Stories from Thursday, June 11, 2020

SIKESTON — For the class of 2020, their vision was clear Thursday night as their peers encouraged them to venture out on their own paths, be who they want to be and keep their heads held high no matter where the future takes them. Approximately 240 Sikeston High School and New Horizons High School graduates received diplomas in an outdoor, socially-distanced ceremony Thursday during the 119th annual commencement at Sikeston Public Schools Stadium...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Pending expiration of Phase 1 on June 15, Missouri will fully reopen and enter Phase 2 of its “Show Me Strong Recovery” Plan on June 16.  “It is truly incredible to think about how far Missouri has come since March. At that time, no one knew what to expect. ...

DOGWOOD, Mo. — Randall Vernon “Randy” Arington of Dogwood, Mo., died on his farm on June 9, 2020, at the age of 68. He is survived by his wife, Claudia, and his children, Leslie (Arington) and John Allgier of Dogwood, John and Lauren Arington of Dogwood, Paul Moore of Charleston, Mo., Stephanie (Moore) and Chris Wirken of Prairie Village, Kan., and his grandchildren, Laurann Allgier, Layne Allgier, Camrynn Arington, Cadence Arington (all residents of Dogwood), Harrison Moore of Charleston, and Nicholas Wirken of Prairie Village.. ...

GULFPORT, Miss. — Sharon Edwards Mitchem, loving wife, mother and Grammie, passed away on Tuesday, June 9, 2020, at the age of 71. She was born May 7, 1949, to Romel and Homer Edwards. On Sept. 24, 1971, she was married to Gary Mitchem. They were together for 50 years. They raised two children, Sean Mitchem and Tanya Clemons...

CHARLESTON, Mo. — Kimyata Kwenshay “Nu-Nu” Haynes, 31, died June 7, 2020, in Sikeston, Missouri. Born Dec. 26, 1988, in Sikeston, daughter of Beverly Haynes of Charleston and Gary Warfield of Memphis, Tennessee, she attended Charleston Public Schools and St. Mark Baptist Church in Charleston. She had worked as a front desk clerk at a hotel, in-home nursing and at Subway...

CHARLESTON, Mo. – John Calmore Stallings II, 72, died June 5, 2020, at Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. Born March 11, 1948, at Cairo, Ill., son of the late John Calmore Stallings and Eva Mae Mayo Stallings, he had lived most of his life in Charleston where he had been a farmer and land owner. He was a U.S. Army veteran and a member of the American Legion and the Charleston Lions Club...

Two more deaths have been reported in Southeast Missouri related to COVID-19. The Stoddard County Public Health Center reported their seventh death related to COVID-19 and their first death outside of the outbreak at Crowley Ridge Nursing Center. There are currently 110 positive cases in Stoddard County with 37 of those active and 66 that have recovered...

SIKESTON — For those missing baseball, a Sikeston author has written a short story that may be a temporary cure. Jeff Williams recently completed “The Kid from Eagle Ridge,” a fictional story of a young man, Luke Sawyer, from the middle of no-where Missouri, who is a good baseball player...

SIKESTON — Following the June 4 election, the Sikeston R-6 Board of Education certified those results and reorganized Tuesday during its regular monthly meeting, which was held in the Wing Elementary gymnasium for social distancing purposes. R-6 Superintendent Dr. Tony Robinson recognized retiring board member Kyle Alcorn for his service, which included a three-year term...