Stories from Sunday, August 28, 2011

Ray Clinton was laid to rest this week. The longtime Sikeston businessman died a week ago leaving behind a host of family and friends. It's really unfair to call Ray Clinton a businessman. He was so much more. He was a quiet leader and benevolent citizen of our community. But even that does not touch the impact that this one man had on Sikeston...

SIKESTON - Instead of laboring in the yard during Labor Day weekend, why not go to a celebration instead? From 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. Sept. 3 and starting at 2 p.m. Sept. 4 at the 100 block Westgate Street, the West End Community Betterment Association will host the Annual Sunset Reunion and Labor Day Weekend Celebration...

SIKESTON -- Learning from her past and hoping to help others move forward, self-proclaimed country girl and Miner native Shirley Coleman used personal life lessons to pen her first book. "You can't always go back, but you can always think of the good and think of the present," Coleman said. "Life is a journey, and we've got to enjoy it."...

SIKESTON -- For some small-town residents, the post office is more than a place to retrieve their mail on a daily basis. "When you think of the community, you think of the post office because that's where the community is," Canalou resident Donna Williams said...

Sikeston cheerleaders lead out the Sikeston football team in the school's new inflatable Bulldog purchased by the Sikeston Booster Club before Friday night's season opening game against Gateway Tech. Sikeston lost the game 34-14. For more on the game, see today's sports section...

BELL CITY -- Two people were injured Friday in a one-vehicle accident in Stoddard County. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the accident occurred at 6:45 a.m. one mile west of Bell City. Shannan Christley, 32, of Bell City was traveling west on Highway 91 when her vehicle traveled off the right side of the roadway and overturned...

BLOOMFIELD -- Two people have been arrested in Stoddard County on drug-related charges. According to a Saturday news release from the Stoddard County Sheriff's Department, Samantha Lain Bartlett, 27, of Parma, was arrested on a warrant for possession of marijuana and no bond has been set...

SIKESTON -- Susan Joan Beardsley, 63, of Sikeston, died Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011, near Matthews, as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident. For the complete obituary and more stories from the Standard Democrat, click here to log on to the electronic edition...

SIKESTON -- Bertha May Heckert Sweet, 88, formerly of Bertrand, died Aug. 26, 2011, at her home. For the complete obituary and more stories from the Standard Democrat, click here to log on to the electronic edition...

SCOTT CITY -- June Elizabeth Hayes, 48, died Aug. 25, 2011, at her home. For the complete obituary and more stories from the Standard Democrat, click here to log on to the electronic edition.

PERKINS -- Christine A. Senciboy, 89, died Aug. 26, 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 -- Linda Faye Lawrence, 76, died Aug. 25, 2011, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. For the complete obituary and more stories from the Standard Democrat, click here to log on to the electronic edition...

SIKESTON -- Barbara G. Evans, 66, died Aug. 26, 2011, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. For the complete obituary and more stories from the Standard Democrat, click here to log on to the electronic edition...

PORTAGEVILLE -- Ronald Ansel "Ronnie" Underwood, 66, died Aug. 26, 2011, at Portageville. For the complete obituary and more stories from the Standard Democrat, click here to log on to the electronic edition.

POPLAR BLUFF -- Charles Driskill, 76, formerly of Dexter, died Aug. 25, 2011, at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. For the complete obituary and more stories from the Standard Democrat, click here to log on to the electronic edition...