Stories from Thursday, December 9, 1993

SCOTT CITY -- Nola C. Sanders, 81, of Scott City, died Wednesday, Dec. 8, 1993, at the Ratliff Nursing Home in Cape Girardeau. The Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City is in charge of funeral arrangements, which are incomplete at this time.

To the editor: As a recipient of the Earl Peters Award, I would like to express my gratitutde as this award afforded me the opportunity to attend college and obtain a degree that probably would not have been attainable otherwise. Your tasteful article is an outstanding tribute to Thomas W. Kelly and the ultimate sacrifice he made to establish a perpetual academic scholarship for the benefit of others...

The judicial system is rooted in tradition, though some customs have fallen away with the times. Like any institution, the courts do well to examine their procedures from time to time, to question the way they do business. One question for Missouri courts: Why are 12 jurors needed for all trials? Even those who make a living in the legal profession can't find the magic in that number. ...

That was a fine, moving and memorable ceremony held Tuesday, December 7 at Riverfront Park to commemorate the 52nd anniversary of Japan's sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. The veterans organizations involved did their usual good job of organizing the event. ...

BURFORDVILLE - Resting quietly in the small Cape Girardeau County town of Burfordville along the Whitewater River is an important link to the country's past: the Bollinger Mill and covered bridge. The 41-acre site, maintained by the Missouri Division of State Parks and Historic Preservation as a historic site, offers nearly two centuries of history with a mill that originated on the site in 1799 and a bridge that was completed in 1868...

In an effort to help residents in 14 flood-damaged Southeast Missouri counties clean up flood debris as quickly and safely as possible, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources announced it will extend the adjustment of state solid-waste disposal regulations for flood-related debris in 14 flood-affected counties until March 31...

To the editor: Times have changed, as Peter Kinder's article on US Army officer promotions says. I was a member of two Naval Reserve Promotion Boards in Washington, D.C., about one or two decades ago, and (ital) then ) there was never any mention of an officer's skin color -- only his abilities in the various aspects of his duties. ...

Development along Lexington Avenue continues to be a contentious issue in Cape Girardeau. About 30 people attended Wednesday's planning and zoning commission meeting, most of them to oppose a plan for a multi-zoned subdivision on the east side of Lexington, west of Belleridge subdivision...

SIKESTON -- Funeral service for Tom Salyers of Sikeston will be held at 1 p.m. today at Murray Lane Baptist Church. The Rev. Kelley Grubbs will officiate, with burial in Portageville Cemetery. Ponder Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Salyers, 74, died Monday, Dec. 6, 1993, at his home...

Elbertine "Tina" Williams, 82, of Cape Girardeau, died Wednesday, Dec. 8, 1992 at the Lutheran Home. Arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by the Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Chaffee.

VILLA RIDGE, Ill. -- Graveside service for Ethel P. St. Arbor of Villa Ridge will be held at 1 p.m. today at the U.S. National Cemetery in Mound City. The Rev. Loren Robinson will officiate. Barkett Funeral Home of Mound City is in charge of arrangements...

December 9, 1993 Dear Pat, Cape Girardeau is all lit up for Christmas. Garlands are strung across Broadway, and each outdoor display seems to outshine the next. A train runs through a replica Colorado mining town in the front window of a downtown furniture store. There are bobbing gondolas, a Santa schussing overhead and outdoor sound effects...

Maude C. Cox, 92, of Cape Girardeau, died Wednesday, Dec. 8, 1993, at Chateau Girardeau. She was born May 16, 1901, in Harrisburg, Ill., daughter of John Hutson and LuElla Duty Causey. She and Azro Loyd Cox were married in 1920 at Bloomfield. He died June 23, 1948...

Anna M. Merkle, 93, 2209 Melrose, died Tuesday, Dec. 7, 1993, at the Lutheran Home. She was born March 10, 1900, in Carlyle, Ill., daughter of John and Anna Kohler Heldorfer. She and John Merkle were married Sept. 22, 1924, in St. Louis. He died Feb. 3, 1988...

Cape Girardeau postal employees are preparing for what is expected to be the heaviest mail day of the Christmas mailing season next week. Last year the Cape Girardeau Post Office processed 700,000 pieces of mail on Dec. 18, last year's peak mail day. This year they expect to process and handle at least 750,000 pieces of Christmas mail and parcels on the same date...

Two Southeast Missouri senators serving on a joint legislative committee looking at welfare reform say they believe legislators, welfare recipients and people who work in administering welfare programs are poised to come together for major changes in the system...

Kim Golden forgot to bring her menorah when she returned to school at Thanksgiving so she's making one out of Play-Doh. Today is the first of the eight days of Hanukkah, the Jewish holiday known as the Festival of Lights. Jews around the world light a candle on the nine-branched menorah each night, beginning last night with the first...

Michael Heston has always enjoyed volunteer and community work. In fact, that is part of the reason he has maintained a weekend ministry in Illinois for the past several years. On Monday, Heston was introduced to the nine-member board of directors of the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) as the organization's new part-time coordinator...

Mrs. K every day reads her Bible. The verses are a comfort to her as she faces failing health and old age. But Mrs. K's eyesight is failing. She is hoping to save enough money to purchase a large-print Bible. Mrs. K, a widow, has no children. Her only relatives live on the east coast. Except for an occasional greeting card, Mrs. K doesn't hear from them...

Perhaps you have been reading the daily Toybox stories in the newspaper or are familiar with the Toybox effort, you want to contribute, but you just don't know what to buy. After all, if you have been in a toy section of any department store lately, you know there are about a zillion different of toys for kids of all ages...

HARRISBURG, Ill. -- Geologists believe there is oil in the Shawnee National Forest. "The forest area occupies the southern rim of what is called the Illinois Basin," forest geologist Andrew Rorick said Tuesday. "We know there is some oil there; we just don't know how much or whether it's feasible to take it out of the ground."...

Pipefitter Bill Boren recently spent six hours climbing up two 50-foot pin oak trees in his front yard, stringing the 35 strands of brilliant red lights that caught the eyes of the judges in the third annual Holiday of Lights lighting contest and driving tour...