Stories from Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Carson James stamps a spider onto a piece of paper during the Parents As Teachers, "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" at the Sikeston Public Library Monday. Family night will be held again next Monday for ages 2-5. The theme will be "Snow Family." Reservations are required. Call 471-4140 for more information...

EAST PRAIRIE -- U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development officials passed out mock checks Monday representing nearly $278,000 in community facility grants awarded to agencies in Mississippi County. The presentations were made by Gregory C. Branum, state director for USDA Rural Development, at the Mississippi County Ambulance District Office on Highway 105 between East Prairie and Charleston. "It's a tremendous honor to be able to do this," he said...

CHARLESTON -- Two people are in custody for the death of a Charleston man who died Saturday -- 12 days after being beaten in his home. Charleston Department of Public Safety Chief Paul Johnson said early today one subject was taken into custody at 6 p.m and the other at 9 p.m. Monday for the death of James Henderson, 67, of Charleston...

ORAN -- All of the top seeds prevailed as the 50th annual Oran Invitational Tournament tipped off on Monday. In the opener, top-seeded Twin Rivers ran past bottom seed Richland 73-30, then No. 2 Bell City romped to an 80-39 win over No. 7 Oran. The most competitive contest of the evening was the nightcap with No. 3 Malden holding off No. 6 Scott County Central 90-77...

JACKSON -- The Sikeston Bulldog eighth and ninth grade teams split with Jackson's junior high teams on Monday night. Sikeston's eighth graders won 33-31 against Jackson while the Bulldog freshmen dropped a 37-35 game in overtime. In the eighth grade game, Sikeston trailed 12-9 after one quarter, but turned it around to lead 21-14 by halftime after out-scoring Jackson 12-2...

SIKESTON - The Sikeston Lady Bulldogs basketball team lost their first game of the season, at home, against the Doniphan Donettes by a score of 83-59. The story of the game was the third quarter, as the Donettes outscored Sikeston 36-9. In that quarter, Doniphan started out from halftime on a 10-0 run and forced the Lady Bulldogs to commit nine turnovers in the quarter...

Dockins Electric Co. has changed their number. I don't know what their new number is but I get 10 to 10 phone calls a day. Please Dockins. Tell them your new number. We looked in the yellow pages, found Dockins Electric, called both numbers listed and got them both times! Numbers are 472-2518 and 702-2450...

COLUMBIA - Sarah and Andrew Felker are the parents of a daughter, born at 2:51 p.m. Oct. 21, 2005, at Boone Hospital Center in Columbia. Audrey Kathryn Felker weighed 8 pounds. Maternal grandparents are Mark and Laurie Jarvis of Billings, Mont. Paternal grandparents are Jan and Otto Hildebrand of Jefferson City and the late Dr. C. Edward Felker III of Sikeston...

SIKESTON - Loomis Mayfield Jr. received his discharge from the Armed Service last week at Camp Bowie in Texas and from there he went to Houston, Texas, for a brief visit with his uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. J.H. Galeneer. SIKESTON - The annual meeting of the Federal Land Bank Association will be held Thursday at the American Legion Building with Wendell Choate, Charleston farmer and businessman, as principal speaker...

PORTAGEVILLE - Flossie Riddle Passwater, 72, died Nov. 25, 2005, at B and B Hospital in Lewes, Del. Born Nov. 20, 1933, in Hogwaller, Tenn., daughter of the late Emanuel and Vannie Belch Pardon, she worked as a beautician for Stella Bess for several years, before opening a salon in her home. In 1981, she moved to Delaware where she worked for C.K. Hairport and Hair Dimensions...

CHARLESTON - Leona Chappell Thompson, 88, died at 11:24 a.m. Nov. 28, 2005, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Born May 31, 1917, in Marion, Ky., daughter of the late George and Anne Long Watson, she had lived most of her life in Charleston, where she was employed for 30 years in the Bottoming Department of the Brown Shoe Company until her retirement and was a member of the Southside Baptist Church...

MURRAY, Ky. - Joe Franklin Lasater, 74, formerly of Sikeston, Mo., died Nov. 24, 2005, at his home. Born Aug. 22, 1931, in Puryear, Tenn., son of the late Enoch H. and Ida Bell Miller Lasater, he had attended Sikeston Public Schools and was retired from Freed Cotham Sheet Metal Company in Murray. He was a member of Murray First Baptist Church and Murray Lodge 105 FM and AM...

DELTA - Cletus N. Givens, 87, died at 7:19 p.m. Nov. 27, 2005 at Jackson Manor in Jackson. Born Jan. 3, 1918, in Delta, son of the late Ancil Ivan and Grace Wilson Givens, he was a retired farmer and a member of the First Baptist Church in Delta, where he served as a deacon...

EAST PRAIRIE - Rentha Dell Cohen, 82, died at 1:10 p.m. Nov. 27, 2005, at the East Prairie Nursing Center. Born March 18, 1923, in Scranton, Ark. to the late Eli Walker and Rosey Snow Hunt, she lived most of her life in Mississippi County. On Sept. 15, 1946, at the Church of the Nazarene in Matthews, she married Francis Cohen, who survives of the home in Bertrand...

MARSTON -- Shirley Dawn Hayes, 70, died Nov. 27, 2005, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Born Sept. 26, 1935, she was the daughter of the late Jim and Mamie Fincher. On June 23, 1956, in Hernando, Miss., she married Bernard Hayes who survives of the home...

LILBOURN - Tom Sloan, 88, died Nov. 28, 2005, at the Sikeston Convalescent Center. Born Jan. 14, 1917, in Hornbeak, Tenn., son of the late Everett L. and Alice Lela Sloan, he was a member of the Church of Christ in Lilbourn. A World War II Army veteran, having served as a German translator, he was a pressman for the SEMO News in Lilbourn and later delivered the Sikeston Standard-...

SIKESTON -- Kenneth Darter, 59, died Nov. 29, 2005, at his home in Sikeston following an extended illness. Arrangements are incomplete at Nunnelee Funeral Chapel in Sikeston.

His passing went largely unnoticed. Alfred Anderson was 109 when he died last week - the last known surviving Scottish veteran of World War I. But it was a brief footnote in history that took place on Christmas Day 1914 that makes Anderson's passing important...

On Friday morning, Nov. 11, I had the privilege to join the Sikeston Area Ceremony honoring our Veterans. From the opening presentation of colors to the 21 guns salute and playing of Taps, it was a most meaningful and special tribute to those who have served their country...

SIKESTON -- Three Sikeston residents will vie for Miss Missouri USA and Miss Missouri Teen USA titles this weekend at the Music Hall within the downtown Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, Mo. Megan Nelson, 22, will contend for the Miss Missouri USA crown, and Danielle Harper, 17, and Mykah Bryan, 17, will compete against 79 teens for the Miss Missouri Teen USA title. ...