Stories from Friday, November 22, 2002

SIKESTON - Mrs. Reginald Harwell, assisted by Miss Betty Sue Leasler, will conduct a story hour at the public library Saturday morning at 9:45. SIKESTON - The Sikeston Community Chest campaign is in its final phase and the directors are hopeful that a last-minute push will succeed in bringing the total contributions up to the $40,000 goal...

It was a Friday, just like today. But our world was so much different. You could argue the world of 1963 was better in some ways. You could also argue otherwise. When John F. Kennedy was assassinated 39 years ago today, it's easy to argue that the world changed. Maybe that's just the emotions of my generation. Or maybe history proves that our world changed after that fateful day. We'll leave that to the historians...

I noticed the second or third picture of the Sikeston All-Star soccer team. I was under the impression that the all-star teams were supposed to be made up of mixed grades. I was under the impression that first graders should be included on the A team as well as the B and C teams...

Five awards were presented to area farmers and four families in the area were honored at the 32nd Annual Farmers Recognition Banquet Thursday night. Here, Auctioneer Jeff Sutton signals a bid during the auction. Dan Jennings of Sikeston was named the Marketing award winner. The 2002 Farm Woman of the Year is Donna Thompson. Chris Porter was named the 2002 Jaycee Outstanding Young Farmer Award recipient. The Sikeston Area Chamber of Commerce Agri-Business Service Award went to Kenny Vowels...

Officers with the Sikeston Department of Public Safety look over an accident Thursday afternoon on Highway 61, just south of Sikeston. The accident, which occurred at 4 p.m., involved three cars and injured several people. One driver was flown to Barnes Hospital in St. Louis with serious injuries while other injuries were minor to moderate in nature. The Missouri State Highway Patrol and DPS reconstructed the accident Friday morning to determine the cause...

SIKESTON -- 'Tis the season to be thrifty. That's the jingle American consumers appear to be singing this holiday season, although some national retailers might refer to it as "being stingy." From 1990-2000, overall consumer gift spending for people in other households dropped 9.8 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars, according to the Consumer Expenditure Survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics...

CHARLESTON - Mississippi County commissioners rescinded last week's approval of an agent letter of record for Blue Cross-Blue Shield health insurance. "If anybody wants to bid on it, fine," said Jim Blumenberg, presiding commissioner. During their previous meeting commissioners approved a request from Mitchell Insurance designating them the county's agent of record for Blue Cross-Blue Shield, giving them exclusive rights to provide Blue Cross-Blue Shield insurance to the county...

SIKESTON - The Sikeston Department of Public Safety is spending months developing procedures and policies on a program they hope never to implement. During Thursday's meeting of the Sikeston Area Chamber of Commerce, DPS Director Drew Juden explained the AMBER Alert program, which provides a rapid reaction in the case of a child abduction...

CHARLESTON - Paul E. Hulshof, 68, died at 8:25 a.m. Nov. 22, 2002, at his home. Arrangements are incomplete at McMikle Funeral Home.

PORTAGEVILLE - Russell "Skip" Henry, 66, formerly of East Prairie, died Nov. 21, 2002, at his home. Born June 26, 1936, in Wolf Island, son of Esther Forrester Henry of East Prairie and the late James R. Henry, he retired as supervisor of the Missouri Department of Transportation Portageville office...

DEXTER - Sarah Denise Williams, 24, died Nov. 21, 2002, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. Born Dec. 21, 1977, in Dexter, she was the daughter of Wayne Coonts of Chaffee and Sherrie Ellis Montgomery of Dexter. On Sept. 5, 1999, in Dexter, she married Kevin Williams who survives of the home...

ST. LOUIS - The Rev. James Kennedy Sullivan, a former priest of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, died Oct. 27, 2002. Ordained in 1965 for the diocese, Sullivan served the diocese as an associate pastor in St. Agnes Cathedral Parish at Springfield, St. Francis Xavier Parish in Sikeston and St. Augustine Parish in Kelso. He also served as a high school principal and teacher before joining the staff of the Marist Brothers Renewal Center in Fribourg, Switzerland...

SIKESTON - Bell Lane, 88, formerly of Charleston, died at 3:21 p.m. Nov. 21, 2002, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. Arrangements are incomplete at McMikle Funeral Home in Charleston.

NEW MADRID - Preston Lafon died Nov. 21, 2002, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Arrangements are incomplete at Richards Funeral Home in New Madrid.

EAST PRAIRIE - Olivia "Irene" Allen, 87, died at 6:09 p.m. Nov. 21, 2002, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Arrangements are incomplete at Shelby Funeral Home, where visitation will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday. Services will be conducted at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home...

SIKESTON - Robert Gene Harris Sr., 59, died Nov. 20, 2002, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. Born May 16, 1943, in Charleston, son of the late Joseph Lee and Vera Louvie Harris, he was a U.S. Army veteran and had been a truck driver. He married Carolyn LaComb who preceded him in death...