Stories from Tuesday, February 11, 2014

MARSTON, Mo. -- A wreck on Interstate 55, one mile south of Marston shortly before noon on Saturday left a Portageville man with serious injuries and a Highway Patrol cruiser totaled. According to the patrol, Trooper Conrad L. Purnell, 28, was stationary on the northbound shoulder of the interstate with his emergency lights activated when another northbound vehicle driven by Stanley Partin, 57, slammed into the rear of the patrol unit...

Gilbert Thompson, son of the late George Gilbert Thompson and Gearldee Bland Thompson, was born on Aug. 13, 1938, in Corning, Ark., and died at his residence in Dexter, Mo., on Feb. 9, 2014, at the age of 75. Mr. Thompson had worked as a self-employed truck driver and carpenter. ...

Jerry Ray Baker, son of the late Roland Theodore and Helen Marie Winnegear Baker, was born in Nimmons, Ark., on Feb. 13, 1949, and died at his home near Dexter, on Feb. 7, 2014, at the age of 64. He had lived in Bernie and Malden most of his life before moving to Dexter six years ago. He had worked in maintenance at Federal Mogul in Malden...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri lawmakers appear to agree with Gov. Jay Nixon that public colleges and universities should receive more money next year. But some lawmakers want to direct part of that money toward building improvements instead of devoting it to larger operating budgets as proposed by Nixon...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- Despite a change of lawyer, the murder case against George Joseph remains on schedule. On Monday, Joseph appeared in court with his new attorney, assistant public defender Bevy Beimdiek of St. Louis. Joseph, 49, faces charges of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with the May 30 shooting deaths of his wife, Mary, and 18-year-old son, Matthew, at their home on West Cape Rock Drive...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Former U.S. Attorney and Missouri House Speaker Catherine Hanaway said Monday that she is running for governor in 2016 as Republicans seek to recapture an office that they have held just once in the past two decades. Hanaway is the first Republican to enter the gubernatorial race, giving her chance to build a campaign network and bank account that could cause other potential GOP candidates to think twice. ...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- Ryan Patterson, who is serving three life sentences for the 2009 deaths of a pregnant Cape Girardeau woman and her 15-year-old son, appeared in court Monday, where his attorney entered arguments to have his conviction overturned or amended...

BERNIE, Mo. -- An unexploded military mortar, found in the home of a Bernie woman, is now in the hands of the U.S. Army, after being retrieved and taken off site Saturday night. According to Bernie Police Chief Justin Allen, the woman (whose wish it was to remain unidentified) was going through some old boxes in the basement of her home on Saturday, Feb. 8, when she found the item -- a rusted and corroded military mortar measuring about one foot long, believed to be from the Vietnam era...

GREENVILLE, Mo. -- A Patterson, Mo., man was charged Friday afternoon with multiple felonies, including assaulting two men by shooting them when they stepped in to intervene after he allegedly beat his pregnant wife. Jonathan Cody Elliott, 31, was charged with two Class A felonies of first-degree assault, four unclassified felony of armed criminal action (ACA), the Class C felonies of stealing, second-degree assault and first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle and the Class D felony of unlawful use of a weapon (UUW) by Wayne County Prosecuting Attorney Robert Ramshur, who charged Elliott as a prior offender as he had been convicted of possession of a controlled substance in May 2002.. ...

A Mississippi man was arrested in Stoddard County over the weekend for a three-year-old statutory rape charge. John M. Young, 25, has been incarcerated in Mississippi since his initial questioning in early 2012. Young is accused of having had a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old female from June 8, 2011 to Aug. 1, 2011. The sexual incidents are believed to have occurred at a residence on Chautauqua and at the Hickory House Inn...

A propane shortage and winter demand is making it hard on rural propane customers. Many are faced with paying whatever price the market demands just to keep their homes warm. Darrell Hess of Bell City lives on a fixed income, and recent propane prices are taking a toll on his budget. ...

The spike in propane prices this winter has a chilling effect on chicken producers in Stoddard County. Prices are normally below $2.00 per gallon for propane but have increased to over $4.50 per gallon in some instances. The increase has put a financial strain on chicken growers...

ST. LOUIS -- Winter storms usually cause a spike in wrecks, but the Missouri State Highway Patrol on Friday raised concerns about the massive number of accidents that occurred over a two-day period this week. Heavy snow, nearly a foot in some places, as well as sleet blanketed much of the state Tuesday and Wednesday last week. Streets, roads and highways across Missouri were a mess, and the cold made it harder for crews to clear the pavement...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - In a highly anticipated showdown between two district rivals, the Notre Dame Bulldogs had Dexter right where they wanted them. Notre Dame (15-2) led 48-45 heading into the final quarter. In the blink of an eye that lead was gone, and the Bearcats (16-3) took charge and outlasted the host Bulldogs for a 60-54 win...

DEXTER, Mo. - The Dexter Bearcats varsity boys basketball team put together one of its best shooting performances of the season Monday night against the Perryville Pirates. The Bearcats shot 25 of 33 from the free throw line and had six players tally at least nine points as it beat Perryville 75-69 to secure its first home victory of the season...

Garry Leon Sides, son of Wanda Hayes Sides Hill and the late Bobby Kent Sides, was born in Oceanside, Calif., on Aug. 31, 1952, and died at the SoutheastHEALTH Center of Stoddard County in Dexter, Mo. on Feb. 9, 2014, at the age of 61. He had lived in the Essex and Dexter areas nearly all of his life and had worked for Mayberry Seed Company as a warehouse manager...

DEXTER, Mo. - It took the Dexter Bearcats a few minutes to adjust to an effective zone defense by the Bell City Cubs Tuesday night in the opening quarter. Bell City tallied the first five points on two 2-pointers and a made free throw to build a 5-0 lead at the 4:15 mark of the first period...