Stories from Sunday, February 29, 2004

KILLEEN, Texas - Darius Oshea Coleman, 5-month-old child of Gyrone R. Giney and Alicia Coleman, died Feb. 23, 2004, in Texas. Born Sept. 14, 2003, at Temple, she had been in ill health since birth. Survivors in addition to her parents include: her grandparents, Lucille and Larry Coleman of Missouri; and great-grandparents, Odell and Rosie Kent, also of Missouri...

BLOOMFIELD - Dow D. Kingree died Feb. 27, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Chiles-Cooper Funeral Home in Bloomfield.

SIKESTON - Samantha Camille "Sammy" Thomann, 83, died at 5 a.m. Feb. 27, 2004, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. Born on March 7, 1920, in Portageville to the late Benjamin Arthur and Lillie Mae Bodi Tanner, she was a supervisor of the sewing department for 32 years at International Shoe Co. ...

CHAFFEE - G.F. "Bill" McFerron, 83, died Feb. 27, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Born Nov. 14, 1920, in Advance, son of the late Abner Faster and Grace Edith Bollinger McFerron, he served with the U.S. Army in China, India-Burma Air Offensive in Japan during World War II and received the Bronze Star. ...

SIKESTON - Pallbearers for graveside services conducted Saturday at Garden of Memories Cemetery for Edgar J. Johnson, 96, of Memphis, Tenn., and formerly of Sikeston, who died Feb. 26, 2004, were: Richard Montgomery, Will Montgomery, Ed Cheek, Lee Wilson, Samuel Wilson and Troy Wilson...

MOREHOUSE - Vendol Abernathy, 74, died Feb. 27, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Born Oct. 3, 1929, in Poplar Bluff, son of the late Joseph Matthew and Sarah Elizabeth Phillips Abernathy, he lived in Morehouse most of his life. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Korean War, he was a retired truck driver and member of the Oneness Pentecost Church in Morehouse...

DEXTER - Robert Thelmo "Bob" Chism, 58, died Feb. 26, 2004, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Born June 7, 1945 at Clines Island, he was the son of the late Thelmo and Imogene Springs Chism. He was employed by Allen Christian Buick in Dexter for 25 years and lived in Dexter and Bloomfield most of his life...

ADVANCE - Dennis Harvey Stevens, 84, died Feb. 26, 2004, at the Advance Nursing Center. Born Nov. 8, 1919, in Bell City, son of the late Matthew and Melinda Nicholson Stevens, he was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II. A member of Bethel General Baptist Church near Advance, he retired from McCabe Powers Body Co., where was a painter for 20 years...

CAPE GIRARDEAU - With the Dexter Lady Bearcats trailing 24-5 after one quarter of play, impartial fans lingering from the previous boys district title game started making their way to the exits. What they missed was perhaps the most thrilling finish in a girls game this season on Friday night at Notre Dame High School...

NEW MADRID - Just how wide open in the MSHSAA Class 3 District 1 boy's bracket at New Madrid? Just ask the coaches. "You're looking at a district that probably on a given night 1-6 can go win any game," Twin Rivers coach Jim Vaughan said. "We were kidding around at the seeding meeting that you could play three tournaments and probably have three different winners," Doniphan coach Shawn Gibbs said...

POPLAR BLUFF - East Carter's defense of the Class 2 state title begins next week as the first round of the MSHSAA District 2 Tournament gets underway at the Black River Coliseum. The Redbirds' postseason run started last season at the Coliseum with a win over Advance in the finals and continued all the way through the state championship game...

BELL CITY -- Bell City senior setter Whitney Abner, a first team All-State selection, has recently signed a letter of intent to continue her education and volleyball career at Shawnee, Ill. Community College in Ullin. "I'm excited about the opportunity to continue my volleyball career," said Abner. "Shawnee has a quality program and it's relatively close to home."...

SIKESTON -- It's easy to miss the shop run by Nelson Berbling at 105 N. Kingshighway in Sikeston. There's no flashing neon lights or even a sign out front. It blends in between Kirby's Sandwich Shop and another business to its side. But as passers-by like Jennifer Rivers learn, once inside, visitors immediately take a step back into time...

BENTON -- Confusion reigned Friday as sheriffs across Missouri struggled with when, whether and how to begin taking concealed gun applications from residents following a complex ruling by the state's highest court. Sheriff departments in Southeast Missouri are taking the wait-and-see attitude...

SIKESTON - While it's hard to walk away from a winning formula, sometimes a change is just what's called for to bring new energy to an enduring event. "We wanted to see new faces, to get more people involved," said Larry Carroll, technical chairman for the telethon. "We do have a lot of new faces this year - a lot of new bands...

NEW MADRID - Mr. and Mrs. Furgison Hunter of New Madrid are parents of a son born Tuesday at St. Francis Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Their second son, he is their third child. SIKESTON - Kingshighway Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution announced winners of the American history essay contest in the fifth and sixth grades of the public schools. Winners were: Mark Adams, fifth grade, South Grade School; and Lee Austin Bowman, a sixth grade student at Lee Hunter...

After reading several letters and opinions of the citizens and officials of Sikeston, one thing is pretty clear. There is no consensus as to what direction this town will go towards. Our Section 8 housing issue is so overwhelming, and yet, the letter I read in Wednesday's paper seems to have the idea that the problem is the "slumlords" not being given the chance to upgrade their dilapidated properties; and that if we would just give them the chance, they'd be glad to throw thousands of dollars in towards making those needed repairs, and that, in turn, would stimulate the local economy with jobs, and the purchase of local lumber, sheetrock, roofing supplies, insulation and so on and so on. ...

MORLEY - Chris Pullen racked up 26 points to lead the Scott Central Braves past the Delta Bobcats Friday night 76-60 in the regular season finale for both teams. The win put the Braves at 13-12 for the season. The Braves came out strong in the opening quarter with Pullen setting the pace with 11 points...

CAPE GIRARDEAU - One day after Chicago Cubs fans destroyed the Steve Bartman baseball that cost the team the World Series last fall, the Dexter Bearcats exorcised their own demons on Friday night at Notre Dame High School in the Class 4, District 1 Tournament...

SENATH - Senath-Hornersville improved to 15-6 on the season, winning the last home game with a 69-34 rout of district foe Holcomb on Senior Night. The Lions connected on seven three-pointers in the first half and held a commanding 49-15 lead at the break...

Sikeston's Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority is about to publish the first list of 35 homes in Sikeston scheduled for demolition. This newspaper was provided that list this week and it will appear in the newspaper as soon as possible, pending some last-minute decisions on the properties in question. The property owners were notified in writing this week...