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Many family members, friends, and admirers were saddened Sunday to learn of the passing of Brenda Fox, 62, a woman who has been the Butler County Collector since 1999. Marion Tibbs, Butler County Assessor, noted that he would be missing Fox not only professionally, but also personally. “She was just a great person. One of the most dependable people I've ever known,” commented Tibbs. Though she won her office back in 1998 as a Republican, she was always known as a team player and a problem-solver. “It's not uncommon for County Assessors and County Collectors to sometimes butt heads,” explained Tibbs. “But she was not like that. She always worked to solve a problem. Fox was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer

Photo: Property 1 sold for $828,000; property 2 sold for $789,000; property 3 sold for $1,000,000; property 4 purchase price has not been released   A tentative agreement has finally been reached between the City of Poplar Bluff, and Robert and Robin Whelan of Whelan Wealth Management, 2895 N. Westwood Blvd. “We have finally come to a tentative verbal agreement,” said Whelan. Though he did not want to comment on the exact figure agreed upon, he noted he was pleased, and particularly pleased with the speed in which the new Poplar Bluff City Council and city staff ironed out the agreement. “This had been going on for two years,” said Whelan. “There was never any reason for it to have gone on

Parental Involvement Key to Improving Our Children’s Education JEFFERSON CITY – This legislative session, the Missouri General Assembly passed House Bill 1490 (HB 1490), changing the laws regarding academic performance and learning standards in elementary and secondary education. This legislation was inspired by parents, citizens, and elected officials who pushed back against the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and their implementation in Missouri’s education system. The so-called “state standards” are the latest attempt at national standards. The CCSS “national” standards were never reviewed or approved by members of the Legislature as is required by Missouri law; the decision to adopt these standards was made unilaterally. “As a member of the Senate Education Committee I heard testimony from parents, teachers, and

Photo: MINIs parked while their owners refuel on Hayden’s Pink Lemonade and BBQ Sandwiches Poplar Bluff, Mo. - The MINI TAKES THE STATES tour for Mini Cooper owners passed through Poplar Bluff on a last-minute detour between Memphis and St. Louis on Monday, August 4. When the Mini Coopers pulled out of Memphis earlier that day, over 450 vehicles were on the tour which began in San Francisco on July 26 and makes a jagged-route across the states to Boston by August 9. John Clark, owner of Hayden's BBQ on Maud Street, got word late last week that Hayden's ranking on TripAdvisor.com caused the tour to select Hayden's for their lunchtime stop. The local favorite rolled out the pink carpet

Three Rivers College has announced that Kathy Ballard will serve as Director of its Center at Kennett. Ballard, who was the college's Coordinator of Disability Services, is replacing Ann Matthews, who was appointed as Dean of Student Services in July. "This is a great opportunity to serve students of the Southeast Missouri bootheel," said Ballard. "Transitioning from the Poplar Bluff campus to an off-campus center is challenging but exciting. I'm getting to see the different roles of students taking classes close to home." Ballard has been employed at Three Rivers since 1998. She had been Coordinator of Disability Services since 2009, prior to which she served as the Director of Career and Technical Advising and Job Placement. Ballard holds a