Stories from Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Puxico Junior High School is not new to the world of Beta and conventions. "The students are most excited about the competitions entered and getting to hang out with other Betas from other schools," Puxico Junior Beta Sponsor Tonna O'Dell said. Puxico was represented well by competing in academic testing, visual arts competitions, advertising design and special talent...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Rep. Jason Smith's legislation to protect Missouri families who use wood burning stoves to heat their homes passed the U.S. House of Representatives. H.R. 453 delays the Obama-era emission regulations for residential wood and pellet stoves, hydronic heaters, and forced-air furnaces by three years. In addition to championing the three-year delay for wood heater regulations, Smith is working with the Trump Administration to get a full and permanent repeal...

Many county races and state offices remain uncontested with two weeks remaining to file for the Aug. 7 primary election. The primary will determine which candidates move on to the Nov. 6 general election. Filing ends at 5 p.m. March 27. Only one Butler County race has multiple candidates. Tammy Marler, Dan Conover and Dennis Shearrer are all Republican candidates for treasurer. Incumbent Joe Humphrey has announced he will not run again...

More than 360 gravel and dirt roads across Butler County, Mo., were damaged by flooding last year. Local officials hope a state grant created to help with disaster recovery projects will offset some of the nearly $875,000 cost of repairs. The county already expects to recoup about $740,000 of the expenses from federal and state emergency management agencies...

By WALTER E. WILLIAMS There are a couple of important economic lessons that the American people should learn. I'm going to title one "the seen and unseen" and the other "narrow well-defined large benefits versus widely dispersed small costs." These lessons are applicable to a wide range of government behavior, but let's look at just two examples...

OQUAWKA, Ill. - Ethel Elaine Cooper Emery, died Friday, March 9, 2018, at Mark Twain Caring Center in Poplar Bluff, Mo. A memorial service will be held at Turnbull Funeral Home in Oquawka, Ill. Cotrell Funeral Service of Poplar Bluff is in charge of local arrangements...

To the Editor, If Poplar Bluff could get a DNR or tourism grant to rehab an old building on Main Street for a tourism and visitor center and use part of the building for a tourism museum by using framed pictures from "PB Vintage" combined with displays representing early life and businesses here it would do several good things for the town. ...

To the Editor: Downtown Poplar Bluff Inc. would like to extend their gratitude and appreciation to those involved in making our Dog Park grand opening event a great success. The weather was perfect and we had a wonderful crowd! The dog park is open year-round, from dawn to dusk, and is open to all, not just residents of Poplar Bluff. ...

By MICHELLE MALKIN Will the VA scandal never end? While the Department of Veterans Affairs secretary lives high on the hog and his lying chief of staff resigns in disgrace while escaping any punishment, legions of vets every day in this country are denied the medical care they earned...

PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Norma Toney, 82, of Piedmont died Sunday, March 11, 2018, at Mercy Jefferson in Festus, Mo. Visitation will be held from noon until the service begins at 2 p.m. Thursday at Ruegg Funeral Home of Piedmont. Burial will follow at Mt. View Cemetery in Des Arc, Mo...

Puxico Junior High School students earning places on third quarter honor roll include: Eighth Grade Highest Honors: Alexis Ackerman, Kirsten Evans, Sam Jones, Kyle Holden, Lydia Holden, Kayla Holt, Kayla Nash, Jacey Parsley and Jerricka Powell. Eighth Grade Honor Roll:...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - George Marshall Smith, 83, of Louisville died peacefully on Friday, March 2, 2018. He leaves to cherish his memory his beloved wife Clydia Wilma, his children Terry Weiss (Morris), Michael (Nelda), James (Holly) and Sherry Harned (Tim)...

MALDEN, Mo. -- Jerry Thornberry, 55, of Clarkton, Mo., died Sunday, March 11, 2018, in Clarkton. Visitation will begin at 1 p.m. Friday at Bradshaw Funeral Home of Malden. Funeral services will begin at 3 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Burial will be at Stanfield Cemetery in Clarkton...

Stephanie Thomas of Fairdealing is the recipient of the Norma Hufstedler Endowed Scholarship to attend Three Rivers College. Thomas is working toward an associate degree in applied science and to complete the Nursing program at Three Rivers College. She is a graduate of the Doniphan R-1 School System...

NEELYVILLE, Mo. -- Cleo May Buhler, 62, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., passed away on Monday, March 12, 2018, at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Mrs. Buhler was born on Nov. 29, 1955 in Noel, La. She worked as a homemaker and enjoyed sewing, flowers, fishing, her dogs and spending time with her grandchildren...

PUXICO, Mo. -- Shirley A. Brooks, 75, of Puxico died Monday, March 12, 2018, at her home. Funeral arrangements are pending with Morgan Sifford Funeral Home of Puxico.

NEELYVILLE, Mo. -- Tina Marie (Gambling) Norris, 55, of Doniphan, Mo., passed away Friday, March 9, 2018, in the Southeast Healthcare of Cape Girardeau, Mo. She was born May 5, 1862, at Doniphan, to the late Wesley Leroy Gambling and Lynda J. (Tucker) Gambling...

NEELYVILLE, Mo. -- James Dale Cosby, 77, of Neelyville, Mo., died Sunday, March 11, 2018, at his home. Visitation will begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Fowler & Sons Funeral Home in Neelyville. The funeral will begin at 11 a.m. Thursday in the chapel. Burial will take place at Roberts Cemetery in Neelyville...

After the initial celebration and state championship pictures on Friday, the Neelyville Tigers went in different directions. Some made the late-night, 3-plus-hour drive from Springfield back to Neelyville on the team bus. Some, like Neelyville's two seniors, went with their parents...

CONWAY, Ark. -- Louise Lovell Smith, 84, of Conway, Ark., passed away, Friday, March 9, 2018. She was born in Deberrie, Ark., the daughter of the late Reverend Leonard and Ollie Lovell. She was salutatorian at her high school graduation and became engaged to her high school sweetheart, Jimmy Smith. ...

RaShawn McCain didn't have any highlight film from his junior year playing football. Sidelined with a knee injury all season, at times it was McCain doing the filming of his Poplar Bluff teammates. "It made me not take anything for granted because tomorrow's not promised and anything can happen any second and you won't play no more," McCain said. "Just go hard while you're out there."...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- A 29-year-old Cape Girardeau man has been charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death Monday of a 1-year-old girl. Isaac D. Egbuka also was charged with first-degree domestic assault and two counts of armed criminal action in connection with the incident, according to police...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway released the results of the regularly scheduled audit of the government of Stoddard County March 1 and the results are not pretty. The audit is the first scheduled audit since 2013. At that time, the county's audit was deemed "Good" on a scale descending from Excellent to Good to Fair, down to Poor. The audit ranking received recently is rated "Fair" -- a step down from the 2013 report...

I believe God intended we should be able to rise up above the drudgery of making a living and the tyranny of material things that rob us of walking in wonder with God as we build a life worthy of being from him. Jesus came to earth to lift us not only out of our sinfulness and guilt but to life us up to a high and noble level of spiritual living to walk in the wonder of his love, goodness and grace...

Stoddard County Presiding Commissioner Greg Mathis surprised many of his fellow office holders announcing at a recent meeting he would not run for a fifth term as presiding commissioner. "I didn't feel I was giving the job of presiding commissioner as much time as I should have," Mathis said citing an increase in business the past several years at Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home, where he is the owner...

PUXICO, Mo. -- Shirley A. Brooks, 75, of Puxico died Monday, March 12, 2018, at her home. Funeral arrangements are pending with Morgan Sifford Funeral Home of Puxico.

The Puxico Pintails chapter of Ducks Unlimited will host its annual fundraising banquet March 24, and committee members are making plans for the big night. In years past, the event has been held at the Puxico High School, but this year, it will take place at the Wappapello Eagles, located at 9103 Highway T, south of the dam...