Stories from Tuesday, December 2, 2003

NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, Texas - Emma Kinder, 90, formerly of Dexter, Mo., died Dec. 1, 2003, at North Richland Hills. Born Oct. 19, 1913, in Bernie, Mo., she lived in Dexter for many years, where she had been employed by Elder Manufacturing and was a member of the Second General Baptist Church...

ADVANCE -- Amanda Jill Johnson and Jeramy Shane Roberts exchanged wedding vows in a Sept. 6, 2003, ceremony before the Rev. Tom Zych at the Advance United Methodist Church. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John F. Johnson Jr. of Advance and parents of the bridegroom are Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Groves of Morehouse...

CAMP MAXEY, Texas - Cpl. Herbert C. Kindred, who has been with the Army on maneuvers in Louisiana, has been transferred from Camp Van Dorn, Miss., to Camp Maxey. HAYTI - An experiment is being conducted in the Bootheel to determine if sugar beets can be grown. Final results will be known in a matter of days...

SIKESTON -- Sikeston's girls basketball team opened the season on Monday night with an impressive 59-50 win over Doniphan. The Lady Bulldogs trailed by one with 2:50 left in regulation, but ended the game with 10 unanswered points to seal the win. "The kids just gave everything they had," said Sikeston coach Lee Brooks. "Anytime you can beat a quality team like Doniphan, you have to be excited."...

ORAN -- Dominitrix Johnson scored 36 points, leading second-seeded Bell City to an 84-43 win over Richland in the first round of the Oran Tournament on Monday night. The 6-foot senior guard put up 18 points in the opening quarter as Bell City jumped out to a commanding 28-6 lead. The Cubs then outscored Richland 26-16 in the second, 22-19 in the third, then 8-2 in the fourth...

DEXTER - Allen Claude and Jenny Rebecca Below are the parents of their second daughter, born at 8:45 a.m. Nov. 4, 2003, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Molly Caroline Below weighed 5 pounds, 8 ounces and was 18-inches long. The former Jenny Keller, Mrs. Below is the daughter of Rex and Donna Keller and Judy Duckworth of Dexter. She is employed by the Stoddard County Cotton Company...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Soldiers in the Cape Girardeau-based 1140th Engineer Battalion have received mobilization orders to support the war in Iraq and will report to several armories across Southeast Missouri on Jan. 3. The Missouri National Guard made the announcement Monday, just days after ordering the soldiers to Perryville on Saturday and Sunday for "belt-line inspections" in case they were called up. ...

Dee Yarbrough decorates one of her bedrooms preparing for the third annual Christmas Homes Tour. The tour is scheduled from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday. There are four homes on the tour which cost $10 each. Tickets are available at the Sikeston Depot or they may also be purchased from any board member...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Brian and Teresa Golden have announced the engagement of their daughter, Jennifer, to Matthew Skelton, son of Kent and Donna Skelton of Jackson. The future bride, granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Billy Dicus of Sikeston, is a 2002 graduate of Cape Central High School...

The federal government has ended a program started immediately after Sept. 11 that required tens of thousands of Middle Eastern men and boys to register with the government. Since its inception, over 83,000 foreigners have complied with the mandate and some were deported for expired visas. What we'll never know is just how many others were forced to leave this country out of fear the program would uncover a checkered past. And for that reason, I'm disappointed the program was discontinued...

SIKESTON - Nora Mae McMullin, 84, died Dec. 1, 2003, at her home. Born May 4, 1919, in Elkhart, Ill., daughter of the late James A. and Angeline Morris Cowgur, she had attended high school in Matthews and graduated in 1937 from Sikeston High School. A member of the First United Methodist Church of Sikeston, where she had served as a Sunday school teacher in the nursery, she was also a Gray Lady volunteer at Missouri Delta Medical Center and was involved in the Sikeston Little Theater...

BERTRAND - Mary Doris Coulter, 68, died at 2:45 p.m. Dec. 1, 2003, at her home. Born Dec. 17, 1934, in Columbus, Ky., daughter of the late Richmond and Mary Mae Burton Crane, she lived in Mississippi County most of her life and was of the Baptist belief...

DEXTER - Bill B. Layton, 80, died Nov. 29, 2003, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Born May 2, 1923, in Malden, son of the late W.B. and Elsie Tuttle Layton, he retired as a truck driver for Campbell 66 and was a member of the Dexter Hospital Auxiliary. He served with the 1901st Aviation Engineers in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II and was engaged in the invasion of Okinawa...

EAST PRAIRIE - Jessup Earl Ukiah Willis, 4-year-old son of Jessie Earl and Beria Renee Hale Willis of East Prairie, died at 7:15 a.m. Nov. 28, 2003, at St. Louis Children's Hospital. He was born Aug. 13, 1999, in Sikeston. Survivors in addition to his parents include: two sisters, Paige Danielle Willis and Teri Loran Willis of the home; paternal grandparents, Anita Faye Willis and Clifford Dewayne Duty of East Prairie; maternal grandparents, Retta Renee Hale of Wyatt and Christopher Eugene Vinson of Bertrand; paternal great-grandparents, Jake and Helen Jacobs of East Prairie; and his maternal great-grandparents, Lawrence and Mary Lou Vinson of Wyatt.. ...

I was driving down South West Street late last night and observed someone raking a big pile of leaves across some people's driveway (I guess who lived behind them) because I saw the person run into a house on the corner of the other street. If you are a victim of this crime I will be glad to help you with this matter. Just leave your number in SpeakOut and I will go to the police or whatever because I know you were blocked in and unable to get out of your driveway on Tuesday morning...

SIKESTON - The Sikeston Public Works Complex on Northwest Street will soon have room to grow. During its regular meeting Monday, City Council conducted the first reading of a bill which, if approved, will authorize an arrangement to receive the property immediately north of the complex in lieu of $70,000 owed to the city by the lot's owner, Riggs Inc. The lot presently has a building used for many years by McCord and Associates next to the old animal shelter...