Stories from Saturday, May 27, 2000

Strawberries have come and soon will go, but blueberries are coming on. Missouri strawberries were ready for picking early this year. "We started selling berries about May 10," said Richard Meyer, vocational director of Mid-America Teen Challenge, which offers fresh strawberries daily at its fruit stand at Independence and Plaza Way...

HILLSBORO -- After 13 hours of deliberation over two days, a Jefferson County jury convicted Kenneth Campbell Friday of two misdemeanor counts and recommended a sentence of one year in jail plus a fine. Campbell, 35, of Cape Girardeau was charged with first-degree assault of a law enforcement officer -- a felony -- and misdemeanor interfering with an arrest. ...

When Memorial Day activities commence on Monday, the region will celebrate a holiday that was created by one of its own. Among planned activities is a Memorial Day service sponsored by Jackson American Legion Post 158. The event will start at 9 a.m. ...

United Food and Commercial Workers International is sending literature about the union to nurses at St. Francis Medical Center and will hold a meeting in Cape Girardeau Thursday. UFCW Local 655 in St. Louis has sent letters about the union to registered nurses employed by St. Francis, said Gary Hall of Local 655. He said that was all the information he could release...

PERRYVILLE -- A new operator for the sheltered workshop was approved by Perry County's Senate Bill 40 board on Friday. Perry County Sheltered Workshop Inc. will replace VIP Industries of Cape Girardeau as a job provider for the handicapped at the beginning of July, said Pat Naeger, chairman of the Senate Bill 40 board...

The staff of Ford & Sons Funeral Home, 1001 N. Mt. Auburn Rd., supports the YELL Foundation. The staff of Ford & Sons Funeral Home, 1001 N. Mt. Auburn Rd., supports the YELL Foundation. From left: Jim Lunsford, Walter Joe Ford, Victoria Crider, Mary Emmendorfer Smith, Richard Schreiner, Barb Rushing, Joan Griffaw, Mark Seesing, Cliff Ford, Rick Wieser, Glenn Huffman, Kevin Ford, Alan Essner, Rob Smithey and Clark Daniels; not present: Joe Lowes and Gary Lasater...

After our house fire last year, Patrick and I decided we would redouble our efforts to grow things. No, I'm not referring to children. Two is quite enough, thank you. I'm talking about green stuff. Trees, shrubs, flowers, that sort of thing. The first item we went after in our local home improvement center was grass. We needed it bad, because the few blades of grass in our front and back yards were held together by lots of weeds and some chalky-looking dirt...

Two area teen-agers were injured in separate traffic accidents on Friday. Carol Claussen, 17, of Chaffee was taken to Southeast Missouri Hospital after the 3 a.m. accident on Route A, 4 miles west of Dutchtown. The Missouri Highway Patrol said her vehicle ran off the right side of the roadway, she overcorrected and the vehicle ran off the left side of the road, striking a ditch embankment and overturning...

Four prisoners who have been on a hunger strike at the Tamms Correctional Center for the past three weeks are protesting conditions at the super-maximum security facility and the dismissal of a prison chaplain who had criticized policies governing prisoners' religious rights...

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson remains at odds with Republican House leaders over efforts to end trade sanctions against Cuba and a handful of other countries that the federal government labels as terrorist nations. At issue is an amendment sponsored by Emerson and Rep. George Nethercutt, R-Wash. The amendment, attached to an agriculture spending bill, would lift the U.S. food and medicine embargo on Cuba, Libya, Sudan, Iran and North Korea...

Ever since the postseason began, St. Vincent High's baseball team has been defeating opponents with much better records on a regular basis. So the Indians are not likely to be intimidated by host Winona when the squads square off at 3 p.m. today in a Class 1A quarterfinal game. To the winner goes a berth in next week's 1A Final Four in Columbia...

Make no mistake about it -- Cape Girardeau Central High's baseball team will be the underdog for today's Class 4A quarterfinal game. But the Tigers are understandably conceding nothing as they prepare to host powerful Lafayette, the state's top-ranked 4A squad. The first pitch will be at 1 p.m. at Tiger Field and the winner will earn a berth in next weekend's 4A Final Four in Columbia...

Clearwater has to consider adjusting its game plan. Notre Dame catcher Scott Reinagel has that effect on teams. A speedy Clearwater team will take on strong-armed Reinagel and the Bulldogs today in a Class 2A quarterfinal game in Piedmont. Weather permitting, the first pitch will be thrown at 2 p.m...

JEFFERSON CITY -- After preliminaries and a few field events only a handful of area athletes had all-state performances or advanced to the finals in today's Class 4A state track and field championships. Central's Heather Jenkins took fifth place in the shot put at 39 feet, 9 1/4 inches. Jackson's Heidi Jansen, who finished ahead of Jenkins in the sectional meet last Saturday, took ninth with a throw of 36-5 1/4...

Brent Glastetter, formerly of Oran, is among the 24 qualifiers for the Pizza Plus Invitational for the UMP Modifieds at Bristol Motor Speedway. Glastetter qualified sixth among 96 entries at Atomic Motor Speedway in Knoxville, Tenn. The top 12 finishers at Atomic qualified for the race at Bristol Motor Speedway, which has covered its racing surface with clay for the event...

PUXICO -- Graveside service for Rose Abernathy of Puxico will be held at 11 a.m. today at Walker Cemetery near Bloomfield. The Rev. Charles Lance will officiate. Friends may call at Watkins and Sons Funeral Home in Dexter after 9:30 a.m. Abernathy, 89, died Thursday, May 25, 2000, at Dexter Memorial Hospital...

EAST PRAIRIE -- William Richard Barksdale, 74, of East Prairie died Thursday, May 25, 2000, at his home. He was born March 9, 1926, at Deering, son of W.M. and Lular Foster Barksdale. He and Jean Welch Hubbard were married June 6, 1971. Barksdale retired in 1992 as general manager of Hubco Manufacturing Co. He lived in Mississippi County most of his life. He was a member of East Prairie Lions Club, and the Ironworkers Local in Paducah, Ky...

ZALMA -- Evelyn J. Slaughter, 62, of Zalma died Friday, May 26, 2000, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Nov. 23, 1937, in Bay County, Mich., daughter of Sherman and Kathleen Rogers. She and Alfred "Pete" Slaughter were married in 1956 in Greenville, Miss. He died April 30, 1998...

FISK -- Duel E. Standridge, 82, of Fisk died Friday, May 26, 2000, at Doctors Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff. He was born March 18, 1918, in Atkins, Ark., son of Oscar and Hettie Reid Standridge. He and Millie King were married July 27, 1935, in Atkins. She died Feb. 2, 1999...

GORDONVILLE -- Dorothy A. Wessel, 73, of Gordonville died Friday, May 26, 2000, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Nov. 13, 1926, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of August A. and Lena Caroline Meyer Heuer. She and Nelson Wessel were married Sept. 22, 1945. He died July 29, 1989...

Daughter to Michael Troy and Laura Young Eck of Paducah, Ky., Western Baptist Hospital in Paducah, 6:59 p.m., Thursday, May 11, 2000. Name, Georgia Caroline. Weight, 7 pounds. Second child, second daughter. Mrs. Eck is the former Laura Beth Young, daughter of Tim and Carolyn Young of Cape Girardeau. Eck is the son of Sherry and Gene Crippen of Jonesboro, Ill., and Wally and Sharon Eck of Jackson. He is a professional engineer and partner with Matrix Engineering in Paducah...

Son to Daniel Gene and Vickie Lee Waites of Marble Hill, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 8:02 a.m. Tuesday, May 2, 2000. Name, Isaac Daniel. Weight, 8 pounds 14 ounces. Seventh child, fourth son. Mrs. Waites is employed at JCPenney. Waites is the son of Bill and Catherine Waites of Piedmont. He is employed by Schneider National Carriers...

A morning storm was blamed for two power outages in the Cape Girardeau area Friday. The storm swept through the area during the morning hours, bringing torrential rains and lightning. The first outage occurred at 7:45. Some 103 customers south of Lexington and west of Perryville Road were left without electricity because of a blown fuse on a utility pole, said AmerenUE District Manager Doug Groesbeck...

Gas prices are up again, just in time for the increase in holiday travel. Experts are predicting that prices could go even higher this summer. The development just goes to prove there are no easy answers when it comes to gasoline. The driving public had high hopes last March when the cartel of oil-producing countries known as OPEC agreed to increase oil production. In turn, gas prices dipped in April. The prices bottomed out around the $1.20 mark per gallon locally...

Cape Girardeau and Jackson's cable television company, Charter Communications, is looking to add 14 channels to its expanded basic cable service this summer. The increase in the lineup has been long overdue, but it's too early to celebrate. Charter has announced the new channels will come with a price increase. Cable customers will no doubt weigh the new cost against smaller, dish satellite programs, which are approaching cable costs...

More than 1 million men and women have lost their lives fighting for freedom in the U.S. armed forces. We can never reimburse the price they paid. We can summon no words to allay the pain of their loved ones. We can, and we should, honor America's war dead on Memorial Day...