Stories from Tuesday, December 30, 2008

WYATT -- Lois Louise Kunz Moreton, 92, died Sunday, Dec. 28, 2008, at her home in Wyatt. She was born Oct. 9, 1916, in Wyatt, daughter to the late Charles Anthony and Anna Lee Hutcheson Kunz. She lived her entire life in the community of Wyatt where she was a life member of the Wyatt United Methodist Church until its closing and then moved her membership to the Charleston United Methodist Church. ...

SIKESTON -- Sam Bodine, formerly of Marston, died Dec. 29, 2008, at his home. Arrangements are incomplete with Richards Funeral Home in New Madrid.

BERTRAND -- Betty Sue Davis-Crowley, 69, died at 1:09 p.m. Dec. 28, 2008, at her home. Born Sept. 27, 1939, at Charleston, to the late Anderson and Opal Oliver Davis, she lived all of her life in Mississippi County. She had worked at Brown Shoe, had been a cook for the R-1 School District in Charleston and was a member of the Diehlstadt General Baptist Church...

CLARKTON --Freida Lavern Bailey, 84, died Dec. 28, 2008, at the Gideon Care Center. Born April 27, 1924, at Holcomb, to the late Van Allen and Pearl Ellen Dennis Key, she was a secretary, a homemaker and a member of the First Baptist Church in Clarkton...

BENTON -- Jonathan Morrow died Dec. 29, 2008, at his home. Arrangements are incomplete with McMikle Funeral Home in Charleston.

BLOOMFIELD -- A man is in custody in the Stoddard County Jail for felonious restraint. According to a news release issued this morning by Sheriff Carl Hefner, the department responded to an E-911 call on Sunday which reported a male subject in a residence with a firearm, possibly holding hostages. The suspect, Toby Lacy, 30, told dispatch that if law enforcement didn't arrive within 10 minutes at 14099 New Quest Lane, just west of Dexter, to pick him up, he would start killing people...

A dog's drinking water must be at least 2 inches deep for it to be able to get an adequate amount of liquid. They cannot get enough liquid by licking ice or lapping up a few drops in a puddle. It's stupid for anybody to think so. As far as barking goes, how else do you expect a dog to communicate with you? I swear, I think humans are dumber than dogs by a long shot...

SIKESTON - There will be few new faces in the courthouse offices beginning with the new year, as practically all of the present officials were elected last November to succeed themselves. Clarence Felker succeeds J.C. Wallace as Scott County representative in the state legislature. ...

SIKESTON -- Maybe it's the cold weather or maybe it's just the holidays. But business is booming when it comes to liquor and wine sales right now, and has been since Thanksgiving. "This time of year is our busiest time for liquor and wine sales," said Brian Boyer of Glazer Liquor Company, which stocks liquor in a majority of the stores in the Sikeston area...

First in a two-part series EAST PRAIRIE -- In his first term in the Missouri House of Representatives, Steve Hodges, D-161, treated his constituents the way he treated customers at the Mississippi County grocery store he owned for many years. "And it's been a wonderful transition for me," he said. "I couldn't be any happier."...

SIKESTON -- A rise in the cost of living in Missouri is the reason many minimum wage earners will see an increase in their paychecks beginning Thursday. The current Missouri Minimum Wage rate is $6.65 per hour; the rate will increase to $7.05 an hour...

EAST PRAIRIE -- An East Prairie man was seriously injured in a two-vehicle accident Monday in Mississippi County. According to Missouri State Highway Patrol, at 10:33 a.m. on Missouri Highway 105 at County Road 418, Bobby G. Wallace of East Prairie was traveling northbound on Missouri Highway 105 when he struck the rear of the northbound vehicle driven by Nina M. Ellis, 81, of East Prairie...

BROSELEY -- Before their quarterfinal game against the undefeated Charleston Lady Bluejays, the Kelly Lady Hawks huddled together and shouted "Who are we?" with one response, "Kelly!" The Lady Hawks, No. 3 seed in the 12th annual Lady Royals Holiday Classic Tournament at Broseley, showed everybody who they were Monday night. Beating the No. 6 seed Lady Bluejays 49-32 in what Charleston head coach Micheal Minner coined as "a dog fight."...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- No matter who steps out onto the court with Scott County Central, Braves guard Bobby Hatchett said that they will play the same way against all opponents. "We just try to play the same every game," Hatchett said. "We can't change anything. We just have to keep playing hard, have fun, play together and just get better."...

POPLAR BLUFF -- The Sikeston Bulldogs opened the Poplar Bluff Showdown with a loss Monday evening as they fell to the Warren Central Dragons 66-62. For the Bulldogs it was a slow start in the first quarter that set the tone for the final result. The Dragons quickly cashed in the first few baskets including several 3-pointers en route to a 25-18 first quarter lead. Sikeston bounced back in the second quarter as they outscored Warren Central 19-10 and at the half they trailed 38-34...

BLOOMFIELD -- The Portageville Bulldogs remain undefeated as they outlasted the tenacious Twin Rivers Royals in an 63-62 instant classic overtime victory Monday night to advance to the championship of the 52nd Anniversary Bloomfield Christmas Tournament...