Stories from Friday, March 31, 2017

By DONNA FARLEY Staff Writer Plans to secure Butler County Courthouse could include reducing the number of entrances open to the public and the addition of metal detectors. Judges met Wednesday morning with county commissioners to discuss safety concerns...

By PAT PRATT Staff Writer Poplar Bluff Junior High School's teacher of the year for 2017 faces every challenge in the classroom with the question, "how can I help this student achieve?" Julie Gambill, according to her peers, is the very definition of a first-class teacher. They say she goes above-and-beyond in her commitment to educating the students of her English and honors classes, and cite her ability to have fun while teaching critical skills...

By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN Devin Nunes just set the cat down among the pigeons. Two days after FBI Director James Comey assured us there was no truth to President Trump's tweet about being wiretapped by Barack Obama, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said Trump may have had more than just a small point...

By MIKE JENSEN Publisher Sikeston Standard Democrat Maybe it's time we rushed to judgment. It seems that each and every time something terror-related occurs anywhere in the world, the liberal cartel warns the public against "rushing to judgment." We're constantly told with stern authority that even though a Middle Eastern male with a social media profile chocked full of ISIS-inspired rhetoric has committed a heinous act of violence, we are not to rush to judgment that the act is terrorist related.. ...

By STEPHEN MOORE Last week on CNN I debated a liberal commentator who complained that the problem with President Donald Trump's budget blueprint is that it lacks "compassion" for the poor, for children and for the disabled. This woman went on to ask me how I could defend a budget that would cut Meals on Wheels, after-school programs and special-education funding, because without the federal dollars, these vital services would go away...

By PAUL DAVIS Outdoors Editor Missouri's top turkey biologist thinks Show-Me State hunters will have a good season this spring, but warns things will get worse in the near future. "Overall, it should be a good season," said Missouri Department of Conservation Resource Scientist Jason Isabelle, who oversees the department's turkey management program. "Statewide, it should be close to last year, but I don't expect the harvest to be quite as high."...

BONNE TERRE, Mo. -- Lexi Hafford had a triumphant return. The Poplar Bluff senior swept the hurdle events and took second in the high jump Wednesday as Poplar Bluff won the team titles at the North County Invitational. Hafford, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, won the 100-meter hurdles by 1.66 seconds in 16.03 and took the 300 hurdles in 48.51. ...

VAN BUREN, Mo. -- Ozark National Scenic Riverways is hosting a river cleanup effort on March 31 and April 1 with the Ozark Heritage Project. Come join us as we launch the next 100 years of the National Park Service by cleaning up along the Current and Jacks Fork rivers. ...

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Hunters and anglers looking to renew their licenses this year will notice a big change from the long, tag-laden receipt they normally receive at their local sporting goods store. All licenses and permits sold by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission now will be available as a downloadable file outdoors enthusiasts can carry on their mobile phone or have printed off on a single piece of standard printer paper...

The first month of the season has not been kind to the Poplar Bluff baseball team or its new home. But the Mules may soon get a chance to turn things around at home for the first time this year. While the new, artificial infield turf remains in tact, heavy amounts of precipitation in the last year wreaked havoc on the natural grass outfield. ...

Missouri's 20-game winning streak ended Friday in a 9-2 loss to Arkansas, and the Tigers have since dropped 3 of 4, including a 6-5 loss Tuesday to Southeast Missouri State. Kamron Misner (Poplar Bluff HS) went 3 for 16 at the plate in four games for Missouri this past week, three of them against Arkansas. After going 0 for 3 against Southeast, his batting average dropped below .300 for the first time since the season opener...

Patsy Marie Ogden MALDEN, Mo. -- Patsy Marie Ogden, 56, Malden, died Wednesday, March 29, 2017 at Southeast Hospital, Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be a 1 p.m., Sunday, at Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden. A memorial service will be at 3 p.m., Sunday at Bradshaw Chapel in Malden...

Robert Lee Lindsay Robert Lee Lindsay, 85, of Poplar Bluff, died Tuesday, March 28, 2017 at his residence. Visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m., Monday, April 3, 2017 at Moore Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m., Tuesday, April 4, 2017 in the Moore Funeral Service Chapel...

By CHELSAE CORDIA Staff Writer BROSELEY, Mo. - Aiming to make an impact on Missouri teens, focus groups made of Twin Rivers students were formed to weigh in on the design of marketing materials to be featured in the Department of Mental Health's current campaign...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Associate Editor Poplar Bluff's police canines will soon be better protected from possible injury or death as they serve along side their human partners. Kane, a 3-year-old Belgian malinois trained in narcotics detection and tracking, and Loco, a 7-year-old German shepherd trained in explosives detection, are among 25 canines to receive a bullet - and stab-protective vest paid for through a donation from PetArmor, a flea and tick brand of Perrigo Animal Health, explained Lt. ...

Carl McIrvin Carl McIrvin, 76, of Poplar Bluff died Wednesday, March 29, 2017 at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff. Arrangements are pending with Fowler-Sullivan Funeral Home in Poplar Bluff.

Joseph A. Hill, Jr. Joseph A. Hill. Jr., 32, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died March 26, 2017 at his residence. A memorial service will be Saturday, at 3 p.m., April 1 at Bay Springs Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of Fitch-Hillis Funeral Home...