SEMOTIMESWWW.SEMOTIMES.COM

The Most Important News of your Week 3.16.12

Page 6

Page 14

Subway North relocates to busiest intersection in town

Hays Music to host FREE concert

Three Rivers candidates mixed about

direction of college

2

3

StaffPublisher

Scott R. Faughnscottfaughn@semotimes.com

Managing EditorTim Krakowiaktim@semotimes.com

ReporterLiz Ellis

lizellis@semotimes.com

Semotimes

“The most important news of your week”

03.16.12Volume 4 Issue 9

100 S. Main StPoplar Bluff, MO

573-785-2200

The Week in Review

the social network

how to join our social network:

1. Become a friend of SEMO Times on Facebook2. Reply to our questions for a chance to be

featured with your profile pic in the newspaper

from our friends at:

Cover

It was a good week for the Raiders for reaching the NJ-CAA National Tournament. We’re rooting for Gene Bess

to bring home a third national cham-pionship.

It was a bad week for Cpl. Shane Stewart of the Mis-souri State Highway Patrol,

who made darn near the ultimate sac-rifice Saturday taking a bullet during a shootout with suspects in New Madrid County, over marijuana?! While one of the suspects was killed in the ex-change, Stewart is expected to make a full recovery.

It was a good week for thumbs favorite opera sing-er (and the only opera singer

we happen to know), Neal E. Boyd of Sikeston, who has announced he’s back in the Missouri House race for the newly drawn 149th District.

It was a bad week for the wa-ter tower on the intersection of Business 60 & 67, which

is in the process of coming down. We are losing a historical landmark that dates back to 1923. On the plus side, this may be fun to watch.

It was a good week for the daily

for actually publish-ing the press release announcing Wayne

Gilmore’s run for Butler County sher-iff, even though they chopped more than half of it out, and particularly the parts that reference their golden goose, incumbent Mark Dobbs. (If you’d like to see the original release as Gilmore submitted it, do a name search at www.semotimes.com. We believe in free-dom of speech).

Designed byLiz Ellis

1. Are you sad to see the wa-ter tower go at the intersec-tion of Business 60 & 67?

2. Have you filed your taxes yet?

P.J.Sisco

Lynda Nobles

LizEllis

1. It’s like we are losing a historical landmark!

2. ------

1. There’s a water tower at the intersection of business 60 & 67? Wow... shows how observant I am...

2. Yes... it was crazy boring.

1. Not really... always thought it was ugly.

2. No, I’m waiting for a dramatic filing at the last second.

Story byTim Krakowiak

Photo byTim Krakowiak

Cover Story SEMO Times4

A retired health care executive, Christy Turner, who completed her near 30-year career at then Lucy Lee Hospital in the late 1990s, has a pri-mary goal of improving fiscal transpar-ency from Three Rivers officials to the public.

“Anything that’s a tiny bit controver-sial is discussed in executive session,” Turner stated. “I feel a responsibility to the people who vote for me and the patrons of the col-lege to see that they know what’s going on at the college.”

If elected, she in-tends to be a very involved board member, Turner added. “I want to see a lot of pieces of paper, and if I’m

told ‘no,’ I’ll keep asking until I get the information,” she said.

Turner’s husband Tom served the board from 2002-08. About a year ago, the married couple, along with sev-eral doctors, met with president Dr. Devin Stephenson to begin a dialogue about establishing an electronic medi-cal records program, a recommenda-tion Turner would like to see carried through.

She commended Poplar Bluff Re-gional Medical Center for offering to donate its entire South campus to the Three Rivers nursing and allied health division, after the hospital opens its new facility on Oak Grove Road, but she said there is other health care train-ing in demand that the college should provide.

In meeting with voters in the southern part of the district, Turner said she was informed there was a donated plot of land available to establish an extension center in Neelyville. She thinks there “ought to be centers everywhere,” she said, depending on other higher educa-tion opportunities available.

“Our job is to educate people if it’s fiscally responsible for us to jump in and provide the service,” Turner ex-plained. “At some point Three Rivers Community College has to determine how far is too far. Willow Springs? Too far, in my opinion.”

Turner said she first learned Three Rivers had a rodeo team when she came across their booth during the Ag Expo in January. She was disheartened to discover the cowboys have to travel so far to compete.

“[Head men’s basketball coach] Gene Bess has done a marvelous job for TRCC putting basketball in the

spotlight, but that’s just one small part of what the college is all about,” Turner said. “All athletics are wonder-ful things, but providing an education comes first.”

With recent record credit hours being taken, Turner said new students seem to be “rolling in,” so why raise tuition? “Don’t kill the gift horse,” she com-mented.

Every college needs an adjustable short- and long-term plan, Turner said regarding the master plan that includes two new building projects and a grand entrance, but “it needs to be realistic.”

“You cannot possibly put your finger on exactly what direction the college is going,” she said.

by Tim Krakowiak, Managing Editor

>> Candidates, pg 8

Christy Turner

Ben Ressel

Three Rivers candidates mixed about direction of college

The first female contender since the late Marianna Wolpers, a 6-foot-8-inch former Raider, the youngest candi-date in recent memory, the son of the longest serving trustee in local his-tory, and an original downtowner—the Three Rivers hopefuls all have varying ties to the community college.

With no lack of interest in serving the Three Rivers College Board of Trustees, as has come to be expected, five candidates will vie April 3 for two six-year terms. (Editor’s note: Listed in the order that they appear on the ballot, the candidates were each asked the same line of questioning).

In Sub-District 1, which covers most of Butler County, Marion Tibbs opted not to run for a second term.

Christy Turner, who lost by a nar-row margin to Tibbs in 2006, decided to throw her hat in the race again. She will vie against Ben Ressel, a former Three Rivers basketball player.

Sub-District 1 Race

Name: Christy TurnerAge: 71Birthplace: Wink, TexasEducation: Odessa Junior College; Three Rivers College; University of Texas at Irving; Incarnate Word College and Our Lady of the Lake University, both in San Antonio; masters in health care administration at Trinity University also in San AntonioOccupation: Retired health care executiveCurrent Affiliations: organist, lector and minister of the Eucharist at Sacred Heart Catholic Church; Texas Cradle Society; March of Dimes; United WayHusband: Tom TurnerChildren: Juliana Murphy

Having graduated from college just over a decade ago, with a wife who has recently resumed her own higher education, Ben Ressel said he has a good understanding of what students

semotimes.com 5

Business SEMO Times6SEMO Real Estate

Subway North relocates to busiest intersection in town

ubway North, formerly located in the Bluff Es-tates Shopping Center,

moved to Mansion Mall Market-place on Sunday. The new store has undergone some slight reno-vations in addition to the reloca-tion, and customers are seeing the difference.

“It’s very modern and every-thing’s very clean. I like it,” said Darrin Whited of Poplar Bluff. “It’s got a very industrial feel and looks very sleek.”

“The parking is way better,” cus-tomer Patrick Krishna agreed. “It looks nice and it’s still really close to my job.”

The relocation, explained Karen Armes, Subway store and office manager, was simply a matter of space and timing.

“It’s right across from the high school, you can access PP Highway to the back, Business 67 is available through two exits, and the exit near us gets used quite a bit…” Armes said. “We were due to be remodeled and [the own-ers] figured if we were going to remodel, we needed more space than the space we were in.”

This will be the first relocation for north branch of Subway, which has been located in Poplar Bluff for the last 22 years. Since the restaurant was opened, they have expanded to serving 400-500 sandwiches per day.

The new store, located in the same strip as Rue 21, not only has easier access and better parking, but the restaurant also has took on a few extra seats and will soon be adding a small conference room as well. The conference room is expected to be done sometime in April

“We could use it as overflow seating for groups or even set up something for parties if they called for it in advance and could fit back there,” Armes said. “It’s going to be a small

group room—no more than 20 or so—but it will be nice.”

All of the renovation and moving costs were paid for by owner Russ Wilson, with corporate only helping out with color schemes and layout. The new building will seat 35–40 customers, not including the conference room and, Armes said, lately it has been almost constantly full.

“Normally our busy time is lunch… but it seems like now we’re just busy all day long, from the time lunch rush ends to about 8 or 9 p.m.,” Armes said. And, she added, the con-struction in the back and upstairs part of the business is not even finished yet.

Hours of operation for Subway will remain the same at their new location: 7 a.m.–11 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.–11 p.m. Satur-day and 9 a.m.–11 p.m. Sunday. The new ad-dress for is 1341 N. Westwood Blvd. and their phone number is 573-686-3222.

Liz Ellis can be reached by emailing lizellis@semotimes.com or by calling 573-785-2200.

OK, let's say you have decided to sell your home. So you call a local realtor that you know, have done business with before, or that a trusted friend referred you to. You sign a listing agreement and the agent puts his or her sign in your yard. Now, whose job is it to get your home sold? Who is going to be working for you?

Well, the simple and obvious answer is that the name on that sign in your front yard is the person who is working for you. But that's not the whole answer. In fact, basically every real estate agent in town is now working FOR you! Tuesday morning during the office meeting, the agent will tell the other agents in their office about your house. After the meeting, they will all load up in the van and go "tour" your home. All those agents will start going through their mental list of customers who might be looking for a home just like yours. They all want to sell your home.

About that same time, your home will show up on the "Hot List" for our local MLS. As agents log on, they see "New Listings" and they check them often. Regardless of what agency they work for, they will also start looking for a buyer for your home.

On the legal side, the agencies around town have a "Cooperation Agreement Between Brokers" which says that they will work together and split commissions when a property sells. But in Poplar Bluff, it goes way beyond that. We are fortunate to be in a market where the differ-ent offices actually cooperate far beyond a legal document. They work together to take care of the local customer. Very seldom is there any issue over who represents who. And that's because they realize that when you end up with a happy home seller and a happy home owner, everybody wins.

So when you get ready to sell your home, call one of us. But know that you will have all of us working hard for you!

We all want to sell your home

by Liz Ellis, Reporter

Subway North has relocated to the Mansion Mall Marketplace Photo by Liz Ellis

S

7

HigHligHtsHighway Patrolman injured

in shootout

NEW MADRID, Mo. – A deadly shoot-out Saturday on Interstate 55 in New Madrid County left one Missouri State Highway Patrolman injured. Cpl. Shane Stewart is currently in good condition but has not yet been released from the hospi-tal, according to law enforcement officials.The incident took place at about 10 p.m.

when a red SUV was pulled over for a traffic violation.Three of the occupants involved in the

shooting have been arrested: Tonya M. Brown, 42, of Dallas, and Jermaine K. Dennis, 24, and Maurice A. Ely, 18, both of Mesquite, Texas. They have each been charged with possession of marijuana and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. The trio has also been charged with the second-degree murder of their companion due to the felony amount of marijuana, explained Clark Parrot, Troop E public information and education offi-cer.The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Di-

vision of Drug Crime Control continues to investigate this incident.

Poplar Bluff to receive $16K for downtown study

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The city of Poplar Bluff will receive a $16,125 grant through the federal Historic Preservation Fund, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources announced Tuesday.The city, which is a certified local gov-

ernment, will use the grant to conduct a land use and building condition survey of their downtown area including the Poplar Bluff Commercial Historic District that is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The data gathered will be used by the Poplar Bluff Planning Department to assist them in the preservation of the his-toric downtown area and to plan and pro-mote future economic development.For more information about the CLG

program, visit the department’s state his-toric preservation office website at www.dnr.mo.gov/shpo/certifie.htm.

Turkey calling workshopOn March 27, University of Missouri

Extension will host a turkey calling work-shop from 6-8 p.m. at Hendrickson Park on Davis Street. This class will include teaching youth how to call turkeys for hunting using instruments.The deadline for registration is next Fri-

day. To register, call Dara Shulse at 573-686-8064.Turkey calling is eligible and free for

youth ages 8-18. Transportation and an adult will need to be present for youth who are unable to drive.

FEMA denies request for major disaster declaration for

18 Missouri countiesJEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Federal

Emergency Management Agency has de-nied a request from Gov. Jay Nixon for a federal major disaster declaration for 18 Missouri counties, including Stoddard. The governor, who declared a state of emergency on Feb. 29, made the request for counties impacted by the tornadoes, hail, high winds and heavy rain that began the previous day. “While this decision is disappointing,

we’ll continue at the state level to provide the critical resources, assets and personnel that are necessary to help these affected communities recover and rebuild,” Nixon said.

4-H rabbit project starting soonNext month, Butler County 4-H will start

a project on rabbits. For those interested in this educational program, call Dara Shulse at 573-686-8064 or come to the informa-tional meeting April 3 in the First United Methodist Church at 500 N. Main St. This program will include handling, breeds, parts, management, feeding, health and breeding.

News SEMO Times8

are looking for out of the collegiate ex-perience.

“I think I can bring a different per-spective and diversity to the board,” said Ressel, 34. “Although I’m young, I have ex-pe r i ence on boards, and any-one who knows me k n o w s I’m not j o i n i n g a board just to sit there. I want to be involved, and I have a lot of en-ergy.”

He cited his role in fundraising to build a new clubhouse and restaurant at Westwood Hills Country Club a year ago, his eight years as a director of the Boys and Girls Club of Poplar Bluff and his leadership in the Friends of Scouting campaign for the Boy Scouts of Amer-ica’s Sioux District. “When times are like they are, you have to think outside of the box when it comes to revenues and expenses,” Ressel said.

His initial goal is to increase partici-pation in the “untapped resource” that is the Three Rivers Alumni Association through launching more fundraising events tied in with reunions.

Ressel said the Three Rivers Endow-ment Trust is a “well connected group” and he has no problem that there is al-ready the nonprofit Three Rivers Com-munity College Foundation, “as long as everybody is looking out for the best interest of the college.”

He also believes the capital fund-raising campaign for a campus grand entrance and two building projects in Poplar Bluff, along with financing the establishment of an eastern campus in

Sikeston, is “heading in the right direc-tion.”

“I see the population of Poplar Bluff increasing rapidly with the two new hospital expansions,” Ressel said. “En-

rol lment is up at T h r e e R i v e r s , the satel-lite cen-ters are all doing well. It’s amaz ing to me how much the c o l l e g e has grown s i n c e I went there in 1995, and

I want to help continue that trend.”Ressel is a big believer in communi-

ty college education, he said. A former Three Rivers Raider, he was “dead set on becoming a coach” in high school, he recalled, but he was able to use his two-year degree as a “stepping stone” to start a career in banking.

“Let’s face it, 75 percent of students aren’t ready to go to a four-year insti-tution when they’re 18,” Ressel said. “Anyone who says community college is an extension of high school, come to the Bluff, and I’ll introduce you to my business owner, nurse, engineer and at-torney friends who are all Three Rivers graduates.”

In Sub-District 2, which encompass-es Carter County and portions of Butler and Ripley counties, Rocky Kingree of Van Buren and Dr. John Privett of Gar-wood will challenge incumbent Randy Grassham, also of Van Buren, for his seat on the board.

Having resided in three of the four counties that make up Three Rivers’ taxing district, Carter County Prosecu-tor Rocky Kingree, 27, promised that if elected he will open a full-service off campus center in Van Buren.

“First, I care about rural education in the Ozarks and helping make commu-nity college more accessible,” Kingree said. “Secondly, I attended Three Riv-ers, my parents attended Three Rivers and both went on to become teachers, and my sisters and brother attended Three Rivers.”

Carter Countians have to commute upward of an hour to get to the Poplar Bluff campus, according to Kingree, and the next closest campus will be Willow Springs when a center opens there in fall.

“A single mother having to drive 55 minutes to class is going to limit her ability to go to college, considering the price of gas, having to hire a babysit-ter and cutting into her time to work,” Kingree said. “A new center in Dexter is great, but it’s 30 minutes from Pop-lar Bluff, while Carter County is actu-ally on the tax bill, as voted in by the people.”

Kingree said there is duplication of services in the state, with Southeast Missouri State University in Sikeston

and the University of Missouri in West Plains, and he believes Three Rivers should focus on forging partnership with universities so students can easily transfer, not “making major decisions based on egos involved.”

He commended Three Rivers for having an elementary teaching pro-gram, but said there is a shortage of high school instructors in the region, and he would like to see more training tailored toward the local job market to retain young people and improve the economy.

Kingree’s law background would help him understand the legal conse-quences of decisions of the board, he said, such as avoiding “the battle with SEMO” over rent that ensued from 2005-08.

With regard to Three Rivers hav-ing two nonprofit fundraising arms, the Three Rivers Community College Foundation and the Three Rivers En-dowment Trust, Kingree said he wants to work with both groups. “There’s nothing wrong with having more than one charitable organization,” he said.

When Three Rivers announced 45 layoffs in 2010, Kingree said, it should have never come down to that. He also expressed his dismay with the lack of

Name: Ben ResselAge: 34Birthplace: Jackson, Mo.Education: Associate degree from Three Rivers College; bachelor’s in business admin-istration with an emphasis in management from the University of Missouri at ColumbiaOccupation: Vice president of First Mid-west BankCurrent Affiliations: Kiwanis Club; Boys and Girls Club of Poplar Bluff; Boy Scouts of America; Westwood Hills Country ClubWife: Leslie Rideout-Ressel

Sub-District 2 Race

Rocky Kingree

Name: Rocky KingreeAge: 27Birthplace: Jefferson CityEducation: Three Riv-ers College; associate degree from St. Louis Community College; bachelor’s in history with minor in political science from Southeast Missouri State University at Cape Girardeau; juris doctor from University of Arkansas at Little RockOccupation: Carter County prosecuting attorney; civil practice

>> Candidates, from pg 4

9News SEMO Times

Dr. John Privett’s solution to most of the challenges Three Rivers faces, such as budget shortfalls and overcrowding, is to expand the taxing district to the other 11 counties the college has been designated to serve.

“I don’t begrudge them the educa-tion, but pay taxes just like we do,” Privett stated.

After growing up in Ellsinore, before leaving the area for 30 years, Privett graduated from Three Rivers in 1975, when the community college was scat-tered about in storefronts downtown.

While he was the president of the Student Government Association, his father Dale served as financial aid di-rector for the community college, and was instrumental in securing the ini-tial $850,000 that helped establish the present-day campus in 1979, according to Privett.

Having attended five different col-leges across the Midwest, Privett said: “I received just as good of an educa-tion at Three Rivers as I did in the big schools.”

Privett has held substitute teaching jobs, worked on a tugboat crew in the Gulf of Mexico, was employed by the Centers for Disease Control and Pre-vention, the Internal Revenue Service and most recently, operates a family practice that provides health care to low-income patients.

“I see a lot of kids that are patients and I always ask them, ‘Why don’t you go to Three Rivers?’” Privett ex-plained. While the population of the cities in his sub-district may be sparse, he said he finds many do not pursue their higher education because of the cost of travel.

Privett would like to see full-service centers in Van Buren, Piedmont and Doniphan on his watch.

“It’s the old classic taxation without representation,” Privett commented. “I’m not trying to be critical, but we’ve been paying our taxes for 50 years, yet we’re not afforded the same opportuni-ties.”

Instead of raising in-district tuition, Privett said cuts should first be made outside of the taxing district.

“I would like to see the commu-nity put back in community college,” Privett said, referring to the market-ing campaign of the college over the past year and a half that removed the word ‘community’ from Three Rivers’ namesake.

Tim Krakowiak can be contacted by emailing tim@semotimes.com or fol-low him on Twitter @TimKrakowiak.

Incumbent Randy Grassham was first appointed to the board in 2009. The following year he defeated Dr. Gene Oakley to complete the two-year term left vacated by his father, the late James.

Much like his dad, Grassham was not afforded the opportunity to go to col-lege, as he began working for Grassh-am Chevrolet, now closed, when he was just a boy.

“My father always knew the impor-tance of continued education,” Grassh-am said. “He knew there would come a day when you had to use your head as much as you did your body.”

Grassham has been a part of some milestones at Three Rivers, he pointed out, including record enrollment, ex-ceeding the 4,000 mark for the first time this past fall semester. He said Three Rivers has the largest reserve it has ever had, over $4 million, plus the community college continues to expand programs and services at off campus locations.

“Communities are begging us to come, and if we don’t, someone else

will,” said Grassham, noting that the board first discussed the vision for ex-tension centers in the mid-1980s. “We have a large [voluntary] service area and our extension centers generate profits that come back to the core cam-pus in Poplar Bluff, so it’s a win-win.”

He said Van Buren was one of the first high schools to offer night classes from Three Rivers in 1991. In about a week, a ribbon cutting will be held for a public computing center for students to take courses online equipped by Three Rivers in a safe room through a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant secured by R-I superintendent Dr. Jeff Lindsey.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Grassham said. “Darren Garrison [who represents Sub-District 3], is looking at what we’re doing here so he could duplicate it at Clearwater.”

Trying to keep tuition as low as pos-sible during a period of cuts in state al-locations is a careful balancing act, ac-cording to Grassham, but he attributes the newfound success to the college leadership.

“We’ve had to make some unpopular decisions, restructuring to get where we’re at, and it’s definitely been a team effort between staff, faculty and admin-istration,” Grassham said. “Wonderful, selfless people lit the torch, and [Vice President for Learning] Dr. Wes Payne and [President] Dr. Devin Stephenson simply took the torch instead of stand-ing still, but there’s a lot of people be-hind the scenes putting in overtime.”

Randy Grassham

John Privett

an adequate three-month contingency fund until recently.

“You can’t make decisions today that put you in a bind tomorrow,” Kingree said. “First you make sure you’re fi-nancially stable, then you grow the college—it’s a two-step process.”

Name: John PrivettAge: 55Birthplace: Dover, Del.Education: Associate degree from Three Rivers College; Il-linois Central College in East Peoria; Southeast Missouri State University at Cape Girardeau; bachelor’s in history with a minor in biology from Northwest Missouri State University at Maryville; doctoral degree from University of Kansas at Law-renceOccupation: Physician with Missouri Highlands HealthcareWife: N. Sharon PrivettChildren: Nancy, Rebecca and Jessica

Name: Randy GrasshamAge: 58Birthplace: Van BurenEducation: Van Buren High SchoolOccupation: Partner at Grassham Lumber & HardwareCurrent Affiliations: Mayor of Van Buren; First Bap-tist Church praise and worship teamChildren: Heath and Holly

10

11

12

13

Solution on pg 16

Crossword of the Week

The Book ShopPresented

by

320 N. Main Street, Poplar Bluff 573-714-5642

Crossword puzzles provided by BestCrosswords.com Used with permission www.bestcrosswords.com

Down

1. Big bash2. Norwegian king3. Et ___4. Immature insects5. Capable of being saved6. Bailiwick7. Mardi ___8. Brother of Moses9. Evening10. Tabula ___11. Strike callers12. Former name of Thailand13. A dynasty in China22. Quick look24. Buddy26. Mature27. Frosting28. Cleric29. Architect Saarinen30. Dolt32. Large body of water33. Cow catcher34. Crazy as ___37. Flaky mineral39. Terrier type41. Biol., e.g.43. Like Russia, geographically46. Drop of water expelled by the eye48. LP speed51. Consisting of flowers53. Place of shelter55. All together57. Bullets and such58. Microscopic arachnid59. Mamie’s predecessor60. The doctor ___61. Italian wine city63. Silver salmon64. Charity65. Scarf66. Exclamation of relief

Across

1. Score5. Long stories10. Hurry14. ___ breve15. Chilean pianist Claudio16. What ___ mind reader?17. Den18. Get to know19. Bridge20. Tel ___21. Sudden constriction of an artery23. Attorney’s org.

25. Born26. Arroyo31. Inventor Nikola35. Here, to Henri36. Fuming sulphuric acid38. Chimes40. Snaps42. Bert’s buddy44. “Dilbert” intern45. Make into law47. Come about49. Non-dairy milk50. Sorrow52. Headset54. According to56. Doc bloc57. Foods of the

gods62. Some DVD players66. French friend67. Martini’s partner68. Gaucho’s weapon69. Tsp. and tbsp.70. Clarence’s accuser71. Electrical units72. Makes a row?73. Russian revolutionary leader74. ___ Hashanah

Arts & Entertainment SEMO Times14

The Pulse Events from PoplarBluffLive.com in the 573 area

Butler County Republican Caucus

Free Show at Hays Music Store

Brighton Beach Memoirs

The Walker Bros CD Release Party

March 1710 a.m. - noon

Tinnin Fine Arts CenterPoplar Bluff

March 176 - 9 p.m.

Hays Music StorePoplar Bluff

March 17-207 - 10 p.m.

Kay Porter TheaterPoplar Bluff

March 177 - 8:30 p.m.

High School CafeteriaBernie

Free St. Patty’s Day concert at Hays MusicThree local bands slated to perform

by Liz Ellis, Reporter

o hear a local or nonprofessional band play live, the first place most people look to is a bar of some sort. With smoking and drink-

ing, such atmospheres are not appropriate for all ages or even for all people. However, live mu-sic enthusiasts will be pleased to hear that Hays Music is bringing back their free concerts once a month or so.

“When we moved down here, we used to have live music every weekend for about a year, and I guess we kind of sort of got burnt out on it,” said Greg Hays, owner of Hays Music. “For a long time our stage was kind of a storage area, and about a year ago we decided it would be nice to have music again, so we built the stage out. It’s twice as deep now, big enough for a full drum set plus some people.”

Since 2010, Hays estimated they have had

about 10 performances on their small stage in the store, and performances usually bring in 50-100 people.

“It’s an opportunity for people to come in without the atmosphere of a bar… [to] enjoy live music without the drinking and smoking,” said Allen Gallamore, Hays Music employee. “They’re supporting young people and live mu-sic. There are a lot worse things kids could get into than music.”

The next concert will be from 6:30 p.m. to about 9 p.m. Saturday and will feature three bands from the Southeast Missouri area: Dis-gruntled Bastards, Past Time and Fate’s Under-taking.

“It’ll be a great show,” said Gregg Pearson, lead singer of Disgruntled Bastards. “It’s some-thing different. You can go to a bar and hear a

T

15Arts & Entertainment SEMO Times

Vote for Handicap accessible swing set

Mississippi Valley Thera-peutic Horsemanship

Fundraiser

ACS Denim and Diamonds Gala

Earth Hour

March 232:30 - 5:30 p.m.Columbia Park

Park Hills

March 277 - 10 p.m.

Gordonville GrillCape Girardeau

March 316 - 11 p.m.

Holiday InnPoplar Bluff

March 318:30 - 9:30 p.m.

Global

How it Works:1. Create a Facebook event

2. Invite the SEMO Times to your event on Facebook3. The event will automatically be updated on poplarblufflive.com

4. Your event will appear in the paper!

cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd again or you can come here and hear original mu-sic.”

Hays Music originally started do-ing live performances when they made their final move to their current loca-tion in 2000. The shows were once a week and generally featured bluegrass and country artists. Now, however, they lean more toward rock and simi-lar genres and only do concerts once a month.

“A lot of these bands don’t have a place to play, so they can come here and play and have a good time,” Gal-lamore said. Many of the bands supply their own guitar amp and instruments, while Hays Music loans the PA system. However, they are more than willing to work with performing musicians who need equipment during the concerts.

Most concerts follow a theme based on the genre and style of the main act, which has made it a little difficult to set up concerts in the past. Now those worries are in the past.

“I think the word is out, and we’re not really searching out bands any-

more—they’re coming to us, asking when they can play,” Gallamore said.

The three bands playing this week-end are mostly rock and punk, but there are other bands in the sidelines waiting to play—including popular acts like Powder Mill and Damnation Alley.

“We’re just trying to support local music,” Gallamore said.

A date for the next concert has not been set, but Gallamore said that it is expected to be sometime in April or May. In addition, the store is looking to celebrate their 55th anniversary this year. Again, a date has not been set yet.

“We didn’t set up shop yesterday,” Hays said. “We’ve been around a while so we must be doing something right.”

Liz Ellis can be reached by emailing lizellis@semotimes.com or by calling 573-785-2200.

Band Profiles >> on pg 17

16Crossw

ord Solutionfrom

pg 13The Book Shop

320 N Main Poplar Bluff 573-714-5642 Presents

17Arts & Entertainment SEMO Times

Disgruntled Bastards is a punk rock band that was created by Gregg Pearson and Jesse McEl-roy. The group writes and performs original music that is both serious and funny and they recently released their first CD. Their catchy and attention-grabbing lyrics are sure to make you laugh, smile and blush—possibly at the same time. They will be playing their set last, and par-ents should note that their music does contain some curse words that may not be appropriate for younger children.

“If it puts a smile on a fan’s face and it puts a smile on our face, we’re good to go,” Pearson said. “…But we want to be vulgar. We want to have fun with it. We want to be bastards.”

The group is from Poplar Bluff and has been together for about two years. Their lead guitar-ist, McElroy is currently out of the country, so the band has moved the roles of the band mem-bers about to compensate. Regardless, their per-formance will likely be as good as ever.

“Come out see us,” Pearson said. “Because for one night, it’s a chance to be a bastard.”

Gregg Pearson – VocalsJesse McElroy – Lead Guitar

Chris Jackson – Rhythm GuitarBecky Blagg – Bass Guitar

Kyle Daniels – Drums

Disgruntled Bastards

This band from Matthews, plays both original music and covers of popular songs from bands like Alice in Chains and Ted Nugent. Their style is mostly hard rock with some occasional softer edges, filled to the brim with emotion and hones-ty. From head-banging anthems to softer songs, this band has a very ‘90s feel and will definitely have something for any rock lover to enjoy.

“It’s definitely going to be a great show and a great opportunity for music lovers to get out and experience a great variety of local music and tal-ent,” said Ben Pyles, lead singer. “There's some-thing for everyone. Each band has a different style—that's the beauty of music. And it's free…you can't beat that.”

Created only last year, this is the first time this band has played at Hays Music and the second time in Poplar Bluff.

“It's a great venue and we think it’s awesome how [Hays Music is] supporting local music by hosting events there once a month. We feel hon-ored to be playing alongside Fates Undertaking and Disgruntled Bastards,” Pyles said.

Ben Pyles – Lead Singer/Rhythm GuitarEric Blankenship – Lead Guitar

Jeffrey Hunter – Bass GuitarCalvin Baggett – Drums

Past Time

Created in 2010, this Jonesborough, Ark. band recently recorded their first CD and will be per-forming many of their original songs at the con-cert at Hays Music. This show will be the band’s first show in Missouri, but they have no qualms about driving far distances for shows.

“We just love playing shows and we’re pretty much down to play anywhere, anytime,” said Kevin Lambert, guitarist.

This rock/alternative/southern rock band prides themselves on both their original and pop covers of songs such as Britney Spears’ “Hit Me Baby One More Time,” and many others. Their influences include bands like Shinedown, Fram-ing Hanley, Whitechapel, Fear Factory, HIM, Slipknot, Nirvana and many others. Their music has been played on Z95 a few times, so Bone-head fans may recognize some of the songs.

“Expect an energetic show,” Lambert said. “You may find a few people singing the choruses to a few songs, even if it’s the first time they’ve heard the song because they’re pretty catchy.”

Chad Thompson – VocalsBrandon Hurt – Guitar/Vocals

Kevin Lambert – Guitar Jimi Copeland – Bass Guitar

Kurtis Smith – Drums

Fate’s Undertakingband Profiles

18 Opinion & Editorial SEMO Times

I was very in-trigued by the discussion go-ing on locally about Hillview and the Neely-ville public school system. The Neelyville R-IV School District is look-

ing at passing an 86 cent tax levy in-crease to generate $4.5 million to im-prove the district’s buildings. The plan includes closing Hillview, which now houses Neelyville’s lower elementary children, while the rest attend the fa-cilities in Neelyville.

Hillview was built in 1963, and the district has not had any major improve-ments to their district since.

All of this brings up some interest-ing issues. It’s obvious that Neelyville R-IV is due for some major improve-ments, and it is obvious they’ve got budget issues. But the problem is fami-lies out in the area of Butler County, near the Highway 160 location of Hill-view, are feeling shut out and threat-ened. Their children will have a con-siderably longer school bus ride into Neelyville, but perhaps even more of concern to them is the feeling that they are losing their neighborhood identity.

I know a little bit about their perspec-tive because both my grandmother and grandfather, Marie and Voris Poe, were long-time teachers in this area. Grand-ma switched to teaching at Hillview after the state consolidated the area’s many one-room school houses. When my mother was a little girl, Grandma was her teacher at Eureka School.

I also know a little bit about this is-sue because I was also a teacher for 16 years in Cape Girardeau.

When Grandma taught in a one-room school house, she had children of vary-

ing ages, which of course is more com-plicated for a teacher. But what she had working in her favor was the fact that she knew every child and their fam-ily. There was no getting around it… if you got in trouble at school, your parents were going to find out about it from Mrs. Poe. And there was never any question about who was in charge. But it worked, because Grandma knew those families and their problems and challenges, just like they knew her.

When schools started consolidating in the name of efficiency and suppos-edly better learning environments, that relationship was some-thing that got lost.

So… all of this has been on my mind as I’ve been thinking about this Hill-view situation and all the people involved.

And then an idea hit me. Why not turn Hillview into a charter school?

Charter schools are a growing trend in the Unit-ed States because they are seen as a way of address-ing local issues and popu-lations with schools de-signed especially for them. Charter schools receive state funding like any other public school, but the idea is that they can gear their curriculum to what they feel their specific commu-nity needs.

Right now Missouri law only allows charter schools in the St. Louis and Kansas City districts, to address some of the education problems in the inner cities.

Here in Butler County, a lot of these people in the

Hillview area feel they are losing their community’s identify. And it is true. Many of our small Ozarkian communi-ties are losing their identities. To me, the hallmark of these communities has always been self-sufficiency.

And that is where a charter school can come in. Make school relevant to their lives. Teach math and science through teaching gardening and rais-ing animals. Teach them not only how to succeed in school so that they can leave home when they are grown, but also teach them skills so that they can come back to this area and make it bet-

ter and stronger, without sacrificing community identity.

It would be a ground-breaking move, originating here. We would be break-ing what I call the “grass ceiling.” It’s not just St. Louis and Kansas City that deserve the autonomy to improve their schools in ways that make them more relevant to their communities.

Yes… it would take a change in Mis-souri law, but we have legislators with the drive and experience to get the law changed.

Tammy Hilderbrand, Fairdealing

To the editor: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? It didn't make sense. A company builds a customer base and then the city takes it from them?

Fast forward and we've done everything we possibly could do to convince city coun-cil members that not only was open access very good for the PB cable Internet con-sumers, but over 3,000 of their constituents wanted it. The city council represents the citizens of Poplar Bluff... citizens wanted their choices back. However, at every turn, we all were denied our rights.

An election approaches on April 3. Johnny Brannum is opposing Mr. [Tracy] Eding-ton in Ward 4. Mr. Brannum promises to listen to the citizens and act on their behalf. I’ve heard that he has walked Ward 4 and many citizens have discussed their concerns with him… including the denial of open access. A new city council member who will listen AND implement the will of the people would be a refreshing change. I'm voting for Mr. Brannum.

At the polls, we, the citizens of Poplar Bluff, can make change a reality and WE have the power. The city cannot deny us our rights there. Yes, the change will be slow, one election at a time, but it CAN happen. Take time to vote for new city council members.

As for Ward 2, the current city council member is running unopposed. We urge you to GO VOTE, just don’t turn in a vote for [Mayor] Ed Degaris. A low tally would send a message he needs to hear.

Sincerely,Barbara Rexroat,

Poplar Bluff

One election at a timeLetter to the Editor

Break the grass ceiling by Tammy Hilderbrand, Contributor

19Advice SEMO Times

Dear Joy,I really need some help. My girlfriend is great. I love her to

death--her laugh, her smile, her jokes... and even her family. But what I can’t stand are her dogs. Five of them, to be exact--all toy dogs that she dresses up in little clothes and pampers like children. She is always wanting me to take them for walks and has made it repeatedly clear that her dogs are as important to her as anything else. If I love her, I have to love her dogs. The problem is, I HATE dogs. They bark, they growl, they pee everywhere--I just can’t deal with it. I love my girl, and I don’t want to lose her. The dogs, I can do without. Help! What do I do?

Cat person, FairdealingCat person,OMG, can I EVER relate to this. Is this someone playing a

joke on me?So... I have two dogs that RUN my life. They too are the

love of my life but... no more going away for the weekend on a lark! Gotta find a dog friendly motel, then have to check on them every few hours! So you are in for a life, buddy.

I will say this: you better make sure she has a good dog sitter or your life REALLY will be so changed. I am not joking here. Mine are so spoiled I can’t take them to a doggie motel for the weekend because they will miss me sooo bad, I can’t stand to do that to them.

They follow me around the house. As I sit here and type, they are under my feet asleep. When I get up here, they come. I can’t EVEN imagine five dogs. OMG. So what I have to say is if you don’t want this life of dogs, you better get out now. Love or no love, she will probably choose the dogs over you! So get it in your head. You have a life FOREVER with dogs, that you have to like and be nice to.

If you can’t imagine that, then you are in trouble, pal! You can only act like you somewhat like her dogs for so long. Sooner or later she will figure out you don’t love her babies! Like I said, you’re in trouble. My advice is be honest with her. If she plans on having dogs for life, you better find a cat woman.

-Joy

A weekly advice column from a local romance expert, Ask Joy is our own version of the nationally syndicated Ask Abby. To ask Joy a relationship question, email her at askjoyinthetimes@hotmail.com, or befriend her on Facebook at Ask Joy. Names are kept confidential.

UV Teeth WhiteningFebruary SpecialS

$99

of Poplar Bluff1411 N Westwood Blvd.573.785.2772www.thespaofpoplarbluff.com

The Spa

Valentine’s Day Beauty Treatment with gift