Stories from Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Members of the Sikeston Department of Public Safety Rescue Squad, South Scott Ambulance District and AirEvac Lifeteam carry a patient to an awaiting helicopter Tuesday morning on Rose Parkway. The medical and rescue personnel responded to an accident that occurred at Construction Trailer Specialists where a trailer fell on top of two people. ...

BENTON -- Selecting a new supervisor for the Scott County Highway Department will be the last item of business for Presiding Commissioner Martin Priggel -- or not. Scott County commissioners interviewed candidates for the position from 8-10:30 a.m. during their regular meeting Tuesday...

SIKESTON -- People like to know what's going on in their community. And they like to have the details as soon as possible. This local, instantaneous news is what has made Sikeston InfoLink a popular desktop information over the past two and a half years. Since its inception in July 2004, over 1,000 users have subscribed to the free service, which connects PC users to commonly used informational sites...

SIKESTON -- Missouri's 94th General Assembly begins Jan. 3, and for the first time in eight years, Peter Myers won't be there. Term limits forced the 160th District state representative out of office for the new legislative session. "I'll miss the people, but I won't miss getting up early Monday mornings (to drive to Jefferson City) and coming home Thursday afternoons," said Myers, whose term officially ends Sunday...

SIKESTON - E.P. Coleman Jr. of Sikeston purchased 1,105 acres of land from the Security Farm Administration for a price of $30,000. SIKESTON - A Christmas gift and a Christmas decoration were the source of two minor fires Sunday. Bernard Lambert, 4, was playing with a cap pistol he received for Christmas in the bedroom of the Sadie Lambert home when the fire started. The Phillip Barkett fireplace area caught fire when a Christmas wreath candle melted and set fire to it. Also, no one was injured...

SIKESTON - Carrie Mae Clinton Smith, 82, died Dec. 24, 2006, at her home. Born Sept. 1, 1924, in Sikeston, to the late Ora Hilton and Flossie Helen Davis Clinton, she was a housewife and homemaker. She had worked for International Shoe Company for 15 years and also had worked at the Lamp and Fan in Sikeston and Luber's Dress Shop. For 65 years she was a member of the First Baptist Church...

NEW MADRID -- The Rev. James Bell Jr., 73, died Dec. 23, 2006, at the John A. Pershing Veteran Hospital in Poplar Bluff. Born Jan. 10, 1933, in New Sarpy, La., son of the late Jimmy and Grace Jackson Bell, he had lived for many years in Missouri. A U.S. Army veteran, he had served as pastor of First Baptist Church in Olmstead, Ill., for many years and was the current pastor of First Baptist Church in Howardville...

SPRINGFIELD - Upton Dow Holiman, 63, died Dec. 25, 2006, at Christian Health Care East in Springfield. Born March 16, 1942, at Memphis, Tenn., to the late U.S. and Mary Nell Holiman, for 10 years he was a businessman in Camdenton and then for several years he farmed near Piedmont. He then moved to Springfield where he was a baker and in sales...

SIKESTON - C.F. Eisenbach, 86, died Dec. 27, 2006, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Arrangements are incomplete with Ponder Funeral Home of Sikeston.

In the Monday issue of the Standard Democrat, someone called in against the draft. I grew up in a generation when the draft was real. I registered as all those in the age group of 18 and over did. Many of my generation, including some close friends were drafted. ...

I love it when bad stories have good endings. And just in time for the holidays, we have just such a story. It's hard to know where to begin. A St. Louis area woman was found guilty in 2003 of "renting" her 9-year-old daughter to a neighbor for sex. For $20, this slimy woman would sometimes hold her daughter down while a neighbor molested her. Court records show she "rented" her daughter at least 200 times to a known pedophile...

DYERSBURG, Tenn. -- Typically, the Sikeston Bulldogs spend Christmas break in the practice gym instead of playing in the local holiday basketball tournaments. But this year Sikeston (5-3) will get a chance to face some of the top teams in Western Tennessee as they will play in the Dyersburg Christmas Tournament starting tomorrow...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- The final matchup of the opening round of the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament proved to be the game of the day. The Oran Eagles, the ninth seed, pulled a mild upset with a 77-71 overtime win over the No. 8-seed Cape Central Tigers on Tuesday at the Show-Me Center...

BLOOMFIELD - Dexter and Van Buren recorded the only upsets in the first round of the 50th Annual Bloomfield Christmas Tournament on Tuesday. The Bearcats recorded a mild upset over the No. 8 seed Hayti Indians, 71-41. The No. 12 seeded Van Buren Bulldogs rallied to defeat the No. 5 seed East Prairie Eagles, 77-74, in the closest game of the day...

Nobody asked me but...let's look back on the year in local and national sports for 2006. The game was excellent, however, I still hope and pray for an 8-team playoff system in my lifetime for college football. I will not hold my breath. I thought the Super Bowl was very uninteresting from a fan's perspective. ...

Thankfully Christmas has come and gone and once again we have survived. All in all it wasn't a bad Christmas, even though Santa once again screwed me and failed to bring me my big screen television although that package of coffee-flavored gum he left in my stocking really hit the spot. Thanks fat man...