Stories from Thursday, January 23, 2014

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A Poplar Bluff, Mo., man was sentenced Tuesday afternoon to nine years in prison for severely injuring another man with a box cutter. Accompanied by his attorney Jemia Steele with the Public Defender's Office, William Fanter appeared before Presiding Circuit Judge Michael Pritchett for sentencing after having entered an Alford plea on the Class B felony of first-degree assault on Jan. 14...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- Concern about the persistence of high poverty rates in Southeast Missouri counties has led the Missouri Association for Social Welfare to launch a new campaign based in Cape Girardeau. MASW, founded in 1901, is a grassroots citizen organization that provides leadership, research, education and advocacy to improve public policy and programs affecting the health and welfare of Missourians, according to a news release from the association...

ST. LOUIS -- The attorney for Missouri death row inmate Herbert Smulls has asked a federal court for a 60-day stay of execution, citing concerns about whether the state's execution drug could cause the inmate to suffer during the process. Attorney Cheryl Pilate filed the stay motion Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Jefferson City, Mo. It wasn't clear when the court would rule...

V. Irene Daniel Lizenbee, daughter of Leonard and Hazel Moore Daniel of Puxico, was born Jan. 11, 1947 at Advance and died Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014, at her home in Puxico. Irene had been a supervisor for the U.S. Bureau of Census for 34 years. She loved to camp, fish and spend time with her family...

Wilma Pauline Brown Miller, daughter of the late Ellis Brown and Estelle Kinnick Brown, was born on Jan. 29, 1919, in Pikes Peak, Ind., and died at her residence peacefully surrounded by her family on Jan. 21, 2014, at the age of 94. Mrs. Miller graduated high school from St. ...

Norma Jean Kitchen, daughter of the late Theodore Karlish and Linda Riddle Karlish, was born on Feb. 5, 1938, in Malden and died on Jan. 20, 2014, at Crowley Ridge Care Center in Dexter at the age of 75. Mrs. Kitchen was a resident of Dexter and was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Dexter, a Sunday school teacher and a Bible Study teacher. ...

Judy Roberts, daughter of the late Joe Roberts and Bertha E. Darby Roberts was born on Oct. 8, 1941, in Catron, Mo., and died on Jan. 21, 2014, at the SoutheastHEALTH of Stoddard County in Dexter at the age of 72. Ms. Roberts was a licensed manicurist, a former employee of Good Humor-Breyers in Sikeston and was a resident of Dexter...

Charles Gisi, son of the late Edmond Gisi and Mary Iva Morrison Gisi, was born on March 20, 1918, in Essex and died on Jan. 21, 2014, at the Cypress Point Skilled Nursing Center in Dexter at the age of 95. Mr. Gisi was a retired farmer, a veteran of the United States Army Air Corps serving in World War II, and he was a resident of Essex. He faithfully attended Risen Church in Dexter...

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- A trip to Columbia paid off handsomely for an east-central Missouri man. Bryan Boudria, of Sullivan, won a $2 million "Mega Monopoly" scratchers prize earlier this month. He bought the ticket at Mosers convenience store, while on down time from a program he was attending at the Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital in Columbia...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri lawmakers could have to cut about $370 million from Gov. Jay Nixon's budget proposal if they don't want to go along with his optimistic revenue assumptions. Republican legislative leaders were still fuming Wednesday about the Democratic governor's budget proposal, a day after he outlined it as part of his State of the State address...

VAN BUREN, Mo. -- Phil Moss was 12 years old when he followed in his grandfather's footsteps and became a guide on the waterways of what are now the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. In the 61 years since, the Current and Jacks Fork rivers have been for the Ellington, Mo., resident a treasured connection to his heritage and a way to support his family, most recently as a boat manufacturer...

In addition to discussion surrounding the Dexter School District's adoption of a teacher evaluation tool (see accompany article), board members took action on several other agenda items Tuesday night, including approving the renewal of a three-year contract for Supt. Dr. Thomas Sharp. Other action included making a significant change in the manner in which the district's certified staff members are paid...

The Bootheel Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission (BRPC) approved a fiscal year 2014 budget at their recent regular meeting of $369,090 in revenue with $426,252.82 in expenditures. Steve Duke, BRPC executive director, noted that the budget showed a deficit...

In a matter of months, every school district in Missouri must have in place a sound instrument for evaluating their teaching staff. That mandate comes from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in Jefferson City, which has laid out a protocol to be followed in formulating such a tool...

The Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association has released its preseason state baseball rankings. No SCAA schools are state-ranked. Bernie did receive votes in Class 2. Semoball.com schools from the region that are ranked include Oran at No. 1 at Class 1, Leopold at No. 8 in Class 1, Holcomb at No. 3 in Class 2, Neelyville at No. 4 in Class 2, Chaffee at No. 5 in Class 2, East Carter County at No. 6 in Class 2, Notre Dame at No. 2 in Class 4 and Sikeston at No. 4 in Class 4...

Well, I suppose it is par for this time of year, but the temperature swings still seem to catch me off guard. Apparently there is another "polar vortex" on its way, and man am I stoked... Polar vortex, what a way to describe a cold front, more sensationalism I suppose. ...