Stories from Friday, December 1, 2006

NEW MADRID - Lila Mae Farrenburg, 79, of the Farrenburg Community, passed away Nov. 29, 2006, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Lila was born Dec. 6, 1926, in Chickasha, Okla., to William and Ada Mae Snow. She grew up in Arkansas and later moved to Missouri and wed Paul "Buck" Farrenburg on Aug. 20, 1945...

ADVANCE -- Michael "Mick" Wayne Mullins, 51, died Nov. 29, 2006, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Born March 21, 1955, at Cape Girardeau, son of Richard Mullins of Advance and the late Dorothy Lenora Hardin Mullins, he was self employed and had worked for James Patton Mechanical...

EAST PRAIRIE - Melissa L. "Missy" Johnston, 44, died at 11:34 p.m. Nov. 29, 2006, in the Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, after a long, courageous battle with cancer. Born Oct. 2, 1962, in Sikeston, to the late Loyce D. and Mildred Louise "Sue" Babb Johnston, Missy lived most of her life in East Prairie, where she had a career in the trucking industry before ill health caused her retirement. She was a loving mother, grandmother, sister and aunt...

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- James V. "Dub" Lomax, 78, formerly of Matthews, Mo., died Nov. 29, 2006. Survivors include: his wife, Betty Lomax; two sons and daughters-in-law, Kelly and Melinda Lomax of Nashville and Alan and Lenett Lomax of Memphis; one daughter and son-in-law, Michelle and Mitch Harrison of Memphis; three sisters, Janet Jackson of Van Buren, Mo., Mildred Marble of Frankston, Texas, and Pat White of Sikeston, Mo.; and eight grandchildren...

BLOOMFIELD -- John Yount, 83, died Nov. 29, 2006, at Missouri Southern Healthcare in Dexter. Born July 31, 1923, in Ironton, son of the late Marcus Daniel and Fairymae McNabb Yount, he was a member of the First Baptist Church in Bloomfield, the Dexter Elks Lodge and Bloomfield American Legion. He was a farm management specialist for the University of Missouri Extension Services for 35 years, retiring in 1984...

MATTHEWS -- Maggie Jewell Harrison, 80, died at 4:02 p.m. Nov. 30, 2006, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Born Sept. 13, 1926, in Knoxville, Ark., daughter of the late William Howard "Bill" and Virgie Mae Manning Robertson, she was a housewife and co-owner and operator of service stations in Anderson, Ind. She had lived in Matthews for the past 20 years and had previously resided in Anderson and Claremont, Fla. She was a member of the Matthews Missionary Baptist Church...

SIKESTON - A.C. Waters, engineer for Sikeston, was named by Gov. Phil Donnelly to take over the position of surveyor of Scott County. SIKESTON - Due to weather conditions that will not permit safe landing, Santa Claus will be forced to use other transportation when he arrives by helicopter at 6:30 p.m. at the Mid-Towner Village Shopping Center...

I have had some medical problems lately. Last night I was hurting very bad and went in to speak to my wife. While I was holding her, I asked if she would pray with me. She said she was not one to pray out loud, and I knew that, and asked her to just silently pray as we hugged. ...

ORAN -- Top-seeded Malden and No. 3 Scott County Central advanced to the championship with semifinal wins at the 51st Oran Invitational Tournament on Thursday. In a ballgame fitting of a great rivalry in front of a standing room only crowd, the Scott Central Braves held off the No. 2-seed Bell City Cubs 76-71 to punch their ticket to the final...

SIKESTON -- The Sikeston 8th and 9th grade basketball teams split with Poplar Bluff's junior high teams on Thursday evening at the Sikeston Middle School. Sikeston's freshman squad rolled to a 51-22 victory against the Mules while the Bulldog 8th graders fell in overtime, 40-36...

SIKESTON -- Sikeston Bulldog head football coach Jerry Dement will not be returning to the sidelines next season. After three years at the helm and more than 15 years as an assistant, Dement turned in his resignation to the school board on Tuesday. "I've been involved in Sikeston football as a player or coach since I was in eighth grade," said Dement. ...

SIKESTON -- The Sikeston wrestling team lost a dual match against the Dexter Bearcats on Thursday evening at the Sikeston Field House, 55-11. Sikeston forfeited nine matches which contributed to the lopsided final score. Sikeston lone winners were Gavilan Bland and Josh Northern...

Jeff Archie, a Sikeston Public Works employee, greases the chains on the salt spreader Thursday. The city was preparing for the first bad weather of the season which ended up missing the area.

NEW MADRID - The final piece to a puzzle nagging at law enforcement is in place and the death of a New Madrid man is solved. Robert L. Burnes, 24, of Marston was arrested at 11:37 a.m. Thursday and following questioning by officers made a video confession relating to the death of Claude Delaney Minner. Minner was struck and killed in a hit-and-...

SIKESTON -- Anyone wanting to get into the Christmas spirit will have several opportunities to do so this weekend. Kicking off the weekend festivities is the sixth annual indoor nativity exhibit "A Night in Bethlehem," which will be on display from 5-8 p.m. today and from 2-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the following Sikeston churches: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the First Christian Church, the First United Methodist Church and the Wesley United Methodist Church...

CHARLESTON -- Mississippi County's code enforcement officer starts today. During the regular County Commission meeting Thursday, Presiding Commissioner Jim Blumenberg said the officer will begin his duties this month by riding around the county to find the worst problems...

CHARLESTON -- Mississippi County commissioners are holding firm on their decision to not issue payroll checks to the Assessor's Office until the county receives the money to do so. "Before you leave here, I need in writing that you aren't going to give us our paychecks," Shirley Coffer, deputy assessor, said during their regular County Commission meeting Thursday...

CHAFFEE - The Kelly Lady Hawks started off the 2006-07 season with an impressive road win over the Chaffee Lady Devils on Thursday night, 58-24. Kelly used suffocating full-court pressure and trapping defense in the half- court set to handcuff the Lady Devils all night. The Lady Hawks forced Chaffee to commit 31 turnovers in the game...