Region/state digest 01/10/03

Sikeston business expo set for Feb. 7

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Sometimes getting the ideal job can mean being at the right place at the right time.

On Feb. 7, one of those places might just be the Sikeston High School Field House.

Sikeston Area Chamber of Commerce director Missy Marshall said the event, in its eighth year, is designed to showcase career and educational opportunities to area high school students and the public.

Last year over 1,000 people attended the event, which featured 32 booths.

The event, which will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., is expected to feature representatives from businesses, including Manpower, MoDOT, Healthfacilities Rehab, U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, Missouri Delta Medical Center and the Sikeston Area Higher Education Center.

There is no admission fee.

The Sikeston Student Chamber of Commerce will host a Dress for Success fashion show every hour.

"There are all kinds of expos," Marshall said. "What makes this one different is it's not just showing off products, it's also an expo of careers and professions."

List of suspects narrowed in Campbell murder

CAMPBELL, Mo. -- Investigators now say they have a suspect in the murder of Reba Magouirk, 72, and none too soon for her neighbors.

Investigators have developed a suspect in the Magouirk's Jan. 3 murder, but the Dunklin County Sheriff's Department won't release even the sketchiest of details.

While Sheriff Bob Holder won't divulge much about the suspect, he does admit investigators have at least considered a family member.

"We have looked at a family member, but everybody's innocent until proven guilty," the sheriff said.

Holder wouldn't confirm if the suspect is a family member or not. Investigators are still awaiting results from evidence sent to the state crime lab before proceeding further in the case.

Judge denies bond for

Corning slaying suspect

CORNING, Mo. --James Dallas Qualls, 42, is being held without bond in connection with the fatal shooting of 32-year-old Kelly Denise Thatch.

Qualls appeared before District Judge Rick Rodery for arraignment Tuesday in Corning.

An acquaintance discovered Kelly Denise Thatch's body on her front porch in the Westwood Acres apartment building in Corning, Clay County Sheriff's Department officials said.

Investigators believe the suspect shot Thatch at least twice with a .22-caliber rifle. Police arrested Qualls in his apartment, also in Westwood Acres, that morning and found him asleep in bed with a .22-caliber rifle. Investigators allege the rifle is the murder weapon.

The victim and Qualls' estranged wife, Jacqueline Qualls, were friends, and a long-running argument had developed between the victim and the suspect over his wife, officials said.

Clay County Sheriff Ronnie Cole described Thatch as an active single woman, adding that she and Qualls' estranged wife "were running around together."

Authorities believe this led Qualls to blame Thatch for separating him and his wife.

Qualls will reappear in Circuit Court Feb. 7.