Stories from Wednesday, October 21, 1998

Majestic Giants pansies. A Bingo light rose pansy. If you're like me, you think fall is the best time of the year. The color is usually spectacular. Leaves turn golden yellow, crimson red and shades of orange. Fall mums are planted everywhere and are in full bloom. It is hard to breathe it all in...

A new coalition is focusing on increasing community pride in Cape Girardeau. The group includes representatives from 19 organizations. It is good to see all these organizations sitting down together to focus on building community pride. A unified effort should reap more benefits down the road. Everyone's on the same page. Everyone's working toward joint goals. This certainly seems a recipe for success...

Teaching current events has proved a sticky wicket for educators in today's political climate. Local teachers are focusing on President Clinton's legal wrangles and trying to stay far away from talk about sex. It is not as if current events classes can ignore Clinton's troubles. After all, this is history in the making. Even the recent Weekly Reader distributed to elementary students included a photograph of a troubled-looking Clinton and a story about the impeachment proceedings...

In the next couple of weeks before the election on Nov. 3, the SOUTHEAST MISSOURIAN will be discussing the proposed amendments to the Missouri Constitution and will try to put them into simple, understandable (non-legalese) language. We will also be giving more information on some of the candidates...

The Southeast Missourian asked students at St. Paul Lutheran School about the 1998 World Series with the Yankees and Padres. Alex Jauch: "I am hoping that the Padres will win. With Tony Gwynn and all the other good players, I think that they will win it. They should do better now that they are playing at home."...

The Rev. Fred Burgard knows exactly how many tiles line the floor at the Faith Evangelical Free Church and how many feet of carpet were used in the church basement area. Burgard, pastor of the 10-year-old congregation, helped lay the nearly 5,000 tiles and the carpets when the church was being built. Now the construction is complete and the congregation is preparing for an open house...

PERRYVILLE -- State Rep. Patrick Naeger faces one challenger in November. The Perryville Republican is seeking re-election to a third term. Democrat Diane Edwards of Brewer said she voted for Naeger when he won election to the House in 1994. But she has since become disillusioned with him and is challenging the incumbent for the 155th District seat...

JACKSON -- The Jackson Board of Aldermen is considering instituting new fines and streamlining the handling of nuisances. Proposed amendments to the city's Code of Ordinances primarily would affect how the city deals with the three most common nuisances -- abandoned vehicles, weeds and dilapidated buildings...

To the editor: As adults, we recognize that from time to time we are presented with certain defining moments, times at which we are presented with decisions that will chose which path we take. I believe one such defining moment for the community of Chaffee occurred on Oct. 13 as three member ministers met for a Chaffee Ministerial Alliance meeting...

Cape Girardeau County needs comprehensive technology education and affordable, accessible public transportation, said a group of a dozen people in assessing future plans for the University of Missouri Extension program. Tuesday's meeting was the first scheduled by extension in Cape County. Information collected at the meeting and future meetings will be used to determine what educational programs the county extension program will offer through the end of the century...

JACKSON -- Dr. Howard Jones, superintendent of the Jackson School District, will retire from the district July 1. The Jackson Board of Education accepted his retirement during a special board meeting Tuesday night. Board members also authorized Jones to enter into contract negotiations with the Missouri School Boards Association to handle the search for a new superintendent. ...

Over the next few weeks, members of Cape Girardeau's Community Pride Coalition will choose goals and outline plans for making the city a better place to live. Then it will be time to get to work making the goals a reality, said Dr. Charles Kupchella, one of the organizers of the coalition and provost at Southeast Missouri State University...

CAIRO, Ill. -- A former Cairo resident, John Warden, is lead attorney for William Gates and his company, Microsoft Corp., in the antitrust lawsuit brought against the company by the federal government. Warden, of New York's Sullivan and Cromwell law firm, is representing Microsoft at the trial that began Monday in Washington...

It's not that I enjoy the company of men more than women, because I don't. Women tend to be much more responsible, nurturing and able to put our own underwear in laundry hampers. But too much estrogen combined with too much cold cream can be a dangerous mix...

Needless to say, our return to Houck Stadium last Saturday after two strong road performances did not go as planned. Tennessee State capitalized and seized the momentum of the game in the second quarter and handed our Southeast Missouri State football team a 38-7 defeat...

Southeast Missouri State University volleyball coach Cindy Gannon was afraid her team might be looking ahead to Thursday's big showdown at Eastern Illinois. But if the Otahkians were, you sure couldn't tell it by the way they rolled past visiting Austin Peay Tuesday night...

Southeast senior Janelle Quigley has been named the OVC Co-Runner of the Week. It marks the third time this season Quigley has been recognized. She shared the award with Morehead State's Amy Beatty. Quigley led Southeast to the team crown at the Southeast Missouri Invitational on Saturday...

The Jackson Swim Team will hold two more signups at Parker Pool on the Southeast Missouri State University campus, Oct. 21 and Oct. 22 from 4:45-6:45 p.m. For more information, contact Ruth Ziegler at 243-8169.

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.

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...

PERRYVILLE -- St. Vincent High's volleyball team, finishing its regular schedule strong, won an emotion-charged match on the court of its cross-town rival Perryville High Tuesday night. After dropping the first set 6-15, St. Vincent bounced back with wins of 15-3 and 17-15...

SIKESTON -- Herman Hollas Hughes, 76, of Sikeston died Tuesday, Oct. 20, 1998, at his home. He was born Nov. 4, 1921, in Russellville, Ala., son of John R. and Della Mae Sisson Hughes. He and Mayme Jane McDonald were married July 20, 1940, in Double Springs, Ala. She died Dec. 2, 1988. He later married Ruby Mae Dufur Dec. 12, 1994, in Sikeston...

BERTRAND -- Lucille E. McDonald, 86, died Tuesday, Oct. 20, 1998, at Bertrand Nursing Facility. She was born Nov. 22, 1911, in Paul's Valley, Okla., daughter of James Pickens and Annie E. Perry Jones. She and Willie "Bill" McDonald were married July 25, 1936, in White's Chapel, Ala. He died Oct. 24, 1967...

MARBLE HILL -- Robert "Bic" Penn, 55, of Dunstable, Mass., died Monday, Aug. 31, 1998, in Boston, Mass. He was born June 29, 1943, in St. Louis, son of Josie Rae Hopkins of Kansas City and Claude Penn Johnson of Marble Hill. Penn was a graduate of the University of California in Los Angeles. He was employed by Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, and was a registered professional in mechanical and nuclear engineering...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Walter Teals, 102, of Cairo died Friday, Oct. 16, 1998, at Beverly Health and Rehabilitation Services of Cape Girardeau, Mo. He was born Aug. 15, 1896, in Tunica, Miss., son of Willard and Cora Teals. Funeral will be private, with burial in Calvary Cemetery at Villa Ridge...

EAST CAPE GIRARDEAU, Ill. -- Robert F. Popstein, 60, of East Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Oct. 18, 1998, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo. He was born Dec. 6, 1937, in Peotone, son of Frank and Eileen Ravens Popstein. Popstein was a forklift operator at Roper in Bradley for 17 years. He had lived in this area three years. Popstein served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War...

Edward Martin Thiele, 85, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Oct. 20, 1998, at St. Francis Medical Center. He was born Aug. 23, 1913, at Egypt Mills, son of Martin and Caroline Margraf Thiele. He and Mona Wilkinson were married Nov. 16, 1968, at Marble Hill...

DEXTER -- Funeral for Roy Davison of Dexter will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday at Watkins and Sons Funeral Home in Dexter. Pastor Tim Russell will officiate, with burial in Dexter Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home from 5-8 p.m. today. Davison, 51, died Monday, Oct. 19, 1998, at Dexter Memorial Hospital...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Bertha Loomis Garland, 81, of East Prairie died Monday, Oct. 19, 1998, at East Prairie Nursing Center. She was born April 1, 1917, in New Madrid County, daughter of Luther and Lela Peteet Burns. She and Willie Lee Loomis were married in 1932. He died April 18, 1966. She later married Asberry Garland June 30, 1970. He died Dec. 21, 1994...

Daughter to Virgil Edwin and Kelly Leigh Myers of Advance, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 9:36 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 11, 1998. Name, Samantha Gayle. Weight, 5 pounds 1 ounce. Second daughter. Mrs. Myers is the former Kelly Burch, daughter of Donald and Margaret Burch of Bernie. She is employed by Tyson Foods at the Dexter Processing Plant in Dexter. Myers is the son of Ellen Myers of Advance, and the late Bob Myers. He is employed at Consolidated Plastics in Bloomfield...

ADVANCE -- Donna K. Hinkle, 49, of Advance died Tuesday, Oct. 20, 1998, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born May 23, 1949, in Bloomfield, daughter of Donald and Anna June Goff Messer. She and Dewaine Hinkle were married June 29, 1968, at Aquilla...