Stories from Thursday, September 3, 1998

To the editor: Despite an unfortunate turn of events that have caused falling farm prices and recent diminishing exports of U.S. products, American agriculture has flourished in recent years. In fact, last year the United States saw a record $27.4 billion in trade surplus, and in 1996 new highs were reached in fresh, frozen and chilled red-meat imports. ...

Members of the Cape Girardeau Police Department will be out in force this weekend manning sobriety checkpoints in an effort to reduce incidents of drunken driving over the holiday weekend. "Labor Day Weekend marks the closing of the summer vacation season," said Chief Rick Hetzel. "During this, as in any holiday season, the potential for alcohol-related traffic crashes increases."...

Graduates and friends of Notre Dame High School will be able to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new during events next weekend. Events will be held Sept. 12 and 13 to celebrate the school's move to a new building along Route K. The old school at 1912 Ritter opened in 1954...

A Cape Girardeau woman who was asleep in the basement of her home when it caught fire Wednesday afternoon escaped through a basement door without injury. The living room of the house, at 1240 S. Sprigg, was gutted by the flames, Cape Girardeau fire marshal and battalion chief Tom Hinkebein said. The rest of the house received extensive smoke and heat damage. Many items in adjoining rooms were discolored and melted...

Local Cub Scout packs and Boy Scout troops are holding annual School Nights to Join Scouting. The first events are tonight. Boys in grades one through five may become new Cub or Boy Scouts at the meetings. Parents should look for flyers being sent home with boys describing the program. All new Scouts this fall will receive a St. Louis Blues Hockey team T-shirt...

The saying goes, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Some think it's sweeter when it's free. Knaup Floral, in conjunction with KGMO, MIX 104.7-FM and FTD Florists, distributed more than 10,000 free roses in bunches of a dozen for people to pass on to others, keeping one for themselves. Hundreds of FTD florists nationwide participated in the event...

`There is a place above all others, a place where dreams are chased like clouds.' -- `Everest' ST. LOUIS -- One-hundred-fifty people have died trying to climb Mount Everest, at 29,028 feet the highest mountain in the world. One third were swept away by avalanches, the rest simply fell off the side of the mountain or into a crevasse or succumbed to the blinding winds, the searing cold of 100 degrees below zero or the debilitating lack of oxygen...

Rick Procter Rick Procter's new exhibit opening Friday at Gallery 100 emerged from a time in his life when his wife, Frances, was away on a long-term teaching assignment. "This is what you do when you're not doing anything," he says, surveying the new collages on the walls of his downtown loft...

I WATCHED the Cardinals ballgame with Atlanta. I find that when the Cardinal pitchers are working, the strike zone gets very small. When Atlanta works, the strike zone gets very large. If a ball is one inch outside of the plate, it is a ball. All pitchers would be good if they got the calls Atlanta does. ...

By the time Cape Girardeau's voters go to the polls Nov. 3, officials at Southeast Missouri State University hope the voters are adequately informed to make a good decision about a city tax proposal to pay a portion of the cost of converting the former St. Vincent's Seminary campus into SEMO's River Campus for the arts...

Americans have pretty much accepted credit cards -- plastic money -- as a way of life. They have discovered the convenience of using credit cards rather than writing checks or carrying large amounts of cash. Banks have promoted the use of electronic transactions as a way to cut costs...

To the editor: In his recent rebuttal to Christine Stephens' letter, Alan Journet states that the world is severely overpopulated and facing an imminent crisis. Nothing could be further from the truth. It has been demonstrated mathematically that the entire population of Earth standing shoulder to shoulder would fit in an area the size of Jacksonville, Fla...

Sybl Depro sorted through 200 pairs of new, name-brand shoes donated to the Salvation Army Thrift Store. It was a plum gift for the store and shoppers who waited Wednesday morning to get their pick. Behind Depro, a mountain of black plastic bags filled with assorted clothing items also waited...

Community support of Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus is a sound investment, said officials from the city, university and Chamber of Commerce. Cape Girardeau Mayor Al Spradling III, chamber president John Mehner and Southeast executive vice president Dr. Ken Dobbins spoke Wednesday to the Cape Girardeau Lions Club at the Holiday Inn...

Construction is ahead of schedule on the $350 million expansion at Procter & Gamble Co.'s plant north of Cape Girardeau. The 850,000-square-foot building will house two giant paper machines and associated equipment to handle towel and tissue production, which is expected to start late in 1999...

BENTON -- Bob Dwyer hopes to smash the world watermelon record with big melons grown on his small Sikeston farm. Wednesday afternoon he weighed in a 201-pound melon, which might be the biggest watermelon grown in the world this year. Although this year's melon won't come close to the all-time record, Dwyer says it is another step toward his goal...

Sept. 3, 1998 Dear Patty, Part of the enjoyment of life in Cape Girardeau these days is the feeling that the city is on the threshold of becoming something it hasn't been before. One sign is a new music festival struggling to take root. It brought wonderful sounds downtown last weekend: high-test rhythm and blues from Nashville, zydeco, folk and varieties of classical and rock 'n' roll...

Eastern Kentucky's women's cross country team has won the past 17 Ohio Valley Conference championships. The Lady Colonels will be favored to make it 18 in a row this year and Southeast Missouri State University coach Joey Haines figures they deserve that preseason tag...

Even though Truman State has been decimated by graduation and figures to be a decided underdog against Southeast Missouri State University tonight, Bulldogs' head coach John Ware says his football team is not simply coming to Cape Girardeau to serve as opening-game fodder for the Indians...

Jackson High banged out 13 hits to defeat Cape Central 6-2 in girls high school softball action Wednesday afternoon. Jessica Sander, Melissa Palmer, Gretchen King and Carrie Myers all had two hits in the Lady Indian attack. Jackson (5-3) scored two runs in both the third and fifth innings for a 4-0 lead. ...

Brad Palmer is back to defend his Southeast Missourian Weekly Media Grid Picks championship this season. Palmer, the voice of the Cape Central Tigers on KZIM, won last year's title by going 10-0 in the final week for an overall record of 83-17. That was good enough to nose out Southeast Missourian sports writer Marty Mishow, who finished in second place with an 82-18 record...

Notre Dame will host a four-team softball tournament this weekend at the old high school. Sikeston, Poplar Bluff and St. Pius will join the Lady Bulldogs for the Notre Dame Softballfest that will feature a round-robin format Friday and Saturday. Friday, Notre Dame plays Sikeston at 4 p.m. and Poplar Bluff plays St. Pius at 5:30...

Host Notre Dame, Cape Girardeau Central and Jackson will be the local squads participating in the eight-team Notre Dame Soccerfest that will be played today through Saturday. Four first-round games will be played today, at both Shawnee Park and the field at the old Notre Dame High School...

Businessman and former Poplar Bluff physician Jerry Franklin McLane of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Sept. 1, 1998, at his home. He was 63. He was born Feb. 19, 1935, in Piedmont, son of Joseph Hal and Octa Gertrude Twidwell McLane. He and Sandy Mercer were married May 27, 1993, in Las Vegas, Nev...

MARQUAND -- Robert Chartrand Halbrook, 16, of Marquand died Tuesday, Sept. 1, 1998, in an automobile accident near Marquand. He was born June 10, 1982, in St. Louis, son of Edouard and Tammy Smith Chartrand. Halbrook was a student at Meadow Heights High School in Patton, and was active in various sports...

PERRYVILLE -- John H. Kruep, 85, of Perryville died Monday, Aug. 31, 1998, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. He was born May 15, 1913, in DeValls Bluff, Ark., son of Theodore H. and Margarethe Dust Kruep. He and Helen T. Kratoville were married Feb. 12, 1938, in St. Louis...

DONGOLA, Ill. -- Graveside service for Charles Polach Sr. will be held at 1:30 p.m. today at Calvary Cemetery in Edwardsville. The Rev. Paul Sadler will officiate. Hileman and Parr Funeral Home at Jonesboro is in charge of arrangements. Polach, 82, died Tuesday, Sept. 1, 1998, at Union County Hospital...

MARBLE HILL -- Ruby Hahn, 91, of Marble Hill died Tuesday, Sept. 1, 1998, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born May 7, 1907, at Sedgewickville, daughter of Henry L. and Mary Welker Angle. She and Dewey Hahn were married Jan. 30, 1926. He died Aug. 30, 1981...

MOUNDS, Ill. -- Gladys Titus Lucas, 84, of Glendale, Ariz., died Friday, Aug. 28, 1998, at her home. She was born March 19, 1914, in Chicago, daughter of Henry and Margaret Park. She first married Clyde Titus, who preceded her in death. She later married Horace Lucas...

DEXTER -- Lucille Henrietta Musgrave, 87, of Dexter died Tuesday, Sept. 1, 1998, at Dexter Memorial Hospital. She was born July 9, 1911, near Fairfield, Ill., daughter of Harry and Bertha Thomason Dallas. She and Owen B. Musgrave were married Oct. 9, 1929, in Fairfield. He died Oct. 19, 1975...

SIKESTON -- Funeral for Judge Marshall Craig of Sikeston will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday at First United Methodist Church, with Dr. Jim Davis officiating. Burial will be in Garden of Memories Cemetery. Friends may call at Nunnelee Funeral Chapel from 5-8 p.m. today...

Son to James Edward and Joy Elaine Beaird Jr. of Jackson, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 2 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 26, 1998. Name, Brayden Kelly. Weight, 9 pounds 12 ounces. First child. Mrs. Beaird is the former Joy Green, daughter of William and Nan Green of Jackson. Beaird is the son of James and Bonnie Beaird of Sikeston. He is employed by the U.S. Postal Service...

Pastor Arvil Huffman of Advance, Mo., was born October 21, 1917 in Whitewater, Mo., the son o f the late John Wesley Huffman and Carrie Schafer Huffman. He passed away at his home on Sept. 2, 1998 at the age of 80 years. Pastor Huffman was an ordained General Baptist Minister for over 50 years and was a member of Kinder Chapel General Baptist Church near Puxico where he served as pastor until June 28th of this year...