This time last year we all heard rumblings of Poplar Bluff city leadership voting to deny access for private Internet providers to the citizen-owned cable system… there would be no more open access. And soon we’d all be forced to use Poplar Bluff City Cable for Internet services. At first, I was sure this wouldn’t happen. Why would our own city government take customers away from local Internet businesses? [Read Full Letter]

We want to remind users that Semo.net's Support department will never email you asking for your username and password, or asking you to download a file to update settings. We've seen another incident of a scammer trying to steal users' accounts by emailing them claiming to be Semo.net Support. If you receive such an email, do not reply to it or any address contained within, and do not click any links asking you to update or verify settings. Please simply delete the email. If you're ever in doubt about if an email came from us, please do not hesitate to call our office.

Poplar Bluff businessman Doug Libla filed yesterday to run for the 25th State Senatorial District as a Republican. As a result of term limits, the seat will not have an incumbent on the ballot in August. The 25th State Senate District as proposed in the most recent apportionment consists of Butler, Carter, Dunklin, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Shannon and Stoddard counties. Libla, 59, is a rural conservative who is 100% Pro-Life, Pro-Second Amendment, Pro-Agriculture, and is a steadfast believer in limited government. He is not a professional politician; this is the first time he has run for elected office.

I was at Cyd's last week getting my monthly haircut, they asked about the article in the paper a couple of weeks back. They were concerned by the way the article read that we had lost another decision. I laughed and informed them that though the paper didn't report it as such, we actually won that hearing.

Last year, producer Jeff Ross brought a camera crew to Brick's Offroad park south of Poplar Bluff and videoed for two days for the premier of the Travel Channel show Mud People.

We have decided to close our office at 4pm on Friday, February 10th so staff can travel to Memphis and enjoy the NBA game with Tyler Hansbrough of the Indiana Pacers. We will reopen on Monday, February 13, at 7am.