Stories from Wednesday, August 6, 2003

Thank God our President has taken a strong stand against homosexual marriages. He is for a law banning such marriages and has taken a stand for traditional marriage. This will mean he will probably not get the support of the gay rights crowd for reelection. He is also for banning partial birth abortion. In fact, he is pro-life. That means he will not be supported by Planned Parenthood or NARAL (National Abortion Rights Action League) for reelection...

We're just five days away from the first high school football practice. Most players, coaches and fans are excited about the upcoming season, which officially starts on Sept. 5. For me, one of the most interesting things of each football year is seeing how the conference races unfold...

Here are the weekend race results from tracks around the area. SIKESTON DRAG STRIP SIKESTON - Super Pro winner Ken Parris, who out-lasted a large crowd of Super Pro cars late in the night, dialed 5.24 and had a reaction time of .517. He ran 5.25 at 132 mph. Royce Thompson dialed 6.10 with a reaction time of .510. He ran 6.10 at 110 mph...

It seems to me that George Bush has a strong desire to bring this country to war and keep us in war all the time. The economy has done badly under George Bush. I would like to see Bill Clinton back in office. Clinton may have been unfaithful to his wife, but that's personal problems, that's between a husband and his wife. ...

SIKESTON - W.U. Myers, Sikeston agent for the National Life of Vermont, finished the fiscal year of the company in eighth place among more than 1,200 agents and general agents in the country. SIKESTON - Roy W. Ragains, superintendent of schools for Scott County R-5, announces that all schools in the district will open Aug. 15...

SIKESTON -- Standing in an aisle of school supplies amidst other parents and children, Sabrina Banks was concentrating hard on her son's school supply list she'd picked up when she entered the store. "It seems like the list gets longer each year," laughed Banks about her son's supply list. "And it adds up."...

SIKESTON - Ask Rob Clay what the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo's general chairman does and he quips: "Answers the phone." Then he grins and adds: "No really, I take care of the administrative matters, coordinate work parties and everything that goes on in each individual area - from making the application to the PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association) to making up the budget."...

DEXTER - A suspect remains at large after being pursued by the Dexter Police Department. According to reports, the Sikeston Department of Public Safety notified the Dexter Police Department of a stolen white 2003 Chevrolet 1-ton pickup truck, which DPS believed was headed toward Dexter. A shotgun and pistol were reported to be inside the vehicle...

BENTON - Despite a recent incident at the jail, Scott County commissioners say jail staffing levels are right in line with other area jails. Presiding Commissioner Martin Priggel said during Tuesday's county commission meeting that two weeks ago and prior to an altercation at the jail July 26 in which a jailer received a fractured hand, he had asked presiding commissioners in Cape Girardeau, Stoddard, Mississippi and Butler counties for statistics on the number of law enforcement employees and the average number of prisoners held. ...

CHICAGO, Ill. - Georgia Anna Pullen Orr, 78, formerly of Bell City, Mo., died Aug. 1, 2003, in Chicago. Born Nov. 27, 1924, in Bell City, daughter of the late J.C. Pullen Sr. and Floia Montgomery Pullen, she retired as a registered nurse for St. Joseph Hospital...

ANNISTON - Kenny Hudson, 58, died at 3 a.m. Aug. 6, 2003, at his home. Born May 22, 1945, in Anniston, son of the late Luther and Bernice Pond Hudson, he lived in Anniston all his life. He was employed by the Stanley Muffler Company in East Prairie...

CHARLESTON -- Leonard A. Boyd, 73, died Aug. 2, 2003, at his home. Born Jan. 22, 1930, in Charleston, son of the late Joseph and Dillie James Boyd Sr., he graduated from Lincoln High School in 1949. A 1959 graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and business management from Lindenwood College in St. ...

KINGWOOD, Texas - Marie Swanagon, 81, died Aug. 3, 2003, in Kingwood. Born July 7, 1922, in Sikeston, Mo., daughter of the late Bertie and Ishem Lewis, she grew up in Sikeston and was a graduate of Sikeston Senior High School. In 1941, at Sikeston, she married Hal Swanagon who preceded her in death...