Stories from Wednesday, October 4, 2006

CHARLESTON - Charlie Sanford, 85, died Oct. 1, 2006, at his home in Charleston. Born May 10, 1921, in Blytheville, Ark., to the late Walter and Cora Stevenson Sanford, he had lived in Missouri for over 70 years. Survivors include: two stepsons, Charlie Smith and William Smith of St. Louis; three stepdaughters and a son-in-law, Earline Smith of Rockford, Ill., and Frankie Smith and Ruth Ann and Greg Frazier of Charleston; and a special niece, Anna Reed of Wilson City...

BLOOMFIELD - Cody Dewayne Boone, 16, died Oct. 2, 2006, as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident near Bloomfield. Born Jan. 28, 1990, at Poplar Bluff, son of Steve and Kimberly Marvel Cornell of Dexter, he had been a resident of Bloomfield for the past eight years and was a sophomore at Bloomfield High School...

POCAHONTAS, Ark. -- Lester W. High, 76, formerly of Mississippi County (Mo.), died Oct. 2, 2006, at the NEA Medical Center in Jonesboro. Born Nov. 22, 1929, in Mississippi County, son of the late Shannon B. and Ona Million High, he had lived in Pocahontas for a number of years...

CHARLESTON -- David Ray Henderson, 42, died Sept. 29, 2006, at his home. Born Jan. 5, 1964, in Charleston, son of Marie Henderson of Charleston, he was a 1982 graduate of Charleston High School where he was active in football and wrestling. In addition to his mother, survivors include: four brothers, Eddie Lee Henderson, John Wesley Henderson, Charles Russell Henderson and Eli Henderson of Charleston; and one uncle, James Henderson of Toledo, Ohio...

CHARLESTON - Dorothy Owens Ewing, 58, died at 12:41 a.m. Sept. 28, 2006, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Born May 25, 1948, in East Prairie to Edgar and Kathryn Bradley Owens of Charleston, she attended Charleston Public Schools and was a cook for Hearnes Elementary School for 12 years. She was a member and usher at St. Matthews Baptist Church...

DEXTER - Marlene Norman, 70, died Oct. 3, 2006, at her home. Born March 5, 1936, at Trumann, Ark., to the late Amer and Mozell Azbill, she was a graduate of Parma High School. She attended Parma First Baptist Church, where she was a pianist and choir member. After moving to Dexter, she was a choir member at the First Baptist Church of Dexter. A homemaker and businesswoman, she was a member of the Evangelical Free Church of Dexter...

WICKLIFFE, Ky. - Jimmy Dale Heath Sr., 73, died Oct. 3, 2006, at the East Prairie Nursing Center. Arrangements are incomplete with Shelby Funeral Home of East Prairie.

EAST PRAIRIE - Eugene Fisher, 88, formerly of Memphis, Tenn., died Oct. 3, 2006, at the East Prairie Nursing Center. Arrangements are incomplete with the McMikle Funeral Home of Charleston.

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- John Blanchard McFall Jr., 86, died at 8:12 a.m. Oct. 3, 2006, at the Missouri Veterans Home. Born March 4, 1920, at Elizabethtown, Ill., son of the late John Blanchard and Nancy Katherine Humphery McFall Sr., he had been employed with International Shoe Factory as an assembly worker and was a veteran of the U.S. Army having served during World War II...

BLOOMFIELD -- Christopher Lee Daniels, 16, died Oct. 2, 2006, from injuries sustained in a traffic accident near Bloomfield. Born Sept. 19, 1990, in Poplar Bluff, the son of Donna Daniels of Bloomfield, he attended Bloomfield High School and was planning to play on the Bloomfield basketball team this season. He loved to fish and talk on his computer...

BELL CITY -- Sarah Inace Brown, 90, died Sept. 30, 2006, at her home. Born Nov. 19, 1915, in Angie, La., daughter of the late Will and Mary Ellen Moses Banks, she had live for over 50 years in Missouri and was a member of Bethel AME Church in Sikeston...

The voters in the New Madrid County R-1 School District will be asked to consider two issues November 7th. The first issue for the voters to consider will be to allow the New Madrid County R-1 Board of Education to borrow $8,993,000 for the purpose of providing funds for completing extensive remodeling, renovation, and repairs to the elementary sites at Lilbourn, New Madrid, Matthews and the Central High School...

SIKESTON - The Sikeston Lady Bulldogs defeated the visiting Portageville Lady Bulldogs in two sets at the Field House on Tuesday night, 25-15, 25-21. Sikeston was down a player as junior Ali Harper was out due to a concussion suffered last Thursday at Dexter...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- The Sikeston Bulldogs had no answers for the state- ranked Notre Dame Bulldogs on Tuesday at Notre Dame. Notre Dame scored three first-half goals to defeat Sikeston 3-0 in the SEMO Conference match. "They're ranked in state for a reason," said Sikeston coach Derrick Long, of sixth-ranked Notre Dame. "They're a well-working machine out there. They work the ball, knock it around the field from sideline to sideline. Our guys were just chasing it back and forth."...

Nobody asked me but...Albert Pujols is a big time player. I must admit that when Fat Albert is batting, I take time away from what I am doing (usually eating) and watch the guy bat. Nobody, I repeat, nobody else in the MLB comes close to this feat. While I believe "Poo Holes" is the best player in the baseball, I have a gripe about his home run trot. ...

BENTON -- County officials and employees at the Scott County Courthouse will soon be wearing photo-identification badges while on duty. "These badges and pictures are the first step in the security for the courthouse," County Commissioner Jamie Burger explained during the regular County Commission meeting Tuesday. "We're going to continue to upgrade the security in various forms and fashions."...

BENTON - Two East Prairie residents are in custody on burglary charges. Dewey Chad Johnston, 33, and Cassandra P. Winters, 24, were taken into custody Monday by the Scott County Sheriff's Department following an investigation into three September daytime burglaries that resulted in over $10,000 of property being stolen. Johnston's bond is set at $50,000 while Winter's bond is set at $25,000...

CAPE GIRARDEAU - A New Madrid man has pled guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm. Dominique M. Betts, 21, entered a plea of guilty to one felony count of being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm during an appearance Monday before U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel...

In the aftermath of the senseless and tragic school shootings in Pennsylvania, the Bush administration is calling a summit to discuss potential federal action to help communities prevent school violence. Officials are to be commended for at least trying to discuss the complex subject of violence but, in fact, there is little we can do...

Can you believe that our Republican Congresswoman, Jo Ann Emerson is lecturing us on running up debt and the costs involved? Either she hasn't got a clue or is certain that we are as dumb as this Republican Congress which spends money like there is no tomorrow and charges it all to our grandchildren. If she is just now learning that profligate spendings has ramifications, God help the future of this country because a clueless Republican Congress won't, despite what they say...

SIKESTON - Ducks and geese have been on the wing for the past three or four days, heading for their feeding grounds in the south and presaging the coming of cold weather. SIKESTON - A steering committee to direct the actions necessary on the formation of a proposed community college to serve Scott, New Madrid, Mississippi and Stoddard counties is expected to be named at a meeting at 7 p.m. today at the Rustic Rock...

Brittney Bard, daughter of Brian and Debbie Bard, is the Standard Democrat's Calendar Girl for October. Bard, a finalist in the 2005 Miss Sikeston Contest, plans to attend the University of Mississippi in the fall.

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- The Kelly cross country team competed in the Notre Dame Invitational on Saturday with several runners posting personal record times. On the boys varsity, Cody Kern took 22nd place with 17:49 to beat the freshman record at Kelly. Josh Rogers also had a personal record time with a 21st place finish at 17:47...

Nothing says America like parades. A time when the community gathers together to watch the floats, marching bands, meet politicians and enjoy watching kids maul each other for little pieces of candy. Typically, I'm not a big fan of parades. I'm not sure if I'm still scarred from all those times I marched in them with the high school band or if it's the fear one of my readers might push me in front of a float but I usually try to avoid parades...