Stories from Wednesday, November 30, 2011

SIKESTON -- It's Harry Howard's belief in the community working together for the love of music that has made the Community Christmas Carol Sing-Along a success over the past 10 years. "It's a communal affair with people of all religions and ages," said Howard, organist and coordinator of the Sing-Along. "...The biggest requirement is the love of music and people who love to sing."...

SIKESTON - Route C in Mississippi County will be closed while Missouri Department of Transportation crews replace pipe beneath the roadway. This section of roadway is located from County Road 407 to Route 105. Weather permitting, work will be performed from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday...

With the imminent failure of the Congressional Super Committee, it should trigger the automatic spending cuts in the Department of Defense and the Medicare program. These two spending giants were targeted because that's where a huge chunk of the federal spending is aimed...

DETROIT -- Felix Betts, 85, died Nov. 26, 2011, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau, Mo. He was born March 5, 1926, in Charleston, Mo., to the late Elijah and Louise Thomas Betts Sr. and had lived in Detroit for over 55 years. He attended New Testament Church of God In Christ and Saint Mark Church of God In Christ in Detroit and was a veteran of the U.S. Army...

SIKESTON -- Delois Montjoy Brooks, 56, died Nov. 23, 2011, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Born March 15, 1955, in Dorena, to Louis Van Montjoy Sr. of Sikeston and the late Katherine Dickson Montjoy, she was a graduate of Sikeston High School and Lane College in Jackson, Tenn. She was a supervisor at Proctor and Gamble for 18 years and of the Baptist belief...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Frank Turnbo, 77, died at 8:10 p.m. Nov. 29, 2011, at his home. Arrangements are incomplete with Shelby Funeral Home in East Prairie.

SIKESTON -- Philip John Shimon, 40, died at 6:05 a.m. Nov. 27, 2011, at his home. Born July 21, 1971, in Pocahontas, Iowa, to Lowell and Adell Haag Shimon of Pocahontas, he was a manufacturing manager at Unilever Ice Cream. On Dec. 2, 2000, he married Amy Patterson, and she survives of the home...

NEW MADRID -- Annette "Bay" Nolen, 65, died Nov. 25, 2011, at the Golden Living Center in New Madrid. She was born Feb. 25, 1946, in Wilson, Ark., to the late Elenora and Herbert Nolen Sr. She was a member of the Zion Rock Church where she served on the usher board for many years...

CHARLESTON -- Mark F. Rolwing, age 82, a resident of Charleston, died on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Born Feb. 22, 1929, to the late Otto Joseph and Ethel Newcum Rolwing, he had lived in Charleston his entire life where he was a member of St. ...

SIKESTON -- Groundwork by officials from Three Rivers College shows construction of an Eastern Campus at Sikeston is feasible. Next is a funding campaign for the building. Dr. Devin Stephenson, president of Three Rivers, presented the findings from a feasibility study to about three dozen area residents Tuesday...

BLOOMFIELD -- The Missouri Veterans Commission's six State Veterans Cemeteries will host Wreaths Across America, a holiday wreath-laying ceremony to honor and remember the nation's veterans on Dec.10. The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. at the Bloomfield Veterans Cemetery, 17357 Stars and Stripes Way at Bloomfield...

BENTON -- For the past 12 years, the annual Winter Wonderland of Treasures Sale in Benton has promoted its variety of handmade crafts. And there's a good reason for that, according to event organizer Judy Scherer. "When people come to a craft show, they want to see crafts," Scherer said, adding she limits the number of direct sales booths to only three to five of the total 55 vendors...

BERNIE -- A Malden man was fatally injured in a head-on collision Tuesday one mile north of Bernie. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the accident occurred at 6:30 a.m. Jana K. Jennings, 54, of Bernie was driving northbound on Highway 25 when she lost control of her vehicle and struck a southbound vehicle head on driven by Michael D. Jines, 31, of Malden...

BENTON -- Low-flying planes and high resolution cameras will provide an even better map for Scott County's geographic information system. During their regular meeting Tuesday, county commissioners approved spending $63,760.50 on Pictometry, an advanced form of aerial photography that provides images that include oblique views of buildings in addition to the usual view from directly above...

Benaea Robinson, the December Standard Democrat Calendar Girl, is ready to celebrate the holidays. The daughter of Helen and Bennell Robinson, Robinson was a finalist in the 2010 Miss Sikeston Contest. A graduate of Sikeston High School, she is a freshman at Missouri State University at Springfield, where she is majoring in health care administration...

DEXTER -- Although the Sikeston eighth grade basketball team had to scratch and claw, they came up with the victory against the Dexter Bearcats on Tuesday, 56-52. Sikeston began the contest by looking up at a 13-2 deficit. Although they came back to tie the game at the half, at 27 all, they went into the fourth quarter down by four points...

SIKESTON -- Although they have somewhat of a different look, the Sikeston Bulldogs used the same formula to continue their unbeaten streak spanning from a historic season a year ago. Ferocious defense and team-oriented scoring led to a 70-37 victory over visiting Blytheville, Ark., on Tuesday night at the Sikeston Field House during Sikeston's season opener...

CHARLESTON -- After holding a five-point lead going into the break on Tuesday, the Charleston Bluejays used 47 second half to pull away from the Dexter Bearcats for a 77-49 win. "We ended up playing well in the end," Charleston head coach Danny Farmer said. "We started out slow, but Dexter always plays us tough. We put some full-court press on them in the second half and it made a big difference. They didn't expect that."...