Stories from Saturday, December 18, 1993

By now you have probably heard of the political earthquake that shook Russia this week: communists and nationalists, some who properly could be called fascists, scored unexpectedly big in the vote to establish a new parliament. Meanwhile, the reformers aligned closest with Russian President Boris Yeltsin received a disappointing number of general election votes. Not all is as dire as first reported, however. And, there are lessons Americans can learn from the results...

JACKSON -- A Christmas musical, "Born a King," will be presented by Immaculate Conception Catholic Church Choir Dec. 19, 26 and Jan. 2. All performances begin at 9:45 a.m. at the church. The program is directed by Pam Dumey. Geri Beussink is the accompanist. The cantata was written by John W. Peterson...

A bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson would provide for complete economic deregulation of the trucking industry at the state level, a move proponents say could save consumers $5-$12 billion annually. Proponents say state rules that inhibit competition have grown up in the wake of the Motor Carrier Act of 1980, which substantially deregulated the industry at the federal level...

Jim Perkins of Cape Girardeau doesn't make it a practice of buying lottery tickets. "This is only the second time I have ever bought lottery tickets," said Parker, who stopped at Del Farm National Supermarket in Cape Girardeau Friday afternoon to purchase a couple of Powerball tickets. "The first time was about two years ago when the Illinois Lottery hit the $50 million mark."...

On Nov. 18, 9-year-old Angie Housman disappeared soon after she got off her school bus after school, about a block from her suburban St. Louis home. A few days later, Cassidy Senter, 10, disappeared from a suburban street as she was walking to a friend's home to string Christmas lights...

An elementary student showed off a handgun at school, another displayed a gun at a junior high school dance. Guns in schools have been an issue for big city schools for years, but the issue has come home to Southeast Missouri. School administrators say they have zero tolerance for weapons on school grounds. Policies reflect the hard-line approach...

The process of personally delivering toys to 470 families in a two- hour span on one night requires careful planning and lots of organization. Volunteers with the Cape Girardeau Jaycees have been working for weeks to make sure needy children receive a Christmas gift delivered personally by Santa...

The Salvation Army has raised $85,000 toward its Tree of Lights campaign goal of $115,000. Capt. Elmer Trapp of the Salvation Army said it's possible the campaign goal could be reached by Christmas Eve. Area residents have been generous in their giving, he said Friday. "We just get good support in this area."...

November saw a record number of organ donors -- 15 in the area served by the Mid-America Transplant Association. The November total surpassed the previous one month record of 13 organ donors set in January 1991. Two Cape Girardeau hospitals, St. Francis Medical Center and Southeast Missouri Hospital, accounted for four of the 15 donors...

Everyone has heard about the risks, dangers and thousands of deaths annually associated with smoking. And yet, research shows that one in four Missourians still smoke. Each year, 10,000 Missourians die from tobacco-induced afflictions and thousands more suffer from diseases ranging from heart-disease to lung cancer...

ULLIN, Ill. -- "Here's To Your Health" women's health conference will be held Jan. 8 at Shawnee Community College in Ullin from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Class sessions include Care for the Caregiver, The Sandwich Generation, How Nutrients and Drugs Interact, Violence and Our Communities, Women's Heart Disease, You and Your Body, Medicinal Use of Herbs, Surviving Your Teenager, Lyme's Disease and Skin Care...

CHARLESTON -- Mancy Pickard, 75, of Charleston, died Friday, Dec. 17, 1993, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Oct. 24, 1918, in Kennett, daughter of Frank and Ollie Gregory Dickey. She and Layton Pickard were married April 29, 1939...

SIKESTON -- Ina Alice Johnson, 86, of Costa Mesa, Calif., died Monday, Dec. 13, 1993, at her home. She was born Oct. 29, 1907, in Sikeston, daughter of Henry and Sara Willis St. Clair. She married Sidney H. Johnson June 19, 1927, who died Aug. 12, 1965...

Herbert A. Holshouser, 75, 122 S. Missouri, died Friday, Dec. 17, 1993, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Ford and Sons Mt. Auburn Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

JACKSON -- Funeral service for Edna C. Hoyer of Enid, Okla., was held Wednesday at St. Paul Lutheran Church there. Rev. Kenneth Wade officiated, with burial in Memorial Park Cemetery. Ladusau-Evans Funeral Home of Enid was in charge of arrangements...

WILSON CITY -- Mamie Porter, 79, of Wilson City, died Wednesday, Dec. 15, 1993, at Charleston Manor. She was born April 20, 1914, in Gould, Ark., daughter of Joe and Celia Myers Reams. She married Ollie Porter, who died in 1974. Porter was a graduate of Madame C.J. Walker Beauty College in Kansas City. She was a member of Holly Grove Missionary Baptist Church at Wyatt...

JACKSON -- Shirley Fay Blattel Banks, 60, of Ste. Genevieve, died Thursday, Dec. 16, 1993, at St. Anthony Hospital in St. Louis. She was born April 27, 1933, in Bollinger County, daughter of Truman and Mildred Bollinger. She married Harold F. Blattel April 28, 1956. He preceded her in death. She and Charles Banks were married May 3, 1933, at Imperial...

Son to Mr. and Mrs. Ricky Greaser, 1731 Stoddard, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 7:02 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 8, 1993. Name, Shane Richard. Weight, 6 pounds 13 ounces. First child. Mrs. Greaser is the former Catherine Fowler, daughter of Thomas W. Fowler of Old Appleton, and the late Rosemary Fowler. She is office clerk/cashier at Schaper's IGA Plus. Greaser is employed at VIP Industries. He is the son of George and Elvera Campbell of Cape Girardeau, and the late Walter Greaser...

ORAN -- Arvel Yewell Hicks, 88, of Oran, died Thursday, Dec. 16, 1993, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. He was born Nov. 22, 1905, in Rector, Ark., son of Theodore E. and Rachel Jane Crossen Hicks. He and Viola Isabel Webber were married Dec. 1, 1925. She died Nov. 8, 1977. He later married Roxie Evans Brock April 30, 1979. She died April 26, 1993...

NEW MADRID -- Mac "Tiny" Thompson, formerly of Lilbourn, died Friday, Dec. 17, 1993, at the Missouri Veteran's Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born July 18, 1917, at Holcomb, Mo., son of Mac and Bertha Fox Thompson. He served in the U.S. Marines during Korean Conflict, and was a farmer and construction worker in the Lilbourn area...