Stories from Tuesday, December 30, 1997

Operators of the St. Joseph casino gambling boat have sued the Missouri Gaming Commission, saying the panel backed off the required final inspection of a casino expansion in a moat because of a state Supreme Court decision. St. Joseph Riverboat Partners asked a Cole County circuit judge to force the commission to move ahead with final checks of the new casino, warning that failure to open by New Year's Eve would cause it "default and serious irreparable injury and harm." The partnership has loans outstanding that specify as an event of default its failure to open on time. ...

A new abortion technique allows women to end a pregnancy just days after conception and before they've even missed a menstrual period. The new method is offered at Planned Parenthood Federation affiliates across the country. The procedure, which can take as little as two minutes, "uses a hand-held syringe that avoids the noise and cost of the vacuum pump used for other abortions," according to a news story describing it. ...

Refunds tough on Democratic Party I THINK refunding overpaid taxes must be Mel Carnahan's worst nightmare. For decades, the Democrats' largest bloc of voters have been those receiving government handouts. In short, the Democrat takes working people's money and gives it to others in exchange for their vote. Having to give back money to wage earners goes against the very nature of the Democratic Party. Just think of the votes this $700 million in refunds could have bought...

Everyone's watching the class of 2000, and frankly, 15-year-old Sarah Rutherford is getting tired of the spotlight. "We get so much more attention than other classes," she said. "I'm starting to feel sorry for the kids in the classes behind us." But Sarah, as well as her friends Katie McLain and Lilian Dean, know there's a very good reason society is keeping an eye on them. ...

Although Monday's snow flurries and reports of possible accumulation proved to be of little consequence, the Missouri State Highway Patrol still cautioned that motorists should be prepared to face inclement weather this winter. "As you prepare to travel during the winter season, you should keep several things in mind to stay safe," said Sgt. R. B. Davis of the patrol...

Going, going, gone. Online auctions have become a growing sport on the Internet. It's a lot easier than dragging your family out in the early morning and you don't have to worry if you sneeze. Sold. A lot of sites on the Internet offer ways to buy and sell things, but horror stories have been told when one of the parties fails to deliver...

Barbara thinks she may have learned to comfort herself with food when she was 3, the year her father died. At 5, she remembers eating a whole chocolate pie her grandmother had bought -- and her grandmother replacing it with another pie so Barbara's mother wouldn't find out...

JACKSON -- The last time Betty Kuss and her eighth grade classmates saw each other in one place, it was the spring of 1950. On Monday afternoon, the group of Leopold classmates was at least partially reunited in Woodard's Cafe in Jackson. Five members of the 1950 eighth grade class at St. John's Grade School at Leopold caught up on half a century of lost history over dinner and coffee...

The Area Wide United Way went over the top, surpassing the 1997 campaign goal of $550,000. And contributions are still arriving. The exact amount raised will be announced at a Victory Party planned Jan. 8 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Dempster Hall Commons Area at Southeast Missouri State University. Volunteers and contributors are invited...

State Rep. Gene Copeland has been in office 37 years -- longer than any other member in the history of the Missouri House. But his 38th year likely will be his last. The New Madrid Democrat said Monday he expects to retire rather than run again in 1998...

Doug Groesbeck, manager of Union Electric's Southeast Missouri District, will be introduced as new chairman of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors Jan. 30, but he will officially begin his duties this week. Groesbeck, who has been in the Cape Girardeau area about three and half years, heads the cast of new officers and board members who were approved by the Chamber Board during the December meeting...

"The best thing to give up in a New Year's resolution is to give up giving up." -- Evan Escar I'm starting over in 1998. This is the Year of Change. I'm ready to pay off my credit cards, spend less, save more and lose weight in 1998. I didn't have much success in 1997, but I'm willing to try again...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Southeast Missouri State University basketball coach Gary Garner said prior to Monday night's game that Louisville would probably be the most talented team his Indians would face all season. Then the Cardinals went out and proved it by hammering the Indians 91-69 in front of 18,892 fans at Freedom Hall...

Monday's Results Championship semifinals Charleston 63, Scott City 60 Kelly xx, Cape Central xx Fifth-place semifinals Jackson 69, Notre Dame 50 Delta 61, Woodland 34 Consolation semifinals Oran 66, Advance 59 Bell City 81, Scott Co. 73 Today's Schedule...

Larico Coleman, Charleston's talented 5-foot-9 senior guard, has the physical part down. So he knows what allowed Scott City to nearly take Monday's University High School Christmas Tournament semifinal game from the top-seeded Blue Jays. "We did some stupid stuff," said Coleman. "I had some stupid fouls myself, and I'm going to try to correct that for tomorrow so we can be champions."...

There will be a new University High School Christmas Tournament champion. The No. 2 Kelly Hawks made sure of that by knocking off the defending-champion Cape Central Tigers 80-69 Monday night at the Show Me Center. Kelly, now 10-0, advances to the championship game tonight at 8:30 to play No. 1 Charleston. Cape Central (5-3) plays No. 4 Scott City for third place at 7 p.m...

The consolation and fifth-place semifinals of the University High School Christmas Tournament provided no major upsets Monday at the Show Me Center. But the No. 11 Bell City Cubs did get past the No. 10 Scott County Central Braves 81-73 to advance into the consolation championship today at 4 p.m. The Cubs will play No. 8 Oran, which eliminated No. 12 Advance 66-59 in the other consolation semifinal...

PARK HILLS -- Marquand High's boys basketball team advanced to the consolation final of the Park Hills Tournament with a 69-59 win over South Iron Monday. Dusty Stephens scored 28 points and pulled down 17 rebounds to lead the Tigers, who are now 6-5. Travis Braswell hit four 3-pointers and scored 16 points while Steve Braswell added 14 and Billy Robbins had 10. Brandon Settle had 11 assists...

PERRYVILLE -- Leatha L. Bollinger of Perryville died Sunday, Dec. 28, 1997, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. She was 85. She was born Sept. 11, 1912, at Millersville, daughter of Joey and Octavi Haupt Seabaugh. They preceded her in death. She married Richard G. Bollinger on Nov. 19, 1931. He survives...

DEXTER -- Funeral service for Truman Biggerstaff of St. Louis will be held at 10:30 a.m. today at Watkins and Sons Funeral Chapel in Dexter. The Rev. Vaughn Wright will officiate, with burial in Dexter Cemetery. Biggerstaff, 90, died Sunday, Dec. 28, 1997, at his home...

SIKESTON -- Francis C. Goetz, 62, of Sikeston died Sunday, Dec. 28, 1997, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born July 31, 1935, at Miner, son of Francis "Frank" and Theta "Delphia" Pry Goetz. He and Jeris E. Merideth were married Jan. 2, 1955, at Sikeston...

SIKESTON -- Dorothy Jones, 82, of Sikeston died Sunday, Dec. 29, 1997, at Sikeston Health Care. She was born Nov. 24, 1915, in Charleston, daughter of Sanford G. and Liza Pollock Jones. She was formerly of Morehouse. Survivors include friends, Farrell and Mildred Wilson of Sikeston...

JACKSON -- Robert L. Howard, 80, of Jackson died Sunday, Dec. 28, 1997, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Nov. 18, 1917, in Oxford, Miss., son of Bernie and Effie Vincent Howard. He and Marie Hager were married in July 1977, at Dexter...

ADVANCE -- Ellen M. LaCroix, 65, of Advance died Monday, Dec. 29, 1997, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born June 8, 1932, at Kelso, daughter of Edward J. and Alma C. Scherer Heuring. She and Joe LaCroix were married Sept. 1, 1956, at Benton...

POPLAR BLUFF -- Orneal Robert Hudson, 79, of Poplar Bluff died Sunday, Dec. 28, 1997, at Lucy Lee Healthcare System. He was born May 19, 1918, in Cape Girardeau. He and Zora Mae Hawthorne were married in 1939. She died in 1978. Hudson was a 1936 graduate of Central High School in Cape Girardeau. He lived in Scott City for a time, where he was a longtime member of First Baptist Church...

POPLAR BLUFF -- Funeral service for Lucy Geneva Chronister of Poplar Bluff will be held at 1:30 p.m. today at First United Methodist Church, with the Rev. Kurt Schuermann officiating. Burial will be in Memorial Gardens Cemetery. Cotrell Funeral Home in Poplar Bluff is in charge of arrangements...

SIKESTON -- Nellie Ann Brewer, 96, died Sunday, Dec. 28, 1997, at Sikeston Convalescent Center. She was born Oct. 5, 1901, in Batesville, Ark., daughter of Preston B. and Julia Mariah Cornish Barrett. She and Nelson Brewer were married Feb. 2, 1919, in Batesville. He died Oct. 28, 1972...

Son to Gregory Scott and Carolyn Ann Hahs of Jackson, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 6:29 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20, 1997. Name, Brandon Scott. Weight, 6 pounds 3 ounces. First child. Mrs. Hahs is the former Carolyn Clements, daughter of Raymond and JoAnn Clements of Jackson. She is a consumer banker at Nations Bank. Hahs is the son of Greg and Sharon Hahs of Cape Girardeau. He is a line technician at Procter & Gamble...

ANNA, Ill. -- Harold "Red" Mitchell, 71, of Anna, died Sunday, Dec. 28, 1997, at Southeast Baptist Hospital in San Antonio, Texas. He was born Oct. 10, 1926, in Hardin County, Illinois, son of John and Lula Hines Mitchell. He and Juanita Pitts were married Aug. 8, 1948. She died July 30, 1994...

JACKSON -- Kathy Schoenherr's travels throughout the United States have provided material for her second-grade class at St. Paul Lutheran School in Jackson. She and her family have traveled to Hawaii and have camped in most of the lower 48 states. "We hope to get to Alaska in 2000," she said...