POPLAR BLUFF CITY CLERK LORI PHELPS APPOINTED INTERIM CITY MANAGER
A new city manager has been appointed for the City of Poplar Bluff.
According to city officials, on Thursday the city council unanimously appointed City Clerk and Treasurer Lori Phelps to be the interim City Manager, effective September 20th.
Phelps began her career with the City of Poplar Bluff in March of 2008 as a secretary to the City Manager and City Clerk. She was then appointed Deputy City Clerk in May of 2012 and was appointed City Clerk and Treasurer in July of 2022.
Phelps will take over for departing city manager Matt Winters who submitted his resignation earlier this month to take the city administrator position in Jackson.
CREWS TO REDUCE ROUTE H IN BUTLER COUNTY THIS MORNING
Route H in Butler County will be reduced this morning so crews with the Missouri Department of Transportation can perform pavement repairs.
The work zone is located between Route HH and County Road 260.
Weather permitting, crews will be working this morning from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
OVER 80 YEAR OLD STEAM TRAIN TO BE MAKING STOP IN POPLAR BLUFF NEXT MONTH
An over 80 year old Union Pacific steam train will be making a stop next month in Poplar Bluff.
The train, named Big Boy Number 4014, will be in Poplar Bluff on the morning of Friday, September 13th before its departure at 9 am.
The train was delivered to Union Pacific in December of 1941 and was retired in 1961. A multi year restoration process began in 2013 and the train returned to service in 2019 to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad's Completion.
The train will depart on the "Heartland of America Tour" on Wednesday, Aug. 28 from Cheyenne, Wyoming, and travel across eight additional states before arriving in Texas. The eight-week tour concludes in late October.
The train had previously stopped in Poplar Bluff in August of 2021.
PAVEMENT REPAIRS SCHEDULED FOR TODAY ON ROUTE HH IN BUTLER COUNTY
Route HH in Butler County will be reduced today as Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform pavement repairs.
The section of roadway is located from County Road 342 to County Road 251.
Weather permitting, work will take place today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
AMANDA SUMMERS TO SERVE AS POPLAR BLUFF EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER PRINCIPAL
Continuing our series on new administrators in the Poplar Bluff School District we now focus on the Early Childhood Center.
Amanda Summers will serve this year as principal of the Early Childhood Center, succeeding JoAnne Westbrook, who retired after directing the program for nearly 20 years starting at the former Kinyon building.
In 2006, Summers became a teacher at Oak Grove Elementary, the same school she attended as a young girl.
The majority of Summers’ career has been spent at the Kindergarten Center, teaching in the classroom for eight years, then serving as a reading interventionist for three.
She earned her master’s degree in elementary administration from William Woods University in Fulton in 2010, and her bachelor’s in elementary and early childhood education from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau.
In addition to leading the building, Summers has been appointed to take over Westbrook’s district-wide duties as Title 1 director. While Summers admitted she has much to learn regarding federal reporting, she noted that she has an aptitude for organization, and has been fortunate to receive training on the various guidelines from Westbrook during the transition.
HIGHWAY PATROL URGES SAFETY FOR LABOR DAY WEEKEND
With Labor Day weekend almost here, the Missouri State Highway Patrol is urging everyone to be safe during the holiday weekend.
The Highway Patrol will be participating in Operation C.A.R.E. over the Labor Day holiday weekend.
Troopers will be patrolling Missouri’s roadways, enforcing Missouri’s speed limit, seat belt, and impaired driving laws, in addition to being available to assist motorists.
Last year, 15 people were killed and 477 were injured in Missouri over the Labor Day holiday weekend in 1,058 traffic crashes. Also, 125 people were arrested by the Highway Patrol for driving while intoxicated.
The Labor Day holiday is also a busy boating weekend. In 2023, there were 12 boating crashes which included three people being injured.
