Stories from Monday, April 26, 1993

JACKSON - More than 130 years ago, men of the North and South fought for what each believed in during the most traumatic and tragic period in the history of the United States. To some it is known as the Civil War; others refer to it as the War Between the States. But the name doesn't matter what matters is that it ripped apart the fabric of a nation already badly split over the explosive issues of slavery and states' rights...

Cape Girardeau police are changing their stripes ... on their cars, that is. The problem with the old design was not the visibility factor of the cars - most agree that city police cars are easily identifiable. "We were seeing a lot of cars in departments all over the country with the same design as we had," said Officer Danny Niswonger. "We wanted something more unique to Cape Girardeau."...

Cape Girardeau Police Chief Howard Boyd Jr. is one of several police chiefs who are spreading the message to law enforcement that seat belts save officers' lives, too. The Federal Highway Traffic Safety Program, in conjunction with the International Chiefs of Police organization, has been awarded a grant to travel across the United States talking to high-ranking police officers about seat belts...

Organizers said the weekend's blustery weather cut down on the number of people who participated in the third annual Mississippi River Valley Scenic Drive. "It was generally a success, but the numbers were lower than we had hoped for. The weather was really bad," said Frank Nickell, director of the Center for Regional History at Southeast Missouri State University. The center coordinates the event...

The Junior Optimist Club of Cape Girardeau will host a Family Fun Fair Saturday at the Washington School playground. The fair, which will be held from noon-4 p.m., is billed as a fun event for the whole family, with games, booths and activities for kids...

The Southeast Missourian asked people if they thought the government had the right to initially serve the warrants on the Branch Davidian Cult in Waco, Texas, or if they acted improperly. Jim Cooper said: "I don't recall the circumstances why they went in, but I think they could have handled it a little differently after they once got in the compound. They cared for the children and did not want them harmed, but they let it last way too long."...

BENTON -- Scott County Sheriff Bill Ferrell announced Sunday that due to manpower considerations visiting hours at the Scott County Jail will be changed, effective Saturday. The new hours will be from 2-4 p.m. Saturdays. The sheriff said that the change may help relatives of inmates who work until noon on Saturdays, who previously had difficulty making the 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. time slot...

MOUNDS, Ill. -- Russell E. Hagler, 88, of Mounds, Ill., died Sunday, April 25, 1993, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Feb. 25, 1905, at Pomona, Ill., son of Thomas and Phoebe Phillips Hagler. He was a retired section foreman for the G.M.& O. railroad and the Illinois Central Railroad...

Daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Rod DeFosset, 3123 Laurel, St. John's Mercy Hospital in St. Louis, 1:22 a.m. Tuesday, April 13, 1993. Name, Madilyn Marie. Weight, 8 pounds 5 ounces. First child. Mrs. DeFosset is the former Caroline Kemp, daughter of John and Marie Kemp of St. Louis. She is employed at JCPenney Styling Salon. DeFosset is a sales representative with Oscar Mayer, and is the son of Richard and Dora DeFosset of St. Louis...

CHARLESTON -- Flora Ann Almon, 85, of Charleston, died Sunday, April 25, 1993, at the Bertrand Nursing Center in Bertrand, Mo. She was born Feb. 6, 1908, at Roan Mountain, Tenn., daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Hopson. She was married to Clyde Almon in 1927. He died June 15, 1965...

ADVANCE -- Evelyn Lorraine Nelson, 63, of St. Louis, died Saturday, April 24, 1993, at St. Mary Hospital in St. Louis. She was born May 8, 1929, at Zalma, Mo., daughter of Sidney and Edith Walker Bryant. She was married to William M. Nelson. He died in August 1990...

SCOTT CITY -- Owen John "Cotton" Rogers, 67, of Scott City, died Sunday, April 25, 1993, at the St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Jan. 2, 1926, at Ancell, Mo., son of Owen J. and Anna Welter Rogers. Rogers retired from the United States Navy after 21 years of service. He is a veteran of World War II and the Korean War...

PERRYVILLE -- Lottie M. Valleroy, 90, of Perryville, died Sunday, April 25, 1993, at her home. She was born March 24, 1903, at Point Rest, Mo., daughter of Frederick and Rosie Oster Ochs. She was married to James Valleroy. He died Oct. 16, 1971. Survivors include many nieces and nephews...

PERRYVILLE -- Vera L. Zoellner, 71, of Perryville, died Sunday, April 25, 1993, at the St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born April 5, 1922, at Salem, Mo., daughter of William B. and Mary Magdalene Mattingly. She was married to Ralph A. Zoellner, June 21, 1947...

HIGHLAND, Ill. -- David G. Shea, 44, a native of Cape Girardeau and a former Scott County prosecuting attorney, died April 24, 1993, at St. Joseph Hospital in Highland. He was born in Cape Girardeau on Sept. 21, 1948, to Gordon Shy and Mabel Grasser Shy. He grew up in Sikeston...

Branson, Mo., has become the nation's second most popular vacation spot, a designation that has also made its Country Music Boulevard the country's most congested highway. --- Hillary's health commission is limiting public testimony to three minutes, which isn't much time to deal with a complex issue but is about the amount of time we're able to spend with our doctor...

Cape Girardeau police, with the help of the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force, last year declared war on crack-cocaine trafficking. They arrested more than two dozen people in a massive undercover investigation that centered on drug dealing in the 400 block of Good Hope. Those arrests brought the total number of drug arrests in the city last year to 156, 59 more than the 97 that were made in 1991...

To The Editor: In April of 1992 I ran as a candidate for school board in the City of Cape Girardeau and was defeated. There was a certain amount of disappointment but yet a sense of pride and accomplishment that I had publicly "put it on the line" and stood up to be counted. I had not hidden behind another name nor feared television, radio or the print medium...