ESSEX MAN ARRESTED ON SEXUAL MISCONDUCT AND CHILD PORNOGRAPHY WARRANT

An Essex man is in custody after his arrest on a sexual misconduct and child pornography warrant.

According to the Stoddard County Sheriff’s Department, 21 year old Damon Austin was recently arrested on a two count warrant for sexual misconduct involving a child under 15 and possession of child pornography.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Austin was having inappropriate contact with a juvenile over text messages.

He was held in the Stoddard County Jail on a $20,000, cash only, bond.

NUMEROUS FLOATS LIGHT UP POPLAR BLUFF DURING THE RIVER RADIO LIGHTED CHRISTMAS PARADE

Numerous spectators and over one hundred vehicles lit up downtown Poplar Bluff this past weekend.

Everyone was out Friday night for the latest edition of the River Radio Lighted Christmas Parade. In addition to the parade, spectators also took in the lighting of the Downtown Poplar Bluff Community Christmas Tree in front of the Black River Coliseum.

If you could not attend this year’s parade, we have the full video of the festivities, including the Community Christmas Tree lighting, available on the River Radio Youtube page.

RIVER RADIO LIGHTED CHRISTMAS PARADE IS TONIGHT

Christmas lights will be shining bright tonight in Downtown Poplar Bluff.

The 2024 River Radio Lighted Christmas Parade is scheduled to begin at 6 pm with line up starting at 4:30 pm at the Sky High Fun Zone parking lot.

The parade route this year will run from Highway 53 at McDonalds, north along Ditch Road into Downtown Poplar Bluff, then east on Vine Street, before circling back on Main Street.

POPLAR BLUFF MAN ARRESTED IN CONNECTION TO ALLEGED SEXUAL ASSAULT

Authorities in Poplar Bluff say that a man is in custody in connection to an alleged sexual assault.

According to Lieutenant Josh Stewart with the Poplar Bluff Police Department, shortly before noon on November 30th, officers responded to the Holiday Inn on North Westwood Boulevard for a reported sexual assault.

The victim was reportedly attacked by a male suspect in the women’s restroom. The victim was able to flee from the suspect and alert others to the situation. She was later transported to an area hospital for treatment of injuries sustained during the assault.

MAN FACING BURGLARY AND DOMESTIC ASSAULT CHARGES

An area man is facing multiple charges in connection to alleged recent incidents in Fisk.

According to a probable cause affidavit, 29 year old Jonathan Smith, of Poplar Bluff, is accused of choking a woman and threatening to burn down her apartment.

Smith, who also goes by the name Johnathan Godti, later allegedly returned to the apartment and tried to set fire to it with the victim inside and also stole her property.

RESIDENTS EVACUATED FROM ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY DUE TO FIRE

Residents of a Southeast Missouri assisted living facility were temporarily evacuated Monday morning due to a fire.

According to Chief Lance Davis with the Kennett Fire Department, at approximately 11:00 AM on Monday, firefighters responded to a fire alarm activation at 614 South Bypass.

Responding units observed smoke emanating from the facility and the residents were promptly evacuated and relocated to a neighboring facility to ensure their comfort and well-being.

2024 RIVER RADIO LIGHTED CHRISTMAS PARADE SET FOR THIS FRIDAY NIGHT

Parade lights will be shining bright in Downtown Poplar Bluff this Friday for the 2024 River Radio Lighted Christmas Parade.

The parade is scheduled to begin at 6 pm this Friday. Line up will begin at 4:30 at the Sky-High Fun Zone parking lot.

The parade route this year will run from Highway 142 at McDonalds through downtown Poplar Bluff before looping back and ending at the Black River Coliseum.

TODAYS TALK KWOC TO BROADCAST CURRENT RIVER CHALLENGE

Once you're done with Thanksgiving, switch your TV over to the Today’s Talk KWOC Facebook page to catch all the action from the Current River Challenge.

The two day basketball event from Van Buren High School will feature 25 area schools, including Van Buren, Twin Rivers, Greenville, East Carter, Doniphan, Puxico, and Neelyville, and will start at 10 am on both November 29th and 30th.

THANKSGIVING COOKING SAFETY TIPS

Thanksgiving is almost here, and the American Red Cross is reminding you to stay safe while you prepare the holiday dinner.

The Red Cross advises that cooks should avoid wearing loose clothing or dangling sleeves while preparing the holiday meal.

You should also never leave the stove unattended – if the cook has to leave the kitchen even for a short time, they should turn off the stove.

MODOT TAKING FEEDBACK ON PROPOSED ROAD DIET FOR PINE STREET IN POPLAR BLUFF

A proposal from the Missouri Department of Transportation to reduce Pine Street in Poplar Bluff has drawn scrutiny from the community, who now have a chance to have their voices heard.

According to MoDOT, the proposal would reconfigure Pine Street from an undivided 4-lane roadway to a 3-lane with one eastbound lane, a center turn lane, and one westbound lane from 10th Street to Route B.

MoDOT Project Manager Curt Woolsey tells KWOC News that the proposal started as an effort to address a curve east of the bridge that shows more crashes than expected when compared to similar roadways. Woolsey says it became clear to them that it would also improve traffic flow.

TWO PEOPLE SENTENCED IN SOUTHEAST MISSOURI MURDER INVESTIGATION

Two people will be spending decades behind bars in connection to the murder of an Illinois woman in Southeast Missouri.

According to Bollinger County Sheriff Casey Graham, in October of 2021, the Bollinger County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a missing person, identified as 21 year old Brianna Roberts, of Illinois.

An investigation into the disappearance led to the arrests of Eric Nanney and Kaitlyn Morgan.

POPLAR BLUFF SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES PURCHASE OF WEAPONS DETECTION SYSTEM AND CELL PHONE POUCHES FOR STUDENTS

The Poplar Bluff R-1 Board of Education held an open session Tuesday night.

During the session, the board approved the purchase of Weapons Detection Systems for the High School, Junior High, and Mark Twain campuses. The cost of the eleven devices and training would be $210,580.70. Six of the devices will be placed at PBHS, three at the Junior High, and two at Mark Twain.

APPLICATIONS DISCUSSED FOR POPLAR BLUFF CITY MANAGER POSITION

The Poplar Bluff City Council discussed the vacant City Manager position Monday night.

The Council met in a closed session to discuss the applications received for the open position.

After the discussion a unanimous vote was passed to continue the closed session on December 3rd.

Interim City Manager Lori Phelps tells KWOC News that over 10 applications have been received for the position.

OVER 68 THOUSAND DEER HARVESTED DURING OPENING WEEKEND OF FIREARM DEER SEASON

Hunters across Missouri took to the woods over the weekend for the opening of the November potion of firearms deer season.

According to preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation, hunters harvested 68,312 deer during opening weekend. Of the deer harvested, 42,283 were antlered bucks, 5,105 were button bucks, and 20,924 were does.

Last year, hunters checked 90,253 deer during opening weekend.

POPLAR BLUFF MAN KILLED IN MOTORCYCLE CRASH

A Poplar Bluff man was killed in a motorcycle crash last week.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the crash occurred at around 8:30 pm Thursday night on Highway 142, one mile south of Poplar Bluff when a motorcycle ran off the side of the roadway, struck a ditch, and overturned.

Butler County Coroner Jim Akers tells KWOC News that the driver of the vehicle has been identified as 20 year old Chase Mock, of Poplar Bluff.