Stories from Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Your daily look at late-breaking Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today: 1. HANDOVER IN AFGHANISTAN Karzai says his country's armed forces are taking over from the U.S.-led NATO coalition for the first time in the nearly 12-year war...

WEST PADUCAH, Ky. -- Sherrie Gregory, 70, formerly of East Prairie, Mo., died June 16, 2013, at her home in West Paducah . For the complete Standard Democrat obituary log in to our electronic edition.

SIKESTON - Connie Plunk, 63, died June 18, 2013, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. For the complete Standard Democrat obituary log in to our electronic edition.

CHARLESTON -- Margaret Lankheit, 68, died June 17, 2013, at Southeast Hospital. For the complete Standard Democrat obituary log in to our electronic edition.

DEXTER -- George W. Woodruff, 101, died June 16, 2013, at the Cypress Point Healthcare. For the complete Standard Democrat obituary log in to our electronic edition.

EAST PRAIRIE -- Kimberly Ann Gephart, 37, died June 16, 2013. For the complete Standard Democrat obituary log in to our electronic edition.

sports@standard-democrat.com RISCO -- The Tri-County summer baseball team took an 11-4 loss against Hayti's Senior Babe Ruth baseball team Monday in seven innings. Hayti posted seven runs in the bottom of the first inning as Tri-County, who had four hits as a team, scored two runs in the second and two more in the sixth. Tri-County finished with six errors...

Sikeston head football coach Kent Gibbs talks with senior Ray Council on Monday morning at Sikeston High School. The camp will run throughout the week. Sikeston's season will begin on Aug. 23 at Charleston.

news@standard-democrat.com CHARLESTON -- Nearly 150 offenders at the prison in Charleston are helping to make a difference in the lives of St. Louis-area children. A year ago Southeast Correctional Center in Charleston became one of 15 prisons in Missouri to have its Restorative Justice Program offenders participate in "Crafts With Conviction." Through the program, prisoners hand-make school materials to assist teachers as a way to give back for their wrong doings...

scottw@standard-democrat.com MINER -- Starting pay for officers joining the Miner Police Department has gone up. The Miner Board of Aldermen approved a contract between the city and the employees of the Police Department as presented by Mark Baker, business representative for IBEW Local 702, Monday during the regular monthly Miner Board of Aldermen meeting...

CHARLESTON -- An East Prairie man pleaded guilty Monday to the 2010 beating death of his girlfriend. Robert Christian, 29, entered a plea of guilty to second degree murder for beating his girlfriend, Laura Faison, to death on Nov. 13, 2010. He appeared before Judge David Dolan in the 33rd Judicial Circuit courtroom at the Mississippi County Courthouse in Charleston...

scottw@standard-democrat.com BENTON -- Time is running out to drop off tires at the Scott County Highway Department. Or to pick a few up. "Tires are coming in pretty good up here but next Saturday, June 29, is the roundup when they will pick them up," Dennis Ziegenhorn, county commissioner, said during the regular County Commission meeting Tuesday...

scottw@standard-democrat.com BENTON -- Scott County will again welcome a couple of hundred county officials. Tara Mason, recorder of deeds, said Tuesday that Scott County has been confirmed as the location for the Recorders' Association of Missouri's annual conference in April 2015...

I am calling in reference to Michael Jensen's editorial over the Trayvon Martin-George Zimmerman case. He says that race is basically the only thing that is going to be used and that people either believe that Zimmerman was trying to protect himself and his neighborhood from a black thug or he was killing with disregard and he refers to Trayvon Martin's history. ...