Friday, February 13, 2026
PUXICO AND GREENVILLE TO MEET TONIGHT WITH OFC CHAMPIONSHIP ON THE LINE
Tonight is Championship night at the Ozark Foothills Conference Basketball tournament.
Three championship games will be played at the Libla Family Sports Complex on the campus of Three Rivers College in Poplar Bluff.
The first game will be the Junior Varsity Final between Doniphan and Twin Rivers at 5 pm.
That game will be followed by the Girls Varsity Championship game also featuring Doniphan and Twin Rivers at 6:30 pm.
The Boys Varsity championship game will see Puxico and Greenville tip off at 8 pm.
All three games will be broadcast live on the KWOC Facebook page at facebook.com/TodaysTalkKWOC and the River Radio Youtube page at youtube.com/RiverRadioPB.
FUNERAL SERVICES TO BE HELD ON SATURDAY FOR FORMER BUTLER COUNTY CORONER, LARRY COTRELL
A longtime Butler County Coroner will be laid to rest this Saturday.
Larry Cotrell passed away on Monday at the age of 85. Cotrell was elected as Butler County Coroner in 1969 and held the position for 40 years. During his tenure he also served as the interim sheriff on two separate occasions.
Cotrell also owned and operated Cotrell Funeral Service in Poplar Bluff for over 40 years. He was appointed by the Governor to serve on the Missouri State Board of Funeral Service. He was also the Past-President of the Southeast Missouri Funeral Directors Association.
Cotrell also served on the Poplar Bluff Industries Board, the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the Poplar Bluff Airport Board, and Three Rivers College Foundation Board, among others.
Cotrell’s visitation will be held on Saturday from 10 am to noon at First United Methodist Church. Funeral service will follow beginning at noon. His burial will take place at the Poplar Bluff City Cemetery.
NAMES RELEASED OF THREE KILLED IN DEXTER HOUSE FIRE
Updating a story we have been following for you, officials have released the names of three people who were found dead following a house fire early Wednesday morning in Stoddard County.
According to Dexter Fire Chief Don Seymore, crews responded to a two story house fire on Truitt Street shortly before 2 am Wednesday morning.
Stoddard County Coroner Brent Stidham tells KWOC News that three people died in the fire, 43 year old Brittany Beckham, 13 year old Bella Van Vickle, and five year old Athena Bradford.
Stidham added that preliminary autopsy findings indicate that all three died as a result of smoke inhalation.
Two others were transported to area hospitals following the fire.
MALDEN MAN SENTENCED IN CONNECTION TO MULTIPLE PURSUITS WITH POLICE
A Malden man has been sentenced to multiple years in prison in connection to multiple pursuits from last year.
According to Dunklin County Prosecuting Attorney Nicholas Jain, earlier this week 36 year old James Clopton was sentenced to seven years in the Missouri Department of Corrections on each of two counts of felony aggravated fleeing, five years for felony stealing, and four years on each of two counts of felony resisting arrest.
The Court ordered the sentences to run concurrently.
Jain says the charges stem from an incident last February, where Clopton fled from a traffic stop before abandoning the vehicle and fleeing on foot. The vehicle was towed but reported missing from the tow lot the following morning.
Later that day, Clopton fled from police again in the same vehicle, and once again abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot.
He was ultimately located and taken into custody with the assistance of a drone equipped with thermal imaging technology.
PARAGOULD MAN TAKEN INTO CUSTODY ON SEXUAL ASSAULT CHARGE
A Northeast Arkansas man has been taken into custody on a sexual assault charge.
According to a warrant affidavit, on Wednesday, a report was made to the Child Abuse Hotline and Paragould Police Department regarding a child who had made a disclosure of sexual abuse.
Multiple witnesses were interviewed and said that the victim had disclosed that 58 year old Robert Medcalf, of Paragould, had inappropriately touched them.
Medcalf has been arrested on felony charges of sexual assault in the second degree and sexual indecency with a child.
He was held in the Greene County jail on a $500,000 bond.
REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS SUNDAY FOR THE 2026 OPTIMIST SOCCER LEAGUE IN POPLAR BLUFF
Registration is almost finished for the 2026 Poplar Bluff Optimist Soccer League.
Registration for youth in kindergarten through sixth grades will be open through February 15th and the registration fee is $25.
Games are tentatively scheduled to begin the week of March 23rd.
More information, including how to register, is available on the Poplar Bluff Parks and Recreation website.