Stories from Tuesday, March 5, 2002

FARMINGTON -- New Madrid County Central is now just two victories away from a third consecutive state championship. The Eagles qualified for the Class 3A Final Four on Monday night, beating St. Francis Borgia 84-65 in the quarterfinal round. The game was originally scheduled to be played at the Farmington Civic Center Saturday, but was moved to Monday due to inclement weather...

This is for the person who said they would like the clerk to count the money back to you. I hate to disappoint you, but most of them can't even count, which is the reason they don't count the money back. If you have something that's $1.86 and you give them $2.01 because you don't want any pennies back, you really blow their mind...

KELSO - Thelma Ward Moore, 85, died at 6:40 a.m. March 4, 2002, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Born March 26, 1916, in Randles, daughter of the late William A. and Hattie Paralee Harmon Sledge, she worked in the skiving department for the Florsheim Shoe Company. She was a member of the Fairview General Baptist Church in Arbor...

You've probably heard by now that the state has - for the second time - double-issued a batch of child support checks. A total of 133 checks totaling $63,000 were mistakenly sent twice to recipients last week. That's not nearly as bad as the $1.2 million in double payments mistakenly made late last year. Let's hope the state soon rectifies this costly snafu...

SIKESTON - Walter Kearbey, 91, died March 4, 2002, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Arrangements are incomplete at Ponder Funeral Home.

BENTON - Brian Woodrow Rickman, 25, died March 4, 2002, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Arrangements are incomplete at Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Bernie.

ADVANCE - Claudine M. Lorch, 81, died March 3, 2002, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Born June 4, 1920, in Advance, daughter of the late Oscar and Nelle Cawthon Tippett, she was a 1937 graduate of Advance High School and taught at Swan Pond and Hickory Ridge rural schools. She was employed by the Bank of Advance for 35 years, retiring as senior vice president and was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Advance...

SCOTT CITY - Margaret Francis Cope, 60, died at 7 a.m. March 4, 2002, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Born Aug. 30, 1941, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of M. Madeline Bader of Zalma and the late Alvin Ray Stoffregen, she was a member of the Church of Christ in Scott City...

PAGOSA SPRINGS, Colo. - John Larry McGowan, 67, formerly of Dexter, Mo., died March 2, 2002, at the New Mercy Medical Center in Durango. Born Dec. 21, 1934, at Rolla, son of Lillie Swanson McGowan of Buffalo, Mo., and the late John Leonard McGowan, he was a member of the First Baptist Church in Pagosa Springs and former member of the First Baptist Church in Dexter. He retired as a district sales manager for Shelter Insurance in Southeast Missouri...

EAST PRAIRIE - Mary E. Denton, 84, died at 7:10 p.m. March 3, 2002, at the East Prairie Nursing Center. Born April 8, 1917, in Columbus, Ky., daughter of the late Carl Boswell and Gertrude Hite Hall, she lived in East Prairie most of her life, where she was a member of the First Baptist Church...

BLUE SPRINGS - Amney May Riley Franks, 69, died March 4, 2002, at he home. Born July 30, 1932, in Greenville, Miss., daughter of the late D.B. and Amney Haynes Riley, she graduated in 1950 from Kewanee High School and attended the University of Missouri-Columbia and Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. She was an office manager for a real estate firm and a member of the United Methodist Church...

STE. GENEVIEVE - Dannie E. Clark, 54, died March 2, 2002, at Ste. Genevieve Memorial Hospital. Born Sept. 28, 1947, son of the late Edmond and Fannie Groves Clark, he was assistant superintendent of Ste. Genevieve School District and the former A+ coordinator and high school principal for the district. He was a member of the Rotary Club and Elks Lodge 2674 in Ste. Genevieve...

JACKSON - Eureda May Hendershott, 52, died March 3, 2002, at her home. Born Nov. 19, 1949, in Sikeston, daughter of the late Warren and Eureda Robinett Powers, she was a consultant for ICON. On Sept. 15, 1969, in Sikeston, she married Marshall Hendershott who preceded her in death on May 16, 2001...

ST. LOUIS - David Lee McSwain, 54, died March 4, 2002, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Born Jan. 13, 1948, in Cape Girardeau, son of the late James Lee and Mary Magdalen Burger McSwain, he was a computer programmer for Ralston Purina, Peabody Coal, Brown Shoe Company and Enterprise Rent-A-Car in St. ...

SIKESTON - A "blighting study" will be conducted in Sikeston to identify where the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority will begin its efforts, according to city officials. Sikeston City Council members appointed Herman Gardner, Mike Bohannon, Terry Bryant, Alan Keenan and Brian Menz to the LCRA Review Committee during Monday's meeting...

SIKESTON - City Council members adopted a resolution establishing the policies and guidelines for using the new community services building at the recreation complex as recommended by staff during Monday's meeting. Among the terms listed in the policies and guidelines:...

SIKESTON - Scott County Central School District will add a little character to its curriculum next year. Recently, the school district, along with the Bell City R-II School District, was the recipient of a character education grant awarded by Characterplus, a program of the St. Louis area Cooperating School Districts...

SIKESTON - Joe Leslie has opened an insurance office at the Scott County Milling Company building, taking one room in the suite now occupied by attorney W.P. Wilkerson. SIKESTON - Miss Ellen Sarno, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Samuel Sarno, was notified she has been accepted for the fall term at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. She has applied to several other schools, too, and will wait to hear from them before making her final choice...

SIKESTON - The last time the Bell City Cubs were in the state playoffs none of the players on this year's team were even born. So if there were any nerves on the part of Bell City in Monday's Class 1A Regional game at the Sikeston Field House, it didn't show...

An open letter to the Matthews and Sikeston area voters of the New Madrid R-1 School District. Back in the late 1960s, voters in the Matthews School District were given the choice of consolidating with the New Madrid R-1 School District or Sikeston R-6. ...