Stories from Sunday, October 18, 1998

To the editor: I would like to express my views concerning the proposed merger of our two community-based hospitals. First of all, good health care that is close by is an absolute necessity for farmers. Also, due to the competitive nature of farming, it is important that health care be favorably priced. ...

A select group of America's teachers are being honored by their toughest critics...their former students, in the fifth edition of "Who's Who Among America's Teachers, 1998." All of the approximately 130,000 teachers being honored were selected by their former students who themselves are currently listed in "Who's Who Among American High School Students," or "The National Dean's List," publications which recognize five percent of our nations high school and college students respectively...

Activator Methods, Inc., reports that Dr. James W. Wills of Jackson, Mo., recently attended a post-graduate educational symposium on the latest advances in diagnosis and management of musculoskeletal pain. He has been updated and tested on the latest developments in soft tissue injuries, including recent studies on the field of chiropractic and the effectiveness of the hand held Activator Adjusting Instrument...

Practical Parenting Partnership (PPP) at Meadow Heights is having its first quarterly meeting on November 10 at the high school library in Patton. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. and babysitting will be provided. The topic will be nutrition. The meeting will coincide with the book fair in celebration of National Children's Book Week. A family night for the book fair is scheduled for Nov. 10 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m...

Members of the Wonderworkers FCE Club met Oct. 8 at the home of Nell Kieninger who opened the meeting with the devotional poem "Friends" and "Clutter." Club President Margie E. Reisenbichler led the Pledge of Allegiance. Roll call was answered with "Some heirloom I have and what it means to me."...

Blair S. Hinkebein of Jackson, Mo., was one of 400 boys and girls selected to give a demonstration in the 4-H Building at the Missouri State Fair on Aug. 16. Patrons of the Fair saw Hinkebein demonstrating a special skill on "How to Maintain and Care for a Horse." These demonstrations are a popular free attraction in the 4-H Building each year. ...

Plans are underway for the 7th Annual Chili Day, sponsored by the Jackson Noon Optimist Club. Chili Day '98 will be held on Friday, Oct. 30 at the St. Paul Lutheran Fellowship Hall in Jackson. Serving times are from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for lunch and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. for the evening meal...

Bishop John J. Leibrecht of the Springfield-Cape Girardeau Diocese will visit Immaculate Conception Parish in Jackson on Nov. 7, 8 and 9. On Saturday, Nov. 7, Bishop Leibrecht will celebrate the 5 p.m. Mass in Immaculate Conception Church at which time 118 teenage candidates will be presented to him for the Sacrament of Confirmation...

On Friday, Oct. 9, Bobby Lee Loos of Jackson was honored for completing 50 years of employment with Ceramo Company, Inc., in Jackson, Mo. Loos began work at the age of 19. Ceramo was founded in 1945 and wasn't departmentalized in its early years as it is today. Loos was one of eight employees and performed a variety of duties for his first year. During his second year there he became a kiln operator and remained in that department for 19 years...

The Jacksonian Charter Chapter of ABWA is again sponsoring the Miss Jackson Scholarship Pageant, Miss Christmas, Miss Junior Christmas, Miss Holly and the Little Miss Snowball and Snowflake Pageants. These pageants will be held Nov. 21 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. ...

Aging is a fact of life. How we handle growing older will be the focus of a special musical workshop on aging hosted by Southeast Missouri Hospital on Monday, Oct. 26. The workshop is free and open to the community. "I've Never Been Old Before" will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Hospital's Harrison Room. To register, call Southeast's Generations Family Resource Center at (573) 651-5825...

25 years ago: 1973 Public opposition to tentative plans to construct new county jail on north lawn of Cape Girardeau County Courthouse was received Thursday by County Court; Jackson Garden Club submitted letter opposing construction adjacent to courthouse because "it would be impossible to match construction of the proposed facility and that of the old" and would "destroy the symmetry of the present architecture"; it is first complaint received by court since court announced Sept. ...

A group of educational explorers will visit Cape Girardeau this week on a quest for knowledge about American history. The United States Expedition team will arrive in Cape Girardeau today to conduct research about the city's traditions, cultures and history. The team also will produce a report about the Mississippi River during its five-day visit to the region...

Superintendent's Office Action Items: -- Assessment of long-range plans -- Consider 1997-98 audit report -- Consider Alumni Club proposal -- Consider FY99 Special Education Assurance Statement -- Board policy updates -- Consider student's tuition request...

Thirty-one Democrats voted for the impeachment resolution the House passed week before last. Included in their number were two members from western Missouri, U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Lexington, and U.S. Rep. Pat Danner, D-Kansas City. Skelton called it "the saddest vote I ever cast," adding, "I went over it in detail, and it drove me to the conclusion that there should be a formal inquiry." Neither Skelton nor Danner has a strong challenger in this year's election...

Friday was to have seen a fund-raising visit to St. Louis by President Bill Clinton. On Thursday, approximately 24 hours before the visit, the White House announced that while the president would be raising funds in Chicago for U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun earlier that day, he was canceling his participation in the St. ...

Missourians glaringly displayed their indifference to public policy and governance when only 16 percent of the state's eligible voters turned out to cast ballots in the August primary elections. Ignoring both their responsibility as citizens as well as their responsibility to imprint public policy, voters in the state exercised their unconstitutional right to refrain from participating in representative government...

Gambling FACT$: Where campaign donations are concerned, gambling dough is plentiful and oh-so-easy. Where stand the two parties in Missouri? Republican committees in Missouri -- the Missouri Republican State Committee, the House Republican Campaign Committee and the Senate Republican Campaign Committee -- have all refused to accept donations from the gambling industry, despite tempting offers of tens of thousands of dollars in some of the easiest of all money to raise...

Before you discriminate against people who don't seem to have gotten their share in the brain department, you might try and remember how much you enjoyed being educated in a free environment without fear of being invaded from foreign forces on our shores. ...

The Four Seasons Chapter of the National Audubon Society will meet at 7 p.m. Monday at the Cape Girardeau Public Library, 711 N. Clark St. The program, "The Ecological Writing of Thoreau," will be presented by Mary Kullberg of Cape Girardeau. The October field trip to Pickle Springs Natural Area in Ste. Genevieve County will depart at noon Oct. 25...

Libertarian congressional candidate John Hendricks will be the guest on KRCU radio's "Going Public" show at 3 p.m. today. Hendricks is running for the 8th congressional seat. He will discuss his plan for Social Security and the Libertarian platform...

Silver Haired legislative delegates have chosen the five top priority bills for presentation to the 1999 session of the Missouri General Assembly. Silver Haired legislative delegates from all areas of the state met in Jefferson City Oct. 7 to 9 for their 25th annual session...

The Millersville United Methodist Church will hold its annual Stew and Pork Burger Dinner with homemade pie Oct. 25 The meal is for the Oak Ridge Methodist Charge, consisting of Oak Ridge, New Salem, Old Salem and Millersville Methodist churches. The meal begins at 11:30 a.m. in the church basement. At 1 p.m., a public auction will be held featuring crafts, baked goods, jams, jellies, fresh produce and other items donated by church members. Charley Mangels and Andrew Seyer will be auctioneers...

Agenda Monday, Oct. 19, 1998, 6 p.m. Central Junior High Cafeteria Action Items: -- Athletic foundation -- Pilot performance-based teacher model -- Fund transfer -- Approve amendment to 1998-99 district testing plan -- Perfect attendance incentive program...

Thirty-one of New McKendree United Methodist's Women members ages 80 years or older were honored Sept. 27 at the 10 a.m. service at New McKendree. Each of the women had given 50 years or more of service to Methodist Women's organizations. Two of the members, Hester Miller and Esther Wagner, were honored posthumously as they had passed away during 1998. All of the Sunday morning service was conducted by members of the UMW...

It is difficult enough for a piano teacher to get a student's two hands moving in tandem. Try 40 hands. That was the scenario at Saturday night's Monster Piano Concert at the A.C. Brase Arena Building. Ten pianos arrayed on the floor were played by 20 students at a time, in duets that ranged in difficulty from "Home on the Range" to Schubert's "Military March." More than 200 music students, most of them pianists from as far away as Dexter and Patton, performed in the fund raiser for the Encore Music Club, an organization of music educators. ...

Degrees were conferred on 332 students during summer semester commencement exercises Aug. 7 at Southeast Missouri State University. Area students receiving degrees were: Marble Hill: Eric G. Halter, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, major in marketing; Dava D. Moore, Master of Arts, major in exceptional child, graduated with academic distinction;...

Mayor Al Spradling III was one of hundreds of Cape Girardeans who waited in line -- some for up to 2 1/2 hours -- Saturday morning to dispose of their household hazardous waste. The slow-motion parade of cars and trucks at Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day began forming at 7:30 a.m. ...

PERRYVILLE -- Voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to approve an $8.8 million proposal to upgrade the city's water system. City Administrator Craig Lindsley called the upgrade "critical" to maintaining water service in the city. The water system is operating at near capacity, Lindsley said, and needs to be improved to support future residential, commercial and industrial growth...

BURFORDVILLE -- The historic Burfordville Covered Bridge does more than span Whitewater River. It spans plenty of memories like those of 90-year-old Byrcha Allen Stevenson of Jackson. She grew up in Burfordville. On Saturday, she returned for the 1 p.m. rededication ceremony of the 130-year-old structure, which sits next to a 19th century grist mill and is part of the Bollinger Mill State Historic Site...

Although the official designation of Cape Girardeau as a Weed and Seed site was announced by the U.S. Justice Department just last week, the city already has begun to put the program into practice. On Thursday, U.S. Attorney Edward L. Dowd Jr. announced that Cape Girardeau, Caruthersville, Charleston and Poplar Bluff have earned official Justice Department designation as Weed and Seed communities...

As parents of young children, we long for a little peace and quiet. Actually, we'd be perfectly willing to settle for some subdued, background noise. At our home, quiet time occurs only in the dead of night when our children are finally fast asleep and we're passed out from sheer exhaustion...

If it's true what they say about the good dying young, then Paul Webber certainly fits that bill. The former Jackson High School football coach, who passed away last Sunday at age 53, didn't have nearly enough years on this earth to affect the lives that he routinely touched through his coaching and general good will...

Southeast Missouri State University's football team came back down to earth with a resounding thud Saturday afternoon. After two consecutive impressive performances on the road, the Indians returned home to Houck Stadium and were destroyed by Tennessee State 38-7 in front of 5,714 fans...

All of Southeast Missouri State University's basketball players are looking forward to the start of the 1998-99 season. But probably no two Indians are more anxious to get going than Jeramy Biles and Roderick Johnson. Biles and Johnson both practiced with the Indians for the entire 1997-98 season -- but neither was eligible to play in games after coming to Southeast as transfers...

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- With Angie Aschoff being named tournment MVP Saturday, Southeast Missouri State University's volleyball team stormed to the title in the Southern Illinois Classic. The Otahkians, after beating Syracuse Friday night, won two more matches Saturday, defeating host SIU in four games (scores were not available) and rolling past West Virginia 15-5, 15-9, 15-3...

PATTON -- Second-seeded Meadow Heights ended St. Vincent's surprising run through the Meadow Heights Volleyball Tournament Saturday, defeating the Squaws in the championship match. Meadow Heights claimed the crown with a 15-11, 15-6 victory over the tournament's fifth seed...

The Southeast Invitational was little more than a walk in the park for the Otahkians cross country team. Southeast boasted the top three finishers and the fifth-place finisher in the women's 3.1-mile race. The Otahkians easily won the six-team event Saturday at Capaha Park...

Southeast Missouri State University's defense, which began the day as one of the Ohio Valley Conference's best units, took a major hit Saturday. The Indians entered the game against Tennessee State at Houck Stadium ranked first in the Ohio Valley Conference in rushing defense and second in total defense. Southeast was allowing the stingy averages of just 115 yards rushing and 284 total yards per contest...

The Jackson Swim Team will hold signups Sunday, Oct. 18, at Parker Pool on the Southeast Missouri State University campus. Sunday's signup will be held from 4:45-6:45 p.m. Signups will also be held at the same time on the following Tuesday (Oct. 20), Wednesday (Oct. 21) and Thursday (Oct. 22)...

Sen. Peter Kinder will host his annual golf tournament on Friday, Oct. 30 at Bent Creek Golf Course. Players from across the state will register from 9-11 a.m., followed by lunch at 11 and play starting at 11:30. Dinner will be served and prizes will be awarded at 5:30. The event is an 18-hole, four-person scramble...

The Cape County area chapter of Ducks Unlimited will hold its fall banquet on Oct. 24 at the Bavarian Halle in Fruitland. The evening will include a meal, auction, raffle and drawing. For more information, contact Joe Baker at 243-4600, or Tim Holshouser at 334-4266...

The Cape Aces will sponsor a girls fastpitch softball camp Nov. 14 in the Cape Girardeau Central High School gym. The camp will be divided into two sessions. Session I is for girls in grades 9-12 and will run from 1-3:30 p.m. Session II is for girls in grades 3-8 and will run from 4-7:30 p.m...

A baskeball rules meeting for coaches and officials will be held Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m. in Room 54 at Cape Central High School.

The Evening Optimist Church Basketball League is accepting registrations for its upcoming league. Team registrations are from 2-4 p.m. on Nov. 1 and Nov. 7 at the First Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau. For information, call John Eaton at 334-0243.

SIKESTON -- Don R. Miller Sr., 70, of Sikeston died Friday, Oct. 16, 1998, at the Missouri Delta Medical Center at Sikeston. He was born on Aug. 10, 1928, at Sikeston, daughter of Arlen and Blanche Moody Miller. He graduated from Diehlstadt High School in 1946...

ANNA, Ill. -- Mattie Viani, 88, of Cobden died Thursday, Oct. 15, 1998, at Union County Hospital in Anna. She was born April 8, 1910, at Chicago, daughter of Eba and Maggie Perrine Viani. Survivors include a sister, Irene Burnett of Switzerland, Fla...

Mark Anthony Taylor, 41, of 148 E. Cape Rock Drive died Friday, Oct. 16, 1998, at his home. He was a student. He was born on Dec. 4, 1956, at Duluth, Minn., son of Herbert Hoover and Joann Margaret Hella Taylor. He served in the Army from 1984 to 1986...

PERRYVILLE -- Lora W. Thompson, 55, of Perryville died Thursday, Oct. 15, 1998, at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis. She was born Oct. 12, 1943, in Bentonville, Ark., daughter of Elmer J. and Velma Ramsey Ward. She married Billy L. Thompson Dec. 24, 1960...

QUINCY, Ill. -- The matriarch of a prominent Quincy family was killed Friday, Oct. 16, 1998, in a two-vehicle accident at the junction of U.S. 24 and Ill. 96 in Adams County. Mary Ellen Hutter, 78, 3514 The Courts of Westview, Quincy, the driver of one of the vehicles, died from injuries sustained in an accident that occurred at 11:51 a.m. She was taken to Blessing Hospital where she was pronounced dead at 2:50 p.m...

POPLAR BLUFF -- Sue Beatrice Rodgers, 96, of Poplar Bluff, formerly of New Madrid, died Friday, Oct. 16, 1998, at Westwood Hills Care Center in Poplar Bluff. She was born Feb. 7, 1902, in New Madrid County. She was a homemaker. She married Thurman Leroy Rodgers. He died in 1959...

Opal L. Nenninger, 85, of 155 W. Forester died Friday, Oct. 16, 1998, at St. Francis Medical Center. She was born on April 27, 1913, at West Salem, Ill., daughter of George H. and Clara L. Marks Dawson. She married Marvin Nenninger on March 29, 1937...

PUXICO -- Imogene Koppman, 66, of Puxico died Saturday, Oct. 17, 1998, at her home. She was born on Dec. 27, 1931, at Leora, daughter of Seth and Carrie Farmer Overbey. She lived in the Puxico area her entire life. She graduated from Bloomfield High School in 1949...

DEXTER -- Charles "Curt" Hunt of Dexter died Friday, Oct. 16, 1998, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was 76. He was born Jan. 1, 1922, near Dexter, son of Trot and Hallie Herrington Hunt. They preceded him in death. He married Evelyn Temples in Piggott, Ark., on March 2, 1946. She survives...

NEW HAMBURG -- Sylvester "Vess" Heuring, 61, of New Hamburg died Friday, Oct. 16, 1998, at his home. He was born on March 30, 1937, at New Hamburg, son of Lawrence and Clara Gosche Heuring. He worked as a salesman for Homestead Distributing Co. He retired in 1996...

FARMINGTON -- Mabel S. Winter, 85, of Farmington, formerly of Perryville, died Saturday, Oct. 17, 1998, at the Camelot Nursing Home in Farmington. She was born June 13, 1913, at Frohna, daughter of Immanuel and Amalia "Molly" Schroeder Winter. She was retired as a nurse's aide from Perry County Memorial Hospital...

The Cape Girardeau Public Library will sponsor the first national Teen Read Week Oct. 19 to 25. The goal is to encourage reading so teens begin reading just for the fun of it. Teens in grades seven through 12 are invited to the library any night during the week from 6 to 9 p.m. Those who choose reading over television receive a free book...

Jean Bell Mosley's new autobiography, "For Most of the Century," is only available in serialized form in the Southeast Missourian. Return each week for her continuing story. With Mama's death that generation on both paternal and maternal sides was gone, folded into history, their pictures completed on the tapestry of time...