Stories from Thursday, March 2, 2023

WALTERBORO, S.C. (AP) — Disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh was convicted of murder Thursday in the shooting deaths of his wife and son in a case that chronicled the unraveling of a powerful Southern family with tales of privilege, greed and addiction...

Southeast Missouri Food Bank served nearly 12.8 million meals to neighbors facing hunger in 2022, as inflation caused more people to seek food assistance, some for the first time.  “Inflation was a real challenge for many people last year,” said Joey Keys, chief executive officer of SEMO Food Bank. ...

Two new members have joined the Sikeston Regional Chamber Board of Directors. Shaun Hanschen and Joey Keys began their terms in the new year. New board members are elected annually for a term of three years and can serve two consecutive terms. Hanschen grew up in Jackson, Missouri, and attended the University of Missouri Columbia where he graduated summa cum laude with his undergraduate degree in political science in 2001. ...

BENTON, Mo. — Rose Ann Scherer, 84, of Benton, went to meet her loving husband, Charlie, on Feb. 28, 2023, surrounded by her loved ones. She was born Oct. 22, 1938, in Oran, Missouri, the daughter of the late Roman and Marie Ressel. On June 8, 1958, at Guardian Angel Church in Oran, she married the love of her life, Charlie Scherer...

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. — On Wednesday, March 1, 2023, Thomas Edmond “Jake” Fisher, loving husband, father, grandfather and friend to many passed away at age 80. Jake, as everyone knew him, leaves behind a massive footprint that will forever be remembered. When he entered a room, his presence was felt by everyone. He never met a stranger, commonly referred to those friends he met as “Pal” and truly had a heart of gold...

CHARLESTON, Mo. — Clyde Eugene Woodworth Jr., 71, died Feb. 25, 2023, at University Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. Visitation is from 9:30 a.m. until service time at 10 a.m. Monday, March 20 at McMikle Funeral Home in Charleston. Eddie Linhart Jr., pastor of Hope Community Church in Carlineville, Illinois, will officiate...

CHARLESTON, Mo. — Byron Wilson McDowell, age 91, a resident of Charleston, died Wednesday, March 1, 2023, at Southeast Health in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. He was born Dec. 19, 1931, at Fruitland, Missouri, to the late C. Wilson McDowell and Mildred Tant McDowell. Byron was a 1950 graduate of Charleston High School. He served in the United States Air Force from 1950 to 1954 and was stationed at the Azores Islands and Colorado Springs Air Force Base. Byron was honorably discharged in 1954...

SIKESTON — “It’s just a God thing.” Such was the comment made by Dana Self, director of the new Hope 180 ministry in Sikeston, on Wednesday as she and Mari Ann Moyers, director of Spread Hope Now, prepared for a public open house Thursday, March 2. According to Moyers and Self, Spread Hope Now continues to reach out with love and empathy to the struggling individuals in the community, this time specifically youth, by launching a new ministry called Hope 180...

Donnie Beggs speaks during the Fourth Annual Sikeston Tourism and Hospitality Luncheon Thursday, March 2, 2023, at Lambert’s Cafe in Sikeston. Beggs and his wife, Sheila Beggs, who own Beggs Family Farm in Blodgett, Missouri, were presented with the Sikeston Tourism and Hospitality Award of Excellence. The Sikeston Convention and Visitors Bureau recognized Beggs Family Farm for their outstanding contribution to tourism...