News

Chantelle Becking began her keynote presentation with an impromtu dance party, setting the mood and livening up the crowd for the last segment of the Women Aware conference at Black River Coliseum on Thursday. Women Aware, Inc. is an organization dedicated to empowering women. The conference invites female attendees of all ages and backgrounds to attend talks on subjects like mental health, nutrition and finances, and take some time in between to shop vendors, eat and mingle...

Congressman Jason Smith kicked off the livestock auction at the SEMO District Fair by praising sellers and thanking buyers. “When I found out this was happening today, I said, ‘I have to stop,’” he told the group assembled in the livestock arena. The livestock auction culminates the process for the young people who show their livestock at the fair. Buyers -- usually area business leaders -- purchase the animals at premium prices, providing a return on the youths’ investment...

A Carter County man currently serving time in prison on other charges has been charged with the 1987 murder of Thomas Ray Rowland. Uel Joe Freeman, 60, is charged with first-degree murder in the May 1987 shooting death of Rowland after newly-obtained evidence made the arrest possible. Authorities on Wednesday were not ready to say what the information was, but reference was made to new technology making it possible to charge Freeman with the crime...

During a meeting Wednesday described by Board of Education president Gary Miller as “vocal,” the Scott City School District board voted to extend the current mask mandate at the “Orange” level until the board meets again Oct. 20. Michael Umfleet, in his third year as superintendent, told the Scott City Area Chamber of Commerce on Thursday the mandate was originally put in place after Labor Day when 115 students in the 762-pupil district were in COVID-19 quarantine...

The conservative advocacy organization Americans for Prosperity-Missouri (AFP-MO) released this week its 2021 Legislative Scorecard. AFP-MO took positions on 11 pieces of legislation in the Missouri General Assembly this year and Sen. Holly Rehder (R-Scott City) emerged with a perfect score, an A-plus, from the group...

Scott County now has the dubious distinction of having the highest number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 in Missouri but the rate of positive cases is dropping. According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Friday morning, Scott County had 208 confirmed positive COVID cases between Sept. 8-14, a daily average of 30 and 543 per 100,000 residents. There was one confirmed death in that time...

SIKESTON — Dates for the City of Sikeston’s Fall Clean-up has been set for two weeks beginning Oct. 18. The Fall Clean-up gives Sikeston residents an opportunity to dispose of bulky rubbish during their regular sold waste pick-ups. Residents with Monday and Thursday trash collection will have their fall clean-up opportunities on Monday, Oct. 18 and Thursday, Oct. 21. Those with Tuesday and Friday solid waste pick-ups will have their dates on Tuesday, Oct. 26 and Friday, Oct. 29...

SIKESTON — If Diane Eberhard had a doughnut for the number of years she’s been making sure schoolchildren in the Sikeston area have food for the weekend, she’d have a baker’s dozen. “When we first started doing this, we were delivering food out to Morehouse Elementary School,” said Eberhard, who started delivering weekend food for children in 2009. “Making sure a child doesn’t go hungry is something I’m really passionate about, and I want everyone to be just as passionate about it as I am.”...

CHARLESTON, Mo. — Mississippi County Prosecuting Attorney Darren Cann died early Thursday at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Missouri. He was 56. A resident of Charleston, Missouri, Cann was born on Aug. 30, 1965, and graduated from Charleston High School as well as Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s School of Law. He was first appointed to office by Gov. Bob Holden in September 2004 and was then elected to office November 2006...

NEW HAMBURG, Mo. — Parishioners of St. Lawrence Catholic Church in New Hamburg are celebrating the church’s 175th anniversary every month through August 2022. “We’re doing these monthly celebrations to have fun and for fellowship, but also to continue traditions our ancestors created,” said Mary B. Glastetter, chairperson of the anniversary committee...

SIKESTON — The Sikeston R-6 Board of Education heard from community members, parents, teachers and medical professionals regarding the district’s COVID-19 procedures, specifically its recently implemented temporary mask mandate, during the Board’s regular monthly meeting Tuesday in the Sikeston High School cafeteria...

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. — At 6:56 a.m. Monday, the Portageville Fire Department was paged to a semi-trailer on fire on U.S Highway 61 south of Portageville in the city limits. Engine 1 was joined by Engine 3 and Tanker 1 due to the fire being in an area without hydrants. Upon arrival firefighters found an old semi-trailer in a vacant lot was on fire...

SIKESTON — The new C Building under construction on the Sikeston High School campus has a name: Bulldog Hall. The Sikeston R-6 Board of Education approved the name at the recommendation of the administration during Tuesday’s regular monthly board meeting at the high school cafeteria...

SIKESTON — From learning about the unique history of Sikeston founder John Sikes, the importance of farming in the region and the digging of the Little River Drainage District, Sikeston fourth graders learned about the history of their hometown at the annual Fourth Grade Historical Interpretive Tour...

CHAFFEE, Mo. — Law enforcement is seeking an inmate that escaped custody from a Chaffee jail. According to a release from the Scott County Sheriff’s Office Tuesday afternoon, at approximately 10:59 p.m. Monday, the Sheriff’s office was requested to assist the Chaffee Police Department with an inmate who escaped custody...

SIKESTON — After several heated discussions and the ultimate decision to move municipal court functions to the Scott and New Madrid County Circuit Courts, the Sikeston City Council reversed their decision on Monday. During Monday’s Sikeston City Council meeting, Council unanimously approved a measure to repeal the decision, keeping municipal court functions in Sikeston for the time being...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — A Marston, Missouri, man has been sentenced to seven-and-half years in federal prison for possessing firearms. On Tuesday afternoon, the United States Attorney's Office announced that Marco M. Debose, 39, was sentenced today to serve 90 months in federal prison following his guilty plea to being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm...

NEW MADRID, Mo. - Businesses and organizations are being sought to help provide a safe and fun Halloween for youngsters attending schools in Lilbourn, Matthews and New Madrid. Beginning at 9 a.m. Oct. 29 at New Madrid Elementary, youngsters from Lilbourn Elementary, Matthews Elementary, New Madrid Elementary and Immaculate Conception School will take part in the annual Trunk-or-Treat. Approximately 800 students are expected to attend...

NEW MADRID, Mo. - The New Madrid County Sheriff’s Department reported the arrest on Sept. 8 of a man considered a “dangerous felon.” Ricky Starr, 64, was arrested on the charge of unlawful possession of a firearm - dangerous felon. According to the probable cause statement, Starr was taken into custody after Sgt. ...

The American Melody, one of the newest boats on the river, brought approximately 100 tourists to the community Sunday afternoon.

Four more deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported locally since Friday as area health departments continue to be swamped with new positive cases. Two deaths were reported in Mississippi County since Friday as the county continues to have the highest increase in COVID cases in the last week. The deaths mark 38 that have died from the virus...

SIKESTON — Recent surges in positive COVID-19 cases have caused some local school districts to reinstate temporary mask mandates in an effort to decrease the number of cases and quarantines among teachers and students. On Friday, the Sikeston R-6 School District alerted parents the district would implement at two-week mask requirement before considering a building closure after the district’s average daily attendance rate was at 80.24%, a high number of classrooms were without substitutes and one school building had over 5% student-and-staff-positivity rate.. ...

A 9/11 remembrance ceremony was held in Sikeston on Saturday morning. Rescue personnel walked from Station 2 on North Main Street to Lowe's on South Main Street and then climbed a ladder truck to ring a bell to remember those lost in the 9/11 tragedy. A short ceremony was also held in the Lowe's parking lot...

Area residents flooded Downtown Sikeston Saturday night to take part in the 11th Annual Wine Fest. Attendees sampled wine from River Ridge Winer, Hemman Winery, The Boat House Winery, Primo Vino and Ludwig Farms while also enjoying music from Dr. Fever and The Venus Fly Trap, who brought a mixture of 70s and 80s funk, disco and rock...

CHARLESTON, Mo. — Two people have been arrested and face charges in connection with a shooting Labor Day weekend that injured four adults at a family event in Mississippi County. Jimarquez Jauonte Johnson, 20, of Charleston and Jimierquon Jaquantay Johnson, 21, of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, are each charged with four counts of first degree assault and four counts of armed criminal action occurring on Sept. 5...