Stories from Friday, March 25, 1994

MOUNDS, Ill. -- Alice Mahoney, 88, of Mounds, died Thursday, March 24, 1994, in Metropolis. She was born April 17, 1905, in Mounds, daughter of Warren Erastus and Adelaide Rebecca Hawkins Crain. She and William Mahoney were married Oct. 15, 1937. He died Nov. 16, 1979...

While President Clinton has been under siege these past few months about activities relating to savings and loans and land development companies in Arkansas, he has also found himself barraged by questions about his ability to lead the United States in a complex and dangerous world...

The Missouri Department of Conservation will be seeking input for its new "five-year strategic plan" during a special open house to be held at the MDC's Regional Service Center in Cape Girardeau Saturday. Department of Conservation representatives from several departments will be on hand during two sessions Saturday to receive input for the new strategic plan...

Missouri and Illinois will soon receive their share of the more than $356.7 million raised nationally from excise taxes paid by hunters and anglers which will support fish and wildlife restoration and recreation projects in 1994. Missouri will receive $8.4 million -- $4.4 million in fish restoration funds, and 4.0 million in wildlife restoration funds -- and will Illinois will receive $3.7 million in fish restoration funds and $2.7 in wildlife funds for a total of 6.4 million...

HARRISBURG, Ill. -- Horseback riders who flock to the Shawnee National Forest from all over the country will be in for a shock this summer when they find some of their favorite trails closed. U.S. Forest Service officials have announced they will start banning horseback riding in nearly 10,000 acres of the 265,000-acre Southern Illinois forest because the hooves tear up the ground. ...

PERRYVILLE -- Cletus P. "Clete" Baudendistel, 57, of Cahokia, Ill., died Wednesday, March 23, 1994, at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Belleville, Ill. He was born March 12, 1937, in Perryville, son of Edgar and Elsie Riney Baudendistel. He and Darlene M. Linker were married June 2, 1956, at Perryville...

Funeral service for Rufus Clarence Cherry, 1624 Oak Hills, will be held at 1 p.m. today at Ford and Sons Mt. Auburn Chapel. The Rev. Glenn Hamilton will officiate, with burial in Forrest Hills Cemetery at Morley. Friends may call at the funeral home from 11 a.m. to service time...

FRIEDHEIM -- Funeral service for Opal D. Hahs of Friedheim will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson. The Rev. Mary Waudby will officiate, with burial in Sargent's Chapel Church Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home from 4-8 p.m. today...

ANNA, Ill. -- Paul L. Halterman Sr., 74, of Anna, died Tuesday, March 22, 1994, at Jonesboro Health Care Center. He was born Dec. 23, 1919, in Anna, son of Jacob and Cora Ellen Biggs Halterman. He first married Mildred Sandlin in August 1940. She died in 1987. He later married Florene Palmer...

JACKSON -- Marguerite C. Nothdurft, 80, of Jackson, died Wednesday, March 23, 1994, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Nov. 2, 1913, at Gordonville, daughter of Alvin and Lena Sperling Deneke. She and Sylvester Nothdurft were married Nov. 9, 1936, at Gordonville. He died Dec. 18, 1993...

FRIEDHEIM -- Funeral service for Ethel Honey of Kansas City was held Tuesday at Mt. Moriah Funeral Home in Kansas City. Burial was in Mt. Moriah Memorial Gardens. Honey, 94, died Sunday, March 20, 1994, at John Knox Retirement Center in Lees Summit...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Vernon Edward Hodge Jr., 44, of Cairo, was pronounced dead on arrival Tuesday, March 24, 1994, at Union County Hospital in Anna. He was born Jan. 18, 1950, in Cairo, son of Vernon Edward and Mildred Rush Hodge. Hodge was a 1968 graduate of Cairo High School, and was a former corrections officer with State of Illinois...

Funeral service for Elmer J. Welter, 1544 Dunklin, will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Grace United Methodist Church. The Revs. Ernest Swartz and Harold Henderson will officiate, with burial in Fairmount Cemetery. Graveside service will be conducted by Scott City VFW Post 6407...

This is the story of two letters ... not pieces of correspondence, mind you, but consonants, "b" and "l" to be exact. People in the newspaper business know the importance of a few misplaced or omitted letters. A three-letter word like "not" -- given insufficient attention -- can put you in a world of trouble. If you don't believe it, measure the difference between "guilty" and "not guilty" in a news story...

Funeral service for Junior Martin Fornkohl of Cape Girardeau will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Ford and Sons Sprigg Street Chapel. The Rev. S.S. Borum will officiate, with burial in Thompson Cemetery at Egypt Mills. Friends may call at the funeral home from 4-8 p.m. today...

SIKESTON -- Amy Dell Chandler, 79, of Sikeston, died Wednesday, March 23, 1994, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. She was born June 21, 1914, in Anniston, daughter of Eura B. and Rebecca J. White McClendon. She and Albert W. Chandler were married July 5, 1930. He died Oct. 7, 1981...

SCOTT CITY -- Funeral service for Wilma "Nook" Walter of Scott City will be held at 2 p.m. today at Eisleben Church. The Rev. Joel Sarrault will officiate, with burial in the church cemetery. A prayer service will be held at 1:30 p.m. today at Amick-Burnett Funeral Home in Scott City...

OAK RIDGE -- Zenobia V. Criddle, 88, of Oak Ridge, died Wednesday, March 23, 1994, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born July 20, 1905, at Millersville, daughter of Criddle C. and Emma C. Criddle Summers. She first married Lewis A. Hahn March 27, 1927. He died Jan. 27, 1955. She and Charles Criddle were married May 24, 1976. He died Feb. 3, 1980...

Bob Neff would have traded his toughest car deal for the dilemma he wrestled with at the Playdium Thursday night. The Ford Groves car dealer covered his face with his hands and continually anguished over the fate of the Missouri Tigers during the waning moments of regulation and overtime in the NCAA West regional semfinals...

OAK RIDGE -- Maxine and James Godwin look up to their daughter, sometimes quite literally. Three years ago April, the Godwins watched their astronaut daughter Linda blast off from Cape Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the shuttle Atlantis. They are planning a return trip now to watch their daughter's second shuttle flight -- scheduled for April 7 aboard the Endeavour, NASA's newest shuttle. It will be Endeavor's sixth mission...

An 80-foot pirate ship, Martina McBride, the Ozark Mountain Daredevils and a tribute to the Beatles headline events for Riverfest '94 June 10-11. Plans for Riverfest, the annual celebration of Cape Girardeau's Mississippi River heritage, were announced at a news conference Thursday. The theme is "Jammin' on the River."...

The Cape Girardeau Florsheim plant is expected to add some new workers at its plant following an announcement Thursday that the West Plains, Mo., Florsheim plant will close. A spokesmen said Thursday that production at Cape Girardeau and Kirksville will be stepped up, with the addition of a total of 100 new workers at the two plants...

The Cape Girardeau mayoral candidates fielded a narrow choice of questions Thursday from residents of the downtown area. The Downtown Neighborhood Association, a relatively new organization that boasts about 100 members, invited Melvin Gateley and Al Spradling III to the home of Tom and Teresa Neumeyer for the informal candidates forum...

Telephone calls from Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Scott City to McClure, Ill. areas are still free, but customers must dial the area codes. Southwestern Bell customers in the immediate Southeast Missouri area must now dial "618" to reach McClure area customers and residents of McClure must dial "314" to reach the Missouri areas...

FRIDAY, MARCH 25 At 5:22 p.m. Wednesday, firefighters responded to the 1000 block of South Ellis for a report of smoke in the area. At 6:10 p.m. Wednesday, firefighters responded to 1053 N. Clark for medical assistance. At 9:02 p.m. Wednesday, firefighters responded to 19 N. Spanish for medical assistance...

JEFFERSON CITY -- As the Missouri House of Representatives debated an amendment Wednesday that would permit people 21 and older to carry concealed weapons, Rep. Dennis Ziegenhorn's thoughts turned to an old anti-smoking television commercial. In the commercial a young boy and his father are playing together outside and they sit down, leaning against a tree side by side. ...