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photo by Becky Shock Kathy Frey Lightner might look like a mild-mannered bank auditor for Southern Bank by day, but last weekend she turned into a navigator for jet sprint boat racer Kyle Patrick. “I heard there were some racers who were unable to bring their normal navigators with them for this race, and they were looking for local people to act as navigators. She explained, “The job description was basically someone who weighed 120-125 pounds and wasn't afraid!” She and five other people decided to answer that call to what some people might consider madness. Every racing team is made up of a driver and a navigator. The navigator is extremely important, because basically, it is very difficult for

More than $25K Raised During Annual Mule Skinner The Poplar Bluff Mules Booster Club generated around $26,000—100 percent of which will support Poplar Bluff R-I’s athletic programs—during the sixth annual Mule Skinner Golf Tournament held on Friday, Aug. 8, at Westwood Hills Country Club. There were 32 teams consisting of 144 ex-Mules and school supporters that participated in the fundraiser, and 80 businesses and individuals who sponsored holes.   Stuff the Bus   Administrators Welcome 74 New Employees During a new teacher in-service on Monday, Aug. 4, in the Administrative Building, Poplar Bluff Schools’ 42 new certified staff members were formerly introduced to administrators, and then the teachers attended a series of training workshops. The in-service continued the following day

University of Missouri Extensions’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute delivers courses designed to complement the interests, concerns and lifestyles of the over-50 adult. New programs for Fall 2014 include Researching Your Family History which will run weekly from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Tuesdays starting on September 9 and ending October 28. Also offered is Travels with Sharon which will run weekly from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Thursdays starting on September 11 and ending on October 30. These classes are presented using interactive television (ITV) and will be held at the Poplar Bluff Municipal Library. The cost for each course is $90 which includes 8 sessions and handout materials. For more information on the classes or to register

Poplar Bluff, Mo. – In 2012, the City of Poplar Bluff began buying properties at the intersection of Oak Grove Road and Westwood Blvd. As reported by Brian Becker at that time, properties at or around that intersection were going for a premium (see map): #1. $828,000; #2. $789,000; and, #3. $1,000,000. Then the purchasing frenzy came to an abrupt halt when former City Manager Doug Bagby offered only $411,000 to Robert and Robin Whelan for their property (#4). Whelans' property is the second largest property of the four and roughly the same size as the property which sold for $789,000. When the Whelans countered the city’s offer with $900,000, the Bagby cut off negotiations and filed a petition with

Brick’s Water Speedway in Poplar Bluff, Missouri to Host International Event After 10 years abroad, the World Series of Sprint Boat Racing is returning to the United States. Brick’s Water Speedway in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, will host this United States Sprint Boat Association (USSBA) and Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) sanctioned event on August 15-17, 2014. More than 30 teams from four countries will be represented; countries include Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States. Each team will be timed as they race their boats through the world’s largest track. Many will complete the maze-like track in less than a minute, running at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. Sprint boats are often equipped with 1500 horsepower engines,