Stories from Wednesday, January 11, 1995

LEOPOLD -- Blanche Howard Chastain, 91, of San Jose, Calif., died Wednesday, Jan. 4, 1995, at Westgate Convalescent Home in San Jose. She was born July 7, 1903, in Leopold, daughter of Harry and Julia Horrell McManus. She and Edward Howard were married Sept. 25, 1920. He died May 7, 1984. She later married Everett Chastain, who died Nov. 26, 1993...

JACKSON -- Jackson Board of Education member Marvin Adams, who refiled for his seat Tuesday morning, questioned the school district's fund-raising policy at Tuesday's board meeting. At December's board meeting, he asked Superintendent Wayne Maupin to look into the school's policy on fund raising, which primarily covers non-school organizations using the school to raise money. Maupin reported that school fund-raisers were used to purchase items not included in the annual budget...

Cape Girardeau CountyWilliam Quentin and Virginia Louise Felty to Virgil Q. and Loudeen Felty; Gerald E. and Catherine M. Stoverink to James Christopher King; Gussie D. and Magdalene S. Brotherton to Frist Baptist Church of Jackson. Philip W. Revelle to Ronald E. Bergen et al.; the Robert J. Earley Trust to James Robert Earley; Bobby G. and Jane K. Clark to Ronald Gene and Marcia Ann Clark...

The Missouri Department of Insurance has approved the sale of HealthNet Blue, a health insurance sold through a local doctor-hospital organization. HealthNet Blue was developed by MedAmerica HealthNet Inc., the physician-hospital organization, and Alliance Blue Cross Blue Shield...

PERRYVILLE -- Last spring, after a fifth-grader in the Perry County School District said a male student teacher inappropriately touched her, the board of education took a tough look at its sexual harassment policy. The result is a 14-page document to be reviewed at a board meeting tonight and likely passed in February...

JACKSON -- Mysie Keene learned patience during her 14-year career as a commissioner of the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority. Just about everything the port attempted to do was covered by regulations from several governmental agencies. Nothing was simple...

SCOTT CITY -- Net tonnage handled by the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority last year was up 30 percent over 1993. A report on tonnage was heard by two new Cape Girardeau County representatives on the port Board of Commissioners Monday. The port's tonnage ended 1994 on a steady note with each of the last four months above 30,000 tons. ...

Cape Girardeau County has a problem: Juvenile crime is on the rise -- up 23.5 percent since 1990. But the county isn't alone. During the past decade, violent crime by juveniles has increased a whopping 204 percent in Missouri. The number of juvenile weapons violations statewide has jumped to 1,275 in 1983 from 358 in 1983. And the number of juveniles referred to state courts on homicide charges has ballooned 850 percent during the same time period...

There are no declared winners in the protracted war on drugs. The losers have been the American public. The daily battlefield can be found in every city and county across this land. Cape Girardeau County law enforcement agencies have introduced a secret weapon in recent weeks: the Tactical Narcotics Team. Officers hope that TNT will blow the cover off drug trafficking schemes in this region...

Son to Tony Jesse and Sherry Sebastian of Jefferson City, St. Mary's Hospital there, 9:28 p.m. Friday, Dec. 30, 1994. Name, Skyler Sebastian. Weight, 8 pounds 6 ounces. Second son. Ms. Sebastian is the daughter of Freeman and Shirley Sebastian of Jackson. She is an art teacher at South Callaway Middle School in Mokane. Jesse is a field manager with Cargill Swine Products, and is the son of Raymond and Phyllis Jesse of Mexico, Mo...

MILLERSVILLE -- Earl T. Mouser, 66, of Millersville, died Tuesday, Jan. 10, 1995, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. McCombs Funeral Home at Jackson is in charge of arrangements.

Robert F. Engelmann, 54, 3210 Chateau, died Tuesday, Jan. 10, 1995, at his home. He was born March 22, 1940, in Cape Girardeau, son of Fred and Marie Daves Engelmann. He married the former Linda Wilson. Engelmann was a salesman with Kasten Masonry in Jackson 21 years. He was a member of St. Andrew Lutheran Church, member and vice president of Jackson Optimist Club, and was serving on the Home Builders Association Board of Directors...

He was born Dec. 27, 1908, in Valparaiso, Ind., son of Solomon Fenton and Mary Elizabeth Stimson Wood. He and Vera Elizabeth Sholes were married June 26, 1935, in Valparaiso. Wood had owned and operated a grocery store. He moved here eight years ago from Branson, and was a member of North Acres General Baptist Church...

CHAFFEE -- Norma Rita Pittman, 47, of Chaffee, died Monday, Jan. 9, 1995, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Oct. 29, 1947, at Benton, daughter of Adam Eugene and Lorena Christine Scherer LeGrand. Pittman had been a sole stainer at Florsheim Shoe Co. in Cape Girardeau. She was a member of St. Ambrose Catholic Church...

WOLF LAKE, Ill. -- Myrtle D. Modglin, 80, of Wolf Lake, died Tuesday, Jan. 10, 1995, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo. She was born April 27, 1914, in Anna, daughter of Charles and Eliza Dodson Dover. She married Fred Eugene Modglin, who died in December 1969...

JACKSON -- Ralph D. Abernathy, 74, of Jackson, died Tuesday, Jan. 10, 1995, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born April 6, 1920, in Pocahontas, son of Benjamin and Goldie McCain Abernathy. He married the former Betty Kinnison...

ADVANCE -- Charles "Sonny" Thompson, 55, of Advance, died Monday, Jan. 9, 1995, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born April 21, 1939, at Bell City, son of Homer and Lillian Overbey Thompson. He and Mary B. McMillion were married Oct. 18, 1958, at Glover...

SIKESTON -- Patricia Alvina Lehmann, 56, of Sikeston, died Tuesday, Jan. 10, 1995, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Nov. 21, 1938, in Collinsville, Ill., daughter of Robert L. and Evelyn F. Herzog Weeks. She and Kenneth Lehmann Sr. were married in 1956 in St. Louis...

SIKESTON -- Boyce Macon Dollar, 67, Sikeston Route 4, died Tuesday, Jan. 10, 1995, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born April 10, 1927, in Walnut, Miss., son of Samuel Duane and Mary Lois Alsup Dollar. He and Emogene Hill were married March 3, 1945, in Sikeston...

SIKESTON -- Graveside rites for Rebecca Curry will be held at 2 p.m. today at Bloomfield Cemetery in Bloomfield. The Rev. Mike Quillman will officiate. Friends may call after 11 a.m. at Ponder Funeral Home. Rebecca, 9 days old, died Tuesday, Jan. 10, 1995, at Children's Hospital in St. Louis...

Despite having lived within a stone's throw of Cape Girardeau for 20 years, Joe Hann has felt like something of an outsider. "Something as simple as having to pay for a library card or as serious as wondering how long it would take to get service for an emergency reminds you that you're not part of the city," Hann, who lives in the Cape Rock Subdivision, said...

Taking control of the water system from Union Electric some 2 1/2 years ago enabled the city of Cape Girardeau to embark on a growth pattern that has yet to slow. The growth in the last few years has prompted the planning and zoning commission to designate eight areas for possible annexation in the next five years...

Cape Girardeau's redistricting committee looked at pairing Jefferson and May Greene Elementary Schools, with each school becoming an attendance center. Under the plan, students in first, second and third grades would attend Jefferson, while those in fourth, fifth and sixth grades would attend May Greene...

In the battle to recruit college students, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and Murray (Ky.) State University have one weapon that Southeast Missouri State University doesn't: tuition breaks to out-of-state students in the region. Southeast can't offer the breaks because state law prohibits Missouri public colleges and universities from charging in-state tuition to out-of-state students...

Going to college can be expensive, particularly if you are an out-of-state student. At Southeast Missouri State University, an out-of-state student pays from almost $8,200 to about $9,000 per academic year to take 30 credit hours of classes and live on campus...

At first glance, I thought the patrons at Hennesseys were having cruel fun at Crabby Ed's expense. The cardboard sign hanging on the wall at this St. Louis pub read: "Happy Birthday Crabby Ed." It didn't take long for me to find the man of the hour. There he was, stooped shouldered and leaning over the solid oak bar wearing a demeanor that suggested he did some work to solidify his nickname...

read by joe s. Speaker of the nation I WANT to comment that Newt Gingrich may be the speaker of the House, but his mother is the speaker for the nation. I mean, this woman knows how to call a spade a spade. I'd just like to say a loud amen to her comments to Connie Chung about Hillary. Maybe now we're going to have a real woman that knows how to talk the truth...

Phyllis Wilcox, the Cape Girardeau woman in love with serial killer Henry Lee Lucas, will celebrate more fame when an episode of the Maury Povich Show is expected to air in February. Wilcox, also known for killer pen pals such as Charles Manson and the Son of Sam, was flown to New York this week for today's taping of the Maury Povich Show...

Boyd Gaming Corp. may present a rough draft of a development agreement to Cape Girardeau city officials today. Boyd representatives are in Cape Girardeau for meetings with city officials and members of the city"s planning and zoning commission to discuss plans for its riverboat gambling boat planned along the Mississippi River in downtown Cape Girardeau...

Fire Tuesday destroyed batteries, lacquer thinner and insulation at Auto Tire and Parts warehouse at Christine and Good Hope. "There's not much significant damage to the structure," said Max Jauch, an investigator with the Cape Girardeau Fire Department. "There was a lot of damage to the contents of the warehouse, though. It's pretty significant."...

PERRYVILLE -- Gov. Mel Carnahan has appointed Herbert E. Miller to fill a vacancy in the Perry County coroner's office. Miller and his wife, Kathleen, have owned the Miller Family Funeral Home in Perryville the past five years. The office of coroner became vacant when Patrick Naeger began his duties in the Missouri House of Representatives. Naeger, who was in the middle of his second, four-year term, won the 155th District seat Nov. 8...

JEFFERSON CITY -- After the 1994 elections moved them to within six seats of controlling the Missouri House, Republicans knew things would be different. But they probably didn't realize how much different things could be until last week, when they nearly replaced longtime Democratic Speaker Bob Griffin with Minority Leader Mark Richardson...

E.C. Younghouse doesn't regret his decision seven years ago to seek political office. And he doesn't regret his decision not to seek re-election. He leaves, satisfied his service to the Cape Girardeau County Commission was worthwhile and helped strengthen the county's sound financial condition...

Is America ready for a major third party? This is a question that United We Stand America Inc. wants to have answered. "There are a number of political parties out there," said Mary Jedzinek, administrative assistant of the Illinois chapter of United We Stand America, a non-partisan citizen action organization founded by Ross Perot...

Southeast Missouri Hospital has gotten the go-ahead to replace one of the hospital's two cardiac catherization labs. The Missouri Health Facilities Review Commission approved the request unanimously. The new lab will cost between $1.6 and $1.8 million. It will be paid for with accumulated savings earmarked by the hospital's board of trustees for that purpose...

Calls increased somewhat last week for businesses handling furnaces as winter temperatures finally arrived. The most common complaint found by two area heating contractors was clogged filters. "People should check their filters regularly," said Jeff Kemp, an estimator with Halbert & Cook Inc. of Cape Girardeau...

Stacy Slinkard, heating and air-conditioning technician for Heise Heating & Cooling Inc. of rural Cape Girardeau, checked a burning furnace. The necessity of heat was obvious last week as the overnight low temperatures dipped into the single digits for the first time this winter...

We all knew it would happen, even as we reveled in the mild, comfortable weather of November and December: Winter has arrived! No more golfing, gardening and engaging in those neat activities that the warmer days made so comfortable. Chrysanthemums were putting out new growth, spring flowering bulbs were peeking their noses out of the ground, violets and dandelions bloomed, an occasional forsythia blossomed and one mixed up yellow Exbury azalea thought it was April...