Stories from Friday, June 11, 2004

CHARLESTON - The Mississippi County Rural Water District project is almost complete. "We've got about 15 people hooked up north of town," said Darren Kincy, an engineer for William Green and Associates. Kincy also reported the job is now 77 percent complete...

BOOMER, W.V. - Jerry Rodney Jones, 73, formerly of the Sikeston, Mo., area, died at 2:55 a.m. June 10, 2004, at the Charleston Area Memorial Hospital in Charleston, W.V. Nunnelee Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements, which are incomplete.

OAK FOREST, Ill. -- Jimmie Pullam, 69, died June 9, 2004, at Palos Hospital in Palos. Born May 27, 1935, near Dexter, Mo., son of the late Jesse Lee and Goldie Ellen Carter Pullam, he had lived in Missouri, Michigan, Illinois, Colorado and Ohio before moving to Dexter four years ago. He had been residing at Oak Forest for one month. A retired trucker and trucking company manager, he attended the Assembly of God Church in Dexter...

GIDEON -- Rex B. Davis, 85, died June 9, 2004, at the Gideon Care Center. Born Oct. 26, 1918, in Parma, son of the late Oscar B. and Cora Mae Neal Davis, he had lived for 45 years in Michigan, where he owned and operated three service stations. For the past five years, he has lived in Gideon and prior to that, he lived in Florida for seven years. ...

CLARKTON - Marvin "Bob" Hill, 65, died June 8, 2004, at Clarkton. Born March 12, 1939, in Parma, son of Harriet McKeller Hill of Essex and the late William Hill, he was a retired farm laborer and a member of the New Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church near Essex. He had lived most of his life in the Malden area...

SIKESTON -- Venzill Slaughter, 67, died at 12:30 a.m., June 10, 2004, at his residence in Sikeston. Born Dec. 13, 1936, in Flint, Mich., son of the late William and Clara Slaughter, he had lived in Scott County most of his life. On Oct. 25, 1993, he married Betty Bolden who survives of the home...

EAST PRAIRIE - Thelma Louise Boyd, 80, died at 1:27 a.m. June 10, 2004, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Born Oct. 5, 1923, in East Prairie, daughter of the late George and Bertie Bright Whitlock, she had lived in Mississippi County her entire life and was a member of the First General Baptist Church in East Prairie...

BLOOMFIELD -- Leo Joseph Lucas Sr., 88, died June 9, 2004, at the Beverly Health and Rehabilitation Center in Bloomfield. Born July 10, 1915, in Wild Rose, Wis., son of the late George Lucas, he was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Dexter...

MATTHEWS -- Jimmie Mays Gore, 73, formerly of East Prairie, died at 9:45 p.m. June 9. 2004, at his residence of an apparent heart attack. Born Aug. 28, 1930, in Matthews, son of the late Raymond R. and Bertha P. Mays Gore, he had lived near Matthews for the past four years, moving from East Prairie. He was a retired maintenance man for the Local 688 Teamsters in St. Louis...

BERTRAND -- Mary Leanne Jones, age 46, died at 6:50 p.m. Wednesday, June 9, 2004, at her residence. She was born Oct. 27, 1957, in Cairo, Ill., to Lawrence and Loretta Carr Gier of Charleston. She lived in Bertrand most of her life, where she was employed as a waitress at Baker's Restaurant...

Hunter Chadd makes his jump during the game "Jump the Brook" Thursday. Chadd is participating in the Southeast Missouri YMCA Day Camp.

POPLAR BLUFF -- Last week two dead birds found in Missouri tested positive for West Nile virus, signaling once again the return of the potentially deadly disease. Although no human cases have been reported in the state this year, health officials say the disease is preventable. For this reason, Three Rivers Community College is hosting a free seminar June 22 on the virus and how to control the mosquitoes that spread it...

SIKESTON - Here are the results from Thursday's Sikeston Area Youth Baseball action. Kiwanis led 6-0 after the first inning but couldn't hold on as Jaycees erupted for eight runs in the fifth to win the game. Jaycees pitchers Trent McMillan, Issac Protzel and Clay Driskill. Hunter Williams took the loss for Kiwanis...

SIKESTON -- After an hour delay and a sluggish start, Sikeston's Senior American Legion Post 114 baseball team came together to stage a stirring comeback with a stunning finish. Matt Smith blasted a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift Sikeston to a 6-5 win over De Soto on Thursday at VFW Stadium...

SIKESTON - Frank D. Lair, owner of the Lair Furniture Co., celebrated his 75th birthday Sunday. SIKESTON - Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Bush moved to their farm Saturday. Mr. Bush has been employed at the Lair Furniture Co. for the past eight years. SIKESTON - The Rev. ...

St. Louis city officials are making plans that would allow early voting running from Oct. 19-27 in the upcoming Presidential election. Secretary of State Matt Blunt, himself a candidate for governor, isn't sure if St. Louis has the legal right to hold early voting. And thus, the issue is headed to the courts...

As a strong supporter of American sovereignty, I am not in favor of any unlimited access to U.S. markets, policymaking or government functions by foreign entities. I am fully in favor of protecting our borders from illegal immigration. The purpose of trade agreements is to strengthen the economies of both trading parties...

How to figure out our Congress lady JoAnn Emerson? Why is she in favor of allowing and encouraging unlimited immigration and the erasing of our national boundaries, which is all part of those misnamed "free-trade" agreements? Doesn't she now that under those deceptive trade agreements that unelected foreign agencies would be allowed to be in charge of American policies?...