Stories from Wednesday, December 7, 2011

SIKESTON -- A coal conveyor belt caught fire at the Sikeston Power Plant late Tuesday. Sikeston Department of Public Safety received a call at 9:50 p.m. that a coal conveyor belt had caught on fire on the ninth floor of the coal-fired plant located on West Wakefield Avenue, according to Lt. Jim McMillen of DPS...

CHARLESTON -- Santa Claus has come early for the Charleston Chamber of Commerce. Karen Teeters, executive director of the Charleston Chamber of Commerce, said she learned last week the organization will receive proceeds from a liquidation sale. "I was contacted by a gentleman who owns Second Fiddle, a liquidation service," Teeters recalled. ...

DEXTER -- The Dexter Lady Bearcats basketball fell to 3-2 with a SEMO Conference loss to Jackson 45-38 on Tuesday night at the Bearcat Event Center. Dexter held a slim 23-19 lead at halftime but Jackson outscored the Lady Bearcats 12-5 in the third to pull ahead 31-28 and extended the lead in the fourth quarter with free throws. For the game, Jackson finished 16 of 21 from the charity stripe...

BENTON -- Opening their season on the road against the Kelly Hawks on Tuesday, the Portageville Bulldogs used a hot first half to pull out a 25-point halftime lead before rolling to a 84-44 final. "We do have a lot of little things to work on," Portageville coach Jason Irby said. "We didn't close out very well tonight and didn't do a really good job of blocking out...

SIKESTON -- The SEMO Conference Tournament has not been kind to the Dexter Bearcats. Since the tournament resumed in 2006, the Bearcats lone win in the event came in the inaugural season, defeating Kennett 68-38 in a consolation bracket game. The Bearcats looked to change their fate on Tuesday, but the Jackson Indians had other plans, eliminating Dexter from the tournament with a 70-50 win in the consolation semifinals on Tuesday night...

ORAN -- Risco's Jeremey Fowler couldn't explain it. After three games with sluggish beginnings, the Tigers finally put it together right out of the gate on Tuesday. He didn't really know how it happened, but Fowler's glad their first quarter blues eventually tapered off...

BENTON -- 'Tis the season to beware of scammers. Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter said during the regular County Commission meeting Tuesday that an alert was issued by Dunklin County's sheriff this week regarding elderly residents there being targeted by scam artists...

SIKESTON - Two traffic signals in Sikeston will have a new look. The Missouri Department of Transportation is currently preparing to retrofit the signals on Route 114 (Malone Avenue) at South Kingshighway and South New Madrid Street with flashing yellow arrows...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas all around Sikeston and Southeast Missouri. Mike Marsh, director of the Sikeston Depot Museum, puts up garland around the Depot's caboose as part of the holiday decorations.

SIKESTON -- Employment opportunities in Sikeston are looking up. Ed Dust, director of the Sikeston Department of Economic Development, said he has received tidings of comfort and joy recently regarding the local job market. "The first good news is that Unilever has called back all of their laid off employees -- all 200-plus have been called back," Dust said. "After a short shutdown for the holiday season, which they always do, they expect 2012 to be a robust year."...

Despite numerous rainy days, the construction on the new Sikeston Department of Public Safety building is progressing. The building, when completed will not only provide ample space for the DPS staff, but also will include a finished basement and three-bay maintenance garage. Ground was broken on the facility last June and is expected to be completed next summer...

BERTRAND -- Linda Louise Carmody, 70, formerly of Sikeston, died at 7:40 p.m. Dec. 4, 2011, at St. Louis University Hospital. Born Feb. 9, 1941, in Sikeston, to the late Clarence Lindell McKinney and Mary M. Carter McKinney Ellison, she was a 1959 graduate of Sikeston High School, where she was active in Red Peppers and served as vice-cayenne from 1958-1959. ...

PORTAGEVILLE -- Roosevelt Hughes, 97, died Dec. 4, 2011, at the St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Born Jan. 1, 1914, in Lone Oak, Ark., to the late James and Olivia Buford Hughes, he was a member of the New Bethel Church. He married Lelia Allen who preceded him in death...

DEXTER -- Mattie Irene Hoffman, 88, died Dec. 4, 2011, at Crowley Ridge Care Center in Dexter. Born July 21, 1923, near Dexter, daughter of the late Elmer and Georgia Ann Culberson Grim, she had lived in Dexter most of her life and attended the First Presbyterian Church in Dexter. She had worked at Bruce's Big Star and then the Piggly Wiggly Store for many years in bookkeeping and as a checker...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Mary Lloyd Ivie Piper, 89, died Dec. 6, 2011, at 6:05 a.m. at her sister's residence. Born Feb. 25, 1922, in Union County, Ky., to the late Fermon Harrison and Carrie Mae Ferrell Ivie, she lived most of her life in East Prairie where she was a certified nurse assistant and sit with the elderly, she was also a baby sitter in East Prairie. She was a member of the Gospel Assembly Church in East Prairie...

LILBOURN -- Nehemiah Leach, 59, died Dec. 3, 2011, at his home in Lilbourn. He was born March 9, 1952, in New Madrid, to the late William and Laura Syas Leach. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army and was employed at Riceland Mills. He was married to Patricia Givens Leach, and she survives of the home...

MOREHOUSE -- Elsie Marshall "Inky" Brunck, 59, formerly of Charleston, died Dec. 6, 2011, at her home in Morehouse. Arrangements are incomplete at McMikle Funeral Home in Charleston.

ZALMA -- Donald Joe Northern Sr., 58, of Zalma, died Dec. 5, 2011, at his home. Born Jan. 23, 1953, in Sikeston, son of the late John Wesley and Mary Ida Wilson Northern, he was a dock supervisor for Malone and Hyde in Sikeston. On June 21, 1980, he married Sue Waggoner...

Let me state the obvious: This is shaping up as an election based solely on the economy. Other usual presidential topics trend toward foreign policy and social issues. Obviously they will be an important part of the presidential dialogue. But nothing will frame the election nor the outcome more than the economic mess we're in...

SIKESTON - The Missouri Department of Transportation has closed routes in Southeast Missouri due to the recent flooding. Motorists are urged to use extreme caution and plan alternate routes. Local routes that are closed include Mississippi County Route OO - from CRD 531 to CRD 533...