Stories from Wednesday, June 4, 2014

There will NOT be a Fourth of July FunFest Beauty Pageant. It was tentatively going to held on June 28 in the Portageville Elementary Multipurpose Room, but it is under construction. The floor is being re-tiled and will not be ready in time. Again, NO Fourth of July Beauty Pageant in Portageville...

Missouri Press Association member newspapers can mark the 70th anniversary of the D-Day Invasion in northern France with columns written by legendary reporter Ernie Pyle. At the same time, they'll be promoting donations to the Ernie Pyle World War II Museum in his hometown of Dana, Ind. The museum features Pyle's birth home and adjacent Quonset huts containing memorabilia and multimedia presentations...

Missouri electric utilities focus on customers as they review EPA's new greenhouse gas regulations for power plants

Missouri's electric utilities will continue to advocate for customers and the state's economy as they review the highly technical 1000 plus-page draft rule released today by President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency to reduce greenhouse gases from existing fossil-fueled power plants.

Missouri utilities are studying the unprecedented rule in detail to determine its impact on the cost and reliability of electricity for residential, industrial and commercial customers, said a Missouri coalition of investor-owned, municipal and rural electric cooperative utilities and organizations focused on the state's energy future.

However, there is little doubt the greenhouse gas rule will increase the cost of electricity for Missourians, who depend on coal to provide more than 80 percent of their electricity. ...

HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif -- On Friday, June 6, 2014, many of "His people, called by His name" in over 30 nations will be part of a "Prayer Storm" to "scale the cliffs and attack evil" -- in their lives and in their nations -- in the same way that thousands of brave men took the cliffs of Normandy in WWII...

Average retail gasoline prices in Missouri have risen 6.6 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $3.47/g yesterday, according to GasBuddy's daily survey of 3,940 gas outlets in Missouri. This compares with the national average that has increased 1.2 cents per gallon in the last week to $3.64/g, according to gasoline price website GasBuddy.com...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Municipal League now offers a training class for Missouri municipal officials detailing the requirements of the Missouri Open Meetings and Records Law, aka the Sunshine Law. The custom-made class focuses on the most important things local government officials must know to comply with this law. It is an example of MML's ongoing effort to provide cities the advantage of top-quality training and resources...

STONEVILLE, MS -- The Mississippi River Trust has voiced support for the efforts of the U.S. Department of Agriculture for their efforts to designate the Lower Mississippi River Valley (LMRV) as a special area for conservation, making it eligible for additional funding and innovative conservation practices. This effort is through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program, which is one of the landmark conservation programs authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill...

COLUMBIA, MO ­ Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced last week the launch of a new era in American conservation efforts that will focus on public-private partnerships. "This is an entirely new approach to conservation," Vilsack said. "We're giving private companies, local communities and other non-government partners a way to invest in what are essentially clean water start-up operations."...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo., May 20, 2014 -- Southeast Missouri State University's Department of Music will host the second annual Vocal Arts Boot Camp (VABC) June 16-21 at the River Campus. The Vocal Arts Boot Camp is a rigorous and fun training opportunity for vocal students in grades 7-12. ...

sports@standard-democrat.com O'FALLON -- Nearly everything had gone their way up until now. Big hits came, plays were made and the wins kept coming. But all that changed as New Madrid County Central's improbable run to a state championship was derailed at T.R. Hughes Ball Park in O'Fallon Tuesday by O'Fallon Christian during the MSHSAA Class 3 state semifinal game...

Amnesty will be the final straw that fundamentally transforms the future of this once-great country. Through years of ever-growing federal assistance, we have created a permanent non-working class of citizens unwilling to perform the entry level, lower paying jobs...

scottw@standard-democrat.com SIKESTON -- How new regulations handed down by the EPA will affect electricity rates for Sikeston residents and businesses is still up in the air. "The president announced Monday, June 2, his longterm fix of reducing carbon emissions," said Ed Throop, executive director of the Sikeston Board of Municipal Utilities. "It does cause concern."...

MOBERLY -- Pallbearers for services held Saturday at the Nunnelee Funeral Chapel for Gary Franklin Klingel, 65, formerly of Benton, who died on May 28, 2014, were: Bobby Klingel, Jonathan Wahlers, Eddy Fisher, Billy Klingel, Byron Klingel and Vance Fisher...

SCOTTSBORO, Ala. -- Brenda Kaye Guthrie, 53, died June 1, 2014. For the complete Standard Democrat obituary log in to our electronic edition.

BLOOMFIELD -- William Howard Chandler, 87, died June 3, 2014, at his home. For the complete Standard Democrat obituary log in to our electronic edition.

CHARLESTON -- Aretha Lachelle "Chelle" Sherrell, 42, died May 29, 2014, at the Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. For the complete Standard Democrat obituary log in to our electronic edition.

SIKESTON -- Robert W. Gee, 74, of Sikeston, died June 3, 2014, at his home. For the complete Standard Democrat obituary log in to our electronic edition.

SIKESTON -- Donnie Ruth Rose, 74, died at 5:50 a.m. June 2, 2014, at her home. For the complete Standard Democrat obituary log in to our electronic edition.

SIKESTON - Kathryn E. Coleman, 55, died June 2, 2014, at the Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. For the complete Standard Democrat obituary log in to our electronic edition.

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Dr. Jennie C. Cooper, 82, died June 2, 2014, at her home. For the complete Standard Democrat obituary log in to our electronic edition.

SIKESTON -- Rickey Ivy, 53, died June 2, 2014, at the Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. For the complete Standard Democrat obituary log in to our electronic edition.

DEXTER -- Dennis Lynn Mothersbaugh, 62, died May 30, 2014, at his home. For the complete Standard Democrat obituary log in to our electronic edition.

CHARLESTON -- Jermaine "Paige" McGee, 43, died May 30, 2014, at the Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. For the complete Standard Democrat obituary log in to our electronic edition.

ORAN -- Jeryl Wilson Slinkard, 71, died June 2, 2014, at his home. For the complete Standard Democrat obituary log in to our electronic edition.

CEDAR HILL, Texas -- Shirley Jo Smith, 77, formerly of Morley, Mo., died May 31, 2014, at the Charleston Methodist Hospital in Dallas. For the complete Standard Democrat obituary log in to our electronic edition.

PORTAGEVILLE -- Audra M. Newbold Foster, 97, died June 2, 2014, at her home. For the complete Standard Democrat obituary log in to our electronic edition.

LILBOURN -- Geneva Hunt, 76, passed away May 30, 2014, at Jefferson Regional Hospital in Poplar Bluff, Ark. For the complete Standard Democrat obituary log in to our electronic edition.

SIKESTON -- Donna Kay Gee, 57, died May 29, 2014, at her home. For the complete Standard Democrat obituary log in to our electronic edition.

EAST PRAIRIE -- Terry Wayne Clark, 65, died at 3 a.m. May 31, 2014, at his home. For the complete Standard Democrat obituary log in to our electronic edition.

PLATTE CITY -- Mary Ruthie Richardson, 71, died May 30, 2014, at her home. For the complete Standard Democrat obituary log in to our electronic edition.

Two years ago, the Republican Congress and the House of Representatives phased out subsidies for millionaires who build houses on sandbars in the ocean and in the floodplains. In a great show of fiscal responsibility, the leader of the Republican party proudly stated that insurance risks should reflect the risk itself. ...

leonnah@standard-democrat.com SIKESTON -- It reinforces things they learned in the regular year, but summer school also gives students the chance to see school in a different light. "We try to have fun learning though the year, but we're on a more strict time schedule through the regular year," said Dr. Angela Edgar, principal of Portageville Elementary School. "For summer school, we try to make it more fun and comfortable for the students."...

SIKESTON - Route 105 in Mississippi County will be reduced to one lane as Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform drainage repairs. The bridge is located between West ADA and Tom Brown Street. Weather permitting, work will take place from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday...