Stories from Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Bluff Area Transit Service is offering free rides now until Saturday in an effort to help in the wake of local flooding. BATS is managed by Southeast Missouri Transportation Service and operates two busses and four routes to the most popular destinations in Poplar Bluff. Regular stops include Walmart, Three Rivers College, Save-A-Lot, Twin Towers, hospitals, the industrial park and many others...

A 69-year-old Harviell, Mo., woman has been identified as the second person to drown this week while driving on flooded roads in Butler County. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, at about 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Barbara L. Smithson was operating a 2004 Pontiac Sunfire when she drove into a water-flooded road on Highway 158, one mile east of Harviell...

Fewer than 25 minutes after allegedly robbing a Poplar Bluff, Mo., credit union Tuesday afternoon, a Texas man was in custody and the stolen money had been recovered. Just before 2:30 p.m., the Poplar Bluff Police Department received a call saying a robbery had occurred at the Ozark Federal Credit Union, 221 N. Fifth St., said police Lt. Josh Stewart...

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- A judge ruled Monday that an out-of-court statement made by a young girl may be used at the trial of a former Poplar Bluff, Mo., pastor who is accused of raping her. On April 21, Keith E. Frye Jr. and his attorney, Ted Liszewski, appeared before Associate Circuit Judge Joe Satterfield, along with New Madrid County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Amy Preyer, for a hearing regarding the admissibility and use of the child's out-of-court statement as evidence to prove the allegations, according to the judgement/order signed by Satterfield on Monday.. ...

There have been at least five levee breaches along the Black River in Butler County, which is expected to crest again at 19 feet on Friday. This takes into account discharge and rainfall predictions of approximately 1.5 inches at Clearwater Lake, said Butler County Emergency Management Agency Director Robbie Myers...

In the wake of major flooding, several area schools have closed their doors until the end of the week per a Tuesday morning decision. Poplar Bluff R-1, Twin Rivers R-X and Three Rivers College all made the call at about 11:30 a.m. to remain closed for the rest of the week. However, Neelyville R-IV Superintendent Brad Hagood said he is taking things day by day...

The St. Francis River at Fisk is expected to crest at a record 28 feet tonight and could maintain that elevation for as much as 36 hours, according to officials. While Wappapello Lake crested Tuesday at 398.16 feet, high water continues to move downstream...

NEELYVILLE, Mo.-- Thomas Cole Jr., 55, of Naylor, Mo. died Saturday, April 29, 2017 at his home. Visitation will be Sunday, May 7, 2017 starting at 10 a.m. in the Naylor Pentecostal Church in Naylor. Funeral will follow at 2 p.m. in the church with burial in Gum Cemetery near Naylor...

Our tax code is a mess, and that's putting it lightly. Multiple brackets. High rates. Special interest breaks everywhere. Rules and regulations that are too complicated to understand. It costs more and more each year just to do your taxes, let alone pay them...

PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Helen Nadine Slusher, 92, of Annapolis, Mo., died Monday, May 1, 2017 at Patricia's Townhouse Residential Care Center in Annapolis. Visitation will be held from 5-8 p.m. Wednesday at the Morrison-Worley Funeral Chapel in Piedmont. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home chapel with Rev. Gary Rhodes officiating...

Jonathan Haidt is a member of one of America's smallest fraternities -- those who attempt to see beyond their own prejudices. In the left-leaning Chronicle of Higher Education, he notes that "intimidation is the new normal" on college campuses. The examples are well-known: The shout-down/shutdown of Heather Mac Donald at Claremont McKenna College; the riots sparked by Milo Yiannopoulos at Berkeley; the experience of Charles Murray at Middlebury College, where he and professor Allison Stanger were physically assaulted by a mob. ...

Ernestine Pennington, 75, of Poplar Bluff, Mo. died Monday, May 1, 2017 at her residence. Visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m. Friday, May 5, 2017 at Westwood Baptist Church in Poplar Bluff. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 6, 2017 at 10 a.m. at Westwood Baptist Church. Burial will take place in the Poplar Bluff City Cemetery...

Dr. Alex Hoja, 87, of Poplar Bluff, Mo. died on Tuesday, May 2, 2017 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Arrangements are pending with Moore Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff. Online condolences: www.moorefuneralservice.co

Kevin Compton, 60, of Poplar Bluff, died Monday, May 1, 2017 in rural Poplar Bluff. Arrangements are pending with Moore Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff. Online condolences: www.moorefuneralservice.com

NEELYVILLE, Mo. -- LouisAuthar Eakins, 82, of Poplar Bluff, Mo. passed away Saturday, April 29, 2017 at the Manor in Poplar Bluff. He was born Sept. 13, 1934 at New Madrid, Mo. to the late Leslie Eakins and Etta Mae Gray Eakins. On June 22, 1963 at Neelyville, Mo. he was married to Ruby Dollins. She preceded him in death on April 13, 2012...

Benita Hesselrode, 76, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., passed away Saturday, April 29, 2017 at her home. Mrs. Hesselrode was born July 7, 1940 in Campbell, Mo. She was a member of the Bible Baptist Church in Poplar Bluff. Benita loved the Lord and enjoyed being with her children and grandchildren, yard sales, and flea marketing...

NEELYVILLE, Mo. -- Raymond Louis Byrd, 64, of Naylor, Mo. died Sunday, April 30, 2017 in the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center at Poplar Bluff, Mo. Visitation will be starting at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 4, and the funeral will be starting at 2 p.m. Friday, May 5, both in the Fowler-Sullivan Memorial Chapel, Inc. of Neelyville, Mo. Burial will be in the Cypress Cemetery near Fairdealing, Mo...

MDC head to speak at Chamber Sara Parker Pauley, director of the Missouri Department of Conservation, will speak at the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce's quarterly luncheon meeting at noon Monday, May 8, at the Holiday Inn. Lunch will be catered by Castello's Restaurant and admission is $10 a person...

Kelly Rebekah Wilkerson-Dullenty and Thomas Anthony Dullenty of Bragg City, Mo. have chosen the name Kohen Michael Beau Dullenty for their 9-pound, 3-ounce son born at 8:21 a.m., Wednesday, April 19, 2017, at Saint Francis Medical Center's Family BirthPlace in Cape Girardeau. Kohen was 21.25 inches long...

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has postponed three open house meetings that were scheduled to discuss data on crappie from Wappapello Lake and collect comments from Wappapello anglers. "We are eager to interact with anglers so we can show them our data and hear their comments, but first we must allow the community to respond to local flooding," said Dave Knuth, a MDC fisheries management biologist. ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The Lady Raiders were faced with a literal fork in the road Tuesday. With a win, they would drive west from Columbia to Kansas City, Kansas, to complete the rest of the Region XVI Tournament, moved mid-schedule because of flooding concerns. With a season-ending loss, they'd drive home to Poplar Bluff, taking the back roads all the way because of road closures...

ST. LOUIS -- Twice delayed due to rain, the Raiders finally played their regular-season finale against St. Louis, but were forced to turn the doubleheader into a single game. With the threat of road closures due to flooding, the Raiders needed to get home...

MALDEN -- A gem in the circle and a lineup that continued its hot-hitting at the plate put the Bernie softball team in familiar territory in the MSHSAA Class 1 District 3 tournament. The second-seeded Lady Mules took down No. 3 Puxico 10-0 in five innings Tuesday, which included a four-run first inning and another dominant outing from starter Cassidy Freed...

Bloomfield won the MSHSAA Class 1 District 1 golf title Tuesday while Dexter's Spencer Warren advanced to the Class 3 sectional. In Class 1 at Viburnum Golf & Country Club, Peyton Bell placed second, four shots behind medalist Tyler Andrews of Crystal City, but the Wildcats got a second golfer in the top 10 with Holden Duckworth and took the team title by 21 strokes...

MALDEN -- Katie Goodman and the Malden softball team was nearly perfect Tuesday. Goodman carried a no-hitter into the final frame and the top-seeded Green Wave continued dominating at the plate to rake No. 5 Dexter 15-0 in four innings and advance to their third straight MSHSAA Class 1 District 3 final...

From Staff Reports Flood victims will top the prayer list at the local observance of the National Day of Prayer Thursday. The service will begin at noon and will last approximately 45 to 50 minutes. The service, traditionally held at the gazebo on the Butler County Courthouse lawn, is moving to the Bread Shed main distribution center 203 M. D St., off Business Highway 60 East...

WOODLAND, Mo. -- Three players had multiple hits and the third-seeded Greenville softball team made quick work of No. 6 Oak Ridge with an 11-1 win in five innings in the MSHSAA Class 1 District 5 quarterfinals Tuesday. Beth Bangert was 2 for 3 with two doubles and two RBIs, McKenzie Miller went 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI and Emilie O'Dell was 2 for 4 with two RBIs...