Stories from Monday, December 7, 1992

On Aug. 28, Judy and Ed Dambach received a late-night phone call from St. Joseph's Health Center in St. Charles informing them that their daughter-in-law had been hurt in an accident. "At first I wasn't really alarmed," said Judy. Her daughter-in-law's job as a makeup artist at Famous-Barr often required her to work nights...

A citizens committee on solid waste will present recommendations on modified billing at the Cape Girardeau City Council meeting tonight. In other business, the council will conduct a public hearing on the proposed annexation of Twin Lakes Subdivision and is expected to further discuss a contentious city zone elections issue...

CHAFFEE -- The city of Chaffee wants to find out if it can operate its own cable television system when the city's current franchise with Falcon Cable TV Co. of Sikeston expires next March. Falcon wants a 15-year, renewable franchise, along with an option to renew for another 10 years...

Those jokes about the hazardous life of a driver's examiner are true. Just ask Robert L. Hente, and he'll give you an earful of close calls he's had. But chance are he'll tell you about a lot more happy times, when a nervous, young teenager passes his or her road test the first time...

As the big day approaches, many children have made out their official Christmas wish lists, some complete with catalogue page numbers for handy references. Nintendo games, bicycles, expensive dolls, roller blades and remote-controlled cars are among the gift requests...

Once, years ago, someone gave Mrs. H a ceramic Christmas tree. The treasured decoration comes out each Nov. 1, is dusted and takes a place of honor in her home. The little tree reminds Mrs. H that Christmas is a time to celebrate. With her little terrier dog, Mrs. H celebrates Christmas every year...

Picture this: You're filling out umpteen Christmas cards to relatives you only think about once a year, and you can't find Uncle Joe and Aunt Susie's zip code - anywhere. So you've got two choices: You either send it to an already bogged down post office that will probably lay it aside until someone can look up the zip code (like in March), or you call Southwestern Bell information services, which will be happy to furnish you with Uncle Joe's zip code and his current address...

The Southeast Missourian asked Cape Girardeaus's 1140th Engineering Battalion National Guardsmen what they thought about the deployment of U.S. troops into Somalia. Darrell Rodenberry: I think it is essential that we be there. Considering the food is there and they just can't get it to the people, someone must assist them. With several thousands dying per day it is just a humane thing for us or any other country to do. It is our duty...

Responding to a concern over crime in the state's urban centers expressed in a recent column, a woman from Washington, Mo., berated us for worrying about a problem that was the fault of residents living in the affected neighborhoods. The gist of her letter was that since this was a problem of the big cities, it had no bearing or interest on decent citizens who live outside the metropolitan areas. ...

A lull in construction of new state highway projects that was brought on by limited state highway money during most of the 1980s has given way to a resurgence of highway and bridge building in Missouri. A number of significant projects have either been started, soon will start, or are included on the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department's 15-year needs list. ...

CHAFFEE -- Ardella Trost, 74, died Dec. 6, 1992, at her family home in Chaffee. Arrangements are incomplete at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Chaffee.