Stories from Wednesday, March 9, 2016

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer Butler and surrounding counties face a soggy, spring-like week of weather, as the National Weather Service (NWS) predicts rainfall beginning Tuesday afternoon and continuing through Friday evening. According to the NWS, a series of upper-level impulses will bring areas of showers and some thunderstorms through the area this afternoon into tonight and continue through Friday...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer A candidate for Poplar Bluff City Council has been accused of making an inappropriate joke a current council member says verged on terroristic threats. Ward 2 council member Ed DeGaris says candidate Jim Chrisman made an "alarming comment" about shooting members of the current council. Chrisman is running against incumbent Jerrica Fox in the April 5 election for a council member at large seat...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor Foul play is not suspected in the death of a Poplar Bluff, Mo., man who authorities believe was squatting in the basement of a downtown area home. The Poplar Bluff Police Department was notified at about 10:10 p.m. Saturday after the owner of a home in the 500 block of Poplar Street reported finding an unknown man dead in a "rear basement" of his residence...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Poplar Bluff City Council members asked Monday for more time before giving their approval to a new ambulance company. Medic One Ambulance of Jonesboro, Ark., says it would like to open a site in Poplar Bluff for EMS services. Vehicle and equipment repairs for all of the 15-year-old company's Missouri sites would also be handled through the location, said President Ryan Kibler...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor Authorities continue piecing together information regarding what led to a shooting Tuesday morning on the Wal-Mart Supercenter parking lot, which left a Doniphan, Mo., man dead inside a car and another in custody...

Sharon Tucker DEXTER, Mo. - Sharon Tucker, 64, of Dexter, died Sat., March 5, 2016 at her residence. Visitation will be at 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, March 8 at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter. The funeral will be at 11 a.m., Tuesday, March 8 in the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Chapel with Rev. Doug West officiating. Burial will be in the Sadler Chapel Cemetery...

Crappie fishing law not working New crappie fishing laws. Forget crappie fishing at Lake Wappapello, and below the spillway. The chance of catching a nine inch crappie in Lake Wappapello, and below the spillway is next to impossible. We take a chance of getting arrested by the friendly game warden...

By CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER WASHINGTON -- What happened to the evangelicals? They were supposed to be the bedrock of the Ted Cruz candidacy. Yet on Super Tuesday he lost them to Donald Trump. Cruz still did make a reasonably good showing, winning Alaska, Oklahoma and Texas, the latter by an impressive 17 points. But he didn't have the great night he needed to put away Marco Rubio and emerge as Trump's one remaining challenger...

To the Editor, National Boys & Girls Club Week, March 7th - 12th, is the time each year when some 4,000 communitiesacross the nation, including Poplar Bluff,celebrate the important work of their local Boys & Girls Clubs - saving and changing young lives, every day, every week - all year long...

Have you ever wondered how you have the credit score you do? In this fast paced, ever changing world, a credit score can often "make you or break you" in many different ways and is often one of the last things you think about until you need a loan. Christy Frazier-Moore, loan officer with The Bank of Missouri, will review the ins and outs of credit and why it is so important to take good care of it. She will talk at the Women Aware luncheon from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday at the Holiday Inn...

O'Neal Elementary School has chosen its Students of the Month for January and February 2016. Robert Williams, son of Imogene Williams, was selected as January Student of the Month by his first grade teacher Dustie Curnutt. His hobbies are watching mighty machines, playing with trucks and cars and playing his tablet. His favorite subject is recess...

Fisk Easter egg hunt is March 19 Join in the fun at 1 p.m., Saturday, March 19, at Fisk City Park for the annual Easter Egg hunt. The Easter Bunny will be present for pictures and activities. Attendance prizes will be given out, including two new bikes, donated by White Sanders Funeral Home and First Missouri State Bank...

PBHS Class of '59 lunch Thurs. The Poplar Bluff High School Class of 1959 will meet for lunch at 11:30 a.m. Thursday at Myrtle's Place. All class members, spouses and guests are invited to attend. Any questions, call 686-1019 or 718-5900.

Sharon L. Pullum DEXTER, Mo. -- Sharon L. Pullum, 65, of Bloomfield, died Friday, March 4, 2016 at her residence. A private memorial service will be held in Mrs. Pullum's memory at a later date. Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter is in charge of all arrangements...

Leonard Robinson CAMPBELL, Mo. - Leonard Robinson, 89, of Campbell died Sunday, March 6, 2016 at Piggott Community Hospital in Piggott, Ark. Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m., Wednesday, at Landess Funeral Home in Campbell. Funeral service will be a 1 p.m., Thursday, at Landess Funeral Chapel with Rev. Marty Carlisle...

By MARGRET SHACKLEFORD PB Chapter Daughters of American Revolution As part of the partnership with the Vietnam War Commemoration for the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War, the Poplar Bluff Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution announces Sue Thurman Beller as a "Vietnam Veteran of the Month" for March...

Harold Edward Bryeans, Sr. BRANSON, Mo. -- Harold Edward Bryeans, Sr., 67, formerly of Poplar Bluff, died Saturday, March 5, 2016. Vistation will be from 6-7 p.m., Friday at Snapp-Berden Funeral Home and Crematory, Branson. Funeral services will be at 1 p.m., Saturday, in the funeral home with burial to follow in Mincy Cemetery...

By BEN KLEINE SEMO News Service Last week, Bailey Wiseman and Chaffee, Missouri, American history teacher Travis Calkins spent several days living the lifestyle of a homeless person. Wiseman, a freshman at Chaffee High School, wore the same blue sweatshirt and gray sweat pants every day...

Olen "Bo" Roper BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Olen "Bo" Roper, 78, of Bloomfield, died Sunday, March 6, 2016, at Golden Living Center in Bloomfield. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., Wednesday, at the Chiles-Cooper Funeral Home in Bloomfield. Funeral services will be held on held at 1 p.m., Wednesday, at the Chiles-Cooper Funeral Chapel in Bloomfield, with Buddy Heaton of Bloomfield officiating...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- The Southeast Missouri State men's basketball program isn't one that players flock to thinking it'll up their chances to move on to the next level rapidly. But the one-and-done phenomenon that has become common at the major basketball level has made its way to Cape Girardeau...

Gary Leach ELLSINORE, Mo. -- Gary Leach, 65, of Ellsinore, died Sunday, March 6, 2016 in the Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Visitation will begin for the public at 6 p.m., Wednesday, in the Assembly of God Church in Ellsinore. The funeral services will begin at 10 a.m., Thursday. Rev. Scott Reynolds will officiate. Burial will follow in the Harmony Cemetery in Ellsinore...

Gladys Page Gladys Page, after a long and productive life, died of natural causes at her home on Saturday, March 5, 2016. Mrs. Page was born in the Kime community in Wayne County, Mo., on the 27th of October in 1914. She was the daughter of the late Henry Archie and Virgie Seabaugh Garrison, whose ancestors were early pioneers of Wayne County. ...

A screaming line drive is heading into the outfield when Poplar Bluff baseball coach Steve Edwards reminds his players something they just went over a few minutes earlier. "Don't dive." Welcome to practice at the new Strenfel Memorial Field. The work-in-progress ballpark is located on the east of the Poplar Bluff Technical Career Center and behind the 5th & 6th Grade Center, what will be the High School next fall. ...

Albert Coram Albert Floyd "Sonny" Coram, age 74, of Poplar Bluff, died Monday, March 7, 2016 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Mr. Coram was born April 1, 1941 at Pine, Mo. He was a retired OTR truck driver. He enjoyed wrestling and NASCAR and was a lifetime member of the National Street Machine Club. ...

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Raiders dug themselves a hole, climbed out, and slipped right back in. After giving up four runs in the bottom of the first, Three Rivers was able to tie the game in the fourth, only to immediately give up another four runs in the bottom frame...

Erin Bollmann's college career came to and end Wednesday in an 80-76 overtime loss to third-seeded Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville in the OVC Tournament. Bollmann (Three Rivers College) led the Lady Redhawks with 14 points and nine rebounds on 6 for 13 shooting. In 29 games this season, she shot 50.2 percent from the field and averaged 11.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. She scored a season high 23 points in January in another loss to SIUE...

BOONVILLE, Miss. -- Three Rivers' Wiley Lowry pitched her first complete game as a Lady Raider ... and then some. The Three Rivers freshman held Northeast Mississippi College to one run through seven innings, then took the loss after the Lady Tigers hit a walkoff single in the eighth to win 3-2 Sunday...