Stories from Tuesday, July 19, 1994

DELTA -- Lee Gattis of Jackson has been named the new Delta High School principal. For the last 10 years, Gattis has taught industrial arts in grades seven through 12 at Marquand-Zion R-6 school district. "I think I have an excellent school to work in," Gattis said about his first principal's job. "It's a fine student body, excellent staff and very nice community. I'm looking forward to meeting more folks around the area...

Rendrag Corp. was granted approval by the Cape Girardeau City Council Monday night to pull the plug on its own housing development project after it withdrew its rezoning request. The council voted to comply with the request of Dr. Robert Gardner's proposed development of 33 acres, which called for rezoning of the tract from single-family residential to multiple-family dwelling...

After ironing out last-minute details in closed session, the Scott City Council Monday unanimously approved a $63 million riverboat gambling contract with Lady Luck Gaming Corp. Prior to the council's action, it was presented with a copy of an agreement signed by Andy Tompkins, chief executive officer of Lady Luck. The copy was faxed to the Scott City police station from Las Vegas...

A petition drive launched by a group of school patrons calls for the resignation of Cape Girardeau School Superintendent Neyland Clark. Amy Randol, a spokeswoman for the group, said the petition drive began over the weekend. She estimated that more than 50 people are collecting signatures...

JACKSON -- A St. Louis industrial loss will be Jackson's gain. Lee-Rowan, a St. Louis-based manufacturer and distributor of home organizational products, announced Monday that it will close its St. Louis manufacturing facility and combine the operation with its Jackson production facility...

Before Missourians register disgust on hearing the word lobbyist, consider this scenario: Your boss asks you discuss with your neighbor a proposed law that would levy a new tax on his business, and recognizing that whatever pinches your employer can also affect your income, you discuss the law with the fellow living across the street who happens to be a member of the General Assembly...

"Eating words has never given me indigestion," Winston Churchill once said. But in France these days, there is plenty of indigestion to go around. The French parliament recently barred advertisers, schools, government and corporations from using 3,500 foreign words, including cheeseburger, chewing gum and bulldozer...

A few months ago Brandon Hinkle, a hearing impaired nine-year-old, told his mother that he was afraid to go to sleep because there might be a fire, and he wouldn't be able to hear the alarms. That's when his mother, Brenda, started looking for help. She found help from the Semo Alliance for Disability Independence Inc. in Cape Girardeau...

Steve Schaffner and Steve Pirtle will provide Nashville string music and Carol Keeler, KZIM talk show hostess, will serve as celebrity conductor as the Cape Girardeau Municipal Band embarks on its eighth summer concert Wednesday. The concert, which will take place in the band shell at Capaha Park, begins at 8 p.m...

JACKSON -- The Jackson Municipal Band will perform Thursday at 8 p.m. at the band shell in the city park with special guest Steve Schaffner. Schaffner is a fiddler and is currently string instructor with the Cape Girardeau public schools. He spent three years touring with the Narvel Felts Band. He has also performed with country stars like George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Ronnie Milsap and has performed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville...

Two cooking categories have been added to the annual BBQ Fest set for Aug. 26-27 at Arena Park. Beef brisket and whole hog are the newest categories. Others are hamburgers, beef kebabs, pork Boston butts and pork ribs. Teams must cook in four of the six categories to be eligible for the grand champion trophy...

JACKSON -- Handicapped citizens soon will have better access to the Veterans of All Wars Memorial in Jackson's Brookside Park. The Jackson Board of Aldermen voted Monday to award a $40,466 contract to Fronabarger Concreters Inc. for construction of handicapped public access facilities at the memorial...

BERTRAND -- Josephine M. McKenney, 70, of Bertrand, died Saturday, July 16, 1994, at her home. She was born May 31, 1924, in Gillespie, Ill., daughter of Joseph and Lucy Bausano Mor. She and William McKenney were married in September 1953. McKenney was employed by North Shore Trucking Co. in Central, Ill. After moving to Bertrand she was employed by the city of Bertrand, retiring in 1984. She was a member of Bertrand United Methodist Church...

Funeral service for Fred W. Henson of Cape Girardeau will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Ford and Sons Sprigg Street Chapel. The Rev. Doyle Randol will officiate, with burial in Lorimier Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home from 6-8 p.m. today...

Son to Mr. and Mrs. Mel Williams of Plano, Texas, Presbyterian Hospital, 2:49 p.m. Friday, July 1, 1994. Name, Brett Andrew. Weight, 7 pounds 6 ounces. First child. Mrs. Williams is the former Janice Scheeter, daughter of Webb and Frances Scheeter of New Hamburg. She is employed at Brice Riddle Group in Dallas, Texas. Williams is employed at Lomas Mortgage in Dallas, and is the son of Mr. and Mrs. M.L. Williams of Houston, Texas...

ADVANCE -- Funeral service for Dorothy Lee Masters of Advance will be held at 1 p.m. today at Morgan Funeral Chapel. The Revs. Virgil Bunch and Ronnie Mosier will officiate, with burial in Morgan Memorial Park. Masters, 83, died Saturday, July 16, 1994, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau...

BIEHLE -- Graveside service for Gilbert William Emde of Biehle will be held at 10:30 a.m. today at Russell Heights Cemetery in Jackson. The Rev. Robert Henrichs will officiate. Ford and Sons Mt. Auburn Chapel in Cape Girardeau is in charge of arrangements...

The national health-care debate began shrouded in mystery, with bitter, one-sided attacks and, to put it kindly, an exaggeration. While convening a secret task force outside of the normal bounds of government, Bill and Hillary Clinton vilified the insurance and pharmaceutical industries and promised health-care reform that would both necessitate no new taxes and lower the nation's deficit. ...

To the Editor, Democracy: "government in which the people hold the ruling power either directly or through elected representatives; ruled by the ruled" (Webster's dictionary). In the 1700 and 1800's selecting one person to represent the people of an area was the most practical way to run government by the people. ...

To the Editor, There are a number of health reform plans presented by Congressmen, Senators and pretenders such as Jerry Falwell and Rush Limbaugh in their attempt to get attention. One or two plans do offer universal health care with various sources of payments. That is plausible and credible. Other countries have universal health care. Plans that make health care optional are nothing. We already have that...

Tom Harte thinks Harry Truman was one of this century's greatest presidents. Russell Renka believes that he was one of the worst. Christopher Schnell thinks Truman is just misunderstood. Sure, these three Southeast Missouri State University professors disagree, but that is what makes their course on the modern presidency interesting...

John H. Cochran of Cape Girardeau has been awarded a President's Scholarship, Missouri Leadership Award and Boy's State Leadership Award to attend Southeast Missouri State University for the 1994-95 academic year. The President's Scholarship is awarded to high school seniors who rank at least in the upper 20 percent of their high school class and score 25 on the ACT or 1030 on the SAT. ...

Two students and a teacher from Scott City schools attended this year's Future Business Leaders of America national leadership conference, held July 4-7 in Anaheim, Calif. Attending were students Brandon Raines and Jenny Page and Scott City FBLA adviser Pat Andrews. They joined approximately 4,000 others at the conference...

Craig Hammond has completed required studies for a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in molecular and cell biology at the School of Medicine in Yale University, New Haven, Conn. Hammond is a graduate of Central High School. His undergraduate study was completed at the University of Missouri in Columbia, where he graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in biology. At that time he was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honorary fraternity...

Kristie L. Gillespie, a 1993 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, has been awarded the Graduate Council's Excellence in Research Award. Gillespie of Cape Girardeau has a master's degree in communication disorders. She received the award for her master's thesis...

Jackson -- Brad Milde of Jackson has been named an "Outstanding Music Camper of the Week" at Southeast Missouri State University's summer music camp. Milde, who will be in ninth grade this fall at R.O. Hawkins School, plays the drums. He is the son of Cheryl and Mark Milde of Jackson...

Continuing an inter-city exchange that began in 1955, 16 travelers from Cape Girardeau recently completed a two-week visit to Memmingen, Germany. Those who attended were members of Dieter Jedan's advanced German language class at Southeast Missouri State University and members of his German culture class at the Senior Learning Center...

Stephanie M. Rhodes of Wolf Lake, Ill., received an agricultural communications scholarship at the University of Illinois in Urbana, Ill. Rhodes, daughter of Belinda Lu and Lane Rhodes, is a 1993 graduate of Shawnee High School. The $500 scholarship, the Henry Ochs Memorial Scholarship, recognizes outstanding professional promise in the career field of agricultural communications...

CARBONDALE, Ill. --Elizabeth H. Chastain of Jackson was named to the dean's list at Southern Illinois University's School of Law. In order to be named to the dean's list, a student must rank in the top 15 percent of his or her class. Chastain just completed her first year of law school...

Andrea Jackson of Dongola, Ill., Casey Stahlheber of Jonesboro, Ill., and April Poole and Rob Kaufman, both of Anna, Ill., represented Southern Illinois Electric Cooperative in the 1994 Youth to Washington Tour. The four were among 63 outstanding rural youth leaders from Illinois who participated in the tour the week of June 20. The annual trip is sponsored by the electric and telephone cooperatives of Illinois...