VAN BUREN, Mo. — Nine months after construction began, work continues on a new Highway 103 bridge at Big Spring, and if contractors can get enough days without rain, the new structure is expected to be complete in late September or early October. “Mother Nature has been a challenge,” said Robertson Contracting’s Project Manager, David Stinson, who noted the temporary “work road,” or access pad installed by crews, has been flooded many times, delaying progress...

Clara Ollinger, of Bloomfield, Mo. has been named to the Truman State University, in Kirksville, Mo., President’s Academic Honor Roll for the spring 2019 semester. To qualify for this list, an undergraduate student must attain a semester grade point average of 4.0 and must complete 12 semester hours of credit...

Swim season is here. The Poplar Bluff R. W. Huntington Pool opens Friday. Take advantage of all the city pool has to offer. Admission is $2 for youth 17 and younger; adults 18 and older is $3. Open swim hours are from 1-5 p.m., seven days a week. Pool parties may be booked by contacting the pool at 686-8651. ...

Wet weather this spring has left farmers drowning in frustration over their inability to plant crops. During planting season it’s unusual to find a farmer indoors, but Butler County farmer Larry Duncan was near his home phone Thursday afternoon. Wet ground makes it easier to interview farmers. Duncan’s normal working hours during planting season begin at daylight and end about 9 p.m...

A veteran who served in two wars and worked with nuclear bombs during his time with the Air Force will speak Memorial Day during a ceremony in Poplar Bluff. Activities to celebrate and honor members of the Armed Forces have been scheduled both in Poplar Bluff and at the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield...

Navy veteran Robert McFarland lived in the woods near Bacon Park for years after his discharge. He later connected with Veterans Administration services, which helped place him with a variety of temporary housing units. Today, McFarland, 47, is one of the residents of Poplar Bluff Villas, a new group of housing complexes on Eugene Boulevard owned by the Missouri National Guard Foundation...

Graduation days are full of emotion and surprises, but one senior received both during the Poplar Bluff R-1 Class of 2019 graduation ceremony Thursday evening. Drew Metz walked across the stage to receive his diploma and missed a certain someone standing to the side...