Stories from Tuesday, December 30, 2003

SIKESTON - Mr. and Mrs. Sherman Boone are the parents of their second child, born Dec. 14. SIKESTON - Five cars of a Frisco freight train were derailed by a broken rail on the Frisco Leachville sub north of Sikeston between Salecdo and Tanner Thursday. Only one man was injured...

I found a gift on the street "To Benji from Grandma." Call 472-0596 and identify. I think all places like Banner Medical, ContinuCare and other places where the disabled and senior citizens get their beds and breathing supplies (oxygen, nebulizers) from should, instead of throwing a big dinner for the doctors and clinics three or four times a year, they should buy their customers a small ham for Christmas because we are the ones who make their money because we use their products, not the doctors or nurses. ...

Head Start is among the handful of federal social programs that is viewed as successful by most Americans. There is growing evidence however that the federal program has less than a stellar track-record in boosting the early education success of its students but those numbers are subject to great debate. What is not subject to debate however is the tragic abuse of the program in Kansas City by its longtime director, one Dwayne Crompton who has headed the program there for 27 years...

SIKESTON - Vera F. Hawkins, 88, died Dec. 28, 2003, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. Born March 27, 1915, in Golconda, Ill., daughter of the late Charles E. and Mayme Barger Robbs, she was a member of Tanner Street Church of God in Sikeston. On Dec. 8, 1934, she married Lowell Hawkins who survives of the home...

CHAFFEE - Virginia Finch, 95, died Dec. 29, 2003, at the Chaffee Nursing Center. Arrangements are incomplete at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Chaffee.

DEXTER - Nathaniel Shelton Rhodes, 89, formerly of New Madrid, died Dec. 25, 2003, at the Crowley Ridge Care Center. Born Sept. 5, 1914, in Point Pleasant, son of the late Roy Lee and Eunice Vera Puckett Rhodes, he was a retired Farm Bureau Insurance agent...

MURRAY, Ky. - James Barry Finklea, 87, formerly of Dexter, Mo., died Dec. 28, 2003, at the Murray Calloway County Hospital in Murray. Born July 13, 1916, at Blytheville, Ark., son of the late John Edwin and Tera Gwen Godwin Finklea, he was a member of the First United Methodist Church and a 32nd degree Mason and a Shriner. He attended the University of Arkansas School of Engineering and was a land owner and farmer. During his lifetime, he was successful in many early improvements in farming...

EAST PRAIRIE - Hugh A. "Bob" Treadway, 64, died at 7:35 a.m. Dec. 30, 2003, at his home. Arrangements are incomplete at Shelby Funeral Home.

DEXTER - Pallbearers for services conducted Monday at Watkins and Sons Funeral Home in Dexter for Jesse Lee Neal, 84, who died Dec. 23, 2003, were: Gene Gaines, Daken Butler, Kevin Rippy, Shea McClure, Jeff Hatfield and Allen Maulding.

ST. LOUIS - Carl F. Schorle, formerly of Sikeston, died Dec. 24, 2003. Born Feb. 11, 1916, in Sikeston, son of the late Emmanuel and Beata Stuhr Schorle, he was a staff sergeant with the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II and worked for the Bank of Sikeston for 37 years following the war...

CAIRO, Ill. - John Wheeler Parnell, 55, died Dec. 26, 2003. Born July 25, 1948, in Charleston, son of the late Jimmie and Mildred Smith Parnell, he attended Cairo Public Schools and was of the Baptist belief. He was an assembly line worker for Burkhart Manufacturing in Cairo...

DEXTER - Jeremy Tyre "J.T." Wilson, 5-month-old son of James and Elizabeth Pruett Wilson of Dexter, died Dec. 27, 2003, at the Children's Medical Center in Dayton, Ohio. He was born July 18, 2003, in Sikeston. Survivors in addition to his parents include: his maternal grandparents, Dorothy and Steve Collins of Dexter and Brian Pruett of Bloomfield; paternal grandparents, Darlene and Mitch DePriest of Dayton and James Wilson Sr. ...

Grissom EAST PRAIRIE - Tonya Hatton and Colin Grissom are the parents of their second son, born at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 11, 2003, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Lucas Keith Mitchell Grissom weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces and was 19-inches long...

Summer Ray, an employee at FasGas, prepares to sell a lottery ticket Monday afternoon. Many people have been lining up to buy powerball tickets to try and win the estimated $210 million.

SIKESTON - The city's one-cent general revenue sales tax proposal invites the question: For what? "If you increase sales tax by one penny, what are you going to do with the money?" is what residents are asking, according to City Manager Doug Friend. "The primary concern that I've heard is the reserves are going to be built up and that we don't have a plan for those reserves."...

A Portageville High School cheerleader reacts after the Bulldogs held on to beat Bloomfield 61-60 Monday night at the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament. Portageville will play again tonight in the fifth place game at 5:30 p.m. while Dexter will play Twin Rivers for the championship at 8:30 p.m...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Charleston fell from the ranks of the undefeated on Monday night, losing 46-44 to red-hot Jackson in the semifinal round of the seMissourian Christmas Tournament. The Indians have now won 10 straight heading into tonight's championship game against Cape Central...

BLOOMFIELD - Familiar faces will meet up for the championship game of the 47th Annual Bloomfield Christmas Tournament on Tuesday. As expected, top-seeded Dexter made it to the finals with a workmanlike 72-51 win against No. 4 Doniphan on Monday. Third-seeded Twin Rivers pulled off a mild upset by defeating No. 2 East Carter County 74-64...