Stories from Wednesday, April 3, 2013

The President attended Easter services this Sunday. But it was the church minister who captured the spotlight when he seized the high-profile opportunity to share his views on the state of politics during the sermon. The minister - with the Obama family front and center - said "captains of the religious right want to put blacks back to the back of the bus, women back in the kitchen and immigrants back on their side of the border."...

Growing up I remember running race after race on the playground gravel. I raced to impress the girls, settle differences, blow off steam and did I mention to impress girls? I thought my days of seeing boys settle their differences died on the playground gravel but I was wrong...

SIKESTON -- Sikeston's Kirk Hoggatt placed first during a quad match at Fox Haven Country Club in Sikeston Tuesday with the low-round score of 35. Hoggatt hit even par in the nine holes they played against Dexter, New Madrid County Central and Doniphan...

CHAFFEE -- The Chaffee Red Devils picked up a pair of wins Tuesday against visiting Advance and Scott County Central. Against the Hornets, the Red Devils took an early first-inning lead before shutting out Advance 5-0. Chaffee scored a run in the first and another in the third before a two-run rally in the fourth made it 4-0...

SIKESTON -- They made a push late, but a close game went the opposite way of the Sikeston Bulldogs Tuesday. Poplar Bluff pushed two runs across in the top of the seventh which led to a 3-2 Mule win at VFW Memorial Stadium. "The difference between a good team and a great team is how you handle adversity," Sikeston head coach Alan Scheeter said. ...

SIKESTON -- In only her second game back from injury, Sikeston senior Madison Chaney made her presence felt when the Lady Bulldogs took on visiting Fredericktown Tuesday evening. Coming up big after a scoreless first half, Chaney provided her team with the game-winning goal in what proved to be a 2-0 Sikeston win that moved the Lady Bulldogs back to the .500 mark on the season...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Reba "Geraldine" Graham, 89, formerly of Bloomfield, died April 1, 2013, at Chateau Girardeau in Cape Girardeau. For the complete article and more stories from the Standard Democrat, log on to the electronic edition.


SIKESTON -- Hosea Gene Cantrell, age 72, died April 1, 2013, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. For the complete article and more stories from the Standard Democrat, log on to the electronic edition.

TALLAPOOSA -- Carl William Rogers Sr., 85, died April 1, 2013, at Southeast Health in Cape Girardeau. For the complete article and more stories from the Standard Democrat, log on to the electronic edition.


JONESBORO, Ark. -- Karl Wayne Honeycutt, 74, died April 2, 2013, at his home. For the complete article and more stories from the Standard Democrat, log on to the electronic edition.


Bill and Liz McDonough watch as Barb Long gets some barbecue courtesy of Blue Boar Restaurant from Cobden, Ill., at the Taste of Sikeston event Tuesday night at the Miner Convention Center.

Kyleigh Branch, daughter of Sheila and Leo Branch, is the Standard Democrat's April Calendar Girl. Branch, third runner up in the 2012 Miss Sikeston contest and head cheerleader for 2012-2013, plans to attend Mississippi State and major in education...

NEW MADRID - While the low election turnout in the county was expected, the controversy involving an election judge and a ballot was not. New Madrid County Clerk Clement Cravens said after the ballots were counted in Tuesday's General Municipal Election, he wasn't surprised that only 1,471 of the county's approximately 13,000 eligible voters cast ballots. Due to the lack of races and issues, he had anticipated that...

CHARLESTON -- East Prairie will get its tornado safe room. Those living in the East Prairie school district approved 295-63, for just over 82 percent, borrowing $520,000 to combine with Federal Emergency Management Agency funding to build and equip the safe room at the junior high school campus...

BENTON -- Scott County's only countywide issue was voted down during Tuesday's general municipal election. Nearly 62 percent of the vote was against a "use tax," which would have applied to purchases from out-of-state vendors that exceed $2,000 in a calendar year. Of the 2,993 votes cast on the issue, 1,852 were "no" votes...

BENTON -- Sikeston voters went to the polls and elected two school board members for the Sikeston R-6 District on Tuesday. Incumbent Scott Crumpecker received 1,031 votes in Scott County to receive the most votes. He also received 254 votes in New Madrid County...