News

Ricky Dewayne Davis Jr., accused of killing one and injuring two others in a 2018 Poplar Bluff shooting, preempted his trial Wednesday by pleading guilty to one count of second-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault and three counts of armed criminal action...

The deadline to register for Southeast Regional 4-H Camp will be Friday, May 14. The event will be held from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, June 5, at Camp Allen, 3104 Wayne Route F, near Holliday Landing. Camp provides the full benefits of a 4-H experience coupled with the fun and wonder of camping in the great outdoors along with opportunities to stretch horizons, meet new people and breathe fresh air...

Butler County has five new COVID-19 cases this week, bringing the active local cases to seven for a total since the pandemic began locally of 4,527. While the numbers locally are down, area officials are waiting to see how the state will react to government offices reopening and the governor’s decision to stop the enhanced federal unemployment program...

Witnesses report hearing upwards of 20 shots Tuesday in an incident that left three people with gunshot wounds, and at least one seriously injured. Monshun J. Johnson, 32, of the 800 block of Vine Street and the 1500 block of Coolidge Street, was taken to a St. Louis hospital for treatment after an incident near the intersection of Garfield and Mary streets, according to police. Names for the other two victims have not been released, but they were treated locally, officials said Wednesday...

Five years after Liam Gregory and his family spent six months living in the Mid-America Transplant Family House in St. Louis before and after his heart transplant, their story came full circle. Liam and his parents, Laramy and Jessica Gregory, were present at the groundbreaking of the new $10.5 million Family House facility last month...

BREAKING: A shooting in Poplar Bluff Tuesday evening left one person seriously injured and an area of town off North Main Street cordoned off by the Poplar Bluff Police Department. According to reports, the shooting happened near the north end of the mini park near Alice and Garfield streets at approximately 7:15 p.m. Tuesday. Three people were shot, with one of them reportedly wounded seriously. The other two suffered non-life-threatening injuries...

A new lighting system is being installed in the arena of the Black River Coliseum to replace the one installed nearly 22 years ago. Most of the old metal-halide fixtures are being replaced with more efficient LED versions. “The bulbs that were out there, their life expectancy was basically ending. They were going out, and we were going to have to start purchasing bulbs,” said coliseum director Greg Smith...

Boost Your Brain & Memory is back by popular demand, said John Fuller, University of Missouri field specialist in human development. The University of Missouri Extension in Butler County is offering a Boost Your Brain & Memory: Brain Fitness Class, Fuller said. The classes begin May 25, from noon– 1 p.m., and will continue on Tuesdays and Fridays for the next four weeks...

Poplar Bluff High School teacher Pamela Davis “leads by example for students,” which is one of several reasons she was named the campus Teacher of the Year for 2021-22. “She gives grace when needed and encourages students to be better,” said Crystal Huddleston, who is also a PBHS teacher. “She not only teaches her class, but she knows several students through her involvement of various school activities.”...

Primitive Quartet of Candler, North Carolina will be in concert Saturday, May 15, at the New Hope General Baptist Church in Silva. The doors will open at 5 p.m. and the concert starts at 6 p.m. There is no admission fee, but a free will offering will be taken...

The 37 graduates in the Neelyville High School Class of 2021 Saturday were challenged to dream, be accountable, conquer their fear and take the high road in life. High School Principal Justin Dobbins told the graduates and a gym filled with “people who love you” to have big dreams, whether it is college, trade school or the military...

In the late 1960s, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which expanded on the previous Civil Rights Act of 1964 and in particular prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin, sex, handicap and family status. Title VIII of the act is also known as the Fair Housing Act of 1968...

More than 60 people braved rainy weather on Saturday afternoon in Poplar Bluff to witness the dedication of a new monument to the 86 lives lost in the historic tornado that struck the city on May 9, 1927. The memorial rests on the grounds of the Frisco Depot downtown, an appropriate location due to the fact the previous depot was one of the many buildings wiped out on that fateful day...

“A champion for her students” is how fellow teacher Angela Calloway describes Christine East, the Poplar Bluff Junior High School Teacher of the Year for 2021-22. “Whether a student is struggling or excelling, she supports and challenge them to be the best version of themselves,” Calloway said. ...

From meeting the President of the United States to playing college baseball for a Hall of Fame catcher — and getting to know many others in between — Dexter attorney Sawyer Smith has lived a lifetime of experience in his 29 years. Smith’s journey started when he was recruited to play college baseball for Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida by Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter...

Poplar Bluff’s trap team has officially split from the R-I School District’s athletics program after a long process to do so. “This conversation started about a year ago. We had multiple conversations with them, and we were unsure for a time which direction the school district was going to go,” said R-I Superintendent Dr. Scott Dill...

OXFORD, MISS. — The University of Mississippi celebrated more than 5,000 candidates for graduation in the Class of 2021 during the university’s 168th Commencement exercises April 29 - May 2. The following local students are candidates for graduation:...

Neelyville High School’s top two 2021 graduates praise their parents for encouraging them to do their best. Valedictorian Payton Raeann Reinbott is the daughter of Chuck and Traci Reinbott of Poplar Bluff. Reinbott said, “I want to thank my parents for always pushing me to be the best I can be.”...

What is the greatest gift you have ever received? In an area that covers three states, 800 people have received what can truly be called the greatest gift, the gift of life, thanks to the just under 300 selfless souls in our area who chose to be an organ donor...

Poplar Bluff High School senior Layton Sanders has been selected to receive the $500 Kyle Curtis Dicken Memorial Scholarship. Sanders plans to attend Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, where he will study music education, with a goal of becoming a music instructor upon completing graduate school and possibly his doctorate...

Rep. Hardy Billington recently presented a resolution to Grandin’s Kaylee Lewis after she was sworn in as a member of the Missouri Bar. Pictured are (from left) grandparents Jerry Lewis and Carolyn Lewis, Billington, Kaylee Lewis, and parents Monica Lewis and Jarrod Lewis.

Neelyville High School senior Makenzie Davis was selected winner of the Poplar Bluff Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizens Award.  She was honored with a reception at the April 8 chapter meeting, along with her parents, Shannon and Steve Davis, and Neelyville High School Counselor Julie Cloud. ...

A Fisk woman died Thursday morning in a two-vehicle crash which occurred around 6:30 a.m. on Route B east of Poplar Bluff. Amanda LeGrand, 54, was driving a 2004 Dodge Durango northbound when she pulled into the path of a westbound 2000 Freightliner driven by Kyle Oberkramer, 30, of Broseley...

The city of Poplar Bluff has been awarded more than $750,000 in grants to complete stormwater projects and provide a backup generator for the new Poplar Bluff Police Department...