Stories from Saturday, May 2, 2020

Makayla and Matthew Vass of Poplar Bluff are the parents of a daughter born Friday, March 27, 2020, at Saint Francis Medical Center’s Family BirthPlace in Cape Girardeau, Mo. They selected the name Everleigh Jane-Nicole Vass for their 4-pound, 3-ounce daughter who measured 16 1/2 inches...

A group of friends gathered on a recent wet Saturday afternoon to wish a local World War II veteran Happy Birthday in his front yard. The well wishes for the widower came at a distance, but were no less welcome. On another afternoon, neighbors gathered to surprise a woman for her 58th birthday, arriving by golf cart and car, traveling both from next door, and a few towns over. Again it was done from a distance, but with no less joy than a traditional celebration...

The owners of 21 Drive-In near Van Buren, Missouri, aren’t yet sure what Gov. Mike Parson’s announcement reopening Missouri on May 4 will mean for their outdoor movie business, one of only nine drive-ins still operating in the Show Me State. Parson’s decision doesn’t change the social-distancing mandate to keep at least 6 feet between people, which could create a temporary boon for drive-in theaters...

Two restaurants in downtown Poplar Bluff have made the decision to go smoke-free before their dining rooms reopen on Monday. “The biggest complaint I get all the time is the smoke. This decision needed to be made long ago,” said Leanna Alexander, whose mother, Debbie Sliger, has owned Myrtle’s Place & Back Alley Barbecue since 1996...

A two minute, 12 second video posted on Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center’s Facebook page tells the story of a COVID-19 survivor. There are no words spoken, but the images show a patient, identified as Jimmie R. Sanders, leaving the hospital after having been on a ventilator for 10 days, following his COVID-19 diagnosis...

After spending weeks shutdown to help slow the spread of the virus, it’s time to restart our economy and allow people to return to work. This has been a difficult time for everyone, but especially here in southern Missouri where people just want to be allowed to work hard, make a living, and provide for their families. ...

MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL Tyrell L. Lindsey, 30, of St. Louis was arrested at 1:39 p.m. Friday, May 1, in Wayne County on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance (cocaine), possession of fewer than 10 grams of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, no valid license and speeding. He was released...

City firefighters responded at 9:16 a.m. Saturday, May 2, to a motor-vehicle crash at the intersection of Westwood Boulevard and Maud Street. According to the report, firefighters used a truck to block the scene and an absorbent to remove a hazard from the road after the vehicles had been removed by wrecker(s)...

As the state prepares to reopen, Gov. Mike Parson has called for Sunday to be a day of prayer in Missouri. “Join First Lady Teresa Parson and me in prayer for each other and for our state as we begin to reopen the great State of Missouri,” Parson said in Facebook postings. “We look forward to Monday, but please be safe, be smart and be responsible...