Stories from Sunday, July 22, 2007

ADVANCE - Jeraldine "Jerrie" Berry, vice president, Bank of Advance, has been inducted into the 50-Year Club of the Missouri Bankers Association. Each year, the MBA recognizes its members who have given 50 years of service to the banking industry...

SIKESTON - There's no need to fish for compliments at Fishermans Net. Their fish is always getting complimented - and the rest of their menu, too - by regulars and visitors who make their way to the longtime Sikeston restaurant. Even on the Internet, the Fishermans Net Restaurant has garnered rave reviews. ...

I just heard on the news where the Chinese are trying to poison us with toothpaste. The are putting some kind of element in it that's close to antifreeze. Where's our president and governor at? They're too busy funding schools and giving these big shots tax breaks. Other people are trying to make a living and here they are poisoning us. You can't even make a living anymore. They need to step down and realize this is wrong...

CHARLESTON - Jason and Stephanie Bledsoe are the parents of their third child, first daughter, born at 9:50 a.m. June 15, 2007, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Hannah Marie Bledsoe weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces, and was 19.5 inches long...

SIKESTON - Sikeston won the golf tournament held Sunday afternoon over Charleston, 148-82. SIKESTON - Scott County Rep. Tony Heckemeyer told the Optimist Club Monday at the Rustic Rock Inn that the state legislature, for the first time in Missouri's history, went past the billion-dollar mark in spending...

I had the opportunity this week to visit extensively with some members of the Missouri General Assembly who were in Sikeston. They were here at the invitation of our Rep. Ellen Brandom. Speaking of our local legislator, her colleagues gave her very high marks for her commitment and eagerness to "learn the ropes" in Jefferson City. Though quiet by nature, her voice is definitely getting heard in the corridors of the Capitol...

CHARLESTON -- Stellar pitching, outstanding defense and a knack for manufacturing runs propelled the Charleston Fighting Squirrels past Cape, 5-0 in a second round game of the Missouri Senior Babe Ruth State Tournament on Friday at Hillhouse Park in Charleston...

SIKESTON -- For the first time, the KIT League has formed an all-star team that will compete against the Central Illinois Collegiate League all-stars tomorrow in Huntingburg, Ind. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. at League Stadium, which was rebuilt for the movie "A League of Their Own," which was filmed there. A home run derby and a workout for pro scouts is also scheduled tomorrow...

Mayor Mike Marshall, pictured right, recently recognized Sikeston Department of Public Safety Officer Zach Albright as the Sikeston's DPS Employee of the Third Quarter. Marshall recalled how Albright remained calm and professional when a vehicle stop led to the discovery of two concealed handguns on the vehicle's occupants, resulting in two prior and persistent offenders and their weapons being removed from Sikeston's streets...

SIKESTON -- Things are in place to make this year's Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo the best ever. "We're always looking to do better than the year before," said Nate Hawkins, general chairman of this year's rodeo. "It's shaping up to be a good one."...

SIKESTON -- The seventh and final Harry Potter book came out from under lock and key at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, to numerous excited fans who wanted to learn Harry's fate. That enthusiasm is something local librarians said is quite unique. "I have not seen this type of craze before -- it's very exciting," said Ann Thompson, children's librarian at the Sikeston Public Library. She pondered whether the Chronicles of Narnia books, released in the '50s, had the same impact...

Jerence Dial and Ricky Shelton spread wood chips at the Sikeston Sports Complex. The Sikeston Park Department is in the process of the annual park inspection.

MATTHEWS -- Six Malden residents were injured in two unrelated single-vehicle accidents Friday. The first accident happened at approximately 12:06 p.m. on Highway 80 two miles east of Matthews, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, when the eastbound vehicle driven by Tammy M. Reed, 22, ran off the roadway. The driver lost control and the vehicle struck a ditch...

SIKESTON -- Lizabeth A. Britton, 64, formerly of Mayfield, Ky., died at 5:17 a.m. July 19, 2007, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. Born Aug. 30, 1942, at Paducah, Ky., daughter of the late Richard and Joy Copeland Jones, she was a 1961 graduate of Mayfield High School, graduated from Murray School of Nursing as a GLPN, and worked in nursing for 25 years. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Mayfield...

DEXTER -- Diana Marie Deprow, 38, died July 19, 2007, at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Born March 29, 1969, in Pontiac, Mich., she was the daughter of Robert and Diana Kay Mowery VanKleek of Dexter. She had lived in Dexter since 1981 and had attended the Word of Faith Christian Center in Bernie...

CHESTERFIELD -- Anna Pauline Limbaugh, 82, formerly of Puxico, died July 19, 2007, at Delmar Gardens in Chesterfield. Born April 17, 1925, in Stoddard County, she was a member of the West Side General Baptist Church in St. Ann. She had lived all her life in Puxico until moving to the St. Louis area in 2000...

BERNIE - Henry Barnes, 100, died July 9, 2007, at the General Baptist Nursing Home in Campbell. Born April 18, 1907, at Formosa, Ark., son of the late George Washington and Tennessee Keck Barnes, he was a farmer, a wood worker and a member of the Bernie General Baptist Church...

NEW?MADRID -- Craig and Timmie Lynn Hunter have announced the engagement of their daughter, Natalie Anne Hunter, to Joel Thomas Lyons, son of Thomas and Debbie Lyons of Kennett. A 2003 graduate of Arkansas State University with a bachelor's degree in journalism, the future bride is a constituent analyst for the Arkansas House of Representatives, in Little Rock, Ark...

BERTRAND - Mr. and Mrs. Fray Morrow of Bertrand and Mr. and Mrs. Mike McIlroy of Charleston announce the engagement of their daughter, Sarah Lindsay Morrow, to Matthew Scott Drake, son of Mr. and Mrs. Carroll Drake of Sikeston. The future bride is a teacher at Hearnes Elementary School in Charleston. She is the granddaughter of Margaret Morrow of Bertrand and the late Lindsay and Lois Hurley and Raymond Morrow. She is the great-granddaughter of Nova Williams of Bertrand...

SIKESTON -- Three siblings -- two sisters and one brother -- recently celebrated their anniversaries together. Ruth and Charles Chaney of Sikeston celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. They were married on July 4, 1942. Mary and C.D. Alcorn of Morley celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. They were married on June 29, 1947...

AMORY, Miss. -- Robert M. "Bobby" and Janice Parsons Alsup, formerly of Matthews, Mo. will be honored with a reception for their 50th wedding anniversary. The celebration will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Aug. 4 in the fellowship hall of North Boulevard Christian Church, located across from the high school baseball field in Amory...

PORTAGEVILLE-- Gary and Wilma Baker will be honored by their children with a 50th wedding anniversary reception from 2 to 4 p.m. Aug. 4 in the Family Life Center at the First Baptist Church in Portageville. Gary Baker married the former Wilma Crafton on May 5, 1957, at the First Baptist Church in Portageville...

JERSEYVILLE, Ill. - Shaina Leigh Schiwitz and Mark Darrin Reynolds were married Oct. 28, 2006, at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Jerseyville. The Rev. Donald Gibbons performed the ceremony. Vocalist was Cindy Carlson of Roodhouse, Ill. Parents of the couple are Bud and Brenda Schiwitz of Benton, Mo., and Jerry and Lil Reynolds of Cape Girardeau, Mo...