Out of the Past

Performing in Cape Girardeau isn't just another quick tour stop for Jo Sullivan Loesser; it's also a trip home; Loesser, a Broadway performer, returned to Cape Girardeau yesterday to visit her parents and perform at Chateau Girardeau; she is the daughter of Hessie and Eileen Sullivan...

It took longer for the memories of rising floodwaters to fade than for Commerce, Missouri, residents to accept or decline property buyout offers that began four months ago; the State Emergency Management Agency closed its flood buyout office last week even though some offers are still on the table; residents didn't learn about the closing until it happened; about 45 landowners in Commerce accepted offers, and only 13 declined...

JEFFERSON CITY -- A bill that would allow Cape Girardeau County to retain a county coroner instead of hiring a medical examiner when it becomes first class next year won legislative approval yesterday and awaits the governor's signature; a medical examiner costs more than $100,000 a year while a coroner is paid about $20,000...

PATTON, Mo. -- Despite petition drives and new faces on the Meadow Heights Board of Education, an earlier decision not to rehire former high school principal Rick Chastain will stand; the board voted 4-3 last night not to renew Chastain's contract as high school principal; Chastain maintains he was fired because he blew the whistle on the district's former superintendent, who added fictitious names to attendance records...

G. Warren Smith, president of Southeastern Louisiana University at Hammond, and his wife are scheduled to visit Southeast Missouri State University this week; a finalist for the presidency of the local university, Smith will meet with the Board of Regents, faculty, staff, students and public in a series of meetings Wednesday and Thursday...

The City of Cape Girardeau is getting aggressive with airport marketing; it's spending part of the airport's $538,000 annual budget on advertising, surveys and promotional open houses in hopes landings and takeoffs will increase; airport management funneled $375 a month into radio advertising on KGMO and sister stations KAPE and KYRX; the ads, which run Thursdays through Sundays to target business travelers, feature phrases like "take off with great bargains" and "Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, your gateway to the world"; newspaper advertising, paid for in part by Trans World Express, will begin soon.. ...

Dr. Richard L. Konichek is the new pastor of Family Worship Center, 800 S. Sprigg; during his 20 years as pastor he has conducted a nursing home ministry, jail ministry, and served as chaplain in several boys youth homes; he also has served as vice president and president of a ministerial association...

Pat Buchanan loyalists battle Bob Dole supporters in nine congressional district caucuses across Missouri to select delegates to the GOP national convention in San Diego; Dole wins 14 delegates to 11 for Buchanan, and Alan Keyes picks up two; 27 alternates also are selected; Missouri's nine remaining delegates will be elected at large during the state GOP convention in Springfield next month; today's outcome is one of Buchanan's best showings since the conservative commentator won the New Hampshire primary in February.. ...

Given the right opportunity, all students can find some area in which they succeed, says Barbara Lohr; Lohr is one of four teachers to be honored as Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce 1996 Educators of the Year; in addition to Lohr, a high school office technology teacher at the Cape Girardeau Area Vocational-Technical School, honorees are Richard B. ...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A Sikeston pilot walked away from an airplane crash yesterday afternoon with only a few minor scratches; Edward Boyd was attempting to land a rented Cessna 150 at the Sikeston Municipal Airport around 4:30 p.m.; the plane stalled, landed in an open field about 100 yards west of the airport and flipped over; it was a total loss...

The patriarch of the Limbaugh family is laid to rest in New Lorimier Cemetery next to his bride, who died almost 19 years before him; for the most part, the funeral service for Rush Hudson Limbaugh Sr. is of typical United Methodist fanfare, probably the way Limbaugh would have wanted it; the most extraordinary aspects of the service are the cross-section of people who paid their last respects and the "van loads" of flowers sent in remembrance of a man whose legal career spanned more years than most people's lives; Limbaugh, 104, died Monday at his home on Sylvan Lan.. ...

In 1902, on a small farm along the Little Muddy Creek in Bollinger County, Missouri, a passion for the law first stirred in a 10-year-old boy; 14 years later, he set out on a legal career that spanned eight decades; yesterday, the lifetime love affair between the man and the law ended; Rush Hudson Limbaugh, one of Cape Girardeau's favorite sons and the nation's oldest practicing lawyer, died Monday afternoon at his home here; he was 104...

Easter Sunday ALTO PASS, Ill. -- Worshipers gather at Bald Knob Cross for Easter Sunrise service, marking the 60th annual sunrise service atop Bald Knob Mountain near Alto Pass; conducting the service at the site of the 111-foot cross are the Revs. Richard Hays and Bill Vandergraph...

Cape Girardeau Regional Airport Advisory Board yesterday objected to a proposed five-acre juvenile center being built at the airport; with the board unanimously opposing that site, the only Cape Girardeau County location still in contention for the center is a five-acre tract on the west side of South Sprigg Street, about a half-mile south of its intersection with Southern Expressway...

Klaus Park has been removed from a list of potential sites for a planned state juvenile facility; Cape Girardeau County Commissioner Larry Bock says officials with the Missouri Division of Youth Services suggested the site be removed from the county's application because of opposition from homeowners in the surrounding area; two other Cape County sites are still on the table: a five-acre site at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport and a five-acre site owned by 630 Corp. ...

There were so many write-in races in Cape Girardeau County that the ballots were still being counted Wednesday afternoon; results may be available tomorrow morning; write-in results are being tallied for these posts: Oak Ridge, one seat on the Board of Trustees; Delta, mayor and Ward 2 alderman; Pocahontas, five seats on the Board of Trustees; Gordonville, two seats on the Board of Trustees; Old Appleton, five seats on the Board of Trustees; Whitewater Area Fire Protection District, two seats on the Board of Directors, and Fruitland Area Fire Protection District, one seat on the Board of Directors.. ...

The makeup of the Cape Girardeau City Council won't change as voters yesterday re-elected councilmen Melvin Gateley, Jack Rickard and Melvin Kasten; Gateley won re-election to a second, four-year term in Ward 5, defeating challenger Lawrence Godfrey; Rickard defeated first-time candidate Jay Purcell in Ward 3 to win a four-year term; and Kasten was unopposed for re-election to a second, four-year term in Ward 4...

William C. Merwin and his wife, Debra, arrive in Cape Girardeau; Merwin, president of State University of New York College at Potsdam is one of three finalists for president of Southeast Missouri State University; he will hold a series of meetings with the Board of Regents, university officials and student leaders tomorrow and Thursday; the public will have an opportunity to meet Merwin at a reception Wednesday evening...

METROPOLIS, Ill. -- Metropolis has hit the jackpot; after three years as host city to Merv Griffin's Players Riverboat Casino, this small Southern Illinois city of 7,500 residents has taken $15,598,123 to the bank; there is no sign the bank will close any time soon...

Palm Sunday. Children holding palms lead the Palm Sunday procession during the opening hymn of the morning worship service at First Presbyterian Church, Broadway and Lorimier Street; there is a congregational reading of the passion of Jesus; Bill York reads the part of Jesus and Allen Bryan portrays Pilate...

Cape Girardeau County will submit three sites to the Missouri Division of Youth Services for a proposed juvenile detention center; deadline for submissions is Sunday; the state plans to build two facilities in the region, one on the east side and one on the west; the site in Klaus Park originally proposed to house the center has drawn protests from surrounding homeowners; in addition to Klaus Park, a five-acre site at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport is being proposed, as is a five-acre site on South Sprigg Street about a block south of the Southern Expressway or old Highway 74.. ...

Cape Girardeau public schools are looking at a shortfall of $200,000 to $350,000 in this year's budget; the district already budgeted to spend $550,000 more than it planned to receive; now, revenues may be less than projected; the district budgeted revenues of $22.1 million for this school year, but business manager Steve DelVecchio says best projections show the district will receive only $21.8 million...

A Missouri Supreme Court decision to end the state's use tax has city and county leaders nervously waiting for more information; the 1.5% tax was levied in July 1992 on residents and businesses who buy products from other states and then store or use them in Missouri; it primarily affected mail-order businesses and large industries that import raw materials; justices threw out the tax Tuesday with a 7-0 ruling...

Voters will go to the polls to elect school board members in Jackson next week, but they may return in August to decide on a bond issue for the school district; a report from the facilities review committee ranks the district's building needs; some of the committee's recommendations to the school board include constructing a math and science building at the high school, an addition to North Elementary School that would add about two rooms per grade level, building a new elementary school south of town and an addition at the junior high school.. ...

It's been an on-again, off-again spring in Southeast Missouri; following the on-again mild temperatures this weekend, spring is off again with the mercury dipping below freezing overnight and only climbing into the 40s for daytime highs; that's the forecast through Thursday, when cloudy skies and temperatures in the 60s are expected to return to the area...

Parking structures, student housing around Wildwood, new academic buildings -- they are all components of a long-term plan for upgrading the Southeast Missouri State University campus; Scheme D, the master-plan option recently presented to the university's Board of Regents by consultants Mackey Mitchell Zahner, calls for maintaining a compact campus while allowing for expansion, creating quadrangles and greens to link the campus with pedestrian-scaled open space, limiting vehicular traffic and improving student safety.. ...

Dreary morning skies and a chill in the wind Saturday didn't stop thousands from thinking about spring and accompanying home improvements; organizers estimate 7,000 people attended the first day of the 16th Annual SEMO Homebuilders Association Home and Garden Show; they expect more people at the Show Me Center today...

A Cape Girardeau doctor will challenge U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson in the Republican primary for the 8th District congressional seat; Dr. C. John Ritter, an internist at Cape Girardeau Physician Associates, filed yesterday in Jefferson City; he is the second Republican to challenge Emerson; the other is Bollinger County resident Richard Kline, who filed earlier this year...

The suspect in a Cape Girardeau County killing and abduction was captured late yesterday after a gun battle with a Missouri highway patrolman on Interstate 270 near St. Louis; Russell E. Bucklew, 27, is in critical condition in a St. Louis hospital after he was shot in the gun battle; the highway patrolman also was shot; the hostage, Stephanie Ray Pruitt, 22, also was shot in the leg, but it isn't clear when she was injured; Bucklew was sought in the killing of Michael Houston Sanders, 27, who was shot about 6 p.m. ...

Burglars stole more than $40,000 worth of collectibles from Antique Center Mall on Sunday, two months after fire inspectors ordered barrel-bolt locks removed from the mall's back door; sometime after 10 p.m. Sunday, burglars pried open the simple door lock securing the antiques store at 2121 William with a crow bar; once inside, the burglars stole small collectibles from the 15 antique dealers that make up the business...

As the filing date for statewide office approaches, hardly a day goes by that Paul Sander doesn't hear about the District 157 seat; now Jackson's mayor and most famous non-candidate wants to set the record straight: He's not filing for state representative; Sander says he's happy serving Jackson residents as mayor and plans to run again in 1997...

It was a job search that didn't take long to complete; after two months of screening applications, the Scott City Board of Education unanimously voted Friday to hire Roger Tatum as its new superintendent; the Oak Ridge school board will meet tonight to accept Tatum's resignation and discuss its search for a new superintendent...

The Rev. Philip N. Curran is the new pastor at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and holds his first service there in the morning; the congregation is temporarily meeting at Lutheran Chapel of Hope, 903 College Hill, while the pastor's temporary office is at 1017 Independence St.; a new church is being built at 2411 Abbey Road...

City leaders mingled with the public yesterday at the Jackson City Hall open house, beaming like proud parents and pointing out all the building's special features; the city left the old City Hall on South High Street Dec. 29 and opened at the Court Street building on Jan. ...

The deputy emergency preparedness director and a National Guard veteran were the first to be interviewed for the job of Cape Girardeau County emergency preparedness director; Martha Vandivort, who has been deputy director since 1979, and David M. Hitt, who served coordinated mobilization and emergency training for the Guard's 1140th Engineers Battalion, were interviewed Thursday by Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones and Commissioners Larry Bock and Joe Gambill; the director will replace Brian Miller, who died of a heart attack Feb. ...

When Scott City Administrator John Saxton announced his resignation Monday, it left council members wondering why; Saxton gave no reason for his immediate resignation, which took effect at 1:07 p.m. Monday afternoon; "The letter said he wanted to resign immediately and wished the city well," says Mayor Larry Forhan...

More students at May Greene School in Cape Girardeau are taking the bus to school because of concerns about pedestrian safety at Highway 74 and Sprigg Street; a pedestrian crossing light is in place at the intersection, but school officials don't want to take any chances with the grade school students attempting to cross the highway on their way to or from school...

The odds have doubled in favor of Cape Girardeau County securing a Missouri Division of Youth Services juvenile facility; instead of one facility for Southeast Missouri, the state plans to build two in the region. Backed by petitions and applause, a standing-room-only crowd urges the Cape Girardeau City Council to endorse the old Saint Francis Hospital site on Good Hope Street for a new federal courthouse; about 100 people attend a 40-minute public hearing at City Hall; most said they wanted the federal government to tear down the vacant, vandalized hospital building and the five houses bordering it.. ...

A group of Cape Girardeau residents will petition the Cape Girardeau City Council to recommend the federal government build a new federal courthouse on the block of old Saint Francis Hospital; supporters of the plan expect to submit petitions bearing more than 1,000 signatures at a public hearing tomorrow night at City Hall; the Haarig Area Development Association wants the government to tear down the vacant, vandalized hospital building at 825 Good Hope and five houses on the edge of the block...

The congregation of North Cape Church of Christ celebrates the fifth anniversary of the church; guest speaker in the morning is Robert Brown of Macon Road Church of Christ in Memphis, Tennessee; Shelton Peeler and his family, who worked for the church in 1993, also present and speak briefly; a luncheon follows the service; the Macon Road church sent the Randy Short family to Cape Girardeau in June 1990 to start the new church...

Although it initially appears that Cape Girardeau County Republicans would be evenly split between Sen. Bob Dole and Pat Buchanan, the local party caucus ends up throwing most of its weight toward Dole; turnout was low for the caucus at the Cape Girardeau County Courthouse, one of 121 Republican caucuses held throughout the state, with only 48 people attending; with 19 delegates up for grabs in Cape County, 13 go to Dole, four to Pat Buchanan, one to Steve Forbes and one delegate uncommitted...

The two state legislators from Southeast Missouri who hadn't filed for re-election did so yesterday, while another legislator picked up an opponent; Rep. Mary Kasten of Cape Girardeau and Rep. David Schwab of Jackson, both Republicans, filed for re-election with the secretary of state's office; Democrat Ken Michael, a Poplar Bluff pharmacist, will challenge Missouri Republican floor leader Rep. Mark L. Richardson, a Republican, for his 154th District seat...

Until a week ago, residents of Cher-Ron-Doe Estates used Melissa's Street -- an established gravel road -- to get home; Melissa is connected with Route W near Fruitland on one end and Comanche Street, where several houses in Cher-Ron-Doe are located, on the other; the situation changed Feb. ...

Southeast Missouri State University has narrowed its search for a new president to three finalists: a college president in New York state, and two former college presidents from Ohio and Louisiana; the finalists are William C. Merwin, president of the State University of New York College at Potsdam; Dale F. ...

Cattle whose food was decimated by prairie wildfires that swept through parts of Oklahoma and Kansas in recent weeks soon will be eating Missouri hay; Gerald Bryan, University of Missouri Extension specialist at the Jackson office, is organizing a statewide "hay lift" to assist ranchers whose pastures and hay were destroyed by wildfires...

The Cape Girardeau Civil Air Patrol has received a Cessna 172 airplane from the Missouri Wing; the patrol has been trying to secure an aircraft for a long time, says Capt. Virgil Green; the plane will be used for emergency services and search and air rescues...

To the casual observer, old Saint Francis Hospital is an aging, dilapidated building that serves as just another canvas for graffiti and vandalism; but State Rep. Mary Kasten paints a much brighter picture; she and a local committee of social service representatives and interested citizens want to renovate the 83-year-old brick building for use as a family resource center; it would house various social service agencies under one roof, making it more efficient and convenient for those who need government assistance.. ...

Life isn't about finding your destiny; instead, it is a journey for peace and balance found in a relationship with Jesus Christ, said Rear Adm. William L. Schachte Jr., a retired judge advocate general for the U.S. Navy; Schachte spoke to about 1,200 people Friday morning at the ninth annual Mayor's Prayer Breakfast, sponsored by the Christian Business Men's Committee of Cape Girardeau and the mayors of Cape Girardeau and Jackson; the hour-long program and breakfast was held at the Show Me Center.. ...

While alternative sources of funding are being pursued for the Mississippi River bridge project at Cape Girardeau, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Department has placed the project on its tentative bidding schedule for May; Jim Murray, the department's Sikeston-based district engineer, said the state must secure federal funding by late March before accepting bids in May on the project; he said the $52 million bridge project was placed on the bidding schedule to give contractors plenty of time to consider it.. ...

Groundwork is underway on a $9.75 million project that will provide three clinker storage silos at Lone Star Industries Inc., in the 2500 block of South Sprigg; the silos will be about 120 feet tall and 70 feet in diameter; "This will give us storage for 40,000 tons of clinker," said John Burian, director of operations at the plant...

FROHNA, Mo. -- East Perry Lumber Co. started its annual spring planting early this year; the Frohna-based sawmill, which annually produces up to 12 million board feet of kiln-dried, finished lumber -- mostly red and white oak, poplar and ash -- established its own hardwood timber farm in East Perry County a quarter century ago; "We plant 30,000 new trees each year now," said Natalie Petzoldt-Naeger of the company; the crop includes red oak, poplar, ash and walnut...

ROCKVIEW, Mo. -- There are no zoning laws, no town ordinances and no elected officials in this community; but its not a town without history, and residents hope to make history by incorporating sometime soon; Rockview, located about 2 miles from Chaffee, Missouri, along Route M, began as a railroad settlement; its name likely came from the view atop its rocky hills, where the railroad once operated a quarry; no rocks are quarried now and trains seldom stop along either set of tracks that split the community; but residents aren't split over a decision to form a sewer district and eventually incorporate.. ...

Lutheran Hour Sunday is observed Sunday at Hanover Lutheran Church, 2949 Perryville Road; Dr. Dale A. Meyer, Lutheran Hour speaker, addresses the Adult Bible Class at 9 a.m. and preaches the sermon at the 10 a.m. worship service; Meyer is the second guest speaker in the church's celebration of its 150th anniversary...

An off-duty police officer has been occupying his mornings by staking out various Southeast Missourian newspaper racks, part of an effort to deter newspaper theft totaling more than $45,000 a year; Mark Kneer, circulation director for the newspaper, says as many as 8,000 newspapers are stolen from Southeast Missourian racks each month...

Cape Girardeau County sales tax figures for February dipped 13% below the same month last year, flattening total revenue figures for 1996; the county's half-cent sales tax brought in $190,998 this month, significantly lower than the $220,206 received in February 1995...

Federal funds for three programs designed to help low-income and first-generation college students at Southeast Missouri State University were mismanaged, an internal audit found; earlier in the week, the university fired the man who oversaw the programs as director of Student Educational Opportunity Programs...

The Cape Girardeau City Council last night unanimously approved a development agreement with Boyd Gaming Corp., after company officials promised to assist in counseling and treatment programs for compulsive gamblers; the Cape Girardeau Ministerial Alliance had pushed for the provision...

U.S. Rep. Mel Hancock, a Springfield, Missouri, Republican, says state lawmakers and courts have short-circuited the constitutional amendment that bears his name; local lawmakers agree but say Hancock's latest proposal might not be the best way to keep taxation under control; the original Hancock Amendment, approved by voters in 1980, requires that state revenues grow no faster than Missourians' incomes; last week, Hancock proposed more specific legislation to require voter approval of all state tax, fee or license increases.. ...