Stories from Saturday, May 23, 1998

Cape Girardeau's Central Pool will open June 1 when scheduled summer maintenance will be complete. Capaha Pool, however, will be open for the Memorial Day holiday. Today, Sunday and Monday, the pool is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. May 26 to 29, Capaha Pool will be open from 4 to 8 p.m. On May 30, it will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on May 31 it will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m...

Dr. David Crowe believes that honoring the top students isn't always the best way to recognize learning and educational development. That's why Crowe, an orthodontist and long-time resident of the area, recently donated $10,000 to sponsor a scholarship at Notre Dame High School for the most academically improved student...

Cape Girardeau city staff have begun sifting through applications for a director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau. City Manager Michael Miller said staff have begun "some preliminary winnowing" of the pool of approximately 30 applicants. The city is seeking a replacement for Mary Miller, whose resignation from the CVB took effect May 1. She left for personal reasons...

Although it is a drug treatment program, there aren't any counselors trained in drug rehabilitation or substance abuse at the Teen Challenge International Mid-America training center in Cape Girardeau. But the Rev. Jack Smart makes no apologies for his 21-member staff. And he shouldn't...

With fewer than six weeks left in the current fiscal year, the time for making budget decisions is drawing near for the Cape Girardeau Board of Education. "We're obviously using a sharper pencil when we're looking at all the things presented to us," said Dr. Ferrell Ervin, president. "It's not going to be an easy task because the board has to make sure we provide a good, quality education for students. The real question is what kind of school do we want."...

Some 24,000 taxpayers still haven't cashed in on the tax refunds issued earlier this year by the state of Missouri to comply with the Hancock Amendment. The constitutional amendment places a lid on state tax revenue. The Missouri Department of Revenue mailed out 2.4 million refund checks totaling some $376 million. It received back about 57,000 that the postal service said couldn't be delivered because the taxpayers had moved...

Emergency personnel need to ensure their own safety if they're going to be able to keep their patients safe. That was the message Friday at the 11th annual LifeBeat Air Medical conference at Drury Lodge in Cape Girardeau. LifeBeat and Southeast Missouri Hospital sponsored the conference...

MOUND CITY, Ill. -- Veterans of all wars will be honored during a Memorial Day service at Mound City National Cemetery today. The program, titled "Roll Call," will recognize all veterans from the Civil War through the Vietnam War, said Clayton Bierbaum, a member of the cemetery commission...

The Cape Girardeau School District could net an extra $30,000 in projected savings next year because of higher-than-expected participation in an early retirement incentive plan. The plan recently was offered to district employees. A total of 24 teachers, administrators, nurses and classified staff members have accepted the early retirement incentive offered by the Cape Girardeau Board of Education. ...

We all have a multitude of memberships throughout our life. Some of them, like our race or ethnic origin, our hometown and our families, are often dismissed without thought because we figure we can't change them. Others, like our religious or fraternal affiliation, or our civic memberships, are taken much more seriously and are jealously guarded...

JACKSON -- U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson will be the guest speaker at the Memorial Day ceremony at the Veterans of All Wars Memorial in Brookside Park in Jackson. The event begins at 3 p.m. The Avenue of Flags will be displayed throughout the day. The ceremony and memorial are sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10495 and its auxiliary...

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Harry Truman's election as president, the Missouri State Archives wants Missourians to share their memories and memorabilia of the famous political upset. The project is an effort by the state archives to expand its collection of photographs, letters, diary entries, newspaper clippings, memorabilia and personal reflections about the historic event, Secretary of State Bekki Cook said...

KUDOS TO the Southeast Missourian for publishing some Speak Out comments critical of the Libertarian Party. They have gotten a virtual free ride in the local press for far too long. Republicans and Democrats pander to them and patronize them when they should be condemning them for their kooky ideological stance. ...

Although Ron Nall and Nick Leist are retiring, their music will linger on. For more than 68 years combined, the two have led the Cape Central and Jackson high school band programs to new levels of excellence. The two have had remarkable careers. They have positively influenced the lives of thousands of students at the region's two largest high schools...

Genesis signifies birth or creation. So it follows that Camp Genesis is the birth of a promising new program to help disadvantaged boys ages 11 to 15 in the region. It grew from a pledge of four men who attended the Million Man March in Washington, D.C., in 1995. Frank Hollis, Tacuma Smith, Jerome Carr and Kourtney Wiggins dedicated themselves to improving the black community in their hometown of Cairo, Ill...

To the editor: Kudos to the city for not only the first phase of the hiking-biking trail, but also for the phases to come. For the city to care enough for its citizens to provide a safe place for walking and not having to be in traffic is indeed something to brag about. A great big hearty thanks...

To the editor: I would like to say that I was thrilled to see my name in print recognized as a Libertarian. I want to thank the person who called Speak Out for not only reading, but responding to my writing. I also want to thank him for asking about Libertarian principles...

To the editor: I saw a political cartoon last year whose subject was the spate of proposed amendments to the U.S. Constitution which were pushed in Congress, all by conservatives. The cartoon depicted a Republican congressman (portrayed by an elephant) saying something like, "And in conclusion, the soup served in the House dining room is lukewarm, not to say tepid. ...

To the editor: My wife and I enjoy waking up early so we can have some leisure time to go for a breakfast sandwich and coffee while reading the paper and discussing the events of the previous day. As my wife was taking me to work, I could not help notice the madness of the traffic and people as they were starting their day. Moms were driving their children to school with one hand on the wheel and the other holding their breakfast or applying makeup...

WICHITA, Kan. -- It's safe to say that Georgia Tech had Southeast Missouri State University's number in baseball this season. The Yellow Jackets made it four in a row over the Indians by romping 14-5 Friday during an elimination game of the NCAA Midwest Regional...

CHAFFEE -- Last year it was a pitchers' duel. This year it was a slugfest. But the result was the same. For the second successive season, Kelly High's baseball team nipped Notre Dame by one run in the Class 2A, District 2 championship game. The Hawks won 8-7 Friday...

ORAN -- It's called busting out the big sticks. That's what the state-ranked Oran Eagles did this week to win their fourth Class 1A, District 2 title in the last five years. After accumulating nine home runs in the regular season, top-seed Oran matched that total in its final two district games, including three homers in Friday's 6-3 championship win over second-seed Advance...

SIKESTON -- Thursday's severe storms forced the Class 4A, District 1 championship game between Cape Central and Sikeston to be completed on Friday. Despite sunny skies Friday, the Tigers again left Sikeston's VFW Stadium under cloudy conditions. This time, it was a cloud of despair...

SPRINGFIELD -- Cape Central's girls swim team qualified for today's state finals in five events in Friday's preliminaries at the Missouri Stat Swim Championships. Grace Freeman led the way with a second-place finish in the 50-meter freestyle (25.10 seconds) and a fourth-place finish in the 100 freestyle (54.08). Mary Beth Owen also qualified fifth in the 100 backstroke (1:00.63)...

LOWNDES -- Lewis Rogers, 77, of Lowndes died Wednesday, May 20, 1998, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born May 16, 1921, in Saginaw, Mich., son of Lewis James and Doris Beach Rogers. He and Ellare Hollingsworth were married Nov. 15, 1941, at Gladwin, Mich...

SIKESTON -- Esther M. Choat, 83, of Sikeston died Friday, May 22, 1998, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. She was born Oct. 10, 1914, at Swinton, daughter of William Arthur and Mattie Jane Fisher Strobel. She and Earl Choat were married March 10, 1940. He died Feb. 23, 1979...

UNIONTOWN -- Frederick J. Meyer, 68, of Uniontown died Friday, May 22, 1998, at Perry County Nursing Home in Perryville. He was born Jan. 4, 1930, at Uniontown, son of John and Bridgett Erzfeld Meyer. He and Dorothy L. Bohnert were married Oct. 18, 1958...

Robert St.John, 80, of St. Louis died Friday, May 22, 1998, at St. Joseph Hospital in Kirkwood. He was born Jan. 20, 1918, in St. Louis, son of Edward and Grace St.John. He and Mary Jane Bauer were married May 24, 1941. St.John had owned Maplewood Furniture in St. Louis. He was a member of Mary Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Webster Groves. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II...

SCOTT CITY -- Charles Patrick White, 76, of Granite City, Ill., died Friday, May 22, 1998, at St. Louis University Hospital. He was born Jan. 27, 1922, in St. Louis, son of Charles and Edna Miller White. He and Charlcie Baker were married Sept. 23, 1967, in Granite City...

Dr. Talmadge Thomas Warren, 71, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, May 22, 1998, at Missouri Veterans Home. He was born Nov. 18, 1926, in Paducah, Ky., son of Winford Thomas and Elma Lee Skillion Warren. He and Naomi Nesler were married Sept. 23, 1950, in Piggott, Ark...

HOWARDVILLE -- Lonnie B. Partee of Howardville died Thursday, May 21, 1998, at St. Francis Medical Center. He was 66. He was born March 4, 1932, in Dorena, son of Elgin and Atlean Young Partee. They preceded him in death. He was one of 21 children. He married Rose Wilderness on May 22, 1963. She survives...

NEW MADRID -- Mavin Bellon, 76, of New Madrid was killed Thursday afternoon in a head-on collision three miles south of Kewanee in New Madrid County. The accident occurred on U.S. 61 at 5 p.m. The driver of the other car, Cleotha Shelton, 44, of New Madrid was taken to Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston with moderate injuries. Her passenger, Brian Brockman, 24, of New Madrid also had moderate injuries and was taken to Missouri Delta Medical Center...