Stories from Wednesday, December 5, 2007

SIKESTON - A Sikeston woman was arrested in connection with a shooting Monday morning. Pamela A. Fox, 48, of Sikeston, was charged with first degree domestic assault and armed criminal action in the shooting of her husband, William L. Fox, 47. At approximately 3:50 a.m. ...

SIKESTON -- The past week has been a big shuffle for Kristi Orman and her three children. Orman lived in one of the homes that was part of the mortgage fraud scheme that hit Sikeston. She's known that she would eventually have to vacate her home, and had made arrangements to move into an apartment by Dec. 10...

SIKESTON -- About six months after a housing scheme dealing with mortgage fraud in Scott County was uncovered, people are putting together the pieces on what exactly happened. Tom Dirnberger, Scott County's recorder of deeds, said there were at least 300 fraudulent loans -- "meaning loans given on properties that were way over appraised."...

SIKESTON -- Tom Dirnberger, Scott County's recorder of deeds, said "we could make a movie called the Good the Bad and the Ugly," with all those who played a role in the housing fraud. The good part is that a few parties benefitted, namely those who sold there properties for more than they were worth. "Plus, they sold numbers of them, not just one or two," Dirnberger said. "Also, they were glad to get rid of them."...

JACKSON - The death toll in one of the most violent shooting sprees in Southeast Missouri history rose to three Tuesday. Michael R. Jeffers, 16, died Tuesday afternoon at Saint Francis Medical Center, Cape Girardeau County Coroner John Clifton said. He had been shot in the head during the shooting Monday in Jackson. Two were pronounced dead immediately following the shooting -- Mir Shahin Moshiri, 36, the suspected shooter; and Madison Moshiri, 4, his daughter with Katherine Moshiri...

SIKESTON -- A Haywood City man is in custody for drug charges following a vehicle pursuit and foot chase early Tuesday morning. Tyrone McClinton, 34, was charged. According to a news release from the Sikeston Department of Public Safety, the incident occurred around 1:50 a.m. Tuesday, when Officer Bobby Penrod was patrolling near the downtown area. He witnessed a vehicle running a stop sign and attempted to pull it over...

If the following column offends some, let me apologize from the beginning. But apologies aside, I am offended when someone hides behind religion to justify a lifestyle that is clearly misguided and wrong. Richard Roberts, the son of Oral Roberts, has now resigned as president of Oral Roberts University because of an unfolding scandal centered on a somewhat lavish lifestyle. ...

SIKESTON -- The Sikeston Bulldogs began their SEMO Conference Tournament Tuesday night as they edged out a win over a stubborn Poplar Bluff Mules team 61-50. For a second-straight game this season Sikeston had to depend on a big second half from their inside game to pull away for the victory when a slow first two quarters found the Bulldogs up at the half by only one point (23-...

This is ole Rocking the boat again. A caller wanted to know where in the Bible it stated that a woman could not pastor a church. Read 1 Timothy 2 and 12: Deuteronomy 1 and 1; 1 Timothy 3 and 12; Titus 1 9 and 6; Corinthians 14, 34-47. The Bible teaches that they will turn away their ears from the truth, sound Bible preaching, where a man of God will no longer be endured or tolerated by many within the church. ...

ORAN--The Oran Eagles basketball team was back in action at home on Tuesday night, as they downed the visiting Risco Tigers 84-66. For the Eagles, it was another scoring outburst from Cody Romas, Kody Campbell and Cody W. Dirnberger that lifted Oran over the Tigers...

Well ladies and gents, it's that time of year again -- time for giving. This year, it's the BCS computers that are giving the biggest gifts. This year's recipients include Illinois (9-3), West Virginia(10-2), and yes, you all know it already, Kansas (11-1)...

KELLY -- The Portageville Bulldogs proved to be too much for the home team Kelly Hawks Tuesday night, as the Bulldogs went on to rout the Hawks, 64- 39. Portageville head coach Jim Bidewell said that his teams focus was right where it needed to be. "I think we're playing better," he said. "We played hard, we actually set up and ran an offense tonight. As long as we can play hard then that's about all you can really ask right now."...

The New Madrid County Central wrestling held their first home match of the season Monday night, falling to the Dexter Bearcats 48-33. Top: NMCC's D'Adrian Farr pins Michael Spencer in the 275 pound division. Below: NMCC's A.G. Sanders pins Colby Barnes in the 145 pound division...

CAMPBELL -- The Richland Rebels used a strong second half to defeat the Campbell Camels Tuesday night, 81-62. Richland trailed 36-34 at the half but outscored the Camels 23-4 in the third quarter to put the game away. "This was a good win for us," said Richland coach Casey Knight. "We had a week off since our last game and we came out a little sluggish but we woke up in the second half."...

SIKESTON - Jean Myers, son of Mr. and Mrs. Marshall Myers, will receive his discharge from the Navy tomorrow. He will go to Detroit immediately after his discharge for a visit with relatives. SIKESTON - Four Daily Standard newspaper boys went to the St. Louis football Cardinals-New Orleans Saints game at St. Louis. The trip was the prize for selling a minimum of 20 new subscriptions to the Daily Standard. The boys are Mark Gilliam, Steve Brock, Terry Otto and John Launius...

SIKESTON -- Ophelia L. Hutton, 14, died Dec. 2, 2007, at the Missouri Delta Medical Center. Born May 31, 1993, in St. Louis to Robert Hutton of Detroit and Margaret Harris of Sikeston, she was an eighth grade student at the 7th and 8th Grade Center in Sikeston and a member of Peace Baptist Church in Sikeston...

SIKESTON - Harry L. Powers Jr., 46, died Dec. 2, 2007, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Born March 23, 1961, in Sikeston, he was the son of the late Harry L. Powers Sr. and Paula Cooper Cannon. On April 25, 1994, he married Paula Myers Smith, who survives of the home...

CHAFFEE -- Norman Merle Elsperman Sr., 87, died at 1:35 a.m. Dec. 1, 2007, at the Chaffee Nursing Center. Born Jan. 1, 1920, in Vanduser, to the late George and Martha Wells Elsperman, he was the retired owner and operator of Norm's Service Station in Spring Valley, Calif...

EAST PRAIRIE - Dorothy Jean Wilson, 64, died at 10:15 a.m., Dec. 3, 2007, at her home. Born July 11, 1943, in Wyatt, to the late Edward Lee and Lorene White Jones, she had lived most of her life in Mississippi County and was a member of the First Baptist Church of East Prairie...

BENTON - Pallbearers for services held at 11 a.m. today at the Blanchard Funeral Chapel in Sikeston for Wanda Carey, 48, who died at 4:40 a.m. Dec. 3, 2007, were: Keith Runyan, James Hopper, Edwin Carey Jr., Gary DeWitt, David Lape and David Hough.

PUXICO -- Erin Lynn Powell, 24, died Nov. 3, 2007, at Saint Francis Hospital in Cape Girardeau as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident. Born Sept. 30, 1983, to Trent Shipman of Bloomfield and Cathy Edmonds Shipman of Cape Girardeau, she had spent most of her life in the Bloomfield community and was a graduate of Bloomfield High School...

CHARLESTON - Mamie Ruth Brown, 72, died at 4:25 p.m. Dec. 4, 2007, at her home. Born Sept. 15, 1935, at West Point, Tenn., to the late Jack S. and Gladys Josephine Perry Ketchum, she lived most of her life in Charleston. A lifetime cook, she was most recently employed at the Charleston Nutrition Center until ill-health forced her retirement. She had attended the Free Pentecostal Church in Charleston...

MIDDLEBURG, Fla. - Born March 1, 1962, in Sikeston, Mo., 45-year-old Dawn "Libby" Hastings died unexpectedly at her home on Dec. 2, 2007. She was a homemaker and avid gardener. She attended school in Sikeston and Salt Lake City and attended Murray Lane Baptist Church...

BERTRAND - The Rev. Roy Blumenberg Sr., 93, formerly of East Prairie, died Dec. 3, 2007, at the Bertrand Nursing Center. Born July 12, 1914, in Allenville, son of Louis Lee and Ella Sophia Eggimann Blumenberg, he and his family moved to Mississippi County in 1922. ...

EAST PRAIRIE - Esther Henry, 94, died at 2:45 a.m. Dec. 5, 2007, at her home. Arrangements are incomplete with Shelby Funeral Home of East Prairie.

DEXTER -- Pallbearers for services conducted on Tuesday at Watkins and Sons Funeral Home in Dexter for Opal Duncan, 92, who died on Dec. 1, 2007, were: Larry Roberts, Mike Patterson, Norman Roberts, Darrell Penberthy and Steve Watkins.

MARION, Ill. - Rosemary Berkel Crisp, 70, died Dec. 1, 2007, surrounded by her loving family, after a 12-year battle with ovarian cancer. Born in Chicago, to the late Albert and Rose Berkel, she graduated in 1958 from St. Mary's Hospital School of Nursing in Evansville, Ind. ...

BENTON -- Scott County commissioners will review information before awarding bids for bridge engineering services and health insurance. During their regular meeting Tuesday, commissioners first heard presentations from two firms interested in providing engineering services for a bridge replacement project using Off-Systems Bridge Replacement Program funding: Waters Engineering and Surveying of Sikeston and Smith and Co. Engineers of Poplar Bluff...

There are two things that I hate. OK, really I could write for a week about all of the things I hate, but for today there are two things that I'm worried about: asking for help and telephone support lines. Unfortunately, both have been irritating me lately. ...