MAN FACING ROBBERY CHARGE FOLLOWING INCIDENT AT NAYLOR AREA BANK
Authorities responded to a reported bank robbery on Friday at a bank in the Naylor area.
According to Ripley County Sheriff Rad Talbert, deputies and Missouri State Highway Patrol Troopers responded to People’s Community Bank in Naylor at around 8:45 am Friday for a report of a robbery.
Employees told deputies that they recognized the suspect as a frequent customer.
Later on Friday, authorities located the suspect, 32 year old Dalvin Lawrence, of Naylor, at his residence, where he was arrested without incident.
Lawrence is being held in the Ripley County Jail on a charge of robbery 1st degree.
THREAT OF WINTER WEATHER FORCES CHANGES AT OFC BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
The possibility of winter weather is forcing the rescheduling of part of the semifinal rounds of the Ozark Foothills Conference Basketball Tournament.
The semifinals for both the boys Varsity and Junior Varsity will be played tonight at Clearwater High School.
The semifinals of the Girls tournament will be played tonight at Greenville High School.
The championship games are still scheduled to be played on Friday at the Libla Family Sports Complex on the campus of Three Rivers College in Poplar Bluff.
Every game of the tournament will be broadcast live on the KWOC Facebook page at facebook.com/TodaysTalkKWOC and the River Radio Youtube page at youtube.com/RiverRadioPB.
MULTIPLE AREA COMMUNITIES AWARDED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS
Multiple Southeast Missouri communities will be able to go ahead with projects after being awarded grant money.
The Department of Economic Development has announced it has awarded a total of more than $25 million to 52 projects across the state through its Community Development Block Grant Program to assist with various improvement projects.
Funded projects include street and roadway repairs, stormwater and drainage improvements, demolition of dilapidated structures, and construction of new public facilities.
Area cities to be chosen for grants include Advance, Clarkton, Fisk, and Qulin, who will all receive over $500,000 for street repairs, or in Qulin’s case, an expansion to the Senior Citizen Center.
Butler County was also awarded almost $200,000 for street repairs.
RECORD NUMBER OF PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES RECORDED LAST YEAR IN MISSOURI
There was good news and bad news included in a recent report on roadway fatalities by the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety.
According to preliminary data, 954 fatalities occurred on Missouri roadways in 2024. This is a decrease of 4 percent when compared to 2023, and a decrease of 10 percent compared to 2022.
Officials say that distracted driving contributed to more than 100 deaths in both 2023 and 2024, and statistically, more than half of the victims are someone other than the distracted driver.
While overall roadway fatalities were down, a record number of pedestrian fatalities occurred in 2024, with 148 pedestrians being struck and killed. This is a 16 percent increase from 2023.
A notable percentage of the pedestrian fatalities were individuals who exited their vehicle due to a prior crash or breakdown on the side of the road.
SIGN REPLACEMENTS TO CAUSE DELAYS OVER TWO WEEKS IN POPLAR BLUFF AREA
Eastbound U.S. Route 60 in Butler County will be reduced starting today as construction crews replace sign trusses.
According to the Missouri Department of Transportation, the section of roadway affected is located at the intersection of U.S. Route 60 and Business 67 in Poplar Bluff.
Weather permitting, work will take place from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through Friday, February 21.
SHOULDER REPAIR PROJECT SET FOR EARLY THIS WEEK ON ROUTE B IN BUTLER COUNTY
Route B in Butler County will be reduced to one lane for two days this week so MoDOT crews can perform shoulder work.
The project is located from Route Z to County Road 581.
Weather permitting, work will take place today and tomorrow from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.
