Stories from Tuesday, June 2, 2020

BENTON, Mo. — The Sikeston R-6 School District will soon upgrade its facilities. In a total vote of 1,714 to 1,213, Sikeston R-6 voters approved the $18.6-million bond proposal to construct a new Lee Hunter Elementary and a new “C” Building on the senior high school campus. Scott County votes were 1,470 “yes” votes and 966 “no” votes, and New Madrid County votes were 244 “yes” votes and 247 “no” votes...

CHAFFEE, Mo. — Wayne Lee Turner, 72, died May 30, 2020, at his home in Chaffee, Missouri. Born March 20, 1948, in East Prairie, Missouri, son of the late John Shelby Turner and Martha Ellen Northcutt Turner, he was a member of First Assembly of God...

SIKESTON — The budget for the City of Sikeston in 2021 will be a conservative one due to the coronavirus pandemic. A public hearing on the FY21 budget for the City of Sikeston was held Monday and Sikeston City Manager Jon Douglass said the proposed budget is balanced and adds a small amount to the City’s reserves and achieves significant capital improvements...

SIKESTON — An impromptu demonstration that was mostly subdued was held in Sikeston late Friday afternoon. Sikeston resident and former councilman Michael Harris addressed the demonstration to Sikeston City Council at Monday’s meeting. Harris said the demonstration which went from Lincoln Park to Sikeston DPS was a good thing but it could have been negative because there was little adult supervision. ...

SIKESTON — Sheila Parmenter, age 72, passed away on May 31, 2020, at her home in Sikeston. She was born Nov. 22, 1947, in New Madrid, Mo., to the late Harvey and Mildred Simpson Cobb. On Dec. 18, 1966, in Sikeston, she married Sam Parmenter who survives of the home...

MOREHOUSE, Mo. — Bobbie Gene Harrison, 36, died May 16, 2020, at his home in Morehouse. Born June 24, 1983, in Charleston, Mo., son of Carolyn Sue Harrison of Sikeston and the late Eddie Lee Harrison, he was a graduate of Mesa Verde High School in Citrus Heights, Calif. He worked on the maintenance crew at Lambert’s Cafe and attended the Compassion Church in Miner...

SIKESTON — Deyonte Damone Baker, 24, died May 25, 2020, in Sikeston. Born Oct. 13, 1995, in Sikeston, son of Demetrius Baker and Shannell Turner Baker of Sikeston, he attended Sikeston Public Schools and was a member of the 2014 graduating class. He was currently employed at Colton’s Steakhouse in Sikeston...

The number of positive COVID-19 cases in southeast Missouri continues to rise. The Scott County Health Department is reporting three new cases on Tuesday, giving Scott County 110 positive cases. Of the three new cases, all three were females with one under the age of 19 and two between the ages of 60-69...

Voters in Ward 1 of Sikeston sign in at Trinity Lutheran Church Tuesday morning. Voters saw a few changes Tuesday, with guards in place and some poll workers with masks or face shields, social distancing requirements, abundant sanitizers and different or fewer polling locations...

With few contested races in Mississippi County, voter turnout was low in Tuesday’s election, but races were decided nonetheless. Only 789 ballots were cast in Tuesday’s municipal election as Matthew Morrow, Angela Duenne, and Preston Moore Sr. all earned spots on the Charleston School Board. Duenne received the most votes, with 413. Morrow finished with 393 votes, while Moore Sr. totaled 372. All three beat out Ervin Williams (260 votes), and Alana Mills (289 votes)...

NEW MADRID, Mo. - School officials watched as the ballots were tallied Tuesday evening to see if voters would give them the go ahead on “Proposition Safe and Secure Schools.” The voters overwhelmingly did. With an unofficial tally of 814 yes votes to 203 no votes, more than 80 percent of the patrons in the New Madrid County R-1 School District agreed to the district borrowing $8,500,000 with no estimated increase in the district’s tax rate. ...

WILLIAMSVILLE, Mo. — Freda Pickens, 90, died June 1, 2020, at Greenville Nursing and Rehab.