Stories from Friday, May 16, 2014

SIKESTON -- An 18-year-old was shot on Thursday afternoon and police are searching for the shooters. According to a release from the Sikeston Department of Public Safety, officers received a call of shots fired at approximately 2 p.m. Thursday in the 500 block of Ruth Street. Officers arrived within minutes and found an 18-year-old man with a single gunshot wound to his back. The victim was transported by ambulance to the Missouri Delta Medical Center...

Well, the bulk of the crappie tournament season is over for me, and not a moment too soon, as the only thing plummeting faster than my confidence was my bank account (by the way, my book is still for sale on my website, so far the profits have covered 2 lbs. of minnows)! 2014 will go down as the "Year of the Whoopin's" for Chippy and I, but hey, you can't always be the winner, and sometimes you can't make the top 40 out of 55 teams on your home lake.....

When I was a child my family lived hand to mouth. We were loved and cared for, but the cupboards were often more bare than full. I often say that we ate a lot of Hamburger Helper in those days, but with only the Helper. My dad's job was at a textile mill, a job he maintains to this day, though he should have long ago retired. ...

COLUMBIA, MO -- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that USDA is seeking applications from rural small businesses and agricultural producers for funding to make energy efficiency improvements or to install renewable energy systems. "Developing renewable energy presents an enormous economic opportunity for rural America," Vilsack said. ...

JEFFERSON CITY -- By an overwhelming vote of 24-8 in the Missouri Senate, legislators passed Senate Bill 530 (SB 530), which provides incentives to parents whose children have been removed from their home because of a parent's drug, alcohol, or prescription drug abuse to seek treatment in a timelier manner. SB 530 is sponsored by Sen. Doug Libla, R-Poplar Bluff...

With 28 years of consistently collected land-use data at its fingertips, the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has a clear picture of how Missourians utilize the 44.6 million acres within their state's borders, and how their decisions impact natural resources. After Congress directed USDA to track land-use and erosion trends, NRCS developed the National Resources Inventory (NRI), which was expanded to its current size in 1982...

SIKESTON -- The Southeast Missouri Food Bank has officially returned home to Sikeston. On Friday the 64,000-square foot distribution center was unveiled during an open house that celebrated the completed renovations to the facility and its relocation to Sikeston...

sports@standard-democrat.com ORAN -- Making up a pair of games on Thursday the Oran Eagles suffered losses to both Chaffee and Kennett. The Red Devils hammered out 13 hits against the Eagles to cruise to a 13-1 win in five innings via the mercy-rule...

sports@standard-democrat.com SIKESTON -- Scott County Central's Mikaela Blissett exemplifies the label of a student-athlete. Not only did the senior lead the Bravettes basketball team in nearly every statistical category the past two years, but Blissett will also serve as Scott Central's valedictorian during tonight's graduation ceremony at Ronnie Cookson Gymnasium...

Mari Ann Moyers bags T-shirts which will be worn by volunteers during this weekend's Hope Epidemic. During the two-day event, volunteers will join forces to pack 200,000 meals that will be sent to Haiti as part of the "Feed My Starving Children" MobilePack project. ...

Members of the Portageville High School Future Business Leaders of America Chapter attended the 2014 Missouri FBLA Leadership Conference held on April 13-15 in Columbia, Missouri. FBLA is a career and technical student organization for all high school students participating in business programs. ...

Tiffany Allen, Jr. Savers Director at First State Community Bank, is teaching Portageville 2nd graders the importance of 'saving' on 'Teach Children to Save' Day. Tiffany told them how they can save their money and that they can set goals for saving...

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today: 1. A LANDSLIDE WIN FOR INDIA'S OPPOSITION LEADER The Congress party, which has been at the center of Indian politics for most of the country's history since independence from Britain, has conceded defeat...

DEXTER -- When Joseph Adams of Dexter enrolled in his first college course, he never thought it would take him eight years to complete his degree. That's because in-between his pursuit of a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, the U.S. Army sergeant served three military deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan...

SIKESTON - The annual Kids' Fishing Derby, sponsored by the Parks and Recreation Division, will be from 8-11 a.m. Saturday at the Recreation Complex Lake. The event is open to all youngsters age 15 and under. There is a $1 per child fee, with a limit of one fishing pole per child. Each child must provide his or her own fishing pole and bait...

By Samantha Kluesner SEMO News Service SCOTT CITY -- Charges of illegally possessing or selling testosterone have been filed against two former law enforcement officers in connection with a months-long investigation by the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force...

((Oldie but goodie I would like to know if anybody knows how old Richland School is? It must be brand new because it was one of the Top Ten High Schools in the 2014 U.S. News and World Report. According to the Sikeston Board of Education, they have to have a $23 million school to make the top ten...

WYATT -- Jimmy Sparks, 71, died May 14, 2014, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. For the complete article and more stories from the Standard Democrat, log on to the electronic edition.


SIKESTON - Eugene Gilliland, 80, died at 4:30 a.m. May 16, 2014, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. For the complete article and more stories from the Standard Democrat, log on to the electronic edition.