Stories from Monday, March 23, 1998

The Herrin, Ill., Maytag Laundry Products plant is expanding. The plant, which employs 870 people, produces Maytag lines, such as Admiral, Magic Chef, Crosley, Norge, Hoover and JennAir. The plant has been selected as one of two plants to build components for new model being made in Newton, Iowa...

Jerry Smith racked 1997 Vidal off of the lees. The process pumps the wine from one container to another to aid the natural clarification process. Wanted: Grape growers. Sales of Missouri wines and juices have increased steadily over the past five years, to more than 325,000 gallons in 1997 by the state's 37 wineries...

Glenn Rose has been named acting general manager at KBSI-TV, a Fox affiliate at Cape Girardeau. Rose joined KBSI-TV six months ago and has served as sales manager. Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc., a multi-station radio and TV broadcast company headquartered in Baltimore, agreed in December to buy the radio and televison stations of Max Media Properties, L.L.C., which includes KBSI-TV and WDKA-TV in Paducah, Ky...

Spartech will continue to focus on two major factors in the company's rise from a small operation to a giant in the plastics industry. Shareholders attending the recent annual meeting of Spartech Corp., headquartered in St. Louis, were told the company will focus on expansion of new uses for its products, and new products, along with future strategic acquisitions...

United Electric Supply Co. will hold a grand re-opening Thursday at its new quarters at 606 Commercial, featuring sportsman Buck McNeely and some members of the St. Louis Rams cheerleading squad. Included on the grand opening schedule will be seminars...

Heartland Target Paintball has opened at Fruitland. The new business, which provides equipment and space for such games as "Captured Flag" and "Speedball" is open on weekends at 214 Cree Lane near Fruitland. "We have a five-acre playground," said Mark Mungle, who operates the business. "We provide equipment for rents and have established a couple of village scenarios. Also included on the grounds are some wooded areas."...

The State Farm Insurance's agency field office is in new quarters. The insurance operation facility that oversees State Farm agents in the region has been moved to 268 S. Mount Auburn Road in Lorimont Place. The new facility has 3,250 square feet and has room for a larger meeting area and additional office space...

The Carpet Clearinghouse, a new business at Jackson, is at 126 S. High. A wrong address was listed for the business recently. The business, owned by Joel Philipps, provides carpeting, vinyl flooring and ceramic tile.

The Jackson Chamber of Commerce will hold its monthly meeting at 5:30 tonight at Delmonico's Restaurant. Mitch Robinson, executive director of the Cape Girardeau Area Industrial Association, will be guest speaker.

The Cape Area Personnel Association will meet April 15, at Drury Lodge. Speakers at the March meeting were Bev Hickam and Nancy Witvoet, who discussed the "Work Keys" program. CAPA offices include Pat Hagan of Dana Corp., president; Tim Whetley of Dana Corp., president-elect; Denise Becker of Work Force, secretary; and Joyce Bachmann of Foamex, treasurer...

Schnucks Markets Inc. of St. Louis has announced plans to purchase Logli Supermarkets at Rockford, Ill. The March 30 change in ownership will have no effect on Logli's 1,040 employees, whose pay rates, benefits and seniority will remain intact. No layoffs are planned...

Aid Association for Lutherans Branch 7557 of Cape Girardeau has been awarded a Gold Star rating by the fraternal benefit society in recognition of exemplary volunteer service in the community. To achieve the highest AAL rating, gold or silver stars, branches must annually sponsor at least one fund-raising event or work project, conduct at least nine meetings, sponsor an educational activity and an member-awareness event, and comply with AAL's attendance, voting and reporting requirements...

The Cape Girardeau branch of Ford Credit is a recipient of the company's 1997 President's Award. The local branch received the award during a ceremony held in Dearborn, Mich., earlier this month. The award, one of 29 presented worldwide, is for top-performing branch offices that consistently provided superior services to their retail, retail lease and dealer customers...

Sixty-three Dana Corp. employees attended an "in-house" class recently. The course, taught by Rick Whitman and presented by Dana University, based in Toledo, Ohio, concerned developing quality systems for improvements of parts for Ford, Chrysler and General Motors...

A free waste oil drop-off will be held at Jackson from 8 to noon Saturday at the Jackson Fast Lube and Jackson Tire Center.

Presley W. Edwards, retired chairman of the St. Louis-based A.G. Edwards Inc., died March 16 in Naples, Fla. Edwards, a native of St. Louis, was a grandson of the founder of A.G. Edwards, Albert Gallatin Edwards. Presley Edwards worked with the brokerage firm from 1925, starting as a messenger. He became a partner in the company in 1929, and was named managing partner in 1935...

This "Financial Focus" column is prepared by Edward Jones Investments, headquartered in St. Louis. Jones includes branches throughout the nation, including Cape Girardeau and Jackson. In mid-March, the editors of The Wall Street Journal announced the replacement of four stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which was one of the largest changes to the DJIA in its history...

More people are wearing fur coats again. Furs sales increased in 1997, reaching $1.27 billion, according to a survey of the U.S. fur industry. The survey also noted that larger fur retailers reported a 12 percent increase in the number of customers who took fur coats out of storage in 1997. This indicated more people were wearing fur coats...

This week the Southeast Missourian asked, "Who do you think will win the NCAA basketball tournament?" Jeff Bogenpohl, Oak Ridge "North Carolina. Their team's solid. Their starting five is all good players. I don't think anybody can beat them. Maybe Kentucky."...

The shipwreck saga "Titanic," favored by the Hollywood establishment to win big at tonight's Academy Awards, also got the nod from Southeast Missouri movie fans. SEMissourian.com, the official Web site of the Southeast Missourian, asked online visitors to pick their favorites in the top five Oscar categories. More than 1,000 votes were cast...

Laura Huey of Cape Girardeau believes that God has given her a mission to turn her son's death into something that can benefit other children. Huey's 7-year-old son, Clayton, was killed last year after being hit by a vehicle while trying to cross Broadway to get to Capaha Park. He had wanted to practice T-ball alone at the park...

Manic-depression or bipolar disorder is a misunderstood mental illness that affects at least one in 100 Americans, researchers say. A manic-depressive -- as Cape Girardeau's Lisa Huey thinks her son Clayton was -- alternates between feelings of extreme well-being and extreme depression. Although the illness might occur at any age, many people between ages 25 and 44 often experience its onset...

Mike Rockett checked the temperature in Edie Lowes' refrigerator, looked for hazardous items in the sink, under the cabinets and checked to make sure the water coming out of the bathroom faucet wasn't too hot. Rockett, an environmental public health specialist for the Cape Girardeau County Health Department, was conducting an inspection of Wonder Years, Lowes' home-based day care center in Cape Girardeau...

On a long drive the other day, I hit the scan button on the radio, and one of my favorite songs came pouring out of the speakers. That's the sort of serendipity that makes a cold rainy day a little less forbidding. And even on sunny days, "I Saw Her Standing There" (that's The Beatles, in case you forgot) is worth listening to...

To the editor: If President Clinton is telling the truth about Kathleen Willey, think about how many others are lying, mostly under oath. The ubiquitous Linda Tripp spots Willey as she emerges from the Oval Office looking disheveled. Willey says the president lured her into his infamous study and assaulted her...

The first rewards of an unprecedented joint meeting between the Cape Girardeau City Council and Jackson Board of Aldermen in January occurred last week when a committee of officials from both cities met to discuss future annexations. Committee members came away from the meeting with a desire to develop 5-, 10- and 20-year annexation plans to accommodate growth of both cities. ...

The Cape Girardeau City Council took proper action in revising a policy regarding assessments on owners of property through which residential streets are built. The council's reversal of the original plan, which was included in the city's transportation sales tax approved by voters, came after property owners along a planned extension of Hopper Road between Mount Auburn and Kage roads protested. ...

I liked my country better when the president said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country" rather than "I did not have sex with that woman." I liked television better when the news was delivered by Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite rather than someone who was born after the Vietnam War...

To the editor: Several weeks ago most of your readers will recall the headlines: Mickey Mouse robbers caught. Everywhere I go, people say they are so glad the thieves were caught and that I got all my stuff back. Well, I want to set the record straight. ...

CHICAGO -- Despite several impressive individual performances, Southeast Missouri State University's women's gymnastics team fell short of winning Saturday night's Midwest Independent Championships. The Otahkians wound up second out of four teams with a 192.125 score...

If only Southeast Missouri State University's baseball team could stop playing games on Sundays. After Eastern Kentucky knocked off Southeast 8-4 at Capaha Field Sunday afternoon, the Indians fell to 0-5 in contests played on the first day of the week...

Jim Sexton of Cape Girardeau shot his first hole-in-one while playing Sunday at the Cape Girardeau Country Club. Sexton used a 7-iron to ace the 160-yard, par-3 No. 2 hole. Playing along with Sexton were Wally Lage and Rock Finch.

Southeast Missouri State University's softball team, fresh off a highly successful trip to Florida, will be back at home for a doubleheader today. The Otahkians went 6-1 during last week's Rebel Spring Games in Orlando. Now 10-3 on the season, Southeast will entertain Northwestern of the Big 10 Conference at 2 p.m. today at Parker Field...

The Noon Optimistic Kickoff Classic, hosted by Cape Girardeau Central and Notre Dame, will begin today and usher in the area girls high school soccer season. Action will continue through Thursday's finals, with all games being played at Shawnee Park...

VILLA RIDGE, Ill. -- Helen Mathis Barton, 90, of Venice, Fla., formerly of Villa Ridge, died Sunday, March 22, 1998, in Venice. She was born March 2, 1908, at America, Ill., daughter of James William and Allie Watkins Mathis. She was married to George Barton. He died Feb. 28, 1992...

DEXTER -- Dr. Ralph D. Rehm, 74, of Dexter died Saturday, March 21, 1998, at Dexter Memorial Hospital. He was born September 12, 1923, near Parma, the son of George Henry and Bessie Frailey Rehm. He and Barbara Jean Lockhart were married Oct. 6, 1949, at Grenada, Miss. She died Nov. 27, 1977. He and JoNell Bennett Musgrave were married Aug. 1, 1981. She died June 2, 1986...

VILLA RIDGE, Ill. -- Lorenzo "Wren" Wright, 78, of Villa Ridge died Saturday, March 21, 1998, at the John Cockrum Veterans Home in St. Louis. He was born March 21, 1920, son of Matthew and Nellie Wright. He was married to Odessa Wright. She died Feb. 28, 1998...

DONGOLA, Ill. -- Elsie Eddleman, 86, of Dongola, died Sunday, March 22, 1998, at Union County Hospital in Anna. Friends may call at Crain Funeral Home in Dongola from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday. Funeral will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Burial will be in American Legion Cemetery...

OLIVE BRANCH, Ill. -- Gertrude M. Bruer, 79, of Eddyville, Ky., formerly of Olive Branch, died Saturday, March 21, 1998, at Lourdes Hospital in Paducah, Ky. She was born Jan. 16, 1919, in Bureau County, daughter of James William and Mayme Yocks Abrams. She and George William Bruer were married on Sept. 20, 1942. He died Sept. 10, 1997...

OLIVE BRANCH, Ill. -- Arnold L. Ogborn, 81, of Olive Branch died Sunday, March 22, 1997, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born Feb. 12, 1917, at Wyatt, Mo., son of Lon and Beulah Parks Ogborn. He and Maxine Levil were married. Ogborn was in the grocery business in Olive Branch for 30 years. He was also a school bus driver for 23 years...

KELSO -- Gary Wayne Tanksley, 50, of Kelso died Sunday, March 22, 1998, at his home. He was born Feb. 5, 1948, in New Madrid County, son of Samuel and Jewel Allred Tanksley. He and Christina Naeter were married May 29, 1982, at Cape Girardeau. Tanksley was a 1967 graduate of East Prairie High School and was a Viet Nam veteran. He owned and operated the Ohio-Pacific Express trucking company from 1977 to 1994...