Stories from Friday, March 24, 2006

Chris Hawkins, 8, spends a day off from school raking his front yard Thursday morning. Sikeston students have been out of school for parent/teacher conferences since Wednesday afternoon.

CHARLESTON -- Charleston R-1's less than stellar -- although improved -- state achievement test scores among its low-income and minority students have grabbed the attention of its entire community. "It's important to open dialogue in the community as it relates to poverty-...

CHARLESTON -- Bricks dumped into Lateral 1 of Ditch 14 last fall are worse than an eyesore: they will make it impossible to mow the ditch bank. Commissioner Martin Lucas commented on the brick pile, which is visible from the roadway upon entering Charleston from the Boomland Interstate-57 interchange, during the regular county commission meeting Thursday...

CHARLESTON -- Within a 24-hour period, three possible drug-related deaths in Mississippi County ended with a shooting and stabbing incident in Charleston early today. Shawn Johnson, 39, of Cairo, Ill., was shot to death at a residence on South First Street in Charleston and pronounced dead at the scene around 2:30 a.m. today by Mississippi County Coroner Terry Parker...

SIKESTON - Ideas and suggestions flowed as residents, business owners and city and civic leaders met to form Sikeston's Main Street organization in an effort to revitalize the midtown area. Some 65 persons gathered Thursday evening to present their views in a town hall meeting and form the basis of the organization, similar to those which have benefited other communities...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Sikeston girls soccer team was edged on a Perryville goal early in the second overtime at the Noon Optimist Soccer Tournament at Notre Dame Regional High School on Thursday. "It's kind of a tough loss, but being the first game, we're just glad we stuck with this team," said Sikeston coach Derrick Long. "They were good last year, very good."...

ORAN -- The Oran Eagles' run of three straight Class 1 district titles was interrupted in 2005 when they were edged out by the Advance Hornets. Resuming its recent district championship dominance -- eight in 12 years -- won't be an easy task with experienced Advance returning all of its key players, but the Eagles certainly can't be counted out...

CHARLESTON - The East Prairie Eagles baseball team held on against the host Charleston Bluejays on Thursday afternoon, with a 8-7 victory to open the season. Leading 8-4 heading into the bottom of the seventh, Charleston rallied with three runs in the inning, but Tyler Branam closed the door for the Eagles, striking out Charleston's Nick Johnson with the bases loaded to end the game...

SIKESTON -- Awards and recognition continue to pile up for the Sikeston Bulldogs basketball team in the wake of the team's second place finish in the Class 4 state playoffs. Most recently, Sikeston finished ranked No. 1 in southeast Missouri according to the final SEMO poll, as voted on by the Southeast Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association...

SIKESTON - O.D. Clayton and family are now residing at 120 Maplewood Drive, property they recently purchased from Mr. and Mrs. Hubert Boyer. CHARLESTON - W. Clifton Banta, attorney for the R-1 Board of Education, reported that at no time prior to March 8, 1966, was there "any inkling" from the board's bond attorneys that there was anything wrong with a bond issue voted March 2, 1965...

How can some of these people go to the doctors and get anything they want? They take up all the samples. I've seen some people can't even get a sample, and if they do it's just one or two, and they can bring home a peck sack full. I don't think that's right. ...

Gee, Mr. Michael G. Marshall, Sikeston Mayor thinks the trains should move to the country. If memory serves me, I believe the railroad used to be in the country. The Delta Community Hospital was in the country and Marshall farm was in the country. The railroad didn't surround the little town of Sikeston, Sikeston surrounded the railroad. ...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Patricia Patrick, 34, died at 2:30 a.m. March 24, 2006, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Arrangements are incomplete at Shelby Funeral Home in East Prairie.

ADVANCE -- Carla Jo Brown, 41, died March 23, 2006, at Missouri Southern Healthcare in Dexter. Born Mary 15, 1964, at Fort Riley, Kan., daughter of Jerry and Yong Cha Kang Philpott of Kingman, Ariz., she was a homemaker. On Nov. 30, 1993, at Zalma, she married James Brown who survives of the home...

DEXTER - Alice Rebecca Aarant Combest Carney, 88, died March 22, 2006, in the Springfield Rehab and Health Care Center at Springfield. Born July 22, 1917, at Chidester, Ark., daughter of the late Minor Anthom and Mary Annie Long Aarant, she was a former nurse...

IMPERIAL -- Bernice Yvonne Sandlin, 85, died March 21, 2006, at the Jefferson Memorial Hospital in Crystal City. Born Feb. 12, 1921, in Flippin, Ark., daughter of the late John Fred and Grace Reed Flippin, she had lived in Dudley until 1979 before moving to Imperial...

SIKESTON - Louella Dowdy, 90, formerly of East Prairie, died at 3:05 p.m. March 23, 2006, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. Born Oct. 19, 1915, in Steele, daughter of the late Phines King and Grace Goodwin, she was of the Baptist belief. On Sept. 23, 1939, she married James Thomas Dowdy who preceded her in death on July 5, 1991...

CHAFFEE - Lucille Lee, 88, died March 23, 2006, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Visitation is at 4 p.m. Sunday at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Chaffee, where services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday.

Staff reports Standard Democrat SIKESTON -- The Sikeston golf team hosted New Madrid County Central in the season opener at the Country Club. After being rained and frozen out Monday today's weather seamed nicer. The team showed some promise today when they beat NMCC 192 to 202. Medalist for the dawgs was freshman Dakota Trevino with a six over par 41. Teammate Bill Green shot 44...

CHARLESTON -- An Illinois farming company will use a building of the former Brown Shoe Company for their horseradish operation. The sale of the newest of the Brown Shoe Company buildings to Keller Farms of Collinsville, Ill., was finalized at 11 a.m. Wednesday, according to City Manager Dave Brewer...