Stories from Friday, April 27, 2001

SIKESTON - Now there's an even better reason to want to keep Missouri roadways clear of trash. It's good exercise. The Missouri Department of Transportation's "Pick Up for Fitness" program is being conducted in cooperation with the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness to encourage Missourians to be healthy and clean up Missouri...

CHARLESTON - Officers with the Charleston Department of Public Safety have arrested a woman for endangering the welfare of a child in connection with an afternoon fire. Tylisha Lee, 21, was arrested after her two-month-old child, Kikia Ewing, suffered injuries in a structure fire reported to Charleston DPS at 3:33 p.m. Friday at 502 Carver St...

LILBOURN - Pallbearers at services scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday at the First Baptist Church for Bernice Whitehurst Nix, 84, who died April 24, 2001, will be: Randy Nix, James Robinson, Glenn Robinson, Robert Cunningham, Wayne Powell and Mark Dragon. Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday at Ponder Funeral Home in Lilbourn...

CAPE GIRARDEAU - A.J. "Buck" Drinkwater Jr., 97, formerly of Charleston, died at 3 p.m. April 26, 2001, at his home. Born Dec. 28, 1903, in Charleston, he was the son of the late A.J. and Grace Drinkwater Sr. Prior to moving to Cape Girardeau in 1993, he lived in Charleston where he was a prominent farmer and landowner and lifetime member of the United Methodist Church, where he served on the stewardship board. ...

SIKESTON - Magnolia Elliott, 96, died April 26, 2001, at the Sikeston Convalescent Center. Born Jan. 8, 1905, in Brookland, Ark., daughter of the late William "Bill" and Laura Daniels Hargrove, she was a member of the First United Methodist Church...

PORTAGEVILLE - Grover "Huffy" Hufstedler, 78, died April 26, 2001, at his home. Born Oct. 26, 1922, in Portageville, son of the late Grover Cleven and Celia Adams Hufstedler, he was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II. On June 27, 1964, in Portageville, he married Pauline Quick who survives of the home...

DEXTER - Arlene Barclift, 73, died April 27, 2001, at the Beverly Health and Rehabilitation Center in Bloomfield. Arrangements are incomplete at Rainey Funeral Home in Dexter.

SPRINGFIELD - Daphna Copeland, 76, formerly of Dexter, died April 27, 2001, at the Maranatha Village Nursing Home in Springfield. Arrangements are incomplete at Rainey Funeral Home in Dexter.

MATTHEWS - Ada Marguerite Proffer, 87, died at 1 a.m. April 27, 2001, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Born July 17, 1913, in Matthews, daughter of the late Welton and Maude Brooks Shanks, she attended Crowe Methodist Church in New Madrid...

DEXTER - The Sikeston tennis team improved to 4-3 on the season with a 6-3 win over Dexter on Wednesday. Sikeston's top four singles players won along with the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles teams. "It's great to get a win - at this time of the year you like to win and get ready for district play," said Sikeston tennis coach Brian James. ...

SIKESTON - If you are planning any sort of drive across Missouri this year, you may want to pick up one of the Missouri Department of Transportation's new maps - even if you already know how to get there. In addition to the statewide highway map published every other year, MoDOT recently made available a new companion piece: "A Guide to Major Missouri Highway Construction in 2001."...

SIKESTON - The Sikeston Bulldogs' baseball team continued its recent offensive swoon on Wednesday, falling to the Oran Eagles 7-2 at VFW Stadium. Not counting Tuesday's two-inning makeup game with Notre Dame, Sikeston has combined to score six runs in its last three games. The Bulldogs have lost all three...

Despite what Gov. Bob Holden thinks, Sen. Peter Kinder has the right idea. The topic is transportation and the problem is funding. Democrats in the Legislature want to hike taxes any where from $500 million to $650 million to fund the road improvements needed in Missouri. But Kinder, the president pro tem of the Senate, wants to cut the budget of other state agencies to free-up transportation funds. I like Kinder's idea much better than raising taxes...

60 years ago April 27, 1941 ORAN - Frances DePriest won the title of Miss Oran at the beauty pageant held at the Majestic Theater last week. SIKESTON - Harry Pratt Jr. departed Thursday for Sacramento, Calif., to establish a home for Mrs. Pratt, who will join him this summer...

Hats off to officers I'd like to SpeakOut in reference to whoever wrote the article about the East Prairie police. First of all, I'd like to say you don't pay them very well. I personally know that a lot of those officers live in public housing, which is a shame. ...