Stories from Friday, October 1, 2004

The New Madrid County Central High School Junior Class hopes to leave the Caruthersville Tigers "crying all the time" as the school celebrates the '50s during their Homecoming Parade Thursday night at Lilbourn. The Sophomore class won the float competition with the Juniors earning second place and third place going to the Senior class...

Mike Brown, a Sikeston Public Schools employee, paints the south endzone Thursday afternoon for Homecoming. The Bulldogs will play the Farmington Knights today at 7 p.m.

ORAN -- Faculty and administrators at Oran R-3 School District didn't have to petition for Missouri's top official for public education to visit their school -- they just had to score really high on their Missouri Assessment Program tests. Fourth grade teacher Kristina Roslen pointed out Thursday's visit by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Kent King felt almost like the President of the United States was coming to the school...

EAST PRAIRIE - A passenger in a vehicle involved in an accident on Sept. 9 has died from his injuries. The Missouri Highway Patrol reported James Bramlett, 17, of East Prairie was pronounced dead at 3:51 a.m. Thursday at the St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Bramlett had been a passenger in a one-vehicle accident which occurred at 6:55 p.m. Sept. 9 on Highway 102, three miles east of East Prairie...

Dan Rather and his media company believed their research was factual. Please explain why this situation is worse than the Bush Administration relying on faulty reports about Iraq. Which research did the most damage? Bush's blunder is destroying our country...

DUDLEY - Betty Jean Kerley, 53, died at 8:02 a.m. Sept. 30, 2004, at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Born Dec. 12, 1951, in Sikeston, daughter of the late Frank and Margaret Howard Ross, she was a member of Providence Missionary Baptist Church at Rock Hill...

POPLAR BLUFF - Deloma "Toots" Colwell, 80, died Sept. 29, 2004, at The Cedargate in Poplar Bluff. Born Aug. 14, 1924, in Fisk, daughter of the late Everett H. and Ossie A. Walker Hall, she lived in Arizona before moving to Poplar Bluff in 1992. She was a retired business owner...

By their own admission, Republicans believed the tax cuts would create a short surge in the economy timed to kick in just before the presidential elections. They also knew the artificial spending spree was caused by refinancing homes because of lower interest rates. It's all smoke and mirrors...

The Sikeston Area Humane Society would like to thank everyone who sponsored and attended our Summer Gala and made it such a wonderful success. Special thanks to Richard and Christy Montgomery, Felecia Blanton and everyone on the planning committee. Benefactors: Animal Health Center, Brad and Courtney Bedell and Blanton, Rice, Sidwell...

BERNIE - Nancy Imogene Barnes, 76, died Sept. 30, 2004, in East Prairie. Born Oct. 27, 1927, in Carroll County, Tenn., daughter of the late H.F. and Annie Meal Tate Sr., she retired from Brown Shoe Company in Bernie and was of the Baptist belief. On Oct. 2, 1946, at Corinth, Miss., she married Grady Barnes who preceded her in death on Aug. 7, 2000...

EAST PRAIRIE - J.P. Bramlett, 17, died at 3:15 a.m. Sept. 30, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Born Jan. 6, 1987, at Shawnee, Okla., son of Randy O'Dell Bramlett of East Prairie and Janet Denise Parsons Bramlett of Troy, Tenn., he was a senior at East Prairie High School. He was a member of Elm Street Baptist Church in Charleston...

DONIPHAN - Rosemary Christine Bowen, 56, died Sept. 28, 2004, at her home. Born July 28, 1948, in Blytheville, Ark., she was the daughter of the late Bruce O. and Willodene Ferguson Martin. In 1967 in Richland, S.C., she married William Bowen, who survives of the home...

ST. LOUIS - Herbert A. Luippold Sr. died Sept. 29, 2004. A veteran of World War II, he was a 55-year member of Carpenter's Union Local No. 5 and past commander of VFW Post 4202. Survivors include: three daughters and sons-in-law, Pamela J. and Daniel Pugh, Beverly and Mark Stevener and Laura and Phillip Roemmich; one son Herbert A. Luippold Jr.; six grandchildren, Heather, Sarah, Stephanie, Ashley, Rachel and Brittany; and one great-grandchild, Nino...

SIKESTON - James C. Simpson Jr., 58, formerly of Mississippi County, died at 10:45 a.m. Sept. 30, 2004, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. Born March 26, 1946, in Diehlstadt, son of Beulah D. Poley Everly of Charleston and the late James C. Simpson Sr., he was a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam war and member of Sikeston Eagles Aerie 3319. He was of the Baptist belief...

DONIPHAN - Rhonda Wright, 38, died at 4:42 a.m. Sept. 30, 2004, at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Born Sept. 30, 1966, in Charleston, daughter of Wilburn E. Pendergrass of Naylor and Reba Faye Woods Barnett of Sikeston, she was affiliated with Tanner Street Church of God in Sikeston...

DEXTER - Mabel E. George, 89, died Sept. 30, 2004, at the Crowley Ridge Care Center. Born March 22, 1915, in Winston County, Miss., daughter of the late William Steven and Nannie Farish Clay, she lived in Ravenden Springs, Ark., for 20 years, where she was a life member of the Order of the Eastern Star and returned to Dexter in 1989. She was of the Methodist belief...

ESSEX - Justin and Kimberly Wheeler are the parents of their first child, a daughter, born at 2:05 p.m. June 28, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Aubrey Eve Wheeler weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces and was 21-inches long. The former Kimberly Wilson, Mrs. Wheeler is the daughter of Pamela Thompson of Murray, Ky., and Kenneth Wilson of Paris, Tenn. She is employed by First Security State Bank...

DELTA -- Sikeston girls softball team wrapped up its winningest regular season ever with a 5-3 decision over Delta on Thursday. The Lady Bulldogs (15-4), with Class 4, District 1 play opening on Monday at Jackson, currently have one more win than the 1981 squad, coached by Connie Spears, which went 14-4...

DEXTER - Dexter seemed to win every long rally last night against the Sikeston Lady Bulldogs as the Lady Bearcats pulled out a 25-17, 25-13 win at home Thursday night. Dexter maintained control of both games against the Lady Bulldogs, but the matchup between the two teams was closer than the scores would lead you to believe...

SIKESTON - The Sikeston girls tennis team lost a home match to Kennett, 5-4 on Thursday. "We played hard -- we are gaining experience and hopefully it will pay off next year," said Sikeston coach Lynne DeWitt. Sikeston will play at Cape Central on Monday at 4 p.m...

MORLEY - Capt. Carmen "Pug" Mize has been home on furlough visiting his brother, Bill Mize of Morley. Mrs. Mize was with her husband but they returned to his camp Sunday. NEW MADRID - Chaburao Fakkadrao Avad, a sugar cane and cotton farmer from Maharashtra Statem, India, is spending three weeks in New Madrid County. ...