Stories from Tuesday, February 5, 2019

NEW MADRID, Mo. — A man was safely pulled from the Mississippi River following a reported shooting. According to New Madrid Police Chief Joey Higgerson, his office received several 911 calls reporting a shots being fired at 4 p.m. Friday along the Mississippi River levee. When officers arrived, they found one man in the water just upstream from the boat ramp about 10 yards off the bank...

SIKESTON — John R. Alexander, 57, died Feb. 4, 2019, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Born Dec. 22, 1961, in Nashville, Tenn., son of the late Judson and Nannie Mae Morris Alexander, he was of the Assembly of God belief and self-employed in lawn care service...

SIKESTON — Bonnie Zuane Romanowski, 80, passed away on Sunday, Feb. 3, 2019, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Born March 11, 1938, in Red Bay, Ala., she was the daughter of the late Richard Howard and Mattie Pearl Strickland Morrow...

JACKSON, Mo. — Carrol Ann DeJournett, 71, died Feb. 2, 2019, at St. Mary’s Hospital in St. Louis. Born Feb. 10, 1947, in Poplar Bluff, daughter of the late J.C. and Marjorie Foster DeJournett, she was a member of Cape First Church in Cape Girardeau...

Federal regulators are hoping revised guidelines will alleviate persistent issues stemming from the use and misuse of the popular herbicide dicamba. While the herbicide has a tendency to damage adjacent crops if used incorrectly or in the wrong weather conditions, farmers across a wide swath of Midwestern states rely on the chemical to protect their crops; mostly cotton and soybeans...

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. — Due to illness in the Portageville School District, Portageville schools let out at 12:30 p.m. on Monday. Classes were then canceled for Tuesday and Wednesday as a flu outbreak has caused a large number of absenses. Classes are scheduled to resume Thursday...

DEXTER, Mo. (SMNS) — Stoddard County officials say an extensive, months-long investigation has resulted in two arrests related to a rash of burglaries Stoddard, Bollinger and Scott counties. Sidney Scowden of Dexter and Shawn Yount of Advance are both charged with six counts of second degree burglary in Bollinger County, according to the Stoddard County sheriff’s department...

BERNIE, Mo. — A pedestrian who died Sunday may have intentionally stepped in front of a train in the Bernie area, officials said Monday afternoon. “(The) preliminary investigation and evidence available indicates it is an apparent suicide,” said Sgt. Clark Parrott, Missouri State Highway Patrol public information officer...

SIKESTON — Three people have died in separate vehicle crashes in Southeast Missouri. The first accident occurred around noon Friday on Route ZZ, one mile west of Dexter, as the northbound vehicle driven by Verda Allstun, 73, of Dexter drove off the right side of the road, struck a bridge and overturned in a ditch. Allstun was pronounced dead at 12:45 p.m. at the scene by Stoddard County Coroner Kenny Pope and was transported to Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter...

SIKESTON — The Sikeston Kindergarten and Early Childhood Center and Parents as Teachers program will have its annual preschool screening Feb. 19-22 at the Sikeston Kindergarten Center. All children ages birth through 4 years who live in the Sikeston R-6 School District are welcome to attend the free screening. The hours will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday and 8 a.m. to noon Friday...

Southeast Elementary in Sikeston named its November BASE students. They are front row, from left: Kale Myer, Cooper Bryan, Ryan Keene, Ava Jones and Makayla White; second row: Deaijah Clark, Jahlaya Fletcher, Keyanna Jackson and Vicky Huang; and back row: C.J. Pobst, Lynleigh Davis and NaShawn Winfield. Not pictured are Donali Dixon, Kyleaha Jones and Madison Bramlett...

Sikeston Career and Technology Center Welding Technology students recently competed in the Ninth Annual Missouri Welding Institute Vocational Welding Contest in Nevada, Mo., and took home more than $17,000 worth of scholarships and prizes. Pictured are, from left: Brad Billingsley, Dalton Duncan, Ethan Russell, Brayden Green, Trace Wheetley, Michael Manes, Leelan Massey, Darin Pullum, Ty Bollinger, John Tucker, Chandler Melrose, Sarah Klinkerfuss, Gavin Roslen, Logan Brockway, Layne Brown, Josh Rishton and Sam Franco.. ...

Southeast Elementary in Sikeston has named its BASE students for December. Pictured are, front row, from left: Brooklyn Smith, Addison Lancaster, Mauricio Escoto Bates, Jaandrea Johnson and Elizabeth Nash; second row: Jackson Sisk, Makayla White, Jaylen Parker Lane, Brandon Wright and Kira Yielding; and back row: Kyle Thuesen, Declen Mouser, Gunner Hopkins and Garrett Blincoe. Not pictured are Thomas Harris and Kellen Jackson...

FAYETTE, Mo. — Central Methodist University has announced its Dean’s List for the fall 2018 semester. This outstanding academic achievement is awarded only to students who maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.50 or above for the semester, among other criteria, according to CMU Provost and Dean of the University Dr. Rita Gulstad...

CANTON, Mo. — Culver-Stockton College is proud to announce its President’s List, Dean’s List and Honor Roll for the fall 2018 semester. To be named to an honors List, students must meet high academic standards established by Culver-Stockton. Austin Hailey of Sikeston, an Individualized Major-Education Theory major from Sikeston was named to the Honor Roll and to the Honors for the Fall 2018 semester...

SEARCY, Ark. — The following local residents are among more than 1,200 Harding University students included on the dean’s list for grades achieved during the fall 2018 semester. Kayli Lawrence, a sophomore communication sciences and disorders major from Bernie...

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Julia Lane Hahn of Dexter was named to The University of Alabama Dean’s List for fall 2018. A total of 12,332 students enrolled during the 2018 fall term at UA were named to the Dean’s List with an academic record of 3.5 or above or the President’s List with an academic record of 4.0 (all A’s)...

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Oklahoma City University is proud to announce that Emily Limbaugh of Sikeston, Mo., has been named to President’s Honor Roll for the Fall 2018 semester. Students must complete a minimum of 12 credit hours during a semester and maintain a GPA of 3.9 or higher to meet the President’s Honor Roll requirements...

SIKESTON DEPOT MUSEUM In recognition of Black History Month throughout the month of February a local organization, The Daughters of Sunset have put together a display of People, Places, Businesses and Organizations from the Sunset Area. These pictures are from the past as well as the present. This year Jessie Lane will be recognized for the contributions she has made for this town and community...

SIKESTON — Cora Mae Dykes, age 80, died Feb. 4, 2019, at Evelyn's House in St. Louis. She was born Feb. 12, 1938, in Matthews, to the late Melvin and Virginia (Frohawk) Gross. Cora was a member of Potters House Ministry and had worked in retail sales before retiring...