Stories from Tuesday, November 19, 1991

Local investors Monday took advantage of Friday's decline in stock prices to buy stocks as prices stabilized on Wall Street in heavy but panic-free trading, Cape Girardeau stockbrokers said. Monday's heavy trading followed Friday's plunge of 120.31 points in the Dow Jones industrial average, the fifth sharpest decline in history...

John E. Fidler, a former chief executive officer at medical facilities in California and Florida, was named the new president of St. Francis Medical Center Monday. Fidler, 52, who lives in Los Angeles, begins his duties here Jan. 2. He was one of 437 candidates for the St. Francis presidency and succeeds John J. Keusenkothen, who served as president of St. Francis from 1976 until his retirement in September...

An official with Mid America Hotels told the Cape Girardeau City Council Monday that excess city tourism funds should be used to build a multipurpose building on Cape Girardeau's northwest side. Bob Hahn, vice president of development for the hotel chain, said a 24,000-square-foot multipurpose building could be developed along with other recreational facilities in a 75-acre tract of land along Mount Auburn Road between Hopper Road and Kingshighway...

The Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau has submitted its annual report and a six-month budget proposal to the Cape Girardeau City Council. "This has been a great year for the CVB," said Lyn Muzzy, its director. "We have exceeded all expectations of what I thought we could handle in 1991. The total economic impact for conventions, meetings, and group tours serviced by the CVB in Cape Girardeau is about $6.8 million, and we still have some events left in 1991."...

The Missouri Division of Employment Security office in Cape Girardeau has made special arrangements to expedite handling of a heavy workload expected as a result of federal emergency unemployment compensation legislation being passed Congress. "We're extending our hours of operation," said Jackie Cecil, manager of the unemployment office at 1219 N. Kingshighway. "We'll be operating telephones and keeping the computers available from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m."...

Heavier than anticipated volume for the Bootheel delayed distribution Monday of some mail handled through the new postal processing center, Cape Girardeau Postmaster Mike Keefe said. "We received more containers of mail than we normally get," said Keefe. Monday marked the first regular business day for operation of a new mail processing center at Cape Girardeau...

SCOTT CITY -- Scott City's cable television franchise agreement with Falcon Cablevision has been extended for one year, but members of the City Council said they will seek citizen input as to whether the city should continue the agreement after that time...

JACKSON -- The city of Jackson has agreed to pay an estimated $182,000 as its share of the cost of cleanup at the Missouri Electric Works site in Cape Girardeau. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency determined the soil on the 6.4 acre site at 824 South Kingshighway is contaminated with PCBs, polychlorinated biphenyls, from electrical transformer waste oil that leaked from storage drums...

SCOTT CITY - A tractor-trailer rear-ended a vehicle on Interstate 55 Monday, injuring the vehicle's driver. The driver, Kenneth Sorrells, 53, of Wichita, Kan., was taken to St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, reported the Missouri Highway Patrol at Poplar Bluff. A St. Francis spokesman said Sorrells was treated and released...

The Southeast Missourian has been recognized for its community service efforts by two newspaper organizations, in addition to winning recognition for its election coverage. For the third time in the last five years, the Cape Girardeau daily newspaper has won the Suburban Newspapers of America Community Service Award in its circulation category...

Alma Schrader Elementary School no longer is an orphan the school will be "adopted" next month by Capital Bank of Cape Girardeau as part of the district's Adopt-a-School program. Alma Schrader Principal David Giles said a formal adoption ceremony is planned Dec. 11 at 2 p.m. at the school...

Melvin Gateley, a retired public school principal, and Melvin Kasten, a local physician, filed petitions Monday for election to the Cape Girardeau City Council. Gateley and Kasten join Lawrence Godfrey and incumbent Al Spradling III in pursuit of two four-year terms on the council...

A lecture on "Issues in Book and Document Conservation" will be held tonight as part of Southeast Missouri State University's series of programs on books. The lecture is by Joan Feezor, regional records archivist, and will be held from 7:30-9 p.m. at the University Museum...

A committee of students and staff is proposing expanded medical and counseling services through the Center for Health and Counseling at Southeast Missouri State University. That expansion would come at a pretty hefty cost to students a $27.75 per semester fee has been proposed...

Dear Editor: Since receiving your Oct. 11 issue and reading the editorial about the Charter Finance lawsuit delay, I feel a reply is necessary and in order. The editorial attempts to lead one to believe that the reason for the delay in the lawsuit is due to the defense attorneys as part of their "astute court strategy."...

Dear Editor: I want to thank you for the "Sports Special" section in the Sunday Southeast Missourian, Nov. 10, 1991. I think that you did a wonderful job of conveying the amount of time and effort spent by CAYSA members and parents to prepare for such a tournament, and for the regular season. Your page was a creative way to let the community know about our program as well, and we appreciate it very much...

The Cape Girardeau County Firefighters Association and General Motors is sponsoring a class for emergency response personnel about automobile air bags. The class will be held Nov. 26 from 2-4 p.m. at Cape Girardeau Fire Station No. 1, and again from 7-9 p.m. at the Jackson Knights of Columbus Hall...

JACKSON -- The Cape Girardeau County Commission Monday appointed seven people to serve on an advisory committee to oversee implementation of the Enhanced 911 emergency telephone system that voters approved Nov. 5. Presiding Commissioner Gene Huckstep said the appointments were made after conferring with Jackson City Administrator Carl Talley and Cape Girardeau City Manager J. Ronald Fischer. The commission named two members from each city, two to represent the county, and one at-large member...

CHAFFEE - To all aspiring Chaffee City Council members: The council has a seat open; Ward 3 Councilman Randy Dooley has left. Mayor Ron Moyers said at the council's Monday evening meeting that Dooley had moved from the ward, thus vacating his seat. This coming April Dooley would have been up for re-election after serving his first two-year term...

SIKESTON -- Cecil Lloyd Johnson, 60, Sikeston Route 2, died Monday, Nov. 18, 1991, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born May 15, 1931, at Morehouse, son of Joseph Amos and Bessie Curtner Johnson. He and the former Gail F. Bird were married Dec. 10, 1966, at Parma...

JACKSON -- Glen Runnion, 86, of Jackson, died Monday, Nov. 18, 1991, at his home. He was born Nov. 3, 1905, at Sheldon, Ill., son of Alfred and Cordelia Earl Runnion. He and Martha Lennington Brown were married May 20, 1949. Runnion retired in 1965 from Fred Olson Motor Services. He was a member of Teamsters Local 142 in Gary, Ind., and Chicago Truck Drivers Union. He moved to Jackson in 1966 from Calumet City, Ill...

JACKSON -- David Allen Brown of Star Route, New Wells, died Monday, Nov. 18, 1991, at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis. He was 27. Arrangements are incomplete at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson.

I WOULD JUST like to say I really enjoyed the Amy Grant concert, and I look forward to having her here again. THIS IS TO the person who called in and said that this is a college town and we need college singers here. Well, I happen to like the family-oriented country shows and heavy metal shows. If you don't like what the Show Me Center has, then just leave and go to another college. Thank you...