Stories from Friday, May 20, 2022

An area man initially accused of operating one of the most complex meth labs in Butler County history faces up to 40 years in prison following convictions this week, but not on drug charges. Floyd Everett Martin, 49, was convicted Wednesday by a Butler County jury on four felony counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm after just over one hour of deliberation, said Butler County Prosecutor Kacey Proctor. One felony count of resisting arrest was acquitted...

Poplar Bluff R-I school district teachers and staff are getting an unexpected raise for the 2022-23 school year and beyond. The school board approved a minimum base salary of $38,000 for teachers with a commensurate raise to all other salaries tied to the base salary for fiscal year 2023...

ELLSINORE — A 16-year-old boy was killed and his passenger injured in a one-vehicle crash Thursday afternoon in eastern Carter County, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The MSHP reports the 16-year-old male driver was operating a 2007 Toyota Highlander northbound on Carter County Road 325, six miles west of Ellsinore, at 4:20 p.m. Thursday when it lost control, ran off the road and struck a tree...

Margaret Elizabeth Shoumake, 84, of DeSoto, Missouri, formerly of Poplar Bluff passed away on May 19, 2022, at her home in DeSoto. Margaret was born on Jan. 12, 1938 to the late Carl and Vivian (Pruitt) Minehart in Lavalle, Missouri. She married Sidney Shoumake Aug. 5, 1955, in Hernando, Mississippi. He preceded her in death in 2016...

Poplar Bluff’s Farmers Market opens Saturday, May 21, and patrons this year can expect even greater variety. Morgan McIntosh of Downtown Poplar Bluff, Inc. explained the annual market “changes every year,” and this year will feature more outdoor vendors as well as food trucks...

The Butler County Community Resource Council is holding its 23rd annual Job Fair 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday, May 24, at the Black River Coliseum. Attendees can meet representatives of 60 businesses and take on-site interviews — and maybe even win a $25 gas card. Admission is free...

Daisy Handschumacher, 62, of Poplar Bluff died May 20, 2022, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center.

The first annual Job Olympics was attended by areas schools for various students with special needs hosted by TAFY (Transition Atlas for Youth) at the Goodwill Excel Center this spring. High Schools participating included: Poplar Bluff, East Carter, Van Buren, Doniphan, Twin Rivers, Holcomb and Kennett, according to a press release from the Excel Center...

The Cane Creek Community Club members met Wednesday, May 11, for the first time since October. Wilma Rains hosted the event. Nancy Wujcik said, “the meeting was especially joyous as we had not met since October 2021.” President Glenda Phillips called the meeting to order. ...

A total of eight Poplar Bluff High School Math Club students competed with half of the members earning top placement during the 43rd annual Math Field Day held last month at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. Macey Odom, a sophomore, placed second in probability; junior Emmalein Pendley placed second in exponential & log functions; junior Charlee Deaton placed third in algebra II; and senior Christian Redding landed in third place in the computational math category...

If there is one phone number known to every adult – and even most children – in America, it’s 9-1-1. Urban or rural, English-speaking or not, every citizen knows that you dial those three digits in an emergency and expert help will come. “At Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center (PBRMC), we have partnered with all of our local EMS services to bring the highest level of care possible in dealing with your medical emergency,” said Seth Deck, PBRMC emergency department manager...

A juvenile is in custody following an alleged shooting of a 47-year-old man early Friday morning. Poplar Bluff Police Officers responded at 3:35 a.m. to a residence in the 1600 block of N. Fifth Street in reference to a shooting, according to police reports...