Stories from Sunday, March 28, 2010

The stalled national economy has finally come home to roost. The Sikeston R-6 School District - like just about all other districts across the state - is facing revenue cuts because of the dismal state of the economy. Revenues for this school year are projected to be down $1.3 million from the prior school year and that will pose problems for the district going forward. And that is not necessarily the end of the story...

CHARLESTON -- Charleston junior James Naile began his outing by striking out the first three batters he faced. Naile continued to be nails after that. He pitched a complete game throwing 92 pitches as 68 of them zoomed over the plate for a strike. That kind of command led to 11 strikeouts and no walks...

SCOTT CITY - You can't have a much better start to the season than going yard in your first swing of the bat. Skylar Cobb did just that when, batting leadoff for the Scott City Rams, he sent the ball out past center field Friday afternoon in the Ram's 15-0 shutout of visiting New Madrid County Central in the two teams' first game of the season...

NEW MADRID -- Coming into the softball season, New Madrid County Central's goal was to go undefeated. The Lady Eagles cleared one of their major obstacles Friday afternoon, defeating Twin Rivers 4-1. Last spring, the Lady Eagles finished the season 13-2 with one of their two losses coming to Twin Rivers 2-0 in eight innings and coach Steve Rogers knew the Lady Royals would be formidable again this season...

ST. CHARLES - Raymond Dean Boone, 71, died March 27, 2010, at his home in St. Charles. DeLisle Funeral Home of Portageville is in charge of arrangements which are incomplete.

PORTAGEVILLE - Elnolia Buchanan, 79, died at 1 a.m. March 27, 2010, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. DeLisle Funeral Home of Portageville is in charge of arrangements which are incomplete.

CHARLESTON - Jessie Burke Brown, 89, died peacefully in her sleep on Thursday, March 25, 2010, at St. Thomas Hospital Hospice Unit in Nashville, Tenn. A lifelong resident of Charleston, she had resided at Belmont Village Assisted Living Center in Nashville for the past four years...

LILBOURN -- Betty Jean Rogers, 70, died March 26, 2010, at her home in Lilbourn. Funeral arrangements are with the Richards Funeral Home. For the complete obituary and more stories from the Standard Democrat, click here to log on to the electronic edition...

DEXTER -- Cyril Edward Marchant Sr., 85, died March 26, 2010, at his home. Funeral arrangements are with the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home. For the complete obituary and more stories from the Standard Democrat, click here to log on to the electronic edition...

SIKESTON - Charles McCollom, 72, died March 26, 2010, at his home in Sikeston. Arrangements are incomplete at McMikle Funeral Home in Charleston.

CHARLESTON -- William Smith "Billy" Babb, 49, died March 24, 2010, in New Madrid County. Arrangements are incomplete at McMikle Funeral Home in Charleston.

NEW MADRID - Investigators have determined the death of a Matthews man is not the result of foul play. Following an autospy, New Madrid County Sheriff Terry Stevens said the death of William Smith "Billy" Babb, 49, was due to "a combination of things."...

PUXICO -- A new refuge office and visitor center will be more environmentally friendly, and its design will allow for more visitors to Mingo National Wildlife Refuge in Puxico. "We're extremely excited about the project for several reasons," said Ben Mense, Refuge manager...

NEW MADRID -- Concerns about flooding from the Mississippi River have receded somewhat but a meeting to discuss the possibility will still have value. The meeting is scheduled at 4 p.m. Tuesday at the Community Center in New Madrid by U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson. Slated to attend are representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the State Emergency Management Agency, the Red Cross, area county commissions and emergency management directors...

BLYTHEVILLE, Ark. -- An escapee from the New Madrid County jail is back in custody. At approximately 1:30 p.m. Friday, Jermaine Spears, 28, of Steele was arrested by Blytheville Police, according to New Madrid County (Mo.) Sheriff Terry Stevens. Spears had escaped from the New Madrid County Jail on March 20 by getting into the jail's recreation yard then fashioning an electrical cord into a rope to get over the wall...