Stories from Thursday, August 17, 2017

SIKESTON - "Never look directly at the sun," parents have always warned their children. The risk of permanent blindness from looking into the sun is real, and shouldn't be taken lightly or as a dare. Remember the grade school experiment where you use a magnifying glass to direct the sunlightto a piece of paper, and the sunlight will burn a hole in the paper?...

SIKESTON - Lorya Knox is living her dream, and her dream is helping others avoid a nightmare. Born and raised in Sikeston, Knox graduated from Sikeston High School in 1984. "I wanted a job where I could make a positive difference," said Knox. As the D.A.R.E. officer for DPS since 2001, Knox found her niche...

DEXTER, Mo. --A panel interested in seeing the I-57 corridor through southeast Missouri become a reality met recently at Dexter's Chamber of Commerce to discuss various aspects of the proposal and to further endorse the efforts that would extend Interstate 57 from Sikeston west, running through Dexter and Poplar Bluff and then south all the way to Little Rock, Ark...

SIKESTON -- Local police will be out in full force as part of the annual nationwide August and Labor Day Crackdown weekend "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" substance--impaired driving crackdown. The crackdown, which will include high-visibility enforcement throughout Sikeston, will run from Friday through Sept. 3...

SIKESTON -- Some members of Sikeston Department of Public Safety went back to school Wednesday to ensure no student was left without school supplies to start the new year. As students and teachers in the Sikeston R-6 School District returned to classes on Wednesday, DPS partnered with the Bulldog Pantry to make the first day of school a success for everyone. They delivered backpacks filled with school supplies to every school in the R-6 District...

Sikeston schools were back in session on Wednesday.

CHARLESTON, Mo. A Charleston man faces charges for the murder of his toddler son.

WARDELL, Mo. -- Billie Crabtree, 92, died Aug. 17, 20117, at Heritage Garden in Kennett. Arrangements are incomplete at DeLisle Funeral Home in Portageville.

SIKESTON -- Joan Sain, 73, died Aug. 17, 2017, at her home in Sikeston. Arrangements are incomplete at Nunnelee Funeral Chapel.

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. -- Emily Gee, 59, died Aug. 17, 2017, at her home in Portageville. Arrangements are incomplete at DeLisle Funeral Home in Portageville.

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- Thomas Edward Robinson, 77, died Aug. 10, 2017, at his home in New Madrid. Born Jan. 13, 1940, in New Madrid County, son of Lula Bell Robinson of Sikeston and the late Willie Robinson, he was a member and deacon of Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church in New Madrid. He was employed at Noranda Aluminum until his retirement...