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The downtown Lighted Christmas Parade was held Friday night in Poplar Bluff

Students of Poplar Bluff Middle School celebrated a parade of service members past and present with signs, flags and cheering on Veteran's Day. Veterans were escorted through the PBMS circuit by the junior high Sho-Me Band and high school JROTC, as well as firefighters and law enforcement. The parade is an annual event at PBMS.

The Animal Welfare Alliance and No Kill Shelter held it’s 13th annual Howling at the Moon event at the Westwood Event Center last weekend. During the event the Millstones performed, Wil Fischer Distributing Co. of Poplar Bluff provided beverages and the event was catered by Esquivel Family Restaurants. Attendees took the opportunity to buy t- shirts, raffle tickets and sign up to howl at the moon all in the name of supporting the no kill shelter. The event was a huge success according to Charlotte Craig who said that the event center has a cpacity of 250 people and there wasn’t an empty seat in the house.”

Students from The Dance Studio of Poplar Bluff delivered a moving performance during a benefit for the Historic Rodgers Theater at the Black River Coliseum.

It’s that time of year again — the 69th Annual Poplar Bluff Artists’ Guild Regional Juried Art Exhibit is opening once more. The Margaret Harwell Art Museum invites the public to an opening reception 1-4 p.m. Sunday. Works will remain on display until Dec. 31, and the People’s Choice winner will be announced at the closing reception, 6-8 p.m. Dec. 30. The works on display include paintings, sculptures, fiber arts and more by members of the Poplar Bluff Artists’ Guild.

Several crews battled a blaze in Williamsville last night. A pile of rubble now stands where Holmes store once stood. The fire began on Halloween night around 9 p.m. according to the fire chief and onlookers.

Every year for the past seven Belinda Bailey and her husband have celebrated Halloween with a different theme. "One year it was Hocus Pocus, we have done E.T. and The Wizard of Oz," said Bailey. This year's theme was based on the popular show Stranger Things. Halloween is the couple's favorite holiday to celebrate according to Bailey. She went on to explain that every year they grow the display bigger, but it takes a lot of work. "Every piece of clothing has to be pinned or glued on and it sometimes takes as many as 20 pins for an item of clothing," said Bailey. Bailey said they enjoy doing the display every year. This year they have added mannequins which are much more life-like. Bailey said, "The kids in the community need something to look at and we really enjoy doing it."

“They continue to make a difference as we remember their life and what they stood for. They lived faithful lives as servants of God here on earth restraining evil. They died as heroes, leaving us an example of all things good and honorable," Alyce Bava.

An Honor Tour reunion was held Saturday at the Holiday Inn in Poplar Bluff for those who have been involved with the effort to take veterans to Washington D.C. to see the memorials dedicated to their years of service. Fundraising pays for all of the cost to take veterans on the trips.

Community members gathered at the Black River Coliseum last night for the 6th annual Restore the Rodgers Event. During the event, an amazing meal was served by Karon Campbell and Tasteful Creations. There were raffles and auction items donated to raise money for the continuing restoration of the Historic theatre.

Poplar Bluff Masonic Youth Father-Daughter Ball, Saturday, Oct. 15, Black River Coliseum,

A parade, craft booths, breakfast and other activities were held Oct. 15 for Broseley's annual fall festival.

In observance of Fire Prevention Month, Poplar Bluff firefighters took time Wednesday morning to visit students at the First Baptist Church to demonstrate how they use the fire truck and some of the tools they use during emergency situations. During the month of October, the fire department has done fire alarm checks at area schools and daycares to ensure the safety of students and children. Since 1922, the National Fire Protection Association has sponsored National Fire Prevention Month, which is observed every year during the month of October, to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire. Many may remember the story from history class about the Great Chicago Fire, which broke out on Oct. 8, 1871, supposedly after a cow, kindly referred to as Daisy, kicked over a lantern while being milked and starting a fire in a barn belonging to the O’Leary family. The story of how the fire originated was later revised, but the blaze, which burned for two days, took about 300 lives and left 90,000 people without shelter, according to the NFPA.

Neelyville celebrated Tiger Fest Saturday. The event featured a talent show, food vendors, games, booths with handmade goods and many other family-friendly activities.

Poplar Bluff Senior Beta participated in the Leadership Summit in Cape Girardeau last month, where they won the “National Beta Outstanding Leadership School Award” and placed in several competitions that qualify them for National Convention in Louisville, Kentucky, next summer.

Qulin residents and visitors turned out Saturday for the annual Homecoming festival.

ST. LOUIS — Several area cheerleading squads punched their tickets to the state championships with strong performances at the Missouri Cheerleading Coaches Association regional competition last weekend. The Poplar Bluff High School cheerleaders took second place in the Class 4A small division, while the Poplar Bluff Junior High squad finished third in the junior high large division. In Class 1A, Van Buren’s squad took second place in the small division, one spot ahead of Neelyville, who finished third. All four squads now will compete at the MCCA state championships, which will take place Dec. 10-11 at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau.

The 25th annual Senior Health Fair organized by the Americorps Seniors Volunteer Organization was held at the Northside Nutrition Center Tuesday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. During the event, many area business and health organizations took the opportunity to give back to the community. Vendors provided health screenings, eyeglass adjustments, vaccinations and community services as well as health education. Over 50 area businesses were in attendance of this years event. AmeriCorps Seniors is one of the largest volunteer networks in the nation for people 55 and older and they are constantly involved in the betterment of the surrounding community. If you are interested in upcoming events or volunteering your time you can contact them at goaging.org.

Hundreds came out Saturday for the annual Iron Horse Festival, which featured booths offering a variety of handmade crafts, as well as fall and holiday-themed items. A car show with new and classic vehicles, food trucks and business open house events were also held, along with a skateboard competition and kids zone with bounce houses.

Local residents, as well as some visiting from out of state, took to the concrete at Poplar Bluff’s local skate park to practice their sport and enjoy a sunny Sunday afternoon with friends. The skate park will soon be filled with eager skateboarders looking to participate in a competition being held by Dirty Skateboards. According to event flyers, at noon Saturday, skaters will gather to compete. The cost to enter the park jam is $5 and it will begin at 1:30. This is a more adult-oriented event, according to organizers. Prizes and cash will be awarded. For more information on this and future events check them out on Facebook at www.dirtyskateboards.bigcartel.com/ or visit the skate park located at 332 S Moran St. in Poplar Bluff, Mo. The event coincides with the Iron Horse Festival, which will be held downtown Saturday with food trucks and vendors.

Veterans in Defense of Liberty and the Liberty Riders of America hosted the 4th annual Missouri Vietnam Wall Run in Perryville. The event was also co-hosted by Bikers on the Square. The event included a 2-day motorcycle rendezvous ride that started Friday morning for riders to all join together and cruise to Perryville. Riders joined together on several different routes including Springfield, St Louis, Illinois, and Indiana.

The Butler County Democratic Club held its annual Truman Day Rally Saturday at the Holiday Inn in Poplar Bluff.

The Month of September is recognized as suicide prevention and awareness month. Volunteers and employees of FCC Behavioral Health took to the streets of Poplar Bluff to raise awareness about the epidemic of suicide Wednesday. The group was met by those passing with many honks and waves. Coroner Jim Akers stated he knew the number of suicides in Butler County “by heart,” 13 to-date.

Poplar Bluff Cheerleading Kiddie Camp was held Sept. 12-14. The performance for the camp was at the Poplar Bluff Junior High stadium on Sept. 15. During the Camp students from the age of three, all the way to seventh grade were in attendance. The students learned cheers, dances, jumps, and even some stunting.

Larry Cotrell, former Poplar Bluff coroner, is one local resident that is thankful for Tuesdays early opening of the new Hilliard Bridge on W Highway. “It is hard to be unhappy with the bridge out when you see how hard these guys have worked,” said Cotrell. “If I am going east of town, I take (County Road) 542 which is gravel for about three miles and I come out on NN, but if I am going to this side of town, I have to take O and that is the 23 miles,” stated Cotrell. “It is going to be wonderful.” He went on to add, “You know, it is amazing how many people we have met that live on O that we never knew about, now they come up here about 6 in the evening to see what’s been done with the bridge.” Cotrell rolled up to the newly constructed bridge Tuesday on his blue tractor loaded with iced beverages to celebrate the event local residents have been eagerly awaiting for some time. Christy Pierce, local resident and DAR employee said, “It has been a very long summer, having to go around any direction we went was at least a 30-minute drive ­— we are really appreciative that it is opening ahead of schedule, those guys worked very hard to get that finished.” The approach guard rails to the bridge were installed Monday and the striping was completed Tuesday afternoon. The bridge opened to traffic as of 5 p.m. Tuesday, according to contractors. Boat ramp access to the river will likely remain closed until the end of the month so crews can finish up underneath the bridge according to Travis Slayton, project manager for Robertson Contractors Inc. “We can’t say enough about how these guys worked hard, a lot of weekends and long hours. We’re very proud and the bridge is officially open as of 5 p.m.” said Slayton.

MALDEN, Mo: The remnants of a building thought to be built in the mid 1800s smolders here Saturday. Firefighters worked throughout the night to extinguish the blaze at the corner of Decatur and LaClede Streets.

Champion longbowman Joshua Miller of Poplar Bluff is in Terni, Italy for the 3D World Archery Championship 2022. He is sending exclusive updates on the competition to the Daily American Republic. “After day 1 of shooting I am currently in 10th place. I’m pleased going into tomorrow as it’s a new day. We have one more day of shooting tomorrow then the top 22 archers go into the shoot offs the following day. It is single round elimination of 4 arrows between 2 archers. Highest score moves on,” Miller wrote. More information on the competition is available at 3dworldarchery2022.it.