Stories from Saturday, January 9, 2016

January 1, 2015 Gas prices keep dropping; $1.99 in Marston Gas prices in Portageville haven't gone below $1.99 a gallon, but they had fallen to $2.05. On Monday, the Pilot Truck Stop in Marston displayed $1.99 on their sign. New Portageville Jaycee Club forms...

63 Percent of Fatalities were Unbuckled

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Washington, DC -- Last week, Congressman Jason Smith (MO-08) introduced the End EPA Advertising Act, a bill to stop the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from using taxpayer money to hire public relations contractors. Between 2000 and 2014, the EPA spent $26 million on outside public relations contracts. ...

Average retail gasoline prices in Missouri have risen 0.4 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $1.70/g yesterday, according to GasBuddy's daily survey of 3,940 gas outlets in Missouri. This compares with the national average that has fallen 0.5 cents per gallon in the last week to $1.99/g, according to gasoline price website GasBuddy.com...

Vandiver turned his surprise celebration into a predictable performance on the court when he led Bloomfield to a 61-50 win with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Sikeston, which moved up to No. 1 in the latest Class 4 state poll, improved to 11-0 on the season and 3-0 in league play.

SIKESTON -- Scott County Central overcame a fast start by visiting Oak Ridge and rolled to a 76-37 win Friday night. Scott Central held a slim 18-17 lead after one quarter but then held the Bluejays to just 20 points the rest of the way while scoring 58 points...

JEFFERSON CITY -- The Missouri Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Association (MPCA) and their allies have begun the process of collecting signatures for their initiative petition that allows the people to vote on a 135% cigarette tax increase and 50% tax increase on other tobacco products (OTP) to help fund transportation infrastructure...

EUREKA, Kan. - For many, the start of a new year is all about resolutions and setting goals. But for the family of Tonya (Whitaker) Kellett, Jan. 1 was the day they reunited with the loved one they lost nearly 50 years ago. On Jan. 1, Tonya made the nine and a half hour trip from Hendersonville, Tenn., to Eureka, where she was united with a sister she hadn't seen since 1966, as well as many other family members...

SIKESTON -- His first year as a state representative was definitely a learning experience for Portageville resident Don Rone. Even though Rone taught history for five years, he said the due process is a bit more complicated than even when he taught it...

SIKESTON -- The odds are favorable Sikeston residents have seen Angie Spencer running through town or on a treadmill at the local YMCA. They just may not have known who she was. "I do run every morning and I feel like I've explored most of Sikeston's streets on foot, and I also run on the treadmill and take yoga classes at the YMCA," said Spencer, an avid marathon runner...

CARUTHERSVILLE, Mo. -- A dedication ceremony honoring a Caruthersville police officer who died in the line of duty is planned for later this month. State Rep. Andrew McDaniel and the Caruthersville Police Department will host the ceremony to honor Evan D. Burns, who was killed Aug. 16, 2011, while working as an officer for the Caruthersville Police Department...

MATTHEWS, Mo. -- Mary Lorena Spraggs, 79, died Jan. 7, 2016, at the Close-To-Home Nursing Center in Matthews. For the complete story, see the Standard Democrat's Weekender edition.

DEXTER, Mo. - Margaret Ann McQuay, 80, died Jan. 7, 2016, at Cypress Point Skilled Nursing in Dexter. For the complete story, see the Standard Democrat's Weekender edition.

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- Danny L. Sweatt, 64, died Jan. 5, 2016, at his home in New Madrid. For the complete story, see the Standard Democrat's Weekender edition.

SIKESTON - Jean Dowling, 87, died peacefully on Jan. 8, 2016, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau, Mo. For the complete story, see the Standard Democrat's Weekender edition.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Garry Don Prince, 59, died Jan. 6, 2016, at the Poplar Bluff, Mo., Regional Medical Center. For the complete story, see the Standard Democrat's Weekender edition.

HAYWARD - Shawn Nicole Hensley, 35, died Jan. 8, 2016, at her Home in Hayward. Arrangements are incomplete at DeLisle Funeral Home in Portageville.

Can you tell me there is no coupon books in the paper anymore? There used to be at least once a month, especially Procter and Gamble coupons. I sure wish you'd get them back. Maybe I'd buy your paper more often. We still put the coupon books in when we get them. We can't control the quantity they send to be inserted, but we do put in what we receive...

Last week, we published a story on the explosion in construction and commercial building permits in Sikeston. If you missed that, you missed an extremely important development that bodes well for our community. The numbers, quite frankly, are truly amazing...