The final months of 2022 continued to mark big changes for the area, with Poplar Bluff opening a new police department on Shelby Road and naming its first new police chief in 22 years.
Chief Mike McClain took over for retiring chief Danny Whiteley, with Keith Hefner named as the deputy chief of police.
New businesses were also opened or announced with Haff Whiskey Saloon and Mimi’s Market opening downtown and Big Whiskey’s American Restaurant & Bar making plans to open in 2023 on Oak Grove Road.
OCTOBER
Oct. 1
• Hundreds turn out for the 2022 Community Outreach day held Sept. 30, highlighting the housing and food needs of the area, according to organizers.
Oct. 4
• Missouri’s First Lady Teresa Parson visits Neelyville schools Oct. 3, as well as others in the area, promoting the Jobs for America’s Graduates program.
• Poplar Bluff officials announced a state grant for $460,000 was awarded to improve sidewalks and remove overhead utilities in parts of Downtown Poplar Bluff. Work is expected to start in the summer of 2023.
Oct. 5
• Patty Jo Boyers has been inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame, it is announced. The honor recognizes leaders in connectivity, content and media who have made a lasting contribution to the advancement of the industry.
Oct. 6
• Former Piedmont police officer Woodrow Massa is indicted on federal charges of civil rights violations and lying to the FBI.
Oct. 7
• Demolition of the westbound Pine Street bridge over the Black River begins. The $3.5 million project replaces an 88-year-old structure.
Oct. 12
• The Poplar Bluff Police Department on Shelby Road opens to the public at 8 a.m. Oct. 12. Total cost for the 27,000-square-foot facility was $11.2 million.
• Larry and Lisa Hafford announce a new business, Haff Whiskey Saloon, will open Oct. 13 in Downtown Poplar Bluff.
Oct. 15
• It is announced that Mike McClain will be Poplar Bluff’s first new police chief in 22 years. McClain brought with him 27 years of service to the Poplar Bluff Police Department.
Oct. 20
• Missouri Highlands Health Care announces plans for a new facility to be located at the former site of New Life Christian Church United on Baron Road. It will bring together primary medical care, dental care, women’s health, pediatrics and the treatment of substance abuse disorders.
Oct. 26
• PBPD names Keith Hefner as the deputy chief of police.
NOVEMBER
Nov. 2
• The historic Holmes Store in Williamsville is destroyed Nov. 1 by fire.
Nov. 5
• The mayor of Neelyville, Kevin Bynum, resigns amid accusations he misused thousands of dollars in city money and an accopanying federal investigation.
Nov. 9
• Missouri’s 8th Congressional District incumbent Jason Smith holds his seat in the Nov. 8 election.
Nov. 10
• The Poplar Bluff City Council votes Nov. 9 to sell a second lot on Shelby Road for $325,000. They also voted Oct. 28 to sell a lot for $255,000. Names of the purchaser or purchasers were not released, pending finalization of the sales.
Nov. 12
• State Rep. Hardy Billington (R-Poplar Bluff) is announced as the House Majority Whip for the upcoming 102nd General Assembly.
Nov. 16
• It is reported the Designer Handbag Bingo event held Nov. 11 raised $40,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
• Members of the Poplar Bluff High School Pom Squad earn a spot at the National Dance Alliance event in Florida in March 2023.
Nov. 17
• Officials report that missing hunter Phillip Carnell was found dead Nov. 16, near the area he had planned to hunt in.
Nov. 19
• Samantha Tucker is named assistant editor for the Daily American Republic.
Nov. 22
• Poplar Bluff city officials announce the award of a $5 million state grant to fund stormwater improvements across the city. Work is expected to begin in 2023.
Nov. 25
• Former city manager Jim Moss is remembered by residents for his work to help improve the city from 1989-1991.
DECEMBER
Dec. 2
• Charges are filed against Taylor Riley Whiteley, 25, of Poplar Bluff, who officers said was above the legal blood alchohol limit when he accidentally shot another patron in a Butler County bar on Nov. 17.
Dec. 3
• It is announced that Big Whiskey’s American Restaurant & Bar will open in 2023 at the former Oak Grove Road location of Scotty’s Brewhouse.
Dec. 6
• Authorities report that Margaret E. Delcour, 36, of Broseley and Wendy L. Rhodes, 48, of Qulin were murdered Dec. 4 in Qulin. Steven T. Scott, 30, of O’Fallon was arrested for the crimes.
• The Poplar Bluff School District announces Dr. Aaron Cornman will be the district’s new superintendent when Dr. Scott Dill leaves at the end of the school year.
Dec. 7
• Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Springfield) gives his farewell address to the U.S. Senate.
Dec. 8
• It is announced that $11 million in pavement resurfacing will be done in the area, along with construction of a new bridge in Wayne County.
Dec. 9
• The area is awarded $4 million in grant money for new school buses, including at the Neelyville district.
• Authorities respond to a fatal double shooting on Highway AA. The victims were identified as Norman G. Morgan and Timothy A. Morgan. The suspect in the case, a family member of the victims, is shot and killed by responding law enforcement after allegedly confronting deputies with a weapon.
Dec. 13
• The Mules Competitive Cheerleading Team wins first in their division at state competition for the second year in a row, it is reported.
Dec. 14
• A feature story shares the history of Jim Faith’s Office Supply, which closes in Downtown Poplar Bluff at the end of 2022, after more than 50 years in business.
Dec. 16
• The Poplar Bluff City Council votes Dec. 15 to name Ralph Innes the new city judge, on the retirement of Judge W. Dean Million.
Dec. 24
• Cliff and Angela Smith of Williamsville are honored with the Melvin Brinkley Public Service Award from the Ozark Foothills Regional Planning Commission.