Stories from Saturday, January 2, 2016

On Friday 12/18 the Bootheel Racers Swimming program gathered at the Diane Sayre Rec Center in Caruthersville for their annual holiday party. The young swimmers enjoyed a dinner from Little Pizza Heaven followed by cookies and treats baked by the families. ...

WASHINGTON--Legislation to provide the U.S. Postal Service with the ability to continue to restructure without diminishing mail service is critical in the 114th Congress, as a slow economy and electronic diversion change the mail. That is why the National Newspaper Association welcomed the support of Sens. Jerry Moran, R-KS; Roy Blunt, R-MO and Claire McCaskill, D-MO, as they signed onto S. 2051, the iPOST Act introduced this year by Sen. Tom Carper, D-DE...

Standard Democrat Calendar Girl Ashley Ensor found a fire to help ward off January's chill. The 2015 Miss Sikeston, Ensor is the daughter of Paul and Melissa Ensor and will graduate in May from Sikeston High School. She plans to attend Mississippi State University next fall. (Jill Bock, Staff)

NEW MADRID -- Dr. Sam Duncan's career has encompassed many things -- teacher, administrator, college professor and fundraiser. Soon it will include one more title -- superintendent. Duncan will officially become the New Madrid County R-1 School District's new superintendent July 1. He replaces Dr. Cynthia Sharp Amick, who is retiring at the end of June...

SIKESTON -- Widespread heavy rainfall across the Missouri and Mississippi River basins in late December has resulted in record flooding along parts of the Mississippi River. The National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky., said late Friday some of the levees along the river have been weakened or overtopped...

scottw@standard-democrat.com SIKESTON -- Last year was a record year for Economic Development in Sikeston. "This will be the best year ever as far as number of different business that have built or expanded in Sikeston," Ed Dust, director of the Sikeston Sikeston Department of Economic Development, said Thursday of 2015.Nearly 20 permits for new construction or expansion issued by the city in 2015, according to the Sikeston DED...

SIKESTON -- Many individuals are resolving to lose weight and get healthy in the new year, but a majority of them don't know where to begin. Oftentimes entering -- and re-entering -- the workout scene can be an intimidating process -- from not knowing which exercises to do and how often to finding the locker room or setting a machine for a suitable workout...

PORTAGEVILLE - Barbara J. Slayton, 71, died Dec. 30, 2015, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Visitation will be from 2-5 p.m. Saturday at the DeLisle Funeral Home. For the complete obituary, see the weekend edition of the Standard Democrat...

I would like to comment on TV where Steve Harvey messed up on telling who won the Miss Universe contest. The media is all over that brother. We've had a brother in the White House that's messed up for seven years and the media still loves him. What's up with that?...

Happy New Year! By now, many of us have already abandoned our New Year's resolutions and returned to the wayward ways we promised we would end with the coming of the new year. Oh well, there's always next year. There is no longer anything certain in this world except for the reality that change is coming. And without a doubt this year will bring change...