Stories from Monday, August 22, 2016

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer While the Missouri Department of Agriculture currently investigates 119 chemical drift cases possibly linked to herbicide spray of genetically-modified (GMO) soybeans, one local company is thriving by shunning bioengineered crops...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer More than 100 volunteers will gather Monday in Poplar Bluff to help test the region's ability to respond to a major earthquake. The event is part of larger state and national exercises taking place next week which will simulate how first responders would provide medical care, evacuation and communication during a large scale disaster. The National Mass Care Exercise, which is hosted this year by Missouri, lasts from Monday through Thursday...

By CHELSAE CORDIA Staff Writer The search for a missing woman in Butler County ended at approximately 3 p.m. Friday when the body of 44-year-old Concord, Ark. resident Ginger S. Myers was found trapped inside her vehicle on county road 647 near Highway 53, approximately eight miles south of Poplar Bluff, Mo...

Making it safe Yes, I am a walker of the cemetery and the park and I want to thank whoever's idea it was to connect the park to the cemetery and shuttin' down that one-way street. Many times I have come very close to gettin' hit by speeding cars coming off of Gray St. onto that one-way. I just want to thank the city for fixing that and I hope they continue to block off that one-way. Thank you...

William E. (Bill) Sargent GREENVILLE, Mo. -- William E. (Bill) Sargent, 80, died Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016 at his home near Lowndes, Mo. Arrangements will be announced by Morrison-Worley Funeral Chapel in Greenville.

By CAROLYN SMITH Staff Writer Early Sunday, May 29, 2016, we sailed into Seward, Alaska. After a hearty breakfast, we said farewell to the Zaandam. For the majority of the passengers the cruise was over and they headed home. The rest of us, however, had opted for land tours. ...

Linda Jo Johnson Jefferson NEELYVILLE, Mo. - Linda Jo "Johnson" Jefferson, 60, of Doniphan, died Wed., Aug. 17, 2016 at Mountain View Healthcare in Mtn. View, Mo. Mrs. Jefferson was born on Nov. 11, 1955 in Fairdealing, Mo. On May 5, 1972 she married Maj. ...

By MONA CHAREN In the nanosecond between Donald Trump's foot-in-mouth moments this week, just before he made headlines by announcing changes in the topless blender that is his senior staff, he gave what many consider to be the finest speech of the campaign. ...

Danis Digges Danis Digges, 52, of Poplar Bluff died Friday, Aug. 19, 2016 in Poplar Bluff. He was born Aug. 30, 1963 in Fort Hood, Texas. Danis was a member of Liberty Full Gospel Church. A landscaper, he enjoyed fishing. Survivors are his daughter, Amber Digges; his mother, Rev. Nina Sue Hampton, and several aunts, uncles and cousins...

Jerry H. Stanley NEELYVILLE, Mo. -- Jerry H. Stanley, 65, of Harviell, Mo. died Friday, Aug. 19, 2016, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff. Visitation will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 23 with the funeral following at noon in the Fowler-Sullivan Memorial Chapel of Neelyville. Burial will be in the Missouri Veterans Cemetery of Bloomfield following services...

Mary L. Tibbs LaFond Mary L. Tibbs LaFond, 85, of Wappapello, passed away Friday, Aug. 19, 2016 at Mark Twain Caring Center in Poplar Bluff. Mrs. LaFond, daughter of the Victor Harrison and Bertie Kearbey Parsons, was born Oct. 17, 1930 in Poplar Bluff. ...

Rudolph A. Stucker FISK, Mo. -- Rudolph A. Stucker, 75, of Sanford, N.C., died Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2016 at Liberty Commons in Sanford. Rudolph was born on Nov. 7, 1940 in Fisk, Mo., the son of the late Lee and Mabel Stucker. He was a veteran of the United States Army. Rudolph work for International Harvester for 23 year and also City Bank in Las Vegas for 14 years...

James Joie Ellsworth James Joie Ellsworth, infant, of Harviell, passed away Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. He was born Aug. 10, 2016 to James Roberts and April Ellsworth of Poplar Bluff. James is survived by his parents; grandparents, Joie and Robin Ellsworth of Harviell, and Doris and Levi Estep of Qulin; and an aunt, Tessie Ellsworth of Harviell...

Courtney Michelle and Cody Michael Shelby of Advance have chosen the name Gabrielle Katie-Suzanne Shelby for their 8-pound, one-ounce daughter born at 8:29 a.m., Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2016 at Saint Francis Medical Center's Family BirthPlace in Cape Girardeau. Gabrielle was 19" long...

By CHELSAE CORDIA Staff Writer Poplar Bluff High School's brand-new stadium was immersed Friday night in hustle and bustle as the community came out to celebrate the Mules varsity football 2016 season home opener with a Mules victory of 48-8 over Riverview Gardens. The game story can be found in the sports section of today's DAR...

Poplar Bluff's soccer team opened Mules Stadium in thrilling fashion Saturday afternoon. Ronin Rice got off a shot after a scramble in front of the net during the second overtime, lifting the Mules to a 2-1 win over CBC. "Unbelievable with the heart of this team," Mules coach Steven Edwards said. "Four years with these seniors and the program growing. To have the caliber team come in that we just faced is a feeling that I haven't experienced in a long time...

Krystal Brooke and Bryan Scott Alspaugh of Paragould, Ark., have chosen the name Ella Marie Grace Alspaugh for their 6-pound, 10-ounce daughter born at 5:47 p.m., Thursday, July 21, 2016 at Saint Francis Medical Center's Family BirthPlace in Cape Girardeau. Ella was 18 1/2" long...

Ruby J. Williams Ruby J. Williams, 92, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Friday, Aug. 19, 2016 at The Cedargate Nursing Home. She was born Nov. 7, 1923 in Chaonia, Mo. to the late Benjamin Barks and Frances Underwood Barks. She was a member of the First General Baptist Church...

Riverview Garden's bus was the only thing holding back the Poplar Bluff football team. Jerrid Moore caught a short pass from Zane Foust on the Mules' third snap, got a pair of blocks and ran 79 yards to score the first touchdown at Mules Stadium. It came 1 minute, 51 seconds into the first game which was delayed nearly 45 minutes when the Rams' bus made the long trip from St. Louis longer...

MALDEN -- It only took a few snaps for Malden's newest wave of starters to click as the Green Wave returned to dominating form on a humid Friday night at The Swamp. First-year quarterback Mason Brown ran for three touchdowns and handed off four more while Tray Stevenson had a career night rushing in a 66-12 win over New Madrid Central...

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- Dexter's youth and inexperience showed itself early and in every phase as it lost its season opener to Ste. Genevieve for the fifth straight year. The Bearcats committed eight penalties, allowed 354 yards of offense, and earned four total first downs in their 35-6 loss at Ste. Genevieve on Friday...

SULLIVAN -- The Poplar Bluff softball team opened the season with a bang this weekend. Following a 4-3 loss Friday to Waynesville in their season opener, the Mules came charging back with 44 runs and four straight wins to take first at the Sullivan Tournament...