Stories from Tuesday, August 28, 2007

It's hard to measure success in Sikeston's ongoing battle to remove and upgrade eyesore properties and to reduce the criminal element but we sense that progress is indeed being made. The early word is that the Housing Authority officers recently assigned to patrol subsidized housing are already showing signs of progress. One resident of subsidized housing called our offices this week to report that the number of unauthorized residents staying in subsidized housing had been greatly reduced...

BLOOMFIELD -- Krendy DeJournett and Christopher Leibowitz are the parents of their second child, second son, born at 5:22 a.m. July 19, 2007, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Spencer Leibowitz weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces, and was 20 inches long...

SIKESTON - Daisy M. Davis, 70, died at 3 a.m. Aug. 28, 2007, at her home. Arrangements are incomplete with Nunnelee Funeral Chapel in Sikeston.

DEXTER -- Iris Chasteen, 82, died Aug. 27, 2007, at her home. Arrangements are incomplete with Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter.

SIKESTON -- Lawrence "Tillie" Hunt, 72, died Aug. 23, 2007, at his home. Born Sept. 30, 1934, in Pascola, to the late Horace and Ozella Baker Hunt, he was a farmer and a member of the Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church in Canalou, where he was a deacon and Sunday school superintendent...

NEW MADRID -- Vivian Beauton Thurman, 85, formerly of Conran, died Aug. 26, 2007, at Golden Living Center in New Madrid. Born Jan. 29, 1922, in Boekerton, daughter of the late Paul and Alice Combest Disher, she was a member of the Conran Baptist Church, a store owner and retired postmaster of Conran...

LILBOURN -- Rosannah Rodman, 88, died Aug. 27, 2007, at her home. Born June 22, 1919, in New Madrid, daughter of the late Frank and Ida Webster Gardner, she had worked as a clerk for the New Madrid County Courthouse and then was a supervisor for Delta Area Economic Opportunity Corporation before her retirement...

CHARLESTON - Ruby M. Stark, 86, died at 5:50 a.m., Aug. 27, 2007, at the Bertrand Nursing Center. Born June 6, 1921, to the late Charles W. and Flossie Fowler Calhoun, she had lived her entire life in Mississippi County. She had been employed for more than 30 years with the Brown Shoe Company and was a member of the First Assembly of God Church in Charleston...

BELL CITY -- Margaret Marie Crowden, 64, died Aug. 27, 2007, at her daughter's home in Morley. Born Sept. 16, 1942, in Big Prairie, daughter of the late Monviul Dentin and Etheline Green Morgan, she was a member of the General Baptist Church in Randles...

SIKESTON -- The accuracy of Dakota Trevino's leg lifted the Sikeston High School boys soccer team to a season-opening victory. With laser beam-like precision, Trevino planted a pair of free kicks past Hillsboro sophomore goalie Jarrod Huskey in the second half of the Bulldogs' 2-0 win over the Hawks on Monday at the Sikeston Sports Complex...

JACKSON -- No. 1 singles competitor Jenni DeWitt turned in the only win for the Sikeston High School varsity girls tennis team, which lost at Jackson 8-1 on Monday. DeWitt was an 8-1 victor against Jackson No. 1 competitor Erinne Haff. The rest of the Lady Bulldogs were defeated in singles play. ...

SIKESTON -- The Sikeston High School varsity volleyball team is looking to take the next step to a higher level in 2007. After completing a 19-11-1 campaign in 2006 and finishing second to Farmington in the Class 4, District 1 Tournament, the Lady Bulldogs return a talented core of athletes that have varsity-level experience...

SIKESTON -- With the click of a mouse, people are able to view selected artwork from Scott County Central and Sikeston High School students. "It's just a really good, positive thing," said Cristy Crites, k-12 art teacher at Scott County Central. "If nothing else, it lets people know that art is a real class and we're actually doing work."...

SIKESTON -- A Sikeston couple are in custody for the robberies of two local businesses. Around 8:45 p.m. Aug. 21, the Sikeston Department of Public Safety received a report of a robbery at Southside One Stop, 1157 S. Main. Around 2:30 p.m. the following day, another report was received of a robbery at Fas Gas, located at 109 East St. in Sikeston...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Donna Turnbo-Smith admitted she broke a school rule when she transformed her hairstyle into a tri-colored one -- but it was all for the kids. Last spring the principal at Martin Elementary in East Prairie challenged her students to score 2 percent above the state's goals on the standardized Missouri Assessment Program test. Their reward? She would dye her hair three colors and wear it that way for one month...

CAPE GIRARDEAU - A Perkins resident was sentenced to prison on federal drug charges Monday. Lisa Ann Price, 44, was sentenced to 60 months in prison on one felony count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute in U.S. District Court. Upon release from prison, Price will be placed on supervised release for a period of four years...

I'm replying to Witness to a crime. Thanks for your concern about the dog. I just wanted you to know the first thing I did before calling SpeakOut was to call the Humane Society and they referred me to City Hall. The authorities went to check on the conditions of the dog, which are better but still are not ideal...

HAYTI - Don Provow of Hayti again showed the district golfers a hot pace in the Southeast Missouri Round Robin Association Golf Tournament yesterday on the Kennett course shooting a 6 below par, 99 for 27 holes. Bill Busdick, Arkansas, Carl Tracer of Dexter and Bill Belknap of Poplar Bluff tied for third...