Popular Stories

After years of writing songs for other artists to record, Jeff Hovis recently recorded three of his own songs that now are available for downloading on more than 80 music streaming services, including iTunes. “I’ve written for years and had some cuts, artists record some of my bluegrass stuff,” said Hovis, whose day job is as a Poplar Bluff police patrolman, serving as the school resource officer at Three Rivers College...

A man was killed Friday evening in a motorcycle accident in rural Butler County. The accident occurred at Highway AA and Highway B, in Broseley, according to Sheriff Mark Dobbs. The driver of the motorcycle was killed in an accident that involved a car, he said...

An investigation into the alleged harassment of students at a Butler County bus stop resulted in two women going to jail on unrelated offenses. Butler County authorities were contacted at about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday regarding two men “harassing and threatening children at a school bus stop on County Road 4702,” explained Butler County Chief Deputy Wes Popp. “The individuals then were reported as entering a residence located in the 200 block of County Road 4702.”...

High winds appear to have caused bricks to fall off a downtown Poplar Bluff building Wednesday afternoon. The Poplar Bluff Fire Department used a ladder truck as Chief Ralph Stucker and Captain Jeff Hale inspected the building on Poplar Street. It appeared that the wind lifted the medal flashing on the roof, loosening the attached bricks that landed on a lower roof of the law offices of Little, Schellhammer, Richardson and Knowlan, as well as the sidewalk and edge of the street...

The city’s ability to hold residents accountable for derelict properties, and particularly Poplar Bluff’s municipal attorney and city court, were called into question Thursday by some officials. The topic was raised during a meeting of the Poplar Bluff Residential Housing Advisory Board, of which council member at-large Ron Black is a member...

VAN BUREN — Observations made by a South Central Drug Task Force officer Tuesday morning resulted in the seizure of nearly 2 ounces of suspected methamphetamine and the arrest of two. At about 9:10 a.m. Tuesday, Carter County Chief Deputy Justin Eudaley, according to his probable-cause statement, was contacted by Cpl. Jason Kuessner with the South Central Drug Task Force...

The Poplar Bluff R-1 Board of Education met in a special meeting Monday afternoon to discuss an internal transfer of staff at the superintendent level. Associate Superintendent of Finance Rod Priest will be retiring at the conclusion of the 2018-19 school year...

KENNETT, Mo. — Two teenagers pleaded guilty Wednesday to assaulting another teen, who authorities say was beaten over a dispute involving money and drugs. Malcomb Townsend McBride, 19, of Malden and Jordan Paul Morgan, 19, of Bernie pleaded guilty to the Class E felony of third-degree assault, according to Dunklin County Prosecuting Attorney Nicholas Jain...

VAN BUREN — Becoming Carter County’s newest associate circuit judge was the “natural progression” in Steve Lynxwiler’s law career. A December 2000 graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, Lynxwiler began his legal career at the Hackworth Law Firm in Piedmont...

“There were two little boys on the roof screaming that their mother, father and two little brothers were drowning. They were just terrified.” FAIRDEALING — A Fairdealing family escaped tragedy Saturday night when neighbors pulled them from a rain-swollen creek after their truck was swept off a low-water bridge near their home. Steve Cunningham, his wife, Pam, and their four sons said they were returning home from visiting relatives about 11:30 p.m. when their 1980 Chevrolet pickup was washed off a concrete bridge at Crawford Creek...