Stories from Wednesday, December 19, 2012

The Sikeston-Charleston regular season game, originally scheduled for Jan. 4 at Charleston High School, has been moved to Jan. 31 at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau.

My original plan today was to write a humorous column on the end of the world prophecy some believe is coming our way this Friday. But the truth is, the tragic event in Connecticut this past week has removed humor from the national conversation. If there's one common national theme right now, it hinges on the question of "why?"...

For many years I have been a member of the fraternity Kappa Bah Humbug. The only requirement for joining is to hate Christmas. We have parties with kegs of spiked egg nog and play drinking games where every time somebody says Merry Christmas you drink. Those wearing Christmas sweaters are doomed to be chased down and given a wedgie by frat brothers still sober enough to run. Our mascot is a Grinch...

SIKESTON -- Nicholas DeShaun Gilbert 32, died Dec. 16, 2012, as the result of a gunshot wound in Cape Girardeau. Born Feb. 10, 1980, in Stuttgart, Ark., son of Kevin Dolphin of Allport, Ark., and Charlie King of Atlanta, he attended Sikeston Senior High School and Lincoln College of Technology in Marietta, Ga., and was currently employed at Oldcastle Manufacturing in Sikeston. He was a member of the Travelers Rest Missionary Baptist Church in Sikeston...

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- Nedra V. Foster, 81, died, Dec. 16, 2012, after a long illness. Born Oct. 17, 1931, in Sikeston, Mo., daughter of the late Squire Spence and Ruth Ann Vaughn, she graduated from Morehouse, Mo., High School. She attended business school in St. ...

DEXTER -- Rose Ellen Harper, 72, died Dec. 18, 2012, at the Golden Living Center in Dexter. Born Jan. 8, 1940, in Poplar Bluff, daughter of the late Morton and Carrie Gray LeBeau, she was a member of the First Christian Church of Dexter and formerly worked as an insurance agent...

DEXTER -- William Lee DePriest, 94, died Dec. 16, 2012. Born Sept. 6, 1918, in Linden, Tenn., son of the late William Nathan and Verna Berry DePriest, he moved his family to Dexter in 1945 when he entered the U.S. Navy in which he served for two years during World War II. He was a retired plumber and a rural water district employee...

DEXTER -- Lance Ludell Cannon, 94, died Dec. 17, 2012, at the Cypress Point Nursing Home in Dexter. Born Dec 24, 1917, in Bassett, Ark., son of the late Frank and Maude Bennett Cannon, he was a World War II veteran of the U.S. Army Air Forces serving in the Pacific Theater. He had lived and worked as a farmer and carpenter in Essex since 1946...

POPLAR BLUFF -- George Allen Russell, 88, formerly of Sikeston, died Dec. 16, 2012, at the Oakdale Care Center in Poplar Bluff. Born Oct. 18, 1924, in Lamar, Ark., to the late Delmar Burton and Floy Altha Pearson Russell, he was a veteran of the U.S. ...

SIKESTON -- Pallbearers at services conducted Tuesday at the Ponder Funeral Home for Ronald C. Polley, 67, who died Dec. 13, 2012, were: Glenn Surface, James Evans, Tommy Newell, Kyle Robinette, Cameron Polley and Sonny Polley.

CHARLESTON -- Twenty area residents were arrested following a warrant roundup Monday in Mississippi County. Mississippi County Sheriff's Department deputies along with Sheriff Keith Moore began working in the early Monday morning hours executing outstanding warrants. During the roundup, one subject received additional charges of possession of illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia when drugs were located in the residence...

CHARLESTON -- Charleston coach Danny Farmer was hoping for a good performance in his team's last game heading into Christmas break. He got it. The Bluejays controlled tempo, harassed ball handlers and completely dominated the Notre Dame Bulldogs on Tuesday night in a 74-44 SEMO Conference victory at Charleston High School...

O'FALLON -- It's been a great Christmas for the Sikeston Bulldogs the past two years. After opening presents and spending time with their families, the gifts have kept coming in the form of two Christmas tournament championships at the St. Dominic/Imo's Christmas tournament...

NEW MADRID -- One problem that the New Madrid County Central Eagles have encountered early this season has been watching leads slip away late in games. For at least one night, the Eagles put those concerns to rest with an 84-47 rout of visiting Malden on Tuesday...

OAK RIDGE -- Ryan Below scored 26 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked six shots in leading the host Blue Jays past the four-time defending Class 1 state champions. Hunter Seyer added 13 points for Oak Ridge (7-1). Lance Rohde contributed eight points and three steals...

SCOTT CITY -- The outer road along Interstate 55 in Scott City will not only reduce traffic congestion but will also open up the area to economic development, according to officials. Missouri Department of Transportation officials were joined by representatives of local counties, municipalities and U.S. legislators on the new bridge over Ramsey Creek on East Outer Road at Scott City Tuesday to celebrate the outer road's construction with a ribbon cutting ceremony...

SIKESTON -- The deadly shooting at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school has prompted local school district officials to review safety protocol within their own districts. Scott County Central Superintendent Al McFerren said Friday's fatal shooting of 20 school children has really opened school administrators' eyes...

Above: A crowd assembled for a prayer vigil in Malone Park on Tuesday night. Also Kelly High School students listen to the Rev. Larry Rouse during the Kelly High FCA Prayer Vigil for those lost in the Connecticut tragedy. Schools and communities across the area and country have held similar prayer vigils after the killings in Newtown, Conn., last week...

MINER -- Miner city officials are looking for a price tag for fixing the city's drainage problems. Norman Lambert, city engineer, presented information on addressing drainage issues at Causey's Lawn Care to the Miner Board of Alderman during their regular monthly meeting Tuesday...

There was something pretty significant that happened around two years ago. Something that took the town of Sikeston by storm. There was some sort of frenzy about a team that did something or other...my memory comes and goes as I age but I'm almost positive this team was successful at something...

Truman,Santa & Jeanette. A very nice visit.