Stories from Friday, August 14, 2015

The Conservation Department offers technical and financial assistance to private landowners.

NEW MADRID -- New Madrid County voters gave the nod to an additional 1/4-cent sales tax to help fund ambulance services across the county. With 321 yes votes and 268 no votes cast in Tuesday's election according to unofficial results, the proposal to provide an additional 1/4-cent sales tax for the New Madrid County Ambulance District was approved. A simple majority was needed...

The Obama Administration continues to hammer rural America with unnecessary, expensive regulations and rules. On Monday, the Obama Administration released the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Power Plan rule that calls for a massive reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. The plan has serious implications for Missouri, which gets 83 percent of its energy from coal power...

We were sitting at a stop sign at the corner of College and Line Streets, directly across from the First Methodist Church. My mother was driving. My sister sat in the backseat. Riding shotgun in the front seat with the windows down on an August afternoon, I was six years old...

leonnah@standard-democrat.com BENTON -- Every student in the Scott County R-4 "Kelly" School District was impacted by the recently completed construction on their campus as the new school year got underway Thursday. In April 2013, voters in the Kelly School District approved a $3-million, no-tax increase bond issue to add 10 new classrooms for the elementary and a cafeteria/kitchen addition to the multipurpose facility for the middle school and high school...

GORDONVILLE -- With the push of a button on his cellphone, Michael Aide, chairman of Southeast Missouri State University's Department of Agriculture, can check soil moisture and turn on the center-pivot irrigation system at the David M. Barton Agriculture Research Center...

BENTON-- A Sikeston man faces domestic assault charges for striking a juvenile Wednesday in Scott County. Donald W. Freeman, 42, of Sikeston is charged with the class C felony of domestic assault in the second degree, according to a news release from Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter...

scottw@standard-democrat.com CHARLESTON -- The total cost for all of Mississippi County's disaster recovery projects from the 2011 spring flood is just shy of $3 million. The Mississippi County Commission was presented with disaster relief reimbursement figures by County Clerk Junior DeLay during the Commission's regular weekly meeting Thursday...

MOREHOUSE -- Kathryn Wagener, 59, died Aug. 12, 2015, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. For the complete Standard Democrat obituary log in to our electronic edition.

BELL CITY -- Lyle Dean Davis Sr., 69, formerly of Advance, died Aug. 13, 2015, at his son's home. For the complete Standard Democrat obituary log in to our electronic edition.

VERNON, Texas -- Jo Ann Bone Lyons, 71, died Aug. 11, 2015, in Dallas. For the complete Standard Democrat obituary log in to our electronic edition.

I just read the July 27 letter to the editor from Mr. J.B. Sullivan, about the decaying Veterans Administration. He was right on. I wanted to pass my compliments on to Mr. J.B. Sullivan. Sir, your letter was right on. The VA is a decaying government agency which will never be fixed...

scottw@standard-democrat.com SIKESTON -- Sikeston's new Depot director "jumped in running" to put the Cowboy UP! Arts Festival on in Downtown Sikeston and now is ready to dig into -- and present -- local history. "I think the event went rather well -- we had beautiful day for it," said Marla Moore, director, of this year's festival. "And I I learned some things that I can put into effect next year."...