Stories from Tuesday, December 13, 2011

GIDEON -- Three Gideon residents were killed and a fourth seriously injured Monday in a single-car crash. According to the Missouri Highway Patrol at 10:20 p.m. Monday, Dylan K. Cornett, 19, was driving northbound on Main Street in Gideon when his vehicle failed to negotiate a curve. The car ran off the roadway striking a ditch, utility pole and a large tree...

scottw@standard-democrat.com SIKESTON -- The Sikeston Country Club will close without having a goodbye party Friday night. "Friday morning it will be closed," Rob Collins, acting manager during the closing-down process, said Tuesday. A representative of the five local banks which are foreclosing on the property met with Collins and Howard Gipson of Gipson Construction, a local contractor who was consulted on how best to winterize and secure facilities, Tuesday morning at the Country Club...

SIKESTON -- Sikeston R-6 students and teachers will have a shorter summer vacation but longer holiday breaks for the 2012-2013 school year. During its regular monthly meeting Tuesday, the Board of Education approved a 170 school-day calendar for the district's 2012-2013 school year...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Larry "Gator" Morgan, 72, died at 5:16 a.m. Dec. 10, 2011, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Born April 17, 1939, in East Prairie, to the late Thomas Jefferson and Lucy Alma Powers Morgan, he lived his entire life in East Prairie where he worked for Pope Motors as a car detailer and was a member of the St. James General Baptist Church...

SIKESTON -- Clay Graham, 64, died Dec. 12, 2011, at his home. Arrangements are incomplete with Ponder Funeral Home in Sikeston.

DEXTER -- Nancy Elizabeth Jones Rankins, 70, died Dec. 11, 2011, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Born Feb. 3, 1941, in Rock County, Wis., she was the daughter of the late Vernal M. and Edith E. Perry Jones. In 1959, in Beloit, Wis., she married Ray Rankins Sr. who survives of the home...

DEXTER -- Juli Hunt, 39, died Dec. 12, 2011, at the Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Born Aug. 31, 1972, at Sikeston, daughter of Robert Paddock of Kennett and the late Wanda Fowlkes Paddock, she was a registered nurse at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center where she worked on the medical surgery floor...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Darrell Husk, 56, died at 10:56 p.m. Dec. 9, 2011, at the Life Care Center in Cape Girardeau. Born Jan. 23, 1955, in Wyatt, to the late Donald Richard and Martha Sue Childers Husk, he lived in Cape Girardeau for the past 15 years and was a maintenance worker before becoming disabled...

SIKESTON -- Michael Lee Gimlin, 52, died Dec. 13, 2011, at his home. Arrangements are incomplete with Nunnelee Funeral Chapel in Sikeston.

MORLEY -- Carl Carpenter, 68, died Dec. 12, 2011, at St. John's Mercy Hospital in St. Louis. Arrangements are incomplete at Ponder Funeral Home in Sikeston.

SIKESTON -- Phyllis Bohannon, 61, died Dec. 12, 2011, at her home. Arrangements are incomplete with Nunnelee Funeral Chapel in Sikeston.

PORTAGEVILLE -- Bobby Gene "Bob" Gill, 88, died Dec. 11, 2011, at Portageville. Born Sept. 14, 1923, in Braggadocio, to the late Hester Lyles and E.M. Gill, he was a member of the First Baptist Church in Portageville and was retired from Arkansas-Missouri (ArkMo) Power Company. He had been a Portageville alderman and little league coach and was a past member of the fire department...

CHARLESTON -- Inez Tate Ellis, 85, died Dec. 9, 2011, at her home. Born Dec. 21, 1925, in Gurdon, Ark., to the late Leonard and Emma Roberts Tate, she had lived in Missouri since 1947 and was a member of the St. Henry's Catholic Church in Charleston...

sports@standard-democrat.com CLARKTON -- The Risco Tigers advanced to the semifinals of the Clarkton Holiday Tournament with a 87-29 win over the Clarkton junior varsity. Risco jumped out to a 33-5 lead after one quarter and led 64-14 at the half and cruised to the finish as all 10 players on the roster scored...

sports@standard-democrat.com EAST PRAIRIE -- For the first time in his coaching career with the Lady Eagles, East Prairie head coach Steven Douglas can now say he has beaten the Kelly Lady Hawks. Going into Monday's contest winless against the Lady Hawks, Douglas and his Lady Eagles notched their first win against Kelly, 50-30. It was also their first win of the season...

sports@standard-democrat.com SIKESTON -- On Friday night the Sikeston Bulldogs basketball team tasted defeat on their home floor for the first time in 51 games. On Monday night, the Bulldogs made Ste. Genevieve pay. Sikeston used their patented full court pressure to force numerous Ste. Genevieve turnovers, blasting the Dragons 92-29 and in the process helping ease the sting of Friday night's 75-71 loss to Charleston in the finals of the SEMO Conference Tournament...

SCOTT CITY -- A shopping trip ended with a spur of the moment decision that changed one woman's life. After an afternoon of errands, Johnne Griffin, 61, said to herself, "I haven't bought a ticket in a while." The revelation prompted her to stop at Reeve's Boomland, 6399 State Highway 77 in Benton, before heading to her Scott City home. Moments after the mother-of-four bought a Missouri Lottery "Silver Bells" Scratchers ticket, she was left "starring in shock" at a $100,000 prize...

scottw@standard-democrat.com SIKESTON -- Those who are planning to attend the Missouri Delta Medical Center 2011 Benefit Ball should get their tickets now -- or they may miss out. The hospital ball was traditionally held every other year in October but was held on New Year's Eve in 2009 to kick off the city's sesquicentennial celebration...

leonnah@standard-democrat.com SIKESTON -- Alma Curry of Sikeston said she's always enjoyed fixing up old dolls and toys, but little did she know one day her home would transform into Santa's workshop. Since last month Curry has cleaned, refurbished and re-energized over 400 used toys, which will be given away from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday -- or until the toys run out -- at the Cape First of Sikeston Church...