Stories from Thursday, June 3, 2004

BERTRAND -- Barbara and Charles White have announced the engagement of their daughter, Holly Renee, to Brian David Cohen, son of Benny Cohen of Sikeston and the late Doris Faye Cohen. A 1994 graduate of Sikeston Senior High School, the future bride earned her Master of Arts in communication disorders from Southeast Missouri State University in 2000. A speech pathologist, she is the regional director of operations for Rehab Systems of Missouri LLC in Dexter...

EAST PRAIRIE - Brenda Shewmaker, 52, died June 3, 2004, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Arrangements are incomplete at Shelby Funeral Home in East Prairie.

CHARLESTON -- James M. "Jim" Alstat, 62, formerly of DeSoto, Ill., died at 6:26 a.m. June 1, 2004, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Born Aug. 19, 1941, in DeSoto, son of Viola Alberta Hicks Alstat of DeSoto and the late Frederick Louis "Fritz" Alstat, who died March 3, 2004, he was a member of Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in DeSoto and Teamsters Local #347 of West Frankfort, Ill. He had served as a trustee of the Village of Cambria, Ill...

SIKESTON - Orliner Taylor, 78, died May 28, 2004, at her home. Born Nov. 15, 1925, in Evadale, Ark., daughter of the late Isaac and Goldie Armstrong McGee, she lived in Missouri for more than 20 years and was of the Baptist belief. In 1938, she married Willie Taylor Sr. who preceded her in death...

EAST PRAIRIE - Ernest Ray "Bo" Weems, 77, died at 2:30 a.m. May, 31, 2004, at his home in East Prairie. Born Oct. 16, 1926, in Ridgely, Tenn., to the late James Irl and Beulah Odell Stinnett Weems, he resided in Mississippi County for the past 32 years. He had worked for Ralston Purina and retired from the Wilbert Vault Company in St. Louis. After moving to East Prairie, he worked as a farmer and his favorite past time was fishing. He was a member of the Full Gospel Church in East Prairie...

SIKESTON - Euda Russom, 89, died at 4:45 a.m. June 3, 2004, at the Miner Nursing Center. Nunnelee Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements which are incomplete.

SIKESTON - Pallbearers at services conducted Wednesday at Nunnelee Funeral Chapel for Shirley Marie Hopper, 57, of Oran, who died May 30, 2004, were: M. Hopper, Jeremy Worley, John Worley Jr., Kenneth Worley Jr., David Worley and Wayne Worley.

MALDEN - Curtis Ray Moody, 73, died June 1, 2004, at the Beverly Health and Rehabilitation Center in Malden. Born Aug. 11, 1930, at Leachville, Ark., son of the late Urban and Lillian Pleasant Moody, he was a graduate of Clarkton High School. A graduate of the University of Missouri with a bachelor of science degree in agriculture, he was a school teacher in East Prairie, Bloomfield, Perryville and retired from teaching in 1997 from Clarkton High School. ...

MALDEN - Curtis Ray Moody, 73, died June 1, 2004, at the Beverly Health and Rehabilitation Center in Malden. Born Aug. 11, 1930, at Leachville, Ark., son of the late Urban and Lillian Pleasant Moody, he was a graduate of Clarkton High School. A graduate of the University of Missouri with a bachelor of science degree in agriculture, he was a school teacher in East Prairie, Bloomfield, Perryville and retired from teaching in 1997 from Clarkton High School. ...

CHARLESTON - Hazel S. Bethune, 97, formerly of Sikeston, died at 10:10 p.m. June 2, 2004, at the Charleston Manor. Born Aug. 27, 1906, in Sikeston, daughter of the late Jesse P. and Mary Etta Holland Weekley, she lived in Sikeston and Scott counties most of her life. She retired as a supervisor for the International Shoe Company and was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Sikeston...

SIKESTON - L.E. King, 82, died June 2, 2004, at the Clearview Nursing Center. Born Dec. 27, 1921, in Searcy, Ark., son of the late Homer Lee and Blanche Anne Pate King Sr., he was a farmer for many years before retiring. A World War II veteran of the U.S. Army, he was a member of Henry Meldrum American Legion Post 114 in Sikeston and the First Baptist Church in Canalou...

ZALMA - William H. "Bill" Moit, 94, died June 1, 2004, at the Puxico Nursing Center. Born April 17, 1910, at Chaffee, son of the late William H. Moit, he retired as a railroad worker and had also been a farmer. On May 1, 1945, in Greene County, Ark., he married Mary Nation who preceded him in death on June 30, 1999...

MORLEY - Quentin C. Ingram, 82, died June 1, 2004, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Born July 26, 1921, in Wardell, son of the late Timothy Waltrop and Leona Hampton Ingram, he was a retired truck driver. In November 1941, at Wardell, he married Joyce Delk who preceded him in death on March 13, 1999...

I don't know who Verlin Hopper is but I read their letter. That person certainly has their head screwed on right. They want to know things everybody else wants to know. When the girl who was with Kennedy drowned, it was told that she was pregnant. There are a lot of questions that need to be answered by the Democrats. ...

SIKESTON - Pfc. Trentis R. Stovall of the U.S. Marines has had a change of address, which probably indicates he is now at sea somewhere. --- SIKESTON - Bill York, the 18-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. W.H. York, will leave Saturday to report to Jefferson Barracks for induction into the Army Air Forces...

DEXTER -- Allen Fry has announced the engagement of his daughter, Heather Renaee, to Roger Allen Malloy, son of Roger and Kim Malloy of Essex. A 2002 graduate of Dexter High School, the future bride will begin the radiology technician program at the Southeast Missouri Hospital College of Nursing and Health Sciences this fall. She is a travel consultant at Entertainment Tour Design in Dexter...

With a new economic development director on board in Sikeston as of this week, it's time for the entire community to think creatively of ways to attract industry and retail growth to our community. That creative thinking may require revenue and it may require sacrifice. But without this strong effort, I fear our efforts will face an uphill battle...

SIKESTON -- Results of Tuesday's Sikeston Area Youth Baseball League action were as follows. Dylan Mason and Paden Cook each stroked two hits in two at-bats to lead Dairy Queen to its shutout victory. First Midwest Bank's last-inning rally from a 12-7 deficit fell just short in the one-run loss...

SIKESTON - Tennis enthusiasts, there's still time to put your skills on display this weekend at one of the area's finest open amateur tennis tourneys. The entry deadline for the Ed Nunnelee Memorial Tennis Tournament, originally set for Wednesday, has been extended to Thursday at 7 p.m...

COLUMBIA -- For the second straight game, Oran had to come from behind to pull off a Class 1 state baseball playoff win. And while the Eagles' 8-2 comeback victory against Bevier on Wednesday in the semifinals at Taylor Stadium was not as dramatic as their quarterfinal win against Thayer, it did catapult them into the championship game for the second straight year...

SIKESTON - Potential plus a positive attitude is the recipe for success in Sikeston, according to Ed Dust, Sikeston's new director for the Department of Economic Development. "I'm very excited about being here," Dust said during his first day on the job Wednesday. City Manager Doug Friend announced Dust's appointment to the position May 25...

SIKESTON -- It's pretty and blue and so inviting to young children, but water is also a huge danger. Just ask the parents of the 900 children who died last year from drowning. "Kids are naturally attracted to water because they see the beautiful, blue crisp water, and it draws them in. They don't know they can't go in it -- they think they will float," said Heidi Crowden, coordinator of the Cape Girardeau Area Safe Kids Coalition...

COLUMBIA - The Sikeston Bulldogs baseball team is hoping the third time is a charm when they begin their quest for a state championship tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. The Bulldogs (26-1) are set to take on the Ozark Tigers (27-4) at Taylor Stadium in Columbia in a Class 3 semifinal game...