Stories from Sunday, July 7, 1996

Irene Lipps, 96, 701 W. Rodney, died Friday, July 5, 1996, at Fountainbleau Lodge in Cape Girardeau. She was born Oct. 16, 1899, in Bollinger County, daughter of M.W. and Belle Lancaster Huffman. She and Otto Moore were married. He died in 1937. She later married N.J. Lipps in 1940 in Cape Girardeau...

Jackson Police use speed display device to slow motorists down The Jackson City Police have acquired a speed display from the Cape Girardeau Police Dept. to use during the summer to deter speeding in the high volume speed areas around town. Lieunt. Robert Bonney, of the Jackson Police, said, "it is a good deterrent for our high speed areas. It's good for the people to see how fast they are going in these areas."...

Julie Brothers, of Jackson (right) and Debbie McCulley, of Cape Girardeau (center) are at an orphanage for mentally handicapped children in Vinnitsa. Ben Crass, of Jackson, poses outside his hotel in Vinnitsa with Pastor Peter, pastor of the church there that is supported by Gary Brothers...

American Legion Talent Show searches for area talent The Jackson American Legion Committees are searching for area talent for the Jackson American Legion Homecomers Talent Show. The talent show will be a part of the annual Homecomers Celebration to be held Aug. 13-17 in Jackson...

WHAT A wonderful thing those Citgo employees did. They made a lot of people in Cape feel a lot better when they read that article. It should have been on the front page though. ON JUNE 26, the trailer concession stand owned by the Central Boosters Club burned and was destroyed. ...

Since the attention span of most of Missouri's political leaders is about as short as that of a three-year-old in a sandbox, it is not difficult to understand why a major overhaul of the state's welfare system has been given such shrift. Deficit Attention Syndrome is not reserved for only politicians, it should be noted, since the voters who elect them into office have also been infused with the virus, as John Q. ...

Where serious welfare reform is concerned, all eyes are on Wisconsin. Under Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson and Republican majorities in both houses of the state legislature, Wisconsin has become the nation's unquestioned leader in radical welfare reform...

This editorial is from the Springfield News-Leader and was published just before Rep. Bill Emerson's funeral in Cape Girardeau. U.S. Rep Bill Emerson is not even buried yet, and already his memory is being sullied by politicians intent on proving that a mannerly leader was out of touch with the times...

This editorial is from the Kansas City Star and was published shortly after the death of Rep. Bill Emerson of Cape Girardeau. Missouri Secretary of State Bekki Cook was wrong in her handling of the election aftermath of U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson's death. Cook, based on her own reading of Missouri's election laws, determined that filing should not be opened up for five days to permit new candidates to seek the congressional office...

CAIRO, Ill. -- A Mounds, Ill., man died Friday night when the northbound car he was driving ran off Route 3 and overturned. The man, Robert B. Puckett III, 58, was thrown from the vehicle, Illinois State Police said. The accident occurred at 7:28 p.m. about a mile north of Interstate 57, north of Cairo...

To the editor: This is my response to a letter from the Regional Commerce and Growth Association concerning the proposed lake on the Bollinger-Cape Girardeau county line: As a first statement, I wish to emphasize that this project as conceived is not a recreational lake but a development project. Anyone who takes time to read the legislation will recognize this, as well as the fact that this is the way that the project serves to make money for the proposed lake authority...

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Helen V. Van Husen, 78, of Evanston died Wednesday, July 3, 1996, at Columbus Hospital in Chicago. She was born Dec. 5, 1917, at Fisk. She and Frank Luther Van Husen were married on June 25, 1937. Van Husen was a homemaker and resident of Evanston for the past five years. ...

MARION, Ill. -- G. Michael Hileman, 50, of Marion died Saturday, July 6, 1996, at Marion Memorial Hospital. He was born Nov. 17, 1945, at Anna, Ill., son of Jacob F. and Dorothy Lindsey Hileman. He and Marilee Sitton were married. She preceded him in death. He and Lucille Williams were married Feb. 17, 1990, at Marion...

NEW WELLS -- Edgar O. Meyer, 79, of New Wells died Saturday, July 6, 1996, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson.

MCCLURE, Ill. -- David B. Brown, 81, of McClure, Ill., died Saturday, July 6, 1996, at St. Francis Medical Center. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Ford & Sons Funeral Home.

I remember growing up in Mayfield, Ky., that when baseball season ended, wiffleball season was just getting into the swing of things. I've always wondered why wiffleball never caught on in an organized fashion. Maybe it is because of the numerous different types of bats and balls that can be purchased make for a difficult decision for any would-be organizer...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Louise Smith, 69, of Jonesboro died Saturday, July 6, 1996, at her home. She was born June 1, 1927, at Lamasco, Ky., daughter of William and Naomi Faughn Salyers. She married Kenneth Long Sr. and later married Johnie Smith. She was a homemaker and attended the Anna Heights Baptist Church...

JACKSON -- Next week, aldermen are scheduled to authorize bids for construction of a new water line and to loop existing lines in the city's water supply system. But it's time for the city to start looking at further measures for increasing the city's water supply and treatment capability, says city administrator Steve Wilson, and for providing a backup in the event of equipment failure...

"I've got a friend who flies and this can guide him home," says Diana Steele of the newly repainted roof-top cross, almost oblivious to the fact that she's on a slanted roof five stories up. She puts the paintbrush down, tests the thin rope that she says will hold if she happens to slip, and takes a seat...

Most people won't ever drive a race car, run a marathon or chat with NASA astronauts. But Kurt Restemyer has. And he's only 35 years old. The Cape Girardeau native graduated from Central High School in 1979 and later received his engineering degree from the University of Houston...

The Missouri Division of Youth Services has awarded a $170,000 grant to Southeast Missouri State University's department of criminal justice to expand student tracking for delinquent youth to the entire Southeast Missouri region. With this award, Southeast's student tracking program becomes the largest program of its kind in the state...

The SEMO Regional Crime Lab on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University can now link, via computer technology, firearms-related evidence -- cartridge cases, bullets and guns -- to serial shooting investigations. The automated computer technology program, called DRUGFIRE, was installed in the SEMO Regional Crime Lab in late May, making it one of six sites in Missouri with this type of technology...

As you read this, I'm lounging on the beaches of Southern California, taking in the sights, working on my tan, drinking lots of liquids (everyone knows that you need quite a bit of fluids in the heat) and getting plenty of R&R. But I couldn't resist touching on a few topics of interest before I left...

The Kohlfeld Capahas split a pair of games with Waterloo, Ill., Saturday night, rallying in the bottom of the seventh of the opener for a 4-3 victory before falling 10-8 in the nightcap. In the opener, the Capahas (26-11) trailed 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning and saw their first two batters retired. ...

KIRKWOOD -- Thoman Boothe ended SEMO Bank Cape Junior Legion's stay in the Fourth of July Tournament Saturday with an 8-7 victory. The loss dropped SEMO Bank (35-11 overall) to 2-2 in the tournament and did not allow the Cape entry to advance out of pool play. Thoman Boothe won the pool with the victory...

"What fish should I stock in my pond?" is a common question asked after a pond is built. Unfortunately, the answer isn't simple, but by following a few general guidelines you can have many years of angling enjoyment. For most ponds, the best fish stocking option is the largemouth bass/bluegill/channel catfish combination. ...

Cairo's Gem Theater as it looks today. Paint peels from the Gem Theater's logo. Diana Steele, left, Donna Raynalds stood in the balcony of the theater, planning a future for the building. CAIRO, Ill., -- The soft cooing of pigeons comes from behind and above the stage of the Gem Theater in Cairo, replacing the songs and laughter that filled the grand hall in years gone by...