Stories from Wednesday, August 4, 1993

Board members of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce were all smiles Tuesday as they announced the selection of hometown boy John Mehner as their new chief executive. The choice, we feel, is a sound one. There's no reason first-rate leadership can't begin at home...

How come guys like Schwarzenegger and von Damme who are always saving us from enemies never showed up to fill sand bags along the river? --- We notice that none of those guys in Congress who wanted to delay emergency flood aid had any water lapping at their doorsteps...

Cape Girardeau Municipal Band will perform a concert tonight at 8 at the Capaha Park band shell. Special guest performer is Mike Dumey, a local pop entertainer who will perform a variety of contemporary selections. The band, under direction of Ronald Nall, will perform "Chicago Tribune March;" "Fall River Overture;" "Belle of the Ball Waltz;" "E Pluribus Unum March;" "Fandango;" a selection of Kenny Rodgers tunes including "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town;" "You Decorated My Life;" "Reuben James;" "Lady," and selections from the Andrew Lloyd Weber musical "Cats.". ...

JEFFERSON CITY - Missouri Auditor Margaret Kelly has registered $1.05 million in general obligation bonds issued by the Delta R-V School District. The bonds, which voters approved on April 6, will be used to provide funds for new construction, remodeling, and furnishing school buildings. The interest rate on the bonds is 6.25 percent per year...

Ticket sales begin today for the evening entertainment at the 138th annual SEMO District Fair Sept. 12-18. Tickets are available at the A.C. Brase Arena Building beginning at 8 a.m. Tickets may also be purchased with MasterCard of Visa by calling 1-800-455-FAIR...

My friend, Judge Bill, always at the ready with a play on words, sometimes sacrifices sense for nonsense or a pun, or both. In response to a comment I made recently that the Christian God is a God of Peace and Love whereas the Muslims foster War and Hate, Judge Rader mused: "Oh yes, Muslim. That's that strong cotton cloth used for making bedsheets."...

From her vantage point atop Cape Rock, Becky Daume surveyed the coffee-colored, churning floodwaters of the Mississippi River. "It's beautiful to look out at, but it's highly destructive," she said, looking out over a swollen bend in the river. The river is expected to crest at Cape Girardeau Friday at a record 47.2 feet, more than 15 feet above flood stage...

The few voters who went to the polls in Cape Girardeau Tuesday overwhelmingly endorsed a measure that will enable the city to move from at-large to ward city council elections in April. With only about 10 percent of registered voters casting ballots Tuesday, the ward election issue passed 1,462-415, or by a margin of 77-22 percent...

Voters Tuesday authorized expansion of the city limits westward with approval of a measure to annex Twin Lakes subdivision. The annexation issue was approved by a vote of 1,584-302, or by a margin of 83-16 percent. Twin Lakes voters approved the measure 94-37 (72-28 percent)...

For some of the 34 volunteers scrambling about the First Baptist Church parking lot, the day began at 4:30 a.m. They might get to fall back into their cots by 10 p.m. In between, they will have prepared more than 2,500 hot meals that Red Cross workers will hustle out to far-flung flood victims and relief workers in an operation that combines twice-a-day production-line timing with folksy amiability...

John Mehner has been selected to lead the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, members of the selection committee announced Tuesday. His selection was approved by the chamber's board of directors Tuesday morning. He takes over Oct. 1. Mehner replaces Robert Hendrix, who announced his retirement earlier this year after serving 21 years in the post...

JACKSON - After Aug. 13, there will be a six-month moratorium on requests to change street names as part of Cape Girardeau County's move toward implementation of a 911 emergency telephone service. The move was requested by postal officials to give carriers time to get up to date on where all streets are located...

A hairline fracture in the floodwall that protects downtown Cape Girardeau began seeping water a few weeks ago but isn't posing a threat, says Dane Surface, office engineer for the Corps of Engineers in Cape Girardeau. "The integrity of the concrete is still sound," said Surface...

Promoters of a proposed east-west interstate highway are hoping a national meeting in September will rejuvenate interest in the project and solidify an organization that can win congressional approval of funding a design study. Walt Wildman of Cape Girardeau, associate director of Interstate 66 Project Inc., met recently with city officials of Wichita, Kan., to discuss their interest in the project. ...

JACKSON -- A special election will be held Oct. 5 to decide whether to raise the Jackson Public Schools' operating levy to the minimum required by the new state school foundation formula. The Jackson Board of Education voted Wednesday to set the special election...

Three members of the local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People attended the organization's 84th annual convention in July. Attending from Cape Girardeau were Michael Sterling, local chapter president; Debra Willis, community action chairman; and Dawn Evans, secretary...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- George Louis Willyerd, 67, of Jonesboro, died Tuesday, Aug. 3, 1993, at John Cochran VA Hospital in St. Louis. He was born May 3, 1926, in Jonesboro, son of Louis Edward and Vinnie Cantrell Willyerd. Willyerd was a retired truck driver, and member of Anna VFW Post 3455. He was a veteran of World War II...

JACKSON -- Melvin Zoellner, 64, of Friedhiem died Tuesday, Aug. 3, 1993. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson.

BENTON -- Virginia LeGrand, 50, of Benton, died Tuesday, Aug. 3, 1993, at the Missouri Rehab Center in Mt. Vernon, Mo. She was born Oct. 4, 1942, at Benton, daughter of Zeno and Marena Scherer LeGrand. She worked at V.I.P. Industries in Cape Girardeau...

ORAN -- Norman Allen Mitchem, 50, of Oran, died Tuesday, Aug. 3, 1993, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Sept. 6, 1942, at Sikeston, son of Luther and Evelyn Pikey Mitchem. He married Linda M. Watkins, June 17, 1961. She died Aug. 25, 1966...

SIKESTON -- Funeral service for Anna "Cricket" Dickerson of Sikeston will be held at 2 p.m. today at Nunnelee Funeral Chapel. The Rev. Billie Butler will officiate, assisted by the Rev. Tom Godwin. Burial will be in Garden of Memories Cemetery. Dickerson, 90, died Tuesday, Aug. 3, 1993, at Missouri Delta Medical Center...

State Sen. Peter Kinder said Tuesday he was advised by the governor's office that Cape Girardeau and Perry Counties have been approved for more disaster relief under the Public Assistance Declaration by FEMA. Kinder, and Cape County State Reps. Mary Kasten and David Schwab, made the request last week so that local governmental entities can seek reimbursement for their expenses caused by the flooding...

photo/Graphic SCOTT CITY Funeral service for Bernard R. Sanders of Clearwater, Fla., was held Friday at Kutis Funeral Chapel in St. Louis. Burial was in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis. Announcement courtesy of Amick-Burnett Funeral Home at Scott City...

CHARLESTON -- Stella D. Tinker, a resident of the Bertrand Nursing Center and a former resident of Charleston, died Aug. 3, 1993, at the Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. She was born Jan. 23, 1907, at Potosi to the late John and Maggie Harper Bouse. She had lived in El Paso, Texas, for a number of years, returning to Mississippi County in 1990. She was of the Baptist faith...

GORDONVILLE -- A reunion of the descendants of Heinrich Conrad and Doretta Greten Siemers will be held Aug. 14 at Zion Lutheran Church. The event will began about 11 a.m., with a covered-dish potluck meal at 12:30 p.m., followed by a short program. Family members are asked to bring any mementos. The family book will be available for purchase...

Southeast Missouri State University has named 1,152 students to its Dean's List for academic achievement during the spring 1993 semester. Students named to the list earned a 3.5 grade point average on a 4.0 scale and completed at least 12 credit hours during the spring semester...