Stories from Monday, March 21, 1994

Bill Adams is thankful Marilyn Monroe never won an Academy award. If she had, it would have sent his roller-coaster checking account into another serious plunge. "Right now I just couldn't afford it," said Adams, who has spent the last several years collecting autographs of Academy Award winners for best supporting actor/actress and best actor/actress...

Expansion, solid waste, water, and various city improvements will be on the agenda for Monday's Cape Girardeau City Council meeting. Among the items to consider is the Cape LaCroix Creek/Walker Branch Flood Control project. "The city staff is prepared to resume the process of acquiring properties for the dry detention reservoir north of the city as part of the flood control project," said City Attorney Warren Wells...

WHITEWATER -- How much is fire water from Whitewater worth? That's what residents of southwest Cape Girardeau County, now served by the Whitewater Rural Fire Department, will decide June 7. The decision involves whether or not residents want to create a tax-supported fire protection district and levy a 30-cent tax to upgrade the fire protection service...

The Southeast Missourian asked people what they thought about the move of some national fast-food chains in setting a smoke-free policy for their restaurants. Lane Austin, Cape Girardeau: "It's great. I eat out about once a week, and I try to go where there are no smoking areas. We ought to have all places with no smoking. Smoke makes you sick. It's not pleasant to be eating next to a smoking area."...

Despite sub-zero temperatures this past winter, peach growers in Southern Illinois and Southeast Missouri are looking forward to an excellent peach crop later this summer. "Our peaches are in really fine shape. I couldn't be happier," said David Diebold, of Diebold's Peach Orchards in Kelso, New Hamburg and Benton...

The University of Missouri, Cape Girardeau County University Extension Center at Jackson, and the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council will sponsor three programs this week on, "The Soy Connection -- Preventing Cancer with Soybeans." The featured speakers at each program will be Dr. Mark Messina, former director of the Diet and Cancer Branch of the National Cancer Institute...

Dear Sir: After having read Mr. Dave Barry's article entitled, "Music Appreciation" which appeared in the Wednesday, March 9th edition of the Southeast Missourian, I feel obliged to share my views with you and your readers concerning his observations. ...

In Jefferson City, lawmakers return today after having enjoyed a week's respite from hectic legislative duties. Eight weeks remain before the May 13 adjournment will bring an end to the second session of the 87th General Assembly. On March 10, immediately before adjourning for the spring break, the House of Representatives passed and sent to the Senate Governor Mel Carnahan's Fiscal Year 1995 budget. At $11.8 billion, this budget is an all-time record level of spending for Missouri government...

To the Editor: I am writing to express my deep concerns with respect to your article of March 4 discussing Senator Peter Kinder's Senate Bill 809. I have received a copy of this bill from the Senator's office. As it is written, it must not be allowed to become law in the state of Missouri...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Orphia W. Cogdill, 90, of Doniphan, Mo., formerly of East Prairie, died Sunday, March 20, 1994, at the Lucy Lee Hospital in Poplar Bluff. He was born July 3, 1903, at Golconda, Ill., son of Issace and Rosie Cullum Cogdill. He married Ethel M. Goodman, Aug. 9, 1924...

PERRYVILLE -- Vernon O. "Ben" Kluender, 76, of Perryville, died Saturday, March 19, 1994, at his residence. He was born Feb. 11, 1918, in Perry County, son of Alfred and Louise Gerstacker Kluender. He married Mary A. Broeker, Nov. 7, 1942. She died Oct. 15, 1980...

CHAFFEE -- Ervin Herman Knotts, 77, of Chaffee, died Sunday, March 20, 1994, at the St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born June 24, 1916, at Pocahontas, Ark., son of James Burton and Ollie Pickrell Knotts. He married Gean Abraham, Aug. 22, 1945...

The Cape Girardeau Board of Education is set to discuss a possible waiver of the district's Proposition C tax rollback and a redistricting planning process. The school board meets today at 5 p.m. at 61 N. Clark. At a study session earlier this month, board members expressed an interest in a two-part ballot proposal...

TAMMS, Ill. -- Mary A. Davis, 78, of Tamms, Ill., died Sunday, March 20, 1994, at her son's residence in Marion, Ill. She was born Aug. 31, 1915, at Tamms, daughter of Harry and Nellie Cox Honey. She married Clifford H. Davis, June 2, 1934. He died Feb. 16, 1987...

JACKSON -- Florence K. Farrow, 69, of Jackson, died Sunday, March 20, 1994, at the St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Dec. 1, 1924, at Parma, Mo., daughter of Arthur and Mae Eaton Nolan. She was a member of the Cape Girardeau VFW Auxiliary Post 3838...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Charles G. Talley Sr., 85, of East Prairie, died Saturday, March 19, 1994, at the Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. He was born June 6, 1908, at Ripley, Tenn., son of John Will and Nanny Foster Talley. He married Stella Mae Johnson, June 14, 1958. She died Jan. 21, 1986...

Betty J. Taylor, 65, of 1750 Bessie St., died Sunday, March 20 at her residence. Ford and Sons Funeral Homes are in charge of arrangements, which are incomplete at this time.

The advice from John Ruzicka and Brad Wiese reads like something straight out of "Money" magazine. But Ruzicka and Wiese don't sit behind desks on Wall Street. They are in an elite group at Southeast Missouri State University -- the Futures Seminar course in the department of accounting and finance...

Each year more than 150 businesses open here, ranging from retail and wholesale operations to manufacturing and industry. That's the up side. The down side is that during the same period as many as 150 businesses may close. A total of 183 new-business permits were issued by the Cape Girardeau Finance Department in 1993. A total of 165 businesses closed, leaving a net gain of 18...

Wayne Smith of Cape Girardeau has joined Consolidated Communications Inc. as president of the firm's Harrisburg, Ill., office. Smith has served as general manager of the rural markets for CyberTel Cellular, an Ameritech Co., with overall responsibility for Sedalia, Lake of the Ozarks, Columbia, Rolla and Southeast Missouri. At Consolidated he will be responsible for all aspects of the business, producing 350 telephone directories in 37 states...

Coming Up: March 22 -- SBA counseling session, Sikeston, 471-2498. March 22 -- Open House, SEMO Alliance for Disability Independence, Inc., 1020 N. Kingshighway, Suite C. March 23 -- SBA counseling session, Cape Girardeau, 335-3312. March 23 -- Career Planning and Placement Luncheon, University Center, 11:45 a.m., 651-2268...