Stories from Friday, July 6, 2018

WLAA to meet The Wappapello Lake Area Association (WLAA) will meet at 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Bill Emerson Memorial Visitor Center.

Thomas Yeakley, 79, of Poplar Bluff, died Friday, July 6, 2018 at his residence. Visitation will be held from 9-11 a.m. on Monday, July 9, 2018 at the First Baptist Church in Poplar Bluff. Funeral services will follow visitation at 11 a.m. in the First Baptist Church Sanctuary...

Amy Wax, a University of Pennsylvania law professor, has come under attack and scathing criticism because she dared criticize the school's racial preferences program. In an interview with Brown University economist Glenn Loury, discussing affirmative action, Wax mentioned how racial preferences hinder the ability of blacks to succeed academically by admitting them into schools at which they are in over their heads academically. ...

God has blessed our nation in many incredible ways. I believe this is in part because of the principles on which our nation was founded. As we celebrate the Fourth of July, let's take a moment to remember just what we are celebrating. July 4, 1776 is the day that our Congress declared its independence from Great Britain. ...

Wayne Hults, 82, a longtime resident of rural Annapolis, Mo, died Thursday, July 5, 2018, at his home after a lengthy illness. Visitation will be held Sunday, July 8, 2018, from noon until 2 p.m., at Ruegg Funeral Home, Piedmont, Mo. Service will follow at 2 p.m. at the chapel with Rev. Dan Pitchers ministering to the family. Burial will follow at Annapolis Cemetery with full military honors...

PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Curtis R. Kaempfe, 67, of Annapolis, Mo., died Wednesday, July 4, 2018 at the Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Memorial visitation will be held from noon - 2 p.m. Saturday at the First Baptist Church in Annapolis. Memorial services will follow at 2 p.m. Saturday at the church with Pastor Dan Pitchers and Rev. Steve Sale officiating...

VAN BUREN, Mo. -- Jean Tripp, 91, died Tuesday, July 3, 2018 at Van Buren, Mo. Visitation will begin for the public at 6 p.m. Sunday, July 8, 2018 at the McSpadden Funeral Home in Van Buren, Mo., with the funeral service being held at 11 a.m. Monday, July 9, 2018 in the Funeral Home Chapel. Rev. Jim Hampton will be Officiating. Burial will be in Yount Memorial Cemetery in Garwood, Mo...

MALDEN, Mo. -- Jackie Don Tackett. 75, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Wednesday, July 4, 2018, at the General Baptist Nursing Home in Campbell. He was born July 5, 1942, in Gideon, Mo. He was a member of the Fellowship General Baptist Church in Poplar Bluff, former deacon at the First Southern Baptist Church in Gideon and a former member of America Legion -- Gideon #324 and a past member of the Kiwanis Club in Gideon...

An internationally known artist will be featured during the month of July at the Margaret Harwell Art Museum, with plans to complete a community mural. Paul Jackson designed the original Missouri commemorative state quarter, has three times designed the presidential Easter eggs for the White House and has been recognized many times within the art community...

Stanley Bernard Dye entered into eternal rest on Tuesday, June 26, 2018 at the University Of Maryland Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. Stanley was born on Oct. 4, 1971 to the late Louis Ross, Sr. and Betty Dye (Little). Stanley joined the U.S. Navy, where he had a distinguished career aboard the USS John F. ...

Shawn Patrick Burkett, 48, of Poplar Bluff, Mo. passed away on June 13, 2018 in Poplar Bluff, Mo. He was born Feb. 23, 1970 to Glen Burkett and Laura Sue (Ryman) Kingery in Poplar Bluff. Shawn is survived by his wife Sherry Burkett of Poplar Bluff; two sons, Shawn Burkett of Ohio, Patrick Burkett of Poplar Bluff; three step-sons, Patrick Bryant, Howard Bryant, and Jonathan Bryant, all of Poplar Bluff; five grandkids; two brothers, Aaron Ryman of Poplar Bluff and Billy Kingery of Dexter, Mo.; three sisters, Bonnie McBernie of Auburn, Ala, Amy Etheridge of Poplar Bluff and Glenda Burkett of Piggott, Ark.;. ...

Vernon J. "Tootie" Benton, Jr., 91, of Qulin, Mo., formerly of Poplar Bluff, Mo. and Benton, Ark., passed away Tuesday, July 3, 2018 at his nephew's residence in Qulin. Vernon, the son of the late Vernon J. Sr. and Ruby Edith Hefner Benton, was born April 30, 1927 in Piggott, Ark. ...

DEXTER, Mo. -- Carolyn Longhibler, daughter of Verbia Finch of Dexter, Missouri and the late Bobby Gene Finch was born on May 23, 1967 in Powe, Missouri and departed this life on July 5, 2018 at the emergency room at Southeast Health of Stoddard County at the age of 51 years...

Auditors for the city of Poplar Bluff identified three problems with financial statements for 2017, which officials say they are working this month to correct. Capital improvement tax money is being deposited into a pooled bank account and the city appears to be using this money for other purposes, auditors with Kraft, Miles and Tatum reported in documents reviewed Monday by the city council. ...

A man found dead in his Dexter home last week was stabbed, according to the Stoddard County coroner. Law enforcement began investigating the homicide of Jimmy Lynn Casey, 66, after a home-health worker found his body June 28. "Mr. Casey was stabbed," said coroner Kenny Pope. "We do know from the wounds he had, one of the wounds was not superficial. It was life threatening...

Hot days are a dime a dozen during the summer, but according to emergency management professionals, Thursday's weather was potentially dangerous for many area residents. By 9 a.m., the heat index reached 100 degrees causing the National Weather Service to issue an Excessive Heat Warning one hour later. Near midday, the heat index peaked at 113 and didn't drop below 100 until 8 p.m. when the sun set...