Stories from Tuesday, April 2, 1991

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Cape Girardeau's tourism business may be bursting at the seams this weekend as the city prepares to host a number of activities ranging from exotic animal sales to sports to the latest in home improvements. "We've run out of room," said Cathy Crites, a representative of the Cape Girardeau Convention and Tourism Bureau. "We're having to refer people to Sikeston and Perryville."...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- The City Council Monday asked the city staff to study further a proposal to rezone a seven-block stretch of William Street from residential to commercial use. The proposal to rezone William from Sprigg Street to West End Boulevard first was considered nearly two years ago when the city Planning and Zoning Commission decided commercial development on the arterial street was inevitable...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Students at May Greene Elementary School this morning will feast on sausage biscuits, orange juice and milk during the second day of a pilot breakfast program. Administrators said the program began smoothly Monday, the first day breakfast was served...

SCOTT CITY -- A half-cent sales tax that would fund street repairs once again Monday dominated discussion at the Scott City Council meeting. According to city officials, the way the proposal is written has caused city residents to question whether the funds generated from the tax will be used only for the improvement of city streets and not for other city expenses...

CHAFFEE -- Though Chaffee Mayor Ron Moyers says the recession hasn't yet had a noticeable effect on the city, evidence of the economic downturn showed up in the city budget approved Monday night. The city will spend over $17,000 more than it takes in in the 1991-92 fiscal year under the estimated budget adopted by the Chaffee City Council at its regular meeting...

JACKSON -- Residents who live on Springview Drive were told Monday they should address their concerns about the Jackson School District's new bus center to the school board next week. Nearly four weeks ago, the Jackson Board of Aldermen held a public hearing and voted 8-0 to issue a special use permit to build the school bus maintenance center and parking lot near the new Orchard Drive Elementary School...

BENTON -- Mother Nature wasn't responsible, but Father Time apparently played an early April Fool's joke here as aging water pipes in the basement of Scott County's courthouse burst March 25 resulting in important court records being submerged in water up to 2 feet deep...

MARBLE HILL -- Bollinger County acting Chief Deputy Kindal Ward was nominated Monday as the Democratic candidate for the seat of ousted Bollinger County Sheriff Januar Peters. Ward was selected among five Democratic candidates for the May 14 election. He will face Republican Dan Mesey, 44, a part-time investigator with the Bollinger County Sheriff's Department, who was nominated March 27 by the county's Republican Central Committee...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- A Michigan State University professor has been hired as chairman of the marketing department at Southeast Missouri State University. Dr. David K. "Skip" Smith Jr., an assistant professor of marketing, Fulbright Scholar and former Peace Corps volunteer, will begin his duties here in July...

(Editor's note: Terry Risko, Cape Girardeau Public Library librarian, reported in response to recent comments in Speak Out concerning Sunday hours that the library is considering Sunday hours in the fall on an experimental basis. He said: "Other libraries I have worked at had Sunday hours, but it was on a voluntary basis by the library staff. ...

Thank God for Ted Hirschfield, whose "Be Our Guest" column is an impassioned cri de coeur about the state of education today. Were the choosing to be done by his peers, Ted's mordant observations are unlikely to catapault him into first place in the Most-Liked-Professor Contest. Still, his blunt comments have special relevance to our tax-supported institutions of higher education...

Ted Hirschfield is a member of the faculty in the Department of English at Southeast Missouri State University. This Cape resident has taught at the university since 1965. Let those who can, teach. The general, and almost humorous, disdain the real world has for academia must seemingly become contempt before true and lasting changes can be effected in La-La Land. ...

Monday, the minimum wage rose to $4.25 an hour. But not all minimum wage workers have cause to celebrate: They may find themselves out of a job. The fact is business may have a hard time absorbing these continued mandated wage hikes. We all will ultimately pay for the wage hike through the increased price of products and services. Companies may keep payroll costs stable by cutting people, or reducing operating hours...

Son to Lance Cpl. and Mrs. Shannon Sinn of Havelock, N.C., Southeast Missouri Hospital, 5:20 a.m. Saturday, March 23, 1991. Name, Shannon Matthew. Weight, 7 pounds 12 ounces. First child. Mrs. Sinn is the former Michelle McBride, daughter of Sharon Parsons of West Palm Beach, Fla., and Lynn and Mary McBride of Cape Girardeau. She is a college student. Sinn is serving with the U.S. Marine Corps in the Persian Gulf, and is the son of James and Ella Sinn of Cape...

MARBLE HILL - Funeral services for Miss Wreath O. Slinkard, 77, of Marble Hill will be held at 11 a.m., Wednesday, April 3, at the Liley Funeral Home in Marble Hill. The Rev. Hensley DeSpain and the Rev. Ray Meek will officiate. Burial will be the Glen Allen Cemetery...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Funeral service for John R. Clayton of East Prairie will be held at 1 p.m. today at Shelby Funeral Chapel here. Mike Johnson will officiate, assisted by R.A. Hampton and Jim Guffie. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery at Sikeston...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Funeral service for William R. (Bill) Thompson of Centralia will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Barkett Funeral Chapel. The Rev. Jerome Fortenberry will officiate. The remains will be taken to Lacey, Wash., for a memorial service there...

DONGOLA, Ill. -- Alice Irene Aden, 81 years old, of Dongola, died at 2:45 p.m. Monday, April 1, 1991, at the home of her daughter, Leona Brown, Dongola Route 1. She was born Nov. 30, 1909, at Louisville, Ga., daughter of William and Leona Brady Cooper...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- A fund-raising skate-a-thon is scheduled today to help raise money for two local ice skaters headed for national competition later this month. Matt Buttrey and Sarah Booth will compete at the United States Figure Skating Association national competition in New York on April 18...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Faculty and staff at Southeast Missouri State University have pledged $290,102 to the university's "New Vision of Excellence" capital campaign. A total of 258 university employees have contributed. The $25 million campaign seeks to raise funds for programs at the university, including $2.4 million for a new College of Business Administration building and $1.6 million for an athletic complex and renovations to Houck Stadium...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- The Cape Girardeau County Legal Secretaries Association's "Boss of the Year" and "Legal Secretary of the Year" will be announced during the association's annual banquet to be held April 12, at the Cape Girardeau Country Club. Also on the agenda will be the installation of new officers and an auction of items donated by area merchants. Proceeds from the auction will help fund an annual scholarship awarded by the association...

ADVANCE -- Funeral service for Mrs. Mattie F. Berrong of Advance will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Morgan Funeral Chapel. The Revs. Jack Brown and Norman Elledge will officiate, with burial in Morgan Memorial Park. Friends may call at the funeral home from 4:30-8 p.m. today...

BENTON -- Funeral service for Erlean Vinson Terry of Bardwell, Ky., formerly of Benton, will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel here. The Rev. Walter DeRossett will officiate, with burial in Oakdale Cemetery at Commerce. Friends may call at the funeral home after 4 p.m. today...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Funeral service for George W. Burns, 518 S. Benton, will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Lorberg Memorial Funeral Chapel. The Rev. Joe McCullough will officiate, with burial in Lorimier Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home after 4 p.m. today...

HIRAM -- Graveside service for Kathy V. Moyers of Centralia, Ill., will be held at 2 p.m. today at Cowan Cemetery near here. The Rev. Bobby Robbins will officiate, with Liley Funeral Chapel of Lutesville in charge of arrangements. There is no visitation...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- David Hearnes, a seventh grade student at L.J. Schultz School, will compete for the second year in a row at the state level of the National Geographic geography bee. The state contest will be held Friday at the University of Missouri-Columbia...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- The Rev. Herb Meppelink, former executive director of the Mid-American Teen Challenge, will be the guest speaker at this year's Teen Challenge spring banquet. The banquet will be held April 11 beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Show Me Center...

JACKSON -- Mark A. Seabaugh of Jackson has earned the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest award in scouting. To earn this award, Seabaugh earned 27 merit badges and devoted over 60 hours completing his service project. Seabaugh constructed three bird feeders and three flower boxes at the Lutheran Nursing Home in Cape Girardeau...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Paul D. Thompson, M.D., will discuss "Everything you wanted to know about urology but were afraid to ask" Thursday on the Ask Your Doctor program. Ask Your Doctor is a weekly medical show featuring local doctors answering questions from viewers...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- The importance of arts education in various cultures will be the focus of a workshop Thursday at Southeast Missouri State University. "Spanning Cultures through Arts Education" will bring together the work of more than 300 people from 12 countries speaking seven different languages. It is one of five such events being offered in Missouri...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Dr. Robert V. Ozment, a minister from Atlanta, will be the guest speaker at the Cape Girardeau Executives Club meeting April 15. The dinner meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Drury Lodge. Ozment will discuss, "Laughter is the Best Medicine, and a lot cheaper than an operation."...