Stories from Monday, April 26, 1999

Todd M. Voorhes, formerly of Cape Girardeau, has joined the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States at St. Louis. Voorhes, a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University with a bachelor's degree in business administration and public relations, previously worked for United Van Lines in the comptroller's office...

Union Planters Corp. has reported first-quarter net earnings of $97.4 million, or 67 cents per share, compared to $100 million and 74 cents per share during the same quarter a year ago. The 1999 results include two acquisitions -- First Mutual Bancorp. Inc., in Decatur, Ill., and First & Farmers Bancshares Inc. in Somerset and Burkesville, Ky...

Dana Corp., headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, has announced record first-quarter sales and profits. Sales for the quarter were $3.4 billion, reflecting a 5 percent increase. Profits were up 21 percent, at $162 million. Dana is a global supplier of original equipment components to vehicular, industrial and mobile off-highway markets and their related after-markets. ...

Mercantile Bancorporation Inc. has reported first-quarter net income of $118,037,000, up 2.8 percent over the first quarter of 1998, and earnings per share of 74 cents, down from the 75 cents of a year ago. Excluding non-recurring gains related to the sale of non-strategic assets during the first quarter of this year, net income grew by 20.9 percent. After adjusting for non-recurring gains, earnings per share rose by 15.6 percent...

The World Pork Expo, the largest pork event in the world, will be held June 10 through 12 at Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. The event will feature education events and demonstrations for pork producers and consumers. More than 500 agriculture companies will provide exhibitions...

The session, from 2 to 5 p.m., is free to any Chamber of Commerce member in the area. Non-chamber members may attend for $20. Additional information is available by calling the Jackson Chamber of Commerce at 243-8131...

U.S. Rep. Jim Talent, chairman of the House Small Business Committee and a Republican candidate for Missouri governor, will be guest speaker at the Jackson Chamber of Commerce's annual banquet. The banquet will be held June 21 at the Knights of Columbus Hall at Jackson starting at 6 p.m...

The new Missouri Department of Agriculture Hay Directory, a free publication to farmers, is available on the Internet. The 26th edition of the directory, which lists 250 producers and the amount and type of hay for sale, may be found on the Web at: http//agebb.missouri.edu/hay1st...

Leland Swenson, president of the National Farmers Union, will speak at Sikeston Wednesday at the Fisherman's Net Restaurant. Swenson will discuss the NFU and the state of agriculture in the United States. The National Farmers Union, founded in 1902 in Point, Texas, has more than 300,000 members in 20 states...

Sears, Roebuck & Co. reported first-quarter profits jumped 36 percent as the company's credit-card business improved and offset weak sales at its auto centers and department stores. For the three months ended March 31, profit from operations rose to $146 million, or 38 cents a share, from $109.3 million, or 28 cents, a year earlier...

McDonald's Corp. reported its first-quarter profits jumped 11 percent amid strong foreign and domestic sales, increased store openings and lower operating costs. Net income for the three months ended March 31 rose to $402.7 million, or 29 cents a share, from $362.2 million, or 26 cents a share in the comparable period a year earlier. The latter results were adjusted to reflect a stock split in March...

Two Cape Girardeau residents have been selected for the Leadership Missouri program. Donna Burk, director of external affairs for Southwestern Bell, and Kathy Swan, president of Johnson Communications Service, will attend the leadership classes sponsored by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce...

Three members of Lucy Lee Home Health's Piedmont office will be honored by the Missouri Alliance for Home Care today during the MAHC conference at Tan Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach. Pam Birmingham will receive the Above & Beyond award for service to homebound clients in Wayne County, Gladys Aubuchon will receive the Professional Caregiver award and Dee LaPlant will receive the Administrative Support Staff award...

Four accountants with Schott & Van de Ven Certified Public Accountants attended the annual Accounting and Auditing Conference at St. Louis. Attending were Cheryl Morris, Cassandra "Nikki" Wilson, Lonnie Lusk and Tim Schwent. The conference, which focused on new developments in auditing, provided eight hours of continuing professional education credit...

Lonnie G. Hasty, vice president and comptroller of Health Facilities Management Corp. of Cape Girardeau, has been named vice president of the Missouri Family Trust, a statewide, non-profit trust that allows families of people with disabilities to set aside funds to supplement government assistance...

A number of Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. employees, including some from the New Madrid power plant, were honored during the company's Excel Ceremony at the New Madrid plant. Alice Swilley, engineering associate of the New Madrid plant, was named Employee of the Year in the technical field. ...

Dr. Ed Masters of Regional Primary Care in Cape Girardeau was guest lecturer during the 12th International Conference on Lyme Disease and other Spirochetal and Tick-Borne Disorders in New York City. Masters' topic was "Ehrlichiosis, Babesiosis and Borreliosis...

Tammy Bohnert of Frohna has earned the title of fraternal insurance counselor following completion of the Fraternal Field Managers' Association sales training program. Bohnert is an associate of the Jack Hollingsworth-Mike Mickelson Agency of Aid Association for Lutherans of Independence. She calls on Lutherans in Altenburg, Frohna, Longtown, New Wells, Pocahontas, Shawneetown and Uniontown...

Tim Briner, a registered nurse at Missouri Veterans Home here, has been named Employee of the Year. Briner was one of 12 employees of the month selected by co-workers. He received his honor during the employee "Bingo Bash and Dinner" at VFW Post 3838 in Cape Girardeau...

Jim Simpson has been named manager of the Jackson Bowling Lanes and is in training until he takes over Aug. 1. Simpson, a two-year member of the Professional Bowlers Association, has been involved in bowling 15 years and has conducted a number of bowling tournaments...

The rice story in the United States is one of growth, to the point that even Japan has joined a growing list of importers of American-grown rice. Until 1992, Japan was the greatest single agricultural customer of the United States but had never purchased rice. That changed the following year...

Missouri's first ethanol plant is under construction. Groundbreaking for the plant was held recently at Macon. The plant, which will process about 5 million bushels of corn annually to produce about 15 million gallons of ethanol, will be constructed by Northeast Missouri Grain Processors LLC...

Middle Tennessee's doubleheader loss to Morehead State Saturday wrapped up a fifth consecutive Ohio Valley Conference regular-season championship for Southeast Missouri State University's softball team. The Otahkians are 16-2 while Middle Tennessee now has five losses, meaning the Lady Raiders are mathematically eliminated from contention for even a share of the championship...

Mark Werner of Dutch Guttering in Jackson recently received an award for sales and service at the National Gutter Helmet dealers meeting in Chicago. Gutter Helmet manufactures gutter protection systems to keep leaves and debris out.

This "Financial Focus" column is prepared by Edward Jones Investments, headquartered in St. Louis. Jones includes branches throughout the nation, including Cape Girardeau and Jackson. More than 11 years have passed since Oct. 19, 1987, the day the stock market lost 508 points and 22 percent of its value. ...

Special levee discs are used to throw soil up for small levees in the rice field. The discs are "reversed" following harvest of the rice and used to level the field. Harvested rice is cleaned, hulled and graded at processing mills. The grain is then placed in bags ready for shipment...

Just Kids! Learning Development Center, a day-care operation with two locations in Jackson, will establish a day care in Cape Girardeau next month. Donnie Harris, owner of Just Kids!, said a third Jackson location is being planned on Highway 25 South. A possible site is being also considered at Fruitland...

Cape Electrical Supply Co. of Cape Girardeau has opened a store in Murray, Ky. Southfork Electrical Supply is the company's 12th location. "We've been doing business in Murray for seven years out of the Paducah Southfork store," said Bob Garrett, vice president of Cape Electrical Supply, which was founded 46 years ago. "This move is a natural extension of our service area and allows us to better cover that market with local inventory and sales representation."...

Mid-America Title Loans will open its 68th location at 1000 N. Kingshighway in the 1,976-square-foot building that formerly housed Auto-Stop Auto Sales. The business, headquartered in Georgia, specializes in offering loans on car titles. The company has locations in a number of states, including Missouri, Illinois, Georgia, Kansas and Alabama. Other Missouri offices are in St. Louis, Joplin and Springfield...

Cutting Edge Apparel owned by Bobby Haddock has opened in Anna, Ill. The store at 113 Lafayette features women's apparel, including a variety of lingerie, leather items and dresses.

Cars Etc. Inc. has opened its third pre-owned car dealership in Cape Girardeau. Cars Etc., at 412 S. Kingshighway, also has dealerships at Sikeston and Charleston. Sarah Craig is president of the company. Others involved in the operation include Chuck Hill, sales manager; Donna Alexander, office manager; Rene Taylor, account manager; and David Wren, Cape Girardeau sales manager...

McLeod USA Publishing, a directory publisher, will establish a Southeast Missouri operations office at Lorimont Place in Cape Girardeau. Tom Kelsey, broker for Lorimont, handled the multiyear lease transaction. Kelsey reported that the lease brings occupancy at Lorimont Place Ltd., a 90,500-square-foot development on South Mount Auburn Road, to 93 percent...

Housing construction is up in Cape Girardeau, surpassing both state and national percentages in increase over building of a year ago. The city's Division of Inspection Services reported that construction of single-family homes rose slightly over 1998 totals during the first quarter of 1999...

COMMERCE -- Confederate troops rode into town Sunday in search of Union soldiers. When none could be found, they decided to rob the bank -- again. When Union troops suddenly appeared, the battle was under way. Foot soldiers took their battle positions and riders on horseback engaged in sword and gun fights...

GRAPIC - SIX-YEAR GRADUATION RATES Southeast Missouri State University hopes to make the grade when it comes to its graduation rate. But it's not there yet. Currently, the university's six-year graduation rate stands at 45 percent, which is short of the 55 percent goal set by the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education...

As Dave Bedan sees it, Missouri's chip mills could ravage forests in southern Missouri. Bedan serves on Gov. Mel Carnahan's advisory committee that is studying the overall effects of such mills on the state's forests. The committee is scheduled to issue a report to the governor in December...

To the editor: Who can give a definitive answer to why our children are murdering each other at school? Our president asks, "Why?" Another question occurred to me: "What could encourage the actions taken by these kids?" Here are some possibilities: Fear. ...

The Cape Girardeau County Commission's decision to put into writing a policy on paving of county roads should lead to more roads' being paved and a more orderly approach to the county's limited road-paving program. The commission recently adopted a policy that features the option of county residents sharing in the cost of paving portions of roads they want paved. Commissioners say it will move some paving projects up on the county's priorities list...

A modern multipurpose building that is to open next month in Perryville culminates a five-year effort that demonstrates what can be done through a spirit of cooperation. Planning and funding for the new Perry Park Center involved not only a cooperative effort of Perryville and Perry County governments, but the residents of Perry County who followed up on the idea of a multipurpose building and voted in 1996 to enact a half-cent sales tax to fund the $9.5 million center...

To the editor: In light of the current problems in our schools, I would like to share these thoughts. Moral decay can be blamed on society. But who is society? Are they the other guys, or are they each and every one of us? I feel that each and every one of us has a say in what society is:...

KRCU Southeast Public Radio concluded its Spring membership campaign with $29,000 in listener contributions, which gives the public radio station a $3,000 gain over last fall's campaign. "We had over $9,000 in pre-drive contributions and another $20,000 in pledges phoned in during the on-air campaign," S.D. Yana Davis, development director for the station...

No way could Southeast Missouri State University's baseball team have drawn up a better plan for the weekend. The Indians entered their three-game Ohio Valley Conference series with visiting Tennessee-Martin desperately needing to sweep the last-place Skyhawks...

Donald Brady died Saturday, April 24, 1999, at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Arrangements are pending at Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

Adela M. Obermann, 97, of Cape Girardeau, died Saturday, April 24, 1999, at the Lutheran Home. Obermann was born Nov. 25, 1901, at Cape Girardeau, daughter of Edward and Rose Ebert Schneider. She and Harry Obermann were married April 14, 1923, at Cape Girardeau. Obermann was a member of the Zion Lutheran Church and a lifetime member of the Ladies Aid at Zion...

Waldo E. "Matt" Allgood, 87, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, April 25, 1999, at the Missouri Veterans Home. Allgood was born Aug. 4, 1911, at Lutesville, son of Grover and Julie Ann Abernathy Allgood. He married Wathena M. Abernathy June 28, 1941, at Jackson. Allgood had worked as a car salesmen for J.W. Chevrolet at Marble Hill. He was a veteran of World War II and a member of Lutesville Presbyterian Church...

John M. Underwood, 90, of Chateau Girardeau died Friday, April 23, 1999, at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, Calif. Underwood was born Jan. 1, 1909, at Stoddard County, son of Silas Clinton and Carrie Bridges Underwood. He married Frances Gillespie on Oct. 24, 1929. Underwood was a member of the First Christian Church Disciples of Christ in Cape Girardeau...

ST. MARY -- Earl L. Cavins, 68, of St. Mary died Saturday, April 24, 1999, at his home. Cavins was born Nov. 23, 1930, at St. Louis, son of Samuel and Julia McClure Cavins. He is survived by his former wife, Dolores Riney Cavins; four sons, Terry Cavins of St. ...