Stories from Sunday, May 28, 2017

Ron Yarbro isn't sure how deep the water is over the farmland that lies south of Highway 53, but he is certain of one thing. "It's deep enough to kill anything planted there. It makes me sick to look at it," Yarbro said Wednesday, driving along Highway HH and those county roads in southern Butler County that aren't still flooded...

Less than a month after the state failed to pass legislation that would have created a database to track patients' prescriptions, the Butler County Commission will soon be asked to sign an ordinance establishing a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program locally...

James Archie Rash, 80, of Bonne Terre, Mo, formerly of Festus, Mo., died Sunday, May 14, 2017, at St. Anthony's Medical Center in St. Louis County, Mo. Visitation was Sunday, May 21, at Vinyard Funeral Home in Festus, then after 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 23, with funeral services at 10:30 a.m. ...

Arvella Jean Dugas, 70, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Friday, May 26, 2017, at her residence. She was born May 5, 1947, in Poplar Bluff to the late Arvell E. Fredwell and Myrtle L. Pennington Fredwell. She was a life long resident of Poplar Bluff. She married Gilbert Dugas Sept. 5, 1964, in Poplar Bluff. He survives...

DEXTER, Mo. -- George Franklin Smee, 95, of Dexter died Friday, May 26, 2017, at the Cypress Point Skilled Nursing Center in Dexter. Mr. Smee was born May 4, 1922, at Parma, Mo., to William Franklin Smee and Phoebe Gibbs Smee. He was a member of Friendship Baptist Church in Dexter, Mo...

Lois Jean King, 89, of Poplar Bluff, passed away Wednesday, May 24, 2017 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Mrs. King, the daughter of the late John and Vera V. Cline Schmitt, was born March 27, 1928 in St. Louis. She was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church and was a homemaker. Mrs. King enjoyed spending time with her family, playing bridge and golf, cooking, painting, sewing and watching tennis matches on TV...

The John J. Pershing VA Medical Center raised funds to support homeless and displaced veterans with its recent seventh annual "VA-2K Walk & Roll" event. Each year, approximately 25,000 veterans, VA employees, and community members around the country participate in the dual-purpose event, which also encourages employee and veteran fitness...

Harold "Doc" Shaw, P.A., 74, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died on Friday, May 26, 2017, at his residence. He was born May 20, 1943, in Wichita, Kan., to Harold Dennis Shaw and Helen (Anderson) Shaw. He married Karen Elizabeth (Blalock) Shaw on June 18, 1963. He was a member of the Church of Christ for his lifetime. He worshipped at Highland Church of Christ since 1993...

FiSK, Mo. -- Mary Ellen Vernon, 100, of Fisk, Mo., died Friday, May 26, 2017 at Westwood Hills Health Care Center, in Poplar Bluff, Mo. Mrs. Vernon was born Sept. 22, 1916 in Obion County, Tenn., daughter of the late Avery Guy and Irene Bradshaw Upton. She was a member of Fisk Presbyterian Church at Fisk. She was a retired teacher and had taught most of her career in the Twin Rivers school district. She was one of the founders of the Fisk Community Library...

Our world offers a plethora of places to visit and marvelous sights to see. So many, in fact, it's impossible to get to all of them. For this reason it is exciting when members of our community willingly share their travel adventures. Recently, Joyanne Bates of Poplar Bluff traveled to the Netherlands with her friend, Judith Nettles, also of Poplar Bluff, who was the perfect choice for a roommate. They have been friends a long time and share the love of walking and experiencing new adventures...

MALDEN, Mo. -- Jim Kalkbrenner, 68, of Malden died Wednesday, May 24, 2016, at his residence. Visitation will begin at 2 p.m. today at Landess Funeral Home in Malden, followed by the funeral at 3 p.m. with the Rev. Aulden Leblanc officiating.s

VAN BUREN, Mo. -- Two days after the Buckner family returned from "our wish trip" to Florida, the family of four was forced to flee in the middle of the night as rising flood waters reached the door of their Van Buren home. Robert Buckner and his wife, Virginia "Ginny" Buckner, and their two daughters, Kimberly, 16, and Abigale, 15, lived on Alexander Street, four blocks from Current River...

KIRKWOOD, Mo. -- Just one win shy of securing a spot in the final four for the first time ever, the Poplar Bluff baseball team's historic playoff run came to an end. Poplar Bluff starter Tanner Tibbs' arm was a blur of motion Friday afternoon, but the Mules' hot offense met its match and couldn't back him up against Vianney in a pitcher's duel...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Poplar Bluff's Brett Barousse and Adam Vincent made the wait to compete worthwhile Saturday night in the MSHSAA Class 5 track and field championships. The pair earned all-state honors in the pole vault to finish a long weekend which started with Logan Bell placing second in the javelin Friday. Makarius Bell also earned all-state honors in the discus while Khelie Spence got an all-state medal in the 100-meter hurdles...

Dexter's Zach Potts and Eric Hahn reached the MSHSAA Class 4 quarterfinals before losing 6-1, 6-1 to Pembroke Hill's Nathan Turtledove and Garrett Kincaid at the Cooper Tennis Center on Saturday in Dexter. Turtledove and Kincaid would go on to lose in the championship match...