City property purchases, anniversaries and drug busts mark end of 2019

November and December 2019 saw Poplar Bluff’s iconic Twin Towers celebrate its 50th anniversary, more than 1,500 people served at the annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner, the Carter County Sheriff’s Department move into a new home on higher ground and a proposed city budget which will be more than a quarter million dollars in the red, among others.

Nov. 1

University of Missouri Extension Human Development and Family Specialist John Fuller is recognized for his work by the National Extension Association for Family and Consumer Sciences.

Butler County deputies recovered about $30,000 worth of suspected crystal methamphetamine and nearly $5,300 in cash after a pizza delivery driver was confronted by a man with a firearm.

Nov. 2

East Carter County High School’s Lady Redbirds softball team falls 6-0 to Marceline in the MSHSAA Class 2 third-place softball game in Springfield, finishing its season in fourth place for the second year in a row.

Childhood friends Todd Richardson (from left), Bob Summers, Jeremy Booker and Richard Moore embarked on an adventure in November to climb the world’s highest mountain and visit the Amazon rainforest. Photo provided

Nov. 5

In a controversial decision, the Poplar Bluff City Council votes to purchase 58 acres of land between Shelby Road and Highway PP for just over $1 million, with plans to build a new city hall and police station there. The city hall decision was later reversed by the council, in favor of an undetermined downtown location.

Poplar Bluff High School’s boy’s soccer team is defeated in the district semifinal game 6-0 by Northwest.

Poplar Bluff High School’s Jaden Deaton qualifies for the MSHSAA cross country championship race for the second consecutive year.

Nov. 6

A use tax on the ballot fails 276-491 in Poplar Bluff’s November election, but officials say they will try to bring it up for a vote again in the future.

Nov. 7

Drew Miller begins his tenure as Wayne County’s newest conservation agent after graduating from the Department of Conservation’s most recent academy.

Fox High School ended the Poplar Bluff Mules’ hopes for a district title in November, defeating the football Mules in the semifinal. DAR File Photo/Brian Rosener

Nov. 9

Fox High School defeats the Poplar Bluff Mules 412-25 in the MSHSAA Class 5, District 1 district semifinal football game, ending the Mules’ season.

Nov. 12

Van Buren High School’s girls cross country team places in the top four at the MSHSAA Cross Country Championships, held in Columbia, for the first time in program history, while Poplar Bluff’s Jaden Deaton earns All-State honors with his 22nd place finish.

Nov. 13

Poplar Bluff’s iconic Twin Towers celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Nov. 14

A well-placed rose bush aids in the capture of two individuals by the Butler County Sheriff’s Department after a crime spree involving two stolen vehicles, three high-speed chases and a daylight home invasion.

Nov. 15

Local attorney Robert Smith files a lawsuit against Poplar Bluff’s city council to block the purchase of 58 acres of land along Shelby Road, intended for a new police station. Smith says the city “does not have authority to move ahead because the purchase of land to re-sale is not a statutory allowable purpose.”

Nov. 16

A false alarm at Poplar Bluff High School was spurred by a student who thought he saw a pistol magazine in another student’s bag on a bus. After a short lock-down of the facility, the item turned out to be a cigarette lighter.

Nov. 19

Residents of Fairdealing rally together after a fire destroys the Pilgrim’s Rest Church.

Several former Poplar Bluff High School basketball players returned to E.T. Peters Gymnasium to compete in the first-ever alumni game.

Chef Lorelei Morris wins Show-Me Chefs competition, earning $3,600 and a spot in a cookbook.

The Poplar Bluff School District and Chartwells served more than 1,500 people during the Community Thanksgiving Dinner, held Nov. 19. DAR File Photo/Michelle Friedrich

Nov. 20

Poplar Bluff High School and Chartwells Food Service serve 1,500 people during the free Community Thanksgiving Dinner.

Nov. 22

Poplar Bluff Street Department announces plans to fill in the old Frisco Railroad area under two bridges in downtown Poplar Bluff, citing safety concerns.

Bernie’s Justen Patterson is sent to a mental health facility after pleading not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect after being charged in the stabbing death of his step-brother in 2004.

Nov. 27

Poplar Bluff’s Municipal Library purchases land along Kanell Boulevard to build a branch library, which is expected to open in the fall of 2020.

Dec. 3

Poplar Bluff’s Bobby Wicker, vice president of the Three Rivers Shrine Club, receives the Moolah Shriner of the Month award for November for “his efforts, dedication and commitment to our fraternity and philanthropy.” Wicker was chosen from among 2,300 Shriners in Eastern Missouri for the award.

Dec. 4

A former Naylor assistant principal is sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexually assaulting a female student on campus in 2015.

Former Stoddard County Deputy Clerk Ginger McCoy settles a wrongful termination lawsuit with the county for $95,000 after being fired April 8 for allegedly questioning irregularities during the April election.

Dec. 5

Bernie High School’s boys basketball team wins its own invitational tournament after defeating Campbell 67-62 in the final.

Dec. 6

Samantha Jo Freeze, 33, of Ellsinore escapes the custody of a Carter County deputy while being released from a local hospital. Freeze was captured on Dec. 13.

Dec. 10

The Carter County Sheriff’s Department settles into a new, temporary facility on high ground after working out of two trailers for the last two-plus years. The department was forced into the trailers after a spring 2017 flood destroyed its offices.

Dec. 11

Poplar Bluff city manager Mark Massingham offers a 2020 budget he says will be nearly $300,000 in the red. As a result, he said, the city will be forced to cut three positions and curb some services.

Country artist Neal McCoy is named as the night’s entertainment for the annual Valentines for Veterans Concert, scheduled for Feb. 14 at the Black River Coliseum.

Dec. 12

Poplar Bluff’s Police Department promotes three officers, a communications officer and welcomes two new road patrolmen.

Dec. 13

Butler County’s Sheriff Department installs new dispatch and communications equipment, replacing older, problematic units. Primary funding for the new equipment comes from Butler County Health Department, with the remainder from the Butler County Fire Department.

Dec. 14

Poplar Bluff High School’s Dylan Wells is named to Missouri Football Coaches Association’s Class 5 All-State Team as a third-team defensive lineman.

The Yellow Sucker trophy stays in Van Buren after the Bulldogs’ boys basketball team defeats county rival East Carter High School 59-50. With the win, Van Buren takes a 20-17 advantage in the longtime Yellow Sucker series.

Dec. 17

Efforts to four-lane Highway 67 south of Poplar Bluff to the Arkansas state line could get a $5.8 million boost with funding from the Governor’s Transportation Cost-Share Program.

Dec. 18

East Carter High School senior Dalton Rudd signs to pitch for Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers.

Dec. 20

Lake Road Elementary will expand for the third year in a row, adding sixth grade in the next school year.

Dec. 21

Paul Oesterreicher, who has worked at the Butler County Prosecutor’s Office for 27 years, announces his retirement, effective at the end of the year.

Dec. 24

The 17th annual Community Toy Drive, held at Mount Calvary Powerhouse Church, serves over 2,000 children, while the annual Shop with a Hero program, organized by the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 48, saw 115 children get the opportunity to shop for Christmas.

Dec. 28

The Jackson (Tenn.) Southside Hawks deny the Poplar Bluff Mules basketball team the chance to win three consecutive Showdown titles, handing the Mules a 73-60 loss in the second round of the Poplar Bluff Basketball Showdown.