Stories from Thursday, May 31, 2007

Sikeston's Josh Pierce slides into third on an attempted steal in the bottom of the second inning Wednesday night (Photos by David Jenkins, Staff) SIKESTON -- The Sikeston Senior American Legion Post 114 baseball team opened its season with two dominating victories against Perryville on Wednesday at VFW Stadium...

SIKESTON - Margaret G. Carter, 88, died at 2:30 p.m. May 29, 2007, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Born Feb. 13, 1919, in Scott County, to the late James Thomas and Pearl Maggie Hamilton Carter Sr., she had worked as a labeler for Seagram's Distillery in Louisville, Ky., and was a member of First Baptist Church of Morley...

DEXTER -- Jeanne Vinson, 90, died May 30, 2007, at the Crowley Ridge Care Center. Born June 10, 1916, in Dunnville, Ontario, she was a former LPN at the Jefferson Barracks Veterans Administration Medical Center in St. Louis and the John J. Pershing Veterans Administration Medical Center in Poplar Bluff...

GROVE, Okla. -- Arbon Wayne Carrell, 63, died May 24, 2007, at his home. Born May 28, 1943, in New Madrid County (Mo.), son of the late George P. and Jennie Davis Carrell, he was retired from Emerson Electric in Paragould, Ark. On April 27, 1961, at New Madrid, Mo., he married Bertra Ann Archibald who survives of the home...

POPLAR BLUFF - Misti Daun Pitkin, 30, formerly of Matthews, died May 29, 2007, at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Born Feb. 17, 1977, in Baytown, Texas, daughter of Kerry Pitkin of Hartstown, Penn., and Debbie Morgan Day of Kaysville, Utah, she had lived in Matthews for many years and moved to Poplar Bluff three years ago. She was a cook at Huddle House in Poplar Bluff...

DEXTER -- Ruth Griffey, died May 31, 2007, at her home in Dexter. Arrangements are incomplete the with Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter.

DEXTER -- Lawrence Vieth, 88, died May 30, 2007, at the Missouri Southern Healthcare in Dexter. Arrangements are incomplete at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter.

FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. - William Adams, 80, died May 30, 2007, in the Fort Walton Beach Medical Center. Arrangements are incomplete with Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Bernie.

DEXTER -- Luther Allen Whitaker, 80, died May 29, 2007, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Born July 24, 1926, in Catron, son of the late Hiram and Pearl Moore Whitaker, he had lived in Parma and moved to Dexter many years ago. He had worked in construction, farmed and had rental property...

DEXTER - Marilyn Faye Pippins, 71, died May 29, 2007, at the Missouri Southern Healthcare in Dexter. Born May 13, 1936, at Frisco, daughter of the late Carter P. and Esther M. Smith Worley, she was a member of the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Dexter. ...

Perhaps because we're on the eve of another Presidential election, concern for the environment has taken center stage. Virtually everywhere you turn, we're bombarded with suggestions - or demands - on ways to "save the planet" through environmental changes...

SIKESTON -- The Sikeston Senior American Legion Post 114 baseball team opened its season with two dominating victories against Perryville on Wednesday at VFW Stadium. Post 114 secured a 10-run rule victory in the first game, 14-4 in five innings. Sikeston won the nightcap 10-4...

SIKESTON?-- In a stunning come-from-behind finish, Bloomfield's John Bingham rose to the occasion with an impressive 62.45 second run that catapulted him to the top of the leader board at the 7th Annual Jungle Walk. Bingham, a prior winner of the spring event, was assured victory when an untimely mechanical failure took its toll on Parma's Keith New, relegating New to second place. Indiana's Eric Wallace placed third...

I was calling in about the bomb threat at the school. I think it is such a shame that we have people that would try to harm our children. We have so many nasty things already going on about people trying to bother our kids. But to put a bomb at the schools. ...

CHARLESTON -- Last week, Jim Burke went to start the irrigation in one his Charleston corn fields. It still isn't running. "We had gone out to start the irrigation and it wouldn't start," Burke said. "We noticed the wiring was gone." Burke's dilemma has become all too common over the past year, as copper thieves have been scouring fields and other places for copper to sell at salvage yards...

SIKESTON - Jimmy Harris as valedictorian won a medal and Ardeth Kirby, as the salutatorian, was awarded a scholarship at commencement exercises Monday night at the high school. SIKESTON - Initial steps for the organization of a regional planning commission for a six-county Bootheel area were taken last night in a meeting at the Holiday Inn. The commission will serve Scott, Mississippi, Stoddard, New Madrid, Dunklin and Pemiscot counties. Eleven of the 57 governmental units were represented...

Members of the Sikeston Department of Public Safety, Missouri State Highway Patrol and the City of Sikeston run with the Missouri Special Olympics Torch Wednesday morning on S. Main Street. The torch run features law enforcement officers from around the state to raise awareness for Special Olympics and the 2007 Summer Games...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Looking to draw more visitors while educating about nature in Missouri, Big Oak Tree State Park will host a series of summer programs ranging from the history of snakes to the varieties of butterflies found in the area. "It would be really nice to have a lot of people come out for these programs," said Allison Vaughn, natural resource steward for Big Oak Tree State Park in East Prairie...

BENTON -- Area county officials interested in learning about or brushing up on their knowledge of Board of Equalization hearings attended a Missouri State Tax Commission workshop Tuesday at the Cape Girardeau Administration Building in Jackson. Among those attending were Scott County Assessor Teresa Houchin; Shari Felter, who does real estate review for the Assessor's Office; and Scott County Commission members Jamie Burger, Dennis Ziegenhorn and Ron McCormick...