Stories from Monday, February 12, 2007

NEW MADRID - George Willard Halterman, 82, died Feb. 10, 2007, at his home. Born July 10, 1924, at New Madrid, he was the son of the late George Washington and Maggie Halterman. Survivors include: his wife, Kathleen Halterman of the home; two daughters, Maggie May Bodi of New Madrid and Fay Branum of Kewanee; two brothers, Earl Halterman of Essex and Floyd Halterman of New Madrid; one sister, Dorothy Morrison of Lilbourn; and eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren...

SIKESTON - Services for Lorene Cain Limbaugh, 95, who died on Feb. 9, 2007, were conducted today at Nunnelee Funeral Chapel. The Rev. David Jackson of the First Baptist Church of Sikeston and the Rev. Ed Carter of the First Baptist Church of Oran officiated...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Joel M. Savell, 88, died at 5:25 p.m. Feb. 10, 2007, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Born April 18, 1918, in Nashville, Tenn., son of the late James and Bessie Savell, he was raised in Tennessee until the age of 12, when he moved to New York City. ...

DEXTER -- Marjorie Buchanan, 84, died Feb. 10, 2007, in the Crowley Ridge Care Center at Dexter. Born Oct. 22, 1922, near Dexter, daughter of the late Floyd Samuel and Estie Shilts Deardorff, she was a retired clerk for Dexter Wal-Mart, a member of the Liberty Hill General Baptist Church at Aid and the Puxico Order of the Eastern Star 422, and a charter member of the Aid Extension Club for 50 years...

SIKESTON -- Beatrice Louise Woods, 83, died at 12:03 p.m. Feb. 11, 2007, at the Sikeston Convalescent Center in Sikeston. Arrangements are incomplete at Nunnelee Funeral Chapel in Sikeston.

ESSEX - Helen W. Blunt, 89, died Feb. 10, 2007, in the Missouri Southern Healthcare at Dexter. Born May 24, 1917, near Essex, to the late W.W. and Anna May Dowdy Snider, she was a homemaker and member of the St. Joe General Baptist Church in Idalia...

EAST PRAIRIE - Barbara Ann Parker Seifried, 67, died at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 11, 2007, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Born Sept. 24, 1939, at Barnes Ridge, to the late Charles and Hazel Clark Parker Roach, she had lived in East Prairie most of her life and was a 1957 graduate of East Prairie High School. ...

PUXICO -- Pallbearers at services conducted Sunday at Watkins and Sons Funeral Home in Puxico for Dorothy Louise Gray, 82, who died Feb. 8, 2007, were: Leroy Fox, Billy Carrithers, Michael Fox, Jame Hodge, Jordan Emily and Aaron Carrithers.

DEXTER -- Demaris Stephens, 96, died Feb. 10, 2007, in the Cypress Point Health Care at Dexter. Arrangements are incomplete with Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter.

MALDEN -- Violes Muriel "Bugs" McElvoy, 97, died Feb. 10, 2007, at Missouri Southern Healthcare in Dexter. Born Jan. 11, 1910, in Cherokee, Kan., son of the late George and Viola McCowin McElvoy, he was a member of Landmark Pentecostal Church in Malden...

NEW MADRID -- Patricia Fay Carter, 60, died Feb. 10, 2007, at New Madrid. Born Nov. 23, 1946, in Gideon, she was the daughter of the late Robert Milton and Mamie Joyce Holt Carter. Survivors include: four brothers, Ray Carter of LaForge, Gary Carter of Lilbourn and Robert Carter and Phillip Carter of New Madrid; and two sisters, Shirley Williams and Phyllis Boulton of New Madrid...

VANDUSER -- Pallbearers for funeral services conducted at 1 p.m. today at Ponder Funeral Home for Esther Callison, 98, who died Feb. 9, 2007, were: Stan Harmon, Louie Lindsey, Danny Owens, Tim Owens, Albert Wayne Owens, Gary Owens, Mark Wade and Mark Adam Wade...

Chris Hodgkiss, far right, helps bag a carryout order at the YMCA's fish fry held at the American Legion Post 114 on Friday. The proceeds from the fish fry went to the YMCA of Southeast Missouri in Sikeston.

I was struck by the irony of a Feb. 5 "Your View." The writer lamented that "Right to Work" allows workers to choose if they want to be a union dues paying member or not. The writer further states, "A Union is financially weakened when a portion of employees refuse to pay dues, and those same employees are entitled by law the same representation and financial benefits as dues paying members." He further says, this philosophy of "choice" creates division within "unions" and therefore weakens the "union" financially and spiritually. ...

SIKESTON - Stephen and Amanda Kitchen are the parents of their sixth child, first son, born at 1:07 p.m. Dec. 27, 2006, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Stephen James Kitchen II weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces, and was 20.5 inches long. Maternal grandparents are Janet Ivie, Beatrice Crawford and Tommy Henson...

SIKESTON -- From hunting waterfowl in Stoddard County to picking pumpkins and strawberries from patches in Scott County, the agriculture tourism opportunities in Southeast Missouri are endless. "There are lot of activities in the region, and people here need to take advantage of those, which, I think, more people are doing," said Van Ayers, agriculture and rural development specialist for Stoddard County University of Missouri Extension in Bloomfield...

Farmers took advantage of Sunday's mild weather to do some field work. East of New Madrid, the straw in several rice fields were burned off Sunday afternoon. The opportunity to get fields in shape for spring is likely over with rain and possibly snow moving into the area tonight...

NEW MADRID - Despite rising costs and lower than anticipated revenues in 2006, New Madrid County officials are upbeat about their finances for 2007. The county's budget began 2007 with a surplus in its general revenue fund and has a projected surplus at the end of the year, according to County Clerk Clement Cravens...

I'm calling about all you people who voted Republican, I hope you get what you deserve. I voted Democrat because I can see this man claims to be a Christian. Anybody in their right mind knows you don't steal from the poor and give to the rich. Iraqis are nothing but Muslims and will always be Muslims. ...

SIKESTON - A building, which housed the 400 Club, a prominent night spot three miles west of Sikeston in New Madrid County, burned to the ground after a fire was discovered Sunday night. SIKESTON - Customers of the Scott-New Madrid-Mississippi Electric Cooperative experienced a two-hour blackout Sunday night when a transmission jump line at a Southwestern power administration high voltage switching station, three miles east of Bloomfield, burned, causing a break in the power flow...