Stories from Wednesday, December 12, 2007

SIKESTON - Loomis Mayfield was reported recovered today from a hemorrhage which had kept him confined to his bed since last Friday. --- SIKESTON - Charles Matthews, son of Mr. and Mrs. C.D. Matthews III, sustained a fractured arm in a basketball game at Chaffee Friday night...

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton not too long ago proposed a $5,000 "baby bonus" for all newborns to help them have a start on a college fund or a house down payment. Of course, her idea was ridiculed and has long since evaporated. Now an Australian medical expert has proposed a $5,000 baby penalty to help pay for the environmental damage that an increased population can bring...

Heavy fog surrounds the Sikeston Sports Complex pond as a resident walks around the track Tuesday morning (top photo). The fog, which lasted until mid-afternoon, caused Kelly Schools and Scott County Central Schools to have morning delays.

SIKESTON -- The Sikeston R-6 Board of Education hired a real estate broker to sell some of the school district's surplus property during its regular monthly meeting Tuesday at the Board of Education office. Board members approved entering a real estate brokering contract with Sonny Alcorn of 731 Realty for marketing the structure, commonly known as the Bailey Building, and associated property located at 534 Moore Ave. in Sikeston...

I live in Wendell Apartments and I love it very much. I want to say thank you to one of the residents because she is so faithful on decorating a few of the rooms and seeing that we have Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. We just appreciate her so much. ...

Sikeston Department of Public Safety firefighters remove a burning box spring and mattress from the residence at 113 Deloris St. on Tuesday morning.

BENTON -- Scott County officials are seeking to arrange for the Sikeston Department of Public Safety to serve as the county's backup E-911 dispatch center. During their regular meeting Tuesday, county commissioners discussed several items related to shutting down the county's 911 call center in Miner...

BENTON -- An 18-year-old Scott City man is in custody following the sexual molestation of a 14-year-old girl. According to a news release from Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter, Marcus A. Bowers, 18, of 306 Sycamore, is charged with second degree child molestation. Bond is set at $50,000...

CLARKTON -- The Risco Tigers lost to a tough Gosnell, Ark. team Tuesday night in their second game of pool play at the Clarkton Tournament 77-52. "Gosnell is probably one of the best teams we've played all year," said Risco head coach Brandon Blankenship. "I know the score doesn't show it but we came out and played well tonight."...

EAST PRAIRIE--The East Prairie Eagles basketball team improved in the win column on Tuesday evening, as they defeated the Oran Eagles by a score of 71- 51. For the home team, East Prairie, it was quite a show put on by the Jones', Ryan Jones and Tony Jones, accounting for 40 of the teams' 71 points...

With the abnormally warm weather outside Tuesday afternoon, and my XM radio set on the MLB Home Plate station, I couldn't help but begin wishing baseball season was already here. Not that I'm not enjoying the great action of the local high school athletics at the moment, but something about the smell of the fresh-cut grass and the feeling of spring just brightens the day...

SIKESTON -- In a game that featured more than 50 combined turnovers, the Sikeston Bulldogs improved to 5-1 Tuesday night, defeating a scrappy South Pemiscot team 72-53. Sikeston came out sluggish from the opening tip but used an aggressive defense to force several South Pemiscot turnovers and built an 18-10 lead at the end of the first quarter and increased their lead to 40-21 at the half...

CHARLESTON - Martin Thomas Halter, 90, died at 9:45 p.m. Dec. 10, 2007, at the Auburn Creek Care Center in Cape Girardeau. Born March 5, 1917, in Charleston to the late Michael H. and Mary E. Carlisle Halter, he was employed in farming and as a manager of an alfalfa mill in Tiptonville, Tenn.,until returning to Charleston in 1951 when he and his brother, Norbert, established Halter Brothers Construction. ...

PORTAGEVILLE -- Elsie M. Cantrell, 97, died Dec. 11, 2007, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete and will be announced later by DeLisle Funeral Home.

EAST PRAIRIE - James David Archie, 62, died at 7:40 p.m. Dec. 10, 2007, at his home. Born March 11, 1945, in Hickman, Ky., to the late Riley J. and Mildred L. Davis, he lived most of his life in Mississippi County. He was a mechanic and of the Baptist belief...

SIKESTON - Charles DeWayne Gaddis, 62, died at 10:09 a.m. Dec. 11, 2007, at the Missouri Delta Medical Center. Born Nov. 24, 1945, at Blytheville, Ark., to the late Basil Scott and Merline Shipley Gaddis, he had worked for the Sikeston Housing Authority for many years. ...

O'FALLON -- Alberta Alene Trout, 74, formerly of Puxico and Bloomfield, died Dec. 10, 2007, at St. Joseph's West Medical Center in Lake St. Louis. Born March 26, 1933, near Bell City, daughter of the late Andrew Jasper and Opal Fowler Stewart, she had made her home in O'Fallon for the past seven years. Prior to moving, she had worked as a CNA at the Beverly Health and Rehab Center in Bloomfield and had done private care...

NEW MADRID - Juaneta "Sam" Wigfall, 48, died Dec. 6, 2007, at the Pemiscot Health Care Systems in Hayti. Born Aug. 26, 1959, in Hayti, to Lola Caruthers of Dade City, Fla., and the late Jessie Newsom, she was a member of Travelers Rest Missionary Baptist Church in Sikeston and a member and manager of the gospel group "The Echoes of Joy."...

MINER -- With bids for solid waste pickup all coming in pretty close, the Miner Board of Aldermen decided to stay with the current company. Board members awarded a new three-year contract for solid waste pickup to Allied Waste Services of Dexter, which has had the contract for nine years now, during their regular monthly meeting Tuesday...

Sikeston Department of Public Safety officers took part in hazardous material training Tuesday afternoon at Station 1. The three-station training was part of the Regional Haz-Mat team quarterly training.

I awoke the other night from a light sleep after hearing a noise in the other room. Thinking it was the lousy cat, I tried to go back to sleep but I kept hearing a humming so I went into the other room and there she was. A beautiful woman wearing a bikini was standing there smiling at me with the most innocent look you've ever seen...