Stories from Friday, December 20, 1996

To the editor: I recently finished the book, "The Next Century," by Pulitzer prize-winner David Haberstam in which he takes a look at the changes taking place in world economics. I would like to share with your readers a few paragraphs from that work:...

JACKSON -- Cape Girardeau County government's budget for general operations in 1997 will grow 4.25 percent to nearly $8.13 million. The County Commission unanimously approved next year's budget following a public hearing Thursday. Only county officials and members of the media attended...

Southeast Missouri State University's Board of Regents plan to tackle unfinished business today. The regents met a week ago, but recessed after Regent Donald Harrison became ill, leaving the board with only three members. The board has to have a quorum of four to conduct business...

James, 11, says without the Shop With A Cop program he wouldn't have Christmas this year. "My mom doesn't have enough money to buy me or my brothers toys for Christmas," said James, of Cape Girardeau. "Now we're going to get toys." James was among 160 underprivileged children from Cape Girardeau, Bollinger, Scott and Perry counties who filled shopping carts Thursday at Wal-Mart with $50 worth of toys as part of the program...

I JUST thought you'd like to know. In your little, short article about an attempted fire at the stripper bar. You called it a "mai tai" cocktail. I just wanted to let you know it is a Molotov cocktail, a can of gas with a rag in it. YOU SAID in your editorial they should check the Democrats campaign donations. Why don't they check the Republicans also?...

When Missouri voters approved slot machines and other games of chance on riverboat casinos, they made a significant change in the state's Constitution, which already had been drastically altered -- with voter approval -- to allow gambling in the state...

Charges of sexual abuse and harassment at various military posts around the country fanned a good deal of public outrage, as well it should if the allegations are true. In some cases, the accused already have pleaded guilty. But in a case against a sergeant at Fort Leonard Wood this week, a judge ruled the evidence from a female trainee wasn't sufficient to find the sergeant guilty...

With the end of 1996 near, the Area Wide United Way has achieved 91 percent of this year's $525,000 campaign goal. More than $480,000 has been collected by the United Way this year to help agencies provide health and human services and programming during 1997...

Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon is pushing legislation to drive potential dropouts to stay in school. Nixon wants the state to bar high-school dropouts from receiving a driver's license until age 18 and revoke the driver's license of any high-school student under the age of 18 who drops out or is expelled...

Funding for half the cost of a new vocational-technical school in Cape Girardeau cleared a first hurdle Thursday when the State Board of Education asked the governor to include in its budget $3.15 million for the project. The money would help construct a 90,000-square-foot area vocational-technical school. State funding would be contingent upon approval of a bond issue by Cape Girardeau School District voters...

SCOTT CITY -- Cindy Uhrhan and Teresa Crump have filed for re-election to their Scott City Council Ward I seats despite numerous controversies that have plagued the council this year. Crump was named to the city council in July to fill John Rogers' seat after he was hired as public works director. When the city offered Rogers the job while he was still on the council, it was not only viewed as potentially illegal but politically unethical...

If you think high-tech is the wave of the future, you haven't given the booming gambling industry enough attention. Gambling has been on my mind since a judge in Cole County ruled on Monday it's OK for riverboat casinos to float in a pond -- as long as the pond is full of water from the Missouri River or the Mississippi River, and as long as the pond is within 1,000 feet of the main channel of either of those rivers...

ADVANCE -- Clara M. Ford, 73, of Advance died Thursday, Dec. 19, 1996, at Advance Nursing Center. She was born June 1, 1923, at Chaffee, daughter of Earl and Pearl McKnight Green. She and Bob Ford were married Sept. 25, 1939, at Jackson. Ford was a member of Friendship Baptist Church at Dongola...

ALICEVILLE -- Gilbert Dirnberger, 77, of Aliceville, formerly of New Hamburg, died Thursday, Dec. 19, 1996, in St. Louis. Arrangements are incomplete at Schrader Funeral Home in Ballwin.

PERRYVILLE -- Lawrence Geile, 84, of Perryville, died Thursday, Dec. 19, 1996, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. He was born April 20, 1912. His wife, Irene Geile, survives. Arrangements were incomplete at Young and Sons Funeral Home in Perryville.

JACKSON -- Funeral service for Dorothy Cotner of Jackson will be held at 1 p.m. today at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson. The Rev. Joe McCullough will officiate, with burial in Russell Heights Cemetery. Cotner, 69, died Tuesday, Dec. 17, 1996, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau...

SCOTT CITY -- Barbara Josephine Hopkins, 89, of Scott City died Thursday, Dec. 19, 1996, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born June 11, 1907, at Kelso, daughter of Leo and Louisa Ziegler Diebold. She and Virgil "Hoppy" Hopkins were married July 9, 1926, in Cape Girardeau...

JACKSON -- Funeral service for Albert R. Townsend of Jackson will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson. The Rev. David Stewart will officiate, with burial in Arcadia Valley Memorial Cemetery at Ironton. Friends may call at the funeral home from 4-8 p.m. today...

Funeral service for Hollis Smith of Nevada, Mo., will be held at 1:30 p.m. today at Ford and Sons Sprigg Street Chapel. The Rev. Don Stephens will officiate, with burial in Memorial Park. Smith, 87, died Tuesday, Dec. 17, 1996, at Nevada Regional Medical Center...

Funeral service for Ruby Franks of Cape Girardeau will be held at 2 p.m. today at Shelby Funeral Chapel in East Prairie. The Rev. Jerry Willer will officiate, with burial in IOOF Cemetery near Charleston. Friends may call at the chapel after 10 a.m...

CANALOU -- Funeral service for Felix M. Summers of Canalou will be held at 11 a.m. today at Ponder Funeral Home in Sikeston. The Rev. Lyle Alford will officiate, with burial in Garden of Memories Cemetery at Sikeston. Summers, 80, died Tuesday, Dec. 17, 1996, at Freeman East Hospital in Joplin...

SIKESTON -- Funeral service for Deloys M. McWaters of Sikeston will be held at 2 p.m. today at Nunnelee Funeral Chapel. The Rev. Dolan Rogers will officiate, with burial in Garden of Memories Cemetery. McWaters, 80, died Wednesday, Dec. 18, 1996, at Sikeston Health Care...

ADVANCE -- William E. Hanner, 89, Advance Route 2, died Thursday, Dec. 19, 1996, at his home. He was born Oct. 22, 1907, at Arab, son of George and Minnie McKee Hanner. Hanner was a retired carpenter and farmer. Survivors include six sons, William Hanner of Branson, Lyle Hanner of Colorado Springs, Colo., Don Hanner of Hatto, Texas, Larry and Robert Hanner of Bloomfield, James Hanner of Dexter; five daughters, Beverly Mikel of Clarkton, Shelia Loafman of Jackson, Shirley Hanner and Nowatta Wagner of Bloomfield, Sharlene Breedlove of Kennett.. ...

SIKESTON -- Ira Bramlett, 85, of Sikeston died Wednesday, Dec. 18, 1996, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born April 11, 1911, in Hunt, Ark., son of Charles A. and Rena Hunt Bramlett. He and Norma Beatrice Bramlett were married Sept. 15, 1932, in Arkansas. She died Dec. 2, 1991...

ANNA, Ill. -- Raymond L. Barker, 86, of Anna died Wednesday, Dec. 18, 1996, at Union County Hospital in Anna. He was born Oct. 3, 1910, in Jonesboro, son of Zack T. and Eva Lindsey Barker. He and Kathryn Allen were married Dec. 10, 1943. She died May 7, 1979. He and Lena Sharp were married Nov. 16, 1979...

Daughter to David G. and Deanna Lynne Schott of Jonesboro, Ill., Southeast Missouri Hospital, 7:34 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11, 1996. Name, Samantha Lynne. Weight, 8 pounds 5 ounces. Third child, first daughter. Mrs. Schott is the former Deanna Bixby, daughter of Leonard and Phyllis Bixby of Baldwin, Ill. Schott is the son of William and Frankie Schott of Cape Girardeau...

CHAFFEE -- Funeral Mass for Lucille Bertha Gosche of Chaffee will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Ambrose Catholic Church. The Rev. Allan Saunders will officiate, with burial in the church cemetery. Friends may call at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Chaffee after 3 p.m. today. Parish prayers will be at 7 and KC service at 7:30...