Stories from Sunday, April 23, 2006

SIKESTON - The national commander of the American Legion will speak at the April 26 noon luncheon meeting hosted by Sikeston American Legion Post 114. Thomas L. Bock, who was installed as national commander during the August convention in Hawaii, represents the 2.7 million members of the American Legion, the largest veterans organization in the United States...

WEST PLAINS -- The Sikeston Lady Bulldogs blanked the host West Plains Lady Zizzers 3-0 in the Lady Zizzers Soccer Tournament on Friday. The Bulldogs, seeded No. 3, scored all their goals in the first half against the sixth-seeded Zizzers. Alli son Blurton opened the scoring with a goal off an assist from Abbi Keefer at the 20-minute mark...

Scott County Associate Circuit Judge David Mann speaks to students at Oran High School Friday. With prom for the school planned for this weekend the judge was invited to speak to the students. Mann gave the junior and seniors at the school a scenario, then let them become judges and sentence the "defendant." Through the process those attending learned about the fines and penalties for different offenses...

BENTON - A Morehouse woman was arrested Friday on drug charges. Linda Kay Gillean, 53, has been charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to the Scott County Sheriff's Department...

MALDEN -- Whether it's the gas mileage or the thrill, more and more people are taking up motorcycle riding. "There's been quite a bit of an increase," said Lynn Sullenger, who, along with partner Rick Earnheart, is an instructor for Bootheel Motorcycle Training. "There's been a pretty good increase in motorcycle registrations across the country."...

CHARLESTON -- It's not every day you get to see 14 pianists playing on seven pianos, which is why anyone who missed "Piano Praise" performances Saturday may want to consider catching the final show today. "It's a very unusual sound, and to hear that many pianos and then put the pipe organ with it, it's perfectly gorgeous," said pianist Betty Copper Hearnes, who plays in the event...

SIKESTON - The first home grown strawberries of the year were reported as being picked Tuesday afternoon from the garden of Police Judge F.R. Smith on North Kingshighway. MATTHEWS - A federal grant of $32,197 has been allocated to the R-5 school district for a reading program for slow learners and related services. The grant came through the state department of education under Title I of the federal elementary and secondary education act...

I don't know what's going on, but they're cutting all the good trees on these ditches. There's some beautiful trees, fine trees. It would be all right if they cut the brush. I saw some wood ducks screaming and carrying on. They took their tree down with their nest in it. ...

Two rules: Never go to bed angry and never write a newspaper column angry. I'm about to break that second rule. I'm reading about the Senate bill approved in Missouri this week that would require Missouri voters to show a government-issued ID when they vote beginning in November. ...

DEXTER - The girls athletic program at Dexter is on the rise and the track program is a good example of that. Head coach Jill Becker and assistant coach Daniel Sexton have built a solid program and two seniors are finishing up quite a career. Natalie Hayes and Mallory Kennedy have become pillars of the Lady Bearcats track program over their four years in high school...

SIKESTON -- The Sikeston Bulldogs' roller coaster season continued on Friday afternoon as they were stifled by the Farmington Knights, 9-2 at VFW Stadium. One day after lighting up the scoreboard with 14 runs and three home runs on Thursday against Fredericktown, the Bulldog offense went quiet against the Knights, managing just six hits...

VERO BEACH -- Vero Beach Dodgers infielder Blake DeWitt has made a full- time move to second base from third base. "It's going pretty well," DeWitt said. "It took me a while in spring training to get things under my belt again. So far, so good I guess."...

CHARLESTON -- Host Charleston fell 7-0 to Blytheville (Ark.) in the inaugural game of the Mississippi County Wood Bat Tournament on Friday at Hillhouse Park. The Bluejays (3-9) managed only two basehits against the Blytheville pitching duo of Kyle Thaxton and Tim Betts...

ORAN -- Scott County tournament Oran eased by Malden 11-1 in five innings at home to earn a spot in the semifinal round of the tournament. The Eagles (12-3) will meet Dexter, a 4-1 winner over Senath-Hornersville, today at 11 a.m. at Oran. Kody Campbell led Oran's offense with two doubles and a triple. ...

ORAN -- Oran High School will have its fourth basketball coach in the past five seasons next season after coach Jason Andrews recently resigned his post. Andrews guided the Eagles to the Class 1 District 2 title game this past season in his second year at the helm. The Eagles fell to eventual state runner-up Bell City...

SIKESTON - Johnetha Turner and DeMarcus Thatch are the parents of their first child, a son, born at 1:18 p.m. March 20, 2006, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. JaMarcus De'Shaun Thatch weighed 8 pounds and was 20 inches long. Maternal grandparents are John Rhoden and Betty Turner...

RISCO -- Mr. and Mrs. Steve Landers of Risco and Vanessa Landers of New Madrid have announced the engagement of their daughter, Jennifer Denise Landers, to Yevgeny Vladimirovich Sokolov, son of Vladimir Sokolov and Tatiana Sokolova of Ivanovo, Russia...

PHILADELPHIA -- Patricia Ann Bashley and Paul E. Rowe Jr. have announced their engagement. A 1973 graduate of Lilbourn, Mo., High School, the future bride is the daughter of Leroy Bashley and Alice Bashley. She graduated in 1978 from Ft. Wayne Business College in Ft. Wayne, Ind., and works as a site acquisition administrator for General Dynamics in Philadelphia...

SIKESTON - Kristy Moore, PHR, has joined Ferguson Medical Group as the new director of human resources. "We are very pleased to add someone of Kristy's caliber to our management team," said Kelley J. Rushing, CMPE, chief executive officer. "She comes very highly recommended. We believe she will bring new innovations and a flexible management style for our human resources department to build upon. I am confident our employees will find her to be personable, fair and a person of integrity."...

SIKESTON - Kelly Golightly, front desk and transcription supervisor with SEMO Health Network, is the February employee of the month. At the award presentation Golightly praised the work of SEMO Health NEtwork. "SEMO is very dear to my heart. I know this organization helps a lot of people who would otherwise not have medication or medical coverage," she said. ...

Morlan Dodge Inc. was named the April Sikeston Area Chamber of Commerce's SACC Spirit Award winner. Presenting John Morlan, right, and Kelly Walker with the placard is Missy Marshall, executive director of the SACC. The award stands for superior attitude, customer service and community spirit...

CHARLESTON -- Paul Wilson Barnes, 80, died at 9:15 p.m. April 20, 2006, at his home. Born Aug. 25, 1925, in Acron, son of the late Billy Wilson and Ivy Stevenson Barnes, his family moved to Cairo, Ill., in 1931. At the age of 18, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy serving from November 1942 through November 1945. A resident of Charleston for 50 years, he was a member of the Charleston VFW Post 4294, affiliated with the Baptist Church and a co-owner of the IGA grocery store until his retirement...

BERTRAND -- Willie Dale McMillen, 53, died at 4:45 a.m. April 21, 2006, at his daughter's home in Bertrand. Born June 8, 1952, at Granite City, Ill., son of the late Willie Gray and Mahala Christine Hill McMillen, he had lived most of his life in Mississippi County where he worked as a truck driver, in plumbing, and for T & S Farms near Charleston until his retirement in 2003. He was a member of the Church of God of Prophecy in Charleston...

BERNIE -- The Rev. Arvil Edward Edmonds, 76, died April 21, 2006. Born Sept. 19, 1929, at Phil Campbell, Ala., son of the late Virgil Woodrow and Lydia Pinkard Edmonds, he was ordained a General Baptist Minister in March 1969 and began his pastorate at the Vinson General Baptist Church. He served in East Alton, Ill., Wichita, Kan., Tyler, Texas, Bell City, Beach Grove, Gray Ridge, and Circle City. He was also in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Korea...

NEW MADRID -- Selina Long Reed, 70, died April 20, 2006, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Born April 12, 1936, in Hazelhurst, Miss., daughter of the late Bennie and Ola Mae Johnson Carley, she married Willie C. Long who preceded her in death in 1992...

PORTAGEVILLE -- Hershel Roosevelt Travelstead, 78, died April 20, 2006, at his home. Born May 18, 1927, in Ridgley, Tenn., son of the late Rosa Lee Pyle and Fred Roosevelt Travelstead, he was a member of the First Baptist Church in Portageville. A spray technician, he had retired from Cypress Supply Co. in Portageville...

SIKESTON -- The Rev. Robert Gene "Bob" Burnes, 73, died at 5:20 p.m. April 20, 2006, at Clearview Nursing Center. Born March 4, 1933, in Union City, Tenn., son of the late Robert and Lillie Neisler Burnes, he lived most of his life in Sikeston where he worked in housekeeping at Missouri Delta Medical Center and was a foster grandparent with Sikeston Public Schools. In 1962, he became a Baptist minister and served as pastor for House of Prayer General Baptist Church for the past 16 years...