Stories from Tuesday, June 26, 2018

QULIN, Mo. - Dortha May Payne, 74, of Qulin, died Sunday, June 24, 2018 at Mark Twain Caring Center, in Poplar Bluff, MO. Visitation will be at 1 p.m., Wednesday, June 27 at White-Sanders Funeral Home in Qulin. The funeral will follow at 2 p.m. in the funeral home chapel with Pastor Josh Reasons officiating. Burial will be in Qulin Cemetery in Qulin. Condolences: www.whitesandersfuneralhome.com...

Charles Leroy Vails, 82, of Dexter died June 5, 2018 at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Services were held June 8, 2018 at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Chapel in Dexter. Rev. Jeff Roth officiated. Burial followed in the St. Charles Memorial Garden Cemetery in St. Charles, Mo.s...

Dorth May Payne, 74, of Qulin died June 24, 2018 at the Mark Twain Caring Center in Poplar Bluff. Visitation will be held 1 p.m. June 27, 2018 at the White-Sanders Funeral Home in Qulin follwed by the funeral service at 2 p.m. Burial will follow in the Qulin Cemetery,...

I admit I yearn for a simpler time when the headlines did not include immigrant cages and Russian collusion and pee pee dossiers. A time when the First Lady's jacket was unimportant and the term Nazi was relegated to the history books. I say bring back the debate on climate change...

The Lake Wappapello Little Mr. and Miss 4th of July Pageant will be held June 30 at the Bill Emerson Memorial Visitor Center. Check in starts at 4:30 p.m. and event starts at 5:30 p.m. Cost to enter is $35. Categories will be held for boys and girls, and ages birth to 16 and up...

The Fourth of July holiday is the perfect time to enjoy sunshine and outdoor activities and watch fireworks with friends and family. However, for pets, the hot weather and holiday hubbub can be a dangerous combination. The Humane Society of Missouri encourages pet parents to keep their furry friends' safety in mind as they celebrate the stars and stripes...

The following Charles Krauthammer column was originally published on Dec. 13, 1985. Krauthammer died Thursday at age 68. By CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER A Lutheran minister once called comets the "thick smoke of human sins," a hypothesis that finds little support nowadays among scientists. ...

In Deuteronomy 7:6-9, Moses told God's people, Israel, "The Lord did not set His love upon you, nor choose you because you were more in number than any people, for you were fewest of all people. He has chosen you to be a holy people unto the Lord thy God, a special people unto Himself, because He loved you, and because He would keep the oath He hath sworn to unto your fathers. ...

On July 4, 1953, a few days before a young man in the Air Force was to ship out to Korea, two young hearts were joined as one. Sixty-five years later the sparks are still flying. Their daughters: Stephanie, Renee, Tammy, Tracey and Kelli cordially invite you to join them in a celebration of the union of their parents, Fred and Barbara Dirickson...

Egypt Church will have it's Vacation Bible School kick off beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 30, at the Veterans Park in Puxico, Mo. The event will include music, skits, games, food and fun for everyone. The VBS "Trusty Warriors for Jesus" will be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m. July 23-27...

GREENVILLE, Mo. -- After serving as Wayne County's associate circuit judge for more than 27 years, Randy Schuller will soon hang up his robe for the last time as he prepares to take a position in the collegiate sector. "I fully expected to serve my whole career until retirement, but this opportunity came along," explained Schuller, whose last day is July 2...

Stoddard County commissioners began interviewing the first group of candidates for a Senate Bill 40 board spot and two others up for reappointment June 30. Josh Hester, Mike McCollough and Shelia Alsup came before the commission Monday to answer questions ranging from their desire to serve on the board to approaches to correct the issues between the SB40 and Sheltered Workshop boards...

The following Charles Krauthammer column was originally published on July 26, 2002. Krauthammer died Thursday at age 68. By CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER To understand the workings of American politics, you have to understand this fundamental law: Conservatives think liberals are stupid. Liberals think conservatives are evil...

ELLSINORE, Mo. - Bryan Lee Parker, 22, of Ellsinore, died Saturday, June 23, 2018 in Ellsinore. Visitation will be at 9 a.m., Thursday, June 28 at the Assembly of God Church in Ellsinore. The funeral will follow at 11 a.m. in the Church Chapel with Rev. Jerry Crowley officiating. Burial will be in Grassy Valley Cemetery in Ellsinore...

The details have been finalized, and the entry period for the 13th annual Mingo Swamp Friends Flora and Fauna Photo Contest has opened. Sponsored by the Mingo Swamp Friends, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Mingo National Wildlife Refuge and a host of Southeast Missouri businesses, the contest is held each year to promote the unique diversity of animal and plant life on the refuge and the activities people enjoy there...

MALDEN, Mo. - Virginia Fern Peitzsch, 79, of Cahokia, IL, died Saturday, June 23, 2018 at her residence. Visitation will be at 10 a.m., Wednesday, June 27 at Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden. The funeral will follow at 11 a.m. at Bradshaw Chapel - Malden with Rev. James Hamlett officiating. Burial will be in Memorial Gardens in Kennett, Mo. www.bradshawfh.com...

MALDEN, Mo. - Wallace Eugene "Gene" McKay, 82, of Clarkton, MO, died Wednesday, June 20, 2018 at Gideon Care Center. Visitation will be from 6 - 8 p.m., Wednesday, June 27 at Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden. The funeral will be at 2 p.m., Thursday, June 28 at Bradshaw Chapel in Malden with Brother James Mills, Pastor Lennie Fincher and Mr. Glen McKay officiating. Burial will be in Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Kennett, Mo. www.bradshawfh.com...

Three Rivers College has released its Dean's List for the Spring 2018 semester. The honor is awarded to students taking 12 or more credit hours in a semester, who achieve a grade point average of 3.5 or above. Dean's List honors are also used at graduation to help determine eligibility for honors or highest honors...

NEELYVILLE, Mo. - Neva Helen Walton Woolard, 97, died Monday, June 25, 2018 at her residence near Naylor, MO. Mrs. Woolard was born on July 21, 1920 near Ellsinore, MO. On March 25, 1938, she married her greatest love on earth, James Joseph "Jim" Woolard. ...

Staci and Andy Foster are the parents of a son born at 12:04 p.m. Wednesday, June 13, 2018, at Saint Francis Healthcare System in Cape Girardeau, Mo. They selected the name Colton Allen Foster for their son who weighed 8 pounds and 12 ounces and was 20.5 in length...

QULIN, Mo. - Dortha May Payne, 74, of Qulin, died Sunday, June 24, 2018 at Mark Twain Caring Center, in Poplar Bluff, MO. Mrs. Payne was born Sept. 27, 1943 in Hermondale, Mo., daughter of the late Claud Franklin and Bertha May Lampley. She attended Palace of Praise in Poplar Bluff. ...

Brooklyn Elizabeth Chappell and Brandon Li Cook, both of Scott City, Mo., have selected the name Berkley William Cook for their 8 pound 9 ounce son born at 8 a.m. Thursday, June 14, 2018, at Saint Francis Healthcare System in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Grandparents are Desrae Chappell of Sikeston, Mo., and Allen Chappesll of Bloomfield, Mo., and Daron and Amanda House of Poplar Bluff, Mo...

PATTERSON -- Wayne County officials have identified a man found dead Monday in the St. Francis River, but his name and other information will not be released until after a Tuesday morning autopsy, according to Sheriff Dean Finch. The approximately 50-year-old male was found face down in the water just below the Highway 34 bridge, Finch said. A boater called authorities at 4 p.m., he said...

Fundraising efforts in Qulin and Poplar Bluff have helped add to a statewide American Legion scholarship collection expected to top $100,000. These education dollars go to the children of service members who were killed or disabled through service after 9/11...

The Wappapello Lake Area Association finalized plans for the annual fireworks presentation during a June 13 meeting. The next meeting will be held at 6 p.m. July 10 at the Bill Emerson Memorial Visitor Center. The association raised more than $13,000 for the fireworks display, according to minutes from the meeting. A fireworks vendor from Chicago, Illinois, has been secured for the event...

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH Staff Writer BLOOMFIELD -- Deliberations are expected today in the trial of a Doniphan man accused of shooting a convicted sex offender to death in 2016 and burning his body. A Stoddard County jury of 10 men and four women were chosen from a panel of 77 residents Monday. The jurors were seated and sworn in at 1:35 p.m. to hear the case of Michael G. "Mick" Harris...

Lisa Maria Ledbeter Loyd of Puxico died June 15, 2018 at her home. A memorial service was held June 23, 2018 at the Morgan Sifford Funeral Home in Puxico. Scott Sifford officiated.