Stories from Saturday, February 24, 1996

While officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture hold hearings in Missouri to discuss whether dog breeding laws should be tightened, no action has been taken against an alleged puppy mill owner raided last month by federal authorities. The investigation into breeder Dorpha Evans and a Shannon County breeding facility continues, a spokesperson from the USDA said...

FREDERICKTOWN -- A 20-year-old Ironton man was killed Friday in a two-vehicle accident on Highway 72. Brad Shanks, 20, was killed when his westbound car crossed the centerline and struck an eastbound car driven by Robert Rouse, 33, of Fredericktown...

The annual Giving Campaign to benefit the Otahki Girl Scout Council kicked off Feb. 18. Missouri Secretary of State Bekki McDowell Cook is statewide chairman of this year's event. Area chairmen are Rick Etherington, Cape Girardeau; Joy Baker, Jackson; Beth Guth, Perryville; Shirley Young, Scott City; Cindy Evans, Mike Moroni and Debbie Simmons, Chaffee area; Bets Ferguson, Patton; Carol Ward, Ellington; Toni Becker, Anita Billingsley, Claudia Horn and Dr. ...

Despite national attention garnered by the recent Iowa presidential caucus, some voters are unsure exactly what a party caucus is and how they can participate. Missouri will hold its caucuses early next month. The state Democratic caucus will be March 7 with Republicans following March 9...

CARUTHERSVILLE -- Mayor Rick Davis believes his town gambled and won when it and Casino Aztar introduced riverboat gambling to the Missouri Bootheel. "In March of 1994, Pemiscot County had an unemployment rate of 15.6 percent," said Davis. During the same month, Brown Shoe announced that it was closing its plant here, eliminating 450 jobs...

While watching "America's Funniest Home Videos," David McNeely fell asleep in his recliner, giving his family the perfect opportunity to record his nap-time antics. That videotape won the family a shot at $10,000 on the television show. David McNeely of Cairo and his "Godzilla Sleeper" video clip will air on "America's Funniest Home Videos" Sunday at 6:30 p.m. on WSIL-TV...

The Cape Girardeau City Council should recommend a site for a new federal courthouse rather than stand on the sidelines, say proponents of the old St. Francis hospital site. The council deadlocked earlier this week over whether to recommend the old hospital site to the General Services Administration...

The Colonial Cape Foundation is looking for new ideas and energy to revive the foundation's St. Vincent's Seminary project. The foundation will host a public meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the seminary at Morgan Oak and Lorimier. "We're trying to get the word out that we are open for business," said Mary Robertson, president of the foundation's board of directors. "We're ready to utilize the building. There's plenty of room."...

Margaret Thatcher won't be speaking in Cape Girardeau this spring, but Dan Quayle will and Clarence Thomas might also. Efforts to bring Thatcher, Britain's former prime minister, to Southeast Missouri State University fell through because plans couldn't be finalized in time to secure Student Government funding for this semester...

Legislation in the Missouri House would provide limited school choice in the Cape Girardeau, St. Louis and Kansas City public schools. Under House Bill 1037, the state would assist low-income families in those three school districts who want to put their children in private or parochial schools or other public schools outside their district...

Girl Scout cookies are more American than apple pie. I guarantee you could find someone who hates apple pie, but he won't hate Girl Scout cookies. How could you? They come in every flavor from lemon to mint to caramel. There's even the traditional shortbread cookie for boring taste buds and fat-free cookies for the weight conscious...

I THINK you folks are displaying the American flag improperly. The Southeast Missourian banner should be behind or below the American flag. Please research that and display my flag in a proper manner. REPLY: The U.S. flag is flying a few inches above the other flags over the entrance to the Southeast Missourian...

The purpose of this is to express some disagreement with Jay Eastlick's Feb. 10 analysis of the effect of the so-called flat tax. Just why the change to a flat tax would have the consequences outlined by Mr. Eastlick is not entirely clear to me. Mr. ...

Some people quietly go about their way to undertake far-reaching changes. Their contributions leave a lasting legacy of service. Such was the remarkable life of Brian Miller, who died last week of a heart attack at age 50. Miller was Cape Girardeau County's first and only emergency preparedness director. He helped county residents prepare for all kinds of emergencies -- from floods to tornadoes to earthquakes -- and put systems in place to protect public welfare...

It seemed recently as if the Meadow Heights School District had turned the corner after a long period of upheaval and internal discord. The district had weathered several years of board and patron fighting, a state audit and a superintendent who resigned last summer after questions were raised about inflated enrollment figures being sent to the state. A new superintendent, Cheri Fuemmeler, was ably turning district attitudes around...

No one wants minors to smoke, and the best way to prevent youth access to tobacco products is to set up one, tough, uniform law for the entire state of Missouri. Preventing youth access to tobacco is why we support Senate Bill 831, which is designed both to prevent youth access and to be enforced easily and efficiently throughout Missouri...

Daughter to Dale Francis and Susan Marie Todt of Jackson, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 6:26 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 13, 1996. Name, Emily Marie. Weight, 5 pounds 9 ounces. First child. Mrs. Todt is the former Susan Bonifield, daughter of Jean Bonifield of Bell City and Alfred Bonifield of Oran. She is a pharmacy technician at St. Francis Medical Center. Todt is the son of Rita Todt of Oran and the late Harold Todt. He is a mechanic at Pro Auto Service Center...

She was born March 4, 1928, in Perry County, daughter of Henry and Birdie Berkbuegler Kahmke. She and Earl T. "Smokey" Koenig were married Feb. 7, 1948. He died Feb. 16, 1996. Koenig had owned and operated a hair salon. She was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church...

SIKESTON -- Bobby Franklin Clay, 63, of Sikeston, died Friday, Feb. 23, 1996, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born Aug. 8, 1932, in Lepanto, Ark., son of S.A. and Emma Tolbert Clay. Clay attended the University of Colorado at Boulder. He was a master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force...

WHITEWATER -- Ruth Caroline Eddleman, 84, of Whitewater, died Friday, Feb. 23, 1996, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Aug. 12, 1911, in Allenville, daughter of William L. and Della L. Smith Kinder. She and Lloyd H. Eddleman were married April 14, 1934. He died Jan. 19, 1985...

Mildred L. Haupt, 89, 8998 Highway 177, died Friday, Feb. 23, 1996, at her home. She was born May 21, 1906, at Egypt Mills, daughter of Gus and Anna Abernathy Heise. She and Martin L. Haupt were married Feb. 13, 1926, at Egypt Mills. He died June 16, 1990...

ANNA, Ill. -- Florence L. Miller, 86, of Anna, died Thursday, Feb. 22, 1996, at City Care Center. She was born Aug. 16, 1909, at Wolf Lake, daughter of Arthur and Minnie Hamilton Vincent. She and Ogle A. "Bog" Miller were married July 14, 1928, in Jonesboro. He died Feb. 10, 1981...

MOUNDS, Ill. -- Eva Sikirica, 95, of Mounds died Friday, Feb. 23, 1996, at Meridian Manor Nursing Home in Mounds. She had lived in Mounds since 1972. She was preceded in death by her husband, John Sikirica. She was Catholic. She is survived by daughters, Anna Jonlick, of Cypress, Cal., and Florence Rehn, of Tinley Park, Ill.; a sister; seven grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren...

Kenneth Howard Lloyd Probst, 49, of Lemay, died Thursday, Feb. 22, 1996, at his home. He was born July 10, 1946, in Cape Girardeau, son of Fred L. and Blanche Knapp Probst. He and Linda Sides were married April 21, 1966, in Jackson. Probst attended Washington School and Central High School. He was a construction worker many years, moving to the St. Louis area in 1973 from Jackson...

The Children's Health Series will continue at 7 p.m. Feb. 27 with "Emotional Needs of a Family Experiencing Crisis" at Mother Goose Day Care Center, 1162 E. Karsch Blvd. in Farmington. Mary Bock, a child and adolescent psychiatric nurse specialist, will speak on how crises affect families and children. To register, call (573) 756-5384 or 339-6970. The program is free...

The Lyme Disease support group will meet at 7 p.m. Feb. 27 in classrooms A and B of Southeast Missouri Hospital's Regional Cancer Center. The group is co-sponsored by Southeast, IV Care and Option Care, and is open to Lyme Disease patients and their families...

The Parkinson's Disease Community Support Group will meet Feb. 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the St. Francis Health and Education Center. The meeting is open to people with Parkinson's disease, their families and friends, health care professionals and anyone interested in learning more about the disease. The group meets the last Monday of every month...

The Depressive and Manic Depressive Association of Southeast Missouri will meet Monday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. in conference room B of St. Francis Hospital's education department. Carol Menz, A.C.B.S.W, from Someone's Treasure, will speak on psychosocial rehabilitation services...

Registration is now open for St. Francis Medical Center's annual Womancare conference "Pamper Yourself Night" on March 8 at the Holiday Inn Convention Center in Cape Girardeau. Theme this year is "Just for Fun," and topics will include nutrition, personal safety, stress management, gardening, osteoporosis and fashion...

Health screenings for seniors will be offered Feb. 29 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Stoddard County Health Center, 1001 North Hwy. 25 in Bloomfield. The program includes blood pressure checks, blood sugar screenings and cholesterol screenings (12-hour fast required). For more information, call (800) 457-1720...