Stories from Tuesday, October 19, 1999

How about those Rams. That seems to be a common greeting among long-beleaguered fans of the St. Louis Rams. The Rams had held the dubious honor of being the most losing football franchise during the 1990s. They recently passed the torch to the Cincinnati Bengals as the most futile franchise...

Jane Womack likens herself to a dinosaur. She readily compares herself to the extinct animals because she prefers the traditional approach to teaching history and current events over techniques used by more technology-oriented teachers. Womack said her biggest challenge is presenting issues in an objective manner. ...

Cathy Twenhafel, owner of Tumbletown Express, held Alex Bess up to the bar as other children waited their turn, from left, Jacie McCullough, Kami Beckett, Bryce Bigham and Colton Ellis. Chleo LeGrand swung to the next rung aboard the Tumbletown Express...

On Monday Olivia Glueck took her first plane ride. The 101-year-old thought it was just great. "It was a highlight of my life," she said. In preparing for Glueck's 101st birthday, which was Sunday, employees at Cape Girardeau Residential Care Center, where Glueck lives, asked if there was something she wanted to do but had never done...

The Brad Pitt film "Fight Club," for which Jim Uhls wrote the script, was No. 3 at the box office its opening weekend. Now Uhls is pitching a script to Mel Gibson and is developing a television series with Steven Spielberg. Uhls, a Cape Girardeau native, seems to be on a roll in the entertainment industry of California, where he moved 16 years ago...

TUSCOLA,Ill -- Southeast Missouri State University's golf team took an eight-shot lead over Wright State for a first-place score of 293 after Monday's first round of the Eastern Illinois Invitational. Butler is third in the 16-team event at 302, with Tennessee State (304) and Eastern Illinois (305) rounding out the top five...

JACKSON -- A Jackson man was killed in a construction accident Monday morning when he was pinned between a backhoe and the floor joist of a wooden deck, police reported. David Wayne Cook, 37, of 1000 County Road 543, died almost immediately, said John Clifton, deputy coroner for Cape Girardeau County...

JACKSON -- The Cape Girardeau County Commission wants to tap into state funding for stormwater improvements along Hubble Creek. Under a new state program, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources plans to provide $200 million in grants and loans over 10 years to first-class counties and cities over 25,000 in population...

Ashley Carter, a 12-year-old student, knows about the census and how important it is. "The census serves a vital statistical database that tells us who we are, and where we are going as a nation," said Carter, a seventh-grade student at Kelly Middle School near Benton...

The timing of a state grant was too perfect for Cape Girardeau to miss. The Cape Girardeau City Council approved Monday night a grant application that would help the city pay for stormwater improvements along Broadway and alleviate flooding on the street...

HOORAY FOR Mark Carver. I too was angry after Oct. 6's article regarding the Jackson band festival. It has been hard to cool off. Not only have these fine young people memorized some very difficult music, they marched with precision, moved their instruments in unison for effect, swing-danced and tipped their hats with great joy and enthusiasm. ...

A bold experiment in urban educational innovation has arrived in Missouri in a big way -- at least on the western side of the state. This fall, charter schools opened with a bang in Kansas City, and the school board there is taking note. They have little choice: In their first weeks of operation, 15 new charter start-ups have attracted an amazing 4,500 students from the Kansas City School District, or roughly 10 percent of its student enrollment last year...

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court turned its back on three appeals dealing with church-state issues. The result is that many of these contentious issues will wait for another year for resolution. Much more than that shouldn't be read into the court's limited action...

Three big road victories last week has lifted Southeast Missouri State University's volleyball team to the top of the Ohio Valley Conference standings. The Otahkians defeated Eastern Illinois, Murray State and Tennessee-Martin to improve to 15-5 overall and 7-1 in league play. Tennessee Tech is a game behind the Otahkians at 8-2...

The 1999 season in general has not been kind to Southeast Missouri State University's football team, but the Gateway Conference has been particularly rude to the Indians. Southeast will be playing its fourth and final Gateway squad of the year Saturday when Southwest Missouri State comes to Houck Stadium for a 1 p.m. kickoff...

ST. LOUIS -- Notre Dame's Adam Obermiller netted two goals to lead the Bulldogs to a 4-0 win over Priory Monday in the first round of the St. Dominic Tournament. Oliver Sanders and Chris Dirnberger also scored goals for the fourth-seeded Bulldogs, who improved to 16-3-1. Cory Elfrink and Shane Kistner each had an assist...

A basketball rules meeting will be held at 7:30 tonight at Cape Girardeau Central High School. The meeting is for all high school coaches and officials.

Team St. Louis Volleyball Club for girls will hold tryouts at Incarnate Word Academy in St. Louis Oct. 30-31. Tryouts for the 11-under (fifth grade) and 12-under (sixth grade) teams will be Oct. 30 from 9 a.m.-noon. Tryouts for the 14-under (eighth grade) will be Oct. 31 from 9-11:45 a.m. while tryouts for the 13-under (seventh grade) will be Oct. 31 from 11:45 a.m.-2:30 p.m...

A local traveling under-11 boys soccer team is looking for a goalie and additional players. Players must be born after Aug. 1, 1988. For more information, contact Luke Cano (314-773-1258), Mary Jo Shaw (334-2218) or Mia Myers (334-2473).

Tennis clinics will be held this fall and winter at Universal Health and Fitness. Intermediate and advanced clinics will be held Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (3, 4, 5 p.m.) and beginner clinics on Tuesdays (ages 6-10 3:30-4:30 p.m., ages 10-14 4:30-6 p.m.)...

SIKESTON -- Marion Walter Stallings, 83, of Sikeston died Sunday, Oct. 17, 1999, at Sikeston Convalescent Center. He was born July 8, 1916, at Huff Station near Charleston, son of Jim and Rosa Lee Grant Stallings. He and Nadine Walters were married May 18, 1940, at Benton...

PUXICO -- Joyce Ann Pratt, 57, of Puxico died Sunday, Oct. 17, 1999, at Lucy Lee Hospital in Poplar Bluff. She was born Dec. 12, 1941, in Puxico, daughter of Lawrence "Shorty" and Mildred Obards Buttry. She and Charles R. Pratt were married May 30, 1958, in Hernando, Miss...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Mary Lou Lingle, 66, died Sunday, Oct. 17, 1999, at her home. She was born Sept. 2, 1933, in Makanda, daughter of Charlie and Lena Smith Cox. She and Leslie Lingle were married Dec. 31, 1965, in Anna. Lingle was a member of Jonesboro Methodist Church...

SIKESTON -- Terry Collins, 51, of Sikeston died Monday, Oct. 18, 1999, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Ponder Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

JACKSON -- David Wayne Cook, 37, of Jackson died in a construction accident Monday, Oct. 18, 1999, in Jackson. McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson is in charge of arrangements.

McCLURE, Ill. -- Stephen G. Raible, 79, of McClure died Monday, Oct. 18, 1999, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Ford and Sons Sprigg Street Chapel in Cape Girardeau is in charge of arrangements.

ST. MARY -- Rose Emma Franklin, 85, of St. Mary died Monday, Oct. 18, 1999, at her home. She was born Aug. 17, 1914, at St. Mary, daughter of John and Mary Elizabeth Engelman Bruckerhoff. She and Ira J. Franklin were married July 26, 1936, at Sereno...

Carl Martin, 51, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Oct. 18, 1999, at St. Francis Medical Center. Arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Chapel.

Ella Schlegel, 92, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Oct. 18, 1999, at the Lutheran Home. Arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Chapel.

Cleo Christine Bom Wilkinson of Commerce passed away on Saturday, Oct. 16, 1999 at the Marymont Nursing Home in Eureka. The daughter of Andrew Thomas and Ruth Jones Bom, she was born May 12, 1910, in Henderson, Ken. In January 1929, she was married to Bryan Caldwell who passed away in June 1933. In October 1935 she was married to James B. Austin who passed away in 1940...

Son to Gregg William and Valerie Dee Winingar of Jackson, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 2:42 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 12, 1999. Name, Samuel Robert. Weight, 8 pounds 4 ounces. Third son. Mrs. Winingar is the former Valerie Arnold, daughter of Judy Arnold of Cape Girardeau and Jerry and Pam Arnold of Chaffee. She is administrative assistant at Cape Tractor Trailer Supply. Winingar is the son of John and Ruth Winingar of Imperial. He is sales manager at Quality Trailer Sales...

PERRYVILLE -- Edgar J. Clements, 84, of Perryville died Saturday, Oct. 16, 1999, at Grandview Healthcare Center in Washington, Mo. He was born April 1, 1915, at Lixville, son of Louis and Elizabeth Wirth Clements. He and Norma E. Grossheider were married Feb. 23, 1941...