Stories from Wednesday, July 3, 1996

Sampson Reynolds, 17, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was the son of Daniel and Vonna Reynolds. Arrangements are incomplete at Lorberg Memorial Funeral Chapel in Cape Girardeau.

ALTO PASS, Ill. -- Norman J. Lyerla, 88, of Cahokia, formerly of Alto Pass, died Tuesday, July 2, 1996, at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Belleville. Friends may call at Hileman and Parr Funeral Home in Jonesboro from 5:30-9 p.m. today. Funeral service will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Phil Nelson officiating. Burial will be in Alto Pass Cemetery...

CHARLESTON -- Alice Cooper, 70, of Charleston, died Sunday, June 30, 1996, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. She was born Dec. 25, 1925, in the state of Mississippi. She married John Solomon Cooper, who preceded her in death. Cooper was a member of the Church of Christ...

Daughter to Christopher C.C. Van Pelt and Melisa Lynn Keele of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 4:35 a.m. Tuesday, June 25, 1996. Name, Mallory Lynn. Weight, 6 pounds 6 ounces. First child. Miss Keele is the daughter of Judy Keele and David Keele of Cape Girardeau. Van Pelt is the son of Tanya Sadler of Cape Girardeau and the late Robert E. Van Pelt. He is employed at Chaffee Nursing Home...

To the editor: This letter is in response to various articles and advertisements which recently appeared in the Southeast Missourian as well as other publications throughout Missouri. Blue Cross brags about paying millions of dollars in federal taxes each year, yet millions of Missouri citizens, including small and large business owners, also pay federal, state and local taxes. ...

Freedom has many faces, as Kevin Green discovered recently. Green had spent the last 16 years in a California prison for the beating of his wife and the murder of his unborn child. Thanks to DNA evidence, another man has been charged, and Green was allowed to return to his home in central Missouri...

JACKSON -- Many voices spoke out at the heated meeting of the Bollinger/Cape Girardeau County Lake Landowners Association, but the loudest were those in opposition. The first landowner who spoke even stormed out after declaring that the 1-cent tax could never pay for the lake...

In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America. When in the Course of human events ... What American can fail to be stirred by the opening words of the Declaration of Independence, the document that marked the birth of this nation?...

Lights at the interchange IT SURE is nice to have lights out by the interchange of Highway 61 at Fruitland and the interstate. Thanks, Bill Emerson I JUST wanted to say: Bill Emerson, I'm going to miss you. You were my hero, and I'm going to miss your representation for Missouri. Thank you for all you did...

Ernie Jackson, left, sold blueberries at the Mid-America Teen Challenge fruit stand to Cindy Olson and her daughter, Bethany, 5. These blueberries are ready for picking. Blueberries from Mid-America Teen Challenge are available locally. Some are sweet, some may be tart. Degrees of reds and blues are among their hues. Nature's berries, in myriad colors, textures and shapes, sparkle with taste whether eaten fresh from the patch or used as the main ingredient in a prepared dish...

Missouri Secretary of State Bekki Cook said Tuesday that her office knew there were problems with the state's new election law long before the death of U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson. "We knew in February when we were working on this that this law was way too complex and it had problems and we needed to address it,' she said...

OLIVE BRANCH, Ill. -- Ruth Duff, 102, of Olive Branch, died Tuesday, July 2, 1996, at her home. She was born March 1, 1894, at Delta, Ill., daughter of Benjamin Franklin and Nicie Jane Lee Dickerson. She married Richard Ernest Duff, who died in 1948...

QULIN -- Delbert Leroy Hendrix, 53, of Festus, died Monday, July 1, 1996, in Festus. He was born Feb. 14, 1943, in Qulin, son of Thomas Leroy and Dorothy Black Hendrix. He and Pamelia Bellew were married Aug. 23, 1986, at Festus. Hendrix was an ironworker. He was a member of Ironworkers Local 518. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy...

DEXTER -- Geneva Eakin, 73, died Monday, July 1, 1996, at her home. She was born Oct. 29, 1922, daughter of James Alva and Imogene Robinson Oates at Pottsville, Ark. She and Thomas K. Eakin were married on Jan. 26, 1938. Eakin had been a resident of Dexter for 35 years. She was a member of the Taylor General Baptist Church and worked for several years at the Stoddard County Sheltered Workshop...

PERRYVILLE -- Funeral Mass for Elmer Joseph Keller of Perryville will be held at 11:30 a.m. today at Miller Family Funeral Home. The Rev. Kevin Fausz will officiate, with burial in Mt. Hope Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home from 6:30-11:20 a.m. The rosary will be recited at 10:30...

ANNA, Ill. -- Funeral service for Ethel Kriculi of Champaign, formerly of Anna, will be held at 1:30 p.m. today at Lindale Memorial Gardens in Eldorado. The Rev. Dean Blackburn will officiate. Friends may call at Crain Funeral Home in Anna from 9-11 a.m., and after 1 p.m. at the cemetery chapel...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Funeral service for Carrie M. Wyatt of East Prairie will be held at 2 p.m. today at Shelby Funeral Chapel in East Prairie. The Rev. Jerry Willer will officiate, with burial in East Prairie Memorial Park. Friends may call at the funeral home after 10 a.m...

PERRYVILLE -- Alice J. Nelson, 61, of Perryville, died Monday, July 1, 1996, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born March 26, 1935, in St. Louis, daughter of Everett and Sara Solomon Kush. She and Phillip R. Nelson were married Sept. 28, 1958...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Funeral service for Otis F. Bennett, 77, of East Prairie, will be held at 11 a.m. today at Shelby Funeral Chapel in East Prairie. The Rev. Raymond Grimes will officiate, with burial in Garden of Memories Cemetery at Sikeston. Bennett, 77, died Monday, July 1, 1996, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston...

Meteorologists say the firecracker forecast is fantastic with high temperatures in the 80s and low humidity, a change from hot humid weather dogging Southeast Missouri earlier this week. "We're going to improve the weather for you," said Joe Pedigo with the National Weather Service...

Funeral service for Helen Lorene Huffman, 2957 Valley Creek Road, will be held at 2 p.m. today at Ford and Sons Sprigg Street Chapel. The Revs. Cy Smith and Don Stephens will officiate, with burial in Memorial Park. Friends may call at the funeral home from 8 a.m. to service time...

PERRYVILLE -- Mary Catherine Weinkein, 85, of Perryville, died Tuesday, July 2, 1996, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. She was born June 25, 1911, in Perry County, daughter of Henry J. and Annie J. Layton Benlein. She and Howard F. Weinkein were married June 15, 1930, at Highland. He died Aug. 7, 1995...

BENTON -- Donald W. Teague, 57, of Benton, died Monday, July 1, 1996, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Dec. 11, 1938, at Bertrand, son of J.W. and Edna Marie Teague. Teague was a riverboat pilot many years, and was a captain with Luhr Brothers Inc. in Cape Girardeau. He was also a minister. Teague was a member of Local 513 and attended Lively Hope Fellowship in Oran...

MARBLE HILL -- Ulean H. James, 91, of Marble Hill, died Tuesday, July 2, 1996, at Bond Nursing Care Center. Baker Funeral Home is incharge of arrangements.

PADUCAH, Ky. -- The Great Steamboat Race might not be the topic of conversation that replaces politics and the weather like it did in the days of Mark Twain, but that doesn't mean it isn't as hotly contested. Twain once wrote that "in the flush times of steamboating, a race between two notoriously fleet steamers was an event of vast importance. ...

John Ashcroft received a quick promotion Tuesday. The U.S. senator spent a few hours working alongside Schnucks employees at Schnucks Food & Drug on South Kingshighway stocking produce shelves and assisting customers who were doing their Independence Day holiday shopping...

Jo Ann Emerson may run for Congress in the 8th District to carry on the legacy of her late husband, U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson. In a prepared statement, the 46-year-old widow said Tuesday she will spend the next few days conferring with her four daughters on whether she should enter the race...

Taking strong positions for term limits and against gun control, Democrat Emily Firebaugh announced her candidacy Tuesday for the 8th Congressional District seat. About 230 people crowded into a conference room at the Holiday Inn in Cape Girardeau, among them Gov. Mel Carnahan, Lt. Gov. Roger Wilson and State Treasurer Bob Holden...

There comes a time when two heads aren't better than one. Like other members of the mathematically challenged, The Other Half and I can't balance our checkbook. A decade ago, when I was enrolled in high school business classes and made a whopping $75 a week at my part-time job, it was easy to balance my checkbook. The only reason the account existed was to hold money from the evening of payday until the next time the Gap was open...

PADUCAH, Ky. -- Samuel Clemons loved steamboating on the Mississippi River. He landed a job as a pilot on board a steamboat and called it one of the greatest experiences of his life. In fact, he adopted one of its signals as his pen name when he became the writer Mark Twain...

St. Francis Medical Center received its second consecutive Accreditation with Commendation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the highest accreditation offered by JCAHO. "To achieve one Accreditation with Commendation is a significant achievement, but to do it again is really something to be proud of, said John E. ...

The High School Handbell Choir from Trinity Lutheran Church in Roselle, Ill., will present a concert Friday night at Trinity Lutheran Church, 100 N. Frederick. The program will begin at 7. The choir is under the direction of Amy L. Moeller. A free will offering will be received to help with expenses of the choir...

FROHNA -- The Dreyer family reunion will be held July 13 in the gym at Concordia Lutheran Church in Frohna. The event begins at 10 a.m., with a catered meal to be served at noon. Those attending are asked to bring pictures and any genealogy information they have...

It seems impossible that half of 1996 is history. As we started this year, we had 13 major goals to accomplish or make progress on for 1996. As we review those goals halfway through the year, we have made progress on most and completed some of our goals. To be more precise, considerable progress has been made on 11 of these 13 goals, with plans in the works to move forward on the remaining two goals...

JACKSON -- The Rev. Jim Raney will be keeping a close eye on the upcoming runoff election for the Russian presidency. That's because the winner -- incumbent Boris Yeltsin or Communist Gennady Zyuganov -- could have a big influence on whether or not construction of a Baptist church in neighboring Belarus is completed...

JACKSON -- Celebrate the Fourth with food, fun and fireworks at Jackson City Park. The Jackson Jaycees are hosting their annual July 4 celebration Thursday with activities throughout the day. The mud volleyball tournament, which begins at 8 a.m., will be a big draw, said Wanda Lorenz, one of the organizers of the celebration...

The Southeast Missourian asked people what they thought about murals being painted on buildings in Jackson. Ellen Clippard: "I like them, especially historical pictures. Our children need to know more history. Murals are educational." Nancy Collier: "It's a great idea. There is too much history to depict in just one mural. I would like to see several murals with different time periods."...

JACKSON -- The Jackson Municipal Band will hold its weekly concert at 8 p.m. Thursday in the City Park band shell. Robyn Hosp will be the special guest. Hosp has sung professionally for 15 years in Nashville and locally, and regularly appears on "Spotlight Tonight."...

JACKSON -- With the Fourth of July approaching, the city is enforcing a law that makes the use of fireworks illegal in City Park. The ordinance, passed in August 1994, has been consistently violated but has substantially reduced the use of fireworks in the park...

July 1 Public Hearing No comments were made in favor of or against the proposed voluntary annexation of property owned by the Jackson Elks Lodge. Action Items Authorized quarterly payment of $5,500 to the Cape Girardeau Area Industrial Recruitment Association for services provided...

Several area residents made the dean's list at Linn State Technical College. They are Nicholas Essner and Kenneth Bramlett, both of Cape Girardeau; Duston Ancell of Cairo, Ill.; Jason Myers of Fredericktown; Derek Halter of Marble Hill; Nathan Ernst and Brad Leuckel, both of Perryville; Neil Gates of Sikeston; and Kevin Hahn of Ste. Genevieve...

SHAAREI America Program is seeking host families The SHAAREI America Program needs a few families to host foreign high school students arriving mid-August from more than 20 countries. The students will attend high schools for an academic year or semester. They speak English and will arrive with everything they will need, such as spending money and medical insurance. For more information, please call 1-800-715-3738...

Stephen Eugene Dale of Scott City was one of 2,034 Oklahoma State University students earning recognition on academic honor rolls for the spring semester. He had to carry 12 credit hours, make a 3.5 grade point average or higher, have no grade below a "C" and have no incomplete courses to be nominated for the dean's honor roll...

Graduates of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale included Alto Pass graduates, Jami Bathon, Ronald Gill, Jennifer Goode and Mary Miller, all receiving bachelor's degrees; and Jennifer Pender, receiving an associate degree; Anna graduates, Jared Driskill, Sarah Haas, Marcy Hazel, Tasha Hogue, Terri Kunkel, Andrea Moore, Eric Osman, Jacqueline Rahmoeller, Pamela Rich, Eric Simmons, Alison Smith and Rebecca Weilmuenster, all bachelor's degrees; Cairo graduates, Joshua Potts and Gwendolyn Watts, both bachelor's degrees; Shawneetown graduate, Ronald Oxford, a bachelor's degree; and Tamms graduates, Carl Hileman, a bachelor's degree, and Rhonda Walker, an associate degree.. ...

Shawnee Community College trustee Don Patton of Cairo has received a Trustee Education Award from the Illinois Community College Trustees Association. Patton was one of only five trustees statewide to receive the honor during the group's annual convention on June 13 in Springfield. ...

Entries are now being accepted for the Miss Missouri Peach Fair Pageant, which is held in conjunction with the Missouri Peach Fair in Campbell. The fair is being held during the month of August and the Miss Missouri Peach Fair Pageant is scheduled for Tuesday, August 13, at 7 p.m. ...

Gerri L. Bollinger, formerly of Cape Girardeau, was the commencement speaker at Rockwood Summit High School on June 3. Bollinger, a 1981 graduate of Notre Dame High School, was chosen to be the speaker by the 264 graduating seniors. This was the first graduating class of Rockwood Summit which has now been open for three years. ...

The music student of the month of December is Jessica McCuan, daughter of Richard and Kathy McCuan of Jackson. She was the editor-in-chief of the Squawler, co-captain of the varsity volleyball team, bi-weekly columnist for the Southeast Missourian, four year district band member, state "1" rating recipient at the State Solo and ensemble Contest, National Honor Society member, "Just Say No" club member and a two year Student Council member. ...

Susan Rosa Eckerle of Marble Hill and Amy Beth Bertrand of Scott City were awarded membership into Phi Beta Kappa, a prestigious scholastic honorary fraternity at the University of Missouri-Columbia. The society consists of members who have achieved academic success in pursuing a liberal arts and sciences education. ...

Terry R. Greable and Chad E. Berkbuegler, of Cape Girardeau, recently enlisted in the United States Navy. Greable, a 1996 graduate of Cape Girardeau Central High School, and Berkbuegler, a 1995 graduate of Notre Dame High School, both joined under the Navy Delayed Entry Program. This program allows young men and women to enlist up to a year before their actual entry onto active duty...

Matthew DeJournett, son of Madeline and Dale DeJournett of rural Advance, been selected to attend Missouri's Boy's State at the Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg. June 15 through June 22. Students participates in a rigorous week of leadership activities, governmental exercises and athletics. ...

The United States Achievement Academy has announced the David Allen Dickinson, of Hartville has been named a United States National Award winner in academics. This is a prestigious award that only recognizes less than 10 percent of all American high school students. ...

The Cape Girardeau Municipal Band will present "A Salute to America" and special recognition of veterans at tonight's concert. The concert starts at 8 p.m. at the Capaha Park band shell. Admission is free, and the concert will last about an hour. Bring lawn chairs...