Stories from Wednesday, December 30, 2009

MORLEY -- James "Puff" Puffpaff, 64, died Dec. 28, 2009, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Funeral arrangements are with the Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Oran. For the complete obituary and more stories from the Standard Democrat, click here to log on to the electronic edition...

SIKESTON -- Villa Pearl "Toy" Reynolds, 84, died Dec. 29, 2009, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Funeral arrangements are with the Ponder Funeral Home. For the complete obituary and more stories from the Standard Democrat, click here to log on to the electronic edition...

ST. CLAIR -- Marlene L. Wideman Low, 75, died Dec. 29, 2009, at her home. Funeral arrangements are with the Russell Colonial Funeral Home in St. Clair. For the complete obituary and more stories from the Standard Democrat, click here to log on to the electronic edition...

MARSTON -- Manuel "Bob" Long, 58, died Dec. 27, 2009, at his home. Funeral arrangements are with the Williams Funeral Home of Howardville. For the complete obituary and more stories from the Standard Democrat, click here to log on to the electronic edition...

SIKESTON -- Elizabeth Claire "Betty" Marshall, 82, formerly of Blodgett, died Dec. 28, 2009, at Clearview Nursing Center in Sikeston. Funeral arrangements are with the Nunnelee Funeral Chapel. For the complete obituary and more stories from the Standard Democrat, click here to log on to the electronic edition...

WARRENSBURG -- Philip A. Sadler, 80, died Dec. 25, 2009, at the hospital in Warrensburg. For the complete obituary and more stories from the Standard Democrat, click here to log on to the electronic edition.

sd_sports@yahoo.com CAPE GIRARDEAU -- For eight minutes on Tuesday evening, it appeared that the Charleston Bluejays were going to take down the giant. The Bluejays, seeded fourth in the 2009 Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament, started out against the top-seeded Scott County Central Braves in impressive fashion, taking an 8-0 lead early on in the first quarter...

sd_sports@yahoo.com BLOOMFIELD -- The Portageville Bulldogs could not figure out the hounding defense of the Kennett Indians in Tuesday's second semifinal game at the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament as they failed to advance to their second consecutive tournament final with a 58-36 loss...

POPLAR BLUFF -- A Dexter man was one of two fatally injured in a Tuesday morning accident in Butler County. For the complete article and more stories from the Standard Democrat, click here to log on to the electronic edition.
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scottw@standard-democrat.com BENTON -- The contractor building the distribution system for Scott County's new rural water district is gone for the holidays but far from forgotten. Richard Riley of Blodgett voiced yet another complaint about Municipal Construction Inc. of Goodrich, Mich., during Tuesday's Scott County Commission meeting...

leonnah@standard-democrat.com SIKESTON -- Children who were born at the beginning of the millennium can't imagine life without the Internet. The term terrorist is one they're all too familiar with, and they share the same birth year as reality TV show, "Survivor."...

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news@standard-democrat.com SIKESTON -- Alcohol often plays a role for those ringing in the new year. But pairing it with getting behind the wheel can be a dangerous combination. "People who are attending parties in which alcoholic beverages are served should use a designated driver or transit service," said Capt. John Martin of the Sikeston Department of Public Safety...

For the second consecutive year, I am throwing my hat into the literary ring as a candidate to be Missouri's next poet laureate. I even consulted a dictionary to assure I knew what a laureate was. I can't hide my bitter disappointment over Gov. Jay Nixon's snub last year. When Nixon announced a year ago that Missouri was seeking its first poet laureate, I assumed I had a fighting chance. Turns out I was wrong...

sd_sports@yahoo.com BLOOMFIELD -- Bernie junior Cameron Shipman drove two, huge daggers into the hopes of a Dexter Bearcat upset on Tuesday night in the rival's semifinal match-up at the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament. After Jon Bowman had just given Dexter a 51-49 lead and a big momentum shift with just under six minutes left in regulation, Shipman sank, not one, but two, back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Mules a 55-51 lead and an eventual 57-53 win...