Stories from Saturday, March 31, 2007

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Questa Christine Ward, 29, died March 28, 2007. Born Jan. 5, 1978, at Robbins Air Force Base in Warner Robbins, Ga., daughter of Diana Peck Ward-Brittain Peck and the late Frankie G. Ward, she was a member of the First General Baptist Church of Jackson...

SIKESTON -- Charles E. Bratcher, 63, died March 30, 2007, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. Arrangements are incomplete at the Ponder Funeral Home.

SIKESTON -- Pallbearers at services conducted Saturday at Ponder Funeral Home for Claude O. Deason, who died March 28, 2007, were: Jeff Martin, Brett Arsta, Tim Deason, Kevin Deason, Dale Deason, Brock Wooley and Jason Falkner.

DEXTER -- Wilma Owens, 79, died March 31, 2007, in the Cypress Point Health Care in Dexter. Arrangements are incomplete at the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter.

SIKESTON -- Margaret A. Evans, 92, died at 3 a.m. March 30, 2007, at Clearview Nursing Center. Born July 10, 1914, in Cloverport, Ky., daughter of the late Joseph M. and Nenea I. Moffatt Allen, she had been a teacher and librarian for the Matthews schools and a member of the First United Methodist Church...

DIEHLSTADT -- Earl C. Milam, 77, died March 30, 2007, at Landmark Care Center in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at McMikle Funeral Home in Charleston.

BELLEVILLE, Ill. -- Vernowen "Wade" Mayfield, 81, died at 6:56 p.m. March 29, 2007, at Belleville Memorial Hospital. Born Aug. 20, 1925, in Scott County (Mo.), the son of Oscar and Hettie Mayfield, he was an aircraft worker for McDonnell Douglas in St. Louis before retiring. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II...

FREDERICKTOWN -- Marvin E. Soltes, 84, formerly of Wyatt, died March 29, 2007, at Fredericktown. Born Feb. 25, 1923, in Wyatt, son of the late Orange and Hettie Lou Lee Soltes, he was a member of the Wyatt United Methodist Church. Having lived in Fredericktown for a number of years, he had worked for the Missouri Department of Transportation for 36 years. He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II...

Dexter's David Hessling steals second base during Friday's SEMO Conference game at Kelly. Defending on the play is Kelly shortstop Taylor James (left) and second baseman Ryan Essner. A rain storm forced umpires to postpone the game in the top of the fifth inning with Kelly leading 2-1. The game will resume at the time of the stoppage, but no makeup date had been confirmed at press time...

Jordi Conley, daughter of Jeff Conley and Michelle Green is the Standard Democrat's Calendar Girl for April. Miss Conley, fifth runner up in the 2006 Miss Sikeston Contest, plans to attend the University of Missouri-Columbia and major in accounting...

Held March 24-25 at the Sikeston Field House, the 27th Annual Kenny Rogers Children's Center Telethon made history by raising a record-setting $318,975 to help treat Southeast Missouri children. Those who made donations are urged to mail them in as soon as possible...

CHARLESTON -- In the past, when speaking of Charleston's "big three" seniors, typically Justin Clark's name was mentioned last. Not anymore. This season Clark established himself the Bluejays' most consistent performer and the team's most reliable player...

BENTON -- Tanika Lashea Dow and Vallet Lynn Walker Sr. were united in marriage during a 4 p.m. ceremony Feb. 26, 2007, at Travelers Rest Missionary Baptist Church in Sikeston. The Rev. Herman Gardner officiated. The bride is the daughter of Linda Tamez of Benton and Jim and Carol Dow of Sikeston. Parents of the bridegroom are Dorthy Walker of Sikeston and the late Willie Walker Sr...

ELLSINORE -- The Sikeston baseball team improved to 4-0 on the season with a 12-0, five-inning road victory against East Carter County on Friday afternoon. Sikeston jumped out to a 5-0 lead after one inning and led 8-0 after two innings. The Bulldogs tacked on four runs in the top of the fifth to enforce the 10-run rule...

DELTA - Quick, unselfish, heady, tough...a winner. Delta senior point guard Kaci Menz, a unanimous choice as the 2007 Standard Democrat Girls Player of the Year, exemplifies all of the above traits and more. Menz played varsity all four years for the Delta Lady Bobcats. ...

SIKESTON -- Sikeston voters have two choices Tuesday for a new at-large City Council representative. Mike Bohannon and Matt Tanner are the candidates listed on the ballot for the position currently occupied by Bill Stokes. Stokes said he did not seek another term due to increased responsibilities at work...

PORTAGEVILLE -- Portageville School District Superintendent Toni Hill compares school maintenance to upkeep on a home - preventive work can keep everything in tiptop shape. But looking over the buildings on the Portageville campus which serves some 780 students, Hill said, it is time to begin that work...

SIKESTON -- Addressing older buildings and improving literacy rates are among the biggest challenges facing the Sikeston R-6 School District, according to candidates running in Tuesday's school board race. When they step up to the polls, Sikeston R-6 voters will choose two of the following three candidates for service on the school board: Paul H. Boyd, Scott Crumpecker and Mary White-Ross. Incumbents Boyd and White-Ross were first elected to the Board in 2004...

DEXTER -- Dexter police are investigating a fatal head-on accident. The accident happened at approximately 11:30 p.m. Friday on the 800 block of South Walnut, according to the Dexter Police Department. One person was killed and another received serious injuries...

In April, the voters of Scott County will be asked to extend the one-half cent law enforcement sales tax that will expire in 2008. The residents of Sikeston supported this tax in 2000 in order to build the new county jail and office space for the sheriff's department. ...

SIKESTON - Bill Simmons, who has been employed by the local J.C. Penney Co. store for the past five years, will leave for a J.C. Penney's store in Greenville, Miss., to become its assistant manager. SIKESTON - Jaycees dragged the rodeo grounds today in final preparation for the jackpot horse show at 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Competition will be displayed in 10 categories of horsemanship...

On Tuesday, voters in Scott county will decide the fate of a proposed half-cent law enforcement sales tax. The proposed sales tax would replace a similar sales tax approved in 2000 to help build the new county jail. The tax approved in 2000 contained a sunset provision which means it expires next year. The proposal on the ballot Tuesday contains no sunset provision...

Dear Mike, The Scott County Commission is attempting once again to prove the truth of the old adage that there is nothing more permanent than a temporary government program or a temporary tax. Several years ago the Commission decided to finance construction of a new jail with a county wide sales tax. ...

SIKESTON -- Joyce A. McKinney and Bonny E. Grant have announced their engagement. The future bride is the daughter of the late Rev. J.L. and Lottie Nabors, and the prospective bridegroom is the son of Hattie Grant of Sikeston and the late Johnny Grant...