Stories from Sunday, August 6, 2000

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. -- LaDonna Jean Tatum, 55, of East Prairie died Friday, Aug. 4, 2000, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. She was born June 29, 1945, in Wyatt, Mo., daughter of Junior Forrest and Margie Bailey. She and Finley E. Tatum were married Dec. 3, 1983. He died July 20, 1995...

Romance novelist Lori Handeland will speak at the third annual meeting of The Riverside Regional Friends of the Library on Aug. 10 at the Perryville branch. Handeland will speak on literacy and on the process of taking a novel from the idea stage, to a completed book and to the publishing process. Members hope to increase awareness of the group and recruit new members. The group supports the Riverside Regional Library system, which includes branches in Cape, Scott and Perry counties...

Ninety years separated the ages of the minister and the baptismal candidate at Iona Baptist Church, July 16. Rev. S. S. Borum, retired Baptist minister, age 96, baptized Jalana Jo Johnson, age 6. Jalana is a family friend of Borum and was led to Christ by him...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- All area non-profit organizations, including schools, churches, and hospitals, are invited to benefit from Westfield Works Wonders, a special evening of holiday shopping at Westfield Shoppingtown West Park. The third annual event, Westfield Works Wonders will be held this year Nov. ...

The Chamber of Commerce is in existence because of its membership. The members provide the manpower, money, and moxie that make this Chamber run. And for that I want you to know that we appreciate you and all that you give to us and the community you live in. By the same token, we feel that the Chamber gives something to its members, besides a good feeling. So just what does a membership in the Chamber of Commerce provide you? Let's take a look...

Remember when olestra made the news? It is a fat substitute that gives foods the same taste and texture as fats. The body does not absorb olestra. This property has some advantages for people who wish to limit fat in the diet. Olestra has some disadvantages as well. It causes diarrhea in some people. It keeps certain vitamins from being absorbed. All products containing olestra must have these vitamins added...

While rapid growth of a community can sometimes have mildly unpleasant side effects for some aspects of community life, there "is no down side" to growth for the business community. So believes Ken Parrett, executive director of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce...

Edith Boyd Davis Gordon, 99, of Columbus, Ohio, died Saturday, Aug. 5, 2000, at Hilliard Nursing Home in Columbus. She was formerly of Anna, Ill. Arrangements are pending at Lutz & Rendleman Funeral Home in Anna.

Water usage is up with the temperature in Jackson this summer. We are not experiencing any water shortages or other problems associated with the increased use of water. The addition of another city water well last year along with the upgrade in the conditioning of other existing wells has proven to be a good investment. ...

Traveling faster than the speed of light and living in a parallel dimension universe was the stuff of science fiction when I was growing up. Never mind that scientists told us these things were not possible, it made for good reading. Now, several years later, scientists have announced they have sent atomic particles moving faster than 300 times the speed of light and the book The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene, which has been on the New York Time's best selling list since February, tells us that we probably live in a ten dimensional universe!. ...

I suppose two of the things that most intrigue me are shipwrecks and politics. These are two topics that will keep me up late at night, trying to absorb every detail and opinion. They are also two of the rare events that will lead me to watch the time and make sure I'm in front of the television set at a given hour. After going without TV for a year and a half (1994-95), my habits changed, to where I usually just have the set on when I'm eating a meal or have nothing else to do...

The Oliver House, located at 224 E. Adams in Jackson, will be open to the public for guided tours from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. today. A collection of celluloid photo albums and boxes owned by Kevin and Debbie Schearf will be the featured display. The Schearfs have over 20 celluloid items, which they have obtained over the past five to 10 years. The celluloid items were popular in the late 19th and early 20th century...

The Village of Gordonville July 17, 2000 Chairman Brad Burgess called the regular monthly meeting to order at 7:36 p.m. Members present were Brad Burgess, Tim Goodman, Kathy Maynard and Sheila Gross. Guests present were Steve Southard Jr. Swift, Richard Cochran, Bill Dalton, Tim Riggs and John McAllister...

Entry forms for the Annual Talent Show during Jackson Homecomers Celebration are available at the Jackson Chamber of Commerce office. The forms must be returned by Aug. 15, with participation being on a first-come, first-served basis. Homecomers will be Aug. 22-26, also the first week of school. The talent show Wednesday through Friday. It will be held on the stage in front of the courthouse, as always...

MOREHOUSE, Mo., -- Billie Joe Harp, 75, of Morehouse died Friday, Aug. 4, 2000, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Harp was born July 6, 1925, at Morehouse, son of Fredrick Otis and Beatrice Adams Harp. He and Betty J. Summers were married Jan. 14, 1947...

JERSEYVILLE, Ill. -- Evelyn L. Schaefer, 75, died Friday at Greenwood Manor Nursing Home in Jerseyville, Ill. She was born in Jackson, Mo., daughter of John Edward and Artie Godwin McGuire. She was a graduate of Cape Central High School. She and James F. Schaefer were married Aug. 2, 1947, in Cape Girardeau...

ANNA, Ill. -- Zelma E. Hall Brown, 91, of Anna died Saturday, Aug. 5, 2000 at City Care Center of Anna. She was born April 16, 1909, in Anna, daughter of Ernest and Josie Lingle Mowery. She and Jack Hall were married in 1934. She and Rob Brown were married in 1972. He preceded her in death...

BENTON, Mo. -- Louise Marie Bauer, 94, of Benton died Thursday, Aug. 3, 2000, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Sept. 12, 1906, at St. Louis, daughter of Charles and Sophie Lahr Schabhan. She and Wilbert Elmer Bauer were married June 16, 1928, at St. Louis...

FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- Gladys Miller, 81, of Fort Wayne, Ind., formerly of Centralia, Ill., and Ullin, Ill., died Saturday, Aug. 5, 2000, in Hospice Home of Northeast Indiana in Fort Wayne. She was born July 31, 1919, at Ullin, daughter of Edward and Ora Taake Eichorst. She and Lewis Miller were married May 17, 1953, at Centralia...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- Vivian Marie Kinder, 79, of Scott City died Saturday, Aug. 5, 2000, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Oct. 26, 1920, at Advance, Mo., daughter of Herman and Laura McNamee Winemiller. She and Eugene Bernard Kinder were married Dec. 19, 1934, at Bloomfield. He died June 7, 1986...

MOUNDS, Ill. -- Thomas L. Nixon, 50, of Mounds died Friday, Aug. 4, 2000, at Owensboro Mercy Hospital in Owensboro, Ky. He was born Dec. 6, 1949, in Cairo, Ill., son of Jay and Ruth Smoot Nixon. He and Ellie Nixon were married. Nixon was a veteran of the Vietnam War, having served in the Navy. ...

COBDEN, Ill. -- E. Clifton Sensmeier, 81, of Cobden died Friday, Aug. 4, 2000, at Union County Hospital in Anna. He was born March 27, 1919, in Union County, Ill., son of Ernest C. and Nell Dillow Sensmeier. He and Antoinette Brown were married July 2, 1939. She died Oct. 10, 1993. He and Betty Mills were married Jan. 9, 1994, in Las Vegas, Nev...

Lawrence L. Maevers, 86, of Cape Girardeau died at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau Saturday, Aug. 5, 2000. He was born at Egypt Mills, Mo., July 23, 1914, son of Albert F. and Laura Lueder Maevers. He married Lorene Schwartz. She survives. He was an engineer at the power plant at Southeast Missouri State University 15 years. He had also worked for International Shoe Co. and Davis Electric...

JACKSON, Mo. -- William A. Teson, 76, of Jackson died Friday, Aug. 4, 2000, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born April 11, 1924, in Florissant, Mo., son of Walter William and Florence Lajueness Teson. He and Evelyn Walker were married June 24, 1943...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Most of Cape Girardeau County's registered voters are expected to sit out Tuesday's primary election. County Clerk Rodney Miller, the county's chief elections officer, said 30 percent of the county's 46,867 registered voters may go to the polls...

A thin, young man leaped over the counter at a Bank of America branch in Cape Girardeau Saturday morning, grabbed money from a teller's drawer, leaped back and ran out a rear door with a handful of cash, witnesses said. "He must have been some sort of athlete," said Earl Holmes of Sikeston, who was cashing a check when the robbery occurred. "He leaped like a squirrel."...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Optimism among school officials varies regarding the chances of passage of two school funding proposals to be considered by voters during elections on Tuesday. Campaign chairman Jack Litzelfelner feels certain voters will approve the proposals, which include a $6 million bond issue and operating tax levy increase that would together increase the district's tax levy a total of 50 cents per $100 assessed valuation...

A fire at the Campbell Mattress Co. caused over $400,000 in damage on Saturday, but no one was injured, Cape Girardeau firefighters said. The warehouse fire at 100 Minnesota St. was reported to firefighters at 1:33 p.m., but witnesses reported seeing smoke from points west of Interstate 55...

As Tufts University geneticist Stuart Levy sees it, Americans are obsessively clean, coating everything with anti-bacterial soaps and chemicals. Stuart thinks all that scrubbing has weakened our immune system, killing helpful germs and spurring the growth of mutant bacteria that threatens to wreak havoc on our world. Where's Superman when you need him?...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- It's been a long time coming, but the House of Refuge for Abused and Battered Women is nearly complete. Services may be offered as soon as October For three years there was talk of a safe house for women, a place to go to escape the brutality endured in abusive relationships and a chance to start over...

OTTAWA, Ill. -- A Scott City, Mo., man has been scheduled to stand trial for murder on Nov. 6, but the county prosecutor has said the date is likely to be postponed. Richard G. Meyer appeared in LaSalle County Court on Friday for arraignment after being indicted by a grand jury earlier in the week on two counts of first degree murder, concealing a homicide and criminal damage to property, the Daily Times newspaper of Ottawa, Ill., reported...

Paige Bomar can ride a bicycle, run and play just like other children, but sometimes she gets a little tired or suffers a headache. "We want her to live as normal a life as long as she can," said her mother, Dana Bomar. Paige is the oldest of three children. Her sister, Megan, is 8 and a brother, Hunter, is 3...

There's some good news and some bad news for hunters, hikers, and outdoor enthusiasts concerning venomous and non-venomous snakes. The good news is that the risk of dying from a venomous snakebite in the United States is low. The bad news is that the potential for a venomous snakebite exists in more than two-thirds of the country, including Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois...

Two Republicans and a Democrat are taking issue with a recent letter mailed out to Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce members concerning the upcoming race for representative in Missouri's 158th District. The letter, written by mayor Al Spradling, endorses Republican candidate Jason Crowell...

Monday marks the first day of practices for fall prep sports in the state of Missouri. Finally, football season has arrived. As is the same every year, coaches are optimistic and confident, fans are anxious and mothers are nervous. And there's one more thing that's the same every year at the first day of football practice: It's hot...

Like a sly old fox, Roy Kidd --Eastern Kentucky's legendary football coach -- seemed somewhat incredulous Wednesday as he talked about his team being picked to win the 2000 Ohio Valley Conference championship. Kidd, during the league's annual media day in Nashville, Tenn., wondered how a squad that finished tied for third in the conference a year ago could be tabbed as the preseason favorite...

Loren Groves of Chaffee fared extremely well during the AAU National Junior Olympics held this past week in Orlando, Fla. The 14-year-old was fourth in the discus, fifth in the pentathlon, seventh in the 100 hurdles and seventh in the 200 hurdles. Groves, who will be entering her freshman year at Chaffee High School, had qualified for the National Junior Olympics by starring during the AAU regional meet held in Kansas. ...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- The Cape Girardeau County Senate Bill 40 board will hold its monthly meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the VIP Sheltered Workshop at 1330 Southern Expressway. The public is invited to attend. The first 20 minutes are open for public comment, said Bob Landgraf, chairman. This will be followed by a short business meeting, in which the treasurer will approve invoices and deposits and new business will be discussed...

The Republican National Convention hardly made a dent on the TV-viewing habits of most Americans. On the heels of the nominations and platform debates and stirring speeches -- all urging Americans to embrace their moral roots -- too many of us would be hard-pressed to name the GOP nominee and his running mate...

To the editor: It is truly disconcerting how religions, institutions which posit themselves as vehicles for the salvation of mankind and as arbiters of right living, allow their institutional interests to act as barriers to peaceful living in this world -- the only world hospitable to life about whose existence there is no doubt...

In the past couple of weeks, businessman Jim Drury has presented claims to readers of this newspaper under the guise of fact. Close scrutiny of Mr. Drury's information shows that his "facts" either raise red herrings or present incorrect information. ...

HAVING COFFEE with a few friends, we discussed the most disgusting acts of politicians since the country was founded. Of course, No. 1 was Mr. Clinton's deeds, but running a close second was the Democratic members of the House marching on Capitol Hill to show their support for a president who had lied and had oral sex in the White House with a young intern half his age. ...

There's more to being a pool lifeguard than cool shades and deep tans. Lifeguards who keep a close eye on people swimming and playing in the pool say it's not a job for day dreamers. The most important thing is to stay focused. "Most people think it is an easy job," said Kurt Glastetter, 18, of Cape Girardeau. But he said the job's tougher than many people realize. This is Glastetter's first summer as a lifeguard at the Central Municipal Pool...

Mr. and Mrs. Joe A. Francis of Cape Girardeau celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary July 29, 2000, at a surprise barbecue and Gammon family reunion. Hosts were their daughter, Diana Thompson; a son, Kirk Francis; and a sister of Mrs. Francis, Betty Hardy. The event was held at the Thompson home...

JACKSON, Mo. -- New McKendree United Methodist Church was the setting May 27, 2000, for the wedding of Polly Ann Jones and Kent Arthur Koch. The Rev. O. David Griffin performed the double ring ceremony. Organist was Linda Thompson of Jackson, and guitarist and vocalist were Steve and Sarah Wilson of Nashville, Tenn...

Sherry Lynn Arant and Bryan Gene Helm exchanged vows May 6, 2000, at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. The Rev. Milton Ryan performed the double ring ceremony. Cantor was Alan Bruns of Cape Girardeau. Organist was Jeffrey Overbey of Cape Girardeau, and soloist was Barbara Daugstrup of Rocky River, Ohio...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Hope LaRae Welker and Steven Micheal Yenicek were married May 20, 2000, at First Assembly of God Church. The Rev. Dean Heady performed the double ring ceremony. Parents of the bride are Jacob R. Welker of Cape Girardeau and Mary J. Rodgers of Scott City, Mo. The groom is the son of Joan Yenicek of Florissant, Mo...

Mr. and Mrs. Joe Koelzer of Cape Girardeau celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a dinner July 15, 2000, at Port Cape. Hosts were their daughters, Vicki Harris and Mary Nistendirk of Cape Girardeau. Koelzer and Shirley Griffith were married July 15, 1950, in Piggott, Ark., by Judge Shannon...

Olivia Laurenn and Dr. William Logue were married June 17, 2000, at First Assembly of God Church in Cape Girardeau. The Rev. Gary Brothers performed the ceremony. Music was by Patty Logue, and the St. Mary's Quartet sang. Amy Spears was maid of honor, Christy Bachew was matron of honor, Tammy Statler and Wendy Rauh were bridesmaids, all of Cape Girardeau...

Sherry L. Mayo of Cape Girardeau announces the engagement of her daughter, Gloria Jean Mayo, to Darrin Kenneth Sauerbrunn. He is the son of Ken and Janice Sauerbrunn of Jackson, Mo. Mayo is a 1994 graduate of Central High School. She received a bachelor of science degree in elementary and special education from Southeast Missouri State University in 1998. She is teaching middle school special education at Scott City R-1 Schools in Scott City, Mo...

MARQUAND, Mo. -- Kelvin and Patty Yount of Marquand announce the engagement of their daughter, Misty LaChelle Yount, to Brandon Lynn Boyd. He is the son of Jim and Robin Boyd of Sedgewickville, Mo. Yount is a 1995 graduate of Meadow Heights High School. She is a waitress at Bonnie's Cafe in Patton, Mo...

Donna J. Alford and Guy J. Zavadil of Cape Girardeau announce their engagement. She is the daughter of Irvon and Mary Carter of Dexter, Mo. He is the son of Kenneth and Loretta Zavadil of French Village, Mo. Alford is a graduate of Dexter High School, and Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff, Mo. She is employed at Dana Corp...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Bill and Phyllis White of Advance announce the engagement of their daughter, Shelley Kay White, to Matthew Lynn Keeney of Marble Hill, Mo. He is the son of Charles "Bo" and Janet Keeney of Van Buren, Mo. White is a 1997 graduate of Advance High School, and is pursuing a degree in elementary education at Southeast Missouri State University...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Dennis and Shirley McCormack of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Melanie Denise McCormack, to Mark Edward Lutes of Jackson. He is the son of Gary and Sharon Lutes of Marble Hill, Mo. McCormack received a bachelor of science degree in early childhood education from Southeast Missouri State University in 1995. She is a kindergarten teacher at Fredericktown Schools in Fredericktown, Mo...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Mr. and Mrs. Daryl King of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Andrea Lynn King, to Grant Wyman Miller. He is the son of Wyman and Jency Miller of Marionville, Mo. King is a 1999 graduate of Southwest Missouri State University, where she majored in marketing and advertising. She is a production coordinator at Creative Consumer Concepts in Overland Park, Kan...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Wayne and Marlys Ford of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Amanda Suzanne Ford, to Bradley Andrew Berry. He is the son of Paul and Linda Berry of Jackson. Ford is a 1998 graduate of Chaffee High School, and is attending Southeast Missouri State University. She is employed at Wee Care Child and Infant Center in Cape Girardeau...

Mr. and Mrs. William S. Wickham Jr. of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Bethany Anne Wickham, to Paul Lathan Wells. He is the son of Mary and Jerry Palmer of Anna, Ill., and Roy Wells of Licking, Mo. Wickham is a graduate of Central High School. She received a bachelor of science degree in social work from Southeast Missouri State University in 1995. She is employed at the License Bureau Office in Cape Girardeau...

I heard, in the night, the announcement that the rain was coming. There was a neat comforting package of thunder. Not cracking, nor bold, just murmurous rolling as if apologetic that it might be disturbing your sleep. I must have smiled sleepily and murmured a thank-you in response...

A country mural border accents the wainscot in the fourth bedroom. Decorative wrought iron trim showcases the windows this brick facade, split-level Hilldale Estates home. The gently sloping lawn of Zoysia grass lends itself to a stepped front walk...