Stories from Monday, September 27, 1999

During a recent year in Cape Girardeau, more than 200 new businesses opened, but there was some bad news to go along with the good. More than 190 businesses closed. Actual figures for the year 1997 show 219 openings, with 199 closings, a net gain of 20 new businesses...

VTG Corp., parent company of Rapco International, has offices at the Lorimont Development. The Rapco manufacturing facility is north of Jackson. Rapco manufactures audio cables with worldwide distribution, primarily in the music industry. VTG is also involved in other investments, and the new office serves as an operation office, said Tom Kelsey, broker who handled the lease transaction...

Wednesday Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. and Duke Energy Corp. to dedicate new St. Francis Power Plant near Glennonville, 2 p.m. Friday Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce First Friday Coffee, Show Me Center, 7:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday Best of Missouri Market, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, 9 to 5 p.m. both days...

First Tennessee Bank will open a First Horizon Money Center branch office at the Lorimont Place Development. The new facility will specialize in consumer lending, including mortgage, auto and other loans. The Tennessee-based bank is in the process of opening several branches in the Midwest. Tom Kelsey, who handled the lease transaction, said the bank anticipates an October opening...

The latest incubator study for Cape Girardeau was conducted by Southeast Missouri State University's master of business administration students. The report, presented to chamber and city officials recently, supports the need for an incubator service in Cape Girardeau. The report indicated that most new Cape Girardeau businesses fail within 15 months of operation, pointing out a need for consultation and financial support...

This "Financial Focus" column is prepared by Edward Jones Investments, headquartered in St. Louis. Jones includes branches throughout the nation, including Cape Girardeau and Jackson. Do you think you are paying too many taxes on your investment earnings? If so, you might be tempted to seek a solution. And when you look around, you might just see ... your children...

Old Town Cape is on the move. During the past week, Old Town Cape's 15-member board of directors elected officers and approved the not-for-profit organization's bylaws. During the same period, an open meeting of volunteers has provided some members to four necessary committees, and a date has been set for another volunteer meeting...

Maid Solution, a residential cleaning service, has opened at 1130 E. Jackson Blvd. in Jackson . "We specialize in residential cleaning," said Cyndi Smith, owner of the business, "but we offer other services -- window washing, mini-blind cleaning, and move-in and move-out cleaning...

The Mobile AutoGlass Medix, a windshield repair business, has opened. The new business, a mobile service, will serve commercial and residential customers. Tammy Miller of Millersville is owner of the new business.

Beth Keller has joined Workforce Employment Solutions, 2520 William, as director of personnel. Keller has extensive experience in customer service, personnel and finance. She previously worked with M&W Packaging, Tri-Con Industries and State Farm Insurance...

Felicia Kennedy has joined Marilyn's Hair Design Studio, 125 N. Main, as a nail technician. Kennedy, who will be at the salon Wednesday, Friday and Saturday each week, has more than 11 years experience.

Tim Schwent, a certified public accountant with Schott & Van de Ven, Certified Public Accountants, recently attended a forensic accounting course sponsored by the Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants. The course covered fraudulent reporting, concealed assets and computer theft...

Larry Swilley has been named yard operations superintendent at the Associated Electric Cooperative Inc.'s New Madrid power plant. Swilley, who has 23 years of experience in coal yard operations, joined AECI in August 1973 as a temporary laborer. He moved to the coal yard in 1974 as a full-time utility operator. He was promoted to material handling supervisor in 1981...

Steve McClanahan of Charleston has been named chairman of the board of directors of Production Credit Association of Missouri. McClanahan has been stockholder of the PCA since 1969 and has served as a board member since 1994. McClanahan and his wife operate a farm southeast of Charleston, producing corn, soybeans and wheat...

Todd Gill, of The Gill Cos. of Dexter, has completed requirements to become a state-certified general and real estate appraiser by the Department of Economic Development Division of Professional Registration Missouri Real Estate Appraiser's Commission...

Kathie Huttegger, administrator at Perryville Family Care Clinic, recently achieved Certified Member status in the American College of Medical Practice Executives. Huttegger, who has been with Perryville Family Care Clinic since 1995, and is secretary of the Southeast Missouri Regional Chapter of Medical Group Management Association, parent organization to ACMPE, will be recognized during the MGMA Conference, to be held in October at San Diego...

Jan Clark has been recognized as a Centurion Producer, for sales performances with Century 21 Key Realty, Centurion Producers status is awarded to associates that earn $150,000 in gross closed commissions. Clark also received the Diamond Masters Club award for attaining Centurion Level for three consecutive years...

JEFFERSON CITY -- A significant increase in minimum basic training standards for police officers in Missouri during the 1990s has put better, more capable officers on the streets, according to several members of the law enforcement community. In the early part of this decade, becoming a state-certified police officer required just 120 hours -- only three weeks -- of training, putting the state behind all others in the nation in terms of law enforcement training standards...

Southeast Missouri State University is receiving millions of dollars to help get Southeast Missouri families off welfare. Some $4.78 million is earmarked for Southeast's Bootheel Initiative for fiscal 2000 and will coordinate 24 programs to assist welfare recipients and their families...

Terry Fulk knows that disasters bring chaos but he's prepared to handle it. At work there is an emergency kit and flashlight in his desk drawer, and a bank vault down the hall for extra safety in a tornado. But Fulk, whose office is inside a former bank building now owned by the city, wants everyone else in Cape Girardeau to be prepared for disaster too...

Calvin Brennan of Cape Girardeau joined about 300 other folk music enthusiasts for Sunday's fall concert at Bollinger Mill State Historic Site. "I came just to enjoy the music," said Brennan. Husband and wife Dave Para and Cathy Barton teamed up with Bob Dyer to perform as a trio Sunday afternoon. All three are from Boonville but spend much of their time traveling around the country entertaining...

You may not know him, but you know his work. Joseph Lansman, one of the premier architects of the region during the 1800s, was the builder responsible for many of the area's landmarks. He had a close relationship with the Vincentian monks and built many structures for them from his arrival to Cape Girardeau in 1837 until his death in 1899...

Southeast Missouri State University will celebrate Homecoming '99 Oct. 8-10 with the theme "Rolling on the River." Highlights of Homecoming weekend will be the presentation of the Faculty and Alumni Merit awards, the Homecoming parade, the Homecoming Music Festival, and the Vince Gill and JoDee Messina concert at 8 p.m. Oct. 8 the Show Me Center...

I READ with interest the Speak Out from the person who had trouble with the disparity among pictures of students in the Notre Dame yearbook. Hear! Hear! When our student first brought it home, his comment was that the members of the cliques whose friends were on the yearbook staff had their pictures taken more often and had their pictures selected more often. ...

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' recent reversal of a federal judge's ruling that prohibited the merger of Poplar Bluff's two hospitals took a lot of people by surprise. Particularly surprised were businesses. As a result of the Court of Appeal's decision, three business coalitions on health and two individual businesses have joined the Missouri attorney general and Federal Trade Commission in asking that the appeals court reconsider its decision that paved the way for the merger of Doctors Regional Medical Center and Lucy Lee Healthcare Systems in Poplar Bluff.. ...

It is nice to see that with all of her stardom, Sheryl Crow still cares deeply about the area in which she grew up. The Kennett native returned to her hometown Sept. 2 for a concert to benefit the new Kennett Education Center of Southeast Missouri State University. A sellout crowd of about 1,000 attended the concert at the American Legion hall...

Southeast Missouri State University's Seth Carriere has been named the Ohio Valley Conference Special Teams Player of the Week. Carriere averaged 36 yards on five punts, placing three of them inside the 20-yard line, and kicked a 35-yard field goal during the Indians' 21-10 loss at Western Kentucky Saturday night...

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- Southeast Missouri State University's women's soccer team fell a bit short of its first-ever victory here Sunday, but the Otahkians earned a 1-1 tie with Middle Tennessee. The Otahkians are now 0-4-1 overall and 0-0-1 in Ohio Valley Conference play. The Lady Raiders are 6-2-1 overall, 2-0-1 in the league...

PARK HILLS -- Notre Dame High's junior varsity volleyball team advanced to the championship game of the Park Hills JV Tournament Saturday where it lost to St. Francis Borgia 15-8, 15-3. Notre Dame enjoyed a dominating tournament up to the title game. The Lady Bulldogs went 8-0 in pool play then swept North County (15-10, 15-0) and Hillsboro (15-7, 15-12) in elimination play...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Lewis M. Goodman, 90, of Jonesboro died Sunday, Sept. 26, 1999, at the Jonesboro Healthcare Center. He was born Dec. 3, 1903, at Jonesboro, son of James Monroe and Della Lilly Miller Goodman. He and Ethel Hileman were married Aug. 24, 1939, at Jackson, Mo...

BERNIE -- Leonard Reed, 66, of Bessemer City, N.C., and formerly of the Powe area near Bernie died Friday, Sept. 24, 1999, at the Gaston Memorial Hospital at Gastonia, N.C. He was born June 21, 1933, at Powe, the son of Andrew and Edna Davis Reed. He and Virginia Lee Eubanks were married Jan. 20, 1950, at Piggott, Ark...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Wanda E. Rogers, 80, of Jonesboro died Saturday, Sept. 25, 1999, at the Union County Hospital at Anna. She was born March 6, 1919, at Reynoldsville, daughter of Harry and Mae E. Wilson. She and George William Rogers were married Aug. 4, 1936, at Reynoldsville. He died Jan. 17, 1989...

DELTA -- Frank Woodrow Kinder, 86, of Delta died Friday, Sept. 24, 1999, at the family home. He was born on Oct. 6, 1912, at Laflin, son of George Burrette and Annie Margarete McCormick Kinder. He worked for the Missouri Pacific Railway Co. on the bridge gang for 10 years. He also worked for Superior Concreters and Labor Union 282. He retired in 1975 as a concrete laborer...

SCOTT CITY -- Mary C. Eifert, 94, of Scott City, died Sunday, Sept. 26, 1999, at Fountainbleau Lodge at Cape Girardeau. She was born Aug. 17, 1905, at Commerce, daughter of Oscar and Philomena Witt Caldwell. She and August John Eifert were married June 18, 1921, at Cairo, Ill. He died Feb. 11, 1977...

Terry "Tony" Anthony Gagliardi, 53, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday Sept. 25, 1999, at St. Francis Medical Center. He was born Jan. 11, 1946, at Springfield, Vt., son of Antonio Mario and Dorothy Gagliardi. He and Cheryl Lynn Conner were married June 8, 1984, at Goodland, Kan...

SCOTT CITY -- Alene Gertrude Foulk, 79, of Scott City died Saturday, Sept. 25, 1999, at St. Francis Medical Center. She was born July 1, 1920, at Blodgett, daughter of Arthur and Estella Patton Penrose. She and William Henry Foulk were married Sept. 10, 1936, at Jackson. He died April 20, 1999...

PERRYVILLE -- Leona H. Moore, 84, of Perryville died Saturday, Sept. 25, 1999, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. She was born March 9, 1915, at Perryville, daughter of Carl O. and Hattie S. Bergman Wirth. She was a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church and VFW Auxiliary Post 4282 at Perryville. She retired from Prince Gardner Corporation...