Stories from Thursday, March 3, 2016

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Eighth District Congressman, Jason Smith filed for re-election as a Republican Tuesday. Also filing on the GOP side were Todd Mahn of Desoto and Phillip Smith of Gatewood. Filing as a Libertarian was Jonathan Shell of Fredericktown. State Senator Doug Libla of Poplar Bluff filed for re-election as a Republican, while Bill Burlison of Wardell filed as a Democratic candidate...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Bobby Aycock Jr. of New Madrid is the new District 1 Associate Commissioner for New Madrid County. Aycock was named Friday to the position by Gov. Jay Nixon after it became vacant upon the resignation of former District 1 Associate Commissioner Thomas Bradley. Bradley resigned on Feb. 2...

Glenn Mollette is an American Syndicated Columnist and Author. This column does not necessarily reflect the view of any organization, institution or this paper or media source.

This week, yet again, President Obama has unveiled a plan that fails to keep the people of Missouri safe. Not only does Obama's plan to close The Guantanamo Detention Center put the national security of our nation in jeopardy, it is against the law...

I read about a man who was spending a night in a chalet in the Swiss Alps. And in the early morning hours before he got up he heard this terrible noise, a roaring and rumbling and a crackling. He was frightened. He thought maybe it was the end of the world. ...

COLUMBIA, MO--About Two-thirds (67%) of residents in small U.S. communities in the United States read local newspapers ranging from 1 to 7 days a week, according to the 2013 Community Newspaper Readership Study conducted by The Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI) on behalf of National Newspaper Association (NNA) in September and November 2013...

Average retail gasoline prices in Missouri have risen 13.6 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $1.59/g yesterday, according to GasBuddy's daily survey of 3,940 gas outlets in Missouri. This compares with the national average that has increased 3.7 cents per gallon in the last week to $1.74/g, according to gasoline price website GasBuddy.com...

(COLUMBIA, MO) Feb. 29, 2016 -- The USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced that landowners have until April 15 to request assistance through the National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI) to improve water quality in three Missouri watersheds...

Gibbs sank the deciding shot with 1.1 seconds left to give Bloomfield a 54-52 win over Thayer Wednesday during the Class 2 sectional at Three Rivers College in Poplar Bluff, Mo.

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A Poplar Bluff man was killed in a single-vehicle crash Wednesday in Butler County. According to Missouri State Highway Patrol, at 10:30 a.m., westbound motorist Melanie L. Hobbs, 23, of Poplar Bluff was traveling on Route M, two miles west of US 67, when her vehicle ran off the right side of the road, struck an embankment and overturned. ...

SIKESTON -- While growing up in Sikeston, Al Sikes learned about leadership first hand. Sikes watched as his father, Kendall Sikes, served as Sikeston's mayor and operated a successful business. He even has a check issued Dec. 31, 1960, to his father by the Sikeston city clerk for 25 cents for his service then as mayor. That check, Sikes said, reinforces the lessons his father handed down that leadership isn't about power or money, it's about serving others...

"I was a little worried. Charleston is so used to playing in here, in this atmosphere. They're in the sectionals every year just about and I was a little worried about our guys being young."

Scott Central fell behind by 19 points after the first quarter and eventually dropped a 76-42 decision to four-time defending sectional winner Neelyville at Three Rivers College in Poplar Bluff, Mo.

SIKESTON -- A Charleston man faces charges following a vehicle pursuit with police Tuesday in Sikeston. Hernandez M. Evans, 21, of Charleston is charged with felony resisting arrest/stop by fleeing and creating a substantial risk of serious injury/death to someone; and misdemeanors of possession of up to 35 grams of marijuana and second degree property damage, according to Missouri Case.net...

SIKESTON -- Months, weeks and hours of hard work will pay off this week for the 45 local children involved in "Shrek the Musical Jr." Sikeston Little Theatre will present performances of the children's production at 7 p.m. today through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Little Theatre in Sikeston...

SIKESTON -- With the warmer temperatures and other spring-like weather also comes the opportunity to participate in local 5K runs and walks. Several entities are planning 5K fundraising events in Sikeston in the coming weeks. The Kenny Rogers Children's Center will have its seventh annual Telethon 5K Kickoff 5K run and one-mile walk at 9:30 a.m. March 19 at the Sikeston Field House...

Scott Welton, Staff Emily Elliott, account manager for Bold Marketing of Cape Girardeau, prepares the Sikeston Department of Economic Development Conference Room at Sikeston City Hall for focus group members set to arrive for the first of three group sessions to be held over the next few days. Focus groups made up of about a dozen Sikeston Board of Municipal Utilities customers are providing feedback regarding the service they are getting from BMU. Bold Marketing was hired in an effort to get an unbiased analysis of customer feedback.

SIKESTON -- Nearly 200 youth are signed up for a rally Wednesday to get a better understanding of tobacco and the problems it causes. The rally, which will be held from 10:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the United Methodist Church in Sikeston, is "to promote healthy lifestyles by advocating for a tobacco free Missouri, educating youth about the risks of tobacco use and empowering future generations to be tobacco free," said Terry L. Baker, rally coordinator...

Well, I see ol' Hillary is at again. She will say and do anything to win an election. She don't care any more about the black people than she does the white people. Her and this president are nothing but racists. I can't vote for a candidate who said Christians and Jews were a bigger threat to her than Isis was. ...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Hester Lee Pehm, 86, died March 1, 2016, at the Charleston Manor. For the complete obituary, see the Thursday edition of the Standard Democrat.

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- David Lee Ketchum, 61, died March 1, 2016, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. For the complete obituary, see the Thursday edition of the Standard Democrat.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- Bettye Joyce Braun, 80, formerly of Dexter and Largo, Fla., died March 2, 2016, at the Cypress Point Skilled Nursing Center in Dexter. For the complete obituary, see the Thursday edition of the Standard Democrat.

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -- Anna Louise Minner Humphrey, 56, formerly of New Madrid, Mo., died Feb. 23, 2016. For the complete obituary, see the Thursday edition of the Standard Democrat.

SIKESTON -- Samuel D. White, 77, died March 1, 2016, at the Clearview Nursing Center in Sikeston. For the complete obituary, see the Thursday edition of the Standard Democrat.

SIKESTON -- Wanda E. Salyer, 89, died March 3, 2016, at Sikeston Convalescent Center in Sikeston. For this obituary and more, see the Thursday edition of the Standard Democrat.

Teresa Essary West - wife, sister, daughter, aunt, and friend - has left this world too soon. She was the second of five children, and the only girl, born to Clyde and Louise Essary. Teresa grew up in Portageville. While she lived in Memphis and for a time in Los Angeles, Portageville was always her home...