Stories from Friday, May 27, 1994

MARBLE HILL -- Hattie Mae Irvin, 95, of Marble Hill, died Wednesday, May 25, 1994, at her home. She was born Aug. 14, 1898, at Bessville, daughter of Hosie and Roxanna Huffman Hale. She and Shellie Roy Irvin were married Sept. 6, 1919. He died April 25, 1984...

Indian Park remains one of the most well-used parks in the city. This high use combined with heavy traffic still concerns us. One child has already lost her life in a traffic accident at the park, and we want to insure more accidents aren't waiting to happen...

Cape Girardeau's community policing program is in its infancy. But it's been time enough for some people to feel targeted by this visible police presence. A downtown neighborhood meeting earlier this week turned into a fingerpointing match between blacks and whites...

Public schools have an opportunity to help create an inclusive, multicultural society or to isolate people into ethnic enclaves, said Charles Taylor, a former Cape Girardeau student. Taylor spoke Thursday about multiculturalism and said it's time to convince educators and community leaders that diversification is in everyone's best interest...

A Cape Central High School student, apparently angry over being suspended from school, punched through a window in the school's office and struggled with police before he was "Maced" and taken to an area hospital on Thursday. Police said the student, whose name has not been released, "got a little unruly and made a scene in the office."...

To the Editor: We recently viewed a TV program shown on Ch.5 and titled "America's Godly Heritage." The program was produced by an organization named Wallbuilders. As was anticipated, Godly was an exercise in propaganda, not history. The narrator asserted that James Madison wrote the following: "All of our laws should be based on the Ten Commandments." There is not a single paper in the Madison Archives in which that statement, or a similar one appears...

ANNA, Ill. -- Edwin Leon Brimm, 67, of Anna, died Thursday, May 26, 1994, at Union County Hospital. He was born Feb. 14, 1927, in Anna, son of Ira Richard and Clara White Brimm. Brimm was an operating engineer. He was a member of First Baptist Church, Anna VFW Post 3455, Anna Masonic Lodge 520 AF&AM, Scottish Rite Bodies, Valley of Southern Illinois, Ainad Shrine, and International Union of Operating Engineers Local 318 in Harrisburg...

MOUNDS, Ill. -- Lizzette R. Everett, 87, Mounds Route 1, died Thursday, May 26, 1994, at Daystar Care Center in Cairo. She was born Jan. 19, 1907, in Reedsburg, Wis., daughter of William and Lorna Wischhoff Riggert. Everett attended Shiloh Baptist Church near Villa Ridge...

Leon Udaley "L.U." Spell, 82, 367 Edgewood, died Wednesday, May 25, 1994, at St. Francis Medical Center. He was born Feb. 10, 1912, in Coxburg, Miss., son of Leon Otho and Nettie Ward Harding Spell. He and Christine B. Burrell were married June 24, 1933, in Goodman, Miss. She preceded him in death...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Lorene Farrow, 83, of Cairo, died Thursday, May 26, 1994, at Community Health Services in Cairo. Barkett Funeral Home here is in charge of arrangements.

ADVANCE -- Lillian Atkins, 87, of Advance, died Wednesday, May 25, 1994, at Dexter Memorial Hospital. She was born March 17, 1907, near Advance, daughter of Dr. O.R. and Ida Sitz Reynolds. She and Aubert Atkins were married Dec. 30, 1956, at Dexter...

PERRYVILLE -- Funeral service for Oliver H. Versemann of Perryville will be held at 2 p.m. today at Immanuel Lutheran Church. The Rev. Jeffrey Lloyd will officiate, with burial in the church cemetery. Friends may call at Young and Sons Funeral Home from 6:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m...

CARTERVILLE, Ill. -- Graveside service for Collin "Jerry" Boyd of Lexington, Ky., will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Anna Cemetery. The Rev. Larry Shacklee will officiate, with military rites conducted by Carroll P. Foster VFW Post 3455. Crain Funeral Home of Anna is in charge of arrangements...

ALTO PASS, Ill. -- Funeral service for Mary E. Clover of Alto Pass will be held at 1 p.m. today at Lutz and Rendleman Funeral Home here. The Rev. James Sumner will officiate, with burial in Walker Hill Cemetery at Grand Tower. Clover, 62, died Wednesday, May 25, 1994, at Memorial Hospital in Carbondale...

Barring any legal difficulties, the Cape Girardeau City Council June 6 will adopt an ordinance for a one-eighth cent sales tax vote to defray the increasing cost of solid waste. In an informal meeting to discuss the city budget, the council proposed putting the one-eighth sales tax to the vote of the people as a way to avoid raising trash fees from $10.54 a month to $12.13...

John Mehner and Ma Zhong speak the same language when it comes to economic development. Zhong, secretary-general of Shaoxing, China, visited Cape Girardeau Wednesday and Thursday as part of a four-member delegation of officials from Cape's new sister city...

Two men bought over $400 worth of baby formula from the Cape Girardeau National store Thursday, illustrating a problem local grocers have been experiencing. Out-of-town shoppers apparently are buying baby formula by the caseload for resale elsewhere...

Michael Ballou is such a firm believer in the ward system that he has decided to run for the final seat on the Cape Girardeau City Council. "After I appeared several times before the city council on behalf of residents of the 300 and 400 blocks of North Louisiana, some women invited me out for coffee and asked me to run for the city council," said Ballou, 45, who ultimately convinced the council to amend two ordinances that restricted parking on North Louisiana. Ballou lives at 409 N. Louisiana...

Twenty years ago this week, my high school graduated me. So exhaustive were the standards of underachievement I established, a full third of the faculty wept. The morning of my graduation, the senior class gathered under dreary skies on a football field where long rows of seats were lined up and, as a final lesson after a dozen years of schooling, we were instructed how, when and at what pace to walk...

To Evelyn Boardman, who attended the opening of Sam's Town casino near Tunica, Miss., Wednesday, it was like being a little girl in a candy store. "It was marvelous," said Boardman, who was among five Cape Girardeau residents and supporters of casino gambling who attended the "soft opening" of the Boyd Gaming Corp.'s latest facility...

A local production of Jerry Herman's most popular songs from his 33-year career will come to life in the form of a musical revue titled "Jerry's Girls." The revue, under the direction of Dennis C. Seyer, associate professor of Speech Communication and Theatre at Southeast Missouri State University, will take place at the Rose Theatre Saturday and Sunday...

The Missouri Council of the Blind in cooperation with The River City Workers of the Blind will sponsor a public information forum targeting the blind and visually impaired June 9 at 7 p.m. It will be held at St. Francis Medical Center's Education Center...

SCOTT CITY -- The Scott City Council approved the hiring of two part-time police officers Thursday to fill the vacancies of three officers who left the department earlier in the week. Officers Brian Clubb and David Wall will be paid $7.50 per hour to work part-time with the Scott City Police Department. Following the special meeting Thursday, the two were being outfitted for uniforms...

A student in Eva Wilson's class once said, "Boy! You have to pay attention all the time or you will miss something." Higher praise would be hard to achieve for a teacher. Wilson, a teacher for 26 years at Nell Holcomb School north of Cape Girardeau, is retiring. Her last day in the classroom is today...

Considering a new job? The U.S. Post Office is compiling a list of prospective new employees. The Postal Service Battery Examination will be open for residents in the Bootheel from June 6-10. People who live in the following zip codes are eligible to take the exam: 636, 637, 638, and 639...

The Area Vietnam Veterans and Support Group has its regular meeting June 2 at 7 p.m. at the American Legion Post 63 over Beards Sports Shop. All Vietnam veterans, spouses and interested persons may attend. Members and guests are asked to bring photos, newspaper clippings and other memorabilia to the meeting to be included in the club's historical album...

Ten Senior Girl Scouts will receive the Gold Award on June 5 at the Centenary Methodist Church. The Gold Award is the highest recognition given to a Girl Scout. To achieve this honor, girls are required to achieve the leadership award, career exploration pin, give service, earn at least four interest patches and complete the Senior Girl Scout Challenge. Each girl also designed and carried out her own Gold Award project...