Stories from Thursday, December 1, 2005

NEW MADRID -- Pearl "Ma Pearl" Fowler Wilson, 95, died Nov. 30, 2005, at her home. Born Dec. 17, 1909, in Loretta, Tenn, the daughter of the late Will and Emma Fowler, she was a member of the General Baptist Church of New Madrid. Momma Pearl, as she was known by all, rocked her grand babies (as she called them all) for many years at Sue Sue's Day Care in New Madrid...

CAIRO, Ill. - William C. "Bill" Hafford, 63, died Nov. 29, 2005, at his home. Born May 1, 1942, in Cairo, son of the late Thomas and Kathryn Whitaker Hafford, he owned B & H Heating and Cooling in Cairo and was a member of the Cairo Lodge 237 AF&AM and was a York Rite Mason. ...

\EAST PRAIRIE -- Ella Mae Jackson, 72, died Nov. 29, 2005, at her home. Born Oct. 14, 1933, in Crittenden County, Ky., she had lived over 57 years in Missouri and was a member of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church of Wolf Island. On Dec. 3, 1948, in Lake County, Tenn., she married Luther Jackson who preceded her in death March 8, 2004...

BLOOMFIELD -- Mary Vivian Mayo Smith, 90, died Nov. 29, 2005, at Beverly Healthcare in Bloomfield. Born Dec. 23, 1914, in Idalia, daughter of the late John Oliver and Alta Kelly Alsup, she had spent her entire life in the Bloomfield community. She was married to Ralph Charles Mayo, and he preceded her in death. She later married Raymond Smith, who also preceded her in death...

WAYCROSS, Ga. - Gaston Allmon Jr., 76, formerly of Sikeston, Mo., died Nov. 30, 2005, at the Satilla Regional Medical Center. The son of the late Gaston Allmon Sr. and Lillie Viola Harkey Allmon, he was a native of Blytheville, Ark., and had lived most of his life in Sikeston but had lived in Armory, Miss., before moving to Waycross in 1982. He had been an over-the-road-truck driver for 40 years and was a member of the Youmans Chapel Baptist Church in Blackshear...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Eula "Sweetpea" Mitchell, 87, formerly of LaForge, died Nov. 30, 2005, at her daughter's home in Cape Girardeau. Born Jan 23, 1918, she was the daughter of the late Walter and Maudie Gay Faulkner. She was married to Louis Mitchell, who preceded her in death Nov. 26, 1985...

VERSAILLES, Ky. -- Nellie Bates, 92, formerly of Sikeston, Mo., died Nov. 27, 2005, at the Bradford Square Nursing Home in Frankfort. Born Sept. 26, 1913, in Rector, Ark., daughter of the late Sherman and Lucy Hahn Terrell, she retired from Rand-McNally and was a member of the St. Leo Catholic Church...

PUXICO - Hettie Lawrence, 82, died Nov. 30, 2005, at the Bertrand Retirement Home in Bertrand. Born March 14, 1923, in Snowball, Ark., to the late Lon and Lona Cochran Milam, she had lived in Dexter and Bernie and moved to Puxico in 1961. She had resided for three years in the nursing home...

BERTRAND - Susan Simpson Horner, 87, died Nov. 30, 2005, at the Bertrand Retirement Home in Bertrand. Arrangements are incomplete with Ponder Funeral Home in Sikeston.

Amy Whitten, a member of the First Assembly of God Church, sets up a Nativity display Wednesday. The Fifth Annual Indoor Nativity Display "A Night in Bethlehem" will begin Friday night at five area churches starting at 5 p.m. The Churches participating in the program are: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 827 Euclid; First Assembly of God, 306 S. ...

CHARLESTON -- Preliminary hearings were set Wednesday for two Mississippi County residents accused of being involved in the death of a Charleston man. Peggy Ann Austin, 40, of East Prairie and Jermaine Paige McGee, 35, of Charleston are scheduled to appear before Associate Circuit 33 Judge T. Lynn Brown at 10 a.m. Dec. 21...

Even as a devoted "news junkie," I'm getting tired of watching national television news these days. If you were an outsider and knew little of this country, you would believe there is no agreement on any subject in America. And, of course, you would be right...

I was one of the physicians at Ferguson Medical Group that recruited Dr. Askew over 30 years ago. The addition of his diligence, compassion and expertise in family practice was sorely needed in a group of mostly specialist. He and Dr. Ed Masters were practicing in Advance and were lured to Sikeston where they had quick and mostly undocumented consultation from other members of the group. ...

SIKESTON -- The Shops at Lake Crossing shopping center and the new Aldi's combined to make 2005 a year to remember for Sikeston commercial construction. Both Cape Girardeau and Jackson reported decreases in commercial building permits in 2005 as compared with 2004...

SIKESTON -- When it comes to preventing and educating the high-risk HIV/ AIDS communities, Southeast Missouri health officials have their work cut out for them. Unlike the state's other regions, which have a majority of cases clustered within a few counties, Southeast Missouri's cases are spread out with one or two cases in most of its 20 counties...

POPLAR BLUFF -- He may not be the biggest or the fastest player in the SEMO Conference but Dexter's Alex Becker was certainly the toughest. The 5-10, 170-pound senior who helped carry the 7-4 Bearcats to a district and SEMO Central titles was presented the Carr Trophy on Wednesday night at the 60th annual Poplar Bluff Letter Club Gridiron Banquet...

CAPE GIRARDEAU - Michelle Sims and Kenneth Starr are the parents of their first child, a son, born at 2:28 p.m. Oct. 27, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center's Family BirthPlace in Cape Girardeau. Mykah LaVelle Starr weighed 6 pounds, 3 ounces, and was 19 inches long...

Because Wal-Mart does not want to run the risk of anybody getting sick from eating food that has been setting out too long, Wal-Mart has to protect themselves from people who try to make a living out of suing someone. And there's always someone trying to sue for something. ...

SIKESTON - Mrs. Wyman Luten of Union City, Tenn. is the guest this week of her sister, Mrs. G. Moore Greer and her husband. SIKESTON - Mrs. Linda Dale Pickard holds the spotlight on the female lead in Sikeston L's current production of "A Thousand Clowns." In this previous Broadway comedy hit, Mrs. Pickard displays genuine talent in her portrayal of Dr. Sandra Markowitz, feminine social worker...