for good everyone that didn't get back on defense...

By BEN KLEINE SEMO News Service Convicted murderer Clay Waller was transferred Sunday by Cape Girardeau County sheriff's deputies from a federal prison in Marianna, Florida, and is in the custody of the Missouri Department of Corrections to serve the remainder of a 20-year sentence...

CLARKTON -- Emanuel White's 46 points led Clarkton past visiting Neelyville 99-92 in double-overtime Thursday night. The 5-foot 10-inch junior hit 16 of the Reindeer's 31 field goals and was 11 of 16 at the free-throw line. Freshman Lee Matney added 14 points, including 12 from behind the arc and Anthony Adams had nine for Clarkton (3-3)...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor Two Poplar Bluff, Mo., women may face charges after they allegedly attempted to supply tobacco to jail inmates, who were at the Butler County Courthouse Thursday for court appearances. "We had received information that there may be some contraband smuggled into the jail by way of Eldrid Smith's girlfriend, Cassie Knox," explained Butler County Sheriff Mark Dobbs...