Stories from Sunday, February 21, 2016

By DAVID SILVERBERG Associate Editor Four Butler County candidates already have signed in for first place on the Aug. 2 primary election ballot, but the actual filing does not begin until 8 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23. The deadline to file is at 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 29...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Officials with Municipal Utilities say residents should be aware of a scam in which individuals pretending to be with the company have attempted to collect money from customers by phone. Several businesses were contacted Friday morning by a caller who said the company's electric accounts were past do and would be shut off immediately unless payment was made, said Bill Bach, utilities general manager...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer Poplar Bluff Technical Career Center (PBTCC) currently is undergoing its accreditation process after losing that status in 2013 due to a prior accreditation company's fallout with the federal government. PBTCC was accredited through North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI)...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor Opportunities to work with "enthusiastic" confidential informants enabled undercover officers to build cases against more than 180 individuals for suspected drug-related offenses. For more than two years, the officers and/or their confidential informants bought quantities of prescription pills, crystal methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor Officers with the SEMO Drug Task Force disagree with those who say drugs are a "victimless crime." "If you think about it, the person who is a dope user is a victim (but) no one cares because they had a choice, but the person's kids ...," said Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Jeff Heath, who is assigned to the task force. " ... You've got the little babies laying in the floor while you buy dope over them."...

By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN Republican hawks are aflutter today over China's installation of anti-aircraft missiles on Woody Island in the South China Sea. But do these Republicans, good free-traders all, realize their own indispensable role in converting an indigent China into the mighty and menacing power that seeks to push us out of Asia?...

Dr. STEPHEN MOORE Barack Obama's last budget is nothing if not is a grandiose visionary document. No one -- least of all, Congress -- paid much attention to it, because no one cares where this lame-duck president wants the country to go fiscally. But the $4.1 trillion Obama manifesto deserves some inspection, if only because it is crammed with so many awful ideas. ...

Dear Editor, Your editorial on Sunday, January 10, about the phrase "Silence is Golden," and the city council being silent at times, brought back pleasant and fun memories. When I was a young teenage girl, in downtown Poplar Bluff Junior High School, I had to write "Silence Is Golden," so many times, it was instilled in me thus my reason for silence...

Sherman L. Smith DEXTER, Mo. -- Sherman L. Smith, 77, of Dexter, departed this life Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016, at his residence. He was born Jan. 31, 1939 in Dexter. The son of the late Elzie "Cotton" Smith and Helen Coggins Smith. Mr. Smith attended Liberty Hill General Baptist Church in Aid, Mo. ...

Hazel Irene McMurtry DONIPHAN, Mo. -- Hazel Irene McMurtry, 82, of Doniphan, died Sunday, Feb. 14, 2016, at her residence. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m., Tuesday at First Baptist Church in Doniphan with Brother Monty Flanagan officiating...

Audrey R. Davis PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Audrey R. Davis, 91, of Williamsville, died Friday, Feb. 19, 2016, at Riverways Manor, Van Buren. Arrangements are currently pending with Ruegg Funeral Homes, Inc. Online condolences: www.rueggfuneralhomes.com

Audrey R. Davis WILLIAMSVILLE, Mo. -- Audrey R. Davis, 91, of Williamsville passed away Friday, Feb. 19, 2016, at Riverways Manor, Van Buren, Mo. Visitation will be held at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016, at United Methodist Church, Williamsville, Mo. Eastern Star Service will be at 12:45 p.m., funeral services will follow at 1 p.m. also at the church in Williamsville...

John David Kitchen NEW ORLEANS -- John David Kitchen passed away on Monday evening, Feb. 15, 2016 at Ochsner Hospital, following a long battle with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. The beloved husband of Linda Lastrapes Kitchen, John and Linda had been married for 48 years. ...

Joette Corbin Wamble CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- Joette Corbin Wamble, 81, of San Antonio, Texas died Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. A graveside service will be held at 1 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 24 at Triplett Cemetery in Rural Bloomfield, Mo.

The Continuing Education Department at Three Rivers College will hold an Intermediate Excel class 5:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 1. Chris Waite will teach the class and the cost is $45 (package with Basic and Advanced and get all 3 for $125). This class offers extended knowledge of Microsoft Excel...

Three Rivers College will host the HiSET® High School Equivalence Test in Caruthersville this March. The exam will be offered at Caruthersville High School on Saturday, March 19, from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. The registration period for this test closes on March 11...

In their home opening doubleheader, the Raiders had the bases loaded in the seventh inning in both games ... and had nothing to show for it. Three Rivers, which moved the games ahead a week to take advantage of the nice weather, was swept 6-1, 8-6 by Southwestern Illinois...

The Lady Raiders are looking to weave their way through the Region XVI Tournament after ending the regular season on a winning streak. Three Rivers used its new weave offense and 10 3-pointers to confuse visiting Crowder and win 56-53 Saturday at the Bess Activity Center...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Facing the same wrestler that handed him his first loss at the MSHSAA Class 3 championships, Steven Haley took advantage of his second chance Saturday. The Poplar Bluff senior took fifth place, earning all-state honors, with a 10-5 decision against Chaminade's Danny Conley at Mizzou Arena...

VAN BUREN -- Before the game, Van Buren coach Adam Epps said to his team, "You want to win. We'll see how bad you want to rebound and how many rebounds you want to give up." The Bulldogs grabbed 16 offensive rebounds and Logan Sanders drew four charges as Van Buren beat Greenville 70-58 to advance to the semifinals of the MSHSAA Class 2 District 2 tournament...

The old barn on Victory Lane was rockin one last time Friday night. For the second time in a week, the Poplar Bluff Mules overcame a 17-point, second-half deficit to win at home. This time, however, the Mules needed overtime to dispatch Charleston 90-83 in their final game at Peters Gym...

ST. PETERS, Mo. -- Taylor Norwood added two more all-state medals to her collection Saturday at the MSHSAA swimming championships. The Poplar Bluff sophomore finished seventh in both the 200-yard butterfly and individual medley while the Mules placed 16th in a pair of relays at the St. Peters Rec Plex...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Dexter senior Ethan Stevens placed third in the 182-pound weight class at the three-day state wrestling tournament at Mizzou Arena in Columbia Saturday. Stevens lost to Tage McNutt of Benton by a 6-4 decision in his semifinal Friday, but rebounded with a pair of victories Saturday. Stevens beat Wade Hahn (44-12) of Ste. Genevieve 6-1 and beat Caleb Shanks (51-9) of Cameron 2-1 in the third-place match...

MALDEN -- Late game dramatics followed the Twin Rivers Royals yet again Saturday afternoon. And for the second time in a week they came down to the wire against a team they had beaten once before to get a win. This time, however, the sixth-seeded Royals needed an extra 4 minutes and a perfectly executed play to upset No. 3 Hayti 79-78 in the opening round of the MSHSAA Class 3 District 1 Tournament...

MALDEN -- The three-time defending champion Twin Rivers Lady Royals picked up right where the left off in the MSHSAA Class 3 District 1 Tournament. Twelve players scored and the top-seeded Lady Royals held No. 8 Caruthersville under double digits in a 69-5 blowout Saturday...

VAN BUREN -- The Lady Bears' defense held Puxico to two field goals in the second quarter. Then they held Puxico to one field goal in the third quarter. With that, third-seed Greenville advanced to the MSHSAA Class 2 District 2 semifinals with a 45-32 win over Puxico...