Stories from Wednesday, March 28, 2012

SIKESTON - When Do It Best Corporation was looking for a site for new distribution facility, they found Sikeston could do it best. Wednesday, officials from the Fort Wayne, Ind., based company along with city, county and state officials. announced plans to construct a $30 million retail service center in the city's Business, Education and Technology Park. The facility will replace the company's original facility in Cape Girardeau...

DEXTER -- The Dexter Bearcats scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and got past visiting Oran 8-5 on Tuesday. The Bearcats took advantage of five Oran errors while committing only one of their own. Brad Potts had two hits to lead Dexter (2-1) while Alex Cliff had a two-run home run in the first inning...

SIKESTON -- For 73 minutes, the Sikeston Lady Bulldogs were neck-and-neck with Saxony Lutheran. The score was tied 1-1 and each team looked to be digging in for the long haul if overtime was needed. Saxony's Nicole Hemmann changed all that. Two late goals by Hemmann put a damper on Sikeston's hopes of winning their first game of the season as Saxony left the Sikeston Sports Complex 3-1 winners...

FARMINGTON -- Several local boys and girls basketball players were honored on the 2012 Southeast Missouri Sportswriters All-Region Basketball team. In Class 4, three players from Sikeston were named to the all-region squad. Terry Jamison (5-9, sr.) and Vashawn Ruffin (5-10, jr.) were both named to the first team while J.T. Jones (6-2, soph.) was an honorable mention...

SCOTT CITY -- Backed by a complete game effort from starting pitcher Trey Tigart, the Sikeston Bulldogs survived a late rally from the Scott City Rams on Tuesday for a 7-4 win. "We had them down early and let them back in it a little bit," Sikeston head coach Alan Scheeter said. "Credit to them, they hit the ball up and down the lineup. I would like to see us finish a game off a little stronger than what we did instead of letting a team back in it...

SIKESTON -- Scott County Central head coach Kenyon Wright may be leading the Braves again after all. According to sources close to the situation who wish to remain anonymous, Wright was rehired as Scott Central's basketball coach Tuesday afternoon following a closed session of the Scott County Central School Board...

SIKESTON -- Wilburn Austin "Russ" Garner, 90, died at 2:45 p.m. March 25, 2012, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Born Oct. 12, 1921, in Hornersville, he was the son of the late Wiley Houston Garner and Effie Elizabeth McArthur Garner. He first worked for Brown-Root Pipeline Construction in Oran and in 1950, was employed by Associated Natural Gas until his retirement in 1986. ...

SIKESTON -- Richard Allen McCall, 59, died March 26, 2012, at his home. Born April 15, 1952, in Sikeston, to the late Richard Lee and Betty June Stobaugh McCall, he was a counter salesperson for D&S Salvage for many years. On May 11, 1973, in Sikeston, he married Linda Lecroy, who survives of the home...

BLOOMFIELD -- Mildred Unger, 88, died March 26, 2012, at the Golden Living Center in Bloomfield. Born April 11, 1923, in Cape Girardeau, to the late Herman and Lillian Hincke Macke, she was a member of the Trinity United Methodist Church in Bloomfield and a member of the Bloomfield Chapter No. 385 Order of the Eastern Star. She had been employed as a secretary for IXL in Dexter and Bernie and Griffin Contracting in Bloomfield and as a cashier at the Bank of Bloomfield...

SIKESTON -- Visitation is scheduled from 2 p.m. until time of memorial services at 3 p.m. Saturday at Ponder Funeral Home for Earnest Duane Chronister, 88, who died on March 15, 2012, in Cape Girardeau. Online condolences may be sent at www.ponderfuneralhome.com...

DEXTER -- Demp Holden, 86, died March 27, 2012, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete with the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter.

EAST PRAIRIE -- Allen D. Carter, 57, died at 1:30 a.m. March 28, 2012, in the East Prairie Nursing Center. Arrangements are incomplete with Shelby Funeral Home in East Prairie.

If somehow magically we could ignore the political jabber that dominates the news, I think we might find a more troubling trend just below the surface. If you don't pay close attention and connect all of the dots, you'll miss the single greatest challenge facing this nation...

Poetry is not only dream and vision; it is the skeleton architecture of our lives. It lays the foundations for a future of change, a bridge across our fears of what has never been before. NEW MADRID - Poet Audre Lourde wrote those words. New Madrid County Central High School Senior Mariah Griggs lives them...

JEFFERSON CITY -- While the filing period for Missouri's August primaries ended at 5 p.m. Tuesday for most offices, Missourians interested in running for governor have a few more days to enter the race. Officials extended it to 5 p.m. Friday for governor, three state House seats and two state Senate seats _ one each from Kansas City and St. Louis. Officials took that step after some candidates withdrew close to the deadline...

About 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Sikeston Department of Public Safety was called to the UPS Store at 223 Main St., after a driver crashed through the front glass. The vehicle came to a stop inside the building. According to a DPS officer at the scene, neither the driver nor the employees in the building were injured. Officers were able to drive the vehicle out of the building and it was removed from the scene by a wrecker service...

BENTON -- According to one county resident, the Scott County Courthouse used to smell like cigars and whiskey. There's been a lot changes over the last 100 years with most of them -- such as the scent of clean floors -- being for the better. County Commissioners met with Judy Stewart, secretary, Deborah Gunter, correspondence secretary/newsletter editor, and Glenda Milam, member, of the Scott County Historical and Genealogy Society during the regular County Commission meeting Tuesday...