Stories from Friday, July 30, 1999

To the editor: I am enclosing a copy of a letter we sent to the Senate and House conference-committee members to produce a revised Satellite Home Viewers Act. Over 2.2 million direct-to-home satellite television subscribers all over America are losing distant signals of network television...

A broken main in Cape Girardeau spewing 2,000 gallons of water a minute was too much for the city's water system that was already strained by the heat wave. Water was being used faster than it could be produced, and reserves were being dipped into. It's hard to ask residents to stop using water except for necessities during a hot spell. Gardeners want to water their gardeners. Homeowners want to water their lawns. Swimming pools need to be topped off. Vehicles need to be washed...

You know it's really hot when golfers stay indoors. And a lot of folks who otherwise would be making the most of the outdoors this summer are forgoing most activities except for getting to and from work or other obligations. Southeast Missouri, like much of the middle part of America, is suffering from high temperatures. Why? Most of us expect it to be hot in the summer. So what's the big deal this year?...

IT'S A shame when people will not accept the proven truth about Mr. Clinton's character. In Speak Out, a reader blasted the Southeast Missourian for printing a comment that the president is a pervert. Well, if he exposes himself to women, grabs and fondles them, has oral sex in the White House with an employee, has affairs with many women and admits to many (the ones he can't lie about), he is a pervert. ...

Chamomile tea is a popular country remedy and has been used for many years for calming stomachs and improving general health. Vinegar. Honey. Baking soda. What sounds like the beginning of a less than tasty recipe is actually a list of cureall's treasured by area senior citizens for treating some of their most common everyday aches and pains...

In our culture a golden brown tan is considered attractive and most of us think we look healthier with a tan. Looks, however, can be deceiving. The fact is that our tanned skin is not healthier. The same damaging process that causes a painful, red sunburn occurs when we tan. ...

Five of Missouri's Republican state senators want Attorney General Jay Nixon to disclose how much money private lawyers are to be paid as part of the tobacco settlement. At least one legal expert says the legal fees should be disclosed. The attorney general hired outside lawyers led by Springfield trial lawyer Thomas Strong to represent the state in its litigation against the tobacco industry...

Anyone who has ventured outside in the past two weeks knows the heat is extreme, and the oppressive heat like that of Thursday isn't going away any time soon. A heat advisory for Southeast Missouri has been extended until Saturday. The heat index in Cape Girardeau reached 119 at about 3 p.m. Thursday with a high of 98 degress at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport...

The feverish weather that has dazed the region over the past two weeks also is making many people sick. The reason is that the high heat and humidity are causing the organisms known as mold to proliferate in record numbers. At a time of year when allergists usually twiddle their thumbs, the weather is torturing allergy sufferers and others...

The Area Wide United Way has fund raising on its mind, but organizers want people to know they are doing more than just raising funds these days. The United Way kicks off its annual fund-raising drive Aug. 26. A luncheon featuring Mark Twain impersonator Bill Waddell of Hannibal will be held downtown at the riverfront...

Sometimes it's better not to do what everyone else is doing: talking about the ... well, you know. The coldest I've ever been -- at least as far as I can remember -- was the winter in the early 1980s when we were living in Maryville, Mo., and it snowed 20 inches while we were out of town...

Many children find themselves coming home from school to an empty house. They come from both two parent households where both parents work and single parent households. Parents frequently hear their children say, "It's okay mom, I'm old enough to stay home alone." For some, it may not be a comfortable option, but it may be the only one available...

St. Francis Medical Center will have an even better defense against heat waves in the future. The cooling system at the hospital is not broken, but a little prevention may save some future headaches. The current cooling towers on the West side of the hospital are 24-years-old. The hospital is replacing the old towers with three newer ones that will be operational this fall...

The parking lot was full. Auto air conditioners were being taxed to their limits. Seconds before the clock struck 3 p.m., windows were rolled down, and people emerged from their vehicles. More than 150 vegetable/fruit shoppers headed for vendors on the Plaza Galleria parking lot on Independence Street...

The McDowell Capahas will have their final tuneups prior to the National Baseball Congress World Series when they play three games this weekend at Capaha Field. Those contests will also serve as the Capahas' final home games of the season, so this is a last chance for area fans to get a look at Cape Girardeau's highest-level summer baseball team...

Daughter to Teresa Ann Wren of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 12:40 p.m. Thursday, July 22, 1999. Name, Baylee Nicole. Weight, 6 pounds. Second child, first daughter. Ms. Wren is the daughter of Georgia Wren of Cape Girardeau, and the late Ralph "Sonny" Wren. She is employed at Stinnett Produce Inc...

ANNA, Ill. -- Mattie Christian, 90, of Anna, formerly of Perks, died Thursday, July 29, 1999, at Union County Hospital. Crain Funeral Home in Dongola is in charge of arrangements.

SIKESTON -- Funeral for Ruth Delplane of Sikeston will be held at 2 p.m. today at Ponder Funeral Home. The Rev. Carl Cox will officiate. Burial will be in Garden of Memories Cemetery. Delplane, 71, died Wednesday, July 28, 1999, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau...

GRAY RIDGE -- Ora Lee Moore, 83, of Gray Ridge died Wednesday, July 28, 1999, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. He was born Sept. 24, 1915, at Morehouse, son of Samuel Blanton and Anna Earl Holland Moore. He and Goldie B. Lowery were married Sept. 26, 1942, at Morehouse...