Stories from Tuesday, October 17, 2006

It happened sometime last week in some unknown corner of the nation. The population of the United States topped the 300 million mark. By any definition it was a milestone. But it is by no means necessarily a cause for celebration. If you simply take statistical odds, the chances are the 300 millionth American was an undocumented migrant, born to undocumented parents somewhere in the South or the West. ...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- A Sikeston man was sentenced to 135 months in prison for distributing "crack" cocaine. Matthew Perry, 38, received the sentence on one felony count of distribution of five grams or more of cocaine base in federal court Friday. The charges stem from an incident on Oct. ...

BLOOMFIELD - Two Stoddard County men were arrested on drug related charges. Randy Nelson Hoggard, 39, and Chad Allen Bostic, 34, of Bloomfield, were arrested after a lengthy investigation by the Stoddard County Sheriff's Department and the SEMO Drug Task Force...

CAPE GIRARDEAU - Melinda Oxley and Sean King are the parents of their first child, a daughter, born at 5:56 p.m. Sept. 8, 2006, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Lacey Marie King weighed 5 pounds, 15 ounces, and was 19 inches long. Maternal grandparents are Rose Oxley of Cape Girardeau and Charles Oxley of Marble Hill...

SIKESTON - Airport notes: Jim Harmon, former instructor at the M.I.A. here, flying a Piper Club, was a visitor at Robinson Field Tuesday. DEXTER - The city council Monday night set Nov. 15 as the date to vote on a $75,000 swimming pool bond issue. ---...

BELL CITY -- The Sikeston volleyball team fell to 16-10-1 on the season with a straight-sets loss to Class 1 powerhouse Bell City on Monday night in Bell City. The Lady Bulldogs lost 16-25 and 14-25 in the second set after falling behind 11-0. "We spotted them 11 points and played them even the rest of the way, but that was about the only good we did," said Sikeston coach Steve Beydler. ...

The New Madrid County Central 7th grade girl's basketball team finished with a first place Championship by defeating South Pemiscot Thursday night. Pictured are front row from left: Dasia Harrell, Samantha Hunter, Courtney Masterson, Madaline Dambach, Brittany Johnson; back row: Coach Tim Mills, Kaeshay Young, Tashima Owens, Kelly Robey, Valerie Sanders, Ciarra Hardin, Shanequa Daniels, Sierra Riggs, Coach Marcus Long...

SIKESTON -- The majority of Missouri's cotton crop is reported as being in good or excellent condition this year, but farmers whose fields were flooded last month may have a different opinion. "The cotton is going to be good overall, and the quality will be good on most of that," Mike Milam, University of Missouri Extension cotton specialist for Southeast Missouri,...

Barry Urhahn harvests his soybean crop on the Marshall Farm north of Blodgett. In the Missouri soybean fields, the harvest is 56 percent complete, three days ahead of last year and one day ahead of the five-year average.

The city did a great job in resurfacing Malone Avenue, but we really need some white lines for the night driving because it's hard to see up and down the highway when it is dark. And it is really hard to see when it is raining. According to MoDOT, striping was to start Oct. 16, but was canceled due to rain. Striping crews will begin the job, weather permitting, on Oct. 17...

DEXTER - Mary Ann Koechner McCoy, 51, died Oct. 16, 2006, at the Crowley Ridge Care Center in Dexter. Born Sept. 16, 1955, in Dexter, to the late Joseph and Rita Kinkel Koechner, she had worked at Inland Shoe Company and Media Press in both Dexter and Sikeston...

EAST PRAIRIE - John Earl Thomure, 72, died at 8:30 p.m. Oct. 14, 2006, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Born June 9, 1934, in East Prairie, to the late Orville William and Georgia Anderson Thomure, he live most of his life in East Prairie. He was an operating engineer with Union Local 513 and a veteran of the U.S. Air Force...

CHARLESTON - Mary Loucretia "Mary Lou" Vinson, 66, died at 8:50 a.m. Oct. 15, 2006, at the Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Born May 21, 1940, at Charleston, to the late Elmer William "Mike" and Pauline Christina Hart Thurman, she lived most of her life in Charleston where she was a member of the St. Henry Catholic Church...