Stories from Thursday, August 18, 2016

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor The search was to resume this morning for a woman who called 911 Tuesday night to report her car had been swept off of a flooded Highway 53. The Missouri State Highway Patrol got "a 911 call transferred from Stoddard (County) ... a female made a 911 call and said she was in trouble," said Butler County Investigator Wes Popp. "She said the water had swept her car into the water, and they couldn't get out."...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor As flood water continued spilling over the levee south of Poplar Bluff, Mo., Tuesday morning, county firefighters evacuated a couple from their home along Black River. At about 9 a.m., Butler County firefighters responded to the area of County Road 608 and County 611 with both a tanker truck and a boat...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer GREENVILE, Mo. -- A church saved one board at a time from the floodwaters of Wappapello Lake could succumb to the ravages of time without community support. Christian Church now faces an uphill battle to recover from decades of neglect, according to a group that hopes to save a part of the town's legacy...

By ALEX WEST Staff Writer Sign, signs, everywhere signs! Poplar Bluff Middle School STEM Teacher Keri Jameson sees potential in an often overlooked resource - outdated election signs, and she is asking for the community's help realizing that potential...

By CHELSAE CORDIA Staff Writer John Mureno recently donated a Winchester lever-action rifle for display in the Poplar Bluff Historical Museum. The special edition rifle commemorates 150 years of Butler County. The gun belonged to his father, the late George Mureno, who won it in a raffle at the 1999 Butler County Sesquicentennial Celebration. The winner was announced at the Black River Rodeo held Sept. 24 and 25, 1999...

Janet L. Dixon Janet L. Dixon, 61, of Poplar Bluff passed away Aug. 6, 2016 at Missouri Baptist Medical Center in St. Louis. Visitation was held Aug. 9, 2016, at Cotrell Funeral Chapel in Wappapello and funeral services were held Aug. 10, 2016 in the Cotrell Funeral Chapel. Dan Clubb officiated. Burial followed in the Womack Cemetery near Wappapello...

Rod Bowling Rod Bowling of Sturdivant, son of Artie Scott and the late Hayden Bennett, was born in Poplar Bluff, Mo., on Sept. 14, 1951, and passed away at the St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo., on Aug. 12, 2016, at the age of 64 years, 10 months and 29 days...

John Robert Pigg John Robert Pigg, 87, of Wappapello passed away Aug. 6, 2016 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Visitation was held Aug. 10, 2016 at Cotrell funeral Chapel in Wappapello and funeral services were held at Olson Funeral Chapel in Genoa, Ill. Burial followed in the Genoa Cemetery...

By SARAH DENKLER Horticulture Specialist Although some may consider it early, chrysanthemums are now being offered for retail sale in the area. What should you know in order to grow these plants in the landscape? Chrysanthemum, or mums to many, are often sold as annuals and priced accordingly. ...

By BRIAN BLASE The Philadelphia Inquirer via Tribune News Service Washington experts have been frequently wrong about the Affordable Care Act. They projected far more enrollees in ACA exchanges than materialized. They also projected that the individual insurance market would stabilize in 2016 with robust competition. Instead, the country is grappling with enormous premium hikes and fewer choices...

By GEORGE F. WILL CHICAGO -- Seated in his office here, wearing neither a necktie nor a frown, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner is remarkably relaxed for someone at the epicenter of a crisis now in its second year and with no end in sight. But, then, stress is pointless when the situation is hopeless. ...

MALDEN -- It's ingrained in Mason "Pete" Brown, he doesn't think about it. Neither do his teammates. When you pull on your Malden jersey, buckle your helmet and take the football field at the start of the season, there is one way to go about your business...

Kevin Goltra sees a future where Payton Tinnin runs for a first down, then his photo pops up on the brand new, quite expensive video board standing behind the south endzone. It's just one of several new things the Dexter football program is trotting out this year...

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reminds drivers to pay attention every time they are behind the wheel, but especially before and after school when children are walking, biking, or driving to school. Many schools throughout the state have started their 2016-2017 school year. ...

Carney R. Baxter NEELYVILLE, Mo. -- Carney R. Baxter, 92 of Jonesboro, Ark., died Monday, Aug. 15, 2016. Visitation will be from 1 - 2 p.m., Friday, at the Fowler-Sullivan Memorial Chapel in Neelyville. Funeral service will follow at 2 p.m. in the chapel with Pastor Don Cook officiating. Burial will be at Naylor Memorial Cemetery. Full Military Honors to follow at graveside...