Stories from Thursday, January 20, 2005

RED BAY, Ala. - Lucille Sisk Elrod, 72, formerly of Sikeston, Mo., died Jan. 19, 2005, at the Arkansas Hospice Foundation in North Little Rock. Born Sept. 11, 1932, in Corning, Ark., she was the daughter of Myrtle Edith Webb of Poplar Bluff, Mo., and the late Pearle Webb...

BENTON - Florence Kathryn Ferrell, 89, died at 3:50 a.m. Jan. 19, 2005, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Born June 13, 1915, in Grayridge, daughter of the late Silas Whitney "Buck" and Rebecca Kathryn Tate Hooper, she was a member of the Unity Baptist Church in Benton and the Benton Extension Club...

SIKESTON - While preparing for terrorist attacks can be overwhelming for local officials, Missouri Delta Medical Center and other Missouri hospitals are doing better than most. "We are way ahead of the game," said Judy Johnson, area manager for MDMC's emergency room...

CARUTHERSVILLE - A man wanted by the U.S. Marshals Service is in custody after a brief pursuit by Pemiscot County Sheriff's deputies. A 11:52 p.m. Wednesday, a Pemiscot County deputy attempted to stop a car in Steele. The car fled north through Steele and onto County Road 457, where it was stopped with the assistance of officers from the Steele Police Department and the Bootheel Drug Task Force...

Damian Erzfeld, an employee for Schemel and Tarrillion Company of Perryville, scrapes the second floor ceiling of the old First Baptist Church. To remove the all the asbestos from the building before its demolition, the company will have to scrape all the ceilings in the building, pull up tile and tile glue from floors, and clean all the insulation off pipes...

SIKESTON - Mrs. James Ferrell entered the hospital on the 13th and a girl was born to her on the following day. SIKESTON - Bill Volner, caller of the Wagon Wheel Square Dance Club of Sikeston, called a dance for the Squares and Pairs Square Dance Club at the Creve Coeur Country Club in St. Louis Sunday afternoon...

A man walks into a small town bank intent on robbery. But in less than 40 seconds, five people are shot dead and not one dollar is taken. The murderer and his accomplices are rapidly captured. Their trial was held this week and a jury sentenced them to death...

EAST PRAIRIE - Teddy Bennett, 74, died at 9:40 a.m. Jan. 19, 2005, at his home. Arrangements are pending at Shelby Funeral Home, where visitation begins at 5 p.m. today.

EAST PRAIRIE - Thomas E. Schmitt, 69, formerly of Osceola, Ind., died at 9:45 a.m. Jan. 19, 2005, at his home. Born Jan. 31, 1935, in Gary, Ind., son of the late Tom B. and Barbara Millenberger Schmitt, he was a veteran of the U.S. Army and lived in East Prairie for the past 12 years...

SIKESTON -- Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Weber Sikes have announced the engagement of their daughter, Elizabeth Kendall Sikes, to Frank Emanuel Miller, son of Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Fritz Sander of Jackson and the late Bruce Emanuel Miller. The future bride is the granddaughter of Mrs. Kendall Sikes of Sikeston and the late Kendall Sikes and Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Coughenour...

JEFFERSON CITY -- Four Southeast Missouri lawmakers were picked to lead House committees on Wednesday. Two will assume chairmanships for the first time. State Rep. Scott Lipke, R-Cape Girardeau, will head the Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee while state Rep. Gayle Kingery will be in charge of the Higher Education Committee...

CAPE GIRARDEAU - The Sikeston eighth grade basketball team won its first game of the year by defeating Poplar Bluff 41-39 in the Cape Junior High Tournament on Wednesday. The win by Sikeston avenged an earlier lopsided loss this year to the junior high Mules...

It seems a little hypocritical the way baseball deals with gambling on the sport and with steroid use. Are the athletes of today so squeaky clean that they can throw stones at Pete Rose? I don't condone what Pete Rose did, but are Barry Bonds and the rest of the players today not hurting themselves, their team and baseball? Think about it. There are a lot of issues to be thinking about...