Stories from Tuesday, November 29, 1994

David Creech tapped a pencil as he spoke to a potential pawn customer. "No, lawn mowers are seasonal," he said. "Sure, we take televisions. Nineteen inch? Does it have a remote?" And so went business Monday at Audio 1-Plaza Pawn, 2100 William. Creech is the stereo department manager there, but works with customers who want to trade their valuables for 30-day loans. They bring in microwaves, televisions, jewelry, cameras -- anything of value...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Members of the Cairo Association of Teachers say they aren't out to break the Cairo Public School District, but are prepared for "the long haul" as their teachers' strike continued Monday. "We have a vested interest in the financial solvency of the school district," Ron Newell, association president, said at a news conference in Cairo Monday. "The district must have the money to pay its bills, including our salaries," he said...

CAIRO, Ill. -- The Cairo Public School District has days built in to its school calendar for emergencies but those will be used up today. "We have about eight emergency days," said Ron Newell, president of the Cairo Association of Teachers, which entered its eighth day on strike today...

Holidays are supposed to be like one of those Norman Rockwell paintings: plenty of cheerful, rosy faces around the all-American, food-crammed dinner table. I envisioned such a scene for Thanksgiving with family in St. Louis last week. In doing so, I forgot all about Parental Rule No. 1: Children get sick on the holidays, particularly if you are visiting family 100 miles from home...

Jhan White makes life and death decisions. As administrator of the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri animal shelter on Route W, White decides which dogs and cats will be killed. Euthanasia is the hardest part of her job, she concedes. Even so, White said she prefers to provide a caring shelter for abandoned dogs and cats, even if it proves to be their final home...

The forthcoming appointments of new chairmen of the House and Senate committees responsible for preparing the state's $13 billion budget, could have a big impact on the share going to Southeast Missouri. This region has done well during the tenure of the late Norman Merrell, who chaired the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Chris Kelly, who chaired the House Budget Committee until resigning this fall to take another job in government...

George E. Shelton Jr., 84, 325 S. Louisiana, died Monday, Nov. 28, 1994, at St. Francis Medical Center. He was born Nov. 13, 1910, in Warren County, son of George and Irene Thomas Shelton. Shelton married Verna Hawkins May 10, 1931, in Jonesburg. He was a member of Grace United Methodist Church and Cape Girardeau Country Club...

James Allen Stevens, 68, 3713 Stonebridge, died Monday, Nov. 28, 1994, at St. Francis Medical Center. He was born March 21, 1926, in Bernie, son of Lutona "Tony" and Birdie Rodgers Stevens. Stevens married Willie Mansker Aug. 1, 1952, in Cape Girardeau...

SIKESTON -- Frances Reynolds Young, 79, of Memphis, Tenn., formerly of Sikeston, died Sunday, Nov. 27, 1994, at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis. She was born Oct. 12, 1915, in Campbell, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Park Reynolds. On Dec. 19, 1940, she married Harry C. Young Jr. in Cape Girardeau. He died Nov. 23, 1986...

OLMSTED, Ill. -- Alvin T. "Abbey" Staten, 79, of Olmsted, died Monday, Nov. 28, 1994, at his home. He was born July 27, 1915, in Pulaski County. He was a retired mill operator at Golden Cat Corp. He attended Boaz Pentecostal Church. Survivors are his wife, Mary Helm Holmes Staten, of the home; one stepson, Bobby Whitehead, Karnak; two stepdaughters, Mary Underhile, Marion, and Kay Sharp, Vienna; 11 stepgrandchildren and 13 stepgreat-grandchildren...

JACKSON -- Mary Ann Kellogg, 60, of Jackson, died Monday, Nov. 28, 1994, at Jackson Manor. She was born Aug. 30, 1934, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Edward and Anna Warbritton Allen. She and John Kellogg were married July 18, 1950, in Osceola, Ark. He died Dec. 16, 1992...

JACKSON -- Lawrence E. Finnegan, 60, of Kingman, Ariz., died Friday, Nov. 25, 1994, at his home. He was born Feb. 10, 1934, in Chicago, son of George and Lydia Schultz Finnegan. He and the former Juanita Austin of Jackson were married May 11, 1984. Finnegan was an engineer with General Motors. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army...

ZALMA -- Funeral service for William "Bill" Acord of Zalma will be held at 1 p.m. today at Morgan Funeral Chapel in Advance. The Revs. Scott Payne and Keith Price will officiate, with burial in Morgan Memorial Park in Advance. Acord, 70, died Sunday, Nov. 27, 1994, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau...

ORAN -- Funeral service for Maggie James of Oran will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Oran. Bill Bradley will officiate, with burial in Forest Hills Memorial Gardens near Morley. Friends may call at the funeral home after 4 p.m. today...

With appropriate fanfare and a visit from Gov. Mel Carnahan, ground is to be broken today for a new building at Southeast Missouri State University to house the Donald L. Harrison College of Business. Today's ceremony comes after a roller-coaster ride for the business building project. ...

Citing fierce competition, many banks in the area are offering free checking. That means customers can operate a checking account at no charge with basic service. Customers must pay for the printing of the checks, but regular processing of checks written on the account will be free...

Suzanne Dufek of Cape Girardeau has been elected president-elect of the Missouri Association of Nurse Anesthetists at the association's annual meeting. Among her duties, Dufek is the liaison to the Missouri Hospital Association for more than 700 nurse anesthetists in Missouri...

Despite having to cope with several physical ailments, Mrs. B, 60, is still mentally sharp. She suffers from multiple sclerosis and only has movement in her left arm. But one of her favorite pastimes is watching television from her wheelchair. Her daughter lives in the same apartment but works during the day, so Mrs. B looks for ways to keep her mind occupied...

Two boys who live in Cape Girardeau, ages 13 and 9, would like to play sports other youngsters enjoy in their backyard: basketball, baseball, football and soccer. But those items will be too expensive for their parents this Christmas. With Toybox, however, they have requested that someone more fortunate donate them before Dec. 9. This marks the 20th year for Toybox, a joint venture of the Cape Girardeau Jaycees and Southeast Missourian...

SCOTT CITY -- Keri E. Baber of Scott City has been awarded a Regents' Scholarship and a Missouri Leadership Award to attend Southeast Missouri State University for the 1995-96 academic year. The Regents' Scholarship is awarded to high school seniors who graduate in the top 10 percent of their class and who have achieved an ACT score of 28 or SAT score of 1,160...

Dixie Lee Cook, gifted facilitator at Cape Girardeau Central Junior High School, received the Mercedes Smith Scholarship Award at the annual Missouri Conference on Gifted Education. The award is presented to a Missouri educator who has developed innovative programming for gifted education and includes a $250 scholarship...

Students in the secondary gifted class at Oak Ridge High School are looking for information on the rural schools that made up the Oak Ridge district. The students are compiling a history about their school, which is celebrating its 120th anniversary...

Catherine Gooden, a senior at Cape Girardeau Central High School, has been selected to receive the University of Missouri-Rolla Curators Scholarship. To qualify for the scholarship, students must be in the top 5 percent of the high school graduating class and have an ACT composite score of 28 or better. The scholarship is for $3,500 a year and is renewable each year as long as students maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or better...

Thirteen area school librarians participated in the first session of Downlinks for Excellence teleconference series recently. Attending were Kay Rebstock, New Madrid County schools; Jackie Cowan, Libby Caskey and Pam Hunter, Sikeston schools; Loretta Templeton, Scott City Schools; Sister Bertha O'Neill, St. ...

Tammy Enderle of Chaffee has received the Spring 1995 Girardot Chapter of Professional Secretaries International Scholarship. Enderle is a junior at Southeast Missouri State University majoring in business administration. She has been on the dean's list and works part time at the Scott County treasurer's office...

Jason T. Allen of Cape Girardeau has been awarded a Community College Scholarship to attend Southeast Missouri State University. Allen is enrolled for the fall 1995 semester. The Community College Scholarship is a renewable award of $1,000 for the academic year, up to a maximum of four semesters, for students transferring from a community college to the university...

Students at Notre Dame High School are being encouraged to take a little time from their schoolwork and activities to devote attention to the needs of others. Notre Dame's Christian Service Program is in its second year and gives students an opportunity to earn junior varsity and varsity letters for volunteerism...

Donna Ellis puts language reality in the Spanish classroom at Cape Girardeau Central High School. "I expose my students to the cultural and linguistic diversity in the Spanish-speaking world," Ellis said. This is evident as one enters the classroom, which is decorated appropriately...