Stories from Sunday, September 3, 1995

SIKESTON -- Eddie Mae Butler, 76, of Sikeston died Thursday, Aug. 31, 1995, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born July 3, 1919, in New Madrid to the late Hiram Gardner and Georgia Moss Gardner. She was a homemaker, a member of the West End Baptist Church since 1953 and a former member of the senior choir and the missionary society...

To the editor: It's Saturday morning, and an average family -- mother, father and two children -- sit down at the table for breakfast. Mother has decided to prepare a nice meal for her family. The workweek is busy, so this gathering is a treat for the family. ...

BELL CITY -- The Bell City Rotary Club will sponsor a day of beauty pageants in conjunction with the Community Days festivities. The pageants will begin at 1 p.m. Sept. 9 at the Rotary Park in Bell City. Age categories for girls are 0-23 months, 2-3 years, 4-5 years, 6-8 years, 9-10 years, 11-13 years, 14-19 years. Boys categories are 0-23 months, 2-3 years and 4-5 years...

The Scott County Historical Society will host a picnic for all members and their guests at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 18. New members are welcome. The picnic will be held at the Morley V.F.W. Hall in Morley. Members should bring a covered dish and drinks. Meat will be provided by the society...

The Cape Girardeau Chapter of the American Business Women's Association will hold its 14th annual business associate night, beginning at 5:30 Thursday at the Drury Lodge. The chapter will present its "Business Associate of 1995" award. City policemen Charlie Herbst and Ike Hammond will discuss gangs and violence...

Bill Bowers, left, 3123 Dogwood, received the September Yard of the Month Award from Jeri Packard, a member of the Beautification Committee of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce. Joe Sherinski, left, presented the September Yard of the Month Award to Veronica Kirk, 2818 Hawthorne. The landscape awards rotate among seven areas of Cape Girardeau during the primary growing season...

A family member who subscribes to the New York Times commended to me an article in that publication's Sunday magazine about the bloody nightmare in Bosnia. I responded by saying that I definitely wanted to read it, as I always try to include that superb piece of journalism in my weekly reading...

When he campaigned for president in 1992, Bill Clinton advocated a more aggressive military policy on Bosnia, including NATO bombing of key Serb positions. The British and French, with peacekeeping troops on the ground, wouldn't buy it. Three things have led to a change in the British and French intransigence: (1) Their peacekeepers are now out of Bosnian Serb territory and, thus, no longer in danger. ...

The American political system, both at the federal and state levels, is in such a condition of disrepair that it is on the verge of collapsing, right before our very eyes. The cynical among us will reply that collapse is just what's required after a century of dissolute turpitude, while traditionalists will argue the system that has served us well in the past only needs some fixing to make it perfect again, while many other Americans will nod their heads in assent, hoping that something can be done to restore public confidence.. ...

Reports are in on campaign contributions flowing to members of the new 104th Congress, the first session of that body with a Republican majority since Dwight Eisenhower's first term as president. Not surprisingly, the Republicans are doing well in the race for campaign dollars, having raked in $27 million of $44 million raised by all members from Jan. ...

The Committee on Administration of the Missouri Senate this week approved a means by which staffers will feed video reports to local television stations across Missouri. The video reports will be 45 seconds in length and will be easily used by local TV stations that will pick them up on the same satellite feed on which the Missouri Lottery sends out daily reports to stations across Missouri...

To the editor: On behalf of the Delta Queen Steamboat Co., I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the citizens of Cape Girardeau and the surrounding areas for the enthusiastic welcome our new American Queen received. People like you throughout America's heartland have lined riverbanks and locks to cheer her on, whether rain, shine or the middle of the night. ...

Almost everyone involved will benefit from the new fund-raising campaigns announced this week by the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri. The "Paws to Recycle" aluminum recycling program will help the environment while animal lovers and pets alike will benefit from the "Paw Crawl '95."...

BENTON --After a visit to the Neighbor Days celebration here, you can't say this town of 575 residents isn't friendly. Geneva Dirnberger earned $5 just for speaking to her neighbor. "I thought I'd better shake his hand and say `Howdy, neighbor," she said, while working at the food stand sponsored by the St. Denis Catholic Church...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Anita Cox Presley, 42, of East Prairie died Friday, Sept. 1, 1995, of an extended illness at her sister's home here. She was born May 15, 1953, in Mississippi County, daughter of Floyd and Lottie King Cox. She married R.C. "Bob" Presley on July 28, 1984...

Weldon L. Slinkard, 84, of Jackson died Friday, Sept. 1, 1995, at his home. He was born Aug. 8, 1911, in Cape Girardeau County, son of David and Ollie McLain Slinkard. He and Amelia Brucker were married Sept. 10, 1935. She preceded him in death Sept. 16, 1987...

PUXICO -- Shirley L. Bolin, 58, of Puxico died Friday, Sept. 1, 1995, at Lucy Lee Hospital in Poplar Bluff. She was born Nov. 4, 1936, at Puxico, daughter of Lestie and Minnie Mossman O'Neal. She married James Bolin on Aug. 9, 1970. Bolin was a homemaker and spent all her life in Puxico. She was a member of the Corinth General Baptist Church...

Geraldine Colman, 95, formerly of Jackson, died Saturday, Sept. 2, 1995, in Munster, Ind. Friends may call from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson. Funeral will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the New McKendree United Methodist Church in Jackson. Burial will be in Russell Heights Cemetery...

Chester B. Smith, 84, died Saturday, Sept. 2, 1995, at the Cape Girardeau Lutheran Home. He was born Feb. 5, 1911, in Cape Girardeau to Lenarious B. and Stella Edwards Smith. He first married Fleda Rhodes on Aug. 1, 1937, in Cape Girardeau. She died March 30, 1954. He then married Lucille Oliver on June 6, 1957, in Wyatt. She died Sept. 15, 1994...

Officials with the General Services Administration, which is set to spend $3.9 million for site acquisition and design of a new U.S. courthouse, are due to arrive in Cape Girardeau Sept. 25 for a public hearing not yet set. The GSA is known to be examining a number of proposals for sites, including the block that includes historic houses at 313 and 323 Themis...

A number of people who live in downtown Cape Girardeau are upset by the possibility that a planned federal building and U.S. Courthouse could be built in a square block that is home to some of the city's historic houses. Others who live in the block say they would sell to the federal government, while some expressed mixed feelings...

A woman strolled slowly through University Center glancing over African-style clothing, decor and literature. She stopped to try on a sash made of ethnic material. Her young granddaughter giggled. "You look like you're from Africa!" she said. "I am, honey," her grandmother replied. "Didn't you know that?"...

As Capt. Don Smith, a 38-year veteran of the Cape Girardeau Fire Department, said about the job: "It's a young man's game." But with the retirement of Smith and firefighters Ron Poe and Jerry Emerson Aug. 30 and that of Capt. Frank Moore on Dec. 1, the department is losing 129 years of experience...

The Cape Girardeau Central Junior High School PTA and St. Francis Medical Center will sponsor "Tie 'em up tiger day" for eighth and ninth grade students Sept. 9 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Free refreshments, a dance contest, lots of games and prizes, a photo booth and T-shirts to tie-dye will be among the activities at the junior high. In case of rain, the event will be held Sept. 10 from 3 to 5:30 p.m...

After 18 years of helping the Area Wide United Way raise money for community service agencies, Dorothy Klein will retire. She will work through the current campaign and retire Dec. 31. The Area Wide United Way annually conducts a fund drive to help service agencies in Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Scott City...

Hunters across the land Friday set out for the year's opening volley at the most populous, most shot-at and most frequently missed game birds, mourning doves. The outlook for the traditional Sept. 1 season opener and the first few days of the season was mixed. On one hand, birds should be plentiful. On the other, there could be some difficulty -- as there frequently is -- in getting together with them...

RIVERS: Big Niangua (above the Bennett Springs State Park): Slightly up, alearing; fishing is fair. Big River: Clear, upper end murky, lower end slightly low; bass fair on topwater lures and buzzbaits; catfish fair on small sunfish, large minnows and nightcrawlers...

"I's get weary and tired of readin' 'Bout nation's troublins, That jest keep doublins." When I catch myself muttering such an attempt at parody, I turn to my little stack of old magazines to read snippets here and there to reassure myself that we've been moving steadily onward toward the better and the good...

The same grant money that made Cape Girardeau's Rush Limbaugh tour possible is also giving visitors a look at Southeast Missouri's historic churches. The Old Time Religion Tour features 15 historic churches situated from Ste. Genevieve to Benton. All the churches are over 150 years old...