Stories from Friday, January 21, 2022

Hospitalizations for COVID-19 in Missouri’s southeast area remain higher than lows seen in mid-November. The area reported 139 hospitalized patients, with 22 in intensive care as of Jan. 18, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Each semester, students at Missouri State University who attain academic excellence are named to the dean’s list. For undergraduate students, criteria include enrollment in at least 12 credit hours during the fall semester and at least a 3.50 grade point average (on a 4.00 scale)...

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama — Jillian Page of Poplar Bluff was named to the University of Alabama Deans List for fall semester 2021. A total of 11,979 students enrolled during the fall 2021 term at the University of Alabama made the dean’s list with academic records of 3.5 or above (on a 4.0 scale), or the president’s list with academic records of 4.0 (all A’s)...

Patrons of the Arts will present “Cornet Chop Suey” at 7 p.m. Feb. 11, at the Tinnin Fine Arts Center at Three Rivers College as part of its annual Jazz Festival.  The Patrons of the Arts will celebrate these seven multi-talented musicians who provide electrifying instrumental and vocal jazz performances ranging from traditional New Orleans sounds to Big Band Swing to showy pop tunes. ...

Col. Eric T. Olson, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, announces that 25 troopers graduated from the Patrol’s Law Enforcement Academy on Wednesday, Jan. 12. The 112th Recruit Class reported to the Academy on Aug. 2, and the new troopers will report to duty in their assigned troops on Monday, Jan. 31...

Sue Crites Szostak announced she is retiring Jan. 23, 2023, from the Poplar Bluff Municipal Library. It will be the day after her 10th anniversary as director there. This also will close the books on her 45-year career as a librarian. The library’s Board of Directors is currently advertising for a new director and conducting an open search on through the Missouri Library Association and on their website...

Twin Rivers R-X superintendent Ben Johnson announced he will resign at the end of the school year during a board meeting Thursday evening. He said he is seeking other opportunities. “We’ll immediately start taking applications for that position,” said board president Jeff Arnold, adding, “It’s going to take some searching. We don’t have anyone in mind.”...

The Poplar Bluff R-1 School Board approved a bid for the installation of a new district-wide phone system that includes a unified bell and paging system during its Thursday meeting. The winning bid, from Blue Sky Technologies, will provide new phone hardware, paging and intercom hardware, and equipment installation...

FISK, Mo. — Malcolm Ray Ginn, 68, of Dexter, Missouri, died Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center, in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Mr. Ginn was born June 7, 1953 in Wynne, Arkansas. He was the son of the late Clayton Sr. and Ann Ginn...

FISK, Mo. — Nancy J. Morris, 91, of Port Byron, New York passed away at home Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022. Nancy was a mother to five children, a grandmother to five children, great-grandmother to 12 children and great-great-grandmother to nine children...

The Point in Time Count, an annual count of sheltered and unsheltered homeless populations, is being delayed because of an increase in COVID cases. Originally planned for Wednesday, Jan. 26, the event will be rescheduled. Tammie Bratton of Family Counseling wants volunteers to know about the delay so they will not show up Wednesday to help with the count as planned...

BUTLER COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT Deputies responded at 4 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 15, to an alarm at a business in the 2600 block of Township Line road. They found one glass door broken and cash stolen. _ A resident of the 1200 block of County Road 355 reported at 11:39 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 19, that mail was stolen from his/her mailbox...