Stories from Tuesday, October 17, 2023

A former Poplar Bluff community leader charged with rape was released Monday on a $100,000 bond. James Hoyt, 55, surrendered himself Monday at the Butler County Justice Center. He faces the first degree charges sodomy and rape, according to a probable cause statement on file at Butler County Courthouse...

Poplar Bluff police a child was transferred to a St. Louis hospital following a hit and run accident Tuesday morning. The accident occurred at 8:11 a.m. in the 1100 block of West Harper Street, officials said in a release. “According to witnesses at the scene, a male juvenile was on his way to the bus stop when he was struck by a red SUV,” police reported. “The SUV did not stop after striking the juvenile. A neighbor then drove the juvenile to the hospital.”...

A new report issued Tuesday by State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick reveals how a husband and wife duo violated the Missouri Constitution and mismanaged the Dunklin County Sewer District for years, according to a press release from Fitzpatrick’s office...

100 years agoOct. 17, 1923 • The second day of the Missouri General Baptist Association convention in Poplar Bluff has been the climax of the meeting. The attendance is at peak point and the sessions have been “splendidly attended.” One of the interesting developments of the Tuesday, Oct. ...

Poplar Bluff City Council members held a vote Monday night they hope will help protect the newly repaired marquee at the historic Rodgers Theatre. The council authorized the Missouri Department of Transportation to install a sign indicating large trucks cannot turn right onto Broadway from Pine Street, according to the vote...

As the U.S. House prepares for an expected floor vote Tuesday, Oct. 17, to choose a new speaker, Southeast Missouri GOP congressman Jason Smith had a message for his colleagues after endorsing Ohio's Jim Jordan for the job Monday, Oct. 16. Smith, elected chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee in January, was a vocal supporter of California's Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted as speaker two weeks ago in a narrow 216-210 vote...

SIKESTON — An officer-involved shooting that resulted in a Delta man's death is under investigation in Sikeston. At about 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, officers with Sikeston Department of Public Safety responded to 153 Murray Lane near the former Kingshighway mall location, where an Alcoholics Anonymous group meeting was in progress with about 10 people in attendance. ...

Veterans interested in the Heroes to Hives program are invited to attend an informational program from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Saturday at the Three Rivers College farm near Fairdealing. Heroes to Hives is a unique program started and offered through Michigan State University Extension and designed to address personal wellness of veterans through professional training and community development centered around beekeeping...

JoAnn Pearce, 83, passed away peacefully at her home in Marion, Illinois at 4:18 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. JoAnn was born Sept. 30, 1940 to Don and Mary (Evans) Elliott in Walla Walla, Washington. She married Don V. Pearce Oct. 15, 1958 in Fairfield, California. Together, they shared more than 47 years of marriage, until his passing Dec.4, 2005...

JoAnn Pearce, 83, passed away peacefully at her home in Marion, Illinois at 4:18 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. JoAnn was born Sept. 30, 1940 to Don and Mary (Evans) Elliott in Walla Walla, Washington. She married Don V. Pearce Oct. 15, 1958 in Fairfield, California. Together, they shared more than 47 years of marriage, until his passing Dec.4, 2005...

Pearley “Junior” Conner, 86, of Broseley, Missouri, passed away Monday, Oct. 16, 2023, at his home. Junior was born Oct. 26, 1936, to Pearley Sr. and Addie (Fouts) Conner in Wappapello, Missouri. He married Nettie (Moore) Oct.18, 1958, in Poplar Bluff, Missouri...

Sonja Roach, a lifelong resident of Poplar Bluff, has at the age of 79 accomplished a remarkable feat all while battling cancer for the second time. Roach will graduate Dec. 14 with her diploma from Poplar Bluff’s Excel Center, proving it’s never too late to chase and accomplish your dreams...

Patricia M. Wyatt  (Foust) passed away Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023, peaceably at her home with her dog, Emmie Lou. She was 85, born March 20, 1938, in Portageville, Missouri. Her parents were Flynn Logan Wyatt, Sr. and Bertie Wyatt. Patricia is survived by three children:  Bob and Carla Foust, Pamela Jane and Ronald S. Woods, and Andy Clyde Foust. She had 10 grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and lots of nieces and nephews...

POPLAR BLUFF POLICE DEPARTMENT An employee at Poplar Bluff High School reported at 8:14 a.m. Monday, Oct. 16, a juvenile student possessed a THC vaping device inside the school building. The vaping device was seized and placed into evidence, and the matter was referred to the Juvenile Office...