Stories from Thursday, March 31, 2016

By EVAN HOLLEY Staff Writer NEELYVILLE -- Neelyville's new Saturday school program is a big success, according to Aaron Burton, Hillview Elementary School principal. The district held its first session of Saturday school March 5 with 20 students in attendance...

By EVAN HOLLEY Staff Writer Over 500 area students will be in attendance as Ozark Federal Credit Union hosts its third annual Reality Fair Wednesday at the Black River Coliseum. The Reality Fair is a program that teaches students how to manage their money by placing them in "real-world" situations, with jobs, families, expenses and unexpected events...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer A series of four small earthquakes were reported around the Easter weekend along the New Madrid Fault in the Missouri Bootheel and western Tennessee. Three of the small tremors were reported within five miles of the small community of Ridgley, Tenn., but as of press time no residents reported any damage. All the quakes ranged in intensity only from 1.1 to 2.0 on the Richter Scale...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer First-grade teacher Teresa Webb's recent award of Eugene Field Teacher of the Year 2016 is an honor her colleagues describe as "long overdue." "Although I usually leave each day completely and utterly exhausted, because first graders have much more energy than the average person, I feel lucky to be able to a part of their lives and try and make a positive impact on them during the time I'm given with them," Webb said...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- A Scott County judge set aside the sentence of a former Bloomfield pastor convicted of defrauding nearly $87,000 from his elderly mother and will consider ordering restitution when he resentences the man in April...

By EVAN HOLLEY Staff Writer The Poplar Bluff Museum will host its second annual fundraising gala from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. April 16. The theme of this year's event is A Night at the Museum: A Salute to Sam. The event will honor Sam Giambelluca, a founding member of the museum who died in September. All money raised at the event will go to the support and maintenance of the museum...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer Candidates at a Tuesday school board forum pitched their qualifications and offered some thoughts on issues in Poplar Bluff R-I District, focusing mostly on below state average academic performance. Three-year terms expire next month for incumbents Cynthia Brown and Gary Simmons. Challenger Roger Hanner seeks to unseat one of the two long-serving members in the April 5 election...

By EVAN HOLLEY Staff Writer The last day for candidates to file for the April 5 election is Tuesday. Area voters will decide April 5 who will serve on Poplar Bluff and Neelyville school boards. Two candidates will be elected for each board. Three city council members will be elected in Poplar Bluff and one city council member will be elected in Qulin...

Clarence Redus Clarence Thomas Redus, 84, of Wappapello, Mo., passed away March 22, 2016 at Crowley Ridge Care Center in Dexter, Mo. Services were held March 25, 2016 at Cotrell Funeral Chapel in Wappapello. Rev. Jim Schremp officiated. A graveside service and burial followed at New Home Cemetery in Gatewood, Mo...

Oak Grove Elementary School has chosen three Students of the Month for March 2016. Fourth grader Juliana Buckelew, daughter of Stephanie Czerwanka and Andrew Buckelew, was nominated by Coach Amanda Lance because she is "very eager to participate in all activities. She always has a positive attitude and shows good sportsmanship."...

By STEPHEN MOORE Late last year, while playing tennis, I reached up to serve and felt a painful pop in my shoulder. The inflammation got worse over the next few months. Now anytime I try to put my arm above my head, pain shoots up my arm. I often wake up at night with an agonizing throb in my shoulder...

By GEORGE F. WILL WASHINGTON -- Sen. John Cornyn recalls visiting a Texas prison where some inmates taking shop classes could not read tape measures. Cornyn, who was previously a district court judge and Texas Supreme Court justice, knows that prisons are trying to teach literacy and vocations, trying to cope with the mental illnesses of many inmates and trying to take prophylactic measures to prevent drug-related recidivism by persons imprisoned for drug offenses. ...

President Obama has been handed over 20 unanimous, nine to zero defeats before the Supreme Court on his Administration's illegal and unconstitutional actions. This makes one thing clear to us all; this president severely misunderstands the Constitution...

Wilma C. Teets DEXTER, Mo. -- Wilma C. Teets, 72, of Bernie, Mo., died Sunday, March 27, 2016 at Southeast Health Center of Stoddard County in Dexter. Visitation will be from 5-8 p.m. Tuesday, March 29, at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter. Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 30, in the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Chapel with Rev. James Malloy officiating. Burial will follow in the Bernie Cemetery...

Fernita A. Coats Fernita A. Coats, 98, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., passed away Saturday, March 26, 2016 at Mark Twain Caring Center in Poplar Bluff. Mrs. Coats, the daughter of the late Carl and Fay Dollarhide Holcomb, was born Dec. 4, 1917 in Sylvania, Mo. ...

Geraldine Katherine Noble FISK, Mo. -- Geraldine Katherine Noble "Grandma Bubbles", 71, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Friday, March 25, 2016 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. There will not be a public service. White-Sanders Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements...

Sandra Kay Sullivan PIEDMONT, Mo. - Sandra Kay Sullivan, 73, died Sunday, March 27, 2016 at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Visitation will be at noon, Tuesday, March 30 at the Morrison-Worley Chapel in Piedmont. The funeral will follow at 2 p.m. in the funeral home chapel with Pastor Steven Sale officiating. Burial will be in Mann Cemetery near Annapolis. Memorials may be made to the Free Spirit General Baptist Church...

With the majority of Poplar Bluff's state championship girls track team gone, the Mules bring back as many all-state athletes this spring looking to replicate that team success. Both teams, however, are young with just three seniors between them --Denzel Britton, Isaiah Williams and Megan Knuckles...

Arthur Thomas CORNING, Ark. -- Arthur "Buck" Thomas, 81, of Fisk, Mo. passed away March 25, 2016 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Mr. Thomas was retired from Caviler Ford where he was an auto body repair man. He enjoyed flying model airplanes and being a pilot. He was of the Baptist faith...

Michelle Lynn Schmidt VAN BUREN, Mo. - Michelle Lynn Schmidt, 35, of Van Buren, died Sat., March 26, 2016 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff, Mo. Visitation will be at 6 p.m., Wed., March 30 at McSpadden Funeral Home in Van Buren. The funeral will be at 10 a.m., Thurs., March 31 in the funeral home chapel...

Genora Risenhoover HERCULANEUM, Mo. -- Genora Risenhoover, 86, of Herculaneum, Mo., formerly of Poplar Bluff, Mo. passed away Wednesday, March 23, 2016 at Scenic Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Herculaneum. She was born Jan. 2, 1930 in Qulin, Mo. the daughter of the late Ruth (nee Allison) and Sydna Vaughn...

Pansy Sue Tackett Pansy Sue Tackett, 70, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Sat., March 26, 2016. Visitation will from 1-2 p.m., Sat., April 2 at Temple Baptist Church on Barron Road in Poplar Bluff. The funeral will follow at 2 p.m. in the church with Pastor Steve Patterson officiating. Burial will be in the City Cemetery. A full obituary will appear in Wednesday's edition...

It may be spring, but the Raider defense had a little trouble vacuuming up hits. Three Rivers split with Williams Baptist on Monday at Roger Pattillo Field after the Raider defense committed seven errors. The offense and pitching was strong enough to overcome a pair of errors in the opener for a 5-4 win, but it couldn't overcome five errors in the nightcap and Three Rivers lost 8-4...

ELLSINORE -- East Carter turned a seven-run deficit into a one-run game with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. But with the winning run on second and the bases loaded, Van Buren retired Clay Stephens to hold off the Redbirds' comeback for an 8-7 victory Monday afternoon...

Brett Luna has added some fire to an already hot sophomore season. Luna (Neelyville HS) has homered three times in his past seven games and drove in 10 runs over the same stretch. He had at least one hit in all but one of those games and went 10 for 26 overall with seven runs scored...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Poplar Bluff sophomore Nathan Woolard literally had to make a name for himself Monday afternoon as the Mules made their season debut at the Notre Dame Invitational. Woolard's first name was scripted with a red marker above the crossed-out name of Nick, his older brother who was a senior last year, on the Mules' scoring chart posted in the clubhouse at Bent Creek Golf Course...

Betty F. Guinn DEXTER, Mo. -- Betty F. Guinn, 85, of Dexter, died Sunday, March 27, 2016 at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 5 - 8 p.m., Wednesday at Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter. Funeral services will be conducted at 10 a.m., Thursday at Rainey-Mathis Funeral Chapel with Dave Fleming officiating. Burial will follow in the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield...

Pansy Sue Tackett Pansy Sue Tackett, 70, of Poplar Bluff, entered into the presence of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Saturday, March 26, 2016. Sue was born Oct. 29, 1945, to Burl and Lorene Moylan. They preceded her in death. Also preceding her in death was her only child: Theodore Alan Tackett, who died July 6, 2015. Ted was well known by the local artists and was an excellent artist...

DEARBORN, Mich. -- If Mark Fields' theory is correct, his industry faces novel challenges. His theory about the changing role of driving in Americans' lives is one reason Ford Motor Co. now describes itself as an "automotive and mobility company." Fields, Ford's CEO, remembers a time when, on the day a teenager became old enough for a driver's license, he or she made an early morning beeline to get it. ...

By MONA CHAREN I first became aware of Donald Trump when he chose to make cheating on his first wife front-page news. It was the early '90s. Donald and Ivana Trump broke up over the course of months. Not that divorce is shocking, mind you; among the glitterati marriage seems more unusual. ...

Rev. Glenn Murray WEST PLAINS, Mo. - Funeral services for Reverend Glenn Edwin Murray, 81, Hartville, Missouri, formerly of West Plains, Missouri, will be held at 2:00 p.m., Thursday, March 31, 2016 at United Freewill Baptist Church, West Plains, Missouri, under the direction of Robertson-Drago Funeral Home...

To the Editor Saturday, March 26th the Poplar Bluff Kiwanis Club hosted its 3rd Annual Wolf Creek 5/10K Trail Run at the Wolf Creek Bicycle Trail. We had a record number of runners (82 total) who enjoyed the beautiful weather and the scenic trail. This year we introduced an 18K run which encompassed the entire outer loop, totaling almost 12 miles of diverse terrain. ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Denise Brooks of Butler County was named a 2016 Frank Graham 4-H Volunteer Leadership Award winner by the Missouri 4-H Foundation on March 18. Brooks was recognized for her commitment to the University of Missouri Extension 4-H Youth Development Program...

Cape native is 3rd on Jeopardy By BRIDGET BROWN SEMO News Service Kent Buxton, formerly of Cape Girardeau, made his "Jeopardy!" debut Monday. Unfortunately, because he finished third, his first appearance on the show also will be his last for the time being...

Chad Douglas Pennington NEELYVILLE, Mo. -- Chad Douglas Pennington, 38, of Doniphan, died Monday, March 28, 2016, in an automobile accident on his way to work. Chad was born July 19, 1977 in Poplar Bluff. He was a drill site manager for Chevron Oil Co. He enjoyed fishing and hunting...

By ALEX WEST Staff Writer In Hollywood, unique and exceptional men and women are honored with stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Butler County EMS LLC honors unique and exceptional area children with stars of their own with the S.T.A.R.S. program...

The Poplar Bluff girls soccer team is proving it has to get knocked down before it can get back up again in the early part of the season. The Mules opened the week with an 8-0 loss to defending MSHSAA Class 1 state champion Saxony Lutheran on Monday, but hardly anything from that performance was evident Tuesday night...

PBHS Class of '55 meets Friday The Poplar Bluff High School Class of 1955 will meet for breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Friday at Myrtle's Place. All class members, spouses and guests are invited to attend. Any questions, call 686-1019.

BONNE TERRE, Mo. -- Poplar Bluff swept the Raider Relays team titles Tuesday by dominating the relays. The Mules took the 400- and 800-meter relays and got another first place finish from senior Denzell Britton in the open 100 while the Lady Mules won three of four relay events and got first place in the triple jump from Tehya Williams...

By EVAN HOLLEY Staff Writer The Daily American Republic apologizes for an article in yesterday's paper containing erroneous election information. The last day to file for city office and school board positions was Jan. 19, not Tuesday as the article reported. The election for these offices will be Tuesday, April 5...

The Lady Raiders have struggled with confidence all season and found enough of it for two come-from-behind wins over St. Charles on Tuesday at Rains Field. "This is sweet. We've won over 600 games and you wouldn't think these two right here would be as good as any of them, but they are because we are really hungry," Three Rivers coach Jack Childress said...

Rev. Glenn Edwin Murray -- Hartville, Mo. Pansy Sue Tackett -- Poplar Bluff, Mo. Betty F. Guinn -- Dexter, Mo. Chad Douglas Pennington -- Doniphan, Mo.

VAN BUREN -- Summer Shockley had a big day in the circle, striking out 10 and giving up five hits as the Van Buren Lady Dawgs stayed undefeated with a 7-1 victory over Naylor in their spring home opener Tuesday. Van Buren (3-0) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Jenny Morey reached on an infield hit, was sacrificed to second and stole third. Shockley walked and took second before squeeze bunts by Logan Hayworth and Sydnee Sanders scored both...