Stories from Thursday, May 3, 2007

BENTON -- The Scott County Sheriff's Emergency Response Team made a forced entry into a Benton home Tuesday resulting in one arrest. The suspect, who was wanted on felony bad check warrants out of Stoddard County, according to Sheriff Rick Walter, had reportedly been hiding in his home and would not come out...

SPRINGFIELD - A Springfield murder suspect may be hiding out in Southeast Missouri, according to law enforcement officials. Springfield Police are searching for Travis D. Mack, 28, who is charged with first degree murder for the April 27 shooting death of Kenneth Dixon Jr. of Springfield...

Scott County Elementary Early Learning Center student Katryra Williams tries on her graduation hat. The Center will be graduating eight students during their ceremony tonight. Also pictured is Cooper Priggel.

PORTAGEVILLE -- Nina Hodges, 66, died May 1, 2007, at Pemiscot Memorial Health System in Hayti. Born May 31, 1940, in Decaterville, Tenn., she was the daughter of the late Willis and Arbie Barnett. Survivors include: one son, Devaudrey Hodges of Portageville; two daughters, Sonja Hopkins of Caruthersville and Angela Edgar of Portageville; one brother, Cletus Earl Barnett of Gloster, Va.; two sisters, Brenda Monsour of the state of Virginia and Camilia Troutt of Decaterville, Tenn.; and seven grandchildren, Chase Hopkins, Audrey Hodges, David Hodges, Malese Hodges, Malyn Hodges, Ricky Edgar and Amanda Edgar.. ...

SIKESTON - Charles Sherrard, 69, died May 3, 2007, at Landmark Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete with Ponder Funeral Home of Sikeston.

PORTLAND, Texas -- Naomia Loucretia Smith, 100, formerly of Chaffee, Mo., died April 30, 2007, at Christus Spohn Hospital at Corpus Christi. Born May 14, 1906, in Oran, Mo., she was the daughter of the late James Henry and Dora Loucretia Lyon Davenport. A retired grade school teacher of Chaffee Public Schools, she was a member of First Baptist Church and Order of Eastern Star No. 48 in Chaffee...

FESTUS -- Judith E. Brown Williams, 64, formerly of Fenton and Wyatt, died May 1, 2007, at St. Anthony's Medical Center in Fenton. Born July, 15, 1942, at Wyatt, to the late James E. and Roberta Kidd Brown, she lived for a number of years in the Festus area where she was manager for Stockham's Gas Mart for 15 years...

BLOOMFIELD -- Veda Delores Teets, 83, died May 2, 2007, at the Heartland Care and Rehab Center in Cape Girardeau. Born April 10, 1924, at Essex, the daughter of the late Cleveland and Edna Bledsoe DeJournett, she was a homemaker and a member of Apostolic House of Prayer in Bell City...

NEW MADRID - Dewey Leonard Sr., 73, died at May 3, 2007, at his home in New Madrid. DeLisle Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements, which are incomplete.

SIKESTON - Don E. Kellett, 75, died May 1, 2007, at his office in Sikeston. Born Aug. 8, 1931, in Sikeston, son of the late Ernest S. and Reta Mainord Kellett, he was a member of the First Christian Church in Sikeston for over 40 years. A veteran of the U.S. Army, he served as an artillery instructor during the Korean War, was a member of the Masonic Lodge and owned and operated Kellett Oil Company for nearly 50 years...

DEXTER - Edna Lane, 88, died April 30, 2007, at the Golden Living Center in Dexter. Born Oct. 15, 1918, in Grayridge, daughter of the late Sherman and Addie Smith Duncan, she was a housewife, member of the Grayridge General Baptist Church, Stoddard County A.R.C. and Order of Eastern Star in Essex...

NEW MADRID - Robert and Ashley Smith are the parents of their fourth child, fourth daughter, born at 9:49 a.m. March 20, 2007, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Stephanie Roze Lauren Smith weighed 7 pounds, 3.3 ounces, and was 19 inches long...

SIKESTON -- The Sikeston seventh and eighth grade girls track and field team had a banner year this season in which numerous junior high records were broken. Seventh grader Betsy Borgsmiller broke two school records with a high jump leap of 5'2". She was undefeated in the event this year...

Sikeston's Nick Lambert delivers a pitch in the rain Wednesday afternoon at VFW Memorial Stadium. Sikeston's game with Kennett was stopped in the second inning because of rain. The game was a make-up of game originally scheduled for April 11 that was postponed, also due to rain. The game will resume in the second inning next Friday at 4 p.m...

SIKESTON -- The Sikeston Lady Bulldogs soccer team finished off Fredericktown Wednesday at the Sikeston Complex after a two-week postponement due to inclement weather. In the first meeting Sikeston was leading 1-0 when the game was postponed with four minutes left in the first half...

To the Editor: No one expects the funny pages to reflect the same level of journalistic fairness that news pages do, but when a cartoonist gets it as wrong as Garry Trudeau did recently, it's worth taking the time to correct the record. Using "Doonesbury" to draw attention to the divorces and infidelities among those seeking the Republican nomination for president makes a strong political point -- especially when contrasted to the less checkered marital histories of the Democratic front-runners. ...

Before you take out a Medicare supplement insurance, check with your medical provider to make sure it is legitimate or that they take that kind of insurance. It is canceling people's Medicare and Medicaid out. You won't find out about this until you have been to the hospital or the doctor...

KELSO - Mr. and Mrs. I.J. Dannenmueller of Kelso recently celebrated their golden wedding anniversary at their farm north of Kelso. The couple was married in 1897. MORLEY - More than most people, Mrs. Polly Hatch knows how the weary prize fighter feels when she hears the sound of the bell. ...

DEXTER -- Fifteen fighters competed for a packed house at the Dexter Eagles Aerie Saturday for the Absolute Fighting Challenge IV, "Town Destruction." A total of eight mixed martial arts fights were held, most of which were decided in the first round...

MOREHOUSE -- Very few have the dedication it takes to earn a black belt in a martial art. Fewer yet are able to do so at the age of 70. On March 2, Janet Hinson of Morehouse became the most senior student in the area to successfully test to the rank of first degree black belt in taekwondo at Duncan's Martial Arts...

CARUTHERSVILLE - A middle school student remains in critical condition after being repeatedly stabbed by a classmate on a school bus Wednesday. The Pemiscot County Sheriff's Office, Pemiscot County Juvenile Office, Missouri State Highway Patrol and Steele Police Department are continuing their investigation today into the stabbing of a 14-year-old student that occurred at 7:15 a.m...