Stories from Friday, December 9, 2016

By CHELSAE CORDIA Staff Writer It's been nearly two decades since a motion picture was shown at the Historic Rodgers Theatre in Downtown Poplar Bluff, but after Dec. 15, this will cease to hold true. Rodgers Theatre, Inc., announced Wednesday the upcoming showing of It's A Wonderful Life. The classic Christmas film will be featured as part of a fund-raising effort to restore the historic theater...

By CHELSAE CORDIA Staff Writer Ozark Federal Credit Union is hosting a special drive to benefit the boys at Sears Youth Center. The list of items ranges from hygiene products to gloves and socks. A complete wish list will be included at the end of this article...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor An investigation into an alleged assault Wednesday night led to the arrest of a Poplar Bluff, Mo., woman who is accused of possessing stolen and defaced firearms and suspected methamphetamine and cocaine. A Poplar Bluff police officer was sent to Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center at about 7:45 p.m. in reference to an assault, in which a 23-year-old woman's foot had been run over by a vehicle...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer A Poplar Bluff Middle School student recently was suspended and referred to juvenile authorities after bringing an airsoft replica gun to school - the second incident involving the controversial toys this semester. School officials stress no students were threatened or harmed in either incident...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor JACKSON, Mo. -- With a Cape Girardeau County jury waiting to be sworn in Wednesday morning, a Doniphan, Mo., man pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in connection with the 2015 death of his stepfather. Accompanied by his attorney, Steve Lynxwiler with the Public Defender's Office, Johnny H. Stanley appeared at about 10:40 a.m. before Senior Judge William Syler to plead guilty to the Class B felony of voluntary manslaughter...

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Ryan Wells hates inefficiency. The primary purpose of John J. Pershing VA Medical Center is to take care of veterans. Any time spent wrestling information from a computer, any process that slows down work, is time away from veterans, according to the Poplar Bluff lab technician...

Donna Winter -- Whitewater, Mo. Michael Eugene Norman -- Wappapello, Mo. Lois Boston -- Piedmont, Mo. Alfred L. Dixon -- Poplar Bluff, Mo. Anna Mae Carrens -- Doniphan. Mo. Danny Dwayne Beck -- Poplar Bluff, Mo. Karen Jarrell -- Lawton, Okla...

By GEORGE F. WILL WASHINGTON -- So, this is the new conservatism's recipe for restored greatness: Political coercion shall supplant economic calculation in shaping decisions by companies in what is called, with diminishing accuracy, the private sector. ...

By REKHA BASU Des Moines Register In Cincinnati late last week, President-elect Donald Trump took an unexpected swipe at reporters covering his rally. Pointing at "the people back there," and calling them "the extremely dishonest press," he proceeded to criticize the news media for predicting Hillary Clinton would beat him in the election...

By MIKE JENSEN Publisher Sikeston Standard DemocratI was honored this past week to participate in a panel discussion of sorts designed to explore ways to improve a community in all aspects from jobs to health care delivery to education and crime. Among the takeaways from that lively give-and-take was the universal agreement that a solid educational foundation was the key element to a community's success...

The Patrons of the Arts Society continues its 2016-2017 season with the high-flying, death-defying Shanghai Acrobats, performing "Shanghai Nights" in the Tinnin Fine Arts Center on Monday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m. Featuring a jaw-dropping show of trampoline artists, aerial acrobats, jugglers, contortionists, and martial artists, "Shanghai Nights" cleverly uses acrobatics and circus acts to convey stories of the people and the land of China. ...

Michael Eugene Norman Michael Eugene Norman, 63, ofWappapello, Mo., passed away Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016 at the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center. Mr. Norman was born Feb. 16, 1953 in Kennett, Mo. to Eugene and BonnieNorman. He served in the United States Navyduring the Vietnam War. A former contractor, he enjoyed hunting and fishing...

By PAUL DAVIS Outdoors Editor The annual winter drawdown of Wappapello Lake should start a week from today, according to staff from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The drawdown start date under the lake's new management plan, according to Operations Manager Cindy Jackson, can be up to two weeks before or after the normal Dec. 15 scheduled date, based on weather and water inflow predictions. With such a dry fall, everything looks on track for a normal start date...

Alfred L. Dixon Alfred L. Dixon, 77, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., passed away Tuesday, Dec. 06, 2016 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Mr. Dixon, the son of the late Charles and Irene (Williams) Dixon, was born March 9, 1939 in Eminence, Mo. He was retired from the Lead Mines at Doe Run. Mr. Dixon enjoyed spending time with his family and restoring classic cars...

Lois Boston PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Lois Boston, 84, of Piedmont, died Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016 at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Arrangements are pending with Morrison-Worley Funeral Chapel in Piedmont.

Danny Dwayne Beck Mr. Danny Dwayne Beck died Dec. 7, 2016 at Southeast Health at Cape Girardeau, Mo. Danny was born Feb. 6, 1944 and was a lifelong resident of the Poplar Bluff area. He was an active Jehovah's Witness and enjoyed speaking to others about the Bible. Danny also enjoyed the outdoors, gardening and his tractor work...

By CALEB PRYOR Mo. Dept. of Conservation As the November portion of firearm deer season has come to an end here in Missouri, many deer hunters change gears and prepare for the alternative methods season. The alternative methods season, also known by some as muzzleloader season, gives hunters another chance to fill their firearms permits. They swap out their high-powered deer rifle for something a little more primitive, a muzzleloading rifle...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has named James Martin of Wayne County as the Southeast Regional Logger of the Year. "James has always done a great job keeping residual tree damage low and putting in place best management practices to protect against soil erosion," said Shane Botard, MDC Resource Forester...

By TOM UHLENBROCK Mo. State Parks A 70-mile-wide circle of darkness will cross Missouri at mid-day next summer. With the proper planning, you can achieve what star gazers call the "totality" of this astronomical experience. Missouri is one of 12 states in the direct path of a total eclipse of the sun that will occur on Aug. 21, 2017. The last total solar eclipse to cross the state was on Aug. 7, 1869, nearly 150 years ago...

Missouri high school baseball teams will have to keep a close eye on pitch counts this spring. In an effort to curtail the increasing number of arm injuries affecting young pitchers, the National Federation of State High School Associations announced a rule change in September altering the pitching restriction for high school baseball...

The Three Rivers Raiders are ranked 22nd in the first NJCAA midseason poll after not earning any votes in the preseason rankings. The Raiders (12-1) opened the season with nine straight wins before a 65-63 loss to Midland on the final night of the Peoples Community Bank Thanksgiving Tournament at the Bess Activity Center...

GODFREY, Ill. -- A day after cracking the NJCAA top 25 rankings, the Raiders overcame an early deficit and avoided a let down. Three Rivers College led for nearly the entire second half, but never by double digits and held off Lewis & Clark to win 89-84 on Wednesday night...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- It's been a tale of two teams for Dexter so far this season and their saga continued Wednesday during the SEMO Conference Tournament. Monday was the tragedy, while Tuesday ended with triumph. And although Wednesday fell somewhere in the middle, it landed the Bearcats out of tournament play...

A new tradition in girls basketball will begin on Thursday at the Bearcat Event Center. The three-day tournament called the SEMO Border Challenge and will pit three local teams against three outstanding programs from nearby states. Dexter coach Chad Allen and his assistant coach Eric Sitze took the lead in organizing this new and exciting tradition...

Lacey Danielle Cagle and Joshua Robert Jacobsen of Poplar Bluff have chosen the name Angeline Elizabeth Nicole Jacobsen for their 3-pound, 7-ounce daughter born at 5:31 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016, at Saint Francis Medical Center's Family BirthPlace in Cape Girardeau. Angeline was 16 inches long...

Donna Winter PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Donna Winter, 58, of Whitewater, formerly of Piedmont, died Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016, at Woodland Hills Nursing Home in Marble Hill. Visitation will be held at 9:30 a.m., Friday, at Ruegg Funeral Home, Piedmont. Funeral Services will be held at 11 a.m., Friday, also at the Piedmont Chapel. Burial will be at Murphy Cemetery...

Anna Mae Carrens DONIPHAN, Mo. -- Anna Mae Carrens, 95, of Doniphan died Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016, at Hospice House in Jonesboro, Ark. Funeral arrangements are pending with Edwards Funeral Home in Doniphan and will be announced upon completion. Online condolences: edwardsfuneralhome.org...

Karen Lynn Jarrell DEXTER, Mo. -- Karen Lynn Jarrell, 60, was born in Flint, Mich. on Aug. 10, 1956, and passed away in an Oklahoma City hospital Monday, Dec. 5, 2016. She had grown up in Michigan. She had lived in Lawton, Okla. for many years and had worked for Dr. Parikh, the Heart and Vascular Center and with Comanche County Memorial Hospital. Karen was president of the Sweet Adeline's in Lawton and a member of St. Paul's United Methodist Church...

Grayson Ray Markham Grayson Ray Markham, 63, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., passed away Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016 at his residence. Mr. Markham was born July 17, 1953 in Poplar Bluff, to the late George Robert Markham and Tommie (Stafford) Markham. He was a carpenter and enjoyed going to the river, camping, boating and being with his grandchildren. He was of the Southern Baptist faith. Mr. Markham served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War...