December 28, 2020

Poplar Bluff rang in the new year with it’s first birth at 1:47 a.m. Jan. 1 and sees more success with a negotiation to keep one of its largest employers open as that company struggles with bankruptcy. The coaching staff at Three Rivers College also recognized multiple new records...

Poplar Bluff rang in the new year with it’s first birth at 1:47 a.m. Jan. 1 and sees more success with a negotiation to keep one of its largest employers open as that company struggles with bankruptcy. The coaching staff at Three Rivers College also recognized multiple new records.

Jan. 3

• Jonah Lee Tucker is announced as the first baby of the New Year at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Born to Jeven and Kelly Tucker of Bernie, he was born at 1:47 a.m. Jan. 1, 2020.

Vehicles travel along a closed, flooded section of Highway 53 north of Qulin in mid-January. The roads was closed after backwaters of the Black River overtopped a nearby levy.
Vehicles travel along a closed, flooded section of Highway 53 north of Qulin in mid-January. The roads was closed after backwaters of the Black River overtopped a nearby levy.DAR file photo/Paul Davis

• Wappapello postmaster Ron Harris is recognized upon his retirement from a 46-year postal career.

Jan. 7

• Poplar Bluff City Council members discuss an incentive plan to help keep a Briggs & Stratton factory in Poplar Bluff open after a closure was announced in Murray, Kentucky.

Gov. Mike Parson speaks during an early March event to discuss a four-lane project for Highway 67 South.
Gov. Mike Parson speaks during an early March event to discuss a four-lane project for Highway 67 South.DAR file photo/Paul Davis

• Prominent local attorney Jasper Emundson is remembered after his death Jan. 3 at the age of 77.

• An embezzlement case against former Fisk city clerk Tosha Renea Roberts is dismissed by a judge, citing lack of probable cause.

Jan. 8

Workers use torch cutters to pre-cut the Baugh Lane water tower into sections before a crane arrived to take the structure down.
Workers use torch cutters to pre-cut the Baugh Lane water tower into sections before a crane arrived to take the structure down.DAR file photo

• It is reported Tabitha Lee Duty was arrested following the Jan. 6 stabbing death of Jack Hemby of Poplar Bluff.

Jan. 9

• A new effort at the Poplar Bluff Museum is recognized for work to remember the more than 80 rural schools, which once operated in Butler County.

• Jason E. Roberts of Ellsinore is sentenced to life for the July 2018 shooting death of Rudy H. Hernandez, an acquaintance.

Jan. 14

• It is reported that several area roads, including portions of Highway 53, are closed because of flooding.

Jan. 15

• It is reported Butler County Health Department Administrator Robert Hudson was found dead Jan. 14 at his home following an accident.

Jan. 17

• Oak Grove Elementary is recognized as one of only 100 schools in the United States to receive a National Association of ESEA State Program distinguished school award.

Jan. 22

• A $5 million state grant is announced to help improve Highway 67 south of Poplar Bluff.

Jan. 24

• A wellness check at Williamsville man’s home nets what Butler County Sheriff’s Department describes as the most complex meth lab authorities have busted.

Jan. 28

• Herman Styles is recognized after being named the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year.

Jan. 30

• Workers begin removing the Baugh Lane water tower, after nearly 70 years of service.

Jan. 31

• Gene Bess, Paula Corder King, J.P. McLane, Matt Palmer and the 1979 National Championship Raiders are recognized as the first class of Three Rivers College’s Hall of Fame Class.

• Kiley Bess reached 2,000 career points Jan. 31 as the Poplar Bluff girls basketball team beat state-ranked Hartville 70-50 in the Lady Eagle Classic.

FEBRUARY

Feb. 1

• It is reported Gov. Mike Parson opened the 34th Ag Expo.

• Poplar Bluff claimed the inaugural SEMO Conference girls wrestling championship Feb. 1.

Feb. 4

• Christy Frazier-Moore is recognized as Three River College’s first Alumni Star.

• Poplar Bluff City Council members approve a $42.9 million tax abatement on real and personal property over a period of 30 years, according to a vote. Feb. 3.

Feb. 5

• A Reynolds County man is hospitalized in St. Louis after being shot Feb. 2 by a man who knocked on the victim’s door to ask for directions, according to authorities.

Feb. 7

• Bernie Police Department reports the arrest of Christopher Robinson, an individual on the Top 10 most wanted list for the state of Texas on charges of assault.

Feb. 15

• It is reported Poplar Bluff Fire Chief Ralph Stucker was in critical, but improved condition after undergoing emergency surgery to remove a blood clot in the days following an injury while at a fire.

• East Carter won its first Ozark Foothills Conference tournament in 23 years, on Feb. 15.

Feb. 17

• Three Rivers coach Stacey Burkey earned his 600th win Feb. 17 at Capaha Field in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

Feb. 19

• Police seek information following shootings at Bacon Park, Mill Street and Wallace Street.

Feb. 20

• It is reported former area Catholic Priest Frederick Joseph Lutz, 76, had been arrested on sexual abuse charges from Stoddard County.

Feb. 21

• Poplar Bluff Street Department makes plans to remove a Frisco Railroad tunnel under Broadway to improve a road, which had become a safety concern.

Feb. 22

Three Rivers College men's basketball coach Gene Bess celebrates his 1,300th win Feb. 22 at the Libla Sports Complex.
Three Rivers College men's basketball coach Gene Bess celebrates his 1,300th win Feb. 22 at the Libla Sports Complex.DAR file photo/Paul Davis

• Coach Gene Bess reached yet another milestone Feb. 22 — 1,300 college basketball wins — as the Raiders beat West Kentucky CTC 117-51 at the Libla Family Sports Complex and on a court named after Bess. Bess is the only person in the country to achieve that record.

Feb. 25

• Three Rivers College Coach Gene Bess is recognized for a milestone 1,300th win, the only person in the country to achieve that.

• It is reported Paige Bradley earned Poplar Bluff’s first-ever, all-state medal in diving Feb. 22 by finishing sixth at the MSHSAA Class 2 championships.

Feb. 28

• Former Poplar Bluff police officer Brandon Hopper and an area woman, Amber Longhibler, are arrested on child pornography charges.

Feb. 29

• A ransomware attack locks Three Rivers College computer systems.

MARCH

March 3

• Dozens of volunteers, who turned out for the Community Day of Service and Prayer, are recognized for their efforts to help friends and neighbors.

March 4

• Gov. Mike Parson discusses $5.7 million in cost-share funding during an event March 3, which will help improve Highway 67 as part of a future Interstate 57 project.

March 5

• Officials report autopsy results confirm Tammie Boswell, 51, of Qulin died March 4 from injuries sustained in a house fire.

March 6

• A report by the Daily American Republic looks at what Butler County law enforcement officials said was a trend of felons receiving early release from prison and not being sent back as new offenses are committed.

March 7

• It is reported the city of Poplar Bluff closed on a $1 million purchase of 58 acres of property on Shelby Road for a new police department.

March 10

• Polls open for the presidential primary.

March 11

• Approximately 7,200 Republicans and 1,700 Democrats cast ballots March 10 in Butler County, primarily selecting President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden to represent their respective parties.

March 20

• A Malden man has been arrested for sex trafficking and kidnapping after a Malden parent reports Maurice Henderson approached her son as he walked home one day.

March 21

• Amber Longhibler and Brandon Hopper are reported arrested on charges of conspiracy to produce and distribute child pornography. Hopper was a Poplar Bluff police officer at the time of his arrest and later fired.

March 24

• It is reported members of the Boyer family hold two arson suspects at gunpoint until law enforcement arrives after a barn on Matt Lane is destroyed in a fire.

March 25

• Poplar Bluff player Kiley Bess is named to the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association’s All-State team for a second straight year.

March 31

• It is reported former teacher Tim Gaebler has been appointed to the Poplar Bluff R-I School Board, replacing member Heather Tuggle. Tuggle resigned after moving out of the area.

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