Stories from Wednesday, February 25, 1998

To the editor: On behalf of the Ora Dean Prindle family, I would like to express our deep gratitude and thanks to the Schnucks management and associates for their concern and kindness upon the sudden death of my grandmother. My grandparents had just been honored at the Schnucks Valentine's Day celebration as the couple who had been married the longest when Grandma collapsed...

To the editor: This is dedicated to Dr. George W. Ringland, a good, kind and loving human being. Many times well-known people in our community are recognized for their outstanding service, as well they should be, while there are those who quietly go about their chosen professions unnoticed. Dr. Ringland was one of those people...

Three men filed Tuesday as Democratic candidates for the 8th District congressional seat, including Gipsy resident Richard Kline, who ran as a Republican two years ago. U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau, was the lone Republican to file at the secretary of state's office in Jefferson City on the first day of filing...

JACKSON -- Diane M. Diebold, a Jackson accountant, has filed for Cape Girardeau County collector. She was first in line for the Republican ballot Tuesday. Diebold said her experience as an accountant has prepared her for the county collector's job. "During my 25-year career as a business accountant I have worked in all areas of the accounting field including payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivable, spreadsheets and word processing," Diebold said. "...

Ron Baker, who teaches the auto collision course at Cape Girardeau Area Vocational-Technical School, says someone is likely to get a good buy on a 1997 Ford Escort. The school is auctioning the car at public auction Thursday. The auction starts at 4 p.m. at the vocational school. The car is available for viewing at the school...

MARBLE HILL -- Bollinger County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Hopkins wants his old job back. Hopkins filed Tuesday as a Democratic candidate for associate circuit judge. He hopes to unseat incumbent Scott Thomsen, a Republican who filed for re-election...

BENTON -- The retirement of two longtime Scott County officials and the resignation of two others have left several of the county's Democratic primary races wide open. Presiding Commissioner Bob Kielhofner and County Collector Tom Marshall both announced their decisions not to seek another term, leading to several candidates filing for the positions Tuesday, the first day of filing...

The deadline for Cape Girardeau's city flag contest is 5 p.m. Friday. All entries for the contest, which include designs for the official city flag and a children's flag, must be turned in to the city manager's office at Cape Girardeau City Hall, 401 Independence...

I would like to share with you a note and article that I received in the mail recently. Feb. 13, 1998 Dear Gary: Someone brought to my attention today an article in the February 1998 edition of The Limbaugh Letter dealing with the fact that prison sentences are responsible for the crime rates going down. I agree 100 percent with everything he says in the piece...

A new partnership between VIP Industries and the Cape Girardeau Vocational-Technical School has been fruitful. Vo-tech teachers are working with sheltered-workshop employees in a new program to build job-readiness skills. VIP managers became aware that employees weren't adjusting well to contracts that changed quickly, requiring the learning of new routines and skills. With more training, the managers felt, workers could more easily make the transition and earn more money...

If you plan to marry on a whim, Cape Girardeau may not be the best place to tie the knot. A communitywide Marriage Savers policy adopted by many churches requires couples to seek at least four months of premarital counseling before the ceremony. The idea is not to prevent marriages. The aim is to discourage divorce. About 30 churches representing a wide range of denominations have embraced the Marriage Savers program since it launched two years ago...

When the Mardi Gras party ended Tuesday at midnight, Catholic students at the Newman Center on the Southeast Missouri State University campus marked the beginning of Lent with an Ash Wednesday Mass. Today, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. Many religions observe Lent as a period of penance. It lasts 40 days, excluding Sundays. The Roman Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran churches most commonly observe Lent...

A few weeks ago, nationally-syndicated language columnist James J. Kilpatrick wrote a column explaining the difference of who and whom. But he wanted an expert to review the column before he sent it to the syndicate. So he asked Cape Girardeau writer Aileen Lorberg to take a look...

Organizers of a community center being proposed for South Cape Girardeau are focusing on the old St. Francis Hospital building. That doesn't mean other sites won't be considered should the old hospital not prove a workable option, said the president of the Family Resource Center Inc.'s board of directors...

More than 100 families from across the nation and Canada will visit the Cape Girardeau County area over the next month. Procter and Gamble Paper Products, which announced a $350 million expansion project in April, is bringing approximately 119 P&G employees and their families to Cape Girardeau from other areas...

Mardi Gras revelers are supposed to let it all hang out, but this was ridiculous! As a Midwesterner, you've probably heard all the stuff about Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Everyone there is drunk. You'll get (a) pick-pocketed, (b) mugged, (c) stabbed or (d) all of the above...

JACKSON -- The new Perryville branch facility of the Riverside Regional Library will open in the spring of 1999. Now all the library needs is $100,000 to furnish it. "We don't have it," says Geoffrey Roth, the library's director. Kathy Carron, a library board member from Perryville, hopes a new organization called Riverside Friends of the Library can help out...

A Fruitland businessman has filed for Cape Girardeau County collector. Chris Johnston, a Republican, entered the race Tuesday as filings for county offices opened. "I feel that with my 13 years of business experience I can provide the county collector's office with efficiency and profitability," Johnston said. "The county is growing; therefore, the collector's office needs the best customer service, business and money management, record keeping, and the most effective money collections."...

Union Planters Corp. of Memphis, Tenn., has announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire Magna Bank Group of St. Louis. Bill Andrews of Union Planters said an agreement has been approved by the boards of both companies. The merger is subject to approval of shareholders and appropriate regulatory agencies. It isn't expected to be closed before the second or third quarter of the year...

Dr. Nolan Porterfield, professor emeritus of English at Southeast Missouri State University, will present the third annual H.O. Grauel Memorial Lecture March 5. Porterfield will present "Writing Lives" in Dempster Hall's Glenn Auditorium at 7 p.m. A reception will follow...

JACKSON -- Cape Girardeau County Recorder of Deeds Janet Robert filed Tuesday for re-election to a sixth term. The Cape Girardeau Democrat has served as county recorder for 21 years. "I have devoted nearly all of my professional life as recorder," she said...

PERRYVILLE -- The Republican side of the ballot will be a little crowded in Perry County's August primary election. Filing opened Tuesday for the county primary, and so far, all the candidates, incumbents included, are Republicans. Incumbent County Clerk Randy Taylor was the first to file. Taylor lives at 310 S. Waters St. in Perryville...

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -- Some days you wonder why you even got out of bed in the morning. That's the way Southeast Missouri State University's basketball Indians must have felt Tuesday. The Indians hit the road for Clarksville, Tenn., early in the afternoon full of energy and optimism. They were looking forward to a first-round Ohio Valley Conference Tournament game against a team they had already beaten twice during the regular season...

RICHMOND, Ky. -- Ohio Valley Conference co-champion Eastern Kentucky went a perfect three-for-three against Southeast Missouri this season, the latter a season-ending 92-75 victory Tuesday night in the first round of the OVC Tournament. Southeast, the eighth seed in the tournament, ended its season at 8-19...

It appears the state-ranked Jackson Lady Indians have Cape Central's number. The number is four. Jackson, ranked third in the state, fought off a spirited effort by the Lady Tigers to win Tuesday's Class 4A, District 1 semifinal 37-36 at the Tiger Field House. The victory was Jackson's fourth over the Lady Tigers this season...

Top-seed Poplar Bluff advanced to the Class 4A, District 1 title game Wednesday with a 63-46 semifinal victory over fourth-seed Farmington at the Tiger Field House. The Lady Mules, ranked fourth in class 4A behind third-ranked Jackson, improved to 24-2 and will play the Lady Indians for the district crown Friday at 6 p.m. Farmington completed its season at 19-8...

MEMPHIS -- Late inning rallies continued to haunt Southeast Missouri's baseball team on Tuesday as Memphis scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to emerge with a 6-5 victory. Southeast took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh, but two two-run homers helped put the Tigers out front...

SCOTT CITY -- Scott City outscoring visiting Portageville 21-6 in the second quarter and withstood a late charge to win 70-62 Tuesday. Scott City, ranked No. 6 in Missouri Class 2A, improved to 24-2. Portageville fell to 19-4. "We really played well defensively in the first half," said Scott City coach Derek McCord...

The Jackson Men's Slow-Pitch Softball League is having a special offer inviting teams to join without paying a sponsor or team entry fee. The only cost will be a $15 per player fee. Limited entries are available to join the league, which starts April 13 and features a minimum of 28 games...

The Bootheel Golf Club in Sikeston will hold a four-man, blind draw scramble on March 7. The tournament will begin at 12:30 p.m. with a shotgun start. Cost is $15 for members, $35 for members' guests and $45 for non-members. Cost includes green fees, cart and gift certificates...

The Southeast Missouri Horseshoe Pitchers Association will hold its annual meeting March 1 at 2:45 p.m. at the KC Hall in Jackson. There will be discussion of rule changes. All officers and interested parties are invited to attend.

The Kohlfeld Scorpions Rugby Club won two games in its season opener Saturday at Arena Park, defeating Southern Illinois University 58-0 and the Paducah Flood 8-6. Against Southern Illinois, John Slattery and Marc Harris had two scores apiece while single scores were turned in by Mark Lineberry, Dan Grimm, Shaun Alsdorf, Tim Joplin, Jamie Brackett and Joey Hann. Grimm also had four conversion kicks...

Funeral service for Senno Schilling of Cape Girardeau will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at Good Shepherd Lutheran Chapel. The Rev. Barry Pfanstiel will officiate. Entombment will be in Memorial Park Mausoleum, with military rites by VFW Post 3838. Friends may call at Ford and Sons Mt. Auburn Chapel from 4-8 p.m. today...

ORAN -- Elmer James Welter, 74, of Oran died Tuesday, Feb. 24, 1998, at his home. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Oran is in charge of arrangements.

ANNA, Ill. -- Carl A. Williams, 94, of Anna died Monday, Feb. 23, 1998, at City Care Center. He was born Dec. 15, 1903, in Jonesboro, son of Robert and Sarah Poe Williams. He and Edna Hileman were married April 29, 1927. She died Jan. 6, 1983. Williams was retired from the former Joiner Red and White Grocery and the former Walter Hardware Store. He was a member of First Baptist Church...

TAMMS, Ill. -- Funeral service for Ida Bonnell Lamburth of Tamms will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday at Jones Funeral Home in Tamms. The Rev. Gene Hart will officiate, with burial in Wickliffe Cemetery in Wickliffe, Ky. Friends may call at the funeral home from 5-8 p.m. today...

VANDUSER -- Esther M. Monroe, 77, of Vanduser died Tuesday, Feb. 24, 1998, at Clearview Nursing Center in Sikeston. She was born Oct. 26, 1920, in Cape Girardeau, the daughter of William and Helen Knobe Stein. She married John R. Monroe on April 27, 1940. He died June 13, 1975...

MARBLE HILL -- Jessie S. Brown, 19, died Monday, Feb. 23, 1998, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born April 29, 1978, at Charoix, Mich., the son of Larry and Nancy Morse Brown. He married Christina Bunch on Aug. 3, 1996. She survives...

JOPLIN -- Funeral for Jesse F. Moore was held Saturday at Mason Woodard Funeral Home in Joplin. Moore, 83, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Thursday, Feb. 19, 1998, at his home. He was born Aug. 25, 1914, the son of Rufus and Flora Moore. While in Cape Girardeau, he was employed by Lemings Saw Mill...

Graveside service for Otto H. Windisch of Cape Girardeau will be held at 10 a.m. today at Fairmount Cemetery. The Rev. David Hintz will officiate. Ford and Sons Sprigg Street Chapel is in charge of arrangements. Windisch, 87, died Monday, Feb. 23, 1998, at his home...

Funeral service for Dr. Jo Robert Cochran of Cape Girardeau will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at Ford and Sons Mt. Auburn Chapel. The Rev. Paul Short will officiate, with burial in Memorial Park. Friends may call at the chapel from 4-8 p.m. Thursday. Cochran, 73, died Monday, Feb. 23, 1998, at the Lutheran Home...

Former teacher and Southeast Missourian columnist Aileen D. Lorberg, 88, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Feb. 24, 1998, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Lorberg Memorial Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

BENTON -- Wilma Hortense Watkins, 88, of Benton died Monday, Feb. 23, 1998, at Wilson Memorial Hospital in Wilson, N.C. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel at Benton is in charge of arrangements.

MILLERSVILLE -- Funeral service for Albert Ray Propst of Millersville will be held at 11 a.m. today at McCombs Funeral Chapel in Jackson. The Rev. Fred Rister will officiate, with burial in Russell Heights Cemetery at Jackson. Friends may call at the funeral home after 8:30 a.m...

Barbara Sue Moore, 52, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Feb. 23, 1998, at St. Francis Medical Center. She was born July 27, 1945, at Perryville, daughter of Everett and Frieda Esselman Kahmke. She and Gary E. Moore were married Jan. 10, 1966. Moore was manager of Venture Department Store...

SCOTT CITY -- Ethel M. Innis, 91, of Scott City died Tuesday, Feb. 24, 1998, at St. Anthony's Medical Center in St. Louis. She was born Nov. 7, 1906, in Humphrey County, Tenn., daughter of George and Emma Blackwell Ballard. She and William M. Innis were married Sept. 3, 1938, at Illmo. He died April 15, 1983...

SIKESTON -- Mattie Jackson, 82, of Sikeston died Monday, Feb. 23, 1998, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. She was born Dec. 26, 1915, in Kosciusko, Miss., daughter of John and Lizzie Dodd Hurn. Jackson had lived in Sikeston more than 55 years. She was a member of Travelers Rest Missionary Baptist Church...

Lillian Pauline Wilson, daughter of Ben and Vida Mentor Manley, was born near Metropolis, Illinois on February 4, 1906 and passed away Monday, February 23, 1998 at her daughter's home in East Cape at the age of 92. Mrs. Wilson was united in marriage to Alfred Ted Wilson in Jackson, Missouri on January 19, 1939. She was preceded in death by Mr. Wilson on February 12, 1998. Mrs. Wilson was a homemaker and a member of the Wolf Lake Methodist Church...

Options to similarly refinance bonds sold in a 1993 issue and a 1993 lease issue were passed because savings were not sufficient. The action is similar to refinancing a house mortgage and should net the district about $400,000 in long-term savings. The savings will not be tangible in the usual sense, he said. Any savings will have to go back into the debt service fund, where it will reduce interest payments...

The Southeast Missourian asked people about a book that they read recently. Mark Seabaugh: "I liked `Without Remorse' by Tom Clancy. It was about international conspiracy dealing with today's problems in government and the Middle East. I like Clancy's books because of the technical language he uses. You learn as you are being entertained."...