Stories from Saturday, January 30, 2016

BY PAT PRATT Staff Writer The United States Geological Survey reports a magnitude 2.3 earthquake struck at 5:31 a.m. Friday, 10 miles east of Malden. The epicenter was identified at a depth of 4.1 miles near the intersection of U.S. 62 and County Road 537 in New Madrid County...

St. Jude Math-A-Thon under way at R-I schools By PAT PRATT Staff Writer Poplar Bluff R-I students for the 26th consecutive year are raising money to fight cancer by taking part in the St. Jude Children's Hospital Math-A-Thon. R-I schools grades K-8 have raised more than $869,000 for St. Jude since 1989. Last year alone the schools raised $46,090. Event organizer and Oak Grove Elementary Principal Jennifer Richardson says the amount raised by the district over the years "is amazing."...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer A Poplar Bluff, Mo., native is bringing his popular tribute band home to headline the Sixth Annual Valentines for Veterans concert. Jon Sousan, a U.S. Army veteran, will perform an Eagles tribute show Feb. 19 at the Black River Coliseum...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- An appellate court recently upheld the 2014 conviction and sentence of a Stoddard County man who sexually assaulted a women he abducted from an Advance, Mo., bar. Steven Clark Rendleman, 55, was convicted by a Franklin County jury of the felonies of kidnapping, forcible rape and forcible sodomy. He earlier had pleaded guilty to the felonies of second-degree assault on a law enforcement officer and armed criminal action (ACA)...

Evelyn Lorene Myers WINONA, Mo. -- Evelyn Lorene Myers, daughter of the late Harley and Thelma (DeWeese) Atkins, was born Feb. 17, 1919 in Midco, Mo. and departed this life at Mercy Hospital in Mountain View, Mo. on Jan. 26, 2016 surrounded by her family. ...

The annual ecumenical Lenten Series has chosen "Who is My Neighbor?" for this year's programs. The Lenten series will begin Ash Wednesday, Feb. 10, at Holy Cross Episcopal Church, 420 N. Main St. Each series will begin with soup and sandwiches, which will be serviced at 6 p.m.; the service will follow at 7 p.m...

By MONA CHAREN "I am not a member of any organized political party," Will Rogers quipped in the last century, "I'm a Democrat." If today's Republican Party were organized, if its storied "establishment" were even a shadow of the leviathan its detractors claim, the world would look very different. ...

Westwood Baptist Academy's honor rolls for the first semester of the 2015/2016 follow: PRINCIPAL'S LIST First Grade: Ethan Blackwell, Annaliese Carson, Isabelle Davis, Chloe Parkin, Tavian Scott, Riley Webster Second Grade: Freedom Bates, Rob Dodd, Anjali Gottumukkala, Reese Hampton, Gavin Osburn, Addy Prater, Carson Smith, Cody VanDover...

By GEORGE F. WILL WASHINGTON -- During Watergate, Henry Kissinger's mordant wit leavened the unpleasantness: "The illegal we do immediately; the unconstitutional takes a little longer." President Obama often does both simultaneously, using executive authoritarianism to evade the Constitution's separation of powers and rewrite existing laws...

Ida Miskle PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Ida Miskle, 70, formerly of Des Arc, Mo., died Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016, at St. Clare Hospital in Fenton, Mo. Arrangements currently pending with Ruegg Funeral Homes, Inc. Online condolences: www.rueggfuneralhomes.com

Lonnie Dail White DEXTER, Mo. -- Lonnie Dail White, 62, of Dexter, died Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016 at Crowley Ridge Care Center. Visitation will be from 10:30 - 11 a.m., Friday at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m., Wednesday, in the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Chapel with Rev. Brad Moore officiating...

To the Editor: A new tax was passed recently, a very large tax mind you. It was sold on the platform that it was supposed to improve our schools. Yes, we have major infrastructure issues that desperately needed addressing. But I question why it was felt we needed multi millions invested into sports facilities. ...

Riley Ward CORNING, Ark. -- Riley Ward, 78, of Piggott, Ark. passed away at home Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016. Mr. Ward was retired from Darling Store Fixtures in Paragould, Ark. He was of the Pentecostal Faith. Survivors are his wife, Janie Ward of the home; son, Jeff Ward of Rombauer, Mo.; daughter, Patty Tarpley of Rombauer; brothers, Robert Ward of Texas, Donald Ward of Paragould, and John Mauldin of Poplar Bluff, Mo.; sisters, Ella Phillips of Fisk, Mo., Sandra Copeland and Linda Drake, both of Michigan; two grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; seven step-children; 15 step-grandchildren; 63 step-great-grandchildren; and two step-great-great-grandchildren.. ...

Marilyn Elizabeth McKinley NEELYVILLE, Mo. -- Marilyn Elizabeth McKinley, 47, of Corning, Ark., passed away Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016 at St. Bernard's Medical Center in Jonesboro, Ark. Mrs. McKinley was born on May 1, 1968 in St. Louis. She worked as a farmer and enjoyed her grandchildren, taking pictures, birds and her computer. Marilyn also attended the First Baptist Church in Harviell...

Sylvia La'Reese Herrion-Borden DEXTER, Mo. -- Sylvia La'Reese Herrion-Borden, 44, of Sikeston, Mo. died Friday, Jan. 22, 2016 at the Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., Saturday, at the New Direction Out Reach Ministries, 123 N. ...

Under the spotlight at a darkened Peters Gym, Poplar Bluff senior Jordan Lansford was in a tied match with the same wrestler who just days earlier had taken fifth place from him at the conference tournament. Dexter's Michael Hurst, who won at 195 pounds by injury forfeit in the previous meeting, tied Thursday's match with an escape seven seconds into the third period...

DEXTER -- Bloomfield coach Jason Karnes decided against giving Dexter's Ethan Flowers a chance to tie things up in the closing seconds of regulation Thursday night in a semifinal of the SCAA Tournament. "We had to foul because of Ethan Flowers. We just had to," said Karnes of the decision to foul Jason Jarrell with a 3-point lead and 9 seconds remaining...

John W. Taylor John W. Taylor, 85, of Poplar Bluff, died Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016 at Westwood Hills Care Center. There will be a graveside service at the Poplar Bluff City Cemetery at 1 p.m. Saturday. A complete obituary will run in Sunday's edition of the Daily American Republic...

KENNETT, Mo. -- Kennett weathered a late comeback by the Poplar Bluff Lady Mules, holding on for a 49-42 win Thursday night. The Lady Indians saw their 14-point, third-quarter lead dwindle down to three points late in the fourth. Poplar Bluff's late rally was led by Autumn Dodd and Kaitlyn Slaughter. The duo combined for 30 points, with Dodd finishing the game with a team-high 20...

NEELYVILLE -- The Neelyville boys basketball team stayed perfect in Ozark Foothills Conference play, cruising to a 62-47 win over Greenville on Thursday. Sammy Davidson and Rashawn McComb each reached double figures to lead the Dons (10-7, 4-0 OFC). Davidson knocked down five 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 17 points and two rebounds. McComb finished with 14 points and five boards...

DONIPHAN -- The Twin Rivers girls basketball team has a knack for remembering its two biggest assets in crunch time. With a senior-led attack and a well-rested bench, the Lady Royals survived a dismal first half of shooting and broke out a big fourth -quarter run to secure a 49-35 victory over Doniphan in an Ozark Foothills Conference game Thursday night...

Poplar Bluff alumni Abiodun Ayetimiyi and Joseph Eyler cracked the Raider starting lineup on Thursday against Link Year Prep. It was the first start of the season for Ayetimiyi and the second for Eyler, who also started in the first game of the Thanksgiving Classic against Dyersburg State...