News

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. - A building boom is underway for the East Prairie R-2 School District. Superintendent Lesli Jones describes the construction as not only an investment for the 1,100 students currently attending school at East Prairie but for the future...

SIKESTON — “I needed those words today.” Those simple five words were sent from a friend to Sikeston resident Bettie Birch, after reading Birch’s book, “Ideas, Thoughts and God Stories.” “That made me smile and I also thanked God as that is my goal,” Birch said after receiving the note...

A retired Catholic priest was arrested Wednesday on a Stoddard County warrant for alleged sex crimes perpetrated while serving as the priest at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Advance, Missouri, according to information released by Stoddard County prosecutors...

A Charleston woman was killed in an accident involving a Sikeston Department of Public Safety fire truck Wednesday afternoon.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Three Missouri cotton industry members have been elected to leadership positions in the National Cotton Council (NCC) for 2020. Chris Porter, an Essex, Mo., producer, was re-elected as the Missouri/Illinois chairman of the NCC’s American Cotton Producers...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — A Memphis man has been sentenced to five years in prison after a traffic stop in Mississippi County. According to a release from the United States Attorney’s Office, Demarcus M. Fleming, 26, was sentenced to 60 months imprisonment on a felony count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He appeared before US District Judge Ronnie L. White...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — A Sikeston woman has been sentenced to over three years in prison for illegally possessing a firearm. According to a release from the United States Attorney’s Office, Kristin M. Burney, 37, was sentenced to 37 months imprisonment for a felony count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. She appeared before US District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises consumers to use caution when doing business with Taylor Tots, a discount online children’s clothes retailer based in Scott City, Missouri...

SIKESTON — Hidden just off of Malone Avenue, tucked between the Sikeston Recreation Complex and Fox Haven Country Club, sits one of Sikeston’s most unknown gems, the Sikeston Memorial Municipal Airport. “The airport is something a lot of people don’t even know is here. And it’s a blessing to have,” said Jay Lancaster, Sikeston Director of Public Works...

SIKESTON — The Sikeston Little Theatre’s newest production will help you leave the winter blues behind. “Mamma Mia!,” which opens Thursday, takes the audience to a sunny Greek island as it tells the story of a 20-year-old bride-to-be and her search for her birth father on the eve of the wedding. The tale is told with the 1970s and ’80s music of the Swedish pop group, ABBA...

MARSTON, Mo. — A New Madrid, Mo., man is charged with murder following a fatal shooting early Sunday morning. Jeremy Damon Guest, 36, is charged with first degree murder, armed criminal action and first degree robbery in connection with the death of Datrae Hicks, 27...

SIKESTON — The Standard Democrat offices will be closed Monday in observance of Presidents Day. Regular office hours will resume Tuesday.

A federal jury in Cape Girardeau ruled Saturday that two of the world's largest agribusiness companies, Monsanto Co. and BASF Corp., must pay $250 million in punitive damages to a Southeast Missouri peach farmer for damage to his orchards caused by their dicamba-related products...

On Sunday, just after 11 p.m., Portageville Rural Fire was paged to an address on Cotton Street in Scrub-Ridge, east of Portageville. Engine 3 and 4 responded and upon arrival learned that the home was vacant from dispatch. Once on scene the home was fully involved with other nearby structures in danger. ...

SIKESTON — Sikeston R-6 School District’s announcement this week of early dismissals for teacher collaboration next school year brought about mixed feelings within the district, but officials are taking measures to better explain what parents and students can expect with the changes...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Sikeston Public Library has been awarded a Summer Library Program Grant of $9,478. The announcement of the grant was made by Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft. “Libraries play a vital role in providing learning opportunities to people of all ages,” Ashcroft said. “These grants help Missouri’s libraries provide educational programs during a time when many patrons, particularly younger ones, have a less structured environment.”...

The Sikeston Kindergarten and Early Childhood Center and Parents as Teachers program will hold its annual birth-4 years screening Feb. 18-21 at the Kindergarten Center at 1310 E. Salcedo Road. The hours will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 8 a.m. ...

SIKESTON — Sam King may be a young farmer by age, but from experience level he is anything but a beginner. King was honored as an Agricultural Leader of the Year at the Sikeston Regional Chamber’s annual Farmer’s Banquet held Thursday night at the Sikeston Jaycee’s Sponsor’s Building...

SIKESTON — Students at St. Francis Xavier School in Sikeston learned about various careers on Friday when several special guests including an NFL legend visited them for a career day. Students in kindergarten through eighth grades heard from seven presenters who shared their educational path, job responsibilities and fun facts with students to both encourage them to keep learning as well as to help them see where their interests could take them in the future...

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. — A rumor of an armed man led to a brief lockdown of Portageville schools. The Portageville Police Department reported Wednesday that the Portageville School District went into lock down after a suspicious person was reported in the area...

SIKESTON — School board members were recognized for Missouri School Board Appreciation Week. “We are fortunate to have some great board members who volunteer and serve our district and community, our students, staff and families,” said Sikeston R-6 Superintendent Dr. Tony Robinson. “We appreciate all that you do and your commitment to helping promote the great things going on in our school district and helping us to improve and get better.”...

SIKESTON — A later starting date per the new Missouri law as well as a weekly early dismissal for teacher collaboration are among the changes in the Sikeston R-6 School District’s calendar for the next two school years. Sikeston R-6 Board of Education members approved the recommended calendars for both the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years Tuesday during their regular monthly meeting...

Youngsters lean in for a closer look as New Madrid County librarian Mona Walls reads a Valentine’s Day themed book to them Saturday at the Library in Portageville. The library’s main branch at Portageville will begin hosting a story hour at 10:30 a.m. on the second Saturday of each month for children ages 4 to 8. In addition to a story, the event will also feature an activity...

Last spring, shortly before the school year ended, Richland R-1 School District learned that it had won the Makerspace contest sponsored by the Missouri State Teachers Association (MSTA). “The competition was an effort by MSTA to promote Makerspace in schools throughout the state,” explains Lisa Taylor, Makerspace facilitator for the Richland district. “Districts had to produce a video illustrating how they were utilizing Makerspace in their schools.”...

Recently-filed court information describes surveillance footage of a fight on the dance floor moments before a Jan. 26 shooting occurred inside River Valley Banquet Center, also known as The River, injuring five patrons and causing the hundreds of others in attendance to erupt in chaos...