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The Poplar Bluff City Council welcomed new City Manager Heath Kaplan at the conclusion of his first day on the job, and also took care of a number of pieces of city business Monday evening. As it happened, his first day on the job was also Kaplan's birthday. After being serenaded with a rendition of “Happy Birthday” by the council members and crowd at the meeting, Kaplan, thanked the citizens of Poplar Bluff for his warm reception. Mayor Angela Pearson greeted Kaplan, and also thanked interim City Manager Mark Massingham for his service to the community. Council Votes NO on Property Tax Increase Kaplan admitted his first day on the job had been very busy. One of his first items

UPDATE: Following last night's (8/18) City Council meeting, former Mayor Ed DeGaris provided the City of Poplar Bluff a check for $25 to cover the cost of the key he gave to Doug Bagby last week. SEMO TIMES asked Mayor Pearson if the councilman also apologized for his actions and she said, "I had a private conversation with him" but Pearson would not reveal any of the details. In the Sunday edition of the Poplar Bluff daily newspaper, former City Manager Doug Bagby is seen being awarded a "Key To The City" by councilman Ed DeGaris. A key to the city is an honorary custom from medieval times and symbolizes that the recipient can be trusted to come and go from

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

Dr. Wesley Payne (left), Interim President of Three Rivers College, explains the system of tutoring and student support services at Three Rivers to Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster during Koster’s visit to Three Rivers’ Poplar Bluff campus in May. There’s less than two weeks left before fall classes start up in earnest at Three Rivers College, but the man who’s suddenly found himself in charge of an entire college doesn't seem worried at all. In fact, Dr. Wesley Payne is downright cheerful, cracking jokes and telling tales in his native Mississippi drawl in between serious discussions of Three Rivers’ future. “I don’t believe in getting stressed out about it. It’s a less-than-ideal situation, but this is a strong institution with

Whelans With Their Attorney Following Closing on Property With City of Poplar Bluff (left to right: Robin Whelan, Attorney Derrick Kirby, Robert Whelan)   Poplar Bluff, Mo. - After two years of practically attempting to steal their land by eminent domain, the City of Poplar Bluff came to the negotiation table last month and hammered out a deal that was finalized today. At a little after 10am, Robert & Robin Whelan and Randy Rahlman and the City of Poplar Bluff, represented by Mayor Angela Pearson, closed on the property at the corner of Oak Grove Road and N Westwood Blvd. The Whelans received $850,000 for the property, attorney's fee's and moving expense. Rahlman, who had a small interest in the property,