Stories from Saturday, May 20, 1995

The Meadow Heights School District in western Bollinger County has been the focus of considerable scrutiny in recent years. In March 1994 a citizen petition drive spurred a state audit of school finances. No serious wrongdoing was found. Now, a three-pronged investigation has been launched by Bollinger County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Hopkins into school matters...

Absolutely not. Never. I'll never knowingly vote for a pro-choice Republican. As important as other issues are to me, the issue of human life trumps them all. I am firmly in favor of lowering the capital gains tax, in reducing the size of government, in returning more autonomy to the states, and in balancing the budget. But not if it means killing the unborn...

Using the successful House GOP's Contract With America, the Christian Coalition this week unveiled its own Contract With the American Family. The new contract includes 10 legislative proposals, some of which mirror measures already touted in the Republicans' contract. But some of the Christian Coalition proposals are more controversial and undoubtedly will test the mettle of the GOP's and its commitment to grass-roots conservative principles...

Rains in California have left the lettuce crops there severely damaged, and now area consumers are feeling the pain in their wallets. Lettuce prices are up, way up, due to harsh rains in California, where between 80 and 90 percent of the country's lettuce is grown...

The Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau has risen almost 10 feet in the past two weeks. On Friday, the river passed 42 feet and is predicted to crest Tuesday at more than 46 feet, two feet below the flood crest of 1993. Why all the water? This year's flooding and the flood of 1993 were caused by different combinations of factors. The result has been devastating both times...

JEFFERSON CITY -- The Missouri River roared toward "bad, bad, super bad" weekend crests up to 16 feet above flood stage, while the state attorney general blasted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' river management policies. "An extra foot of water is courtesy of the Corps" and its practice of releasing water from upriver reservoirs to protect fowl and fisheries, Attorney General Jay Nixon said Friday...

With the Mississippi River climbing, the Cape Girardeau County Commission declared a curfew for the flooded areas of the county. Friday night, residents ignoring barricaded roadways, levee systems or the Cape Girardeau floodwall were subject to arrest...

My day off will be spent filling out thank-you notes in that drab style I've grown to appreciate in my years of wedding gift-giving. "Dear Heidi: Thank you so much for the Japanese garlic crusher. Fred and I will get a lot of use out of it. Sincerely, Joan."...

DUDLEY -- Funeral service for Clyde W. Parks of Dudley will be held at 1 p.m. today at Watkins and Sons Funeral Chapel in Dexter. Dale Grissom will officiate, with burial in Dudley Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home after 11 a.m. Parks, 72, died Thursday, May 18, 1995, at Dexter Memorial Hospital...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Mary Mable Estes, 87, of East Prairie, died Thursday, May 18, 1995, at her home. She was born Feb. 4, 1908, at Wardell, daughter of William and Nevada Miller Owens. She and Alvin Estes were married in 1925. He died Aug. 3, 1984. Estes was a member of First Christian Church in East Prairie...

ANNA, Ill. -- William R. "Bill" Baker, 60, of Anna, died Friday, May 19, 1995, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo. He was born Sept. 3, 1934, in Ullin. He married the former Carol Kathleen McClain. Baker was employed at Florsheim Shoe Co. in Cape Girardeau...

A 5-year-old Tia Long of Jackson looked adorable in a blue and beige jumper and tiny construction boots as she posed with three other preschoolers outside the Southeast Missourian building Friday. But Tia, whose straight black hair was slicked back for the photography session, was shocked. "She put Jello in my hair!" the youngster said when the shoot was over...

The Rev. J. Earl Sams, 75, 211 S. Park, died Thursday, May 18, 1995, at Missouri Veterans Home. He was born Nov. 16, 1919, at Burfordville, son of Joseph M. and Dolly Huckstep Sams. He and Jeanette Limbaugh were married Nov. 21, 1941, in Cape Girardeau...

Son to Heather Fitzgerald and Edwin Patterson of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 6:57 p.m. Wednesday, May 10, 1995. Name, Devin Thomas. Weight, 8 pounds 6 ounces. First child. Miss Fitzgerald is the daughter of Tom and Barb Fitzgerald of Cape Girardeau. Patterson is the son of Lucille Patterson of St. Louis...

Students pursuing careers in various medical fields are eligible to apply for one of 11 health care scholarships which will be awarded this summer by the St. Francis Medical Center Auxiliary. The scholarships, which have been endowed by a number of individuals and the St. ...

Gov. Mel Carnahan has signed an executive order establishing the Governor's Council on AIDS. The Governor's Council on AIDS includes five state agencies: the departments of Health; Mental Health; Corrections; Elementary and Secondary Education; and Social Services, under the leadership of the governor...

William Roscoe Newbern of Cape Girardeau answered questions as a speech exercise with Kelley Reeves, speech language pathologist at St. Francis Medical Center. Since 1927, May has been designated as "Better Hearing and Speech Month," a time to raise public awareness of hearing, speech and language disorders...

"Ask Your Doctor," a special one-on-one medical show with local doctors answering questions from local viewers calling in, will air Thursday at 8 p.m. on cable access Channel 5. Dr. Scot Pringlewill talk about female problems. The show is sponsored jointly by St. Francis Medical Center and Southeast Missouri Hospital in conjunction with the Cape Girardeau County Medical Society and Channel 5...