Stories from Friday, March 29, 1996

To the editor: School board elections will be held Tuesday. This democratic process is just one of many ways we as parents may take an active role in our children's education. Before we vote, remember that the citizens vying for a seat on our school boards should meet basic criteria...

Cafe Noir is a band that is lovable and extraordinary for its differences. This is a band that plays a lovely song about a beloved uncle's loss of memory due to Alzheimer's disease. A band that plays a lilting Viennese waltz that's in fact an embittered breakup song...

A truck driver was killed early Tuesday in a one-vehicle accident in New Madrid County in the Missouri Bootheel. The Missouri Highway Patrol said Eugenio Flores, 41, of Harlingen, Texas, was fatally injured when his tractor-trailer struck the pillar of a railroad overpass near the 46-mile marker of Interstate 55...

An equipment breakdown at TCI Cablevision temporarily stopped display of community events on the public access channel, but the messages will return. Roger Harms, TCI's manager, said the character generator that put messages on channel 5 is old and had to be sent off for repairs. Because of the generator's age, it may be difficult to find parts for it...

Getting people revitalized and getting others involved in the anti- abortion movement are goals of a conference this weekend at the Bavarian Halle near Fruitland. Connie Drury, chairwoman of the Southeast Region of Missouri Right To Life, said the conference is for people who share anti-abortion beliefs and haven't been active in expressing themselves...

I AM responding to the lady who cannot find in the New Testament about homosexuality. Well, it is there. If she will read Matthew 4:17 about why Jesus came, then go to Romans 1:26-27, you'll find the homosexuality lifestyle is not only in abomination in the Old Testament but it is against the natural use of our bodies in the New Testament...

I wish I could say that the school wars described in this space over the last year are limited to the tender and impressionable kindergarten-12 years. They aren't. The aggressive dumbing-down of many of America's schools has its analogue in our institutions of higher learning, as well. As proof of how bad things are getting, we are indebted to a courageous band of tradition-minded college and university professors who call themselves the National Association of Scholars...

Taxpayers who are preparing returns as the April 15 deadline approaches have less assistance available this year from the Internal Revenue Service office in Cape Girardeau. For the past 15 years the IRS has had a taxpayer services representative to help puzzled taxpayers Monday through Friday. This year, the representative is only available on Mondays and Tuesdays. The rest of the time the IRS office at the federal building in downtown Cape Girardeau is locked...

Any parent who has lost a child can attest to the sense of loss and sadness that occurs. A parent who loses two children plus six young relatives in a house fire would suffer grief beyond compare. Personal suffering, however, hardly seems appropriate punishment for a mother who leaves her children and other young relatives to go drinking in a bar while the house burns and kills eight youngsters...

Last year the Missouri Farm Bureau Federation and I proposed a tax-limitation amendment that will give Missouri voters the right to vote on all major tax increases. On April 2 the people of Missouri will finally have an opportunity to vote on our proposed amendment, Amendment 4...

We have a man who promised not to increase taxes without a vote of the people and then broke that promise and gave us the largest tax increase without a vote of the people in the history of our state. Now this tax man wants us to believe that he has our best interests at heart with Amendment 4. ...

Cape Girardeau voters will decide the fate of a dozen amendments to the city charter Tuesday, including ones to establish an ethics commission and limit the council's power to raise fees and taxes. Each amendment will be voted on separately. A simple majority is needed to add any amendment to the city's governing document...

Bonsai is the art of translating the magnificent into the minute -- without losing anything in the translation. That is what Pat Steinborn, 49, of Cape Girardeau finds so fascinating about bonsai, or dwarf potted trees. She has been avidly involved as a bonsai grower for about 15 years, but remembers reading about the art as a child...

Cape Girardeau public schools are looking at a shortfall of $200,000 to $350,000 in this year's budget. The district already budgeted to spend $550,000 more than it planned to receive. Now revenues may be less than projected. The budget news was given to school teachers and staff Thursday by Superintendent Dan Tallent and Business Manager Steve DelVecchio. The same budget information will be presented April 8 at a study session of the Board of Education...

Whenever tragedy occurs in the Ozarks, too much is made of how remote those hills and valleys are. Must be sinister, right? The big news in my favorite hometown newspaper this week is the apparent murder of a Florida teen-ager at a church academy for troubled youths in the eastern part of my home county not too far from where I grew up. ...

CHAFFEE -- Seven candidates, only one of them an incumbent, are running for three seats on the Chaffee Board of Education. Randy Dooley currently serves on the school board. He is a staff pharmacist at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau and has served on the Chaffee City Council. He and his wife, Shelly, have two children, both of school age...

PATTON -- Improving education isn't always done by adding more classes, programs and computers. Members of the Meadow Heights Board of Education want to enrich their students' education with $750,000 in building improvements. Voters in this northern Bollinger County district will head to the polls Tuesday to decide whether a $750,000 bond issue is needed. ...

Category Winners Junior Behavioral and Social Sciences First place: Tiffany Miller, St. Vincent de Paul, Cape Girardeau, How Does the Time of Day Affect a Student's Recallability? Second place: Colton Felker, Sikeston Middle School, Does Loud Rock 'N' Roll Music Affect the Memorization Skills...

Mae Clark, 70, of Farmington Hills, Mich., died Sunday, March 24, 1996, at Harper Hospital in Detroit, Mich. She was born Aug. 1, 1925, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Jim and Mattie Randol. She married John Q. Clark, who preceded her in death. Clark was a graduate of Lincoln University in Jefferson City. She was a teacher at the former John S. Cobb School in Cape Girardeau from 1948-54...

JACKSON -- Letha Geneva Dickman, 81, of Jackson, died Thursday, March 28, 1996, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Dec. 2, 1914, in Carter County, daughter of Frank and Pearl Marie Malden Harris. She and Herman Dickman were married in 1928. He died July 27, 1980...

Funeral service for Rethor Richard Macke, 1500 Big Bend Road, will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Grace United Methodist Church. Dr. Larry Gallamore will officiate, with burial in Memorial Park. Friends may call at Ford and Sons Sprigg Street Chapel from 4-8 p.m. today...

PINHOOK -- Ronald Keith Robinson, 37, of Pinhook, died Tuesday, March 26, 1996, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, following a brief illness. He was born Aug. 21, 1958, in Lawton, Okla., son of Jim and Aretha Myles Robinson Jr. He and Gwendolyn Mitchell were married Oct. 3, 1992...

DEXTER -- Funeral service for Harold Parris Sr. of Dexter will be held at 2 p.m. today at Rainey Funeral Chapel. The Rev. Vernon Percer will officiate, with burial in Dexter Cemetery. Parris, 57, died Wednesday, March 27, 1996, at his home. He was born Aug. 2, 1938, at Caruthersville, son of Robert A. and Gladys Lawrence Parris. He and Loretta Joyce Hatch were married Nov. 25, 1955, in Holly Springs, Miss...

HOWARDVILLE -- Keith Lamonte Jackson, 28, of Minneapolis, Minn., died suddenly Friday, March 22, 1996, in Minneapolis. He was born Feb. 28, 1968, in Los Angeles, Calif., son of Coy Lee and Earnestine Withers Jackson. He married Regina Smoot. Jackson was a 1986 graduate of New Madrid County High School and played on its football team. ...

Son to Michael and Kara Keusenkothen of St. Louis, St. John's Medical Center, Sunday, March 3, 1996. Name, Michael Thomas. Weight, 7 pounds 10 ounces. Mrs. Keusenkothen is the former Kara Shrum, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jim Shrum of Cape Girardeau. She is an elementary teacher in St. Louis County. Keusenkothen is the son of Mr. and Mrs. John Keusenkothen of Jackson. He is an aeronautics engineer at McDonnell Douglas...

JACKSON -- Funeral service for Mary Elizabeth Warnaka of Jackson will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Ford and Sons Sprigg Street Chapel. The Rev. Donnie Ford will officiate, with burial in Anna City Cemetery in Anna, Ill. Friends may call at the funeral home from 4-8 p.m. today...

Funeral service for Richard Pearson of Lakewood, Calif., was held Friday in California. Pearson, 71, died Monday, March 25, 1996, at his home, following a brief illness. He was a former police officer in Cape Girardeau. He moved to California about 30 years ago...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- William "Bud" Belcher, 74, of Jonesboro died Thursday, March 28, 1996, at Union County Hospital. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Hileman & Parr Funeral Services in Jonesboro.

BENTON -- Frank Leo Glaus, 87, of Benton died Thursday, March 28, 1996, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Visitation is today after 5 p.m. at Amick-Burnett funeral home in Benton, where a parish prayer service will be held at 7 p.m. Funeral Mass will be celebrated Saturday at 10 a.m. at St. Denis Catholic Church in Benton. Burial will follow in the church cemetery...

PERRYVILLE -- Funeral mass for Leslie A. Leible of Perryville will be held at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Vincent's Catholic Church. The Rev. Gerard Kelly will officiate, with burial in Mt. Hope Cemetery. Friends may call at Miller Family Funeral Home from 4-9 p.m. today, and Saturday from 6:30-11:20 a.m. The wake is at 7 tonight and the American Legion service at 7:15. The rosary will be at 10 a.m. Saturday...

Ticket sales are slow for Saturday's charity football game pitting local law enforcement against the Springfield Police Department. The proceeds from the event benefit Easter Seals. Det. Richard Rushin of the Jackson police, an organizer of the event, said the bulk of the ticket sales and donations are expected on game day...

BENTON -- Eleven people were injured in three Scott County car accidents Thursday, all on Highway 61. The first was a van that skidded on wet pavement and rolled over twice, ejecting passenger Florentino Laura from the vehicle. The Missouri Highway Patrol said it happened at 1:41 p.m., one mile south of Benton...

The Cape Girardeau County Christian Women's Club luncheon and meeting will be April 8 from noon to 2 p.m. at Holiday Inn. A special feature will be "The Great Escape" by Ann Swanson of Gulliver's Travel Agency. The speaker will be Billie Cash of Memphis, Tenn. Her topic is "Where in the World Are You Going?"...

BENTON -- Eleven candidates filed for the 2nd District commissioner's seat in Scott County, making it one of the most sought after positions in the area. Incumbent Wayne Petitt filed, along with challengers Robert Niederkorn, Charles Klueppel, Ben Evans, Joe Lee Michael, Bud Dock, David Coop Dirnberger, Jim Smiley, Dewaine Shaffer, Jimmy Sanders and Kelly Swain. Swain is the only Republican candidate who filed for the second district seat...

CHAFFEE -- After watching some bumpy years in city government, Chaffee voters apparently aren't anxious to serve as council members. In both Wards 2 and 4, no candidates have filed for office. Write-in candidates may win in those wards. If the write-ins don't accept or if there aren't any names written, Mayor Bill Cannon will have to appoint two people with council approval...