Tuesday, May 12, 2026
HANNAH HARPER WINS AMERICAN IDOL
Southeast Missouri native Hannah Harper is your new American Idol.
Harper won the 24th season of the competition Monday night. She had been a favorite going into the season and used that momentum, along with numerous crowd pleasing performances, to take home the win.
On Monday, Harper performed multiple songs, including Alicia Keys “No One,” as well as her original songs “Married Into This Town,” and “String Cheese.”
Each performance drew strong reviews from the judges.
At the end of the night, Harper was announced to be this season’s winner.
FOUR ARRESTS MADE IN CONNECTION TO SEARCHES IN CARTER COUNTY
Multiple people are facing charges following the execution of two search warrants last week in Carter County.
According to Carter County Sheriff Alonzo Bradwell, the searches were conducted in Ellsinore and Van Buren. During the investigations and searches, deputies seized quantities of methamphetamine, scales, drug paraphernalia, money, and other evidence connected to illegal drug activity.
Four people, David Munn, Emma Clark, Mitchell Gore, and Paula Parsons, were arrested on multiple charges, including delivery of a controlled substance and keeping or maintaining a public nuisance.
The bonds for Munn, Gore, and Parsons were set at $100,000, cash or surety, while the bond for Clark was $30,000, cash only.
BALD EAGLE RELEASED IN POPLAR BLUFF AREA OVER THE WEEKEND
A Bald Eagle was released in the Poplar Bluff area over the weekend.
The non-profit Watkins Wildlife Rehab announced that they had taken in a bald eagle with talon issues that could not stand up.
According to a post on the organization's Facebook page, they helped treat the bird until it was healthy enough to grip a tree limb and stand on its own.
It was then released in the Poplar Bluff area on Saturday.
Watkins Wildlife Rehab is a non-profit charitable organization based in Sedgewickville.
MISSOURI HUNTERS TAKE OVER 45,000 TURKEYS DURING TURKEY SEASON
Hunters in Missouri took over 45,000 turkeys during this year’s spring turkey season.
According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, preliminary data shows that turkey hunters checked 45,475 birds during the state’s 2026 regular spring turkey season from April 20 through May 10.
Young turkey hunters also harvested a near-record 5,255 turkeys over the spring youth weekend in April, bringing the overall 2026 spring turkey harvest to 50,730.
This is a slight decrease from last Spring’s total harvest of 51,011.
FRIENDS OF WAPPAPELLO LAKE TO HOST MONTHLY MEETING TONIGHT
The Friends of Wappapello Lake will be hosting their monthly meeting tonight in Wappapello.
The meeting will begin at 6 pm at the Bill Emerson Memorial Visitor Center.
The Friends of Wappapello Lake puts on many events in the Wappapello Lake area, including, the annual fireworks show, Movie in the Park, and the Festival of Lights Auto Tour.
MULES BASEBALL TEAM TO HOST FUNDRAISING GOLF TOURNAMENT THIS WEEK
The Poplar Bluff Mules Baseball team will be hosting a fundraising golf tournament this week.
The event has been scheduled for 12:30 pm on May 16th at the Ozark Ridge Golf Course in Poplar Bluff.
Registration will begin at 11:30 am and teams can register the day of the event. The cost is $75 per person or $300 per four person team.
For more information, call 573-429-9062.