Stories from Saturday, April 25, 2020

On April 17 Shawn Cochran wanted to say hi to his church family and friends. Having been couped up for weeks, being kept safe by his parents because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he missed everybody. Starting at 9 a.m., he and his mom, Cindi Hewlett Cochran, drove past house after house, and Shawn would hold up his “I miss you” sign and wave. ...

We are finally seeing some “light at the end of the tunnel.” COVID-19 cases nationally, statewide and locally are dropping and America is slowly reopening. It is encouraging that much progress has been made, and we may have fewer deaths and return to normal sooner rather than later...

We have been faced with more uncertainty and fear in recent weeks than in some ways our nation has ever known.

Missouri State Highway Patrol A 66-year-old Poplar Bluff man received moderate injuries from a one-vehicle crash Friday, April 24, at 7:05 p.m. on U.S. 67 at County Road 547. According to the report, Kerry C. Little was operating a 2005 Harley Davidson Motorcycle southbound on Highway 67 when the vehicle ran off the left side of the roadway and Little was ejected...

City firefighters responded Friday, April 24, at 1:29 p.m. to a report of a smell of gas on Roxie Road at Shelby Road. According to the report, they were unable to find any gas smell upon arrival. It was investigation only.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – To help mitigate some of the unexpected operational challenges created by the COVID-19 state of emergency, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources has temporarily suspended through May 15 certain provisions of its rule governing animal feeding operations in the state, including concentrated animal feeding operations. The Governor’s Office has temporarily suspended Subsection 2 of Section 640.710, RSMo...

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Laura Browning never expected to find herself an adoptive parent to three incubators’ worth of chicks — or tending to 19 newly hatched birds in brooders in her garage. But chicks hatch according to their own calendar, oblivious to social distancing and school closures...

Gov. Mike Parson intends to let the current stay-at-home order expire on May 3, according to local officials.