Stories from Thursday, February 15, 2007

NEW MADRID - Megan and Ben Rooker are the parents of their first child, a daughter, born at 11:40 p.m. Jan. 1, 2007, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Bently Lanee' Rooker weighed 7 pounds, 5.5 ounces, and was 19 inches long. Maternal grandparents are Gary and Tracie Rinehart of New Madrid. Great-...

To the Editor: I wonder at what point people and congress will think that the illegal acts of President Bush and Vice President Cheney warrant a hearing? Is lying to the American people and Congress an impeachable offence? How about unwarranted searches and seizures? American citizens held incommunicado? Spying on American citizens? Torture? When will we decide enough is enough?...

PORTAGEVILLE -- Bonnie McCarter Hart, 69, died Feb. 15, 2007, at Pemiscot Memorial Health System. Arrangements are incomplete with DeLisle Funeral Home of Portageville.

SIKESTON - Pallbearers for the services held today at Nunnelee Funeral Chapel for Louise Woods, 83, who died Feb. 11, 2007, were: Gene Shaw, Bobby Young, Nelson Curtis, Ron Hill, Tommy Woods and Charles Lewis.

DEXTER -- Pallbearers for the funeral services conducted on Wednesday at Watkins and Sons Funeral Home in Dexter for John W. Ashley, 76, who died Feb. 11, 2007, were: Joe Anderson, Tim Seabaugh, Thomas O'Guin, Harvey Noyes, Larry Meadows and John Sipp...

PARMA -- Deloris Stevens, 84, died Feb. 12, 2007, at the Malden Nursing Center in Malden. Born July 31, 1922, at Idalia, daughter of the late Hanford and Rosie Ross Erwin, she was a homemaker and a member of the Vinson General Baptist Church of rural Parma...

DEXTER -- Dwight Smith, 84, died Feb. 14, 2007, at his home. Born March 22, 1922, at Rector, Ark., son of the late John Henry and Pearl May Smith, he was a farmer and the owner of Smitty's Machine and Welding Shop in Dexter. A veteran of the U.S. Marines, serving in World War II, he was a member of the Sadler Chapel United Methodist Church near Dexter...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Two Mississippi County residents were injured in a two-vehicle accident Wednesday near East Prairie. According to Missouri State Highway Patrol, at 6:20 p.m. on Highway 80 at Highway B, two miles east of East Prairie, the accident occurred as James A. ...

Reigning Olympic gold medalist Carly Patterson awards gymnast Lauren Presley with her trophy at the St. Jude Benefit Meet Jan. 13 in Peoria, Ill. Presley took third in the vault (9.125), third in the uneven bars (8.775), third on the balance beam (8.35), second in floor exercise (9.05) and third all-around (35.30)...

Cell phones and driving an automobile don't always mix. There is ample documentation that motorists driving while talking on a cell phone are a potential hazard. But one Vermont legislator wants to take the issue one step beyond cell phones. We can only hope his efforts end in dismal failure...

SIKESTON - The Class 4, District 1 girls basketball tournament will begin on Monday at the Sikeston Field House. Defending champion Fredericktown (21-2) earned the No. 1 seed and a bye in the first round. Last season, the Lady 'Cats defeated Dexter in a thrilling district final before losing to Lutheran South in the quarterfinals. Lutheran South captured third place last year in Class 4...

COLUMBIA -- Sikeston's Gavilan Bland and Robert Madison will be competing in the MSHSAA Class 3 State Wrestling Championships in Columbia today at Mizzou Arena. Bland, a repeat state qualifier will be competing in the 160-pound class against Smith-Cotton's Corey Witt (23-3)...

SIKESTON -- A Morley fork lift operator and a retired Dexter railroad worker are among 20 finalists in Missouri Lottery's "Design-A-Ticket" contest, which ends later this month. Designs by Terry Boyers of Morley and Allen Thompson of Dexter were chosen as finalists by a panel of experts and are now competing in an online voting contest to be the top five in the state...

Noah Brown, the narrator for "The Snowy Day" reads as actor Logan Archie plays Peter in the skit during the Matthews Elementary School first grade production in Matthews Wednesday afternoon. All of the students in the class had parts in the skit which was performed for the parents during their Valentine's Day party at the school. Dodie Townsend, a student teacher for Annetta Williams' class, was the director of the skit...

BENTON -- The Scott County Sheriff Department's current software can make it hard to see the forest for the trees when it comes to crime statistics. That soon will change. "We're actually in training right now working on this new system," said Sheriff Rick Walter. "We can do a lot more with it." The new software is slated to be in place in March...

A great letter from John Q. Public. So glad you published it. He should run for public office. I'm just calling in response to the call the lady made about the schools. I agree with her. It's uncalled for to put our kids in danger when there's snow on the road. The roads were slick that day out in the country. Whoever decides if we have school or not when there is snow, we need to have a new one. We need to find a new job for him...

SIKESTON - Ernest Harper, secretary and manager of the McKnight-Keaton Grocery Co., was elected president of the Sikeston Chamber of Commerce. SIKESTON - Lee Shell, winner of the Junior Chamber of Commerce 1966 Distinguished Service Award, was named winner of the population Division Two in the Tri State Jaycee competition Sunday...