Stories from Friday, January 16, 2015

NEW MADRID -- The New Madrid County Sheriff's Department on Friday issued an Endangered Silver Advisory for a missing New Madrid man. Cleveland Treadwell, 72, was last seen about 10:45 a.m. Thursday at the New Madrid County Sheriff's Department, where he reported a noise complaint...

PORTAGEVILLE -- The Scott County Central Bravettes fell to Portageville on the road Saturday 51-43. The Bravettes (2-10) led 40-38 after three quarters but were outscored 13-3 in the fourth. It was a nip and tuck game for both sides up to the fourth frame...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri youth, archery, and firearms turkey hunters can apply online for managed hunts during the 2015 spring turkey season began Jan. 9 to Feb. 28 through the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC). Managed hunt details and application procedures are outlined on the webpage. Application results will be available beginning March 13...

TALLAPOOSA - The body of a driver, killed in an accident Saturday morning, was discovered Sunday. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol's report, Byron M. Windham-Sharp, 21, of Gideon was apparently driving eastbound on County Road 248, one mile west of Tallapoosa, at 2 a.m. Saturday when his truck ran off the right side of the roadway. The vehicle struck a telephone box, then went off a bridge, overturning in a ditch...

Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong. Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.... Life is simpler when you plow around the stump. A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor. Words that soak into your ears are whispered... not yelled...

Zen Buddhists use a descriptive phrase that we who are Christian should adopt as our own. The phrase is "Idiot's Compassion." It was first used by Chogyam Trungpa, a provocative and controversial Tibetan who helped bring Buddhism to the West in the 1970s. According to Trungpa, "Idiot's Compassion" is this intense desire to help someone who is in need, but this benevolent desire blinds the do-gooder from seeing reality...

POPLAR BLUFF -- Snowy conditions wreaked havoc on drivers with several vehicle accidents happening Thursday in Southeast Missouri. According to the Sikeston Board of Municipal Utilities, which serves as an official observer for the National Weather Service, less than an inch -- about .25 -- of snowfall was recorded in Sikeston Thursday. By afternoon, much of the snow had melted but not before hindering driving conditions for motorists...

sports@standard-democrat.com SIKESTON -- It wasn't definitively known if the Sikeston Lady Bulldogs had ever beaten Notre Dame after Sikeston did just that on Nov. 22 during the consolation semifinals of the Kelso Supply Holiday Classic. We know now, however, that Thursday night marked the first time Sikeston had beaten their district rival in back to back games...

NEW MADRID -- Four New Madrid County residents face felony assault charges stemming from a 2014 beating of a Sikeston man. Russell S. Wescoat of New Madrid is charged with two counts of felony assault charges in the second degree. Sarah M. Wescoat and William Lee Wescoat Jr. of Matthews and Thomas W. Lawfield III of New Madrid are each charged with one count of felony assault in the second degree. Charges were filed Jan. 9 by Assistant Attorney General G. Brad Crowell...

Technology today continues to improve the quality of life and care of individuals, especially in the health care industry, and as part of their efforts to continuously improve effective, safe and convenient care, the staff and physicians at Twin Rivers Regional Medical Center announced the latest purchase of patient beds specifically designed to fit the needs of the Obstetric Care (OB), Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and Medical/Surgical departments...

Over 4500 first year FFA members from more than 300 Missouri High Schools had the opportunity to learn about being positive role models, learning to get involved, making sound choices, becoming active team members and making a positive difference in their lives, school and community at the annual Greenhand Motivational Conferences. These conferences presented by the State FFA Officers and sponsored by MFA Incorporated were held January 6-9, 2015 throughout Missouri...

PERRYVILLE (SMNS) -- Ahnie Hoff recorded a double-double with a game-high 20 points and 15 rebounds to lead the host Pirates to victory. Hoff also tallied seven steals and had three blocked shots for the Pirates, who held just a three-point lead at halftime...

BENTON -- Julia Sutterfield scored a bucket to spark a 10-0 run for Chaffee in the final three minutes of the first quarter. The top-seeded Red Devils took a 17-8 advantage into the second quarter and never looked back, defeating the No. 4 Oran Eagles 51-31 in a girls basketball semifinal of the Scott-Mississippi Conference Tournament on Thursday at Kelly High School...

BENTON -- Charleston and Kelly combined for 63 fouls in a girls basketball game that was decided at the free-throw line. Neither team was impressive, but the Bluejays shot 66 percent (33 of 50) from the charity stripe, compared to the Hawks' 51 percent (20 of 39) shooting...

NEELYVILLE - The Dexter Bearcats went toe-to-toe with the state-ranked Neelyville Tigers Thursday night but were unable to generate a clutch score in the closing seconds of a tie game. Neelyville got a defensive stop with 10 seconds remaining and made a transition layup six seconds later to secure a 59-57 home victory against Dexter...

SIKESTON -- Sikeston residents plan to celebrate the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his service to bridge barriers, empower others and strengthen communities in a nonviolent manner through a weekend of activities. "Looking Through the Eyes of a Dreamer" is the theme to this year's King Day Birthday Celebration and Motorcade Parade in Sikeston...

scottw@standard-democrat.com CHARLESTON -- Mississippi County has one fewer trailer with a citizen complaint to worry about. Carlin Bennett, presiding county commissioner, presented the County Commission with the weekly report from Ken Stevenson, county code enforcement officer, during the Commission's regular meeting Thursday after explaining Stevenson could not attend the meeting...

Demolition began Wednesday on the former Fabick Building, 912 Main St. in Sikeston, by Kevin Williams Excavating and Demolition. The work is making way for a new office building.

CAPE GIRARDEAU (SMNS) -- A shooting Thursday afternoon on South Ellis Street sent a man to the hospital. Just after 3 p.m. Thursday, Cape Girardeau police received a call about five or six shots being fired in the 900 block of South Ellis...

MARSTON -- Samuel Mark Ash, 46, died Jan. 13, 2015, at his home. For the complete obituary, see the Friday edition of the Standard Democrat.

NEW MADRID -- James Edward "Eddie" Gill, 56, died Jan. 14, 2015, at his home in New Madrid. For the complete obituary, see the Friday edition of the Standard Democrat.

DEXTER -- Edna Revalee Williams, 98, died Jan. 14, 2015, at her home. For the complete obituary, see the Friday edition of the Standard Democrat.

EAST PRAIRIE -- Mary Gene Smotherman Baker, 85, died Jan. 15, 2015, at the East Prairie Nursing Center. See the Friday edition of the Standard Democrat for more.

SCOTT CITY -- Sharon Sue Gibbons, 72, died Jan. 14, 2015, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. See the Friday edition of the Standard Democrat for more.

SIKESTON -- Alma Coffey, 81, died Jan. 15, 2015, at St. Louis University Hospital in St. Louis. See the Friday edition of the Standard Democrat for more.

SIKESTON -- The closure of the Matthews Elementary School was just a cautionary measure with no real danger, according to the Sikeston Department of Public Safety. A DPS officer was conducting a "routine warrant check" at about 3:39 p.m. Wednesday near Courtney and Pine Streets when a subject ran causing the officer to lose eye contact during the foot pursuit...

Maybe we need to go back to the days when people who had education jobs had to know something. Maybe it was because the made up, no-nonsense subjects didn't take up so much time and money in a person's college years. We need to go to a time when teaching jobs aren't awarded based on how much money your family has or who you are married to or what your husband does or that kind of thing. ...