Stories from Sunday, September 27, 1998

To the editor: I applaud Charles Hutson and the downtown merchants for their efforts in making the downtown area the very homelike and popular place it once was. The warm atmosphere it always had still exists. The installation of 75 banners identifying the area as a Historic Riverfront District is indeed an excellent idea...

Starting Oct. 1, the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center will be offering flu vaccinations. This year the center, in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Health, will also offer penumonia vaccinations. Flu shots are available to high-risk groups, persons living with or caring for high-risk individuals or anyone who wants to reduce his or her chances of contracting the flu...

Today's children may live to be 125 years old. They have to be thinkers, says Bev Bos, who was guest speaker at an Early Childhood-School-Age Child Care Conference held Saturday on Southeast Missouri State University campus. Today's children will solve future issues -- AIDS and other health issues, transportation problems and much more, said Bos...

25 years ago: 1973 Jackson's 18th annual Community Chest campaign will begin Oct. 1; campaign chairman Robert Grebing says goal is $17,800; funds will be sought for eight agencies: American Red Cross, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Jackson Benevolent Fund, Children's Welfare of R-2 School District, Cape Girardeau County Handicapped Children, VIP Industries Inc., and United Service Organization; campaign co-chairman is George Webster...

WHEN IS all the litter going to be picked up from the fair parade? It looks a mess. IN 1981, the national debt was less than $1 trillion but the interest payment was $95.6 billion. In 1993, the national debt was up to $4.41 trillion, and the interest payment on the national debt was $292.5 billion. ...

Monday, Oct. 5, is the day set for hearing motions on the lawsuit I filed last month to set aside the contract Attorney General Jay Nixon entered into with private attorneys to pursue Missouri's stake in the tobacco litigation. On Aug. 5, I filed suit in Cole County Circuit Court alleging that Nixon's contract to hire private, outside counsel is illegal...

"A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself within. The essential causes of Rome's decline lay in her people, her morals, her class struggle, her failing trade, her bureaucratic despotism ... ." -- Historian Will Durant...

Talk to any farmer or rancher, or any small-business owner in a region dominated by agribusiness, and you'll hear the same thing: 1998 will go down as one of the worst years ever for farm commodity and livestock prices. The farm economy has been reeling from natural disasters, crop disease and extremely low prices...

The U.S. Senate this past week rejected, by a 55-44 vote, an effort by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., to approve a $1 increase the minimum wage. This would have been an increase of 19.4 percent and is entirely unjustified. Both of Missouri's Republican U.S. senators voted against Kennedy's proposal...

Graduates of "the Temptations university" got a refresher course in soulful harmonies, synchronized dance and the group's signature walk during a performance Saturday at Houck Stadium. "Those boys can sing!" said Willie Mae McFerren as she stood on tiptoe to get a better look at the performing group. "Back in my day, (the Temptations) were the singers. That's why I'm here."...

Members of the President's Commission on Minority Affairs discussed changing its name and mission during a meeting at Southeast Missouri State University Saturday. The commission, organized in 1996 by Southeast president Dr. Dale Nitzschke, was to address issues of recruiting and retaining minorities at Southeast. Nitzschke charged the commission to meet twice a year to discuss concerns and implement strategies to improve the life for minority students on campus...

A youngster walked up to the woman with a head band. "Could I get a rainbow?" he asked. A few minutes later, the young lad gazed into a mirror, happily thanked the Indian face painter, and left. Taking his place beside Laura Marie Stoner was a young girl, who requested that a rose be painted on her face...

David Spric with the Air Force ROTC Honor Guard bowed his head during the POW-MIA Remembrance Ceremony Saturday. JACKSON -- A bright sun and just enough wind to ripple the more the 90 flags along the "Avenue of Flags" on both sides of the walkway that leads to the Brookside Park Veterans' Memorial greeted veterans, families of veterans and others for a POW-MIA Recognition Day observance at Jackson Saturday afternoon...

From bad to dad to fad to mad, Becca is learning to spell. Welcome to first grade, where there are Friday spelling tests and real homework. These days, the focus in our house is largely on three-letter words, although there are a few four-letter offerings too, like glad and like...

Winners of the 1998 YELL "Regal Riverfront" contest are Nancy Ernst of Bonne Terre and Denny Drum of Jackson. The winners each receive two gift certificates redeemable at the Regal Riverfront Hotel in St. Louis for complimentary one-night's accommodations for two in a Regal Class room...

Mystery writer Michael Kahn is the guest speaker for the Cape Girardeau Public Library Foundation's fall fund-raiser. Tickets are available. Kahn will give a free presentation at the library from 4 to 5 p.m. Oct. 10. He will present a light-hearted autobiographical talk on how a full-time lawyer and father of five finds time to write novels...

Kelvin Anderson's professional football career didn't exactly start out like he had hoped. But ever since, it's been extremely smooth sailing for Southeast Missouri State University's all-time rushing leader. The former New Madrid County Central High School standout, who gained the nickname "Earthquake" during a dazzling career at Southeast, has been one of the Canadian Football League's top players for the past three seasons with the Calgary Stampeders...

Say one thing for Angel Rubio, Southeast Missouri State University's former All-American who is trying to make it as a rookie in the National Football League. He's been nothing if not resourceful so far. And he's probably getting extremely used to quick moves...

The University of Tennessee-Martin came into Saturday night's football game against Southeast Missouri State with one of the nation's worst rushing defenses, allowing more than 350 yards per game on the ground. And that trend continued as the Indians gutted the Skyhawks for 345 yards rushing during a 41-14 victory in front of 9,138 fans at Houck Stadium...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Southeast Missouri State University's volleyball team finished 2-2 in the five-team Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational Saturday. The round-robin event, held at Southwest Missouri State's Hammons Student Center, concludes with a match today...

If tiny Missouri Class 1A St. Vincent was going to win on the road against Class 3A powerhouse Herculaneum Friday night, it needed to win the battle of mistakes. St. Vincent won the turnover battle, 3-1, and the war 14-12, to improve to 4-0 for the season...

ST. LOUIS -- Cape Girardeau Central High's girls cross country team placed fourth in the 21-team field in the large-schools division of the Hancock Invitational Saturday. West Plains won the event with 36 points. Central had 146, and Jackson, which finished sixth, totaled 184...

Southeast Missouri State University's football team turned in an impressive performance Saturday night, but the news was not all good for the Indians. Tailback Corey Williams -- the Indians' `Mr. Touchdown' -- suffered a dislocated left elbow late in the fourth quarter of a 41-14 win over Tennessee-Martin at Houck Stadium...

A tradition that dates back many thousands of years will be continued this Thursday. Archers across the state of Missouri will set out in pursuit of white-tailed deer and wild turkey. The 1998 archery deer and turkey hunting season will open October 1 and continue through November 13. Following an eleven day closure for firearms deer season, it reopens November 25 and runs until January 15, 1999...

Southeast Missouri State University will hold a golf marathon Oct. 19 at the Anna (Ill.) Country Club. The purpose of the marathon is to raise funds for athletics at Southeast. Area golfers are invited to participate. Each player will secure pledges based upon the concept of playing 54 holes of golf that day. ...

Ted Plunk sank his first ever hole-in-one this past week at Cape Girardeau Country Club. Plunk performed the feat with a 7-wood on No. 16, a 180-yard par 3. Witnesses to the shot were Bill Winkler, Tom Boudinot and Jackie Boudinot. West aced the 115-yard hole with an 8-iron. Witnesses to the shot were Bill Sullivan and John Kenner...

The Jackson Lions Club will hold its 2nd annual Four Man Scramble Oct. 2 at Bent Creek Golf Course. Cost is $60 per person, which includes greens fee, cart, lunch and prizes. The scramble will open with a 12:30 p.m. shotgun start. For more information, contact David Bloom at 243-7973...

~Correction: HORSESHOES The SEMO Horseshoe Association will hold its weekly competition today at Jackson K.C. Hall. Play will begin at 1 p.m.

The Oran High School Booster Club will hold a four-person scramble golf tournament Oct. 9 at Bent Creek Golf Course in Jackson. Entry fee is $60 per person, which includes dinner after the golf. For more information, call 262-3345 of 262-2289.

Wayne Owen Shell, 86, of Cape Girardeau, formerly of the Mount Pleasant Community in Union County, Ill., died Saturday, Sept. 26, 1998, at the Beverly Health and Rehabilitation Services of Cape Girardeau. Funeral arrangements will be announced later at Lutz & Rendleman Funeral Home in Anna, Ill...

Jimmy W. Davis, 58, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Sept. 26, 1998, at his home. Funeral arrangements will be announced later by Ford & Sons Funeral Home.

SCOTT CITY -- Avie Lee Williams, 86, of Scott City died Friday, Sept. 25, 1998, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Nov. 27, 1911, in Lake City, Ark., daughter of the late William and Minnie Russom McFarlin. She was a homemaker who also had worked on the assembly line at GTE in Genoa, Ill...

Della Dee Heisie Besher, 51, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Sept. 26, 1998, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She is survived by her husband, Jim, her mother, Della Heisie, and her children, Jim, Allison and Bill. Funeral arrangements, under the direction of Ford and Sons in Cape Girardeau, are incomplete...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Paul Henry "Dutch" Knupp, 87, of Anniston died Friday, Sept. 25, 1998, at Doctors Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff. He was born Jan. 14, 1911, in Stoddard County, son of John A. and Lula D. Frick Knupp. He was a veteran of World War II, serving in the Army...

Dustin McKinnis and his mother Linda talked about Dustin's friendship with baseball greats like Mark McGwire and Jack Buck. A week ago Sunday, Dustin McKinnis walked from his bedroom and checked to see if the black guitar case was really sitting in the living room, or had the night before been just a dream?...

Jean Bell Mosley's new autobiography, "For Most of the Century," is only avakilable in serialized form in the Southeast Missourian. Return each week for her continuing story. 1990 By 1990 I was beginning to feel like a Cape Girardeau Old Timer. An English teacher in the city school system asked me to write three model paragraphs about Cape Girardeau for a student workbook. There were a great many who had lived here longer than I, but I was pleased to be asked...

The Kiwanis Club of Cape Girardeau has received the Kiwanis International Foundation's Honor Club Banner. The club will present 32 Table of Honor awards at its installation of officers Oct. 3. The Cape Girardeau club is just the third recipient of the international award in the Missouri-Arkansas District...