Stories from Friday, February 25, 2011

BENTON -- Getting 17 first half points from senior Jon Morrow Thursday night against Kelly, the Oran Eagles jumped out to a 26-point lead by the break en route to 78-42 win. "We played great," Morrow said. "We wanted to come out and work the ball around. This is our last regular season game and bunch of us seniors just wanted to play our hearts out."...

DEXTER -- Although the Dexter Bearcats were able to overcome nine first quarter turnovers, they were not able to topple their shooting woes. The Bearcats struggled going 15 of 49 (30 percent) from the field as the No. 3 ranked team in the district, Notre Dame, upset the No. 2 seed Bearcats, 45-38...

DELTA -- The Delta Lady Bobcats clinched the Scott-Mississippi regular-season conference title on Senior Night with a 62-35 win over Scott Central. Tori Burton paced Delta (16-9) with 22 points and 17 rebounds, while Machela VanGennip added 16 points...

DEXTER -- The top-seeded Sikeston Bulldogs advanced to the Class 4, District 1 championship game with a 92-33 whipping over fifth-seeded Fredericktown on Thursday night at Dexter High School. The Bulldogs will play third-seeded Notre Dame, 45-38 winners over second-seeded Dexter, tonight at 7:30 for the title...

BENTON -- Holding a slim two-point lead going into the half, the Oran Lady Eagles used a hot third quarter to pull out a 55-42 win over the Kelly Lady Hawks. "We struggled a little bit in the first half," Lady Eagles' coach Adam Friga said. "We didn't play our best basketball, but what I was proud of was that we still had a two-point lead...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- James Taylor, 43, died Feb. 24, 2011, in the Ratliff Care Center in Cape Girardeau. For the complete obituary and more stories from the Standard Democrat, click here to log on to the electronic edition...

SPRINGFIELD -- M. Kathryn Bailey, 72, died Feb. 22, 2011, in Springfield. For the complete obituary and more stories from the Standard Democrat, click here to log on to the electronic edition.

MOREHOUSE -- Junior Ray Buttry, 65, died Feb. 23, 2011, at his home near Morehouse. For the complete obituary and more stories from the Standard Democrat, click here to log on to the electronic edition.

CHARLESTON -- Brenda Laverne Merryman, 50, died at 6:04 p.m. Feb. 24, 2011, at her home. For the complete obituary and more stories from the Standard Democrat, click here to log on to the electronic edition.

DEXTER -- Billie Joyce Ward Crouch, 73, died Feb. 24, 2011, at the Cypress Point Nursing Center in Dexter. For the complete obituary and more stories from the Standard Democrat, click here to log on to the electronic edition...

CRYSTAL CITY -- Velma Ruth Harvell, 94, formerly of Charleston, died Feb. 21, 2011 at the Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Crystal City. For the complete obituary and more stories from the Standard Democrat, click here to log on to the electronic edition...

CHARLESTON -- Cathy Sue Farrell Alsup, 59, died Feb. 23, 2011, at the Charleston Manor. For the complete obituary and more stories from the Standard Democrat, click here to log on to the electronic edition.

BENTON - A routine traffic stop by a Scott County Sheriff's deputy led to the arrest of two men wanted for a home invasion and stealing a car. Jordan L. Smith, 21, of Jackson Miss., is charged with tampering with a motor vehicle. He is being held in the Scott County Jail in lieu of $20,000 bond...

SIKESTON (SMNS) - The census numbers were not good news for local officials. In Southeast Missouri, Scott County was among the bigger population losers. The county's census, at 39,191 residents, declined about 3 percent between 2000 and 2010. Scott City's headcount declined by 26 people over the decade. Its population was 4,565 residents in the 2010 census...

BENTON -- Steve Morse hasn't had a cold or even a headache in 20 years. And he completely attributes that to his regular blood donation. "I believe, and my doctor has said, that donating blood is one of the healthiest things you can do," he said. "It's like changing oil in a vehicle."...

CHARLESTON -- A misunderstanding regarding time clock policy for the Mississippi County Sheriff's Department was cleared up during the regular County Commission meeting Thursday. County Clerk Junior DeLay said he was directed by the Commission to send a memo to the Mississippi County Detention Center advising the county's policy for those who fail to punch in and out is to not pay that employee for those time periods...

SIKESTON -- In what the Sikeston Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Missy Marshall called "a split program" on Thursday, attendees at the monthly luncheon got to learn more about a civic group and a higher education institution looking to expand in the area...

CHARLESTON -- Derek Holmes takes his role as dog handler serious. The Southeast Correctional Center offender recently purchased the "Dog Bible." The canine reference book aids Holmes and his cellmate/fellow dog handler Ricky Kidd in adjusting the training of their chihuahua mix, Lil' Bill, to meet the needs of the dog training program, Puppies for Parole...