Out of the Past

Dr. Christopher Jung of Cape Girardeau might soon have a new cross to bear: a large concrete cross off North Kingshighway; the Missouri Highways and Transportation Department, in an effort to quell objections by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, is considering giving a 9-food-wide section of land and the Cape La Croix cross to the adjoining property owner, Jung; the historic marker is on state property...

Three hundred thirteen junior and senior high school students from Southeast Missouri are showing off their prowess with protractors, polygons, PCs, plastics and plants at the annual Regional Science Fair at the Cape Girardeau Holiday Inn Convention Center...

A monument commemorating three priests who floated down the Mississippi River and landed at Cape Girardeau in 1699 is being targeted by a Wisconsin-based group which says the concrete cross violates the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of separation of church and state; because the Cape La Croix Cross off North Kingshighway stands on public property, the group is demanding it be removed from the state right of way...

Lowell Lundstrom's Impact America crusade had its grand finale yesterday, the eighth day of songs, sermons and personal testimony that attracted an average of 1,700 people nightly to the Show Me Center; the total attendance for the whole crusade was 13,074...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Retired lawyer and civic leader Robert A. Dempster, one of Southeast Missouri State University's major benefactors, died Friday at his home at the age of 82 after an extended illness; Dempster was a devoted friend of the Cape Girardeau school; his wife, Lynn Dempster, is a member of Southeast's Board of Regents...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Construction on a 14,000-square-foot addition to Chaffee High School will run past the mid-April contract deadline; two outside and several inside walls, plus a roof have to be built before any inside work can begin; bad weather and difficulties finding good construction laborers and working out schedules with subcontractors have delayed the project slightly...

The Missouri Department of Highways and Transportation has delayed bidding on several projects in Southeast Missouri to make sure Proposition A-funded work moves forward; among those projects moving forward are improvements to Highway 74 from Kingshighway to Sprigg Street and resurfacing Highway 25 from the Cape Girardeau County line to 2 miles south of Advance, Missouri...

Attendance swelled to nearly 2,600 at the Show Me Center yesterday as the faithful stood to hear Lowell Lundstrom and his daughter, Lisa, discuss the false hope of drugs, alcohol and sex; it was the fourth night of Lundstrom's Impact America Crusade, a night devoted to young people...

About 2,100 people gathered at the Show Me Center last night to hear Lowell Lundstrom preach the "Five Ways to Fire Up Your Marriage," and more than 100 people dedicated or re-dedicated their lives to Christ before the close of the service BENTON, Mo. ...

Cape Girardeau city manager J. Ronald Fischer will retire this summer, ending three decades of service in city and county government; Fischer, who will turn 62 on July 27, made the announcement at the end of last night's City Council meeting; he has headed the city for the past seven years; he served on the council from 1965-67 and then on the Cape Girardeau County Commission for 20 years...

More than 100 area residents heeded a call to a Christian life last night at the opening of the Heartland for Christ Crusade at the Show Me Center; Evangelist Lowell Lundstrom of Sisseton, South Dakota, gave the call to the 1,500 to 1,800 who heard his message; drawing from world events and the O.J. Simpson murder trial, Lindstrom related how America has fallen into sin...

Nearly 50 area churches have crossed denominational lines and united to bring the Heartland for Christ/Impact America Crusade to Cape Girardeau; the eight-night event, which begins this evening at the Show Me Center, features Christian communicator Lowell Lundstrom of Sisseton, South Dakota...

Southeast Missouri State University wants to close Dearmont residence halls and raise room and board charges for the remaining dorms about 5%; the proposal will be considered by the Board of Regents on Monday; the board will also be asked to hike tuition by $4 a credit-hour for in-state students and $8 a credit-hour for out-of-state students...

Cape Girardeau School Board president Ed Thompson withdrew his name yesterday from the April election; a court order signed by Circuit Judge John W. Grimm instructs Circuit Clerk Rodney Miller to accept Thompson's withdrawal. The Industrial River Advisory Committee supports the new location proposed on the Mississippi River for a Boyd Gaming Corp. ...

The school board's evaluation of Cape Girardeau school superintendent Dr. Neland Clark hasn't begun, although his contract says the process should have been completed in February; board members Bob Fox, Steve Wright and John Campbell say Clark has said he doesn't plan to seek an extension of his contract; but board members Kathy Swan and Pat Ruopp say they haven't heard the same comment...

Cape Girardeau Central High School seniors will complete graduation requirements prior to participating in commencement, if a new policy is adopted; the proposal is back in the hands of a high school committee drafting a suggested policy; last year, commencement brought a public outcry when a long-standing practice was changed at the last minute, allowing students who hadn't completed all graduation requirements to walk in the ceremony...

In front of an overflowing crowd last night, the Cape Girardeau Board of Education voted to cancel its American Express credit card account and placed stricter guidelines on travel expenses and reimbursements; but Amy Randol said after the meeting school board members missed the most important point of her recent letter, a question of leadership...

Developer Stephen Strom sent a message to area historians this week: Take photos, take measurements, take a tour, but the Meyer farm house off Lexington Avenue is beyond preservation and must be demolished; Strom recently purchased part of the Emil "Jim" Meyer farm, including the retired farmer's birthplace; the developer says he must tear down the house before it falls down, but has invited various preservation organizations to examine the log structure May 18...

Work began recently on renovating the attic of the Wesley House at Southeast Missouri State University; it will become the Upper Room Chapel and will be used for student-led worship services and communion services on Fridays. The Southeast Missourian receives more than 2,000 phone calls from subscribers looking for their Sunday edition, delivered in some cases several hours past its 7 a.m. ...

Boyd Gaming may settle on a new docking site farther north along the Cape Girardeau riverfront in an effort to secure approval from the Corps of Engineers; Boyd is seeking a docking permit from the Corps prior to applying for a state gambling permit for its proposed riverfront casino...

Juanita Spicer of Cape Girardeau has filed a federal civil rights complaint against the Cape Girardeau School District; Spicer, a member of the NAACP, refused to discuss the nature of the complaint, which comes amid efforts of a school committee to redraw elementary school boundaries and concerns about racial imbalance in the district...

The Del-Farm store on South Sprigg Street would remain open as a second Schnucks grocery in a deal reached between Schnucks and the Federal Trade Commission; no timetable has been set for Del-Farm to become a Schnucks store, but it probably would be some time after the 60-day period the FTC set before the tentative agreement becomes permanent...

Three Cape Girardeau councilmen have recommended changes in the operation of city advisory boards, including requiring board members to be city residents; the special committee of councilmen Richard Eggimann, Melvin Kasten and Tom Neumeyer also agreed that no one should be allowed to serve on more than one board at a time...

All the publicity surrounding the opening of two strip-tease nightclubs in Cape Girardeau prompted several towns, including Scott City and Sikeston, Missouri, to adopt laws regulating semi-nude dancing; now it's Jackson's turn; aldermen this evening will consider a measure requiring $100 permits to work in an adult entertainment business, force such businesses into industrial zones and prohibit tipping the performers...

More than $81,000 is raised by the Southeast Missouri Easter Seal Society through its national telethon at the KBSI-Fox 23 TV studio here; the funds will help support various programs such as the Easter Seal Early Learning Center. The Rev. Robert J. Hopkins, president and founder of Joy of Harvest Ministries, speaks at Christian Faith Fellowship; Hopkins travels across the country speaking at conventions, revivals, tent meetings and seminars...

Construction of a roomier Jackson Middle School is two months from completion, and a whole teaching philosophy will change when students walk through the doors for the 1995-96 school year; Jackson Middle School on Route D will house sixth and seventh grades; sixth-graders currently attend West Lane, North or Burfordville elementary schools; all seventh-graders are at Jackson High School...

Astronaut Charles Duke of New Braunfels, Texas, was the guest speaker Thursday at the eighth annual Mayor's Prayer Breakfast, sponsored by the Christian Business Men's Committee of Cape Girardeau; about 1,400 people turned out for the event at the Show Me Center...

Gary R. Wagoner, project director for construction of Boyd Gaming Corp.'s project in Cape Girardeau, says he believes Boyd will ask that the riverboat not be required to cruise the river; Boyd has requested, and received, dockside privileges at its Kansas City project, which is now under construction...

Monsignor Richard Rolwing, pastor of St. Mary's Cathedral in Cape Girardeau since 1987, celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving last evening marking the 42nd anniversary of his ordination; 14 members of his seminary class participated in the celebration. The devout line up by the hundreds in Cape Girardeau to have ash crosses marked on their foreheads; it is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the 40 days of Lent; the day is observed by Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran churches in America...

A pre-Easter service is held in the evening at First Baptist Church, Broadway and Spanish Street; the subject for the service is "Players in the Tragedy of the Tree." Arnet Groves, son of Mr. and Mrs. M.O. Groves, leaves in the morning for St. Louis, where he will visit a few days before going on to Mobile, Alabama; his cousin, A. ...

Nine Cape Girardeau firefighters and a police officer receive awards of valor in a brief ceremony at Fire Station No. 1; they were honored for their actions in battling four major fires last year; awards are given to assistant fire chief Max Jauch, training officer Mark Hasheider, captains Paul "Butch" Lufcy, Fred Vincel and Steve Besand, firefighters Harry Schumer, David Scherer, Ed Serandos and Charles Johnson, and police officer Homer Markhart...

After three years of charging food and travel expenses on corporate American Express cards, Cape Girardeau school administrators and board members concede some charges were inappropriate, with the worst record-keeping related to Supt. Neyland Clark's own expenses; when told last week questions had been raised by school district resident Amy Randol, Clark asked for an independent auditor to examine the district's travel-expense records and make suggestions for improvements...

The 1995 Missions Convention at First Assembly of God Church in Cape Girardeau concludes; the theme for the past week has been "Bringing America Back to God," with an emphasis on home missions; the Rev. Mark Faison of Springfield, Missouri, is guest speaker at the morning services...

The home of Bridget Fath, 547 S. Benton St., was gutted by fire early yesterday morning, killing the elderly woman who had lived there most of her life; the death of the 83-year-old woman was the first fire fatality in Cape Girardeau this year. Hanover Lutheran Church's recently refurbished organ will be dedicated tomorrow during a morning worship service; selections will be played on the organ by Kendra Ruesler, minister of music; the refurbishing included a set of 21 chimes, an eight-foot principal and new solid state coupler and relay system; the work was contracted to Wicks Organ Co., builder of the organ.. ...

Business director of Cape Girardeau's public schools Larry Dew has taken an assistant superintendency at Poplar Bluff, Missouri; the Poplar Bluff Board of Education voted last night to hire Dew, and he will officially begin work July 1; he has been business manager here since 1981...

Motorists traveling from Illinois get a dim view of Cape Girardeau at night; only one light burns on the west ramp of the Mississippi River bridge at the end of Morgan Oak Street, and seven others don't work; one fixture is completely missing; the outside glass is broken around most of the old mercury vapor lights, with pigeons making homes in one or two of them...

The Cape Girardeau City Council voted Tuesday to license rooming and boarding houses in the wake of three fires here in the past four or five months; Fire Chief Robert Ridgeway says the license requirement clears the way for the city to inspect rooming and boarding houses to ensure they aren't fire traps...

The Cape Girardeau City Council last night agreed to strictly regulate strip-tease businesses, prompting a lawyer's threat of a lawsuit on constitutional grounds; attorney David Rosener, who represents Regina's House of Dolls, blasted the council for considering such a regulation, saying his client would sue the city if the council passes such an ordinance...

A survey just completed by two Southeast Missouri State University faculty members shows almost a third of students at the university think hazing can be a "positive force in a student's college experience"; the surprising results come a year after the death of Michael Davis, a Southeast student killed while pledging Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity...

The city of Cape Girardeau paid above appraised value for more than half of the 42 tracts it purchase for the Cape LaCroix-Walker Branch flood-control project; in all Cape Girardeau spent more than $1.84 million on rights-of-way and easement costs, including purchase of the old James Glass and Auto Body building along Cape LaCroix Creek at a cost of $248,000; overall, the city paid 12% more than the $1.65 million appraised value for the land...

Mercantile Bancorporation Inc. plans to expand its presence in Southeast Missouri through a merger with AmeriFirst Bancorporation, headquartered in Sikeston, Missouri; AmeriFirst Bancorporation is the holding company for AmeriFirst Bank, which has two offices in Sikeston and a branch office in Cape Girardeau...

Cape Girardeau County commissioners yesterday made their position on supporting the I-66 project clear to the project's executive director, Walt Wildman; the county's wallet stays closed, at least for now; the advisability of donating public funds to private projects has recently come into question...

Cape Girardeau's school board voted to rebid a package of two-way radios and pagers after an unsuccessful bidder questioned the process; Tim Singleton with Star Communications told the board he thought the process was handled incorrectly and asked for it to be rebid...

The Federal Trade Commission has extended its review process of Schnucks Markets' bid to buy 60 National Super Stores facilities because it will take longer than was originally anticipated; the review process has been extended because of a backlog in acquisitions under review by the FTC and the absence, due to personal reasons, of the FTC's lead staff person assigned to the Schnucks-National review...

Cape Girardeau firefighters responded to 2,218 calls in 1994, more than half to assist residents with medical emergencies; in essence, the fire department doubled its workload in 1994, the first year of the first-responder system, lending assistance in medical emergencies...

The Broadway Community Theater is homeless; although it never truly had a permanent home, for the past four years it has used Concord Theater to mount its productions, but a problem with the theater's ceiling a week before opening "Life With Father" left the thespians scrambling for a new stage; fortunately, Cape Girardeau Central High School agreed to host the three-day run this weekend...

Hundreds of Missouri and Illinois communities will share in the federal "Cops Fast" program, created in last year's federal crime bill to put more police officers on the nation's streets immediately; more than $5.4 million will be used in Southern Illinois; in Southeast Missouri, 27 departments will add another officer to their rosters; they include Jackson, Scott City, Perry County, Sikeston, Miner, Morehouse, Farmington, Ste. Genevieve, Stoddard County and Van Buren...

BERTRAND, Mo. -- Calling it among the worst abuse of animals they have ever seen, law enforcement and area humane society officials closed down a dog-breeding and kennel operation in Bertrand Friday; some 50 purebred and registered dogs were gathered from feces-filled pens and enclosures and taken to the humane societies in Cape Girardeau and Sikeston, Missouri...

The Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, acting on a problem identified in a recent survey, will form a committee to study how city hall deals with commercial and residential builders; the task force will work with the city to resolve problems rather than draw adversarial lines, says chamber president John Mehner...

BENTON, Mo. -- Scott County voters will decide two sales tax issues for law enforcement funding on the April 4 ballot; the first measure would impose a county-wide quarter-cent sales tax for county law enforcement services; the second would impose the same tax rate to build a county jail...

The memory of the hazing death of Southeast Missouri State University journalism student Michael Davis ignites deep-rooted emotions, eloquent tributes and the reminder of harsh consequences during a memorial service at Rose Theater; Davis was killed by members of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity Feb. 15, 1994...

Cape Girardeau County Sheriff John Jordan has restructured his department; before, there was a chief deputy overseeing employees; now, Capt. Ruth Dickerson oversees business operations and Capt. Bud Proffer oversees field operations; both report directly to Jordan, as does new jail administrator Michael Morgan...

Area snowfall yesterday afternoon was blamed for at least one fatal accident and numerous other fender benders; a 71-year-old Sikeston, Missouri, man was killed when his car skidded on ice and struck a utility pole on Highway H, north of Miner, Missouri...

The Clubhouse, a family grill and pub, has opened in Plaza Galleria, 2001 Independence St. in Cape Girardeau; David Freese, a St. Louis restaurateur, is one of four owners of the new operation in the space that previously house Rutherford's Tavern; the other owners are Ron Verner, Lorie Verner and Lynn Shoemake...

Cape Girardeau native Jack Oliver, 25, is making big waves at a young age on the Missouri political scene, even drawing attention at the national level; Oliver's most recent campaign stint came last year during John Ashcroft's successful bid for the U.S. Senate; he served as Ashcroft's campaign director and oversaw fundraising and the overall development of the campaign; Oliver now serves as Ashcroft's deputy chief of staff...

The calendar says it's winter, but lately the weather has had the look of spring; in fact, it's been downright mild; so mild, golfers have flocked to area courses, rose bushes and some other plants are showing new growth, and city snow plows have been all but forgotten...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A 34-year-old homeless man was arrested yesterday, moments after allegedly robbing Commerce Bank West of several thousand dollars; he was arrested on suspicion of robbery of a federal institution just seconds after leaving the bank on foot; between $4,000 and $5,000 was stolen...

Department of Natural Resources officials don't know how much soil was contaminated when a Coop Service Center Inc. tank at Jackson leaked, but the petroleum wholesaler contracted with St. Louis environmental consultants to figure it out; a 13,000-gallon kerosene tank on East Washington Street across from the Coop office rusted and developed a leak that went undetected until Jan. 25; residents near the tank smelled the fuel, then noticed a sheen on top of nearby Goose Creek...

Local ice skaters Matt Buttrey and Sarah Booth have qualified for the U.S. Figure Skating National Championships in Rhode Island; they placed fourth in the Midwestern Sectional Championships in Denver in November to advance to the championships. A group plans to protest the opening Friday night of Regina's House of Dolls by carrying signs outside the business reading "no strippers"; the Cape County American Family Association is hoping peaceful protests and new city laws will cut down on the strip club's business.. ...