Stories from Wednesday, October 15, 2003

Chism SIKESTON - Misty Watson and Tony Chism are the parents of their second child, first son, born at 6:10 p.m. Sept. 2, 2003, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. Devin Hunter Chism weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces and was 18-inches long. Watson, daughter of Kim and Gene Watson, is employed by the Depot BBQ...

Last year, Mrs. Mary Lynn Crader approached the SMARTS board of directors about bringing a local resident back home to perform for our area. After a short discussion, the board members wholeheartedly agreed that Hunter Moore and his talents would be a wonderful choice to share with the community...

EAST PRAIRIE - There may not be a matchup in all of Southeast Missouri where one team leads a series by as much as Charleston against East Prairie. The two teams have played 62 games over the years. The tally? Charleston 56. East Prairie 4. There were also two ties...

After another wild and crazy week of high school football, just one undefeated team stands in the SEMO Conference. It's not Mitch Craft and the Cape Central Tigers, not William Moore and the Hayti Indians, not Remond Willis and the NMCC Eagles or Jimmy Jackson and the Caruthersville Tigers...

JACKSON - The Sikeston soccer team fell to 7-10-1 on the season with a 3-1 loss to Jackson on Tuesday. After a scoreless half, Sikeston got the lead on a goal by Ryan Beaird at the 47:00 mark. He was assisted by J.R. Bizzell. But the lead didn't last as Jackson scored three goals in a 10 minute span...

SIKESTON - For a second time, city officials and civic-minded residents gathered for a roundtable meeting. Mayor Mike Marshall said Tuesday's meeting was city officials' effort at gathering input from the public about what the city is doing right or wrong...

EAST PRAIRIE - Ronald E. Williams died Oct. 14, 2003, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Shelby Funeral Home.

SIKESTON - Lila Mae Porter passed away Aug. 31, 2003, at her home. Born Sept. 1, 1929, in the Tanner community near Sikeston, she was the daughter of the late Ernest and Vielor Atnip Gray. She attended school at Tanner and graduated from Blodgett High School. After high school, she spent several years doing secretarial work...

BLOOMFIELD - Graveside services for Kathryn R. Etienne, 75, of Lilbourn, who died July 13, 2003, will be conducted at 11 a.m. Friday at the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield. Richards Funeral Home of New Madrid is in charge of arrangements...

PARMA - Dorothy E. Lowrey, 72, died Oct. 13, 2003, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Born Nov. 10, 1930, in Houlka, Miss., daughter of the late Leonard and Nannie Mae Gilliam Lowrey, she lived most of her life in Parma where she was a retired postal service employee and member of the First Baptist Church...

BENTON - Bobby Gene Beck, 67, died at 6:55 p.m. Oct. 13, 2003, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Born Dec. 13, 1935, in Hayti, son of the late Raymond and Nellie Beck Darnell, he was a truck driver for ABF for 32 years before retiring in 1998. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, he was a member of Excelsior Masonic Lodge 441 in Jackson and life member of VFW Post 3838 in Cape Girardeau...

DEXTER - Mary Frances Bergen, 64, died Oct. 14, 2003, in Dexter. Born Dec. 24, 1938, at Clinton, Ark., daughter of Ressie Godfrey Yoder of Dexter and the late Elmer Yoder, she was a waitress at the Hickory House in Dexter for many years. She was affiliated with Faith Fellowship Church in Dexter...

PUXICO - Truman Boyd Campbell, 79, died Oct. 13, 2003, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Born Feb. 26, 1924, in Puxico, son of the late Hobert Roy and Ester Crews Campbell, he was a lifelong resident of Puxico. He had been an iron worker and over-the-road truck driver before retiring. A member of the First Christian Church of Puxico, he was also a member of VFW Post 7822 in Puxico and the Teamsters Union. He was a deep sea diver on a sub tender while serving with the U.S. Navy...

CAIRO, Ill. - Margaret Berbling Bagby, 75, died at 2:16 a.m. Oct. 14, 2003, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Born April 28, 1928, in Cairo, daughter of the late Carl Wolffe and Mary Magdeline Cordova Berbling, she lived in Cairo her entire life except during the time she spent dancing as a Rockette at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, N.Y. ...

I don't know for a fact that marijuana has any medical benefit. But I do know that thousands of physicians believe it does and that 35 states thus far have approved legislation recognizing the medical benefits of marijuana. So it seems to me the federal government should cease its obsession with pot and move on to more important subjects...

MINER - Miner representatives are no longer limited on how long they may serve on the Sikeston-Miner Convention and Visitors Bureau board. Changes to the by-laws for the tourism cooperative funding agreement with Sikeston removing the limits were approved during the regular Miner Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday...

SIKESTON -- A Missouri State Highway Patrolman was injured Friday after a weapon he was handling accidentally discharged. At about 8:15 p.m. Friday, Missouri State Highway Patrol Sergeant David M. Markham received minor injuries to his left hand after the firearm he was handling discharged. Markham was off duty at the time of the accident and the firearm was not a state issued weapon...

SIKESTON - After only two months, Missouri Delta Medical Center's Sikeston Jaycee Regional Dialysis Center is running at full capacity for its two-shift schedule. The new dialysis center opened and began treating its first patient Aug. 11, according to Debbie Schuchart, nurse manager for the dialysis unit...

SIKESTON - Sikeston High School news: Red Pepper initiation, the event looked forward to by most of the girls in high school, took place Wednesday on the campus. Initiated were 16 freshmen, three sophomores, three juniors and one senior. SIKESTON - A group of local citizens will meet at the Mid-Towner to form a committee which would initiate plans for the establishment of a cultural center in Sikeston...

Here are the weekend race results from tracks around the area. SIKESTON DRAG STRIP SIKESTON -- Here are the results from the Sikeston Drag Strip on Saturday. In the Super Pro, Royce Thompson took home $5,000 when he worked his way through 120 entries of tough competition. Former points champion Gary Summers took second...

LAKE GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. -- The Bootheel Bassbusters held their final tournament of the year Oct. 3 and 4 at Lake Guntersville, Alabama. Mike Estes won the tournament with a two-day total of 13 lbs., 10 oz. Mitch Allen was second with 13 lbs., 7 oz. He also took big bass honors on both days...

SIKESTON -- A nonvoluntary truancy program has improved grades and increased attendance for students in its trial year in the Sikeston Public Schools. First implemented during the 2002-2003 school year, the Juvenile Court pilot program dubbed Truancy Court was created to reduce truancy and what is described as educational neglect among public schools...

The Democrats were really tough on Schwarzenegger and they said once you grope a woman you will do it the rest of your life. I guess they forgot the President who did worse than that, so I guess he will keep doing it the rest of his life. Do I have to say more?...