News

Members of Sikeston Department of Public Safety along with two local athletes run along South Main in Sikeston Wednesday morning as part of the annual Statewide Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Missouri. Law enforcement officers from around the state began running with the torch to raise awareness for Special Olympics Missouri and the 2019 State Summer Games, which will be May 31-June 2 in Springfield. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A tornado tore apart buildings in Missouri’s capital city as part of an overnight outbreak of severe weather across the state that left at least three people dead and dozens injured. The National Weather Service confirmed that the large and destructive twister moved over Jefferson City shortly before midnight Wednesday...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — Scott County Central School District superintendent Howard Benyon has been hired as deputy superintendent of secondary education in the Cape Girardeau School District. Cape Girardeau school officials announced the hiring Tuesday...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri State Highway Patrol reminds the public a safe, fun weekend starts with planning and good decisions to make safety a top priority this Memorial Day weekend, “Whether you decide to travel or stay local, choose to be a safe, courteous driver,” said Col. ...

NEW MADRID, Mo. — Forty-four brand new bicycles filled the gymnasium at New Madrid Elementary School Tuesday morning. By noon, 43 students and one teacher were rolling out their new rides to take home. Joe Ross declared it was a good day. “I’m pleased and I’m blessed,” said Ross, the man behind the bicycle giveaway...

SIKESTON — A Sikeston woman faces felony charges after allegedly stabbing her teen-aged sibling. Chansis Nitara Patterson, 18, of Sikeston is charged with first-degree domestic assault and armed criminal action-unlawful use of a weapon. At 9:21 p.m. ...

SIKESTON — As the longtime general manager of the Standard Democrat readies for retirement, another 40-year executive has been named to fill the role. Effective in late July, Don Culbertson Jr. will no longer be active as the general manager, and DeAnna Nelson will assume those responsibilities. The announcement was recently made by Jon K. Rust, co-president of Rust Communications, which owns the Standard Democrat...

Carole Shelton, a professional storyteller from St. Louis, tells of the life of Mary Robinson, a slave at White Haven, a small plantation owned by the family of Julia Dent, who would later marry Ulysses S. Grant. Shelton talked about the lives of African Americans during a special presentation at the Hunter-Dawson State Historic Site on Saturday...

BERTRAND, Mo. — From hosting this week’s MayFest to receiving grants to repave roads and add sidewalks, the city of Bertrand is bursting with positive changes these days. The Mississippi County town of about 820 residents will host the three-day Mississippi County MayFest, which is an expansion of the city’s annual one-day event...

SIKESTON—Visitors and residents will be out in full force along Route 25 Memorial Day weekend in search of bargains at the 100-Mile Yard Sale, but MoDOT wants you to remember the greatest savings of the event could be a life. “It’s a fun weekend that people look forward to each year,” says Traffic Engineer Craig Compas, “but we want people to remember that there’s more traffic and more congestion along Route 25 this weekend than any other and drivers need to keep that in mind.”...

SIKESTON — The Sikeston community will observe Memorial Day with a service Monday at Veterans Park. Set to begin at 10:30 a.m., the service will feature honored guest and speaker, Chief Master Sgt. Jeffrey C. Sandusky. The park is located at the corner of Linn Street and Campanella. In the event of rain, services will be held at the First Christian Church...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. — The Missouri State Veterans Cemetery at Bloomfield will hold its annual Memorial Day program at 1 p.m. Monday at the Committal Shelter Plaza in the cemetery. Keynote speaker will be retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Bob Thrower. A Dexter native, Thrower was commissioned into the Army in 1987.He spent 20 years on active duty, retiring at the rank of lieutenant colonel in 2008. ...

Mike Marshall, president and CEO, Sikeston Regional Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development, spoke at the most recent Greater Delta Region Conference of the Delta Grassroots Caucus April 25 and 26. Marshall presented current information on future Interstate 57, Sikeston’s new certified industrial site and federal opportunity zones. ...

SIKESTON — Ron Eifert, director of the Sikeston Public Library, recently returned from a trip to Philadelphia, PA, where he presented at the Evergreen International Conference. Eifert, along with Kate Coleman from Jefferson County Library and Blake Graham-Henderson from MOBIUS, presented “Scrubaloging: Formatting and Fixing MARC Records.” The presentation outlined the processes that the Missouri Evergreen consortium employed to improve the browsing experience for the library patron, and to simplify the workflow for catalogers within the consortium.. ...

Members of the Sikeston Public Schools Foundation’s Board of Directors viewed on Wednesday the construction progress of Sikeston R-6 School District’s Wing Elementary. Substantial completion of the project is slated for June followed by the completion of the punch list. Superintendent Tom Williams said furniture is expected to be moved in mid-July with a grand opening for the public scheduled from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 1. The first day of school for student attendance is Aug. 13...

NEW MADRID, Mo. - The success of career education programs is growing. According to the Missouri Department of Education, 95 percent of career education program graduates were employed, continuing their education or serving in the military in 2017. Currently, the New Madrid County R-1 School District is working with industry to expand the course options available through its Technical Skills Center with the introduction of its pathways to electrician program. ...

NEW MADRID, Mo. - Dr. Sam Duncan listens closely as the student explains what they are learning about welding. Another student flips down his mask, lights a blow torch then demonstrates the new skills as Duncan watches. As superintendent of the R-1 School District, Duncan not only oversees the district’s three elementary schools, the middle school and the high school but also the District’s Technical Skills Center, where the welding was under way. ...

Soybean farmers in Southeast Missouri have one eye on their waterlogged fields and the other eye on trade talks -- or lack of them -- between the United States and China. And they can do nothing about either situation. Soybeans are Missouri’s No. 1 cash crop, supporting thousands of agriculture-related jobs and contributing billions of dollars to the state’s economy annually...

State Rep. Holly Rehder blasted the actions of a few “conservative” senators for preventing creation of a statewide prescription drug monitoring program as the legislative session headed for a close this week. In a letter emailed Wednesday night to House and Senate lawmakers, a frustrated Rehder wrote, “We shouldn’t stand idly by and let the actions of a few destroy the future for so many.”...

Jayklin Brown, a member of the New Madrid County Central High School Class of 2019, lets his cousin Teigan Weaver try on his hat following graduation on Tuesday.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, — The United States Attorney’s Office announced that Raymond M. Lindsey, 39, of Hayti was sentenced Wednesday to 100 months in federal prison on child pornography charges. He appeared before United States District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. for his sentencing hearing after pleading guilty to one count of receiving child pornography last February...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. — A former deputy clerk filed suit Tuesday morning against Stoddard County and her former boss for wrongfully terminating her for questioning irregularities in the April 2 municipal election. Cape Girardeau attorney Laura Clubb filed the suit in Stoddard County Circuit Court on behalf of her whistleblower client, Ginger McCoy...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — Officials are preparing for a crowd of nearly 20,000 — the biggest yet — at this year’s Cape Girardeau Regional Air Festival on Saturday and Sunday, airport manager Bruce Loy said Tuesday. The event will be at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport at 860 Limbaugh Drive...

SIKESTON — Joe Ross sets the perfect example of someone who cares about their community and those living in it. Year after year Joe goes out of his way to collect aluminum cans that he can turn into cash. Mr. Joe will even drive to your house to pick up any cans you are willing to donate...

Riley Kelley uses all his might to reel in a 25-inch catfish Saturday during the annual Kids’ Fishing Derby at Recreation Complex Lake in Sikeston. The free event, which was sponsored by Sikeston Parks and Recreation, was open to children ages 15 and under...