Stories from Friday, July 24, 2020

SIKESTON — The Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo Board of Directors announced today Ashley McBryde will not appear at the Sikeston Rodeo on Thursday, Aug. 6. “We were sad to hear that Ashley McBryde will not appear at our event, but rest assured we are working tirelessly to find a new act to take the stage following rodeo events on Thursday,” said Rodeo Chairman, Travis Deere...

LILBOURN, Mo. — Willie B. Bradley III, 47, died July 19, 2020, at his home. Born Oct. 18, 1972, in Howardville, Missouri to Willie B. Bradley, Jr. of Lilbourn, Missouri and the late Ruby Mae Johnson Bradley, he was a construction worker employed in Malden, Missouri...

CARUTHERSVILLE, Mo. — Gary Lynn Roberts, 64, died July 16, 2020 in Caruthersville. Born Aug. 1, 1955, in Hayti, Missouri, son of the late Hallie T. Roberts and Patsy Nowell Roberts of Portageville, Missouri, he served in the US Marine Corps and was retired from Pemiscot County road maintenance...

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. — Ruthie Louise Roberts, 90, died July 22, 2020, at Malden Nursing and Rehab in Malden, Missouri. She was born Feb. 8, 1930, in Benton County, Tennessee, to the late Gene and Gay Moore Hatley. On Dec. 20, 1947, in Piggott, Arkansas, she married Mann Roberts, who preceded her in death on Aug. 23, 1990...

SIKESTON — Don Cornelius Kelly, 46, died July 19, 2020. Born July 18, 1974, in Sikeston, to Helen Wilson Jacksonville, Florida, and Pervis Boyd of Lilbourn, Missouri, he was a member of Hope Baptist Church in Oran, Missouri.  Besides his parents he is survived by: two brothers, Kevin Wilson and Pervis Boyd Jr. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Time to empty out the piggy banks to help small businesses. Missouri banks are asking consumers to deposit their spare change at their local banks or use change when shopping as the pandemic-related shutdowns have created a slowdown in coin circulation. ...

The Holly Rehder-Kathy Swan GOP race for Missouri’s Senate District 27 seat has turned ugly with a little over a week to go before the Aug. 4 primary election. “I can’t remember a race when we’ve had such similar candidates,” said Laura Hatcher, associate professor of political science at Southeast Missouri State University...

In the wake of a shortened state legislative session due to the coronavirus, Missouri lawmakers are now preparing to reconvene Monday for a special session focused on one issue — violent crime. One of six gubernatorial visits with law enforcement across the state this week, Gov. ...

On Aug. 4, voters will go to the polls in the Missouri Primary Election. In Scott County, voters choose between Terry Cole and John Graham for the Republican candidate for First District Commissioner. The winner will face Democrat incumbent Dennis Ziegenhorn in the November election...

BLOOMFIELD — Richland R1 School District Superintendent Frank Killian has been named the new Stoddard County EMA director effective Sept. 1. Killian, who serves as an alderman for the city of Dexter, replaces Kent Polsgrove who had been the emergency management agency director since Dec. 1, 2010...

Jason Daniels (left) with the Memphis District of the Army Corps of Engineers watches as concrete is poured connecting some of the pipe being placed along the base of the levee at New Madrid, Mo. The work is part of a seepage remediation project designed to reduce sand boils and preserve the integrity of the levee surrounding the town, according to Daniels. ...

SIKESTON — As the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo approaches, local businesses are getting more involved with Stampede Week. Stampede Week, held the week before the rodeo, is to help get the community geared up for the event. “The goal is to increase community involvement with the rodeo by having contests in which businesses can compete for prizes while adding visibility to rodeo events,” said Marcie Lawson, executive director of the Sikeston Regional Chamber...

Miranda Witt, daughter of Mike and Marcia Witt, is the Standard Democrat’s Calendar Girl for July. Miranda will be attending Missouri State University in Springfield where she intends to major in Early Childhood Education.

Local counties continue to see increases in the number of the coronavirus cases. The Scott County Health Department reported 12 new cases on Thursday afternoon, giving the county 279 cases. Of those, 69 are active with 197 recovered and 13 deaths related to COVID-19 being reported...

ARNOLD, Mo. - Mary Edith 'Polly' Davis, 86, formerly of East Prairie, Missouri, died July 23, 2020, at her granddaughter’s home in Barnhart, Missouri. Born on Nov. 13, 1933, in East Prairie, daughter of the late Sam and Mildred Johnson Organ. She was married to Jessie Davis, who preceded her in death on Feb. 7, 2004...

The sky is falling. Much like Chicken Little in the folk story, there are many who think the sky is falling because of the coronavirus. In the last week, I have heard numerous different statements that cause me to wonder if we are seeing two different things...