Stories from Friday, September 16, 2016

A man is walking along when suddenly he got his foot caught in some railroad tracks. He tried to get it out, but it was really stuck in there well. He heard a noise and turned around to see a train coming. He panicked and started to pray, "God, please get my foot out of these tracks...

The New Madrid Chamber of Commerce and festival sponsors want you to mark your calendar for this year's New Madrid Fall Festival and Bass Pro Shop's Big Cat Quest, which will take place on October 1 from 9a-4p in beautiful downtown New Madrid. The festival will include a 5K Glow Run, free youth fishing rodeo, beauty pageants, car truck bike, and tractor show, a corn hole tournament, arts and craft vendors, live music, great food, and fun for the entire family...

The Portageville Bulldogs traveled to Piggott, Ark., Friday night for a non-conference contest with the Mohawks and dropped a 34-22 decision. The Bulldogs (1-3) and the Mohawks (2-0) offered a stark contrast in offensive styles, as Portageville racked-up over 250 yards through the air, while the Piggott squad rushed for 402 yards and never attempted a pass...

Law enforcement officers face danger every time they put on their uniforms, holster their guns and go out on the street. The good news is, those officers have an extra layer of protection if they wear bulletproof vests. The bad news is, quality vests can be very expensive -- for some, the cost can equal a half-month's pay...

The 55th Annual Delta Center Field Day and appreciation breakfast was held at the Fisher Delta Research Center's Rone Hall at Lee Farms, just outside of Portageville last Friday morning. Trent Haggard, Director at FDRC, welcomed everyone to the event, which included soybean, rice, corn and cotton tours, a presentation by VFW District 15 Commander, Billy Becker, as well as a gathering of several schools' FFA groups, who met to discuss farm safety...

Three Portageville girls participated and won in the Miss SEMO Fair. They are, left to right, Anna Jane Priggel, Little Miss SEMO Fair, 4-6 yrs; Liza Jane Priggel, Young Miss SEMO Fair, 7-9 yrs. She also won the 2016 Miss Delta Fair Queen (9-10 yr age division); and Maisie Hall, Teen Miss SEMO Fair, 14-16 yrs. Hall also won the Miss Advance Labor Day...

The results of first round of pool play are in from the Gideon Invitation Tournament. The Portageville Lady Bulldogs lead in their Pool 1 action with 5 wins and 1 loss. "We had a big win over Twin Rivers, who had beaten us at home last Monday night," said coach Barry Branscum. "We played with enthusiasm I had not seen all season, and it really paid off against a quality opponent."...

"We beat Perryville at Perryville but I'm more proud of this result because of the conditions and the way the game was played... Defense, offense, we had to weather a pretty big storm literally and figuratively."

"I feel fortunate that we are coming out of this with a win. The last couple matches we have just been out of sync... I think we gave up some easy points that we shouldn't have."

SIKESTON -- Chaffee's offense has certainly been a plus for them this season. The Red Devils used that asset for four runs in the first two innings and tacked on three more to take down the Sikeston Bulldogs 7-4 Thursday at the Sikeston Sports Complex...

ESSEX, Mo. - A cotton field isn't typically a spot for fine dining, but for one night in October it will be. To promote tourism and in particular agri-tourism in Southeast Missouri, the River Heritage Tourism Association is hosting a "farm-to-table" dinner beginning at 4 p.m. Oct. 1 on the Langley Farm, one mile south of Essex. The event will feature Southeast Missouri wines, local ingredients to create a gourmet meal and entertainment at a cost of $60 per person...

SIKESTON -- Fourth graders in Sikeston learned about the history of their town through a live production at the Sikeston Depot Museum. Every fourth grade class in the Sikeston Public School District -- about 325 students and their teachers -- visited the Depot Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to learn about local history through a live, interactive presentation...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo - "See tracks? Think train!" To raise public awareness about the dangers of railroad crossing and trespassing, state organizations have declared Sept. 11-17 as Missouri Rail Safety Week. The Missouri Department of Transportation, Missouri State Highway Patrol and Missouri Operation Lifesaver are partnering with with local law enforcement and railroad companies to raise awareness about the dangers of "disregarding railroad crossing law and trespassing on railroad property."...

SIKESTON -- In honor of all fallen workers, Missouri Department of Transportation conducted a Day of Remembrance on Thursday at their southeast district office. Annually, MoDOT organizes a ceremony with a twofold primary focus -- to honor the sacrifices of MoDOT fallen workers and raise awareness about the importance of work zone safety...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama told insurers this week his health care overhaul has had some growing pains. But with premiums rising and marquee insurers bailing, could the real diagnosis be "failure to thrive?" The medical term refers to when patients, often youngsters but also adults, fail to achieve or maintain proper weight. ...

DETROIT (AP) -- Truckers are warning that a government plan to electronically limit the speed of tractor-trailers will lead to highway traffic jams and possibly an increase in deadly run-ins with cars. More than 150 people, most identifying themselves as independent truckers, have filed comments recently with the government about the proposed rule, unveiled last month by two federal agencies. There were only a few comments in favor...

SIKESTON -- Fourth graders in Sikeston learned about the history of their town through a live production at the Sikeston Depot Museum. Every fourth grade class in the Sikeston Public School District -- about 325 students and their teachers -- visited the Depot Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to learn about local history through a live, interactive presentation...

Century 21 Real Estate earns customer satisfaction awards SIKESTON -- Century 21 Real Estate announced that it received all four industry-leading customer satisfaction awards in the annual J.D. Power 2016 Home Buyer/Seller Satisfaction Study. For the third consecutive year, the Century 21 brand swept the awards by receiving the highest ranking among national real estate firms across four customer satisfaction segments in the study, including: First-Time Home-Buyer Satisfaction, First-Time Home-Seller Satisfaction and Repeat Home-Seller Satisfaction and tied for the top spot in the Repeat Home-Buyer Satisfaction category.. ...

SIKESTON -- Dottie Lou Vaughn Miller, 65, died Sept. 15, 2016, at the home of her daughter in Diehlstadt. Visitation will be from 12:30 p.m. until service time at 2 p.m. Sunday at McMikle Funeral Home in Charleston. Chad Bles of Sikeston will officiate...

SIKESTON -- Sandra Kay "Sandy" Schnell, 59, a native Texan, died Sept. 15, 2016, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. She was born Aug. 13, 1957, in Sherman, Texas, to the late Marvin and Eleanor Lynch Bransford. She moved to Sikeston about a year ago when her husband, David, became the chef at Fox Haven Country Club. They had been together for 27 years and had previously lived in West Point, Miss., and the St. Louis area...

PARMA, Mo. -- The Rev. Franklin "Frank" Townsend, 71, died Sept. 14, 2016, at his home in Parma. Born July 21, 1945, in Conran, son of the late Minnie Marie Curtis and Millard Townsend, he worked at MFA Oil until his retirement. He was the minister at Free Trinity Pentecostal Church in Marston where he was working until his death to get the church rebuilt...

SIKESTON -- Dottie Lou Vaughn Miller, 65, died Sept.15, 2016, at her daughter's home in Diehlstadt. Born Aug. 31, 1951, at Linden, Tenn., to the late William Henry and Dollie Earlene Hensley Vaughn, she had lived in Sikeston most of her life, where she was a member of the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary. She had been employed with ServiceMaster a number of years and was of the Baptist belief...

SIKESTON -- Darby Lynn Self and Julius Gia Hoang were named Sikeston High School Students of the Month for September during the 2016-2017 school year. Sikeston Public Schools Foundation, which sponsors the monthly program, names a male and female senior each month. Character, leadership, service, citizenship and scholastic ability are criteria used to select the students...