Stories from Saturday, November 5, 2011

sports@standard-democrat.com SIKESTON -- There's one voice that usually towers above everyone else's, even during a simple passing drill as the Sikeston soccer team practices. His lines of encouragement, as well as his emphasis towards his teammates on doing things the right way, are mixed with his wise-cracks that are meant to keep practices light...

sports@standard-democrat.com SIKESTON -- On or off the field, there's a good chance the Sikeston soccer team will be seen in close proximity of each other. Led by five seniors, the Bulldogs consider themselves more like family rather than high school classmates playing a game...

sports@standard-democrat.com SIKESTON -- Not content with winning the first their first district title in six years, the Sikeston Bulldogs soccer team hopes to keep their postseason push alive this Tuesday when they take on the Farmington Knights. "At this point in the season if you lose a game you go home," Sikeston head coach Doyle Noe said. "You don't want to be that team and we've ended the season of two different teams. We've extended our season and we want to keep going."...

leonnah@standard-democrat.com SIKESTON -- In today's sluggish economy, many shoppers are opting to use layaway plans this holiday season. Donna Taylor, executive director of Financial Fitness Services in Sikeston, said there are several reasons consumers may want to use layaway which allows them to make purchases in small payments...

SIKESTON -- A reward is offered for a man wanted in connection with a shooting Halloween night. The Sikeston Department of Public Safety is seeking information about the whereabouts of Dominique Duval Tipler, 24, of Sikeston. Tipler is charged with first degree assault and armed criminal action for the shooting of a 24-year-old Sikeston man...

SIKESTON -- Voters in the Mississippi County town of Anniston will decide on a bond issue to bring its sewer system up to state standards during Tuesday's general election. Anniston voters will choose whether or not to issue $900,000 in revenue bonds for the city's sewer system...

scottw@standard-democrat.com BENTON -- Playing taps at veteran funerals is more than just a time-honored military custom for a local man; it's a family tradition. "I'm a second generation: my father was a bugler in World War II," said Frank J. Ovanin of Benton. "I do it to honor my father, the whole thing."...

I actually found myself last week reading about the Kim Kardashian divorce after a mere 72 days. I have tried very carefully to avoid any time spent on the Kardashian clan. But in our celebrity-obsessed society, avoidance is not always possible. The 72-day marriage made in heaven (or Hollywood) jumped from the tabloid arena to the mainstream media last week only because of the near-record brevity of the couple's grand union...