LADY ROYALS CHRISTMAS CLASSIC TO BEGIN ON SATURDAY

14 women’s basketball teams will be descending on Broseley starting this weekend for the Annual Lady Royals Christmas Classic.

The tournament is scheduled to run from December 21st through the 28th at Twin Rivers High School and will feature numerous area schools.

There are six first round matchups set for Saturday including Portageville taking on Naylor to start the tournament at noon, Poplar Bluff facing Holcomb at 2:30 pm, and host Twin Rivers battling Malden at 3:45 pm.

Today’s Talk KWOC will be live streaming video coverage of every game from the tournament on the KWOC Facebook Page and the River Radio PB Youtube page.

FOUR PEOPLE KILLED IN TWO VEHICLE CRASH

Four people were killed in a crash Tuesday afternoon in Southeast Missouri.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the crash occurred shortly after 4:30 pm Tuesday on Route U near New Madrid, when a 41 year old driver lost control of his vehicle, crossed the centerline, and struck another vehicle.

The driver of the first vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene, as were two young passengers in his vehicle. The 17 year old driver of the second vehicle was also killed in the crash.

PEDESTRIAN STRUCK BY A VEHICLE NEAR POPLAR BLUFF

A pedestrian was struck by a vehicle Monday night in Butler County.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the man was hit on the east outer road, two miles north of Poplar Bluff, at around 8:20 pm.

The pedestrian, a 54 year old man from Poplar Bluff, was transported to an area hospital with moderate injuries.

ROBERT KNODELL APPOINTED AS POPLAR BLUFF CITY MANAGER

A new city manager has been appointed for the City of Poplar Bluff.

Robert Knodell was appointed to the position Monday night by a unanimous vote of the Poplar Bluff City Council.

Knodell will take over for City Clerk and Treasurer Lori Phelps, who has served as interim city manager following the resignation of Matt Winters, who announced his resignation in August to take the City Administrator position in Jackson.

LADY ROYALS CHRISTMAS CLASSIC TO BEGIN ON SATURDAY

14 women’s basketball teams will be descending on Broseley starting this weekend for the Annual Lady Royals Christmas Classic. 

The tournament is scheduled to run from December 21st through the 28th at Twin Rivers High School and will feature numerous area schools.

There are six first round matchups set for Saturday including Portageville taking on Naylor to start the tournament at noon, Poplar Bluff facing Holcomb at 2:30 pm, and host Twin Rivers battling Malden at 3:45 pm.

POPLAR BLUFF FAMILY TO BE INDUCTED INTO MISSOURI SPORTS HALL OF FAME

A Poplar Bluff family will be honored early next year.

According to Poplar Bluff Athletics Director Kent Keith, the Godwin Golf Family will be inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame on February 2nd.

Buddy Godwin won more than 100 amateur tournaments and was also an eight-time winner of the Ozark Open. He also won the Missouri Amateur in 1973 and later competed in several PGA Senior Tour events.

BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL GAME OFFICIATED BY ALL FEMALE REFEREE CREW FOR FIRST TIME IN MISSOURI HISTORY

Three area women made Missouri history Tuesday night.

Tierra Johnson, Laura Hagood, and Stefanie Tinsley became the 1st all female officiating crew to oversee a boys varsity basketball game in the state of Missouri when they officiated the matchup between Scott County Central and Zalma.

Johnson played at Three Rivers College and Southeast Missouri State University, Hagood played for TRC and was two time All-Region before going on to play at Murray State, and Tinsley was a stand out player at TRC.

WOMAN FLOWN TO ST. LOUIS HOSPITAL FOLLOWING CRASH NEAR POPLAR BLUFF

A Bloomfield woman was flown from the scene of a crash Monday afternoon in Butler County.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the crash occurred shortly before 5 pm on US Highway 67, two miles north of Poplar Bluff, when a vehicle pulled into the path of another vehicle.

The driver of the second vehicle, a 78 year old woman from Bloomfield, was flown to a St. Louis hospital with serious injuries.

The driver of the first vehicle received moderate injuries and was transported to a Poplar Bluff hospital.

ESSEX MAN ARRESTED ON SEXUAL MISCONDUCT AND CHILD PORNOGRAPHY WARRANT

An Essex man is in custody after his arrest on a sexual misconduct and child pornography warrant.

According to the Stoddard County Sheriff’s Department, 21 year old Damon Austin was recently arrested on a two count warrant for sexual misconduct involving a child under 15 and possession of child pornography.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Austin was having inappropriate contact with a juvenile over text messages.

He was held in the Stoddard County Jail on a $20,000, cash only, bond.

NUMEROUS FLOATS LIGHT UP POPLAR BLUFF DURING THE RIVER RADIO LIGHTED CHRISTMAS PARADE

Numerous spectators and over one hundred vehicles lit up downtown Poplar Bluff this past weekend.

Everyone was out Friday night for the latest edition of the River Radio Lighted Christmas Parade. In addition to the parade, spectators also took in the lighting of the Downtown Poplar Bluff Community Christmas Tree in front of the Black River Coliseum.

If you could not attend this year’s parade, we have the full video of the festivities, including the Community Christmas Tree lighting, available on the River Radio Youtube page.

RIVER RADIO LIGHTED CHRISTMAS PARADE IS TONIGHT

Christmas lights will be shining bright tonight in Downtown Poplar Bluff.

The 2024 River Radio Lighted Christmas Parade is scheduled to begin at 6 pm with line up starting at 4:30 pm at the Sky High Fun Zone parking lot.

The parade route this year will run from Highway 53 at McDonalds, north along Ditch Road into Downtown Poplar Bluff, then east on Vine Street, before circling back on Main Street.

POPLAR BLUFF MAN ARRESTED IN CONNECTION TO ALLEGED SEXUAL ASSAULT

Authorities in Poplar Bluff say that a man is in custody in connection to an alleged sexual assault.

According to Lieutenant Josh Stewart with the Poplar Bluff Police Department, shortly before noon on November 30th, officers responded to the Holiday Inn on North Westwood Boulevard for a reported sexual assault.

The victim was reportedly attacked by a male suspect in the women’s restroom. The victim was able to flee from the suspect and alert others to the situation. She was later transported to an area hospital for treatment of injuries sustained during the assault.

MAN FACING BURGLARY AND DOMESTIC ASSAULT CHARGES

An area man is facing multiple charges in connection to alleged recent incidents in Fisk.

According to a probable cause affidavit, 29 year old Jonathan Smith, of Poplar Bluff, is accused of choking a woman and threatening to burn down her apartment.

Smith, who also goes by the name Johnathan Godti, later allegedly returned to the apartment and tried to set fire to it with the victim inside and also stole her property.

RESIDENTS EVACUATED FROM ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY DUE TO FIRE

Residents of a Southeast Missouri assisted living facility were temporarily evacuated Monday morning due to a fire.

According to Chief Lance Davis with the Kennett Fire Department, at approximately 11:00 AM on Monday, firefighters responded to a fire alarm activation at 614 South Bypass.

Responding units observed smoke emanating from the facility and the residents were promptly evacuated and relocated to a neighboring facility to ensure their comfort and well-being.

2024 RIVER RADIO LIGHTED CHRISTMAS PARADE SET FOR THIS FRIDAY NIGHT

Parade lights will be shining bright in Downtown Poplar Bluff this Friday for the 2024 River Radio Lighted Christmas Parade.

The parade is scheduled to begin at 6 pm this Friday. Line up will begin at 4:30 at the Sky-High Fun Zone parking lot.

The parade route this year will run from Highway 142 at McDonalds through downtown Poplar Bluff before looping back and ending at the Black River Coliseum.

TODAYS TALK KWOC TO BROADCAST CURRENT RIVER CHALLENGE

Once you're done with Thanksgiving, switch your TV over to the Today’s Talk KWOC Facebook page to catch all the action from the Current River Challenge.

The two day basketball event from Van Buren High School will feature 25 area schools, including Van Buren, Twin Rivers, Greenville, East Carter, Doniphan, Puxico, and Neelyville, and will start at 10 am on both November 29th and 30th.

THANKSGIVING COOKING SAFETY TIPS

Thanksgiving is almost here, and the American Red Cross is reminding you to stay safe while you prepare the holiday dinner.

The Red Cross advises that cooks should avoid wearing loose clothing or dangling sleeves while preparing the holiday meal.

You should also never leave the stove unattended – if the cook has to leave the kitchen even for a short time, they should turn off the stove.

MODOT TAKING FEEDBACK ON PROPOSED ROAD DIET FOR PINE STREET IN POPLAR BLUFF

A proposal from the Missouri Department of Transportation to reduce Pine Street in Poplar Bluff has drawn scrutiny from the community, who now have a chance to have their voices heard.

According to MoDOT, the proposal would reconfigure Pine Street from an undivided 4-lane roadway to a 3-lane with one eastbound lane, a center turn lane, and one westbound lane from 10th Street to Route B.

MoDOT Project Manager Curt Woolsey tells KWOC News that the proposal started as an effort to address a curve east of the bridge that shows more crashes than expected when compared to similar roadways. Woolsey says it became clear to them that it would also improve traffic flow.

TWO PEOPLE SENTENCED IN SOUTHEAST MISSOURI MURDER INVESTIGATION

Two people will be spending decades behind bars in connection to the murder of an Illinois woman in Southeast Missouri.

According to Bollinger County Sheriff Casey Graham, in October of 2021, the Bollinger County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a missing person, identified as 21 year old Brianna Roberts, of Illinois.

An investigation into the disappearance led to the arrests of Eric Nanney and Kaitlyn Morgan.

POPLAR BLUFF SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES PURCHASE OF WEAPONS DETECTION SYSTEM AND CELL PHONE POUCHES FOR STUDENTS

The Poplar Bluff R-1 Board of Education held an open session Tuesday night.

During the session, the board approved the purchase of Weapons Detection Systems for the High School, Junior High, and Mark Twain campuses. The cost of the eleven devices and training would be $210,580.70. Six of the devices will be placed at PBHS, three at the Junior High, and two at Mark Twain.