Stories from Sunday, April 7, 1996

Letha J. Weaver, 81, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Saturday, April 6, 1996, at Jackson. She was born March 8, 1915, in Bollinger County, daughter of Ernest E. McGraw and Gertie Statler McGraw. She married Truman Weaver Nov. 23, 1934, at Cape Girardeau. He preceded her in death...

Its history is important to the residents of East Perry County. The East Perry County towns of Altenburg and Frohna are visited by tourists year-round. The great Saxon Lutheran immigration to the area in the late 1830s left its mark on these towns, and a 30-minute video will depict this...

While Sherinksi is skilled in many types of gardening, he admits an affinity for trees. Joe Sherinski gives a speech on garden pests during last Monday's gathering of Single Together at New McKendree Methodist Church in Jackson. Sherinski does much public speaking -- he says he's good at it...

A Cape Girardeau man received serious injuries in a car accident early Saturday morning in New Madrid County. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said Kevin Smith, 27, was ejected from his vehicle when he ran off the right side of Highway AA about a mile south of Minor and overturned. The accident occurred about 2:30 a.m...

Kindergarten students can enroll April 23 and 24 at the Delta Elementary school. The first day of registration is for students with last names beginning A-J, from 8:30-10:30 a.m., and K-M, from 12:30-2 p.m. Students with names beginning N-S can enroll from 8:30-10:30 a.m. April 23; the remaining students can enroll from 12:30-2 p.m. the same day...

Troy Denning, a fantasy novelist and game designer, will speak at 7 p.m. Friday, April 12, in the University Center Ballroom. Students and the general public are invited to attend the free lecture. Denning will sign books afterward. Denning is working on his 13th fantasy novel. ...

The Internal Revenue Service is devoting more resources to helping taxpayers by improving phone centers and other technological advances in the taxpayer services division. IRS District Director Ronald J. Lambert said resources are being taken away from personal taxpayer representatives at offices throughout the country, but more resources are being devoted to helping taxpayers by phone and computer...

For the deaf and hearing impaired, church services can be hard to follow. The Centenary United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau wants to minister to the deaf and hearing impaired by offering special church services using sign language. "We are starting a new ministry for the hearing impaired and deaf people in this part of the state," said the Rev. Bonnie Sparks...

The 12 charter amendments Cape Girardeau voters passed Tuesday are in effect and merely waiting to be typed into city code. City Council members will meet Monday to official accept the election results, but the meeting is a formality. Members of a committee that proposed 10 of the 12 amendments plan to watch how the council handles compliance. ...

The Downtown Merchants Association will holds its annual fund-raising auction early next month. The auction will be held at the River City Yacht Club above Port Cape Girardeau restaurant May 4. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the auction starting at 8. A silent auction of several items will continue throughout the evening...

The Southeast Missouri Hospital Foundation will host its Pennies from Heaven benefit party Friday at the Holiday Inn Convention Center. Proceeds from the benefit cocktail buffet and auction are designated for the We Can Weekend, an annual retreat for cancer patients and their families...

How many aluminum cans need to be recycled to equal a single EcoWatt? Students at Cape Girardeau Junior High School found the answer this week through an energy education program sponsored by Union Electric. The program is called, "In Concert With the Environment."...

"Overall, a massive American move toward selling off many of the government's services and assets would be following a sweeping worldwide trend that has proved extremely successful and yielded huge government savings. "From 1979 to 1987, sales of British government assets directly raised over $40 billion, saved scores of billions more in reduced government costs and transferred some 600,000 employees from public to private payrolls." -- The weekly "Human Events"...

Although he is now only a postscript to the recent Republican presidential primary season, Pat Buchanan's strategy for obtaining the nomination attracted more than enough attention from voters to rate him only a mere also-ran. The former editorial writer for the now-defunct St. ...

A miraculous event nearly 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem changed the world. On this Easter morning, the story is presented again from the Holy Bible (the gospel according to St. Matthew, Chapter 28): In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. ...

Hobeck pitches the ball to Cook, who hit the ball a good ways despite the wind resistance. Temperatures got in the mid-70s on Wednesday under mostly sunny skies. Kyle Bader of Cape plunges down the slide at the park. Bader spent some of his afternoon with his mother Gina Bader enjoying the outdoors...

Leslie Dalton tries to keep a teammate from stealing the ball from her during a practice last week. Goalie michelle Millhany practices with a coach's assistant. Addie Propst does 10 situps for not following directions The dream of Jackson school girls having their own soccer team is now a reality. Coach Bonnie Noland led the appeal to the school board for five years to allow them to have a team for girls. And for five years the board declined -- until this year...

With the passing this week of Frank Adams, Cape Girardeau has lost one of this community's foremost industrial leaders. Adams, the longtime captain of local operations for Thorngate Ltd., anchored one of our community's most important industries and with it, several hundred well-paying jobs...

ADVANCE -- Floyd W. King, 74, of Advance died Friday, April 5, 1996, at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Aug. 20, 1921, in Jackson County, Ark., to Roy and Goldie Lewallen King. Survivors include two sons, Charles W. King and James R. ...

SIKESTON -- Emory O. Martin, 88, of Sikeston died Saturday, April 6, 1996, at the Miner Nursing Center. He was born July 30, 1907, in Bloomfield to William and Edith Moore Martin. He married Lillian Babb on July 25, 1927, at Bloomfield. She died June 17, 1991...

CANALOU -- Offie Hunter, 80, of Canalou died Saturday, April 6, 1996, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Arrangements are incomplete at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Sikeston.

JACKSON -- Nathan Fred Thompson, 76, of Jackson died Friday, April 5, 1996, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Jan. 27, 1920, to Fred and Lula Harmon Thompson in Gordonville. He married Naomi Barks on Dec. 13, 1947, in Piggott, Ark...

Bradley N. Baker, 34, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, April 6, 1996, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born April 19, 1961, to Marion and Eugenia Pulliam Baker in Cape Girardeau. He married Anita Bolton on Sept. 20, 1986, in Cape Girardeau. She survives...

JACKSON -- Paul G. Borchelt, 87, formerly of Gordonville, died Saturday, April 6, 1996, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Sept. 21, 1908, at Egypt Mills to August and Agnes Scholl Borchelt. He married Marguerite Siemers on May 17, 1930. She died Jan. 21, 1982...

ADVANCE -- Ronald S. Stepp, 56, of Romeoville, Ill., formerly of Advance, died Friday, April 5, 1996, at Romeoville. He was born at Qulin May 9, 1939, son of Malta and Thelma Stepp. He was a truck driver for Yellow Freight Co. Survivors include his mother, Thelma Moore, of Cuba, Mo.; four sons, Harrison Stepp of Worth, Ill., Stanley Stepp of Metaire, La., and Steven Stepp and Jason Stepp, both of Romeoville; a daughter, Dana Stepp, of Romeoville; six brothers, Kenneth Stepp of Enterprise, Ala., Romaine Stepp and Julian Stepp, both of Texarkana, Ark., Mark Stepp of Advance, and Michael Moore and Robert Moore, both of Des Ark, Mo.; two sisters, Carole Sue Moore of Cuba and Rosalyn Burger of Zalma; and six grandchildren.. ...

PERRYVILLE -- Harry Alvin Lintner, 84, of Perryville died Friday, April 5, 1996, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born April 24, 1911, in Perry County, son of Leon F. and Katie Wagner Lintner. He was a farmer. He was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church and American Legion Post 133 Booster...

ANNA, Ill. -- Samuel Peeler, 91, of Spring Valley, Calif., formerly of Dongola, Ill., died Friday, April 5, 1996, at his home in Spring Valley. Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced later at the Lutz & Rendleman Funeral Home of Anna...

CHAFFEE -- Gladys Mae Garrett, 84, of Chaffee died at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau Friday, April 5, 1996. She was born Aug. 26, 1911, at Chaffee, daughter of Elvie Lee and Pearl Aslee Bunyard Roney. She married Earnest Garrett May 28, 1949. He survives...

I spent last Sunday driving home from Kansas City, but the five-hour drive always wears me out. I got up on Monday not feeling like I had a nice relaxing weekend, which I did. I felt like someone had used me for a mattress all night. It was a long day...

Ask any political observer in Missouri and elsewhere about the mood of voters today and they'll likely speak of a strong, anti-tax sentiment. It isn't surprising, then, that Missouri voters this week approved a constitutional amendment aimed at giving them more say on future tax increases...

ALTO PASS, Ill. -- When worshipers visited the Bald Knob Cross for Easter Sunrise service earlier today, it marked the 60th annual sunrise service atop Bald Knob Mountain near Alto Pass, Ill. The visitor's center at the site of the 111-foot Bald Knob Cross was open Sunday for visitors who arrived early for the 6:30 a.m. service, conducted by the Rev. Richard Hays and the Rev. Bill Vandergraph...

At a celebration a few years ago, people were having a good time until one or two got sick, complaining of nausea, abdominal pain, fever and diarrhea. Within two days, about 60 people were reporting those symptoms. The illness was salmonella, traced back to food served at the party...

The short, stubby tree with its limbs removed and shorn of its natural beauty. This description of a topped tree is a far too common fixture in our yards and along our roadways. As often as it occurs, some might think that is how the Almighty intended to make a tree in the first place...

Two golfers recently found the No. 3 hole at the Cape Girardeau Jaycee Municipal Golf Course to their liking as each recorded a hole-in-one. Steve Foeste turned the trick Tuesday while Sam Peterman aced the hole the previous week. No. 3 is a par-3 and 105 yards...

Fifteen years ago, Maxine Boren saw a tree decorated with colorful, plastic Easter eggs, thought it was a good idea, and persuaded her husband, Gerald, to help her tie dozens of plastic eggs to the big tree in their front yard at 2114 Sherwood Drive...

Now comes the season of shifting patches of light and warmth as the wind-blown, puffy spring clouds move swiftly across the blue sky. At one morning moment the magazine rack will be in bright sunlight as if inviting me to "come read" and before I get there to pick up the latest edition of "Birds and Blooms" the light has moved to illuminate the great pot of shamrock Viney brought. I go there to marvel again at the lush greenness I get to admire once a year...

Eggs and Easter baskets are not at the top of children's Easter wish list this year. In addition to eggs, Power Rangers and bicycles are some of the things children are asking for, said Judy Hewitt, an Easter Bunny at the West Park Mall. The Easter bunny at the Mall is played by three different people. Hewitt, Ed Luma and Theresa Blake all put on the bunny suit during the two weeks before Easter. Mary Thompson, Robin Hill, Jane Luma, Carol Simmons and Timothy Pappas all work as bunny helpers...