Stories from Wednesday, January 28, 2004

Dear Mike: In 1976 City Ordinance formed the Sikeston Department of Public Safety and the Department began to hire officers to fill both duties as fire fighters and police officers. The big push came in 1978 when then Director Ken Francis started an aggressive hiring process and offered a great compensation package ($8,500) per year. Ten officers were hired that year and four of us are still employed...

JEFFERSON CITY -- The New Madrid County R-1 School District along with dozens of school districts with a distinct point of view plan to intervene in a lawsuit challenging Missouri's method of funding elementary and secondary education. The lawsuit, filed earlier this month by 243 of Missouri's 524 school districts, claims the state spends too little on public schools and does not distribute the money fairly. ...

The Monster Truck Winternationals, sponsored by CFP.com, took place at the Show-Me Center in Cape Girardeau on Friday and Saturday night. Above: Bobby Holman, of Ohio, crosses the finish line after winning the Monster Truck drag races on Friday night. Holman also won Saturday night's drag race and won the freestyle competition. Sikeston's Beth Clayton makes a jump in quad racing on Saturday night. Clayton, who was the only female in the field, won her heat...

TOURNAMENT RESULTS INDIVIDUAL RECORDS WRESTLERS OF THE WEEK: Week 1: Cody Ryan Week 2: Lance Berry Week 3: Cody Weeks Week 4: Lance Berry Week 5: Scotty Keenan, Kyle Weeks Week 6: Joe Johnson Week 7: Malcolm Williams STATE RANKED WRESTLERS: Joe Johnson, No. 4 at 275...

This is a small Sikeston retail businessman and I would like to speak out against this proposed sales tax increase. I think it will destroy what little retail business we have left in Sikeston. I think city government needs to trim their budget, look at their salaries. Let's look at other ways to get by and live within the budget. Vote no against this sales tax...

BENTON - Candidates for Scott County offices can sleep in Feb. 24: a random drawing will determine the order in which opening-day filers appear on the primary election ballot Aug. 3. The random drawing procedure has been used in the past and worked very well, according to Scott County Clerk Rita Milam...

SIKESTON -- Although the annual Business Education Expo, provides an opportunity for the unemployed to find a job, it's also an opportunity to inform the public of the multiple businesses that operate each and every day in the Sikeston area. "A lot of the students -- and even many of the adults -- in town don't understand all of the things businesses do around here," noted Leslie Hardy, who works in human resources for DeWitt Co. ...

BENTON - Scott County's budget for 2004 will include a raise for county employees, but officers will do without. Scott County commissioners approved the county's 2004 budget during their regular meeting Tuesday following an open hearing for the budget...

Oh, by the way. There's a Democratic presidential primary in Missouri next week. Now granted, until the early retirement of Dick Gephardt, the rest of the Democratic pack had written the Show-Me state off as a waste of time. But now that Gephardt has taken to the sidelines, suddenly the whole host of candidates are finding time to visit the state...

BENTON -- The Missouri Department of Conservation will hold informational meetings in Dunklin, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot and Scott counties to discuss the new Idle Land Pilot Program. The program will provide landowners with an incentive payment to idle center pivot corners and other acreage on unproductive drought prone soils. More specific details will be provided by the MDC, Private Land Services staff...

MORLEY - Mr. and Mrs. Joe Tate of Morley are parents of a daughter born Thursday. SIKESTON - Work has started this week at the First Methodist Church o installation of the Schulmerich Carilons and Westminster bells, which have been given to the church by Mrs. H.J. Welsh and Mr. W.E. Derris...

To the LCRA chairman and the current council members: I appreciate the Council's efforts to educate the citizens of Sikeston on the upcoming funding proposals on the February ballot and their attempt to respond to former mayor Josh Bill's letter dated Jan. 14. I also acknowledge the Council's response dated Jan. 21, but I was disappointed in the content of your response because it lacked proper fiscal justification to inflate administrative salaries such a significant amount...

On Feb. 3, Sikeston voters can have a tremendous impact on our community's future when they consider a temporary 1-cent sales tax for construction of four new classrooms, one lab and a child care center at the Sikeston Area Higher Education Center, funding of the LCRA and to support staffing levels and programs at the Sikeston Department of Public Safety...

JACKSON - How many 3-pointers is enough? For the Sikeston Bulldogs, 12 won't cut it. For the second time in three games the Bulldogs canned 12 three-pointers, but came up short both times, This time they fell to the Jackson Indians on Tuesday night at Jackson High School, 54-49...

RISCO -- Gideon ran its winning streak to five games on Tuesday night, beating Risco on the road, 66-34. Chris Woodall led the Bulldogs with 22 points, followed by Josh Hollingshead with 13 and Ben Buchanan with 11. Gideon hit seven 3-pointers in the win...

CHARLESTON - Arnold U. Baker, 77, died at 3:45 a.m. Jan. 27, 2004, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Born Feb. 20, 1926, in Wyatt, son of the late Lindsey G. and Opha Mae Kennedy Baker, he lived in Mississippi County all his life and was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II. He was bus garage supervisor for East Prairie R-2 Schools and attended the First Church of God in East Prairie...

PUXICO - Jane Crisel, 60, died Jan. 26, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Born June 9, 1943, in Ash Hill, daughter of the late Glen and Geneva Wicks Sisco, she lived in Puxico most of her life. A 1960 graduate of Puxico High School, she graduated in 1992 from Southeast Missouri State University at Cape Girardeau. ...

SIKESTON - Vesta Blanche Bailey, 92, died Jan. 26, 2004, at her home. Born June 22, 1911, in Seymour, daughter of the late James Walter and Mamie Hicks Denney, she was a member of the First Baptist Church in Sikeston. She had served as pianist and later as organist for the First Baptist Church in Lilbourn for 20 years before moving to Sikeston. ...

PORTAGEVILLE - Jerry Wayne Lechenette Sr., 60, died Jan. 27, 2004, at his home in Portageville. Born May 8, 1943, at Portageville to the late Lewis and Stella Lineberry Lechenette, he worked for the McCrate Equipment Company for 16 years and for Noranda Aluminum for 26 years...

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Gordon DeWayne Frazier, 46, died Jan. 26, 2004, at his home in Memphis. Delisle Funeral Home of Portageville, Mo., is in charge of arrangements, which are incomplete.

SIKESTON - Dennis J. Crowley, 80, formerly of Chicago, Ill., died Jan. 28, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Nunnelee Funeral Chapel in Sikeston is in charge of arrangments, which are incomplete.

JACKSON - Steven Lee and Kristen Angeline Rhodes are the parents of their first child, a daughter, born at 2:17 a.m. Jan. 9, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Kaydi Grace Rhodes weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces and was 20 1/2-inches long...