Stories from Thursday, December 18, 2003

SIKESTON - A 14-year-old juvenile remains in custody after being arrested Tuesday for making a bomb threat at Sikeston Junior High School. According to Sikeston Department of Public Safety Director Drew Juden, the suspect was a former student at the school. ...

SIKESTON - Sikeston's ninth grade basketball team won its second game of the season on Wednesday, beating Kelly 48-42. Blake Taylor led the Bulldogs with 14 points, followed by Cameron Wiggins with 10 and Joe Moore with 10. "We struggled through the game a little bit, but we came up in the fourth quarter and really got aggressive defensively and offensively," said Sikeston coach Chris Sarakas. "We learned a little bit from Monday night's close game and pulled it out at the end."...

SIKESTON -- Family and friends of Joe and Dorothy Ruhl gathered Oct. 18 at the Clinton Building in Sikeston to celebrate the couple's golden wedding anniversary. Ruhl and the former Dorothy Slaughter were married Oct. 22, 1953, at Hernando, Miss. More than 60 people joined in the celebration which was hosted by their daughters, Barbara Britt of Excelsior Springs, Marilyn White of Piedmont, Judy Robison of Nixa, Debbie Hill of Springfield and Carolyn Asmus of Oran...

SIKESTON -- The Rev. Jimmy and Tamra Griggs have announced the engagement of their daughter, Priscilla Ann, to Nathan Wayne Brooks, son of Keith and Terri Brooks of Rusk, Texas. The couple will be married in a 2 p.m. ceremony Saturday at the First Apostolic Church at Dialville, Texas...

PASADENA, Calif. - When the robot explorers Spirit and Opportunity attempt to land on Mars in January, their flight controllers will guide them down with the benefit of having had some practice in Tom Shain's simulators. As one of his last tasks as logistics manager for the Mars Exploration Rovers program, Shain is now using a couple hundred tons of sand and rock to recreate to the best of his ability the surface of Mars...

PORTAGEVILLE -- Angella Michelle "Shelly" Kellams and John Christopher Priggel exchanged wedding vows in a 5 p.m. ceremony July 26, 2003, at St. Eustachius Catholic Church in Portageville. The Rev. Derek Swanson performed the double-ring Mass. The bride is the daughter of Rex and Melissa Pullum of Portageville. She is the granddaughter of Kelly and Loretta Kellams and Patricia Pullum of Portageville and Troy and Carol Davidson of Florence, Ala...

EL DORADO, Kan. -- Former New Madrid County Central football standout Brian Murph recently helped the Butler County Grizzlies win the 2003 Junior College National Championship. Butler County, located in El Dorado, Kan., defeated Dixie State 45-38 in the title game on Dec. 6 in St. George, Utah. Murph had four catches for 101 yards in that game, with a long of 42...

SIKESTON - Evelyn Lois Howard, 74, died Dec. 16, 2003, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. Born Feb. 19, 1929, in Bennett Township in Clay County, Ark., daughter of the late John Wesley and Effie Bell Hinkle Jordan, she had attended the United Pentecost Church in Sikeston. She had been a nurse aide at Missouri Delta Medical Center and in-home care before retiring and was a member of Eagles Aerie 3319 Ladies Auxiliary and VFW Post 3174 Ladies Auxiliary in Sikeston...

MATTHEWS - James E. Ross, 63, died at 1:30 a.m. Dec. 17, 2003, at his home. Born Oct. 19, 1940, in Dardanelle, Ark., son of the late Frank and Margaret Howard Ross, he had worked for National Lock in Sikeston for 20 years and was a member of the Matthews Church of the Nazarene...

LILBOURN - Peter Douglas Collier, 50, died Dec. 16, 2003, at his home. Born Nov. 13, 1953, in Sikeston, he was the beloved son of Nadine Adams Collier, of the home in Lilbourn and the late Clyde Douglas "Speedy" Collier. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Lilbourn, where he participated as an usher and acolyte before he became ill...

NEW MADRID - Roscoe S. Malone, 82, died Dec. 14, 2003, at Beverly Healthcare in New Madrid. Born Oct. 1, 1921, at Clarksdale, Miss., son of the late Ben and Josie Malone, he was a farmer. He was a veteran of World War II and member of Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church in New Madrid...

SCOTT CITY - Donnie Lee Hillman, 59, died at 7:11 p.m. Dec. 16, 2003, at her home. Born June 20, 1944, in Illmo, daughter of the late Frank L. and Ella LaDon "Sally" Summers Bles, she was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Scott City and VFW Ladies Auxiliary Post 3838 in Cape Girardeau...

PAINTON - Marcia Kinder, 90, died Dec. 15, 2003, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Born Nov. 5, 1913, in Ullin, Ill., daughter of the late Gabriel and Georgia Goodman Rendleman, she graduated from Bell City High School in 1932 and was a member of the Mesler Baptist Church...

SIKESTON -- Martha Jane Tanner, 79, died at 5:05 a.m. Dec. 17, 2003, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. Born Dec. 26, 1923, in Bowling Green, daughter of the late Thomas and Effie Moss Stoner, she graduated as salutatorian from Blodgett High School in 1942 and worked in the cafeteria for Sikeston Public Schools. A life member of the Disabled American Veteran's Ladies Auxiliary, she was a member of the Fellowship Baptist Church...

CONRAN - William "Jackie" Townsend, 65, died Dec. 16, 2003, at the Charleston Manor. Born March 27, 1938, in Conran, he was the son of the late John D. and Ruthie R. "Becca" Haney Townsend. Survivors include: four brothers, Pete Townsend of Conran, Hawk Townsend and Ed Townsend of Kirkwood and Don Townsend of Mobile, Ala...

SIKESTON -- Parents as Teachers programs are just one of many state programs reeling from this year's budget cuts in education, leaving several school districts to feel the budget crunch. Gretchen Berhorst, supervisor in Early Childhood Education at the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, said she definitely thinks PAT programs statewide are feeling the $4.5 million loss this school year...

The 2003 Community Christmas Campaign delivered baskets to nearly 200 area families in need Wednesday. Joining the delivery effort were City of Sikeston employees. Loading trucks for the first delivery of the day are Bill Nance, Gary Allen and Bill Paxton...

JACKSON - Jonathan Mark and Jessica Lynn Allred are the parents of their first child, a son, born at 5:50 a.m. Nov. 14, 2003, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Jacob Chandler Allred weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces and was 19-inches long...

The State of Missouri is finally getting tough on an issue that has bewildered me for quite sometime. The issue is uninsured motorists on Missouri roadways. And the problem is much larger than you can imagine. In the past two years alone, the Department of Revenue has suspended the drivers' licenses of over 10,000 Missourians because they lacked insurance on their vehicles. ...

DEXTER - Dewayne Acton, 74, died Dec. 17, 2003, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter.

BERTRAND - Elzie Pemberton, 86, died at 5:30 a.m. Dec. 18, 2003, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. Arrangements are incomplete at Shelby Funeral Home in East Prairie.

PARMA - Pallbearers at services conducted Wednesday at Watkins and Sons Funeral Home for Agnes Walls, 84, who died Dec. 14, 2003, were: Rodney Walls, Rick Patterson, Billy Walls, Damon Walls, Rayvan Patterson and Derek Emmons.

ORAN - Emma Guzman, 64, died Dec. 17, 2003. Arrangements are pending at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Oran, where visitation begins at 4 p.m. Sunday. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Monday at Guardian Angel Catholic Church in Oran.

EAST PRAIRIE - Ann Bennett Evans, 67, died at 2:23 a.m. Dec. 18, 2003, at Baptist East Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. Arrangements are incomplete at Shelby Funeral Home.

SIKESTON - Work of decorating the Gables, a new night club on Highway 60 West between Sikeston and Morehouse, is being completed with the owner, C.E. Patterson, planning to have the club open for the Christmas holidays. Patterson was one of the owners of the original Gables...

I think we're fighting a war that is more worthy to be fought since World War II. I was in Korea and Vietnam. Look at all the innocent people Hussein killed. He even took his own sons-in-law's heads off and sat them in front of their houses until the dogs carried them away. Yes, we have a president I'm proud of. I'm way up in years, but you're going to have a hard time beating George Bush. He's a Godly man and we have to keep this man as long as we can...

A benefit auction will begin at 8 p.m. Friday at Dixie's (formerly Diana's Lounge) 2301 E. Malone Ave. behind China Pearl. Proceeds will benefit George and D.J. Parr who lost their 8-week-old daughter, Katie, Parr to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) on Nov. 15...