Stories from Tuesday, March 4, 1997

Cybertip: Our e-mail address has changed in preparation for the launch of our new SEMissourian.com website this April. Contact us at click@semissourian.com. We look forward to hearing from you. Need a good laugh? The Internet offers plenty. If you call up comic strips on a search engine, you'll find hundreds, maybe thousands, of wannabe cartoonists...

Amber Patton and her furry friend read a story in the Southeast Missourian as part of the Newspapers in Education program at Franklin Elementary School. Whitney Duncan pointed to Washington on the map in Ruth Rhodes' classroom to show the site of the dateline in a newspaper story...

Judith Slinkard has wanted to be a science teacher since she was in high school. She has used knowledge gained at Southeast Missouri State University to work in several different school districts and in the private sector. She divided six years between the Mountain View and Cape Girardeau school systems, before moving to Bollinger County and teaching five years in the Meadow Heights School District. ...

Perryville High School Second Quarter A Honor Roll 12th Grade -- Jenny Anderson, Trish Brandes, Mindy Bruckerhoff, Ryan Buchheit, Jason Carbaugh, Joshua Dippold, Lucas Hager, Michelle Heider, Christie Hoehn, Karl Kasten, Kelly Koenig, Matthew Meyr, Celeste Ramsey, Jamie Robinson, Catherine Roth, Renee Saindon, Carrie Schamburg, Jaclyn Schremp, Aarica Schumer, Dana Seibel, Christopher Vaeth, Gretchen Vowels, Tracey Weber...

Clippard Elementary School Second Quarter A Honor Roll 6th Grade -- Tabitha Boswell, Nathan Bragg, Patty Cheung, Ashley Colon, Lisa Crain, Laden Force, Meghan Kern, Whit Lynn, Cyndi Ulrich. B Honor Roll 6th Grade -- Travis Bowman, Jennifer Clarkston, Chris Conrad, Heather Hobbs, Tom Holmes, Seth Hudson, Katie Huskey, Andrew Jarrell, Felicia Jenkins, Travis Johnson, Bradley Jones, Travis Lee, Michelle McGuire, Liz Pinckston, Chris Wamble, April Wenskay, Daniel Willingham, Paul Wunderlich...

The first of three community meetings offered answers to questions about the Cape Girardeau School District's master plan and upcoming ballot issues. The meeting, held Monday night at May Greene Elementary School, drew about 20 people who wanted to learn more about the school district's proposal...

CAIRO, Ill. -- City workers are doing what they can to prepare for near-record river levels. The Ohio River is expected to crest at 55 feet on the Cairo gauge Thursday, 15 feet over flood stage but short of the record 59.5 feet in 1937. The Memphis District of the Army Corps of Engineers was to initiate a floodfight in the region at 6 a.m. ...

Copyright 1997, Southeast Missourian Procter & Gamble Co. is considering a major expansion of its plant north of Cape Girardeau, a plant official said Monday. The Cincinnati-based company announced more than a year ago that it was seeking a site for a sixth tissue- and towel-manufacturing plant in North America...

The Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau is expected to begin a slow fall following Monday's 39.5-foot crest, the National Weather Service said. The reading here should remain at 39.5 feet today, but begin a fall to 38.8 feet Wednesday and drop to 37.2 feet Thursday, said the weather service at Paducah, Ky...

Complaints about uninspected vehicles sold at auto auctions in the area have prompted the Missouri Motor Vehicle Commission to send a letter of warning to local dealers. Dealers that sell uninspected cars explicitly for transportation at an auction can be sued for three times the cost of the car and lose their license. Cars that are sold for salvage or historic vehicles are excluded...

"So on and on I go, the seconds tick the time out there's so much left to know and I'm on the road to find out." -- Cat Stevens, "On the Road to Find Out." In basic training, the running joke was that soldiers had to hurry up and wait. It seemed pointless that drill sergeants pushed us to move as quickly as we could to the chow hall, the barber shop, or anywhere else. And then, once we got there -- often in record time -- we were greeted by long lines and often over an hour wait...

Wednesday is the last day to register to vote in the April 1 elections. Those wishing to register can due so at the Common Pleas Courthouse Annex in Cape Girardeau, the Cape Girardeau Public Library, Riverside Regional Library and the county clerk's office at the Cape Girardeau County Administration Building in Jackson and license bureaus, Social Service offices and Job Service offices throughout the county...

Soldiers, volunteers and community supporters of the Salvation Army shared dinner and information Monday night during its annual meeting. More than 70 people attended the event, which was held in the Salvation Army gymnasium. Nine area schools and 13 civic organizations and businesses were recognized for their donations to the Salvation Army. ...

Signals are starting to emanate from the Total Transportation Commission, a group appointed last year by Gov. Mel Carnahan to make recommendations about transportation needs throughout the state. The commission is expected to give its report to the governor sometime this month...

Missouri Republicans, meeting recently for the annual Lincoln Days celebration, began plotting fund-raising plans and campaign strategy for future elections. The state GOP has set an ambition goal of raising $1 million this year to prepare for key races down the road...

To the editor: I'm sitting in my office looking at a picture of my wife and three boys. It is with their safety in mind that I want to make clear to anyone who would harm them that I am not a member of the landowners association for the lake, and I will not longer work with the RCGA in an effort to promote the lake. Please allow me to explain my position on the lake and why I have chosen to disassociate myself from it at this time...

BLOOMFIELD -- Scott City High's boys basketball team opened defense of its Class 2A, District 2 Tournament championship Monday night by routing Puxico 103-63. The win for the top-seeded Rams over the No. 8 seed propels them into Thursday's semifinals against the winner of today's 5:30 p.m. game between Notre Dame and Kelly...

Southeast Missouri State University's baseball team will be in action today when Missouri Baptist comes to Capaha Park for a 3 p.m. game. The Indians (3-6) are coming off a doubleheader split against visiting Northern Iowa on Sunday. Southeast won the opener 3-2 but lost the nightcap 4-1...

Riverview Gardens and McCluer will provide the opposition for Cape Girardeau Central's boys and Jackson's girls in Class 4A sectional high school basketball action Wednesday night at the Farmington Civic Center. Jackson (24-2) will face McCluer (19-7) in the girls game at 6:30, with Central (21-6) taking on Riverview Gardens (19-7) in the boys contest at approximately 8. The winners advance to Saturday's quarterfinals at the University of Missouri-St. Louis...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Dorothy R. McCowen, 80, of Cairo died Monday, March 3, 1997, at the home of her daughter in Cape Girardeau. She was born Oct. 14, 1916, in Madison, Ind., the daughter of William and Rosa Peddie. She was a member of the Tigert Memorial United Methodist Church in Cairo...

Betty Bradbury, 71, 1446 Rose, died Monday, March 3, 1997, at her home. She was born Nov. 29, 1925, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of J. Grant and Emma Brucher Frye. She and Albert E. Bradbury were married Sept. 1, 1949, in Cape Girardeau. He died Jan. 21, 1984...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Gladys Irene Carter, 66, of Jonesboro died Monday, March 3, 1997, at her home. She was born Nov. 21, 1930, in Dongola, daughter of Edward and Ruby Youngblood Mixen. She and Don W. Carter were married April 25, 1949. Carter had worked at Shawnee Cafe and Tom's BBQ. She was a member of New Hope Baptist Church...

JACKSON -- Caleb Aaron Clark, 4 days old, of 4251 E. Jackson Blvd. died Sunday, March 2, 1997, at his home. He was born Feb. 26, 1997, in Cape Girardeau, the son of Aaron R. and Kimberly Reimann Clark of Jackson. He is survived by his parents; grandparents Philip Reimann of Framingham, Mass., and Jack and Susie Clark of Marion, Ind.; great-grandparents Lela Reimann of Cape Girardeau, Evelyn Deneke of Wappapello, Beryl Sinclair of Marion, Ind., and Kathryn Clark of Marion, Ind...

GRANITE CITY, Ill. -- Robert W. Macke, 63, of Granite City, Ill., formerly of Jackson, Mo., died March 1, 1997, at St. Louis University Hospital in St. Louis. Friends may call Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m. at Irwin Chapel at 3960 Maryville Road in Granite City. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at the funeral home...

DEXTER -- Joyce Eve Shipman, 90, of Dexter died Monday, March 3, 1997, at her home. She was born Jan. 20, 1907, near Dexter, daughter of Samuel Harrison and Jane Skelton McClard. She and Herbert Shipman were married Dec. 11, 1926. He died Oct. 4, 1991...

If the federal government approves, Cape Girardeau will use $446,300 in federal money to rehabilitate homes and fix streets in a four-block area on the city's south side. The Cape Girardeau City Council Monday approved an application for Community Development Block Grants funding for improvements in an area bounded on the west by Sprigg Street, on the north by Jefferson Street, on the east by Fountain Street and on the south by Shawnee Parkway...

POCAHONTAS -- Laurance R. Kieninger, 80, formerly of Pocahontas, died Sunday, March 2, 1997, at his home in Dillsboro, Ind. He was born Feb. 11, 1917 in Pocahontas, the son of M.C. and Mathilda Bellmann Kieninger. He had worked at the Monsanto Co. until 1982 and was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II...

LILBOURN -- Johnnie Mae Anderson, 49, of Lilbourn died Saturday, March 1, 1997, at her home. She as born Feb. 16, 1948, in Hughes, Ark., the daughter of James Blain and Luddie Guest Anderson. They preceded her in death. She had lived in Missouri for more than 46 years. She was a member of the Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church in Lilbourn...

St. Francis Medical Center Monday got the green light to replace its magnetic resonance imaging system, a $1.7 million expenditure. Before a hospital can purchase equipment that costs more than $400,000, approval is needed from the Missouri Certificate of Need Review Committee. The committee unanimously approved the request...

A new soybean variety has out-produced all 38 varieties tested in Southeast Missouri yield trials. Delsoy 5500, a new variety developed by University of Missouri soybean breeder Sam Anand, will be available to growers in 1998. Delsoy 5500 averaged 50.8 bushels an acre in three trials in 1996 at Oran and on Portageville area clay and loam soil. The average yield of the other commercially available varieties was 44.1 bushes...

JACKSON -- The police department will soon get a significant upgrade in computer equipment that will provide road officers with additional information to better respond to calls. The Jackson Board of Aldermen unanimously approved a motion Monday during its meeting at City Hall to spend $19,309.52 on a Computer-Aided Dispatch and Records Management unit...

CHRISTOPHER, Ill. -- State Sen. Jim Rea, D-Christopher, has ended speculation on whether he will be a candidate for U.S. Congress. "I am confident that I could do a good job as congressman from the 19th District, but I wil not be a candidate for U.S. Congress in 1998," he said...