Stories from Thursday, November 9, 2006

SIKESTON -- This year's city Leaf Collection Program is in progress. "We're in the second week of it," said Steve Lee, superintendent of the Sikeston street division. Leaf collection crews will work in District 2 and District 6 through Friday. Collection in District 3 and District 7 will run Nov. 13-17; and in District 4 and in District 8 Nov. 20-22...

SIKESTON -- Sikeston city officials will once again work with a wildlife specialist in attempt to keep the upper hand over blackbirds. A town meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Nov. 20 at the Clinton Building. This meeting will once again feature advice from Robert Byrd, wildlife biologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service...

The Sikeston community has long had a reputation for generosity. The examples are endless. The Jaycees have raised more money for local charities and projects than you can list. The Lions Club, Kiwanis, Elks, etc. donate their time and talent for community projects and do it all with little recognition. Put on that list, too, the funds raised for the Kenny Rogers Children's Center and now the major undertaking of the YMCA...

STE. GENEVIEVE - The New Madrid County Central Eagles football team lost on the road to the Ste. Genevieve Dragons in the first round of the Class 3 playoffs, 39-12 on Wednesday night. The Eagles could not contain the aerial assault of the Dragons and sophomore quarterback Kory Faulkner. After a slow start, Faulkner passed for 277 yards and threw five touchdowns passes to four different Ste. Gen receivers...

ORAN -- William H. "Bill" Jansen, 81, died at 6:53 a.m. Nov. 8, 2006, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Born March 21, 1925, at Leopold, son of the late Henry Joseph and Caroline Arnzen Jansen, he was a retired farmer, a member of St. Joseph Sodality and Guardian Angel Catholic Church in Oran...

DEXTER -- Madge Darlene Brown Noyes, 86, died Nov. 8, 2006, in the Cypress Point Health Care. Born Oct. 27, 1920, at Parma, daughter of the late Clifford and Maude Barfield Brown, she was a homemaker and a member of the new Hope Church near Essex. She had been formerly employed as a cook at Richland Public Schools...

IMPERIAL -- Gladys O. Boatwright, 88, died Nov. 7, 2006, at her home. Born June 12, 1918, in the state of Oklahoma, she was the daughter of the late James Preston and Ily Jane Taylor Smith. On Feb. 20, 1939, she married Stephen Madison Boatwright who preceded her in death on Aug. 24, 2001...

GIDEON - Martha Nimmo Fleetwood, 90, died Nov. 7, 2006, at Gideon Care Center. Born Aug. 31, 1916, at Pocahontas, Ark., to the late Wesley and Jane Alphice Houston, she was of the Baptist belief. On Oct. 7, 1957, she married Walter Alvin Nimmo, and he died on Feb. 12, 1984. She later married Noonan "Bud" Fleetwood in 1959, who preceded her in death on July 28, 1992...

OKLAHOMA CITY - Donna Lee Yaeger Mason, 64, died Nov. 6, 2006, at the Deaconess Hospital in Oklahoma City. Born Sept. 4, 1942, in Milwaukee, she was the daughter of the late Donald and Dorothy Ladwig Yaeger. She moved to Dexter, Mo., in 1972, to Oklahoma City in 1995 and was of the Lutheran belief...

SIKESTON - Maggie Leslie Slayton, 92, died Nov. 8, 2006, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Born Dec. 12, 1913, in Tahlequah, Okla., daughter of the late Going Snake and Katie Crittenden Kingfisher, she was a member of the New Beginnings Fellowship Church...

CHARLESTON -- Waneta Converse Bock, 88, died at 7:24 a.m. Nov. 9, 2006, at the Charleston Manor. Visitation is from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at McMikle Funeral Home in Charleston. Services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the United Methodist Church in Charleston with the Rev. Roger Jespersen, pastor, officiating...

SIKESTON -- For the first time in over 30 years local residents who don't have access to Sikeston Public Schools channel 12 will be able to view the Sikeston Rotary's annual auction. All they need is the Internet. "The auction has been going on for so many years and with any event, every now and then, it's time to make some changes just to make it more exciting," said Steve Deere, auction publicity chair...

CAPE GIRARDEAU (SMNS) - A man who allegedly threatened to kill his girlfriend was charged with domestic assault Wednesday. Danny Bierschwal, 36, of Risco, is accused of waving a knife in front of his 38-year-old girlfriend and her two teenage sons around 10 p.m. Tuesday in Cape Girardeau, police Cpl. Jason Selzer said...

CARUTHERVILLE - Three persons are in custody in connection with a fire which destroyed a Caruthersville business. At 5:58 a.m. Wednesday, Caruthersville Police and Fire departments were dispatched to a fire at the Advance America Cash Advance building on Truman Boulevard. The fire destroyed the building and damaged adjacent businesses, the Radio Shack and Dollar General Store...

SEMO NORTH Cape Central Tigers (4-7) Jackson Indians (6-4) Poplar Bluff Mules (3-7) Sikeston Bulldogs (2-8) SEMO CENTRAL Caruthersville Tigers (7-4) Charleston Bluejays (3-6) Dexter Bearcats (8-2) Kennett Indians (1-8) NMCC Eagles (8-3) SEMO SOUTH...

I am writing this letter in showing my support for the Sikeston DPS. A recent caller to SpeakOut was upset with the number of officers that were assigned to the streets. Chief Juden has done a wonderful job with making sure all the officers are trained well and he has their interests and the citizens of Sikeston at heart...

This is to the lady whose husband said that if you couldn't afford to pay people they needed to get out of business. Apparently her husband was never in business. My parents had a small business and invested their life savings in it. They worked 14 hours a day and 7 days a week. I don't think her husband knew what he was talking about...

SIKESTON - In airport news, William O. Comstock is a new student. A new solo student is John Brannock. DEXTER - Bids for construction of Dexter Memorial Hospital will be opened Nov. 23, it was reported to the hospital board of directors meeting Monday. The date has been cleared with officials of the Department of Health at Jefferson City...