There are about 33 million retired Americans. While some are in poor health, many of them are in relatively good health, and still very capable of serving their communities. That’s the idea behind RSVP (Retired and Senior Volunteer Program). “The local chapter of RSVP was started in Poplar Bluff in 1973,” explained Jennifer Rosener, director of the Poplar Bluff program. That was just two years after the program was launched nationally. “We started as a non-profit organization for volunteers aged 55 and older,” said Rosener. Now it has become one of the largest volunteer organizations locally and nationally. “Locally we have about 210 volunteers. They help out at our hospital, UCAN, Child Concern, the VA Hospital, Twin Towers, and the

This week’s “You Paid For It” (or YPFI for short) is a twofer worth over $2.7M. First, a quick one from the recently published newsletter issued by the Poplar Bluff City Manager, Heath Kaplan. On Nov. 4, Kaplan released an eleven-page document “to provide information to our community regarding financial decisions I have made thus far and the reasoning behind those decisions.” The final six pages of the document include 18 responses to non-factual information reported in the editorial of the Rust-owned daily (also known as the DAR). Buried on page eleven, an amazing fact about Health Insurance reads: Last year the decision was made (past city manager) to fund the plan at rates that were 35% lower than the

SEMO TIMES is pleased to announce a new advertiser: Historic Downtown Dexter Association. This Friday they will be holding their Moonlight Madness event and on December 6 they will be hosting Christmas Open House and Polar Express Experience. For more information, check out our Downtown Dexter issue.

POPLAR BLUFF - Joni Mitchell wrote a song called “Big Yellow Taxi” back in 1970. The lyrics poke fun at the absurdity of a civilization where we “paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” Since then, a lot of people have taken up the cause of trees because we really don’t want to have to pay to see them in a tree museum. Through much environmental education we’ve learned that trees are vital to the survival of our planet. If trees don’t survive, neither do humans. Also see "From The Publishers Desk (11/06/2014)" In Missouri, trees are center stage this time of year, putting on a color show that beats anything an artist can paint. Even Poplar Bluff recently

(See our article "In Remembrance of Trees" by Tammy Hilderbrand.) I grew up in Williamsville on a large family farm along Black River named Rolling Shoals Farm. When I was young our farm was 2200 acres and two-thirds of it was forested with beautiful Missouri hardwoods and evergreens. I loved to ride my mini-bike through the woods on the old Forest Service roads or walk across the ridge to my cousin Kenny’s house. Toni and I lived in the old family homestead when we were first married. A friend from Israel, who had grown up in Oklahoma, came to visit. The second he stepped out of his car he bypassed me and went straight to one of the many huge

Governor will first travel to Kennett High School to recognize success of program to keep at-risk students in school, then go to Bader Peaches near Campbell to present owners Bill and Denise Bader with Department of Agriculture award Gov. Jay Nixon will make two stops in Dunklin County on Thursday (Nov. 13). He will first go to Kennett High School to meet with students, teachers and staff and to recognize the school’s Jobs for America’s Graduates program, which helps at-risk students stay in school to earn their degrees and move into the workforce or on to higher education. The Governor will hold a roundtable with JAG students before speaking at a school assembly. The Governor then will go to Bader Peaches, near Campbell, to