Stories from Wednesday, August 20, 2003

SIKESTON - The Sikeston Industries have a minimum supply of labor, reduction of which will seriously hamper or force closure of operation, is the opinion of Sikeston industrial leaders. The Sikeston Cotton Oil Mill has lost 75 percent of its workers and are getting along now, in the off season, with 25 percent...

Well, folks, the rodeo has come and gone and the price of watermelons have gone down. After the rodeo if you pay over $1 apiece, you've paid too much. Well, it looks like more dogs are dropped of in Mississippi County on County Road 339. There is a variety of dogs, two beagles, a big black one and a red one, they're digging holes in the yard, chewing the cable wires and are completely destroying my property. ...

DEXTER - The city council has ordered that larger pumps be installed to insure a sufficient supply of water in view of three recent water shortages for domestic use. A new well is also to be drilled. SIKESTON - A telegram received by the Daily Standard and signed by U.S. Senators Stuart Symington and Edward V. Long confirms the selection of the new Post Office site on the north side of North Street and east of New Madrid Street...

HOWARDVILLE -- Ann M. Wheeler and Willie C. Clark have announced their engagement. The future bride is the daughter of the late Samuel and Alice Wheeler and her fiance is the son of Minnie Clark of Essex and the late Sullivan Clark. Wheeler and Clark are employed with Essex Electric in Sikeston...

SIKESTON -- As many students in the area return to classrooms this week, area law enforcement officers are hitting the streets close to schools to ensure that motorist slow down in school zones. Sikeston students return to school Wednesday and the Sikeston Department of Public Safety is planning to do their part to slow down drivers in school zones...

SIKESTON - Area residents will be able to keep abreast of what's going on in city government, via the Internet. "We live in a digital age of rapid access to news and information," said Sikeston Mayor Michael Marshall. "Recognizing this trend, city staff have developed an electronic newsletter, or "e-newsletter," that will be delivered to interested residents via e-mail."...

CHARLESTON - Criminals who use firearms during their crimes in Mississippi County won't get a break: there's a new community gun violence prosecutor already on the job. Neal Frazier of Cape Girardeau began work Thursday as Mississippi County's community gun violence prosecutor, replacing Gregory Spencer whose last day was Wednesday. Spencer, who announced his resignation in July, said he was moving to be closer to his family...

SIKESTON -- Last week the Missouri quarter entered circulation sending coin collectors -- and even the non collectors -- scrambling and hoping to get their hands on the newest mint. "We're almost out of our Missouri quarters," said Pat Compas, head teller for a U.S. Bank branch in Sikeston, on Tuesday. "So many of our regular customers get them as soon as they come out."...

SIKESTON -- One man is currently in custody after a bank robbery attempt Monday morning turned into a bomb scare. Brad G. Brown, 23, of Sikeston, is in federal custody under charges of bank robbery after a wild chain of events Monday. No bond has been set...

Patterson SCOTT CITY - Charles Kindred and Julie Ann Patterson II are the parents of their fourth child, third daughter, born at 5:47 p.m. July 18, 2003, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Macie Lynn Patterson weighed 5 pounds, 10 ounces and was 19-inches long...

Lindsay Leible hits a ball in Sikeston High School's varsity tennis practice. The Lady Bulldogs will open the 2003 season Sept. 2 hostin Chaffee.

Ready or not, the high school football season is upon us. Several teams in the SEMO Conference have scheduled soap games for Friday night, and all will participate in a jamboree scrimmage on Aug. 29. Who are the best teams in the conference this year? I say Cape Central wins the SEMO North Division and New Madrid County Central takes the SEMO Central...

SIKESTON - The 11-year-old Sikeston Bulldogs all-star team took first place last week in the Midwest Plains Regional Invitational baseball tournament held in Wellington, Kan. "Sikeston is very proud of their 11-year-old baseball team," said manager Steve Carlyle. "This team always believed they could win, and played like champions."...

Here are the weekend race results from tracks around the area. SIKESTON DRAG STRIP SIKESTON - In Super Pro, Mitchell Carter posted his first win of the season with a 5.47 dial. He ran 5.47 at 126 mph with a reaction time of .544. Donald Hills took second as he ran 6.23 on a 6.23 dial at 111 mph. His reaction time was .554...

NEW MADRID -- Whitney Phillips and Sabe Caton have announced their engagement. The future bride is the daughter of Leland and Sherry Phillips of New Madrid and her fiance is the son of Richard and Carolyn Caton of St. Joseph. A 1998 graduate of New Madrid County Central High School, Phillips received a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Central Methodist College in Fayette. She is employed by the Isle of Capri Casino in Boonville...

The House of Prayer Outreach Thrift Store would like to thank our customers and everyone who has donated clothing, furniture, food and money, etc., to our store. Every time you buy something from our store, the money you spend goes to help needy families. ...

EAST PRAIRIE - Gale Irby, 65, died at 2:45 a.m. Aug. 18, 2003, at the Bertrand Nursing Facility. Born Nov. 9, 1937, in St. Louis, son of the late William B. and Ruby Pearl Thompkins Irby, he was a retired farmer and of the Protestant belief. Survivors include: two brothers, J.R. Irby of Sullivan and Sammy Irby of East Prairie; two sisters, JoAnn Kemp of Immokalee, Fla., and Vivian Smith of Detroit, Mich.; and several nieces and nephews...

POPLAR BLUFF - Randall Evan "Moe" Pippins, 45, died Aug. 18, 2003, at his home. Born Jan. 29, 1958, in St. Charles, Ill., he was the son of Marie Craft Pippins of Bernie and the late Arthur Alta Pippins. Survivors in addition to his mother include: one son, Brian Randall Pippins of Elgin, Ill.; one daughter, Jaime Marie Owsley of Elgin; four brothers, Phillip Pippins of Arnold, Jeff Pippins of Bernie, Gregory Pippins of Dexter and Kirk Pippins of Springdale, Ark.; four sisters, Bonnie Mitchem of Ironwood, Mich., Barbara Lamar of Malden and Lisa Mahlum and Linda Aguilar of Bernie; and three grandchildren.. ...

DEXTER - John W. "Jack" Harris, 60, died Aug. 19, 2003, at Missouri Southern Healthcare. Born Feb. 12, 1943, in Detroit, Mich., son of Thelma Williams Harris of Dexter and the late Floyd Harris, he was a manager at the Sears store in Cape Girardeau...

Communities large and small all want and need a number of services for their citizens. Good schools, of course, are high on the list. But somewhere on that same list would be a local post office. The future of rural post offices however is clearly in jeopardy. And the potential impact of eliminating several rural post offices has a number of people concerned. We should be concerned as well...

CHARLESTON - Joseph Loren "Spec" DeLine, 96, died Aug. 19, 2003, at his home. Born Feb. 24, 1907, in Charleston, son of the late Charles L. and Lilly Millard DeLine, he was a member of the First Baptist Church in Charleston, where he served as assistant Sunday school secretary for many years and had been bestowed the honor of deacon emeritus. In 1935, he opened the DeLine Gun Shop in Charleston, which he maintained until retiring in 1979...

PUXICO - Pallbearers at services conducted today at Watkins and Sons Funeral Home for Marjorie Mae McAllister, 78, who died Aug. 17, 2003, were: Frank McLean, Craig Zahner, Louis McLean, Gary Dollins, Marvin Clark and Doug Clark.

EAST PRAIRIE - Gale Irby, 65, died at 2:45 a.m. Aug. 18, 2003, at the Bertrand Nursing Facility. Arrangements are incomplete at Shelby Funeral Home.

CHARLESTON - Pallbearers at services scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday at the First Baptist Church in Charleston for Joseph Loren "Spec" DeLine, 96, who died Aug. 19, 2003, will be: Bill DeLine, Donny DeLine, David DeLine, Pete Story and William Glass...

MEXICO, Mo. - Mary Dill Owensby, formerly of East Prairie, died Aug. 19, 2003, at the Missouri Veterans Home in Mexico. Arrangements are incomplete at Shelby Funeral Home in East Prairie.

BELL CITY - Grace Gilliland, 85, died at 3:40 p.m. Aug. 19, 2003, at the Des Peres Hospital in St. Louis. Arrangements are pending at Nunnelee Funeral Chapel in Sikeston, where visitation is tentatively scheduled for 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday and services will be conducted on Friday...

SIKESTON - Valerie Ann Baker, 38, died Aug. 18, 2003, at her home. Born Feb. 26, 1965, in Spokane, Wash., daughter of Ralph R. Ebersole of Kelso and the late JoAnn Moodie Ebersole, she was a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church. She was a registered nurse at Missouri Delta Medical Center...

DEXTER - Robert Van Fowler, 68, died Aug. 17, 2003, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Born Nov. 27, 1934, at Risco, son of the late James Robert and Pearl Iva Cecil Fowler, he was a service technician for Chrisman Oil in Dexter for 28 years. He was affiliated with the Big Ridge General Baptist Church in Matthews...

SIKESTON - Daniel "Danny" Sturgeon Sr., 60, died at 1:20 a.m. Aug. 18, 2003, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. Born May 14, 1943, in Sikeston, son of the late Ralph and Mildred McClellan Sturgeon, he had been a truck driver and was a member of the Sikeston Eagles Club...

DALLAS, Texas -- Elizabeth Dale "Beth" Gardner and Brandon Ray Criner were married in a 1 p.m. ceremony July 5, 2003, at the Royal Lane Baptist Church in Dallas. Dr. Jim Woychuk performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Ron and Betty Gardner of Bonne Terre and granddaughter of Lyman Dale of Sikeston and the late Ruth Dale. Her husband's parents are Buck and Gloria Criner of Crandall...

It may come as a surprise how cumbersome it is to find the total number of subsidized housing units there are in Sikeston. A little homework over the past week has arrived at one number but I'm less than convinced that we have an accurate picture concerning the degree of subsidized housing units in our community. You would think it's an easy task. It is not...

The Delta Area Economic Opportunity Corporation (DAEOC) would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone in the Scott County community for so graciously opening your doors to us during the Back to School Fair. Your kindness, generosity and acceptance were greatly appreciated by our staff and volunteers...

I would like to comment on Jack Stapleton's column on welfare kids. You can tell the man doesn't know a thing about what actually happens in the welfare system. When the children are put into foster care they are given food, beds, homes and loving care and help in every way possible with the transition of what is happening in their lives, and why it is happening. ...