Stories from Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Despite having a rough start at the beginning, the Portageville Bulldogs seem to have stepped it up after winning their last two games in the Clarkton Christmas tournament. Last Friday night, the Bulldogs played Cooter for the fifth place title. Portageville defeated Cooter by nine points, 59-50...

PHS Student Council and Beta Club members delivered two truck loads of food items to Reaching All In Need (R.A.I.N.) on last Tuesday, December 15. Students from left are, Destiney Crossno, Mikayla Rone, Jon Garrett Kellams, and Jon Tyler Daugherty. These same students also delivered another truck load to a local church's food pantry...

The People's Almanac, pp. 1358-9. (Originally published in The New York Sun in 1897.) We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:

The veteran coach, Kirk Chronister, in his first year with Doniphan, has been to every Lady Royals Christmas Classic he can remember as a spectator but never as a coach. With a 61-46 first-round victory over No. 12 Portageville, the fifth-seeded Donette's gave their new coach his first-ever win in the annual tournament he called one of the best in Southeast Missouri...

sports@standard-democrat.com CAPE GIRARDEAU -- It's not always pretty, but the Sikeston girls basketball team knows exactly what they need to do to win games. Hounding nearly every move that Notre Dame made, Sikeston used its ferocious pressure on defense to spur a 57-42 win over Notre Dame during a repeat of last year's third place game of the Kelso Supply Holiday Classic Tuesday at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau...

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today: 1. DEMOCRATS GRAPPLE WITH TRUMP EFFECT Intense focus on the Republican race and its front-runner prompts Hillary Clinton to turn her attention to her would-be GOP challengers and leaves Bernie Sanders gasping for airtime...

CHARLESTON - Marvin E. Fluegge, 92, died Dec. 22, 2015, at the Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 12:30 p.m. until time of services at 2 p.m. Saturday at the McMikle Funeral Home in Charleston.

ROCKFORD, Ill. -- William J. Eilders, 78, died Dec. 17, 2015. For the complete obituary see today's Standard-Democrat.

ORAN -- Brian Keith Sauceda, 45, died Dec. 20, 2015, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Visitation was from 11 a.m. until time of service at 2 p.m. today at the Victory Life Center in Oran, with the Rev. Brian Flannigan officiating. Burial followed at Morgan Memorial Park in Advance...

Yes, Mike Jensen, you are always saying Obama wasn't an American citizen. Well, Ted Cruz is from Canada. He is not an American citizen, definitely. He was born in Canada. He was not born here in the United States. He gave up his Canadian citizenship so he could run for president. That shows how hypocrite Republicans are. They want to put this guy in, well he will be worse than Bush. We will be totally broke when he goes out...

SIKESTON -- As motorists take to the highways this week, the Missouri State Highway Patrol offered tips to ensure everyone arrives safely to their holiday destinations. Sgt. Clark Parrott, public information officer for Patrol's Troop E in Poplar Bluff, said the best reminder he can give motorists is simply to obey all traffic laws...

Downtown Sikeston has decorations to enjoy night and day. Above: During the evenings the Sikeston Board of Municipal Utilities building features an array of twinkling lights as does Legion Park. Left: Flags honoring the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Marines along with a POW flag and American flag wave from atop the building where Sam's Fine Jewelry is located...

PADUCAH, Ky. - The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for Southeast Missouri including Scott, New Madrid, Mississippi, Stoddard and Pemiscot counties until 5 p.m. today. The threat of severe weather should completely exit the region by 8 p.m., forecasters reported...

scottw@standard-democrat.com BENTON -- Scott County has another K-9 officer thanks to some support from the community. Rex, Scott County's new K-9 officer, is already off to a great start, according to Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter, having already helped gather evidence for several cases since coming on duty on this fall...