Stories from Tuesday, February 22, 1994

FREDERICKTOWN -- Joseph R. Smith is no stranger to a community with a prison facility. Before becoming city administrator at Fredericktown in August of 1993, Smith was assistant administrator at Ellsworth, Kan., which has one of the top correctional facilities in Kansas...

Candidates wanting to run for offices at the county, state, and federal levels, who are on the ballot in 1994, have their first chance to file beginning at 8 a.m. today. Filing for state and federal offices is done with the secretary of state's office in Jefferson City, while filing for county offices is done with county clerks...

Missouri's public colleges and universities have been badly managed for decades and it's time schools get their house in order, says the president of the University of Missouri system. "Higher education has been very badly managed academically and economically for the past 40 years," President George Russell said Monday...

When Tammy Scheper received notice that one of the murderers of her mother and brothers would have his first parole hearing in the year 2005 -- a mere 13 years after the crimes against her family were committed -- she was shocked. "We spent the whole day in court at David Rhodes' sentencing, to decide whether or not his life prison terms should be consecutive or concurrent," said Scheper. ...

SCOTT CITY -- Tonight, the Scott City Council will address the need for a sales tax increase to generate the funds to make necessary repairs to city streets. All next week -- Feb. 28 through March 5 -- Scott City High School students plan to do what they can to stimulate the city's economy, by encouraging residents to "Buy Local."...

SCOTT CITY -- William Georger, 82, of Scott City, died Monday, Feb. 21, 1994, at his residence. The Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City is in charge of arrangements, which are incomplete at this time.

Son to Mr. and Mrs. Steve Niebruegger of Ballwin, Tuesday, Feb. 1, 1994. Name, Brendan Gerard. Weight, 6 pounds 13 ounces. Third child, second son. Mrs. Niebruegger is the former Rhonda Hamm, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Hamm of Benton. Niebruegger is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Milford Niebruegger of Owensville...

ZALMA -- Ivan "Poss" Shirrell, 63, of Zalma, died Monday, Feb. 21, 1994, at John J. Pershing VA Medical Center in Poplar Bluff. He was born March 10, 1930, at Zalma, son of Phynie and Dovie Hedrick Shirrell. He and Karen Stotts were married Oct. 29, 1955, in Orlando, Miss...

Funeral service for Morton B. "Flappy" Downs of Owensboro, Ky., was held Feb. 11 at James H. Davis Memorial Chapel in Owensboro. Burial was in Rose Hill Cemetery. Downs, 90, died Tuesday, Feb. 8, 1994, at Mercy Hospital. A native of Livermore, Ky., he was a retired grocer and credit manager. He was a member of Buena Vista Baptist Church...

Funeral service for Lorna Baker of Shreveport, La., will be held at 2:30 p.m. today at Rose-Neath Southside Chapel. The Revs. J.M. Cason and Harold Bagnetto will officiate, with burial in Forest Park West. Baker, 70, died Saturday, Feb. 19, 1994, at her home...

SCOTT CITY -- Edgar John Barber, 88, of Harrisburg, Ill., formerly of Scott City and Chaffee, died Sunday, Feb. 20, 1994, at the Carrier Mills Nursing Center in Carrier Mills, Ill. He was born June 20, 1905, at Blytheville, Ark., son of John E. and Minnie Belle Lawrence Barber...

PATTON -- Funeral service for Ronald Lynn Fulton of Patton will be at 1 p.m. today at Liley Funeral Chapel in Patton. Burial will be in Bollinger County Memorial Park Cemetery at Marble Hill. Fulton, 49, died Saturday, Feb. 19, 1994, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau...

Fern Anders, 81, died Sunday, Feb. 20, 1994, at Fountainbleau Lodge. She was born May 5, 1912, in Caruthersville, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. S.V. Bennett. Anders was a 1930 graduate of Caruthersville High School, and received a degree in elementary education from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro...

MARBLE HILL -- Funeral service for Roy Edward Gobie of Marble Hill will be held at 10 a.m. today at Cracraft-Miller Funeral Chapel in Jackson. The Rev. John Ferguson will officiate, with burial in Leslie Cemetery near Gravel Hill. Friends may call at the funeral home from 9 a.m. to service time...

BENTON -- Emitt Clifford Vincent, 77, Benton Route 1, died Sunday, Feb. 20, 1994, at Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Oct. 13, 1916, in Graham, Ky., son of Eugene and Ader McRoy Vincent. He and Anna Moore Hensley were married June 2, 1977, in Shawneetown, Ill...

SIKESTON -- Mary Ann Paul, 85, of Sikeston, died Monday, Feb. 21, 1994, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. She was born May 5, 1908, in Epworth, N.D., daughter of Thomas Earl and Effie Belle Moss Stoner. She and Russell Bryant Paul were married Sept. 27, 1941, in Hannibal. He died April 24, 1969...

BLOOMFIELD -- Raymond J. Smith, 84, of Bloomfield, died Sunday, Feb. 20, 1994, at Missouri Delta Community Hospital. He was born Jan. 28, 1910, in Clarkton, son of John Elvin and Della Magee Smith. He and Evelyn Burns were married March 19, 1934. She preceded him in death. He and Vivian Alsup Mayo were married in 1979...

Gov. Mel Carnahan says he believes the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission should be expanded to afford state citizens "greater representation" on the panel. Senate President James Mathewson says the action is necessary because the increased workload swamps the current six commissioners. ...

Dear Editor: On any given day, while working at the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri, it is not uncommon for employees to hear or witness some act of abuse or neglect against an animal. On Feb. 5, a stray cat was brought into the shelter that had been deliberately set on fire! This little black and white short hair was burned over 80 percent of his body...

Teens from the interACT group acting out a skit. The group will present a keynote presentation at the parenting conference March 5. Richard Eyre brings personal experience as the parent of nine children to the second annual Bridging the Gap parenting conference...

JACKSON -- First-graders at St. Paul Lutheran School in Jackson love to rap the addition facts, says their teacher, Judy Franke. "We say rhymes, jingles and songs to remember things," Franke said. "While teaching, I like to sit with the children either on a little chair or on the floor."...

Southeast to offer review courses for college entrance exams Southeast Missouri State University will offer review courses for area high school juniors and seniors preparing to take the American College Testing (ACT) Exam beginning March 22. The March preparatory course is designed for students planning to take the April 9 or June 11 ACT exam...

On Monday, Feb. 7, just two weeks and one day ago, an ex-teacher shot and killed Jim Adams, superintendent of Lee County, Fla., schools. Obviously the community of Fort Myers was shocked at such a violent act. I first met Jim while we both served as district administrators approximately 50 miles from each other in Indiana. ...

Stephen D. Sides of Cape Girardeau has been named to the honor roll at the University of Kansas. The honor roll comprises undergraduates who meet requirements of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He is a senior majoring in liberal arts and sciences. He is the son of Dr. and Mrs. Stanley D. Sides of Cape Girardeau...

McLane Jateff of Cape Girardeau was chosen the second attendant at the Miss Teen Winter Princess pageant in Sikeston. Cami Todt of Sikeston was named Miss Teen Winter Princess. Ashley Battles of Dexter was named first attendant, Carrie Corso of Sikeston was named third attendant and Hillary Sever of Sikeston was named fourth attendant...

The leading cause of childhood deaths in the United States is injuries. To help reduce the number of childhood injuries, the Cape County Chapter of the American Red Cross recently received funding from the YELL for Newspapers program to purchase safety training materials...

Missourians interested in vocational education are invited to attend one of seven public hearings being conducted in March by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the State Council on Vocational Education. A hearing is set for March 10 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Cape Girardeau Area Vocational School, Room 214...

Four students at Cape Girardeau Central High School have been named finalists in the 1994 competition for National Merit Scholarships. Advancing in the competition are Yung H. Park, Andrew C. Trueblood, Jessica S. Wagner and Christy L. Wetzel. The selection of some 6,500 Merit Scholarship winners from approximately 14,000 finalists is now in progress. In March, the National Merit Scholarship program will be mailing scholarship offers to winners...

Students at L.J. Schultz School are presenting a Renaissance Fair at 7 tonight. Teachers in all subject matters have been studying medieval times. The fair allows students to show off what they have learned. Among activities planned are, "Duke Robert's Castle dramatization," "Excerpts from Camelot," "Ye Ole Stained Glass Shoppe," a medieval banquet and medieval weapons...

Washington School music teacher Mary Collier Mims has been published for the second time in a national journal for members of Music Educators National Conference. The February 1994 issue of Teaching Music includes her answer to the question "How do you keep students interested during class?" Mims describes her motivation techniques, classroom atmosphere and parental involvement...

BENTON -- An orientation session for parents who anticipate having a child in kindergarten at Kelly school during the 1994-95 school year will be held March 1. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the elementary school gym. The meeting is designed to share information with parents and answer questions about the kindergarten screening process, student eligibility, the enrollment process, registration information, the kindergarten curriculum and some things that parents can do to better prepare their children for kindergarten.. ...

In recognition of Black History Month, the Cape Girardeau Public Library is holding a program featuring African-American picture books Saturday at 2 p.m. Students in first through sixth grades are invited to view the books selected by the library, illustrated by famous African-American artists. Passages of the books will be read by Frank Ellis, a teacher at May Greene School and Janet Wigfall, a teacher at Franklin Elementary School...

Piano students received superior and excellent ratings at the National Federation of Music Clubs Junior Musical Festival, held Feb. 5 at Southeast Missouri State University. Receiving the honors were Laura Bollinger, Alison Eaton, Nicholas Ervin, Amber Elfrink, Jessica Zimmer, Blake Ervin, Lauren Wells, Jeff Mueller, Caroline Mueller, Sarah Newton, all of Cape Girardeau; and Juliann Hall of Jackson. They are piano students of Marge Main...

Cecelia Kluesner, 406 Sheridan Drive, has been selected to receive honorable award recognition of The National Dean's List for the academic year 1993-94. Students named to The National Dean's List are selected by their college dean or comparable faculty representative. Only one-half to one percent of the nation's college students receive the award...

SCOTT CITY -- Michele Crook of Scott City has been named to the dean's list for the fall semester at Murray State University in Murray, Ky. She is a 1993 graduate of Scott City High School and is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Weldon Crook of Scott City...