Stories from Monday, September 10, 2007

NEW MADRID - Arraignment is scheduled today for a man who claims he was defending himself when he shot and killed another man. Richard R. "Ricky" Wilson, 53, is charged with second degree murder and armed criminal action for the shooting death of John P. Ervin. Ervin was pronounced dead at 1:24 a.m. Saturday at Missouri Delta Medical Center...

Bryan Waters does an air walk Sunday afternoon at the Sikeston Factory Outlet Stores during the Sikeston Skate Park and American Ramp Company demonstration day. The equipment, provided by the American Ramp Company, is similar to those to be built in the proposed skate park...

CHAFFEE -- Caroline Hefner, 87, formerly of Delta, died Sept. 9, 2007, at Chaffee Nursing Center. Arrangements are incomplete at the Amick-Burnett Funeral Home in Chaffee.

CHAFFEE -- Sue Reddish, 72, died Sept. 9, 2007, at her home. Arrangements are incomplete at the Amick-Burnett Funeral Home in Chaffee.

SIKESTON - Henry F. Cooper, 85, died at 12:30 a.m. Sept. 10, 2007, at Clearview Nursing Center. Born March 11, 1922, in Pontotoc, Miss., to the late Oscar William and Mattie Benjamin Cooper, he served in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II and was a member of the Fellowship Baptist Church. He was a self-employed carpenter and millwright and had worked for Ray Clinton Construction. He was a 32nd degree Mason and member of Sikeston Masonic Lodge No. 310 AF&AM...

EAST PRAIRIE - Helen E. Weeks, 82, died at 11:15 a.m. Sept. 8, 2007, at the East Prairie Nursing Center. Born March 17, 1925, in Clinton, Ky., to the late Elvin and Jessie Fuller Evans, she lived most of her life in Mississippi County where she was a member of the First General Baptist Church in East Prairie...

SOUTHAVEN, Miss. -- Hazel Marie Tidwell, 61, formerly of Sikeston, Mo., died Sept. 7, 2007, at her home. Born Aug. 23, 1946, in Sikeston, daughter of the late T.H. and Maggie Lee Hazel Grady, she was a member of the Morehouse General Baptist Church and had worked for the Scott County Division of Family Services before retiring...

SIKESTON - Larry Joe Lewis, 70, died at 6 a.m. Sept. 9, 2007, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Born Aug. 8, 1937, south of Sikeston, to the late Joseph E. and Bessie Anderson Lewis, he was a 1957 graduate of Matthews High School. He farmed until 1979 then began working for the Missouri Department of Transportation until his retirement in August 2000. ...

LILBOURN - John Phillip Ervin, 29, died Sept. 7, 2007, in Lilbourn. Born Nov. 20, 1977, in Hayti, he was the son of Wesley and Karen Scallion Ervin. On Jan. 28, 2006, he married Rachel Short, who survives of the home. Other survivors include: one daughter, Paisley Ervin of the home; one brother, Wesley Ervin Jr. of Lilbourn; and one sister, Tracy Angell of Fruit Port, Mich...

BLOOMFIELD - Clola Opal Duffey, 98, died Sept. 7, 2007, at the Missouri Baptist Hospital in St. Louis. Born March 21, 1909, near Brownwood, to the late Ralph and Donna Hawkins Townsend, she had lived in the Bloomfield area most of her life before moving to St. Louis five years ago. She was a member of the General Baptist Church...

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Keith Edward Van Meter, 18, formerly of Sikeston, Mo., died Sept. 8, 2007, in Terre Haute from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. Born March 3, 1989, in Champaign, Ill., the son of Sheila (Coffey) and Darrell Townsend of Sikeston and Curtis Van Meter, he was of the Baptist belief. ...

SIKESTON -- The Sikeston Invitational was held Saturday morning at the Sikeston High School tennis courts, displaying talent from four prep teams in the surrounding area, including Sikeston, Charleston, Fredricktown and Kennett. With rain threatening the tournament, Sikeston head coach Lynn DeWitt shortened the matches to just one set instead of three...

BENTON -- Two area high school cross country teams are celebrating championships after competing Saturday at the Kelly Invitational. In the varsity boys race, Kelly won the team title as Cody Kern finished second overall. Poplar Bluff runner Travis Blaylock won the boys competition in 16-...

My husband and I were recently scammed by a woman who has a lengthy record of rental evictions. Our home was listed with a well known local Realtor who had persuaded us to let a "pre-approved" buyer move in a few weeks early, which we reluctantly did. We soon learned that she didn't have a pre-approved loan and the Realtors idea of a back ground check was "if she had a clean car, she was a good person"!!! He never checked her out, like he had assured us...

SIKESTON -- When it comes to collecting past due municipal court fines, there is only so much a city can legally do -- and Sikeston has tried it all. As of Sept. 29, a total of $279,729.13 was owed to the city in unpaid fines, costs and fees, according to Linda Lowes, director of governmental services...

Sam Maddox didn't catch any fish during the New Madrid Lions Club's "Shake Rattle and Roll" Festival at New Madrid but he did catch a fisherman. Maddox, "who is 9 going on 10," holds up one of the catfish caught by Jerry Whitehead and his grandson, Parker Whitehead, during Saturday's festival, which featured a fishing contest, skateboard competition, food and games...

CARUTHERSVILLE - A 28-year old Caruthersville man is in custody on charges of child molestation and statutory rape. At 3:28 p.m. Friday, Caruthersville Police officers arrested Jacob Jay Thoms on a Pemiscot County warrant charging him with two counts of first degree child molestation, first degree statutory rape involving a person under 14 years of age and first degree attempted statutory rape involving a person under 14 years of age. ...

This is referring to the August 30 SpeakOut about homosexuals. God don't make junk. It says you are tuned to be a homosexual or a heterosexual, that's not true. You have the choice. Since God made us right in the beginning, you choose to be what you are. That's just the way it is...

SIKESTON - Mr. and Mrs. Walter Masters of Oran are parents of a son, born Thursday morning at St. Francis Hospital in Cape Girardeau. --- SIKESTON - Mr. and Mrs. Willie Walker and daughter, Mary Ann, accompanied Billie Bob Walker to St. Louis yesterday. Billie Bob will attend Christian Brothers College...