Stories from Friday, February 15, 2002

The attorney general's office in Florida is on the hunt for a suspicious person and they have vowed to find the culprit and bring charges at the appropriate time. This is an interesting case of unmasking a fraud. Millions of dollars are on the line which makes the mystery even more tantalizing...

BLOOMFIELD - Mildred E. Crowe, 92, died Feb. 14, 2002, at the Beverly Health and Rehab Center in Bloomfield. Born April 6, 1909, in Dexter, daughter of the late Emerson A. and Rena Ross Patterson, she was a member of the Church of Christ and was a lifelong resident of Stoddard County...

SIKESTON -- The Sikeston Department of Public Safety is advising Sikeston residents that for the next few weeks they will be testing the city's weather sirens. A message informing the community that the broadcast is only a test will come prior to the sounding of the sirens. Anyone with questions can call Sikeston DPS at 471-6200...

Steve Hamilton of Chris Cakes catches a pancake during the Raben Tire Company's Customer Appreciation Pancake Day Friday morning. Hamilton, who is from Louisburg, Kan., flipped more than 3,000 pancakes during the five hours. This is the 11th year for the pancake day...

SIKESTON - Whatever the changes in the tax code each year, one things remains the same: when it comes to filing, the earlier the better. "I always encourage the taxpayers to prepare their returns on the 'sooner' side than the 'later' side," said Jeff Miles, a certified public accountant with the Bucher, Essner and Miles firm...

SIKESTON - "Electronic filing has a lot of benefits, and it's 'today,'" said Kay Cain, franchise owner of the Sikeston H & R Block. Available since 1986 through an authorized provider, computer filing is finally gaining widespread popularity. "Over the last few years, the IRS has been advertising it pretty heavily," said Phil Cluck of Fax-Tax, who has been filing returns electronically for his clients since opening in 1990...

SIKESTON - Scott Waters, 80, died Feb. 15, 2002, at his home. Arrangements are incomplete at Ponder Funeral Home in Sikeston.

Employees of the Sikeston Department of Public Works set forms for a retaining wall at the Sikeston Sports Complex. Above average rainfall and soil erosion caused the gutter and parts of Stephens Street at the water drainage culvert to collapse. Stephens Street will be closed until the road is repaired...

This is in response to local business personnel being called "stupid." Stupid is what stupid called personnel trying to perform their job to the best of their ability and the way they can do it. The one who called SpeakOut about being stupid "is."...

SIKESTON -- The Class 3A District 1 girls basketball tournament will take place at the Sikeston Field House next week, beginning on Monday and finishing up with the championship game on Friday. Once again Doniphan has picked up the top seed and has received the first-round bye. For the last four years, the Donnettes have dominated the district. But this year the race for the title appears to be wide open...

SIKESTON -- Sikeston's girls basketball team ended the regular season with a 51-34 win over Delta on Thursday. All three seniors on the Lady Bulldogs' roster contributed to the final score on Senior Night, with Summer Ray finishing with 13, Tyrese Wims adding four and Jaime Medlin contributing three...

STEELE - The New Madrid County Central Eagles improved to 22-3 on the season with a 94-26 whipping on the road of South Pemiscot on Thursday. NMCC led 32-9 after one quarter and 56-14 at the half. The Eagles' substitutes played most the entire second half...

BENTON - "The Scott County Jail is old and is showing signs of wear, but all in all we still have a very secure facility," said Sheriff Bill Ferrell during what he hopes will be the last annual report on the present facility. Ferrell submitted his report on county jail conditions to 33rd Judicial Circuit Judge David Dolan Thursday in accordance with statutory requirements...

SIKESTON - The Sikeston Head Start center is moving - to another location in Sikeston, that is, and is slated to settle into its new home this fall. Delta Area Economic Opportunity Corporation Head Start, headquartered in Portageville, purchased property for the new center on Feb. 1...

COLUMBIA -- Sikeston's three qualifiers competed in the first round of the Class 3A state wrestling tournament on Thursday at the Hearnes Center in Columbia. Kyle Weeks (125), Cleveland Anthony (130) and heavyweight Joe Johnson all lost their first round matches, but Weeks and Anthony went on to win their wrestle-back matches to stay alive in the tournament...

BLOOMFIELD - Mildred E. Crowe, 92, died Feb. 14, 2002, at the Beverly Health and Rehab Center in Bloomfield. Born April 6, 1909, in Dexter, daughter of the late Emerson A. and Rena Ross Patterson, she was a member of the Church of Christ and was a lifelong resident of Stoddard County...

PORTAGEVILLE - Jessie Belle Sanders, 102, died Feb. 14, 2002, at the Portageville Nursing Center. Born July 14, 1899, in Middle, Tenn., daughter of the late Perry and Margaret Davidson Hickman, she attended the Pentecostal Church in Marston. She was married to Bose Threlkeld, who died on Feb. 27, 1974...

ORAN - Delores Ann Mansell, 67, died at 12:15 a.m. Feb. 14, 2002, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Born Feb. 22, 1934, in St. Louis, daughter of the late Robert Mansell and Mariam Phillips Scott, she retired as a phone sales representative for Window Sales Companies in St. Louis...

DEXTER - Eddie Jones, 49, died Feb. 14, 2002, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Born Aug. 10, 1952, in St. Louis, son of the late Paul N. and Juanita Duke Jones, he was a gun refinisher. Survivors include one brother, Brad LeRoy Jones of Dexter, and one sister, Sheila Matney of Dexter...

MATTHEWS - The Matthews Pirates claimed a 37-29 win over Risco here last night. BENTON - An estimated $2.1 million must be added to the Scott County valuation to follow an order from the state tax commission. Assessor Alred Halter said the order states real estate values must be raised a minimum of 25 percent...

CHARLESTON - After nearly three years of being back in service, the future of the Dorena-Hickman Ferry is in jeopardy. Commissioner Martin Lucas informed the Mississippi County Commission during Thursday's meeting that Gov. Bob Holden has eliminated the ferry's funding for the current fiscal year as part of his budget cuts...

LILBOURN - Patricia Ann Newsom, 53, died Feb. 13, 2002, at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. Born Jan. 27, 1949, in Marston, daughter of Lola B. Lee of Howardville, she attended public school in Howardville. She was a member of Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church in Lilbourn, where she sang in the senior choir and was president of the Women's Missionary Union. She was employed as a private duty nurse and formerly worked with Meals on Wheels...

CHARLESTON - Kenya Murray and Daval Green Sr. are the parents of their fifth child, third son, born at 5:45 a.m. Jan. 10, 2002, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Zaquarius Leevontrez Green weighed 4 pounds, 7 ounces and was 17-inches long...