Stories from Friday, November 9, 2007

Sikeston senior Amber Minner works on passing drills during a recent girls basketball practice. Previews for area girls and boys basketball teams will appear in a special basketball section on Nov. 25.

SIKESTON - Mr. Keith Collins underwent an emergency appendectomy at the Sikeston General Hospital. KEWANEE - The Water Treatment plant placed in operation last month at Kewanee has been given official approval by the state health department and is now in service. It serves 150 households with 600 persons over a 16-mile area. The water tower is 122 feet high with a tank capacity of 30,000 gallons...

MINER -- Miner's broken fire hydrants will be replaced. Miner Board of Aldermen members approved the replacement of three fire hydrants at a cost not to exceed $10,000 during their regular monthly meeting Thursday. The three hydrants to be replaced are located near City Hall, near the Miner Baptist Church, at the end of the line on County Road 539, according to Randy Allen, fire chief...

BENTON -- Scott County employees should see a raise in their salaries beginning in January to reflect the increased cost of living. The salary commission, which is made up of all of the elected officials, voted unanimously to approve a cost-of-living increase to the county employees during Thursday's county commission meeting...

SIKESTON -- Although the official holiday is Sunday, ceremonies honoring local veterans began today and will continue throughout next week. Special events honoring local veterans were conducted this morning at the Sikeston Field House and New Madrid County Central High School gym while Doyle Elementary in East Prairie hosted a program this afternoon. Kelly and Scott Central high schools' programs are next week...

CHARLESTON -- Mississippi County officials discussed features of an automated phone alert system and options for paying for it during their regular meeting Thursday. Having seen an online CodeRED Rapid Emergency Communication Service demonstration Tuesday, County Clerk Junior DeLay said the service appears to be "a pretty neat deal."...

POPLAR BLUFF - Oran native Amber Seyer, the reigning Miss Missouri USA 2007, will give up her crown at the conclusion of this weekend's Miss Missouri USA and Miss Missouri Teen USA pageants 2008 competitions. The event will be at the Black River Coliseum...

As a pastor of a church here in Sikeston, I am calling about The Christian way, one of your Speak Outs written about how a local pastor of a church was making fun of immorality. Well, if you will look, immorality is everywhere to day. It is very wrong to judge people. ...

DEXTER -- Mary Evelyn Ormerod, 87, died Nov. 7, 2007, at the Golden Living Center in Bloomfield. Born Dec. 20, 1919, in Portageville, to the late John Lee and Mary Susan Worth Atwill, she had lived in Clearwater, Fla., for over 40 years before moving to Dexter in 2004. She was a retired self-employed beautician and a member of the Baptist Church in Florida...

CHARLESTON -- Dollie L. Andrews O'Guin, 90, died at 6:10 a.m. Nov. 5, 2007 at the Charleston Manor. Born Nov. 7, 1916, in Caledonia, Miss., to the late Altie Belton and Mary Tennessee Marshall Andrews, she moved to Charleston in 1959, where she and her husband owned and operated O'Guin Launderama until his death. She continued to operate the business until her retirement in 1994. She was a member of the First Baptist Church and the Winsome Sunday School class...

MOBERLY - Clyde Eugene Parden, 54, formerly of East Prairie, died at 1 p.m. Nov. 8, 2007, in the Moberly Medical Center. Arrangements are incomplete with Shelby Funeral Home in East Prairie.

NEW MADRID -- Claudius H. "Dude" Clark, 85, died Nov. 7, 2007, at the Golden Living Center in New Madrid. Born July 6, 1922, in Jonesboro, Ark., he was the son of the late Claude and Edna Reno Clark. On Dec. 12, 1941, he married Dorothy Johnson who preceded him in death in Sept. 1970. On Dec. 14, 1985, he married Ruth Patterson Clark who survives of New Madrid...

ORAN -- Edvera Welter, 83, died Nov. 7, 2007, at Mount Carmel Senior Living in St. Charles. Born May 21, 1924, at Benton, to the late William John and Amelia Alvina Scherer Urhahn, she was a retired store clerk from Ken's Cleaners in Cape Girardeau. She was a member of the Guardian Angel Catholic Church, St. Ann Sodality and the KCettes Council No. 4311...

MOREHOUSE -- Carol Ann Prince, 67, died at 5:10 p.m. Nov. 5, 2007, at her home. Born May 4, 1940, in Anniston, to the late William Arthur "Bo" and Oma Selina Fussell Robison, she was the manager of the General Oil Company U-Pump-It in Sikeston for 17 years and was active in several charities in the Sikeston area...

CHAFFEE -- Weymon Reba Nix, 77, formerly of Malden, died Nov. 8, 2007, at the Chaffee Nursing Center. Born March 4, 1930, in Lawrenceburg, Tenn., daughter of the late David and Armentia Cantrell Collier, she was a member of the Spoonerville Baptist Church in Malden...

Ricky Skelton, a city of Sikeston Public Works employee, hangs lights for decoration at American Legion Park Thursday afternoon. The city is preparing for the Downtown Christmas open house which starts today.

BENTON -- Scott County Collector Mark Hensley wants to make tax season more efficient for residents as well as his office this year. He has purchased a dropbox for after-hours payment that will be installed soon. And on Thursday's meeting, he brought up the idea of opening a satellite office in Sikeston for a couple of hours two days a week to the county commissioners...

CHARLESTON -- Mississippi County's deductible for property insurance was raised from $1,000 to $2,500 per occurrence for 2008. County Clerk Junior DeLay said during the regular County Commission meeting Thursday that a recent letter from MOPERM advised the deductible is being increased due to the number of claims exceeding $10,000 that have been presented over the last three years...