Stories from Thursday, April 9, 1998

Jars of Clay isn't like "Christian rock" bands of yore. When the group plays in Cape Girardeau tonight, the testimonials and proselytizing of Spandex metal bands such as Stryper that saturated the Show Me Center years ago will be conspicuously absent. Some fans may not even know the group is considered "Christian rock."...

Copyright 1998, Southeast Missourian A newly formed Springfield, Mo., corporation has bought old St. Francis Hospital and hopes to renovate it for government offices or housing. The corporation, 801 Good Hope Inc., bought the vacant Cape Girardeau hospital last month from the estate of Texan Peter Kern. No purchase price was disclosed...

News of the sale of old St. Francis Hospital has people surprised and happy. "It's wonderful," said Jim Williams, vice president of the Haarig Area Development Corp. and owner of Model Hair World at 236 S. Sprigg. "Our desires were to see it either torn down or see somebody buy it and do something with it."...

If Annise Maguire ever doubted the effectiveness of seat belts, she doesn't anymore. Maguire was one of four Cape Girardeau Central High School students involved in an automobile accident Monday along Nash Road. Even though the car rolled four times before coming to rest in a field, Maguire and the other students were able to walk away with just scratches and bruises...

Bill Segarra, left, of the Drug Enforcement Agency's St. Louis office, and U.S. Attorney Edward L. Dowd presented checks Wednesday as shares of confiscated drug money to Col. Weldon Wilhoit, Missouri Highway Patrol; Leadington Police Chief Cletus Wakefield, vice president of the Mineral Area Drug Task Force; and Sgt. Kevin Glaser, coordinator of the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force...

Southeast Missouri State University's ordeal with the NCAA regarding alleged violations by the school's men's basketball program finally is about to end. The NCAA announced Wednesday that it has scheduled a telephone press conference for 11 a.m. today to announce the decision of the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions...

April 9, 1998 Dear Julie, The Cincinnati kids are in town for spring break. We used to play Whiffle Ball on their visits, pounding the whistling sphere for hours into the twilight until a gutter finally ended the game. No one has yelled "Let's play ball" this time, but of course the words were always mine anyway...

ON THE evening news last week, Tom Brokaw asked what it takes to win a sexual harassment lawsuit, referring to the Paula Jones case. Well, I can tell you the answer: Sue a Republican. I LIVE on Lexington Avenue here in Cape Girardeau. When they cut that road through several years back, they slapped a 10-year lien on all of our houses that are west of Perryville Road. ...

Cape Girardeau's historical roots are deep. The city's history stretches back to long before the founding of this nation. It's location on the interior superhighway of nearly three centuries ago -- the Mississippi River -- has given it prominence. There is, however, no organized effort to preserve the city's history. ...

To the editor: Recently my wife publicly criticized me in a letter to the editor. I was stunned. In essence, she wrote that I spend too much time writing letters to the editor. She thought I should be spending more time helping out with household tasks...

To the editor: This letter is for Phoenix. Phoenix was a dog we rescued from the Humane Society. He was meek, underfed and obviously abused. He was about eight months old and weighed 37 1/2 pounds. A month later he weighed 52 pounds. We did the usual, got him fixed, fattened up and began training. ...

DONIPHAN -- A Gatewood woman was fatally injured after a one-vehicle accident Tuesday afternoon. Georgia Weston, 71, suffered fatal injuries in the accident, which occurred on Highway P, 11 miles southwest of Doniphan. Her husband, Charles Weston, 72, suffered minor injuries. Both were transported to Ripley County Memorial Hospital in Doniphan...

Incoming Lions Clubs International president Kajit Habanananda will be the featured speaker when the 75th Missouri Lion's State Convention is held in Cape Girardeau later this month. Some 800 Lion's Club members are expected to attend the four-day event, which will be held at the Holiday Inn Convention Center April 30 through May 3...

Members of Cape Girardeau's Planning and Zoning Commission want guidance on what exactly constitutes a conflict of interest. R.J. McKinney, chairman of the commission, said Wednesday night that he wants city attorney Eric Cunningham to spell out what members of all city boards can and can't do...

BENTON -- Winners were finally declared in several Scott County races Wednesday afternoon after the last of the write-in votes were tabulated by the county clerk's office. In more than one race, the eventual victor was a write-in candidate. Dale Littlepage, a declared write-in candidate, won a city council seat for Scott City Ward 3, defeating two other candidates whose names were on the ballot. ...

THEBES, Ill. -- The Thebes railroad bridge across the Mississippi River was called the "steel marvel" when it opened in 1905. The 3,807-foot structure became a boon to north Scott County, but it proved to be a treacherous obstacle to towboats, especially those heading downstream in high water...

All of the user-fee increases approved Tuesday by Cape Girardeau voters technically are in effect, but city department heads are awaiting word from city administrator Michael Miller and city attorney Eric Cunningham on when to implement them. Cunningham said Wednesday the ordinances in which the fee increases were proposed said the increases would be effective immediately upon voter approval. Voters Tuesday approved 11 of 12 fee increase proposals on the ballot...

Cape Girardeau and Jackson have planned community worship services for Good Friday under sponsorship of the ministerial alliances. The Cape Girardeau service will be held at 7 p.m. Friday at First Church of the Nazarene. The sermon, based on the last words of Christ, features an illustration of each word. Seven area pastors will deliver the message...

Southeast Missouri State University's athletes have had their share of success over the years. But the school's current athletes shine just as much -- if not more -- in the classroom as they do on the field. Nearly 40 percent of the student-athletes at Southeast have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher and those 96 athletes were honored during Wednesday's annual Southeast Scholar Athlete Luncheon at the Show Me Center...

Off to a hot start, the Cape Central baseball team will head south today for the 16-team Chamber Invitational Baseball Tournament in South Haven, Miss. The Tigers will bring a four-game win streak and 5-1 overall mark into their opening contest against Hernando (Miss.) at 4 p.m. Later tonight at 7, the Tigers face New Hope, Miss...

And the winning beat continues for Southeast Missouri State University's softball team. The Otahkians picked up two crucial Ohio Valley Conference victories Wednesday as they swept a doubleheader from visiting Eastern Illinois at Parker Field. Southeast romped 10-2 in a six-inning, run-rule first game and then squeezed out a 4-2 victory in the second contest...

Tatum Kitchen School: Cape Central Class: Senior Sport: Baseball Position: Third Base-Pitcher Coach: Steve Williams Week report: Kitchen celebrated his 18th birthday last week with a phenomenal three games of baseball in which he hit .909 (10-for-11) with 10 RBIs and two home runs. ...

SEMO ACADEMIC HONORS Southeast Scholar Athletes Following are the Southeast Missouri State University student-athletes who have been honored for compiling a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher: Baseball Ryan Branstetter, Lanson DeBrock, Dan Huesgen, Jeremy Johnson, Steve Lowe, Nathan McGuire, Marc Sheffer, Archie Stambush, Jason Swearingen, Kyle Yount...

As expected, Southeast Missouri State University's women's basketball program landed two high school seniors Wednesday as the spring signing period got under way. Southeast coach Ed Arnzen announced the signing of 5-foot-5 point guard LaShelle Porter from Evansville, Ind., and 5-9 shooting guard Tiffany Melis from Plymouth, Wis...

Jackson High School basketball standout Jeff Walter has followed the path blazed by several Indians before him, signing a letter of intent to attend Columbia College in Columbia, Mo. Walter, a four-year starter at Jackson, is the fifth Indian in recent years to sign with the NAIA school...

JACKSON -- Paul Johns was perfect at the plate and went the distance on the mound Wednesday as Jackson came away with a 5-3 home win over Fredericktown. Fredericktown led 3-1 after three innings, but the Indians rallied with three runs in the fourth and added an insurance run in the sixth to improve to 4-3...

The Kohlfeld Scorpion Rugby Club finished sixth at the 50th Annual Ruggerfest this past weekend in St. Louis. The Scorpions went 3-2 in the Open A Division, which included 16 teams from around the Midwest and Canada. After losing a second-round contest Saturday, the Scorpions played their way into the consolation final with two consecutive wins...

PERRYVILLE -- John J. "Sox" Prevallet, 76, of Perryville died Monday, April 6, 1998, at Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital. He was born Oct. 25, 1921, at Perryville, son of John Leonard and Leona Moore Prevallet. He and Beatrice Y. Modde were married Nov. 13, 1954...

Funeral for William E. Lashley of Cape Girardeau will be held at 1 p.m. Friday at Morgan Funeral Home in Advance. Burial will be in Morgan Memorial Park. Friends may call at the funeral home from 5-8 p.m. today. Lashley, 50, died Tuesday, April 7, 1998, at his home...

SCOPUS -- Funeral for John H. "Bill" Brown of Calabash, N.C., was held Wednesday at North Myrtle Beach Memorial Gardens Mausoleum Chapel. Entombment followed. Brunswick Funeral Home in Shallotte, N.C., was in charge of arrangements. Brown, 66, died Sunday, April 5, 1998, at Grand Strand Regional Medical Center...

JACKSON -- Robert W. Peetz, 60, died suddenly Wednesday, April 8, 1998, at his home near Jackson. He was born March 10, 1938, in Cape Girardeau, son of Emil and Stella Sachse Peetz. Peetz had worked on the family farm all his life. He was a member of Emanuel United Church of Christ, Missouri Jersey Cattlemen's Association, and Mid America Dairymen...

JACKSON -- Mabel Godwin, 88, of Jackson died Wednesday, April 8, 1998, at Jackson Manor. She was born May 8, 1909, near Delta, daughter of William S. and India Simmons Morrison. She and James William Godwin were married April 21, 1928. He died Nov. 30, 1988...

CHAFFEE -- Gilbert Dennis Mills, 55, of Conroe, Texas, died Tuesday, April 7, 1998, at his home. He was born Dec. 2, 1942, at Rockview, son of Gilbert and Lesta May Haddock Mills. He and Iva Hitchcock were married March 18, 1989. Mills was a truck driver with Louisiana Pacific Trucking Co. in Conroe. He was a member of Honea Baptist Church in Montgomery, Texas...

Twin daughters to Jason Clyde and Amy Susan Woods of Marble Hill, Southeast Missouri Hospital, Thursday, March 26, 1998. Maraina Elizabeth was born at 5:22 a.m. and weighed 3 pounds 15 ounces. Emily Rayawna was born at 5:26 a.m. and weighed 4 pounds 3 ounces. ...

SIKESTON -- E. Ralph Williams, 89, of Sikeston died Wednesday, April 8, 1998, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born July 19, 1908, in White County, Ill., son of Hiram and Cassie Clark Williams. He and Nola Wade were married Aug. 18, 1929. Williams lived in Charleston most of his life. He retired as a bookkeeper with Davis Gin Co., and had also farmed...