Stories from Friday, April 15, 1994

TAMMS, Ill. -- Calvin Earl Ashworth, 63, of Thebes, Ill., formerly of Mound City and Cairo, Ill., died at 10 a.m. Thursday, April 14, at the Veterans Adminsistration Hospital in Marion Ill. Ashworth was born in Mounds City, Ill., Nov. 9, 1930. His father is Mark Hannah Ashworth and mother is Ruth Myrtle Haws Ashworth...

OLMSTED, Ill. -- Roy Britt, 91, of Jeffersonville, Ind., formerly of Olmsted, died Thursday, April 14, 1994, at Clark Memorial Hospital in Jeffersonville. He was born Dec. 10, 1902, in Pulaski County, son of George W. and Ida Kennedy Britt. He and Marie Scruggs were married Dec. 20, 1922. She died Aug. 3, 1976. He later married Louise Griffin Aug. 7, 1977...

Some very special athletes will take to the field Saturday when the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department host the Area Nine Special Olympics Track and Field Meet. These individuals with mental retardation work hard year round to prepare for these competitions -- and everyone comes away a winner...

Sverdrup Corporation, an engineering consulting firm hired by the city of Cape Girardeau, has started the final design engineering for trunk and lateral sewers to serve the Twin Lakes subdivision area annexed last year by the city. The area was annexed in August 1993. City Engineer J. Kensey Russell is coordinating the project...

Volunteers and representatives of the Internal Revenue Service and Missouri Department of Revenue will be in the lobby of the Cape Girardeau Post Office today from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. to answer last-minute tax questions. They will have forms necessary to request an extension of time to file 1993 income tax returns, but will not prepare forms for taxpayers, the IRS said...

The Civil War Roundtable of Cape Girardeau will host the chief historian at Shiloh National Military Park Sunday at 2 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, 235 Broadway. George Reaves, chief of interpretation and resources management and chief historian at Shiloh, will discuss the Battle of Shiloh...

Talented gymnasts from across the country will compete at Southeast Missouri State University Saturday for the NIT of Women's Gymnastics. It's a golden opportunity for those who enjoy the grace and strength of gymnastics to see some of the best college talent. For example, top seeded Oklahoma is led by a member of the 1988 U.S. Olympic team, which placed fourth in Seoul, Korea...

It's easy to complain that Southeast Missouri is culturally lacking. It's a whole other matter to put your money where your mouth is. For the price of one typical concert ticket in St. Louis or Memphis, Cape Girardeau Community Concert Association members can enjoy six cultural concerts throughout the year. Adult membership is $30 with family memberships priced at $65...

A number of Cape Girardeau churches have come together to address social problems in the community. We applaud the Black Ministers Coalition for Progress and hope their efforts will pay off for homeless, youth and elderly in need. Historically, many Cape Girardeau churches have worked to improve social conditions on an individual basis. But this pooling of resources and information can provide a more united approach to community problems as well as eliminating needless duplication...

URBANDALE, Ill. -- Eddie Ray Wilson, 31, of Victoria, Texas, formerly of Urbandale, died Thursday, April 14, 1994, in a car accident near El Campo, Texas. He was born Dec. 6, 1962, in Cairo, son of Earl and Brenda Foss Wilson. He married the former Wendy Weise...

ORAN -- Nola Elizabeth Smith, 84, of Russellville, Ark., died Wednesday, April 13, 1994, at Stella Manor Nursing Center in Russellville. She was born Jan. 26, 1910, in Dover, Ark., daughter of James Robert and Mary Belle Ross Jones. She and Ted Walter Smith were married March 8, 1928. He died May 6, 1973...

Grace C. Owens, 77, of 2541 Janet Drive, died Thursday, April 14, 1994 at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Ford and Sons Funeral Home will be in charge of arrangements, which were incomplete at press time.

SIKESTON -- Rosine Barnett, 79, of Sikeston, died Thursday, April 14, 1994. The Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Sikeston is in charge of arrangements, which are incomplete at this time.

TAMMS, Ill. -- John Henry Pearson, 92, of Milledgeville, Tenn., died Wednesday, April 13, 1994, at the Herbert Hills Nursing Home in Savannah, Tenn. He was a retired farmer. He is survived by a daughter, Eva Mae Davis of Tamms; five grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren...

ANNA, Ill. -- Evelyn Marie Boyer, 69, Anna, Ill. died Thursday, April 14, 1994 at Union County Hospital in Anna, Ill.. She was born April 15, 1924 in Anna, the daughter of Henry and Bessie Brimm Boyer. She was a member of Landmark Pentecostal Church and is survived by one sister, Jane Bloodworth, Mayfield, Ky.; two nephews and one niece...

Dennis M. Kahmke, 46, of Cape Girardeau, died Tuesday, April 12, 1994, at his home. He was born May 8, 1947, in Cape Girardeau County, son of Everett "Dick" and Frieda Esselman Kahmke. Kahmke served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. He was a member of VFW Post 3838 and Knights of Columbus...

SIKESTON -- Verlon "Smiley" Sain, 52, of Sikeston, died Wednesday, April 13, 1994, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born Aug. 19, 1941, in Scranton, Ark., son of Clyde William Harrison and Roxie Burton Sain. He and Joan LaRue Sweeney were married June 17, 1962, in Sikeston...

PATTON -- Graveside service for Lula M. Brixey of Plymouth, Mich., will be held at 2 p.m. today at Patton Cemetery. The Rev. C.E. Henson will officiate. Liley Funeral Home at Patton is in charge of arrangements. Brixey, 85, died Monday, April 11, 1994, in a hospital in Ypsilanti, Mich...

JACKSON -- Funeral service for Winifred "Winnie" Nitsch of Jackson will be held at 1 p.m. today at McCombs Funeral Chapel. The Revs. Otto Steinhaus and O. David Griffin will officiate, with burial in Russell Heights Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home from noon to service time...

JACKSON -- Sales tax receipts for Cape Girardeau County continue to come in at a double digit pace with a third of the year's collections in. "It still looks good and hopefully we'll stay on track for a big year," said County Auditor H. Weldon Macke, who keeps close tabs on the county's half-cent sales tax revenue...

A Cape Girardeau city charter that governs those who represent the people also could be affected by input from the people. At least this was the idea put forth by the Cape Charter Review Committee, which will hold two public meetings to solicit comments and suggestions from the public on possible charter revisions...

MILLER CITY, Ill. -- John Kiefer couldn't tell you what went wrong with his levee Thursday. Kiefer is the project superintendent of the emergency repairs to the Len Small levee near Miller City. The levee was breached during last year's record flood, and construction crews had worked around the clock this week to complete the repairs...

MILLER CITY, Ill. -- The Rev. Verlee Eaker had called off an emergency sandbagging crew Wednesday evening, because he had faith in the levee standing between his church and the rising Mississippi River. But when a segment of the Len Small levee gave way a few hours later, Eaker was back on the phone in a flash...

San Francisco radio station reporter Harry "Hooks" Swets will speak on homelessness in America at 1:30 p.m. Monday at Southeast Missouri State University. The event, sponsored by the Student Activities Council, will be held in the University Center Ballroom. Admission is $1 for students and $2 for the general public...

Betty Cronin should have found her way into a Dan Quayle speech. In her singular, inventive and entrepreneurial way, she did more to waylay family values than Murphy Brown ever could. Retired now, Cronin did not set out to revolutionize American culture. Forty years ago, at age 25, she was just looking to make a name for herself with her bosses at C.A. Swanson and Sons...

JACKSON -- Stating that it is time for change, Laura Beggs will run for Cape Girardeau County Clerk. "I am running to put partisanship aside, to bring innovation and new ideas to our county clerk's office," said Beggs. "I know with my education and background I am qualified to serve the people of this county. I will be energetic and aggressive in my service to the office."...