Stories from Wednesday, December 20, 2017

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Maura Kellams of Portageville, MO, has been appointed by Dr. Carlos Vargas, president of Southeast Missouri State University, to serve as a Presidential Ambassador at the University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Presidential Ambassadors are student representatives of the president of the University. ...

The winners of the annual Christmas Door Decorating Contest has been determined. The contest was sponsored by the Portageville High School Student Council was held in the middle and high school buildings. The First Place door goes to Susan Penn's room. The Second Place door goes to Jerrica Brown's room, and the Third Place Door goes to Christina Brands' room...

Laney Stone was the winner of a $75 Visa gift card donated to Portageville Middle School by Legacy Equipment of Portageville. Stone received the gift card Monday.  Any student with at least 50 points in the Accelerated Reader program is eligible to enter the drawing...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – At its meeting on Dec. 15, the Missouri Conservation Commission approved recommendations by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) for 2018-2019 turkey-hunting and deer-hunting season dates. 2018 SPRING AND FALL TURKEY HUNTING DATES...

CLARKTON — Despite a strong first-half performance from top-seeded Risco, No. 2 seeded Portageville earned key baskets to overpower the Tigers and claim the first-place trophy at the 39th Annual Clarkton Christmas Tournament Friday night. The clash was capped by a game-high 31-point performance from Portageville senior Ian Torrey, who led the Bulldogs down the stretch by scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter alone. ...

MALDEN, Mo. -- A Bernie woman died after her vehicle struck a bridge early Wednesday in New Madrid County. According to Missouri State Highway Patrol, the crash occurred at 12:15 a.m. on Route D, three miles east of Malden, as the westbound vehicle driven by Jennifer R. Schatte, 44, of Bernie ran off the road and struck a bridge. Schatte was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:38 a.m. by New Madrid County coroner George DeLisle and taken to the New Madrid County Morgue...

SIKESTON -- The cause of a deadly house fire late Tuesday in Sikeston has been ruled as accidental. About 11:50 p.m. Tuesday, officers with Sikeston Department of Public Safety's Fire Division responded to the 400 block of Marian Street in reference to a structure fire that had flames coming from the roof near the garage, according to Sgt. Jon Broom, public information officer for Sikeston DPS...

The top priority for the Trump administration in 2018 is welfare reform. And if you seem to recall hearing about welfare reform in the past, you're right. Welfare reform goes back at least to the Reagan administration and was interestingly a high priority during the Clinton administration as well. But with each passing year, the funding for countless welfare programs has continued to grow. What was once viewed as a helping hand and a safety net has now become a lifestyle for far too many. If you disagree with that assessment, you're blind. Rarely has a politician been quite as honest as Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch who last week said what most of us feel. "I have a rough time wanting to spend billions and billions and trillions of dollar to help people who won't help themselves - won't lift a finger - and expect the federal government to do everything", Hatch said.

DEXTER, Mo. -- Lucille Pratt, 81, died Dec. 19, 2017, at Crowley Ridge Care Center in Dexter. Born July 7, 1936, in Aid, daughter of the late Crit and Mary Payton, she had lived in Amhurst, Ohio, Cabondale, Ill., and California, but most of her life was spent in the Dexter area. She was of the Baptist belief...

SIKESTON -- Aaron "Scott" Tarrants, 43, of Sikeston, died Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017, at his home. He was born Dec. 12, 1974, in Dexter, to Michael Denver Tarrants and Laura Ann Cagle Johnson. He loved to hunt (especially doves) and to play darts. He was a diehard Dallas Cowboys and St. ...