Stories from Saturday, December 4, 1999

Advent is a time of prayer and reflection, and an advent wreath can be used to focus on the season."An Advent wreath is an excellent way for families to keep the real meaning of Christmas in perspective," said Ellen Shuck, director of religious education at St. Mary's Cathedral in Cape Girardeau...

FIRST LOVE TO APPEAR: First Love, a country gospel music group, will perform at 10:45 a.m. Sunday at First General Baptist Church. Pictured from left are Scott Jones, his wife, Tina, their oldest son, Ray, and their youngest son, Wesley. The family has been in the ministry since 1997. scott Jones has written songs including, "One Drop of mercy," "The Sacrifice" and "At His Command."...

The Missouri Department of Transportation says an experienced bridge contractor will be hired to construct the main span of the new Mississippi River bridge at Cape Girardeau. MoDOT says it will consider only bids from general contractors who have experience in building bridges on the Mississippi, Missouri or Ohio rivers...

The planned Dec. 11 move into Blanchard Elementary School, which has been plagued by construction delays, has again been pushed back. In a special meeting Thursday, Superintendent Dr. Dan Steska told the school board he was uncertain when teachers and staff would be able to move into the building. Dec. 18th is now the target date, but the move depends on completion of some projects by subcontractors, general cleaning, a successful inspection and receipt of an occupancy permit...

Christopher Palmer, 10, and Nathan Wibbenmeyer, 11, don't like talking about the cancer treatments each has gone through.They would rather talk about pizza, football, video games, candy and getting out of school for the holidays.But the two boys agreed to talk about this not-so-favorite subject since they are honorary "chairkids" of Southeast Missouri Hospital Foundation's "A Christmas Story." The concert, which will be Sunday afternoon at Lynwood Baptist Church, raises money for programs and services of the hospital's Regional Cancer Center.Chris, son of Clifford and Jeri Palmer of Fruitland, and Nathan, son of Gary and Sue Wibbenmeyer of Cape Girardeau, met during last summer's "We Can Weekend," a retreat for cancer patients and their families organized by the Regional Cancer Center and which will receive most of the funds of the concert.The retreat, which is free to participants, is held each year at the YMCA of the Ozarks in Potosi, Mo., and offers educational programs and recreational activities to help participants learn to cope with cancer and have some enjoyable family time."Cancer is a disease that affects the whole family," said Nancy Mattingly, cancer program coordinator at the Regional Cancer Center. ...

I love watching my parents during the Christmas season. They fuss, cuss and discuss each other in running conversations as they battle to be victorious in the Battle of Christmas Decorative Splendor. This battle for decoration supremacy is hilarious because it's never vocalized. ...

Not everyone in Cape Girardeau knows how important sanitary sewer improvements are for growth and development, so city staff members aim to make residents more informed before an upcoming election.City staff members will begin meeting with civic clubs and organizations to explain the need for an $8.5 million bond issue to finish the city's sewer projects. ...

SIKESTON -- A brass manufacturing business was severely damaged by a fire that occurred overnight from Thursday to Friday, the Sikeston Department of Public Safety said. The fire was reported at 10:14 p.m. on Thursday at 204 S. Handy St., Capt. Drew Juden said. Firefighters were not able to get it under control until 1:30 a.m., at which point the rear of the building had partially collapsed while the rest of the structure had suffered major smoke and water damage, Juden said...

The Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce is looking to new programs and leaderships."We'll be revamping some of our structure," said Bart Ozbun. "We'll restruct some of our committees and add some new ones."Ozbun, vice president and financial counselor-in-charge of the local Merrill Lynch investment office, and chairman of the chamber board until early January, said the chamber was looking to the year 2000 and beyond."We're looking to continued improvements for schools and education; continued use of the Cape Girardeau Area Recruitment Association, and improvements throughout the city," said Ozbun, following the annual Chamber Retreat, held Friday at the Lone Star Natatorium. ...

Those who helped run the Area Wide United Way's 1999 campaign, those representing companies who contributed to it and those who run agencies that will benefit from those contributions all gathered for a victory party Friday afternoon. To the strains of the Jerry Ford Orchestra, which help kicked off the campaign Aug. 26, they celebrated the campaign surpassing it's goal of $750,000 during a reception at Dempster Hall at Southeast Missouri State University...

Cape Girardeau's nascent modern dance community took some baby steps toward maturity Friday night. In 10 pieces choreographed to music ranging from hip hop to a waltz to industrial rock to tangos, the fifth annual Fall Dance concert at Southeast provided an evening of dances that crackled with creativity. The performance was presented before an audience of about 150 at Academic Auditorium...

To the editor: Riverside Regional Library is proud to be in partnership with the YELL Foundation in working to provide literacy opportunities for area children. We thank the YELL Foundation for grant funding again this year to our main facility in Jackson and to our branch library in Scott City. ...

To the editor: Here are several suggestions for preparing for Y2K and other emergencies:Do not have a large amount of cash hidden in your home or business. Instead, go to the bank and buy travelers checks. They require you to sign one part of the check at the bank. When you want to make a purchase, you fill out another space to the merchant or person you want to give the check to, including yourself...

To the editor: In the article by Bob Miller regarding the basketball game between Central High School and Notre Dame High School which was played Nov. 30, Mr. Miller would lead his readers to believe that there was some sort of violence, anger or other unpleasantness involved. ...

WHAT A lot of hogwash, going after cigarettes instead of the hard drugs. What a smokescreen cover-up for the real killer that they haven't eliminated. If Clinton warred on drugs like he warred on countries and made the drug war his No. 1 priority, America could get cleaned up. What a fraud impostor he is for a president. Good riddance when he's gone...

A little less than two weeks after Southeast Missouri State University entered the market for a new head football coach, Southeast athletic director Don Kaverman says the search is going well and the pool of potential candidates is a large one."We're still accepting resumes, but we have quite a group already," said Kaverman. ...

Despite a 71-69 loss, Notre Dame made a statement against Sikeston, likely the best Class 4A school in the region in a battle of the Bulldogs Friday night. The 2A school that went 13-13 a season ago and got a No. 8 seed in the Sikeston tournament which begins Monday, has created a new identity under first-year coach Chris Neff with its relentless man-to-man defense and foot-to-the-floor effort...

All that stands in the way of Southeast Missouri State University's best-ever Division I start in men's basketball is an Oakland City team that figures to be outmanned considerably by the Indians. But tonight's 7:30 tipoff against the Division II Mighty Oaks at the Show Me Center is just the kind of game that puts some fear into Southeast coach Gary Garner."The worry any time you play a Division II team is that your players don't take the opposition seriously enough," said Garner. ...

Notre Dame girls top the list of teams that may just find their way to Columbia. It was a fairly disappointing year for fans of high school football in Southeast Missouri. No team from this region made it to a state championship game, although St. Vincent made it to the semifinals in Class 1A but got beat 21-0 by Rich Hill which won state...

MARBLE HILL -- Advance High's boys basketball team entered the season regarded by many as one of the area's best small-school squads. This week, the Hornets proved that they do deserve to be mentioned among the area's elite. Top-seeded Advance captured the Woodland Tournament championship Friday night by knocking off the second-seeded host squad 49-37...

One Cape Girardeau police car could drive through the intersection of Cape Rock Drive and Lexington Avenue successfully, but not two. A driver waiting at a stop sign at the intersection failed to notice a patrol car with lights and sirens running and drove into its side on Friday, Cpl. Kevin Orr said...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Imogene Boyer, age 81 of East Prairie, died Friday, December 3, 1999 at Sells Rest Home in Matthews, Mo. after extended illness. She was born June 24, 1918 in Big Sandy, Tenn., daughter of the late Ernest and Mary Prince. She and the late Johnnie Boyer were married June 20, 1938...

SIKESTON -- Ellen Rachel Walker, 75, of Sikeston died Thursday, Dec. 2, 1999, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. She was born March 5, 1924, in Portageville, daughter of Valley Brook and Julie Belle Rettig Worth. Walker was comptroller 20 years at Specialized Industrial Piping Co. in Memphis, Tenn. She later moved to Little Rock, Ark., and was a private secretary for the Ballard Family Foundation...

ANNA, Ill. -- Alma K. Fears, 91, of O'Fallon died Thursday, Dec. 2, 1999, at O'Fallon Health Care Center. She was born Feb. 9, 1908, in Anna, daughter of Walter and Ruth Coleman Hartline. She and James C. Fears were married May 10, 1947, in Cobden. He died July 26, 1992...

Wilda C. Rudert, 79, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Dec. 3, 1999, at St. Francis Medical Center.Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

DONGOLA, Ill. -- Verda L. Weeks, 86, of Dongola died Thursday, Dec. 2, 1999, at Union County Hospital in Anna. She was born Aug. 16, 1913, in Anniston, Mo., daughter of John Bryant and Edna Necie Williamson Nunn. She and Guy Weeks were married in 1933...

JACKSON -- Leopold Hofstatter, 97, of St. Louis died Friday, Dec. 3, 1999, at the home of a niece in Jackson, where he was residing. He was born March 11, 1902, in Vienna, Austria. He and Theresa Adams Mayer were married in 1971 in St. Louis. She died in April 1998...

DONGOLA, Ill. -- Violet Rosalee Coomes, 59, of Dongola died Friday, Dec. 3, 1999, at Jonesboro Healthcare Center. She was born May 30, 1940, in Alto Pass, daughter of Elmer and Mary Penrod Marks. She and Donald Coomes were married in April 1999 in Union County...