Stories from Sunday, November 26, 1995

PATTON -- Price Berry, 84, of Patton, died Friday, Nov. 24, 1995, at the Stockhoff Nursing Home in Fredericktown. He was born Oct. 16, 1911, at Faro, Mo., son of the late Jacob and Jane Francis Berry. He is survived by a brother, Tom Berry of St. Louis...

In its continuing goal of reaching out to area young people, the Evening Optimist Club recently teamed up with Girardot Center residents to create the club's first Christmas in the Park Project. Every year around Thanksgiving, various individuals, clubs and businesses erect colorful displays at Cape Girardeau County Park. The displays line the main road, attracting thousands of drivers who roll through bumper-to-bumper on busy nights...

SCOTT CITY -- Rail traffic was shut down for about two hours Friday afternoon as crews worked to repair a leaky valve on a tank car full of denatured alcohol. The Scott City Fire Department responded to the Oak Street railroad crossing at Main Street at about 1 p.m., said Deputy Fire Chief Jay Cassout...

Six homes all spruced up for Christmas will be featured in the Lutheran Family and Children's Services eighth annual House Tour and Dessert Buffet today. The tours will run from noon to 6 p.m. and will feature a crafts sale and dessert buffet. Tickets are $10 in advance and are available at Wanda's Coiffures, 1405 Thomas Drive, or Schnucks, or $12 at the door...

"Don't blame Newt, he's only the messenger." This statement was made the other day as I visited with a one-time Republican strategist, whose tactics Teflonized Ronald Reagan so expertly that the Gipper could have escaped blame for anything short of murdering Nancy in plain view on network television. Maybe even that...

So there is to be peace in Bosnia. There will be some form of peace, that is, if this past week's news out of Dayton, Ohio, is to be fully credited. Negotiators met for several weeks at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton under the auspices of the Clinton administration's secretary of state, Warren Christopher, and his deputy, Richard Holbrooke. A series of marathon negotiating sessions culminated with Tuesday's signing of a peace agreement...

To the editor: I recently attended the local craft fairs with some friends. As I was walking through the Arena Building, I overheard something that disturbed me greatly. Some women were discussing how crowded it was, and one of them stated, "Wheelchairs should not be allowed in craft fairs." I noticed some people in wheelchairs myself, but I feel they have just as much right to attend these events as anyone else. ...

To the editor: I was spending this Thanksgiving Day doing my radio shift. As I opened the newspaper and began to browse through, I read your editorial. In the background I had the St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Jackson singing praises of thankfulness. Your words fit with the music, and it was all very uplifting to hear...

To the editor: If your credit-card balance were overdrawn, in order to generate the funds to pay it off, would you immediately sell of half your land to a developer who promised to replace your vegetable patch with a toxic waste dump that would pollute what's left? Or would you quietly and calmly adjust your grocery and entertainment expenses enough to pay off the overdue balance in maybe a slightly longer time?...

One man was killed and at least one other person was injured Saturday about 5:30 p.m. in a tractor-car accident three miles south of Delta on Highway 25. The identities of the dead and the injured weren't released by the Missouri State Highway Patrol late Saturday evening...

Wisconsin weather forecasters are calling for chances of snow statewide with temperatures lowering to the teens. That's good news for goose hunters in Southern Illinois. "When it starts snowing in Wisconsin, Canada geese move south," said Rich Whitten, waterfowl biologist for the Illinois Department of Conservation. "That means Southern Illinois."...

To the editor: The former Yugoslavia has been an ethnic hotbed of strife for centuries, broken only by the stern Communist rule of Tito. Tito held the fragile hotbed together by dealing ruthlessly with those who would upset the goals of his regime. Until recently, it seems the Communists have always been able to deal with ethnic strife in a no-nonsense manner. ...

Janice Mary Gill, 83, of Jackson died Saturday, Nov. 25, 1995, at Ratliff Nursing Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Aug. 1, 1912, in Essex, daughter of the late V.E. and Evelyn Parks Jones. She grew up in Cape Girardeau, worked at International Shoe Co. and managed the old Airline in Cape Girardeau...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Theresa M. Keith, 69, of Cairo, died Saturday, Nov. 25, 1995, at her home. She was born Feb. 2, 1926, in Cairo, daughter of the late Gustave and Anna Schmidt Schuch. She was a sales clerk for Neils and Westerman Pharmacies in Cairo before her retirement...

ANNA -- Roy Boyd Belcher, 75, of Anna died Friday, Nov. 24, 1995, at his home. He was born Oct. 14, 1920 in Wolf Lake, Ill., son of the late Wiliam Roy and Mamie Dora Boyce Belcher. He was a member of the Anna United Methodist Church, a veteran of World War II, a member of the Anna Masonic Lodge #520 AF & AM, and a member of the Ainad Shrine Temple. ...

Mildred Leona Atchison, 93, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Nov. 24, 1995, at Fountainbleu Lodge in Cape Girardeau. She was born Jan. 122, 1902, in Murphysboro, Ill., daughter of the late Burlington and Maude Simmons Charles. She was married to Granvil Atchison on Feb. 22, 1923, in St. Louis. He preceded her in death on July 30, 1973...

BLOOMFIELD -- Lila Q. "Granny" Linville, 81, of Bloomfield died Saturday, Nov. 25, 1995, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born March 2, 1914, in Murphysboro, Ill., daughter of the late Edward C. and Ollie Keating Perkins. She married Robert M. Linville on July 16, 1938. He preceded her in death on March 14, 1964...

Daughter to Rick and Sarah Ross, 258 Wellington Lane, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 12:25 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17, 1995. Name, Mollie Martha Jean. Weight, 8 pounds 5 ounces. Fourth daughter. Mrs. Ross is the former Sarah Eftink, daughter of Albert and Martha Eftink of Chaffee. Mr. and Mrs. Ross are employed at Southeast Hospital. He is the son of R.L. Ross and Erma Ross of Malden...

DEXTER -- Sallie Ann King, 78, died Friday, Nov. 24, 1995, at the Vintage Villa Nursing Center in Dexter. She was born in Holiday, Tenn., on June 10, 1917, daughter of the late Giles Vick and Ethel Bond Ellis. She was a member of the Essex community since 1949, and attended Taylor Baptist Church near Essex...

Six years ago, Brenda Bunch and her family moved to Bollinger County from Tucson, Ariz. "We didn't know a soul," she said. "We just wanted to come back to the country." And the Bunch family is not alone. Thousands of Americans are moving away from the city and putting down roots in the countryside...

Cape Girardeau County's population will grow faster than Cape Girardeau city's over the next 25 years, regional planners predict. The city of Cape Girardeau could have a population of 45,887 by 2020, while the county could have nearly 91,000 inhabitants, according to new projections from the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission...

Law enforcement officials agree that criteria and restrictions in a law DWI legislation have allowed habitual drunks to continue driving, despite one, two or even more convictions. Trooper Blane Adams, who patrols the Cape Girardeau zone, said about half of the people he takes into custody for DWI have been arrested previously for the same offense. He said many of those people benefit by loopholes in the legislation...

I HAVE one question about the events the past week. Do our senators and our representatives in our U.S. Congress also forgo their salary for the past week like other non-essential citizens in this country? REPLY: The question is probably rhetorical, but the simple answer is no. Senators and representatives were not furloughed during the recent partial shutdown of the federal government...

LICKING, Mo. -- As the chill of autumn turns into the crisp cold of winter, thoughts of what to plant next spring probably aren't foremost in your mind. But now is a great time for considering such things, especially if you want plants native to Missouri...

Ten years ago, the Cape Girardeau Health Department and the Southeast Missourian newspaper teamed up to provide a cheerful holiday greeting and a few gifts to needy elderly in the community. A decade later, the program is bigger than ever but still serving the same goal: A small remembrance can brighten the life of a person who might otherwise go unnoticed at Christmas...

As the countdown to Christmas begins and holiday shoppers start making their lists and checking them twice, it's easy to imagine stacks of presents piled under the tree, just waiting to be opened. Imagine a Christmas with no presents, a scenario many local children could face without the 1995 Toybox toy drive...

JEFFERSON CITY -- This holiday season, how would you like to give those on your gift list the state of Missouri to explore and enjoy? You can do that with gifts from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), including lifetime permits, books and videos...

Missouri firearms deer hunter took advantage of generally good weather conditions and harvested a record-setting 186,596 deer statewide. The 11-day season, which ended last Tuesday, resulted in an increase of 24,476 more deer being taken than the previous record, set just last year...

I'm coming down with cookie fever. I caught it in the grocery store while watching assorted sized and aged women putting things into their grocery carts. Here in one cart was a box of brown sugar, a package of coconut, an assortment of spices. I wheeled my cart, dangerously, around a corner. I had to have those things too. In another cart I saw chocolate chips and nuts. How could I make holiday cookies without them? Another swift flight to the proper aisles...

The way Robert Harper figures it, he has forgotten more about driving than those young motorists he shares the road with have learned so far. Harper teaches a course to help older drivers refresh their memories and improve their skills. The class, called "55 Alive," is designed and offered by the American Association for Retired Persons...

The Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department will be sponsoring its eighth annual "Calls From Santa" program on Monday Dec. 11 through Thursday, Dec. 14. There is no charge for the service. Parents can register their child or children by filling out a form at the A.C. Brase Arena or by calling the Parks and Recreation office at 335-5421. The address is Cape Parks & Recreation Department, c/o Santa Claus, 410 Kiwanis Drive, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63701...

Book lovers interested in helping the hungry this holiday season can trade donations of food for late fines on overdue materials from the Cape Girardeau Public Library. This is the third year the library has offered the "amnesty" program, said Candy Heise, a library associate...