Out of the Past

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- A mourning family's search for a missing dog ended yesterday when a Southeast Missourian newspaper carrier discovered the malamute-chow pup; the dog, 9-month-old Wheddo, had been missing since Dec. 27, when he sprang from the mangled wreckage of his owner's truck; his owner, Scott Craig, 38, of Doniphan, Missouri, was killed when he lost control of his truck on Highway 34 west of Burfordville...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Sikeston's best known restaurant has been nominated for Missouri's top tourism award; Lambert's Cafe, known nationwide as the "Home of the Throwed Rolls," is a nominee for the Missouri Travel and Tourism Hall of Fame Award. Violence and oppression against women weaken the nation, University of Oklahoma law professor Anita Hill tells a crowd of more than 800 at the Show Me Center; she is keynote speaker at the 10th annual Dr. ...

An agreement to purchase St. Vincent's College for $700,000 has been signed by the owners and the Colonial Cape Girardeau Foundation; the foundation, with plans to transform the former seminary into a museum and Civil War interpretive center, made a $50,000 down payment on the 20-acre property and must pay the remaining $650,000 by the closing date of March 31...

Reflecting on a time when "the awful price of freedom" was a more costly venture, Dr. Ronald L. Bobo delivered an impassioned speech at First Baptist Church last night as part of the fifth annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration; also marking the occasion was a candlelight march dampened but not diminished by a downpour of rain...

Hate publications published in Texas have shown up in newspaper vending machines in Cape Girardeau and Jackson; last week, a 12-page publication called Jew Watch was found; Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle is ready to take legal action under a hate-crime law, if a suspect is caught...

Night Clubs Inc.'s owner and officers have passed a police background check in their quest to open a strip bar on Enterprise Street in Cape Girardeau; the company operates two Regina's House of Dolls in Paducah, Kentucky. Anita Hill is coming; Clarence Thomas is, too, but later than first announced; Hill, the Oklahoma law professor who sparked controversy with her sexual harassment allegations against Thomas during the Supreme Court nomination hearings, will speak Monday at the Dr. ...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Gov. Mel Carnahan has appointed Herbert E. Miller to fill a vacancy in the Perry County coroner's office; the coroner's office became vacant when Patrick Naeger began his duties in the Missouri House of Representatives; Miller and his wife, Kathleen, have owned the Miller Family Funeral Home in Perryville the past five years...

Fire destroys batteries, lacquer thinner and insulation at the Auto Tire and Parts warehouse at Christine and Good Hope streets, but there isn't significant structural damage. Taking control of the water system from Union Electric some 2 1/2 years ago has enabled the City of Cape Girardeau to embark on a growth pattern that has yet to slow; the growth in the last few years has prompted the planning and zoning commission to designate eight areas for possible annexation in the next five years...

Cape Girardeau Central High's relatively infant soccer program has made a point of breaking new ground nearly every season, and the Tigers succeeded again in 1994 with sweeper Chris Lee named honorable mention all state; Lee, the team's captain his senior year, is the first Tiger soccer player ever to receive any post-season recognition at the state level...

A farewell service and reception for the Rev. Dale Trimberger is held in the afternoon at Good Shepherd Lutheran Chapel; Trimberger, director of Lutheran Family and Children's Services, has accepted a call to St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Columbus, Indiana, where he will serve as director of pastoral care...

Instead of waking yesterday to a serene blanket of snow, many area residents faced their worst nightmare: Ice and freezing rain; most area schools canceled classes because of the ice and dangerous driving conditions; Southeast Missouri State University delayed opening its offices because of the weather...

BENTON, Mo. -- Scott County Prosecuting Attorney Cristy Baker-Neel discharged an assistant prosecutor and a clerk yesterday to confront what she calls inefficiencies in her office; a new assistant prosecutor and an administrative clerk will begin work Monday...

JEFFERSON CITY --What was supposed to have been about a 20-minute reign as presiding officer of the Missouri House yesterday turned into an excruciating experience for Secretary of State Rebecca Cook; it also made her the target of sharp criticism from Republicans; Cook, a Democrat from Cape Girardeau who was appointed Dec. 16 by the governor, was caught on the dais during a Republican play to oust longtime House Speaker Bob Griffin...

Anita Hill, the law professor who raised the issue of sexual harassment at the nomination hearings for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, will speak in Cape Girardeau Jan. 16; she will deliver the keynote address at the 10th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast...

The filing period for the Cape Girardeau Board of Education opens and will continue through Jan. 31; board president Ed Thompson says he plans to seek a third term on the board; terms of Thompson and Lyle Davis expire in April, and Davis has said he is undecided about seeking another term...

CAIRO, Ill. -- After 24 school days, the Cairo teachers strike ends, and for the first time since Nov. 17, students in the district will have to get up for classes tomorrow morning; 67 of the 73 striking teachers vote in the evening to approve a tentative settlement reached earlier in the day by administration and teacher representatives...

David Dwain Brown, son of Donnie and Sherry Brown of New Madrid, Missouri, is the first baby born in Cape Girardeau in 1995; he arrives at Southeast Hospital at 2:19 a.m. Steve Francis is returning to a staff position at Southside Baptist Church; he was previously at Southside, but has been at Calvary Baptist Church at Dexter, Missouri, since February 1992; Francis will be associate pastor/minister of music...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- At midnight, Bill Hopkins' 20-year career as Bollinger County associate judge will end; but thanks to Gov. Mel Carnahan, he will begin a new career as county prosecuting attorney; Hopkins was advised of the appointment Friday morning in a phone call from Carnahan...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Water here will soon be more sparkling and pleasant for the palate; administrative assistant David Jackson says city crews hope to begin work on a new pre-treatment water system in the spring; it is hoped residents' complaints about odors and discolorations will soon be a thing of the past...

Law enforcement officers from several agencies converge on the Student Recreation Center at Southeast Missouri State University to participate in "Hoopin' with 5-0 at SEMO"; for the second year, the Cape Girardeau Police Department coordinates a basketball camp for boys between ages 11 and 16...

Paul Sander has announced he will seek a second term as Jackson mayor; Sander, 39, served seven years on the Jackson Board of Aldermen before he was elected mayor in 1993, defeating 11-term incumbent Carlton "Cotton" Meyer. MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- In a county that routinely defeats incumbent officeholders, Dale Bollinger has survived six elections over the last 24 years as Bollinger County collector; but at age 65, satisfied he has served the people efficiently and effectively in public office, Bollinger has decided its time to do something new.. ...

Retiring Cape Girardeau County Commissioner Gene Huckstep praised his colleagues, other county officials and employees for their dedication yesterday as he delivered his final budget address; Huckstep, the county's chief budget officer, read a three-page message at a public hearing on the budget before joining Commissioners E.C. Younghouse and Larry Bock in giving unanimous approval to the document...

Faced with disposing of live Christmas trees, Cape Girardeans can no longer leave the yuletide symbol at the curb for the city to collect; Senate Bill 530 has banished Christmas trees from the city dump; instead, Cape Girardeau will open a special site in Arena Park, where residents may drop off trees; they will be "recycled" -- used for fish habitats in area ponds and lakes, or ground into landscaping mulch...

A former Cape Girardeau resident was among the guests invited to the White House recently for the Pageant of Pace Reception, where Christmas decorations for 1994 were unveiled; Jack Komis, who now lives in Washington, D.C., helped design some of this year's White House decorations...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Thirty-one Perry County property owners have decided to accept a government buyout of residences flooded last year in the Bois Brule Bottoms east of Perryville; four other property owners have buyout offers, but haven't yet made a decision about them...

Long Distance Discount Inc. has moved its telephone switching network operations to its new building at 24 S. Minnesota Ave.; some customers experienced some problems in placing and receiving calls during the move; this was caused by an interfacing wiring problem with other carriers, not a problem on LDD's end, according to a company spokesman...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Although both sides made concessions yesterday, talks broke off late that night without a settlement to the Cairo teachers' strike which started more than a month ago; with teachers in one office and school board members in another, proposals and counter-proposals were dispatched back and forth late into the night...

Twice in eight years, voters have rejected a transportation sales tax to fund street improvements; but Cape Girardeau Mayor Al Spradling III thinks the third time will be the charm; he has suggested the council put a half-cent transportation sales tax on the April ballot...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A $2.5 billion shortfall in the highway department's 15-year road and bridge program has Rep. Larry Thomason, D-Kennett, infuriated; two years ago, highway officials used the road and bridge projects as enticement for legislators to enact a 6-cent gas tax increase without a public vote; but an audit, released by the oversight division of the Joint Committee on Legislative Research, finds highway officials promised projects that would cost $12.711 billion, but the projected revenue through the year 2007 is $10.257 billion, meaning some promised projects won't happen.. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Today is Rebecca M. "Bekki" Cook's first full day at her new job, Missouri secretary of state; her first personal touch in her new office is a sprig of mistletoe from a relative's Cape Girardeau County farm. The Cape Girardeau City Council rejects a measure that would have given Mayor Al Spradling III power to remit fines and forfeitures and grant reprieves and pardons for city offenses; Spradling had sought the power, but council members refused to bring the matter to a vote.. ...

The Rev. Carl Rockrohr, missionary to Ghana, West Africa, is guest preacher at the morning service at Hanover Lutheran Church; originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he has been in Ghana since January 1993, where he serves as missionary and church planter and director of the Christian Leadership Training Center at Gbintiri in the northern region of Ghana...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Three of the words most often spoken in Jefferson City yesterday were: "Who's Bekki Cook?"; Gov. Mel Carnahan appointed the 44-year-old Cape Girardeau lawyer and political outsider to replace ousted Secretary of State Judith Moriarty; the appointment was a surprise to pundits, as well as Cook...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Mel Carnahan could name a new secretary of state by the end of the week and will nominate someone no later than the end of the year, says Chris Sifford, communications director for the governor; the governor, who has the sole authority to name a replacement for ousted Secretary of State Judith Moriarty, has talked with several people interested in taking the job...

WEBSTER GROVES, Mo. -- Former Cape Girardeau police officer Jack V. Crittendon, 56, died at his home in Webster Groves on Monday; Crittendon joined the Cape Girardeau Police Department after his brother, Don Crittendon, was killed along with auxiliary police officer Herbert Goss in a shoot-out in 1961; he recently retired from the Webster Groves Police Department after 25 years of service...

Phase I site work is underway for construction of a new medical office building and parking garage at the Saint Francis Medical Center campus; the project will include relocation of the emergency room access driveway and relocation of helipads and the helicopter hangar; the medical office building will be east of the hospital's emergency room entrance on a five-acre tract, and might be connected to the medial center by a second-story walkway...

Consolidated Grain & Barge Co., headquartered in Mandeville, Louisiana, has signed a lease with the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority for 16 acres to build a grain elevator and barge facility; Consolidated's lease is the fourth long-term lease at the port authority...

ROCKVIEW, Mo. -- A two-story home went up in flames yesterday in Rockview, and firefighters and residents blame the destruction on the small town's lack of fire hydrants; firefighters from Chaffee, Missouri, Scott City and the New Hamburg-Benton-Commerce Fire Protection District battled the blaze at Ed and Barb Payne's home until mid-afternoon...

The third annual German Christmas service is held in the evening at Old Hanover Lutheran Church on Perryville Road; guest preacher is the Rev. Adam Mueller; his sermon theme is "The Meaning of Christ's Birth"; the liturgy and sermon are in English, with familiar Christmas carols sung in both German and English...

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the fatal crash of a Cape Central Airways cargo plane at Kansas City International Airport; the investigation involves the pilot's concern about ice buildup on the plane and other possible reasons for Thursday night's crash; the pilot, Bonita Connors, 36, of Sedalia, Missouri, died Friday night...

Unemployment in Cape Girardeau County is a scant 3.2%, but the number of area residents qualifying for food stamps has increased in the past year; 217 more households in the county have qualified for food stamps since July 1993; of the county population of approximately 60,000, 5,457 people receive food stamps...

The Area Wide United Way is $90,000 short of its campaign goal with just a week to go; this year's campaign is $50,000 behind the campaign last year, and the goal for 1994 of $20,000 higher. Jackson and Cape Girardeau firefighters battled a blaze last night at McDonald's Restaurant in Jackson; a lack of water pressure and wind hampered their efforts, and the building was destroyed; officials say the fire started after a gasoline can and leaf blower were placed in a room with a gas water heater; it is believed gas fumes were ignited by the water heater's pilot flame.. ...

In an effort to prevent traffic congestion in downtown Cape Girardeau, the city Planning and Zoning commission is urging that William Street east of Sprigg be widened to four lanes to help additional traffic that will be generated by a riverboat gambling development; commissioners want the developer, Boyd Gaming Corp., to pay for the improvement...

JEFFERSON CITY -- Impeached Secretary of State Judi Moriarty's chief accuser told the Missouri Supreme Court on Monday she was ordered by her former boss to sign son Tim Moriary's election paperwork although it lacked his required signature; Barbara Campbell's testimony came during the opening day of the court's first impeachment trial since being given that responsibility by the Missouri Constitution in 1945...

John Bollinger, Missouri's oldest working recorder of deeds in both age and length of service, is completing his last month on the job; Bollinger, 76, says, "It's time to retire. I don't know what I'm going to do. I may want to go fishing"; Bollinger became Scott County recorder Jan. 1, 1955...

In observance of the 10th anniversary of the Most Rev. John J. Leibrecht's episcopal ordination as bishop of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, the bishop celebrates a special Mass in the evening at St. Mary's Cathedral; a reception is held afterward; Leibrecht is the fifth bishop of the Southern Missouri diocese since it was formed in 1956...

Cape Girardeau's revitalized airport could be headed for a crash landing if the Federal Aviation Administration closes the air traffic control tower, city officials say; the FAA is considering closing 23 towers at non-hub airports nationwide, including the one at Cape Girardeau; the move would save the government $5 million...

Construction is underway on a water line that will provide improved fire protection for the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport; the $172,915 project involves laying about a mile of 12-inch water line from the Nash Road industrial site southward to the airport...

Despite leveling a hill a year ago to improve visibility at the Highway 61-Interstate 55 interchange, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Department now is planting trees in the median where the hill once stood; some criticize the move, saying the trees will interfere with motorists' visibility once grown...

Gov. Mel Carnahan and Southeast Missouri State University officials turned shovels of dirt yesterday at a groundbreaking ceremony for the school's business building at the corner of Henderson Avenue and New Madrid Street; university Regent Don Dickerson likened the project to a "Field of Dreams," speaking to a crowd of several hundred area dignitaries, university staff and students...

CAIRO, Ill. -- The strike that has closed the Cairo public schools continues, with members of the Cairo Association of Teachers saying they are prepared for "the long haul"; members of the teachers' negotiation team say the teachers pay proposal allows the school district to pay its bill, with money left over...

An intense storm system that moved across the region Sunday is expected to leave cold weather in its wake; snow flurries fell in northeast Missouri, and Cape Girardeau received 1.36 inches of rain during the 24-hour period that ended at 6 p.m. yesterday; area electric and cable crews were busy Sunday morning repairing downed power lines left in the wake of downpours and strong winds...

Robert W. Parker of Cape Girardeau, executive director of Southeast Missouri State University Foundation and former university president, was recently elected vice chairman of the board of trustees of the Missouri Baptist Foundation; the foundation is the trust agency of the Missouri Baptist Convention...

Cape Girardeau County Presiding Commissioner Gene Huckstep has been tying up a lot of loose ends for the year's end, and the end of his 16-year tenure on the commission; in the past year, since announcing his retirement Dec. 31, Huckstep has helped with the acquisition of new park land for future commissions to develop, improvements to the county's computer system and reigning in county expenditures to ensure they align with the year's budget...

Merchants open their doors early and close them late to accommodate the busiest shopping day of the year; stores that opened long before the average 9 or 10 a.m. report shoppers standing at the doors, waiting to be let in. COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Unable to overcome two early Excelsior Springs, Missouri, touchdowns, the Jackson Indians fall 12-6 to the state champion Tigers in the Class 4A state championship game; a remarkable Indian season, which included the school's first appearance in a football state championship game, concludes at 12-2.. ...

Thanksgiving Day. Twenty turkeys, seven hams and more than 450 filled stomachs; the statistics gratify the Salvation Army's 75 volunteers who cook, serve and clear away food for Cape Girardeau's needy at the Army's annual Thanksgiving Day feast Retiring Cape Girardeau County Presiding Commissioner Gene Huckstep was honored last night at the annual official opening of the 1994 Holiday of Lights display in County North Park; more than 250 persons turned out for the ceremony, which was coordinated by the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau; as part of the ceremony, a new display dedicated to Huckstep's 16 years of service was unveiled.. ...

A contract between Little River Drainage District and Lady Luck Gaming Crop. that would allow a gambling boat to be moored in the district's Diversion Channel at Scott City appears assured; Larry Dowdy of Cape Girardeau, executive vice president of the district, expects the contract to be signed with Lady Luck within two to three weeks...

A Cape Girardeau County sheriff's deputy escaped serious injury yesterday when a tree limb fell on his police cruiser as he drove in the 900 block of Broadway; deputy Mike Englemann suffered face and hand lacerations after the limb broke from a tree near First Baptist Church; the limb shattered the windshield and driver's side window and dented the hood, roof and back of the car...

Firefighters from around the area battled a three-alarm fire Saturday night that started at Lanter Co., 226 Linda St. in Cape Girardeau; the fire spread to Plaza Tire and burned until Sunday morning; about 10,000 square feet of the 40,000-square-foot complex was destroyed in the blaze; Cape Girardeau firefighter Randol Morris suffered a compound fracture in his upper leg and a fractured hip Saturday night when a burning wall collapsed on him...

Stac Underwood of Cape Girardeau, who recently signed a country music contract on the 21st Century label in Nashville, Tennessee, is the featured guest at a gospel concert at First General Baptist Church in the evening; she has two songs that recently have been on the country music charts...

Hours of hard work were spent unloading the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority's new locomotive Thursday; the General Motors locomotive, formerly Army property, was built in 1951 and overhauled in 1979; Dan Overbey, executive director of the port authority, oversaw its transportation from Fort Carson, Colorado, to Texas...