Stories from Saturday, June 7, 2014

A strange late spring has not deterred Stoddard County farmers, as the corn crop is already planted and reaching the knee-high state in most areas, and the cotton farmers have completed their planting for the current year. The winter wheat crop is running slightly later than usual, but should start being harvested in mid-June. Farmers are currently planting soybeans, and that will continue as soybeans are often planted behind winter wheat...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- The Daily Statesman learned this week that a motion has been filed in the case against Allen McCoy rescinding the intention to seek the death penalty. McCoy is accused of the June 2010 murder of Aubrey Finch at his Bernie home. Both Allen McCoy, and his wife, Angela McCoy, were charged with the Class A felony of first degree murder, two counts of the unclassified felony of armed criminal action and one count of the Class A felony of first degree robbery...

He may be small in stature at five feet, five inches tall, but Truman Cato is a giant of a man. It was the summer of 1941. Cato was living a quiet life in Greenbriar, Mo., in Bollinger County, teaching in a one-room schoolhouse at Zalma and earning a hefty $90 per month. He was barely 21 years old with two years of college completed, and he was dating Roma Lee Delay, who would become his wife...although she didn't yet know that. Life in small town, rural Missouri was good...