Region briefs 9/10/03

Jackson fire chief obtains Chief Fire Officer status

Jackson fire chief Brad Golden recently received his credentials as a Chief Fire Officer, making him one of nine fire chiefs in the state, and one of three hundred in the nation, to have such a designation.

Golden received the designation on Aug. 24 at the International Association of Fire Chiefs Conference in Dallas.

The Chief Fire Officer Designation program recognizes fire officers who have excelled in their careers in the fire service. The program measures individuals who can show excellence in seven areas: experience, education, professional development, professional contributions, association memberships, community involvement and technical competencies.

Highway 61 closed in Cape Girardeau County

The Missouri Department of Transportation will close a bridge for repairs for up to two weeks in northern Cape Girardeau County.

The bridge on U.S. 61 near Route CC will be closed while highway department crews make repairs to the steel trusses. The bridge is expected to be closed for one to two weeks. Traffic will be detoured on Route E and Route KK to Interstate 55.

For information, call the MoDOT Customer Service Center at (888) 275-6636.

Author will sign book today at local store

William Creed, author of "Comes the End," will be at Hastings bookstore from 4 to 7 p.m. today to sign copies of his new book.

Creed's book has been compared to the "Left Behind" series and also focuses on the biblical end times.

Creed, of Michigan, spent 20 years as a concert producer before becoming an author.

Search is on for man who robbed Poplar Bluff store

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Authorities continue their search for a man who robbed Rick's One Stop on Highway 53 near Poplar Bluff at gunpoint just after 8 p.m. Monday.

The cashier had just finished a transaction and shut the cash register when the suspect allegedly held a handgun in the cashier's face told him not to say anything, and to give him all of his money, Poplar Bluff police Cpl. Don Trout said.

When he held the cash drawer up from the register the suspect grabbed a wad of money and fled, the cashier said.

The suspect is described as a white male in his mid-30s with short hair and a mustache. He was wearing a ball cap and a T-shirt with a button-up gray shirt over it.

-- From staff, wire reports