Stories from Tuesday, October 2, 2007

SIKESTON -- A route for the first portion of a community walking trail is approved. Members of the city's Walking Trail Committee presented their recommendations to the City Council for the trail during the regular City Council meeting Monday. The committee, which was appointed in February, has worked since March to develop recommendations for a community walking trail to connect schools, parks and neighborhoods, according to Cal Crader, co-chairman of the committee...

PORTAGEVILLE -- The Portageville Rural Fire Department is cooking up tricks to scare people during the six nights of its second annual Haunted Inn, all to help get a new fire truck. "It's a 1969 model and we need a more reliable truck so we can answer calls," said George DeLisle, treasurer of the group. "We need to be able to start and run when we go instead of having to drag it."...

SIKESTON -- October marks the start of the flu season, and residents should now think about when and where they will get their vaccinations, health officials say. "The prediction across the country is there will be plenty of vaccine," said Nanci Gonder, spokesperson for Missouri Department of Health and Human Services...

If SpeakOut is designed to represent everyone's opinions, then let it do just that. Stop being biased on whose comments are heard, or stop printing SpeakOut at all. I will be surprised if this is printed. But once read, you will know that I represent the many subscribers that have taken time to give their views, yet the Standard Democrat chose to deny them of the first amendment - freedom of speech...

SIKESTON - Plans for a new dairy plant to be located on Highway 61, a half block south of Gladys Street, have been announced by the Reiss Dairy. The new plant, which will contain 12,000 square feet of floor space, will house the plant, office, cold storage and a Dairy Bar...

NEW MADRID -- Helen Wilson Plummer, 92, died Oct. 1, 2007, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Born May 30, 1915, in Bethany to the late Harriett D. and Garland Wilson, she attended Rollins College in Roanoke, Va., and the University of Michigan, graduating in 1938 with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority. ...

John Roach is a non-practicing attorney - whatever that may mean - who has proposed perhaps tongue-in-cheek that St. Louis secede from the fine state of Missouri. The author goes through a laundry list of ways that the fine city of St. Louis funds virtually every project throughout the entire state and he believes it would be better for St. Louis to perhaps join Illinois, where he believes more like-minds reside...

CHARLESTON -- Maureen Sutherland, 84, died Oct. 1, 2007, at the Charleston Manor. Arrangements are incomplete with the McMikle Funeral Home in Charleston.

BLOOMFIELD - Gary Gene Ross, 39, died Sept. 30, 2007, from injuries sustained in an auto accident near Dexter. Born Sept. 6, 1968, in Dexter, son of Gary Don and Brenda Fay Shrum Ross of Bloomfield, he had lived in the Bloomfield area most of his life where he had worked for Shipman Construction and the Ross Cotton Gin in Essex...

WYATT - Lela J. Brown Whitehead, 60, died Sept. 30, 2007, at her home. Born March 14, 1947, in Wyatt, to the late Ernest Edward and Goldia D. Sullivan Brown, she first lived in Wyatt and then moved to Charleston where she was a member of the United Methodist Church. In 1964, she moved to Brawley, Calif., and returned to Wyatt in 1992...

DUDLEY -- Jewell Elizabeth Orr, 84, died Oct. 1, 2007, at the Crowley Ridge Care Center in Dexter. Born Oct. 9, 1922, in Cohomo, Miss., daughter of the late William Payne and Minnie Marie Krezeszinski Eavenson, she had retired as a secretary for the International Hat Company in Dexter. ...

SIKESTON - Caroline Sue Stroud, 66, died at 12:01 a.m. Oct. 1, 2007, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Born March 10, 1941, in New Madrid County, to the late Herbert A. and Ruby Holmes Edwards, she had been employed as a payroll secretary for Sonny's Solid Waste in Sikeston. She was a member of Wesley United Methodist Church and American Legion Ladies Auxiliary...

DEXTER - Sherre Lane Culbertson, 63, died Oct. 1, 2007, at her home. Born June 27, 1944, at Bloomfield, daughter of the late Radius and Chloe Lemons Wilkison, she was a beautician. On Jan. 21, 1965, in Bloomfield, she married Rufus Culbertson who survives of the home in Dexter...

Mitchell ESSEX - William and Sally Mitchell are the parents of their fourth child, third daughter, born at 2:50 p.m. Aug. 23, 2007, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Octavya Dyamond Mitchell weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces, and was 19.75 inches long...

SIKESTON -- The Land Clearance Redevelopment Authority is getting positive feedback on its progress clearing eyesores but no response yet on redevelopment offerings. A public hearing on the LCRA's land clearance and urban renewal projects was held during the regular City Council meeting Monday...

SIKESTON -- The Sikeston Lady Bulldogs played the Kennett Lady Indians toe- to-toe on Senior Day Monday afternoon, until one swing of the bat ignited Kennett and dashed the Lady Bulldogs' hopes, leading to a 9-0 loss. With a 2-0 lead in the top of the fifth, Kennett had runners on second and third when cleanup hitter Allyson Luce worked the count to full against Sikeston pitcher Sarah Hopson. Luce fouled then fouled off two good pitches before putting the third over the left field fence...

SIKESTON -- The Sikeston Lady Bulldogs tennis concluded their regular season Monday losing 7-2 to Cape Central. Even though they lost as a team, Sikeston won the match of the day as the doubles team of Jenni DeWitt and Campbell Moore defeated Sarah Ford and Christen Edmunds in a thrilling 9-7 match...

SIKESTON -- While spectators were busy swatting mosquitoes, the Fredericktown soccer team was busy swatting back Sikeston goal attempts and when the mosquito spray settled, the Blackcats walked away with a 2-0 win. "It is a very tough loss since they are in our district," said Sikeston coach Derrick Long. "We had a lot of opportunities and we couldn't catch a break up there and we couldn't put them on goal."...

JACKSON--The Kelly Lady Hawks wrapped up their regular season of softball Monday afternoon by defeating the Jackson Lady Indians by a score of 4-3 in seven innings. Kelly finished up the season with a record of 16-6. "It was a good win going into districts," Kelly head coach Rhonda Ratledge said. "They (Jackson) started hitting the ball at the end."...