ELLSINORE WOMAN FLOWN FROM THE SCENE OF A BUTLER COUNTY CRASH
An Ellsinore woman was flown from the scene of a side by side wreck Sunday afternoon in Butler County.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 33 year old John Miller, of Poplar Bluff, was driving the vehicle on private property when it traveled into a ravine.
A passenger in the vehicle, 22 year old Mariah Pinnell, of Ellsinore, was seriously injured in the crash and flown to a St. Louis hospital.
CORNING WATER DEPARTMENT TO BE FLUSHING LINES THIS WEEK
Residents in Corning should not be alarmed if they see discoloration in their water this week.
According to city officials, the Corning Water Department will be flushing lines beginning today, which may cause a discoloration in the water.
Officials are hoping the operation will be completed by the end of the week.
DONIPHAN DONETTES WIN OFC SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Doniphan is celebrating their first conference softball championship.
The Donnettes defeated the Neelyville Lady Tigers Thursday afternoon, 11-10, to win the 2023 Ozark Foothills Conference Softball tournament at Three Rivers College in Poplar Bluff.
Doniphan used a seventh inning comeback to avenge their loss to Neelyville in last year’s OFC Championship Game.
DONIPHAN TO FACE NEELYVILLE FOR OFC SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
The final is set for the 2023 OFC Softball Tournament.
The top seed Doniphan Donettes will challenge the #2 seed Neelyville Lady Tigers in the championship game today on the campus of Three Rivers College in Poplar Bluff.
The Donettes advanced to the final following their 7-4 win over the Greenville Lady Bears on Wednesday. Neelyville edged rival Twin Rivers 9-6 in the other Semi Final.
MOCK CAR CRASH TO BE HELD TODAY AT GREENVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
Greenville residents are being reminded to not be alarmed if you see emergency vehicles today at Greenville High School.
Greenville R-II School Resource Officer and Wayne County Deputy Donnie Robinson tells KWOC News, the High School will be hosting a mock car crash today at 10 am in the parking lot.
The Wayne County Sheriff’s Department, Missouri State Highway Patrol, East Wayne County Ambulance District, and Greenville Fire District have all taken part in planning this demonstration. Students will be watching the "crash" and aftermath in hopes that it helps them think carefully about choices.
During the event, there will be emergency vehicles, with lights and sounds directly around the school, and a "mock" drunk driving arrest.
OFC SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT TO BEGIN TODAY
The Ozark Foothills Conference softball tournament is scheduled to begin today.
The tournament, featuring seven area schools, will start today with three games at McLane Park in Poplar Bluff.
Today’s action will start with Twin Rivers taking on Naylor, and Neelyville facing East Carter, both at 4:30 pm. The final game of the quarterfinals will be a matchup between Clearwater and Greenville at 6 pm.
Top seeded Doniphan received a bye to the Semi-finals where they will play the Clearwater-Greenville winner on Wednesday.
The OFC Softball Tournament will be broadcasted live on the Today’s Talk KWOC Facebook page at facebook.com/TodaysTalkKWOC and the River Radio Youtube page at youtube.com/RiverRadioPB.
POPLAR BLUFF WOMAN INDICTED ON MURDER CHARGE
A Poplar Bluff woman was indicted on a murder charge.
Butler County Sheriff Mark Dobbs tells KWOC News, officers with the Butler County Sheriff Department and SEMO Drug Task Force took 31 year old Ruthie Johnson of Poplar Bluff, into custody on a warrant for felony murder and possession of a controlled substance.
The charges stem from an incident which occurred in April 2022, in which Johnson caused the death of another by giving the victim illegal narcotics.
It is believed that Johnson provided the victim with what she thought was prescription pain medication, however it was a counterfeit fentanyl pill.
Johnson was transported to the Butler County Justice Center where she is being held on $150,000 cash bond.
OLD GREENVILLE RENDEZVOUS SCHEDULED TO BEGIN TODAY
An annual tradition returns this weekend to Greenville.
The 44th Annual Old Greenville Rendezvous, presented by the Crowley’s Ridge Blackpowder Club and the US Army Corps of Engineers at Lake Wappapello, will be held today through Sunday at the Old Greenville Campgrounds.
There will be multiple events and entertainment options available and admission is free to the public.
For more information, call 573-222-8562.
SPRING JOB FAIR SET FOR TODAY IN POPLAR BLUFF
A Job Fair has been scheduled for today in Poplar Bluff.
According to the Butler County Community Resource Council, the Parents Working Committee will host the Spring Job Fair and Career Expo from 10 am to 2 pm at the Libla Family Sports Complex on the campus of Three Rivers College.
There will be several vendors ready to share their open positions with job seekers and some will be doing on-site interviews.
For more information, contact the Community Resource Council at 573-776-7830.
AREA POLICE CELEBRATE NATIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY TELECOMMUNICATORS WEEK
This week is National Public Safety Telecommunicators week and multiple area police departments are celebrating their communications departments.
The event, honoring telecommunications personnel in the public safety community, is held every year during the second week of April.
You can find more information about National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week online at www.npstw.org.
WORLD RECORD SIZED FISH CAUGHT IN SOUTHEAST MISSOURI
A new world record brown bullhead has been caught in Southeast Missouri.
Officials with the Missouri Department of Conservation tell KWOC News that Mitchell Dering, of Fairdealing, shot the third state record fish recorded in 2023 – a 4-pound brown bullhead.
Dering shot the fish while bowfishing at Duck Creek Ditch #105 on March 14th. The previous state record brown bullhead was a 2-pound, 7-ounce fish caught in 1994 from Wappapello Lake.
PRELIMINARY SURVEY RELEASED FOR BOLLINGER COUNTY TORNADO
A survey of damage was conducted Wednesday from the tornado that struck the Grassy and Glenallen areas in Bollinger County.
According to the National Weather Service in Paducah, the tornado had a maximum width of 150 yards and was on the ground from 3:30 to 3:57 am along a 22.3 mile long path.
The tornado has been given a preliminary EF-2 rating due to 130 mile per hour estimated peak winds.
FIVE CONFIRMED DEAD FOLLOWING TORNADO IN BOLLINGER COUNTY
Multiple people have been confirmed dead in connection to an early Wednesday morning Tornado in Bollinger County.
According to the National Weather Service in Paducah, a damaging tornado was confirmed near Glenallen at around 3:45 am Wednesday morning.
Bollinger County Sheriff Casey Graham has confirmed that there were five fatalities and names are being withheld until family members have been notified.
USE TAX ISSUE DEFEATED IN POPLAR BLUFF
An attempt at getting a use tax enacted in the city of Poplar Bluff has failed.
The proposition was defeated in Tuesday’s election by a 608-423 vote. Use tax questions were also rejected in Portageville and Steele. Morehouse residents approved a local use tax 55-44.
A Sales Tax increase of one percent was approved in Williamsville, 53-10.
SEATS ON POPLAR BLUFF CITY COUNCIL AND MULTIPLE AREA SCHOOL BOARDS TO BE DECIDED TODAY
Voters from across Southeast Missouri will be going to the ballot box today for municipal elections.
In Poplar Bluff, voters will determine who will represent Ward 5 on the City Council, Robert Louis Smith or Spencer Jones. In Neelyville, John Knowles is taking on Rhonda Burson for the position of Mayor. Qulin voters will decide between Charles Galbraith and Brayden Sentell for the Ward 1 Alderman seat.
Multiple school districts will also be holding Board of Education elections today, including Poplar Bluff, Neelyville and Twin Rivers.
GENE BESS TO BE INDUCTED INTO THE NAISMITH BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME
Former Three Rivers College Basketball Coach, Gene Bess, has been selected to join the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Bess was one of the 12 Class of 2023 inductees announced over the weekend during the 2023 Men’s Final Four, which also included Dirk Nowitzki, Dwayne Wade, and Gregg Popovich.
Bess coached at Three Rivers College for 50 years, from 1971 to 2020. During his time leading the Raiders’ program, Bess was named NJCAA National Coach of the Year twice and amassed 1,300 wins. He is the all-time winningest college basketball coach across all levels.
SEVERE WEATHER, INCLUDING TORNADOS, POSSIBLE TODAY IN SOUTHEAST MISSOURI AND NORTHEAST ARKANSAS
Weather officials are bracing for the possibility of severe weather, including tornados, entering our area this afternoon.
River Radio Chief Meteorologist Dan Holiday tells us more about what we can expect today.
“Once again we have a strong upper level storm system coming into the central part of the country. Moisture lifting in from the Gulf of Mexico, the jet stream nearby, we have a cold front coming in as well. Some of the ingredients coming together for the threat of severe weather this afternoon.
TOMORROW MARKS THE BEGINNING OF THE 2023 MISSOURI USA GYMNASTICS ADVANCED STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS IN POPLAR BLUFF
The Missouri USA Gymnastics Championships are beginning tomorrow in Poplar Bluff.
We spoke with Jessica Luse, from Xtreme Gymnastics in Poplar Bluff, who gave us a preview of this weekend’s event.
“We are honored to be able to host this event, it’s State Championships for Missouri Gymnasts in Silver and Gold divisions. This competition you're going to see little ones from age seven all the way up to 17 year olds that are going to be competing.
ABSENTEE VOTING STILL AVAILABLE AHEAD OF NEXT WEEK’S MUNICIPAL ELECTION
The Missouri General Municipal Election Day is less than a week away and if you will be unable to make it to the polls on April 4th, there is still time to vote absentee.
Butler County Clerk Donna Hillis tells KWOC News that absentee voting will be available through 5 pm on Monday, April 3rd. You will not have to provide a reason for voting absentee. The clerk’s office will also be open through noon this Saturday.
WAYNE COUNTY WOMAN DROWNS IN BOLLINGER COUNTY
A Wayne County woman drowned over the weekend near Zalma.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 70 year old Debbie Barks, of Lowndes, was driving on Route H Saturday evening, two miles north of Zalma, when she traveled into a flooded section of the roadway.
Officials say that Barks was unable to get out of the vehicle, and was later pronounced dead by Bollinger County Coroner Calvin Troxell.
