Out of the Past

Organizers for Toybox have issued an urgent plea for toys; the final tally of applications revealed 70 families more than expected, and volunteers have exhausted the supply of toys already donated. JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Clarence Carnell, 66, a resident of Dutchtown, worked long hours and stayed up many nights to coordinate the efforts of hundreds of volunteers -- including National Guardsmen -- who filled sandbags and built a wall to hold back the flood of '93 at Dutchtown; yesterday, he was one of 48 Missourians honored by Gov. ...

U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson, R-Mo., was grilled yesterday about such tough issues as the president's health-care plan, taxes, the Brady gun-control bill, NAFTA and the environment; interrogators were about 200 students at Trinity Lutheran School in Cape Girardeau...

A 230-foot radio transmission tower was erected yesterday at 338 N. Henderson Ave., for KRCU, the National Public Radio affiliate at Southeast Missouri State University; the tower replaces the one on the roof of Academic Hall; a boost in power from 100 to 6,000 watts should increase the station's broadcast radius from five to 25 miles...

The Southeast Missouri State University Foundation and the University of Missouri have rescinded policies barring investment in corporations doing business in South Africa; officials of the schools said Monday that dismantling of apartheid and the promise of a multi-party, multi-racial election in April to create a new government for South Africa prompted the change in investment policies...

A Cape Girardeau man and his son escaped unharmed yesterday afternoon after making an emergency landing in an alfalfa field near Jackson; the pilot was 38-year-old William T. Drury; with him was his 13-year-old son, Brandon; William Drury, who was returning the plane to Sikeston, Missouri, after flying to St. Louis and Festus, Missouri, says the plane's engine failed about five miles northwest of the landing site...

The second annual German Christmas service is held in the evening at Old Hanover Lutheran Church; guest preacher is the Rev. Adam Mueller; the liturgy and sermon are in the German language, with familiar Christmas hymns being sung in German and English...

Two current Cape Girardeau city councilmen will square off in April in a race for the mayor's seat; yesterday, the last day to file for the April 5 municipal election, Councilman Al Spradling III filed an election petition for mayor; he will challenge Councilman Melvin Gateley, who filed for that office Nov. 10, the first day for filing...

Penzel Construction Co. of Jackson was the apparent low bidder on the new $5.4 million Jackson Middle School project when five bids were opened yesterday; Penzel's bid was $4,415,000; Penzel was also low bidder on the recently-completed site work for the new building...

Michael Heston has been appointed the new part-time coordinator for the Court Appointed Special Advocates; CASA provides trained community volunteers to act in the best interest of children who come into the court system, primarily as a result of abuse or neglect...

A group of Cape Girardeau auto dealers yesterday lost their legal challenge over the city's gross sales license tax; the Missouri Eastern District Court of Appeals Tuesday affirmed Circuit Judge A.J. Seier's ruling in favor of the city's contention that the tax is constitutional...

Honoring the service men and women killed in the surprise attack on Hawaii by the Japanese 52 years ago, a memorial service is conducted at the Cape Girardeau riverfront; the ceremony includes the ringing of a bell and the tossing of a wreath into the muddy waters of the Mississippi River as a way to remember the lives lost...

Gallery 100 and the Southeast Missouri Council on the Arts, for the past 7 1/2 years located in the bank building at 100 Broadway, will move at the end of the month to temporary lodgings at 1707 Mount Auburn Road; Boatmen's Bank, which owns the building at 100 Broadway, needs the gallery space for storage...

The Rev. Grant F.C. Gillard, new pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Jackson, preaches his first sermon there as pastor; his wife is the Rev. Nancy F. Gillard. Cape Girardeau has added two new police officers and a firefighter to its ranks; Alvin Spencer, who previously worked for the Cape Girardeau Police Department, rejoined his old department after working as a special deputy with the U.S. ...

Jess Hopple yesterday filed a nominating petition for Cape Girardeau's Ward 6 city council seat; Hopple, whose first council try in 1991 was rejected because of the four-year residency requirement, faces the same obstacle in the April 1994 election; Hopple moved to Cape Girardeau in December 1990...

After nearly two years of wrangling over a minimum property standard for Cape Girardeau, the city's board of appeals has turned the matter over to the city council; it's still unclear, however, what action the council will take. Two investigators from the state fire marshal's office and a Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department sergeant for the last two days have been sifting through the blackened remains of Hobbs Chapel United Methodist Church, hoping to find the cause of the fire that destroyed the chapel the day after Thanksgiving; this is the second time the fire scene has been evaluated.. ...

Fourteen Missouri Counties -- including Cape Girardeau, Bollinger and Madison -- are included in a disaster declaration issued yesterday by President Bill Clinton through the Federal Emergency Management Agency; the declaration was requested by Gov. Mel Carnahan in response to severe storms, tornadoes and flash flooding that occurred in the state from Nov. 13 to 18...

Cape Girardeau residents whose homes were damaged by this summer's flooding can have the structures demolished at no cost through a grant program approved yesterday by the state; the Missouri Department of Economic Development is providing $105,000 to raze up to 30 flood-damaged buildings...

The largest medical group in Cape Girardeau is expanding in an effort to improve local access to primary-care physicians; Internal Medicine Group is adding two local doctors to its staff in the next several weeks, and moving three pediatricians into the former Community Counseling Center, 24 S. Mount Auburn Road; the expansion will increase the group's number of doctors from 14 to 16 by January, and to at least 17 by next summer...

A Santa and sleigh shooting into the sky, firefighters and a ladder truck garlanded with more than 60 strands of lights, and an array of mechanical elves were the stars of the first annual Christmas Parade of Lights last night; 57 entries started down Broadway just after dusk, Santa Claus having flowing in a helicopter from downtown to the parade starting point at Capaha Park...

The Rev. Elmer J.C. Prenzlow Jr., is guest speaker at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Jackson; he serves as World Relief development counselor for Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Foundation; he helps gather funds to help the needy throughout the world. After 25 years as chairman of the English department at Southeast Missouri State University, Henry Sessoms is stepping down at the end of this semester; Sessoms, only the third person in the history of the institution to head that department, will continue to teach English courses and direct the school's student and faculty exchange in the Missouri London Program.. ...

A bit of Cape Girardeau history went up in flames yesterday as Hobbs Chapel United Methodist Church burned to the ground; the blaze was reported to the East County Fire Department around 9 a.m., but when the volunteer firefighters arrived, the church and adjoining education center were engulfed in smoke and flames; by 2 p.m., the 101-year-old church was a smoldering ruin...

Shoppers braved drizzling rains and low temperatures yesterday to get a day's head start on the official Christmas shopping season, visiting two big retail outlets before and after Thanksgiving Day feasts; Walmart and Kmart were the only two big retailers to open their doors in Cape Girardeau on Thursday...

Thanksgiving Day. The Salvation Army hosts its 11th annual community Thanksgiving dinner at 701 Good Hope St. in Cape Girardeau; it is estimated about 450 people are served a traditional turkey dinner, including 125 meals that are delivered to shut-ins; more than 50 volunteers lend a hand...

After a three-hour meeting yesterday, members of two city advisory boards seem poised to work out a compromise on a $4 million proposal to expand recreation and convention facilities in Cape Girardeau; the Parks and Recreation and Convention and Visitors Bureau boards previously had clashed over plans for a multipurpose building at the city's new Osage Park and a concessions building at a Shawnee Park softball complex; at the meeting, both sides agreed that middle ground must be reached...

Amid complaints that the city's leaf-collection program was started too soon, Cape Girardeau street crews will return to some neighborhoods where leaves have only recently fallen. Attorney John W. Grimm of Cape Girardeau is named by Gov. Mel Carnahan to fill a vacancy as circuit judge in the 32nd Judicial District; Grimm, a partner in the law firm of Limbaugh, Russell, Payne and Howard, will be sworn in next week; he will replace A.J. ...

The first phase of a project to improve traffic safety and the appearance of the Interstate 55-Highway 61-34 interchange between Cape Girardeau and Jackson is underway; work began last week to remove a hill between the eastbound and westbound lanes of Highway 61 on the west side of the interchange, which obstructs the vision of motorists...

The Rev. William A. Matzat has begun duties as director of pastoral care at Southeast Missouri Hospital; he succeeds the Rev. Ray Otto, who left the post in July to become pastoral counselor for Lutheran Ministries of Florida; Matzat has been pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Chapel 18 years...

Christmas parades in Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Chaffee, Missouri, will help kick off the Yuletide season; this year, for the first time since the mid-1950s, Cape Girardeau will have a Christmas parade; it will be held Nov. 28, starting at dusk, and is sponsored by the Downtown Merchants Association and KBSI Television...

Preliminary estimates indicate last weekend's flash flooding and heavy rains caused at least $40,000 worth of damage to county roads and bridges in Cape Girardeau County; most of the damage occurred in the western and northern areas of the county, in the vicinity of Whitewater River, Byrd's Creek and Apple Creek...

Frank Stoffregen is the second candidate in Ward 1 to file for a Cape Girardeau City Council seat that's up for election in April; Stoffregen, 39, is a lifelong resident of Cape Girardeau County and has lived in northeast Cape Girardeau since 1990. A new section of divided four-lane highway through the south edge of Cape Girardeau could be completed in 1995; Tom Stehn of the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department on Wednesday told members of the Cape Girardeau Planning and Zoning Commission the state will start work on the new Mississippi River bridge route between Sprigg Street and Kingshighway next year; but it's still unclear whether the work on the new bridge will start any time soon.. ...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Word that the National Weather Service has revised the Mississippi River flood crest at Chester, Illinois, brought a sigh of relief in the Bois Brule Levee District yesterday; instead of cresting today at 32 feet, the river at Chester is expected to crest at 29.6 feet, 2.6 feet above flood stage...

What was first described as a "small" tornado that struck the Delta, Chaffee and Blomeyer, Missouri, areas Sunday morning may have been two small tornadoes or one "large" one which jumped and skipped; the tornado, high winds and flash flooding left death and destruction in its wake, including two people who died as they tried to cross rain-swollen creeks in their vehicles...

Emergency workers were busy yesterday afternoon and into the night trying to repair the damage caused by a tornado, high winds, and flash flooding that struck the region earlier in the day; the tornado struck between 10 and 10:30 a.m. near Blomeyer and Delta; rains, meanwhile, led to flash flooding and evacuations in Marble Hill, Missouri, Old Appleton and Burfordville...

With as many as 14 nominating petitions circulating through Cape Girardeau, there apparently is enough interest in the spring municipal election to warrant a primary runoff in February; Melvin Gateley has already filed for the mayor's race, and he is likely to be joined by Michael Sterling and Councilman Melvin Kasten; James "J.J." Williamson filed for the Ward 1 council seat on Wednesday...

U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson yesterday announced his support for the North American Free Trade Agreement; he said he will vote for the controversial treaty Wednesday, when it comes up for a vote in the House. Southeast Missouri State University officials have scrapped plans to close Towers North by Jan. ...

Cape Girardeau City Councilman Melvin Gateley is the first to officially declare his candidacy for the mayor's race next spring; Gateley filed a nominating petition at City Hall Wednesday, the first day of filing; also on Wednesday, James "J.J." Williamson Jr., filed a petition for the Ward 1 council seat up for election April 5...

Veterans Day. Following a parade at Jackson, Cape Girardeau County Assistant Prosecutor Ian Sutherland gives a frank Veterans Day speech to about 75 veterans and their families at American Legion Post 158; "I am a professional soldier. ..." Sutherland said. "But the rest of you put your lives on hold and did what your country asked you to do."...

The first public wrangling over how to pick a riverboat gambling vendor occurred last night during a joint meeting of the Cape Girardeau City Council and the Airport Advisory Board; Mayor Gene Rhodes recommended appointing a seven-person commission to establish a format for companies wanting to make a bid to the city; but his suggestions to fill that committee met with resistance from the council...

Charles I. Rankin, director of the Midwest Desegregation Assistance Center in Manhattan, Kansas, told a Cape Girardeau Board of Education meeting Monday that May Greene School isn't in compliance with the 14th Amendment; he said, "Basically, you have taken a group of citizens and gerrymandered them into a situation that makes them racially identifiable."...

Donald L. Harrison, president of the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents, has been named "Friend of the University"; the annual award is the highest honor bestowed by the University Foundation. "Zero Tolerance," a joint investigative project by the Southeast Missourian and KFVS-TV, begins an in-depth look at illegal drug sales in the area and efforts to curtail those activities...

The Alpha Xi Delta sorority and Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity took first place yesterday in the annual float competition, part of Southeast Missouri State University's Homecoming parade. Downtown Cape Girardeau has been buzzing with rumors of real estate deals to be made and businesses that have been saved because Cape Girardeau voters Tuesday approved riverboat gambling; gambling opponents, meanwhile, are trying to decide whether to continue the fight or focus on influencing what type of gaming operation comes to the city.. ...

A new, 72,000-square-foot federal courthouse is planned for Cape Girardeau, along with renovations to the existing Federal Building; the 1994 federal budget approved by Congress includes $3.9 million for site acquisition and design of a courthouse, along with $1.7 million for design and renovation of the Federal Building at 339 Broadway...

In the wake of Tuesday's rejection of gambling by Scott County voters, the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority says it is willing to ask the Scott County Commission for a second vote on riverboat gambling, if Casino Magic requests it. The number of cases of flu-like illnesses last week in Southeast Missouri increased dramatically over the previous week, but health officials say the figures are still not unusual for the first week of November; no confirmed cases of influenza have been reported in the area.. ...

Prudential Insurance Company of America has tentatively agreed to sell 19 shopping centers in six states, including West Park Mall in Cape Girardeau and three in the St. Louis area, for $1 billion to a group of investors in the U.S. and Australia; General Growth Properties Inc. ...

BENTON, Mo. -- Riverboat gambling, promoted as just the economic development catalyst the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority needs, was rejected by voters in Scott County yesterday; the issue was defeated by 745 voters, as 42 percent of Scott County's 21,085 registered voters went to the polls...

Southeast Missouri State University's proposed business building ranks fourth among eight new construction projects that the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education has recommended for funding in the 1995 fiscal year. Gambling proponents ride the crest of a massive voter turnout to approve riverboat gambling in Cape Girardeau, 6,471-6,046, a margin of 425 votes; Boyd Gaming Corp. ...

Cape Girardeau's Board of Education is asking residents to voice their opinions and make suggestions on the school district's plan to move toward a middle school; three open forums are scheduled this month, with the first set for Wednesday night at May Greene Elementary School...

The Rev. Alan Berry, who recently accepted the pastorate of Red Star Baptist Church, begins his ministry here; he comes to Cape Girardeau from Fredericktown, Missouri, where he was director of missions for St. Francois Baptist Association for three years...

Honoring their contributions to the arts in Cape Girardeau, Jan and Bill Chamberlain of Cape Girardeau were named winners of the Otto F. Dingeldein Award last night. The way has been cleared for construction of a Red Lobster restaurant in Cape Girardeau; sale of the site, in front of the Victorian Inn on Route K between Interstate 55 and Silver Springs Road, has been finalized, and construction could start as soon as December...

Starting Nov. 8, Southeast Missouri State University students can let their fingers do the walking to enroll in classes; students will be able to register by telephone, thanks to a new computer system installed in Academic Hall; the system will also allow students to add and drop classes...

A three-year comprehensive program to evaluate the condition of every block of city street in Cape Girardeau is nearing completion about a year ahead of schedule; the study will enable the city to set priorities for street repairs and replacement. The Cape Girardeau Board of Appeals refuses to buckle before pressure from the city council to alter a proposed property maintenance code; in a three-hour meeting, the board went through the measure item by item, essentially restoring the Building Officials and Code Administration version of the code.. ...

The Yes Group, the committee formed to work for passage of riverboat gaming in Cape Girardeau Nov. 2, has raised three times as much money as Citizens Against Riverboat Gambling, the committee opposing the issue; the Downtown Merchants Association is by far the largest single contributor to the campaign, having donated $11,000 to the Yes Group on June 15...

Wet fields are hampering the fall harvest and planting of winter wheat in Missouri; September 1993 was the second wettest in more than 70 years in Cape Girardeau; so far this month, rain at the airport totals 2.58 inches. A new mural will be unveiled in Cape Girardeau, just in time for Southeast Missouri State University's homecoming celebration; the River Heritage Mural Association is working on its sixth mural on the west side of the building that houses Shivelbine's Music store; the mural, the brainchild of Leland "Freck" Shivelbine, pays homage to the city's musical legacy.. ...

Good-looking women with big hair and spangly Western clothing were more numerous than usual Sunday afternoon at West Park Mall, as the shopping center hosted a Reba McEntire look-alike contest; 43 Rebas from four states competed to win prizes that included front-row tickets to the country music queen's concert Saturday at the Show Me Center...

The Rev. Lawrence Eatherton, pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Jackson, is leaving his pastorate there; he has accepted the call to serve at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Fenton, Missouri; he preaches his farewell sermon in all services today. Its cypress wood having survived 24 years of weathering and woodpeckers, the bell tower at Hanover Lutheran Church is getting a makeover; workers are applying a synthetic stucco material to the tower's exterior...

Nine World War I veterans -- Elves "Hap" Goodman, Bennett J. "Ben" Crites, Roy Gill, Clem Walker, Wiley Macke, George Vandeven, Pertle Probst, John I. Harris and Ruel Swank -- will be honored tomorrow at a special ceremony at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau; the ceremony is part of a nationwide effort to locate and honor the estimated 40,000 surviving World War I veterans...

Southeast Missouri State University's Homecoming parade and the annual Veterans Day parade are being combined this year; the parade will be Nov. 6, beginning at 9 a.m. at Capaha Park; homecoming festivities will begin Nov. 5 and end Nov. 7. Three hundred fifty-one Cape Girardeau County residents have applied for federal flood disaster assistance, ranking the county 20th statewide in the number of applications, according to Federal Emergency Management Agency officials...

A ground-breaking ceremony yesterday at 701 Good Hope St. marked the start of construction of the $1 million Salvation Army headquarters; the new, 17,200-square-foot building has been on Capt. Elmer Trapp's "wish list" for several years. Traffic congestion is the price of progress as work starts on the next segment of the Cape LaCroix Creek-Walker Branch flood-control project in Cape Girardeau; section of Kingshighway and streets that connect to the northbound lane of the street will be closed as part of the flood-control work.. ...

Trail of Tears State Park officials say it probably will be next year before the park's flood-damaged electric campsite and day-use picnic area along the Mississippi River can be repaired and reopened; the area was extensively damaged by this year's prolonged flood...

TAMMS, Ill. -- The Alexander County village of Tamms, 18 miles north of Cairo, Illinois, and 20 miles west of Cape Girardeau, has been selected for a $60 million super-maximum prison; the prison site is two miles northeast of Tamms. The Cape Girardeau City council voted unanimously last night to step up the hiring of police officers in the city; Police Chief Howard "Butch" Boyd Jr., had asked the council to hire two "community service officers" in January, and four more patrolmen during the next three years.. ...