Stories from Wednesday, July 29, 1998

The seeds of a Dallisgrass seed head are 1 /16-inch in diameter. Nutsedge is found in moist soils, thus the common name, watergrass. At this time of year, lawns, especially those composed of cool season grasses (bluegrass, fescue and rye), are under stress due to the hot temperatures we have been experiencing. They are also under stress due to diseases that grow rapidly when temperatures are high and humidity is high. Stress will also occur during a drought...

There has been considerable talk about the 17-year-old who refused to apologize for a burglary at the Oak Ridge High School. After two weeks in jail, the young man had a change of heart. At a court appearance, he apologized to the people of Oak Ridge and county taxpayers for his role in stealing $6,000 in video and computer equipment from the school...

Tourism generates millions of dollars for Missouri. Cape Girardeau's Convention and Visitors Bureau, in concert with local chambers of commerce and nearby communities has worked to build the share of local tourism dollars. A new CVB director has come on board. ...

My wife Wendy and I attended the Arkansas Press Association summer convention in EUREKA SPRINGS, Ark., last weekend. A five-hour drive was only 1 hour, 20 minutes as the crow flies. The convention featured debates by the candidates for U.S. senator as well as the state's attorney general and governor ... ...

WHEN I read the article about the local docs wanting their own surgical center, I had to laugh at their reasons. It's not the cost of regular hospital outpatient surgery that's sending orthopedic patients to places like Missouri Bone and Joint Center and U.S. ...

MARBLE HILL -- Bollinger County presiding commissioner Elwood Mouser should be rebuffed in the Aug. 4 Republican primary because of his inaction and resulting loss of respect for his office, his opponents say. The Republican primary winner will face in November unchallenged Democrat Kenny Trentham for presiding commissioner...

The city of Cape Girardeau recently received the 1998 Missouri Waste Control Coalition's Outstanding Achievement Award for its curbside recycling program. The city was nominated for the award by Gary L. Gaines, director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Southeast Regional Office...

A forum on sexual violence will be held Friday at Southeast Missouri State University. The forum is scheduled for 8-9:30 a.m. in the University Center Missouriana Room. Southeast seniors Julie Hoffman of Cape Girardeau and Tiffany DeClue of DeSoto are spearheading the forum as part of a social work class. ...

To the editor: Meteorologists can forecast with a greater degree of accuracy what we can expect, even warning us of an approaching storm or heat wave. Progress has been made in these predictions. Think of the resulting chaos if the weather became a political issue controlled by a government agency...

BELKNAP, Ill. -- Herrin Pond is more accessible to hikers these days. A bridge over Cache River, which has been "out" more than two years, has been repaired and is now open. "This saves about five miles of hiking," said Jean Hinkle, of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service...

JACKSON -- City officials in Jackson and Cape Girardeau will begin identifying growth patterns for each city as the two communities continue to work out annexation issues. A joint annexation committee made up of representatives of both cities met Tuesday at Jackson City Hall...

Notre Dame High School staff members are settling into their new facility this week as contractors complete work on the 114,000-square-foot facility scheduled to open this fall. The new school will occupy about 25 of the nearly 48 acres of land along Route K donated to the Cape Girardeau-Springfield Diocese by the James and Wanda Drury Family Trust. ...

Heroines of historical romances never have stretch marks, cellulite or bad hair days. My parents probably gave me the birds-and-bees talk at some point in my early childhood, but I just don't remember. I was probably thinking about Barbie dolls or what was for dessert...

Cape Girardeau's Ford & Sons American Legion baseball team will welcome four other Legion squads to town this week for the Zone Tournament that will determine a berth in the American Legion State Tournament. Play at Capaha Field will begin Thursday and run through at least Saturday...

In only its third year of existence, the Cape Central girls soccer program continues to gain respect around the state. After completing its second successive undefeated regular season, three Lady Tigers were recently named Show-Me State Girls Soccer All-State Selections...

BALLWIN -- Things were looking very good for Chaffee during the early stages of Tuesday night's championship game of the Junior American Legion State Tournament. Chaffee jumped ahead of host Ballwin 3-0 in the top of the first inning and had ace pitcher Brian Obermann on the mound...

STE. GENEVIEVE -- The McDowell Capahas were well on their way to another doubleheader sweep Tuesday night over the Ste. Genevieve Yanks, winning the first game 21-8 and leading the second 11-0 entering the bottom of the fifth as the Southeast Missourian went to press...

Cape Girardeau's Parks and Recreation Department, along with Pepsi-Cola will be sponsoring the last of its three sand volleyball tournaments Aug. 8 at Arena Park Entry fee for the 2-on-2 tourney is $21 and there are no gender requirements. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three places...

Southeast Missouri State University's volleyball team has been honored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) with the AVCA Team Academic Award. The award honors the teams which display excellence in the classroom by maintaining a team cumulative 3.3 grade-point average for the 1997-98 school year...

WYATT -- Funeral for J.L. Summers of Wyatt will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at McMikle Funeral Home in Charleston. The Revs. Bill Meeks and Walter Bryars will officiate, with burial in Oak Grove Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home Thursday from 9:30 a.m. until service time...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Louise Hankins, 72, of Collinsville, formerly of Cairo, died Tuesday, July 28, 1998, at Anderson Hospital in Maryville, Ill. She was born April 6, 1926, at Cairo, the daughter of Albert and Myrtle Ray Jeffries. Survivors include her mother of Cairo; two brothers, Lary Jeffries of Cairo and Fred Moore of Harriburg, Ill...

CHARLESTON -- Ruth O'Neal, 88, Charleston Route 1, died Tuesday, July 28, 1998, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born April 10, 1910, in Leslie, Ark., daughter of John Wesley and Dicy Watts Branum. She and Ulis O'Neal were married Oct. 8, 1932...

Son to Dean and Mary Wright of Jackson, St. Mary's Health Center in St. Louis, 3:47 p.m. Monday, June 8, 1998. Name, Zachary Lee. Weight, 4 pounds 7 ounces. Second child, first son. Mrs. Wright is the former Mary Gaye Wissman, daughter of Joe and Shirley Wissman of Cape Girardeau. Mr. and Mrs. Wright own and operate Wright's Garage. He is the son of Harold and Mollie Wright of Jackson...

JACKSON -- Truman Nance Jr., 56, of Jackson died Tuesday, July 28, 1998, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Nov. 17, 1941, at Whitewater, son of Truman and Wanda J. Noble Nance Sr. He and Edith Cotner were married Oct. 30, 1976, at Whitewater...

The Southeast Missourian asked, "What is an optimist?" Travis Sievers: "It's a person who goes around visiting people and collecting things." Matt Webber: "It's someone who helps people. They are nice, dependable and friendly." Craig Mirly: "It's somebody that starts something. They have a good attitude."...

JACKSON -- When he joined the Optimist Club, Don Sievers was sponsored by his father-in-law, the late Raymond Godwin, who eventually amassed 50 years of service to the organization and 47 years of perfect attendance. Today, service clubs are having a difficult time keeping their membership rolls up, much less striving for perfect attendance...

JACKSON -- The special guest at this week's Jackson Municipal Band concert will be Julie Walker, a 1980 graduate of Southeast who teaches at the Jackson R-2 Middle School. The concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the band shell in Jackson City Park...

Today the Southeast Missourian launches a new home improvement column. "Ask the Builder" will run each Wednesday. Author Tim Carter's nationally syndicated column runs in nearly 100 newspapers across the country, both large and small. This marks his first newspaper in Missouri...