Stories from Monday, April 24, 2000

Ann Albrecht, a nurse in Southeast Missouri Hospital's Intensive Care Unit, has received the "2000 Critical Care Nurse of the Year" award, presented by the Southeast Chapter of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. The award recognized excellence, dedication, devotion and performance in critical-care nursing...

Cape Electrical Supply Co. of Cape Girardeau has opened a new store in Paducah, Ky. Southfork Lightning, 3231 Lone Oak Road, is the company's second store in Paducah. Southfork Electrical Supply opened in 1992 at 521 N. Friendship Road at Paducah. The new Southfork Lightning store will feature a fully stock showroom and display area, with an emphasis on lighting products for the home. ...

Parts Today, 517 N. Silver Springs Road in Cape Girardeau, held its grand opening recently. The new business, which has more than 1,400 parts for washers, dryers, refrigerators and ranges in stock, and offers another 5,000 parts via overnight service, presented a number of prizes during its grand opening...

Qwik Fix Shoe and Boot Repair, 211 S. Plaza Way, is under new ownership. Gene Benthal, who has worked in shoe repair 12 years, purchased the business, previously known as Marcy's Shoes & Qwik Fix Repair. Marcy Dockins, who has been in the shoe business more than 20 years, has moved to 3050 William in a new location, as Marcy's Shoes...

Donna Sharley of Fruitland, operations manager of Rhodes 101 Travel Center at the Interstate 55 and Airport Road exit, will attend the National Association of Truckstop Operations (NATSO) Government Affairs Conference in Washington next month. Sharley, who has more than 15 years experience in the fuel service industry and has completed a number of NATSO university courses, was invited to be a part of the Education Committee, and Government Affairs Committee, which will attend strategy and briefing sessions during the seven-day conference, and meet with members of Congress.. ...

Dr. Richard L. Kies of Kies Eye Center has received certification to perform hyperoptic refractive surgery. He has performed refractive surgery since 1993 and laser vision correct for nearsightedness and astigmatism the past year. Hyperoptic refractive surgery represents the first of it kind in terms of treatment of farsightedness, and earning certification required additional training and successfully completing the testing process...

James Cox of Century 21 Dutch Realty in Jackson has been honored as a "Quality Service Producer." The new national award recognizes producers who have produced outstanding service to their customers. Cox has eight years experience in the real estate industry and has been with the Century 21 System four years...

John Osborne, who has been with the Illinois Main Street program since July 1998, has been named interim coordinator of the state's program, which provided technical assistance and training in downtown revitalization to communities throughout the state...

It's that time of year when we scan our special "everything you wanted to know about, some things you never even thought about" mailbox. Going through the daily mail in the news room of a newspaper can be a chore, but it can also be a learning experience and provide some enjoyable trivia...

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. The economy is booming, unemployment is low and times are good. So why aren't more people saving?...

Marcy's Shoes has a new name and a new location. Marcy's Planet Shoes recently opened at 3050 William in Cape Girardeau. Marcy Dockins, who has been in the shoe business more than 20 years, moved to the William Street address from 211 S. Plaza Way. Marcy's Planet Shoes opened in Cairo, Ill., 22 years ago and moved to Cape Girardeau in 1986...

Spartech Corp. has announced five new thermoplastic sheet and rollstock products. Spartech, headquartered in St. Louis, has two large operations in Cape Girardeau -- Spartech Plastics, 2500 Spartech Drive, and Spartech Compounding on Nash Road. Bradley B. Buechler, Spartech president and chief executive officer, said the company had introduced 15 new products over the past three years, and is following up this effort with the five new products...

Drive-throughs are going to the dogs. And that's making some dogs and their owners happy customers at a number of Rhodes 101 Stops in the Cape Girardeau area. Any dog accompanying a customer at a drive-up window at a Rhodes operation receives a dog biscuit...

"May Madness," the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce membership drive, will start at 3 p.m. Friday at Capaha Park Shelter 3, near basketball court. For the first time, this year's drive will be a monthlong campaign. In previous years, a one-day "Membership Blitz" was held...

The Bootheel Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission meeting will be May 18, at a site to be announced later. The agenda includes election of officers and presentation of the commission's budget for the next year.

Southeast Missouri State University and Missouri Enterprise (MAMTC-Missouri) have formed a partnership to manage the Manufacturing Technology Resource Center (MTRC) at Southeast Missouri State University. This partnership will support the MTRC to better serve manufacturers in Southeast Missouri...

Mid-Valley Irrigation of Charleston has been honored for outstanding sales and service by Valmont Irrigation, a manufacturer of mechanized irrigation equipment. The Charleston company received a Valley Chairman's Circle of Success award during Valmont's annual sales meeting held earlier this year in Las Vegas...

STE. GENEVIEVE -- Scott has never seen those "big greasy things," but he knows what to do with them when he feels them. Scott, who became blind at 13 from a car wreck, pulls nut-and-bolt attachments from a box and slips them onto the ends of tie rod clamps. His margin of error is slim. If the 22-year-old fastens them too tightly, the clamps are rejected by machines at an automotive plant. When they're too loose, they fall off...

JEFFERSON CITY -- Missourians will not get a tax holiday this year, the sponsor of the plan said last week. State Sen. Ken Jacob, D-Columbia, had a bill that would have suspended state and local sales taxes on clothing items valued at less than $100 for a nine-day period in August. Jacob's proposed tax holiday was timed to coincide with the back-to-school shopping period...

About 150 candles flickered in the breeze at Sunday's candlelight ceremony at The Wall That Heals, a traveling replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall at Arena Park in Cape Girardeau. The candles, held by family, friends and veterans, symbolized the sacrifices made by those whose names appear on the wall, said John Ferguson, a Korean War veteran and chaplain of Cape Girardeau's American Legion Post 63...

You can have a choice in television viewing -- the best of 200 channels of satellite viewing and the four local channels via special antenna or basic cable TV. "We want people to have what they want," said David Michel of Down to Earth Satellite Systems in Cape Girardeau...

In the few years the Missouri Citizens Commission on Compensation for Elected Officials has been around, state lawmakers whose salaries are affected by commission action have continued to get pay raises, and the lawmakers themselves have continued the privilege of granting themselves those raises...

It isn't often that something comes along that can offer small farmers protection against the intrusion of government regulations and big-industry agriculture. That is why a plan to create a Missouri Agriculture Advocates Office within the state Department of Agriculture has merit...

To the editor: Several years ago, I was fortunate to coach a championship youth baseball team in Cape Girardeau. The scene most remembered as the winning team celebrated was the sight of the losing pitcher being berated by a parent. Having been involved in youth sports for several years, there are some things parents and coaches should remember...

Southeast Missouri State University's baseball team won't have to worry about the Ohio Valley Conference race today -- Belmont visits Capaha Field for a 2 p.m. non-league doubleheader -- but the Indians are certainly locked in quite a three-way battle for OVC supremacy...

Jane Ann Copen, 56, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, April 22, 2000, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born Sept. 2, 1943, at Cape Girardeau, daughter of Leonard Lee and Dora D. Worley Moore. She and Charles Copen Sr. were married Sept. 10, 1960, at Cape Girardeau...

DEXTER -- Edgar Gerald "Shike" Palmer, 82, of Dexter died Sunday, April 23, 2000, at Beverly Health Rehabilitation Center at Dexter. He was born Feb. 11, 1918, in Stoddard County, son of John Wesley and Ermin Iduma Greer Palmer Sr. He and Pearl Swan were married Jan. 24, 1942. She died May 21, 1999...

JONESBORO, Ill -- Wilma Carter, 81, of Jonesboro died Sunday, April 23, 2000, at her home. Arrangements are pending at Hileman and Parr Funeral Services at Jonesboro.

JACKSON -- Darrel Dean Mayfield, 63, of Jackson died Saturday, April 22, 2000, at Heartland Care and Rehab at Cape Girardeau. He was born, May 9, 1936, at Mayfield, son of Dayton and Kate Lincoln Mayfield. He and Carol McDaniel were married Jan. 25, 1958, at Kansas City...

Terry Jerome Gockel, 44, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, April 20, 2000, at his home. He was born Aug. 2, 1955, at Cape Girardeau, son of Leon Henry and Helen Louise Miller Gockel. He was a member of the Cape Girardeau Municipal Band for many years and also traveled with the Jack Stallcup Band. Gockel also worked for Shivelbine's Music Store for many years...

DEXTER -- Wayne Land, 85, of Dexter died Saturday, April 22, 2000, at the Vintage Villa Nursing Center at Dexter. He was born April 9, 1915, at Bearden, Okla., son of Charles Edward and Edna Miller Land. He and Aline Loretta Quattlebaum were married on Jan. 8, 1938, at Stillwater, Okla. She died Nov. 22, 1999...