Stories from Wednesday, September 4, 1991

This year the SEMO District Fair will reprise two popular events that were initiated last year in the agriculture and livestock division. The "Parade of Champions" featuring approximately 100 of the top winners in the various livestock classes shown at the fair, will be held Friday, Sept. 13, at 5:30 p.m. in the livestock show tent situated north of the livestock tents and northeast of the 4-H and FFA buildings...

CAIRO, Ill. -- One of the two Alexander County Airport runways will be extended to more than 4,000 feet in 1992. The airport near Cairo is one of nine Southern Illinois airports that will share federal money set aside for improving air transportation and safety...

More than 14,000 students are enrolled for the fall semester at three higher-education institutions in Southeast Missouri, including more than 8,300 at Southeast Missouri State University. An estimated 3,000 students are enrolled at Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff and nearly 2,700 are enrolled in classes at the Mineral Area Community College at Flat River...

After nearly five months of debate, the Cape Girardeau City Council once again Tuesday night did not vote on a construction-trades licensing law. Following lengthy discussion, the council voted 5-2 to remand a revised version of the law to the city staff for further amendments. The proposed ordinance already has been altered no less than three times...

The Cape Girardeau County chapter of the American Family Association is organizing an effort to urge the Cape Girardeau cable television company to drop MTV from its service. About 16 members of the AFA discussed plans for the effort Tuesday night at a meeting in Cape Girardeau...

ARBOR -- The bodies of a Chaffee man and his 7-year-old son were pulled from a pond here Tuesday after the two failed to return home a day earlier from fishing. The bodies of Wesley Allen Coomer, 31, and the boy, Trenton Coomer, were found in a private pond off Cape Girardeau County Road 261, authorities said. County Coroner John Carpenter said the two had drowned accidentally...

Cape Girardeau students headed back to the classroom Tuesday, ending their summer vacations. Administrators said the first day of school went smoothly. The Board of Education was to meet this morning to hear a report about the opening of school, said Superintendent Neyland Clark...

SCOTT CITY -- Debate Tuesday night on a plan to renumber houses in Scott City led to heated words between members of the Scott City Council, the mayor and members of a committee appointed to study the renumbering. One council member, John Smith, threatened to resign after a member of the committee, Randy Newell, told him he was in violation of the city code for withholding a previous study of the numbering system from the committee...

Sen. Jerry Howard, D-Dexter, was named Tuesday to serve as the Senate chairman of a joint House-Senate Wetlands Task Force. The House chairman is Rep. Larry Thomason, D-Kennett. Howard was appointed by Senate President Pro Tem James Mathewson. Howard said he looked forward to serving as the Senate chairman and planned to work with Thomason to get an organizational meeting set up next week when the Missouri General Assembly gathers for its annual veto session...

TIMOTHY S. JOPLIN Occupation: Chiropractor The best part of my job is: "not only the satisfaction of seeing patients improve, but also getting to know them personally." What do you do in your spare time? "Rrun, read, rugby and walk our thre chow chows."...

John Adam Walker, 62, 529 Frederick, died Saturday, Aug. 31, 1991, at Cape LaCroix. He was born Dec. 14, 1928, in Decaturville, Tenn., son of Jess and Myrtle Walker. He married Willie Mae Pritchard. Survivors include his wife; three sons, William Walker of Cape Girardeau, James Walker of Detroit, Mich., Jimmy Walker of Portageville; four daughters, Mary, Bertha and Jannie Walker of Cape Girardeau, Bobbi Boyd of Lilbourn; six grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren...

CHAFFEE -- Trenton Wesley Coomer, 7, of Chaffee, drowned Sept 3, 1991, in a pond near Advance. His father, Wesley Coomer, 31, also drowned. Trenton Coomer was born Jan. 3, 1984, at Cape Girardeau, son of Wesley Alan and Rhonda Jean Wagoner Coomer. His mother, of Chaffee, survives...

PERRYVILLE -- Mildred A. Henderson, 91, of Perryville, died Monday, Sept. 2, 1991, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. She was born March 5, 1900, in Perry County, daughter of Robert and Mary Louise Erwin Hudson. She married Jesse E. Henderson Sept. 15, 1918. He died Feb. 6, 1960...

PERRYVILLE -- Lelie M. Grossheider, 88, of Perryville, died Tuesday, Sept. 3, 1991, at American Care Center. She was born May 23, 1903, at Longtown, daughter of William and Agnes Hoehn Weinrich. She married Gustav Grossheider Oct. 24, 1922. He died April 6, 1987...

ALTENBURG -- Mark S. Abernathy, 38, of Lebanon, formerly of Altenburg, died Saturday, Aug. 31, 1991, in Springfield. He was born Oct. 19, 1952, at Perryville, son of Ewing and Gladys Moeslein Abernathy. He was employed by Ft. Leonard Wood Housing Referral Service...

CHARLESTON -- Cletia M. "Granny" Chapman, 94, of Charleston, died Tuesday, Sept. 3, 1991, at Charleston Manor. She was born Nov. 29, 1896, in Berkley, Ky., daughter of Will and Mollie Blackburn Lepchenske. She married Buster Chapman, who died in 1980...

BERTRAND -- Wretha V. Wilkerson, 70, of Memphis, Tenn., formerly of Bertrand, died Sunday, Sept. 1, 1991, at Methodist Central Hospital in Memphis. She was born Oct. 17, 1920, at Charleston, daughter of Charles and Rachel Grisswald Ervin. She and Joseph A. Wilkerson were married June 29, 1935. He died March 7, 1980...

CHARLESTON -- Wilson McDowell, 83, Charleston Route 3, died Tuesday, Sept. 3, 1991, at St. Francis Medical Center. McMikle Funeral Home here is in charge of arrangements.

CANALOU -- Detsil Davidson, 71, of Canalou, died Sunday, Sept. 1, 1991, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. She was born April 28, 1920, at Charter Oak, daughter of Willie Davis and Lola Pearl Chiles Heath. She married Claud Davidson March 23, 1940, in New Madrid. He died May 31, 1986...

SIKESTON -- Willie G. McCanless, 83, formerly of Sikeston, died Sunday, Sept. 1, 1991, at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born March 28, 1908, in Nixon, Tenn., son of Hiram Frank and Lucindy Emerson McCanless. He and Agnes Lucille Dillinder were married Dec. 10, 1929, at Marked Tree, Ark. She died May 21, 1986...

JACKSON -- Virginia Hahs, 65, of Route 5 Jackson died Tuesday, Sept. 3, 1991 at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Dec. 6, 1925 at Marble Hill, the daughter of Albert Schreiner and Florence Rothamel Schreiner. On June 23, 1946, she married Leman Hahs. He survives...

CHAFFEE -- Wesley Alan Coomer, 31, of Chaffee, drowned Tuesday, Sept. 3, 1991, in a pond near Advance. His son, Trenton Wesley Coomer, 7, also drowned. Coomer was born Sept. 11, 1959, at Arbor, son of Robert Rufus and Alma Wondle Coomer. His parents, of Advance Route 1, survive...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Graveside service for LaTeisha Shabray Wiseman White, infant daughter of Jimmy White and Verna Wiseman of Cape Girardeau, will be at 2 p.m. today at Fairmont Cemetery. The Rev. Johnny Thomas will officiate. The infant was born Saturday, April 6, and died the same day...

ORAN -- Funeral service for Floy Woodrow Marvel of Oran will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ in Morley. The Rev. Don Russel will officiate, and burial will be in Forest Hills Memorial Garden near Morley. Mr. Marvel died Sunday at Chaffee General Hospital. He was 78...

Gennadi Yanayev might be the philosophical descendant of Will Rogers, who claimed not to belong to an organized political party he was a Democrat. For several very chaotic hours a couple of weeks ago, Yanayev, the former Soviet vice president, belonged to a political party that gave no hint of organization he was a Communist...

Time and time again, the region demonstrates its giving nature. Over the weekend, the Muscular Dystrophy Telethon raised a record $233,495 in the district in just 22 hours. That amounts to an amazing $10,600 in donations each hour. Today, the United Way kicks off its annual fund-raising campaign. The goal of $470,000 represents a 5.5 percent increase over money raised last year. Both are laudable demonstrations of caring...

JACKSON -- The cost of water is going up this month for customers of the Jackson municipal water department. The Jackson Board of Aldermen voted Tuesday night to increase the rate for water 10 cents per 1,000 gallons effective Sept. 15. The new rate for customers inside the city limits includes a minimum charge of $4 per 1,000 gallons or less. ...

ANNA, Ill. -- Jim Edgar brought some good news with him to Anna last week. The Illinois governor announced that he was approving $3.4 million in capital development funds for construction of a veterans home here. The governor's office announced Tuesday that construction is expected to get under way within two to three months on the 39,000-square-foot veterans center with completion expected within 15 months...

A fabulous week has been planned for you to enjoy by the 1991 committee heading the Southeast Missouri District Fair. The fair opens Sunday and continues until midnight Sept. 14, with a variety of entertainment, exhibits, and family events on tap to fill the hours of each day...

"Figures of speech" is a term we learned in connection with memorizing and studying poetry in the upper grades. We didn't know at the time that it applies to all speech and writing. Everyone uses words and phrases with meanings other than literal, whether to illustrate or merely give color and shade to our meanings. Most of the figures we use are cliches, and we resort to them because we know others can relate...

Warranty deeds issued at the office of Janet Robert, Cape Girardeau County Recorder of Deeds: John S. and Carolyn Ann Kruse to Rick L. Erwin; James F. and Alene P. Wulfers to the James Wulfers Family Trust; Barbara E. Cullen and Larry Tobin to Heisler Development Corp...

PORTAGEVILLE -- Dale Wehmeyer's new pick up truck sounds like a diesel truck, but it smells like a popcorn popper. "People comment on the different smell," says Wehmeyer, who is driving the new University of Missouri truck that is powered by soybean oil instead of diesel fuel...

BENTON -- United States Secretary of Agriculture Ed Madigan, Rep. Bill Emerson (R-Cape Girardeau), and Roger Wilson (D-Columbia), representing the 19th state senatorial district, will be guest speakers during the Farm Bureau appreciation dinner to be held here Thursday...

PORTAGEVILLE -- `Research and Extension for the 21st Century' will be the theme of the day-long, 30th annual Delta Center Field Day, to be held here Sept. 5. Cotton production, corn and grain sorghum development, rice and soybean production are among topics to be discussed during the event...

JACKSON -- Free Screening for a childhood vision problem commonly referred to as "lazy eye" will be available Thursday at the St. Francis Information Center in Jackson from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The vision test is intended for pre-school children, ages 3-5. The screening is painless and takes only a few minutes. No appointment is necessary...

MORE THAN DOZEN BANDS JOIN PARADE: A parade will officially kick off the SEMO District Fair at 5:30 p.m. Monday. It will begin from Capaha Park, and proceed to the fairgrounds. More than a dozen bands will participate this year. Above, members of the Cape Central High School Band strut their stuff in last year's parade...

The 136th edition of the SEMO District Fair will feature all the favorite fair attractions plus some added surprises, said Fair Board President Pete Poe, who referred to early September as "fair season." "We are very excited," Poe said. "The weather is beautiful and the park is looking better than ever."...

Sunday, Sept. 8, will provide area residents an opportunity to see a "sneak preview" of what the SEMO District Fair has to offer. Again this year there will be no admission charge to the fairgrounds on Sunday, there will be discounts on rides, and several free activities, including a large horse show in front of the grandstand, will be held...

Getting people out to the SEMO District Fair should be easy for the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales. After all, the Clydesdales convinced driver Jim Hilgendorf to put off the blissful retreat of retirement. "The Clydesdales, it's just that tradition," said Hilgendorf, 49, who worked in the grocery and convenience store business until he began driving promotional horses in 1981, first for two other companies and then Anheuser-Busch about last Christmas. ...

No fair would be complete without a midway. Farrow Amusement Co., of Jackson, Miss., has been providing carnival fun at the SEMO District Fair for a number of years. For the second year in a row, the midway at the SEMO District Fair will be open eight days, beginning Sept. 7. The fair itself runs for seven days, beginning Sept. 8...

At some point, virtually every fair visitor feels the need to heed his stomach's persistent rumblings and head for the concessions area. This year's SEMO District Fair is sure to please the hungry wanderers, as it again will feature pizza vendors and traditional favorites like barbecue and funnel cakes...

Main-stage entertainment for the SEMO District Fair consists of a mix of country and gospel, and features some hot up-and-coming stars. Headlining the entertainment is Ricky Skaggs and Shenandoah. Other entertainers include contemporary Christian artist Steven Curtis Chapman, Joe Diffie and Neal McCoy...

Entertainment, both fun and instructional, awaits fairgoers each day in the Rest and Relaxation tent. The tent will be in the north end of the fairgrounds, close to the entrance gate, SEMO District Fair Association President Pete Poe said. Starting Sunday, Sept. 8, at 5:30 p.m., Freedom Celebration '91, put on by the First General Baptist Church of Cape Girardeau, will perform at the tent. The show will feature patriotic music, Poe said...