Stories from Wednesday, December 26, 2007

BERTRAND - Fire Friday afternoon destroyed the farm house of Charles Peters, the old W.M. Gaty farm south of Bertrand. DEXTER - The Fram Corporation of East Providence, R.I., will build a 125,000-square-foot manufacturing plant here, employing 175 persons at the start...

Day after day I read the paper and see the births. I find it disgusting that the Standard Democrat would even waste the time and ink to print where somebody has delivered their fifth child, they're unmarried. It's not going to change anything the way these people reproduce. It's certainly not going to lower our tax bill to support them after they get here. I do not see the need of glorifying it by publicizing it...

POPLAR BLUFF -- For years the Sikeston Bulldogs practiced over Christmas break rather than play in a holiday basketball tournament. After taking part in the Dyersburg, Tenn., Christmas Tournament last year, the Bulldogs will test their mettle this year in the Poplar Bluff Showdown...

Another year is nearing it's end, and the year 2007 brought along quite a bit in the sports world. We've watched one of the NFL's highest touted and most-talented quarterbacks in Michael Vick go to the slammer for behaving in unspeakable volumes of cruelty to animals; one of, if not THE highest ranked MLB record broken by Barry Bonds, only to be challenged from the baseball world to be marked with an asterisk; an up and coming NFL star in Sean Taylor, killed in his own home by kids that came in with the intentions of robbing him clean; NBA referees ousted in a betting and game-fixing scandal--all things that took place in 2007, all things that rocked the sports world, in a tough way.. ...

SIKESTON -- Anyone looking to extend their Christmas celebration can do so through a tour featuring local churches dating back to the early 1900s and with unique features like stained glass windows and arched ceilings. The second Christmas Catholic Church Tour will be from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday in Scott, Mississippi and Cape Girardeau counties...

NEW HAMBURG -- The search continues today for the assailant in a knife fight, which left one person recovering from a stab wound. Early Sunday, according to a news release from the Scott County Sheriff's Department, a fight broke out at Schindler's Tavern. Witnesses at the scene told investigators an estimated crowd of 60 people were inside the building when the fight began...

SIKESTON -- Sitting on two waterfowl zones, local hunters can start early in one and hunt late in the other. "They have more days to hunt and more places than ever," said Leother Branch, Scott County conservation agent. "We have three different zones," Branch said: north, middle and south. "Most of this region is in the middle and south zone."...

SIKESTON -- When it comes to duck hunting, Arkansas' loss is Southeast Missouri's gain. "In the last few years, those guys are really upset that the ducks are staying here instead of going on down," said Leven Cox of Sikeston, an avid waterfowl hunter and hunting club operator. "Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois are really beginning to be where the ducks are stopping. Year after year it seems like they're stopping here instead of continuing down to Arkansas."...

CARUTHERSVILLE -- A Caruthersville woman was arrested over the weekend for assaulting her husband. Annie Wright, 42, of Caruthersville, was arrested for assault and held for 12 hours. She later was released on a summons to appear in municipal court...

SIKESTON - A Sikeston man is awaiting arraignment today in connection with a Friday shooting which injured three persons. Kevin King, 25, is charged with three counts of first degree assault, three counts of armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon. He is being held in the Scott County Jail in lieu of $250,000 cash-only bond...

DEXTER - Anita Wheeler died Dec. 25, 2007, in the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Arrangements are incomplete with Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home of Dexter.

LILBOURN - Marion Beatrice Travis Powe, 92, died Dec. 22, 2007, at the Golden Living Center in New Madrid. Born Feb. 28, 1915, in New Madrid County, she was the daughter of the late Forest Travis. She was married to Lloyd Powe, who preceded her in death...

EAST PRAIRE - Guylend S. "Skeet" Dean, 32, died at 2 p.m., Dec. 22, 2007, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Born June 25, 1972 in Rockford, Ill., to Johnnie Lou Grogan Dean of East Prairie, he was a member of the First Church of God in East Prairie...

DEXTER - Jerry M. Spears, 68, died Dec. 20, 2007, at Missouri Southern Healthcare. Born Aug. 6, 1939, in Steele, son of Verla V. Allard Spears of Dexter and the late LeRoy Spears, he was a former employee with Chrysler at North Carolina, where he worked as a machinist...

CHARLESTON - Myrtle J. McClanahan, 90, died at 9:40 p.m. Dec. 23, 2007, at the Bertrand Nursing Center. Born Dec. 31, 1916, at Bell City, to the late Virgil Edward and Myrtie Maude Duckett Jones, she was a graduate of Diehlstadt High School. She lad lived most of her life in Charleston, where she was employed for a number of years with the Brown Shoe Company and was a member of the First Baptist Church...

NEW MADRID - Lena Edna Hart Hampton, 91, died Dec. 21, 2007, at her home. Born Feb. 4, 1916, in New Madrid County, to the late Willa Pearl and John Thomas Hart, she was a member of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church Choir. She was married to James D. Hampton, who preceded her in death on Sept. 23, 1964...

ST. LOUIS - James Cato, 80, died Dec. 23, 2007, at St. Alexius Hospital in St. Louis. Born Sept. 13, 1927, at Greenbriar, to the late Sylvester and Leona Bennett Cato, he had lived in Kinder until moving to St. Louis in 1951. He was retired from McCabe-Powers Body in St. Louis, where he worked as a machine operator for 33 years...

SIKESTON - Novell Milani, 82, died at 2:47 a.m. Dec. 23, 2007, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Born May 22, 1925, in Union City, Tenn., to the late Carroll J. and Lillie Russom James, she had been employed with Sunline Candy Co. in St. Louis where she was a candy machine operator. She was a member of the Miner Baptist Church and Sikeston Eagles Aries No. 3319...

It's the day after Christmas and I'm cranky and broke, And I'm so sick of egg nog I think I'm going to choke. I'm tired and busy and have no column for today, So here is some Foxworthy, I hope that is OK. 'Twas the night after Christmas and all through the trailer,...