Stories from Sunday, August 16, 1998

To the editor: Judie Brown, president of the American Life League, says that a new National Wildlife Foundation project, the Fast Action Network on Human Population Issues, "reinforces the lie that our planet would be a wonderful place if it weren't so overrun with humans."...

In an effort to secure the safety of students arriving and leaving the new South Elementary School on Highway 25, Jackson school officials elected to install flashers alerting traffic of the school zone. Dr. Howard Jones, Jackson school superintendent, said this had been done at another facility and they felt is was quite beneficial...

The Tourism Committee of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce joins Jackson American Legion Post 158 to co-chair the Jackson Homecomers on Aug. 18 - 22. A welcoming address by Mayor Paul Sander at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday will signal the official beginning of the 90th annual Jackson Homecomers...

Firefighters enjoy the food provided by ARI. Porter Brewer and Flossie McDaniel man the grill Chew-Chew Bar-B-Q, the American Rail Car Industries' Safety Committee, wanted to find some way to say "thank you" to the dedicated members of Jackson's Fire and Police departments...

Lee-Rowan is the only company in America that supplies the building industry with both wood and wire shelving and organizers, according to new company president, George Hamilton. Hamilton, who had previously been with the Newell Anchor Hocking Specialty Glass division in Pittsburgh, has been with the Lee-Rowan group two months. He added that Lee-Rowan is one of the largest suppliers of home improvement products nationwide...

25 years ago: 1973 Police are investigating another vandalism incident in Jackson City Park, second this month; officers say vandals turned over several park benches and tables, threw trash barrels filled with garbage into Hubble Creek and damaged pay telephone; night of Aug. 1, vandals removed five wooden posts from ground, twisted traffic sign and broke lock on softball equipment storage shed in park...

American Rail Car Industries has been an established Jackson industry since 1985 employing about 200 workers. Many people, however, have no idea exactly what it is the company does. ARI is a components plant that makes about any part you might need for a rail car. ...

RADICAL RAY Umbdenstock recently raised the question as to whether or not the air will be the next thing to be taxed. Possibly. Personally, I think a good source of revenue for the government would be the blowing hot air emanating from Umbdenstock letters...

Political aficionados have long been told that all politics is local. This was a favorite theme of former U.S. House Speaker Tip O'Neill, and to some extent, his words carry a certain validity. Rejection of the O'Neill rule most often comes from those who disdain American politics in general and the behavior of political players in particular...

For hundreds of families in Southeast Missouri, the Procter & Gamble Paper Products Co. plant north of Cape Girardeau is more than a large corporate entity. For some 1,200 employees and their families, the P&G plant has been a top-notch employer and a much-sought-after place of employment...

In the Shawnee National Forest, located between the Mississippi and Ohio rivers in Southern Illinois, is a case study of how befuddled federal policy has become regarding vast forest resources -- and how inept the U.S. Forest Service has become in dealing with special interests that are pulling in every direction...

To the editor: This is regarding columnist Laura Johnston: Get a life. For one thing, she complained a few weeks ago about how long it took city street workers to repair our roads. I live in Cape Girardeau, but my husband has a farm near Jackson with a gravel road. I appreciate the paved roads with no dust or mud on your car or big rocks that fly up. Maybe we ought to buy Johnston a donkey to ride so she can avoid the detours...

Lee-Rowan first-shift associates enjoying Wednesday's barbecue. John Marshall, Helen Seabaugh, center, and Norma Korhler, who have been with Lee-Rowan 10, 23 and 15 years respectively, all agreed the barbecue was a very thoughtful gesture by the company...

JACKSON -- If anyone is responsible for the region's affection for the Tennessee walking horse, it's 97-year-old A.W. Wright, aficionados say. The breed was little known until Wright's stallion, Our Shadow's Boy, became the 1976 amateur owner and trainer world champion. Local horse lovers had seen what the easy riding, gentle-natured breed could do and has continued to do...

Methamphetamine. Just five years ago, there were few meth cases in the region. Cocaine and marijuana were the drugs of choice. Today meth abuse has reached epidemic proportions in Missouri. The state is second only to California in production and use...

The cows didn't talk, but Cape Girardeau City Councilman Melvin Gateley got the message: A new milking champion is in our midst. Gateley, who gained notoriety as the winner of the VFW's July Fourth milking contest, was upstaged Saturday afternoon by area dairy youngsters...

The political stripes have changed, but U.S. Rep. Mike Parker says he's just as conservative as always. Parker, a congressman from the Fourth District of Mississippi, was elected in 1988. Back then, he was a Democrat. Today, he is a Republican. He switched parties in November 1995, a year after voters across the nation made the GOP the majority party in the House...

Performance halls don't just sound good, they make dollars and sense, proponents say. They aren't profit-making machines, but the cultural activities performance halls showcase pay off in economic dividends for their regions, say those who are directing efforts to build performing arts centers in Cape Girardeau, St. Louis and Paducah, Ky...

There we were, the whole family crowded into Busch Stadium with 47,000 other Cardinal fans Friday night. Of course, we were there to root on Mark McGwire's quest to best Roger Maris' home-run record. Well, sort of. We actually chose the Friday night date because the Cardinals were giving away Smoochy, that lovable green and yellow frog of a Beanie Baby...

As a member of the news media who is always looking for an interesting and unusual story, what Southeast Missouri State University's basketball program has given us over the past year or so is hard to beat. First, we had the Ron Shumate saga, the tale of a longtime successful Division II coach who runs into plenty of problems once his school makes the move up to Division I...

It is largely because he believes so much in the abilities of his defensive coordinator that Southeast Missouri State University football coach John Mumford still expects the Indians to field a rugged defense in 1998 -- even though they lost some of their best players off that unit...

HOUMA, La. -- The Heartland Nationals 13-15-year-old team advanced to the national title game Saturday with a 5-0 victory over Wisconsin Rapids. The Heartland Nationals improved to 3-0 in the tournament and 11-0 overall. They will face host Terre Bonne, La., at 1 p.m. today in the championship game...

The Cape Area Youth Soccer Association will sponsor an entry level referee instruction class for persons 14 years or older. Males and females are welcome. Instruction will include 16 hours of classroom work plus a certification test. Any person who passes the test will be permitted to register with the United States Soccer Federation...

Ron Kirby carded his first hole-in-one during the Couples Scramble League Friday night at Cape Girardeau Country Club. Kirby used an 8-iron to cover the 135 yards of the par-3 No. 8 hole. Witnessing the shot were Priscilla Kirby, Keith Jones and Marlena Jones...

The third annual Autumn Open four-person scramble will be held Sept. 19 at Cape Jaycees Municipal Golf Course. The tournament is open to men, women and mixed teams. Entry fee is $120 per team with the field limited to 40 teams. Cash prizes will be awarded...

The St. Vincent DePaul Elementary School Booster Club will hold a four-person scramble Sept. 21 at Cape Girardeau Country Club. Cost of the tournament is $65 a person, which includes lunch, cart and beverages. For more information, contact Bob Brosey (651-4662) or Keith Boeller (334-9714)...

The Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department is accepting teams for a 6-on-6 co-ed indoor volleyball league. Cost per team is $216. Games will take place on Wednesday's for Division I and II, while Divisions III and IV will play on Tuesday's. Registration deadline is Sept. 14...

The Missouri Youth Soccer Association has scheduled tryouts for the Girls Olympic Development Program. For girls born in 1982 through 1986, tryouts will be held at the Mueller Sports Complex in St. Charles Aug. 23 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. and Aug. 24 from 6:30-8 p.m. For the 1985 and 1986 age groups only, an additional tryout will be held Aug. 31 from 6:30-8 p.m...

Southeast Missouri State University will have a special Labor Day celebration Sept. 7 when the Cardinals play the Cubs at Busch Stadium. Kohlfeld Distributing and Coca-Cola are the sponsors. From 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., a barbecue style picnic and beverages for all alumni and friends of Southeast will be held at Sverdrup across from Busch Stadium...

ADVANCE -- Robert M. Mashek of Advance died Saturday, Aug. 15, 1998, at the Parkland Health Center in Farmington. He was 87. He was born Oct. 20, 1910. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Morgan Funeral Home in Advance.

SIKESTON -- Wilma Young died Saturday, Aug. 15, 1998, at her residence in Sikeston. She was 92. She was born April 20, 1906, in Sandersville, Miss., daughter of Dr. John Duncan and Anna E. Heidelburg Smith. She taught home economics in the Sikeston schools for 10 years, retiring in 1971...

John William Peetz, a native of Jackson, died Friday, Aug. 14, 1998, at Mountain Home, Ark. He was 75. He was born Sept. 24, 1922, in Jackson, son of John K. and Bertha Bingenheimer Peetz. He married Dorothy Statler Oct. 26, 1946, in Cape Girardeau. She survives...

ANNA, Ill. -- George L. Sitter, 79, of Port Charlotte, Fla., and formerly of Anna, died Friday at Marion Memorial Hospital in Marion. He was born March 25, 1919, in Union County, son of Lyman F. and Pearl Marie George Sitter. On Dec. 15, 1943, he married Frances Hunsaker. She died Jan. 10, 1964...

A Dexter man was injured Friday night when the motorcycle he was riding ran off the road, struck an embankment and overturned. David Kirkman, 39, was taken to Dexter Memorial Hospital, the Missouri Highway Patrol said. The patrol said the accident occurred at 8:40 p.m. on Route KK, four miles south of Essex...

Jean Bell Mosley's new autobiography, "For Most of the Century," is only available in serialized form in the Southeast Missourian. Return each seek for her continuing story. 1980-1990 Perhaps Lauren's earliest memories of me will be entwined with small scraps of silk, calico, lace and little houses...

Jim Payne checked his okra plants after recent heavy rains and found them faring better than his tomatoes. Jim Payne isn't a farmer, but people drive for miles to his front porch to buy tomatoes. Charging 79 cents a pound, the same price he's asked for more than 20 years, clearly Payne isn't in the vegetable business for the money...

The Professional Secretaries International will gather for its month dinner meeting on Tuesday. It will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Cape Girardeau Drury Lodge. Members of PSI who attended the international conference in Atlanta will report on the meeting...