Stories from Sunday, October 24, 2004

BLOOMFIELD -- Kylie Rhae-Anne Hicks, infant daughter of Jessi Hicks, died at birth Oct. 22, 2004, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Other survivors include: maternal grandparents, Derry and Kay Hicks of Bloomfield; maternal great-grandparents, Bob and Juanita Hicks of Essex; maternal great-grandfather, Claude Montgomery of Gideon; maternal great-great-grandmother, Delphia Duckworth of Essex; and one aunt, MaKenna Rhae-Hicks of Bloomfield...

BERNIE -- Eva Geneva Boyle, 85, died Oct. 22, 2004, at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Born March 24, 1919, in Koshkonong, daughter of the late Matthew T. and Pearl Elizabeth Driver Hunsperger, she was a homemaker and member of the Bernie Northside Baptist Church...

SHREVEPORT, La. - Steven Todd Vincent, 39, formerly of Sikeston, Mo., died at 6:30 a.m. Oct. 21, 2004, in Keithville. Born Oct. 10, 1965, in Sikeston, he was the son of Carl A. "Jack" and Bonnie R. Hale Vincent of Shreveport. He attended Southwood High School, graduated from Graywood Baptist School in Shreveport and was a repairman and contractor for Century 21 Realty in Shreveport...

MATTHEWS -- Robert E. Stevener, 70, died at 4:35 a.m. Oct. 23, 2004, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Shelby Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

CHARLESTON -- Elmer Vinson, 74, died at 10:15 p.m. Oct. 22, 2004, at the Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Visitation is after 5 p.m. Monday at McMikle Funeral Home in Charleston, where services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday.

LANCASTER, Calif. - Charles G. Hill, 71, formerly of Sikeston, Mo., died Oct. 12, 2004, Lancaster. Born Nov. 13, 1932, in Sikeston, son of the late Marvin and Lena Hill, he was a U.S. Navy veteran of the Korean War. His wife, Helen Boardman Hill, preceded him in death...

GREENWOOD, Miss. - Ellen N. "Sis" Harrell, 90, formerly of Sikeston, Mo., died at 2:50 p.m. Oct. 21, 2004, at the St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson. Born Feb. 21, 1914, in Monet, Ark., daughter of the late John H. and Lula Calhoun Bailey, she lived in Sikeston for many years where she was a member of Shady Acres Church of Christ. She lived in Greenwood for the last five years...

BLYTHEVILLE, Ark. -- Lee Ray Jr., 62, formerly of Haywood City, Mo., died Oct. 21, 2004, at the Baptist Memorial Hospital in Blytheville. Born July 4, 1942, in Tippa County, Tenn., son of the late Lee and Lacy Ball Ray, he was of the Baptist belief...

WEST PLAINS - If first impressions count for anything, then the West Plains Zizzers may be giving Sikeston and other district teams nightmares for years to come. Meeting for the first time ever on the gridiron, West Plains sent a statement to the rest of Class 4, District 1 that there may be a new sheriff in town after a 35-0 trouncing of the visiting Bulldogs at Zizzer Stadium on Friday...

The Bush campaign's latest attack ad clearly misrepresents comments made by John Kerry during a recent interview. John Kerry did not say that the war on terror was a nuisance. He, along with anyone who has a brain, knows that what we are involved in is a very real war. ...

SIKESTON -A son was born to Sgt. and Mrs. Fred Jones of Sikeston Monday at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape. NEW MADRID - Miss Carol Kimball, 21, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Barney Kimball, New Madrid, was chosen queen of the New Madrid Fall Festival last night from a group of 21 contestants. ...

SIKESTON -- While some area children will be out in full spooking force next Sunday for Halloween, others will be trick-or-treating Saturday so their ghoulish fun doesn't interfere with anyone's church services. City councils in Charleston, East Prairie and Portageville, for example, have voted for their town trick-or-treating to be held Saturday...

SIKESTON -- A report by a Sikeston teen of an attempted abduction and sexual assault has proved to be false after an intense investigation and several tips provided by the public. According Drew Juden, director of the Sikeston Department of Public Safety, the teen was confronted with evidence, most of which was supplied by tips, and confessed to filing a false police report. ...

SPRINGFIELD -- Sikeston freshman tennis player Jenni DeWitt lost her first two matches in the Class 1 singles tournament in Springfield on Friday. DeWitt lost her first match to Thomas Jefferson High's Felicia Owen, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. She was then defeated in the consolation first round by Visitation Academy's Courtney Reeve, 6-3, 6-0...

NEW MADRID -- Sikeston girls volleyball team wrapped up SEMO Conference play with a straight-set 25-15, 25-22 victory over New Madrid County Central on Thursday. The Lady Bulldogs (14-13, 4-1 in the conference), playing with a completely revamped lineup, held on to knock off the surging Lady Eagles and earn a second-place finish in the conference...

MALDEN -- A short-handed East Prairie squad hung tough for a half, then faltered after the intermission. The Eagles (2-6) lost their Class 2, District 1 opener to Malden 40-14 on Friday. East Prairie scored on its opening drive and trailed by a single point at 8-7 as the first half ended. The Green Wave put the game on ice with 24 third-quarter points...

CHAFFEE - Shawn and Jamie Nix are the parents of their first child, a son, born at 3:01 a.m. Sept. 20, 2004, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Andrew Dale Nix weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces and was 20 1/4-inches long. Mrs. Nix, daughter of Mick and Linda Wessel of Chaffee, is a physical therapist for Missouri Delta Medical Center...

DEXTER - After 24 minutes of play, the Dexter Bearcats cranked it up a notch against the Kennett Indians to get a 42-14 win in the district lid-lifter. Dexter's first half was anything but a desirable performance for head coach Aaron Pixley and his staff as the 'Cats gave up a game-tying touchdown at the buzzer to send Kennett to the break with momentum...

CARUTHERSVILLE - How can any team stop David Gilmore's Caruthersville Tigers the way they are executing at this point in the season? That is the question that Ashley Swims and the Portageville Bulldogs had to answer Friday night during the opening round of district play at Hopke Field...

CHARLESTON - Sophomore Joseph Watts rushed 17 times for 166 yards and two touchdowns Friday night to lead the Charleston Bluejays to a 41-6 win over the Crystal City Hornets. The win was their sixth of the season and first in district play. The game was a tale of two halves. ...

EAST PRAIRIE - Thanks to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development grant, the Historical Museum of Mississippi County will soon have a new home. "We're buying a building that is just across the street from the building the museum is in now," said Kathie Simpkins, city administrator for East Prairie...

Natalie Regenold, 8, jumps during a game of hopscotch with her cousin Megan Lewis. Local kids enjoyed the nice weather last week after storms rocked the area on Monday.

There are so many difficult questions facing our society that it truly boggles the mind to unravel the starkly different sides to countless issues. Many of these "questions without answers" seep their way into the Presidential contest. But many others just languish under society's radar screen...

COLUMBIA -- Prior to Kelly's Class 2 state softball semifinal matchup with Putnam County at Rainbow Softball Complex on Friday, the seniors made it a point to have a little chat with the rest of the team. The focus of the conversation was just to stay focused no matter the situation...

Saturday or Sunday? Halloween is generally a fun time for everyone, but city officials do have some rules their residents must follow. The following is a list of trick-or-treating times for a few area towns...

EAST PRAIRIE - When the Historical Museum of Mississippi County reopens upon the completion of renovations to its new home, visitors will once again have the opportunity to see many items from bygone eras. Among items featured in displays at the old museum location and awaiting the new museum in storage are:...

NEW MADRID -- The tough times continue for New Madrid County Central. NMCC (1-7), the defending Class 3, District 1 champion, dropped its 2004 district opener 49-30 to Perryville on Friday. Perryville (3-5), which moved from Class 4 to 3 this season, pounded the Eagles with senior tailback Matt Unterreiner providing the hammer...