Stories from Monday, June 19, 1995

"Patrick" doesn't want to attach his real name to the true story of his credit card downfall. Little wonder. He ran up a Visa bill to $1,500, begged his parents to pay it off, and then ran the card up to another $1,800. Nobody wants to admit to such damaging financial irresponsibility...

Lullabye and good night ... but don't forget to let Spot in, brush your teeth, set the alarm, adjust the thermostat, check the kids and check in on Letterman and Leno. Getting ready for bed is no easy task. Despite today's fast-paced lifestyle, Americans believe in bedtime routines and seldom change their rituals, according to a "Late Night With Listerine Survey."...

When Greif was hit by a car while chasing a drug suspect in March 1994, the dog wasn't the only one to suffer. His handler, Patrolman Dennis Horn of the Cape Girardeau Police Department, had worked with Greif for more than four years, catching the bad guys. That dog was family to Horn...

Since 1777, Americans have celebrated their independence. The most popular and traditional way is with fireworks. Residents can begin celebrating Tuesday when local fireworks stands open for the Fourth of July season. Under state regulations, vendors can sell fireworks from June 20 to July 10. In Cape Girardeau, vendors are only able to sell them until July 4...

Officers with the Sikeston Department of Public Safety looked more like proud parents than new pet owners Thursday as they introduced their first drug-detecting dog to the press. Astro is a 2-year-old German shepherd from Czechoslovakia. His handler is Brian Evans, nicknamed "Elroy" because of the popular Jetsons cartoon and its boy and dog characters...

The Southeast Missourian asked people: "Do you think Hollywood movies contain too much sex and violence?" Rhonda Smith No, I don't think they do. Movies today seem to be showing more of a reality than fiction in our society. Bo Hutchings No, I don't think movies are showing too much. If people don't want to watch a movie because they think it has too much sex or violence, then they have the right to not go and watch them...

PATTON -- Metta Ellen Myers, 86, of Patton died Sunday, June 18, 1995, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born March 4, 1909, in Alliance, the daughter of James Henry and Louella Conrad Johnson. She married Norman William Myers Feb. 9, 1930, and he preceded her in death Dec. 17, 1980...

Dan Wade Dunlap, 29, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, June 16, 1995, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born Nov. 29, 1965, at Cape Girardeau, the son of Geneva Gilles and Jesse Dunlap. His mother preceded him in death. Friends may call from 4-8 p.m. Monday at Ford and Sons Sprigg Street Chapel, where funeral service will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday. The Rev. William Marshall will officiate, with burial in McClains Chapel Cemetery...

Barbara Schwab, 86, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, June 18, 1995, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Dec. 3, 1908, at St. Louis, the daughter of Adolph and Barbara Jaros Jarosik. She and Arthur C. Schwab were married April 6, 1946...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Thelma Blackburn, 85, of Jonesboro died Sunday, June 18, 1995, at her daughter's home. She was born Feb. 2, 1910, in Elkman, W. Va., the daughter of John S. and Emma Lou Collins Cowan. She was married Oct. 13, 1930, to L.B. Blackburn, who preceded her in death April 27, 1974...

In following the recent news articles on the pending decision on where the next I-55 junction will be placed, I noticed there was no mention of what I believe to be the most important and critical reason this junction needs to be placed at the Jackson location...

Union Electric also has been in the news recently because of a new rate plan it is seeking. The plan includes a $30 million one-time credit to be shared by the utility company's 1 million Missouri customers plus a $30 million-a-year rate reduction. What's the catch? UE wants the Missouri Public Service Commission to give up some of its regulatory control of the company, which the company says would allow it to operate more efficiently...

When a late-spring windstorm blasted through Cape Girardeau June 8, there was considerable damage to power lines and trees. Even though the National Weather Service said the strong winds weren't caused by a tornado, the scene after the brief but vicious storm looked terrible...

While signing a record appropriations bill for the state's Department of Corrections, Gov. Mel Carnahan predicted Missouri's prison population would increase 10,000 in just five years. Reflecting a sense of frustration now felt by millions of Missourians, the governor's estimate of 27,500 inmates in 1999 illustrates the seeming inability of society to respond to a crime rate that threatens both low-income and affluent neighborhoods in cities and small towns alike...

Agenda Monday, 7:30 p.m. City Hall, 401 Independence Consent ordinances Establish conditions for granting of cable TV franchises. Second and third readings. Execute a franchise agreement with TCI Cablevision of Missouri. Second and third readings. Amend city code to allow floral shops, greenhouses, plant shelters and nurseries to be established without special permits. Second and third readings...

Monday, June 19 7:30 p.m. Action Items Power and Light Committee Accept and approve electrical system improvement report as presented by the public works director and electric distribution superintendent. Authorize payment of $11,868.39 to Barnes, Meisenheimer and Gende Inc. for professional services rendered in connection with the Jackson Electric System Study...

JACKSON -- A video conference on federal block grants is planned for June 27 The Citizens for Missouri's Children, Heart of American United Way, United Way of Greater St. Louis and the University of Missouri Extension office will sponsor the interactive video conference...

SCOTT CITY -- Neighbors and friends got a chance to visit at the 19th annual Scott City Mid-Summer Festival this weekend. Park Director Phyllis Spinks said more than 1,000 people attended each night. "It was great, we had a big crowd on both nights," she said. The park grounds weren't wall to wall, but more like booth to booth, she said...

Residents who live along Highway 177 are tired of taking detours because of flooding. They want the Missouri Highways and Transportation Department to raise two short sections of the road high enough to keep the state route open when Mississippi River floodwaters back up into area creeks...

Dr. William K. Kapp III will join Orthopedic Associates of Southeast Missouri, P.C., in August in the practice of orthopedic surgery. Kapp has been in practice at St. Louis and currently serves as LCDR, USNR, attached to MAG-41 in Dallas. He earned his medical degree at the Medical College of Georgia, where he also completed a master's degree in immunology/biochemistry. ...

"Drop by anytime," a Southeast Missourian advertisement designed by Teresa Connell, assistant to the advertising director, received a "Certificate of Merit" in the 60th International Newspaper Marketing Association/Editor & Publisher Award Competition...