Stories from Tuesday, June 12, 2007

You may remember the name of Rep. William Jefferson, D-La. During the chaos of Hurricane Katrina - while thousands were using every manner of transportation to flee the hurricane - Jefferson had a military helicopter "rescue" him from his home. And then he left...

I am sending this letter to the person driving the white Saturn at 9:55 p.m. on Tuesday, June 6th. When you backed out of Otter's Bar in Oran and almost hit my passenger side, my daughter was in that seat. Yes, I followed you to get your plate number, you fled onto the gravel road to make it impossible. When I realized who you were I didn't make the call. I knew your last name would only make problems for me and my family!...

SIKESTON - R.D. Clayton, real estate agent, announced the sale of the S.W. Barton home to Joe Scales of Pulaski, Tenn. SIKESTON - Robert Conrad, star of the CBS hit "Wild, Wild West" and Grand Ole Opry recording artist Molly Bee will perform at the 15th annual Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo Aug. 10-13. Miss Bee will perform in all shows while Conrad will appear Aug. 11-13...

SIKESTON -- It seems so simple. Wear a life jacket and use common sense on the water, and everything will be OK. Yet summer after summer some boaters and swimmers continue to act against their better judgment. Pemiscot County Sheriff Tommy Greenwell knows better than anyone right now the effects of bad decision-making on the water. Within a month, the Bootheel county has had two drownings...

SIKESTON -- City employees will get their raise beginning in July. City Council members approved the city's annual operating budget for Fiscal Year 2008 during a special meeting Monday. The budget for the fiscal year, which begins July 1 and will run through June 30, 2008, projects $12,011,839 in revenues and appropriates $12,464,977 in total expenditures...

CHARLESTON -- The Charleston Fighting Squirrels followed up a second place performance in their own wood bat tournament this weekend, by taking one on the chin against Cape Girardeau Senior Babe Ruth, 14-3 on Monday at Hillhouse Park. Charleston won the second game of the doubleheader 7-2 behind a complete game victory by Paul Bucher, allowing four hits with one earned run and six strikeouts. Further details from the game were not available at press time...

FULTON, Ky. -- The Sikeston Bulls pulled into a first place tie in the KIT League with a 4-2 road victory against the Fulton Railroaders on Monday. The Bulls are now 5-4 on the season and will play Fulton again tonight at 7 p.m. Ryan Poole was the winning pitcher in six innings of work, allowing just five hits with eight strikeouts...

JEFFERSON?CITY?-- The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will be presenting workshops on using steel shot at five southeast locations from June 11th to June 15th. During each two hour workshop hunters can find out how to adapt their shooting techniques for maximum performance...

SIKESTON -- Thanks to the hard work of several Troop 41 Boy Scouts, a permanent flag retirement site will be used for the first time at tonight's semiannual ceremony. The site was built by De Bizzell, 17, as part of his community service Eagle project. "It's supposed to be a significant or material service project all the candidates have to get approved and complete as part of their advancement to the highest rank of Eagle," said Vern Griffith, assistant Scoutmaster...

EAST PRAIRIE - Raymond Blue, 89, died June 12, 2007, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete with Shelby Funeral Home in East Prairie.

KEWANEE - Weba J. Blankenship, 82, died June 11, 2007, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete with Richards Funeral Home of New Madrid.

DEXTER -- Pallbearers for the services conducted Tuesday at Watkins and Sons Funeral Home in Dexter for Harry Pullum, 85, who died on June 9, 2007, were: Neil Pullum, Bill Pullum, Joe Baker Jr., Roy Reeves, Brian Overby and Bob Parks.

DEXTER - Anthony Haynes, 45, died June 11, 2007. Arrangements are incomplete with Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home of Dexter.

POPLAR BLUFF - Col. Jerry Lee Dicken, 64, died June 3, 2007, at his home. Born Nov. 15, 1942, in Butler County, he was of the Protestant belief. He graduated from Poplar Bluff High School and the Kansas City School for Auctioneers, and was a retired auctioneer and farmer...

PORTAGEVILLE -- Sybol Aurora McGill, 90, died June 11, 2007, at the Portageville Nursing Center. Born Jan 1, 1917, at Parma, to the late Louis and Anna Groaning Ray, she was a member of the First Baptist Church in Portageville. On March 4, 1934, at Parma, she married Robert Carlisle who preceded her in death in 1939. On Oct. 11, 1939, at Paragould, Ark., she married Owen McGill who preceded her in death on July 21, 1990...

MOREHOUSE -- Lenda Joyce Jordan, 60, died at 6 a.m. June 11, 2007, at the Sikeston Convalescent Center. Born June 1, 1947, in Chicago, to the late Herbert Lee and Irma Ilene Glaspell Jerls, she was a homemaker. She had also worked for 20 years at Himmelberger-...