On April 9, the Poplar Bluff Police Department broke ground on its new building. It was an event 138 years in the making, said Chief Danny Whiteley.
Whiteley described the first police station to be designed and built specifically to house the city’s law enforcement officers as a tool that will strengthen the department’s abilities to serve and protect residents.
The building is 60% complete and on track for an August 2022 completion, said Mike McClain, deputy police chief.
“As of right now, everything is looking good for the project,” McClain said shortly before Christmas.
A generator for the department was placed Dec. 20, he said, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency-related shelter was installed in the following two days. Both the generator and the FEMA shelter are grant-funded portions of the project.
So far, the only challenges faced by the project have been the weather, McClain said. Brockmiller Construction has had 50 rain days since the groundbreaking, but has pulled together and gotten the project back on track, according to McClain.
As of Dec. 17, the building was fully enclosed and all of the glass was installed.
At this time, it is not experiencing any supply chain issues, McClain said.
March and April also saw a former Poplar Bluff resident named to positions within the governor’s office, bank employees help a kidnap victim evade captors and many other significant events.
The most read online story during this time was that of a Malden pastor temporarily stepping down in early March after comments in a sermon sparked outrage across the nation. Others in the top five included news of a March 11 drowning at Wappapello Lake, one killed in an overnight shooting April 5, fire crews responding March 6 to a blaze on Ditch Road and a Broseley man detained for a break in at Twin Rivers High School in March.
March 3
• Poplar Bluff schools are announced as the first in the state to have two elementary schools named the National ESEA Distinguished Schools list. Both Eugene Field and Lake Road earned honors from the program, which has been in place for 25 years.
• John J. Pershing VA Medical Center plans weekly mass COVID-19 vaccination clinics for veterans, having vaccinated about 3,000 individuals as of that date.
March 4
• Butler County officials announce that almost 11% of residents have received the COVID-19 vaccination.
• The Poplar Bluff City Council rejects the sole bid submitted for 25 acres of property on Shelby Road near the site of a future, new police department. The bid totaled $45,000, while the city purchased a total of 58 acres of property for $1 million. Four acres are to be used for the police department and 20 acres are located in a floodway.
March 5
• A Malden pastor takes a temporary leave of absence from First General Baptist Church after a sermon on the responsibilities of women goes viral and stirs outrage. The Rev. Stewart Allen Clark said he would seek professional counseling.
• Shelly Ridens is named assistant principal for Poplar Bluff Middle School.
• The Poplar Bluff Mules win the MSHSAA Class 6 District 1 championship March 4 in an overtime win against Jackson at Northwest High School.
• The Three Rivers College Raiders look at possible postgame changes after a brawl broke out March 3 between about a dozen players at a game against Moberly Area. Changes were to include relocating where players would meet with family following games.
March 6
• Stoddard County Sheriff’s Department reports that the largest marijuana bust in the county’s history was made March 4, when 74 pounds of marijuana were recovered from a rented SUV in a traffic stop.
• Walter Currie of Poplar Bluff is sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to convicted felon in possession of a firearm in relation to a Jan. 16, 2020, shots fired call at Motel 6. No injuries were reported in the incident.
March 9
• Authorities report they are investigating a March 6 fire that damaged a home on Victor Street and Quality Tech transmission on Ditch Road.
• The lights are turned on March 8 for a restored Rodgers Theatre tower as part of ongoing renovation efforts.
March 10
• Authorities investigate a suspicious fire that was reported March 9 at 106 Vine St., in a vacant building. No injuries were reported.
• Butler County commissioners share that the county budget is starting the year in the black.
• Butler County road crews say severe winter freeze and thaw cycles caused severe damage to area roads, which were being repaired.
March 12
• Former Butler County resident Robert Knodell is named deputy chief of staff for Gov. Mike Parson.
• Lucas Aaron Cope, 29, of Poplar Bluff drowns March 11 after falling in the water at Wappapello Lake spillway.
March 13
• One year into the COVID-19 pandemic, Butler County officials report the area economy has performed well and say local partners worked well to provide support and information in a coordinated response. The county had reported 42 deaths from COVID-19 as of March 12.
March 18
• Shedric Anderson, 46, of Poplar Bluff is sentenced to 35 years in jail in relation to the November 2019 assault of an inmate in the Dunklin County jail.
March 20
• Paul Davis is announced as assistant editor for the Daily American Republic.
March 24
• The Poplar Bluff Parks and Recreation Department finalizes efforts to provide lights for the downtown skate park.
March 25
• The Missouri National Guard makes plans to host a COVID-19 vaccine booster clinic.
March 26
• The recently formed Poplar Bluff Trails Coalition discusses plans to begin taking care of about 150 miles of trails in the region through partnerships, including with Mark Twain National Forest.
• Marcus Nelson, 39, of Poplar Bluff is convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute following a two-day trial in a 2019 incident that recovered drugs with a street value of $500,000.
March 27
• Former Wayne County dispatcher Chad Floyd is arrested on suspicion of forgery and felony tampering with evidence in an incident related to the sharing of investigation details.
• Downtown Poplar Bluff Executive Director Morgan McIntosh receives the Missouri Bicentennial Award from the state’s attorney general.
March 30
• Authorities report employees of a Poplar Bluff bank helped a kidnap victim evade three individuals who had held the woman captive and taken her to the branch to withdraw cash. Arrested were Jessica Leann Barnette of Camden, Tennessee, Fredrick Anthony Meyer and Zackary Lane Gilliland, both of Poplar Bluff.
March 31
• The city of Poplar Bluff receives a grant for $274,088 to construct a connector trail between existing trails on Shelby Road and the Wolf Creek Trail. The grant came from the Missouri Department of Transportation.
• The Three Rivers College men’s basketball team reaches the Region XVI quarterfinal but loses 72-64 to State Fair at the Libla Family Sports Complex.
April 3
• Jessica Newcomb is named Teacher of the Year for the Neelyville School District.
• Sgt. 1st Class Matt Mobley of Poplar Bluff is recognized for his efforts Jan. 23 to save a man trapped in a burning car in the area of Crocker, Missouri.
April 6
• The Poplar Bluff City Council votes 4-2 to transfer title to the Main Street branch of the Poplar Bluff Municipal Library to the library district, with the condition that $200,000 be paid to the city.
• A $225,000 three-year grant allows the Retired Senior Volunteer Program to expand into Carter County.
April 7
• Police seek Caleb Scowden after an April 6 shooting in the 800 block of Clare Avenue leaves Terrance West, 25, of Poplar Bluff dead and one injured.
• A use tax measure for the city of Poplar Bluff fails by four votes in the April 6 election, with a total of 377-381.
• Shane Cornman is re-elected as the representative for Poplar Bluff’s Ward 4, in an election against challenger Robert E. Durbin.
• Tim Gaebler and Ken Davis are re-elected to the Poplar Bluff R-I Board of Education.
• Ronald Hover Jr. and Robert Fisher are elected to the Neelyville Board of Education.
April 8
• Health officials announce that on April 9, all adults will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
April 9
• Local group Poplar Bluff Heroes takes on the challenge to raise $250,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
• The Three Rivers College women’s basketball team advances to the Region XVI championship, competing for a spot in the national tournament.
April 10
• Poplar Bluff Police Department breaks ground April 9 on a new police station location on Shelby Road. The 27,000 square-foot structure was expected to be complete in 2022.
• Eugene Field Elementary educator Cathy Burnett is named Teacher of the Year for the Poplar Bluff School District.
April 13
• The Three Rivers College women’s basketball team earns the No. 9 seed in the NJCAA tournament.
• An unnamed 28-year-old man was airlifted April 12 to a St. Louis hospital after reportedly being struck by a train in the area near Abbott and Holly streets.
April 15
• The Poplar Bluff Parks and Recreation Department discusses upgrades made at Whiteley and Hendrickson parks, including new parking and a new pavilion respectively.
• The city of Poplar Bluff use tax measure fails to earn enough votes in a hand recount to pass.
April 16
• Owners announce that Taco John’s will open April 19.
• Off duty Poplar Bluff city firefighters are called in as multiple crews fight a house fire on Warren Street.
• Carter County Associate Judge Steven Lynxwiler shares how a drug court in the 37th Judicial Circuit has recently seen its first and second graduates, and is changing lives.
April 17
• Retailer Ollie’s Bargain Outlet announces it will open in May at Mansion Mall.
April 20
• Steve Davis is elected mayor of Poplar Bluff, by a vote of the city council.
April 21
• Poplar Bluff native Robert Knodell is named acting director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
• The Three Rivers College women’s basketball team advances in the NJCAA National Tournament as the only undefeated left standing as of the quarterfinals in Lubbock, Texas.
April 22
• Gary Featherston is named chairman of the Three Rivers College Board of Trustees.
April 23
• The East Carter Redbirds win the Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament on April 22, with a 4-3 home game against Naylor.
April 24
• The Three Rivers College women’s basketball team loses April 23 against Northwest Florida State in the NJCAA National Tournament semifinals in Lubbock, Texas.
April 27
• Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Shayne Talburt is named Elks Officer of the Year by Elks Post 2452.
• Drake Stepter of Paducah, Kentucky, wins the 75th Tom Hoover Ozark Invitational on April 25 at Westwood Hills Country Club, setting a tournament record at 11-under-par 131.
April 29
• Poplar Bluff Fire Department recognizes Chad Bell as Firefighter of the Year and Mike Moffitt as Officer of the Year.
April 30
• The Greater Poplar Bluff Chamber of Commerce holds a banquet April 29, recognizing educators from Three Rivers College, Poplar Bluff School District and Westwood Baptist Academy.