Stories from Friday, August 25, 2000

ST. LOUIS -- City Museum is a maze of tunnels and caves -- 4,000 feet of them -- and conveyor belts and an Enchanted Forest with hidden animal faces and gurgling streams of water where real fish live. The museum also is a recycling fantasy starring industrial equipment put to artistic uses and mosaics and frescoes gleaned from some of St. ...

Speakers before a public hearing on AmerenUE's proposed 22.1 percent increase in residential natural gas rates wondered Thursday night why the company is increasing residential gas rates so dramatically while decreasing rates for some customer classes...

Since late last week some Cape Girardeau police officers have kept track of the race of every driver they stop. It is all part of the department's effort to gear up for new reporting requirements. Under a Missouri law that takes effect Monday, law enforcement officers must report on the race of every driver they stop...

Copyright 2000 Southeast Missourian JACKSON, Mo. -- The Jackson Board of Education couldn't show about 50 people at a board meeting Tuesday night how it plans to spend a $6 million bond proposal for improvements to the junior high school. Neither could school administrators lay their hands on a spending plan at the request of a Southeast Missourian reporter the next day...

Tiger Woods -- in case you have been sailing solo around the world for the past few years -- is a golfer. He is on the cover of just about every magazine except Ladies Home Journal, so you know he's a pretty good golfer. Here's what I now know: Tiger Woods hits golf balls just like I do...

BENTON, Mo. -- Two Cape Girardeau men were arrested after allegedly abducting, threatening and assaulting an 18-year-old woman who is a witness in a pending case against one of the men, the Scott County Sheriff's Department said. William J. Rasmuson Jr., 50, of 1961 Delwin St., was arrested by Cape Girardeau police late Wednesday night. Also arrested was Robert J. Blankenship Jr., 30, of 316 Independence St. Both have been charged with victim tampering and unlawful use of a weapon...

Although a few teams already have signed up for the Sept. 30 Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk in Cape Girardeau, organizers say they hope more teams and individuals will register soon. Memory Walk Outreach Coordinator Cheryl Klueppel said registration is off to "kind of a slow start" this year, but added she is not discouraged because registration often picks up in early September...

Home furnishing retailer Heilig-Meyers will be closing more than 300 stores, but Cape Girardeau is not one of them. Heilig-Meyers, headquartered at Richmond, Va., announced earlier this week that it had filed for Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code, which will allow the company to continue business operations while it formulates and implements a restructuring plan...

HILLSBORO, Mo. -- A Cape Girardeau man was sentenced to one year in jail and given a $250 fine on Thursday for his role in a June 1999 melee on Good Hope Street. Kenneth Campbell, 35, received the maximum jail time for the misdemeanor charge of third degree assault of a law enforcement officer, said Morley Swingle, Cape Girardeau County prosecutor...

A point guard who started 17 games for Villanova as a sophomore last season is apparently planning to transfer to Southeast Missouri State University. Bobby Smith, a Chicago native, said Thursday that he would be arriving in Cape Girardeau some time Sunday and plans to enroll at Southeast Monday. He would have to sit out the 2000-2001 season under NCAA transfer rules but would have two years of eligibility remaining...

Southeast Missouri State University's women's soccer team had a highly respectable inaugural season of play last year, going 4-8-1 overall and tying for third place in the Ohio Valley Conference. This season, the Otahkians are setting their sights higher. Their goal is the OVC title...

High school football coaches will finally get a look at how their players stack up against other teams tonight when jamboree scrimmages will be held across the state. Though the jamorees -- which usually consist of four teams -- are meaningless in terms of win-loss records, many coaches will polish off their starting units and depth charts based on individual performances...

Former Southeast Missouri State University football standout Angel Rubio was one of five players released Thursday by the Arizona Cardinals in advance of Sunday's final NFL cutdown deadline. Rubio, a defensive lineman who was the 1997 Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year, was an original seventh-round draft choice of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1998...

Teams from Ste. Genevieve and St. Charles captured top honors during last weekend's 20th annual Missouri State Knights of Columbus Horseshoe Tournament hosted by the St. Joseph Knights of Columbus Hall in Scott City. Gary Grass and Bob Winston of Ste. Genevieve won the Men's Class A Division while Trish Dwiggins and Joyce Rehm of St. Charles captured the Women's Class A Division...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Notre Dame's girls softball team picked up its second win of the season Thursday with a 5-3 victory over Poplar Bluff. Mika Williamson picked up the win on the mound, allowing five hits in five innings. She struck out one and walked one before yielding to Ramona Blankenship, who pitched the final two innings to pick up the save. Blankenship gave up three hits and also struck out a batter and walked one...

The three high school boys soccer teams in the immediate area all posted winning records last season and two of the three captured district titles. Look for that success to continue this year as Cape Girardeau Central, Notre Dame and Jackson all have high hopes entering the 2000 campaign...

PATTON, Mo. -- George A. Ward, 94, of Patton died Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2000, at his home. He was born Feb. 20, 1906, at Fredericktown, Mo., son of Joseph Thomas and Lou Zettie Venable Ward. He and Freda Miinch were married Sept. 22, 1934, at Patton. Ward farmed all his life. He was a member of Pine Hill United Methodist Church...

CYPRESS, Ill. -- Funeral for Harlan W. Hartline of Cypress will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at Wilson Funeral Home in Karnak, Ill. The Rev. Gary O'Neal will officiate. Burial will be in Masonic Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home from 6-9 p.m. today...

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. -- Funeral for Patricia Ann Whittington of East Prairie will be held at 2 p.m. today at Shelby Funeral Home in East Prairie. The Rev. David Dowdy will officiate. Burial will be in East Prairie Memorial Park Cemetery. Whittington, 60, died Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2000, at her home...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Myrtle Marie Floyd, 87, of Bloomfield died Thursday, Aug. 24, 2000, at her home. She was born Sept. 30, 1912, at Matthews, Mo., daughter of Jack and Minnie Breece Dean. She and Clarence Floyd were married Oct. 18, 1929. He died Nov. 18, 1983...

Elaine Martha Followell, 84, of Cape Girardeau passed away Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2000, at St. Francis Medical Center. A public graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Cape County Memorial Park. The Rev. Dwayne Followell will officiate. Mrs. Followell was born Oct. 27, 1915, in Milwaukee, Wis., daughter of the late Jesse and Edna Kocher Hawn. She and Harold William Followell were married Sept. 28, 1936. He preceded her in death April 18, 1984...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Edwin "Ed" Mirly, 88, of Advance died Thursday, Aug. 24, 2000, at Advance Nursing Center. Morgan Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

MALDEN, Mo. -- Roy Edward "Red" Donaldson, 40, of Malden died Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2000, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born July 22, 1960, at Malden, son of Lex and Earsie Mae Davis Donaldson. Donaldson was employed at John Woods Construction Co. in Dexter, Mo...

I HAVE a question: Suppose a man was holding his wife hostage in a house with a gun and said he was going to kill her. It might end up being on the news if he continued to hold her hostage. If he said, "I have the choice to kill her, because she's my wife," the world would be enraged. ...

Photo/Grap hic: To the editor: I did not miss the Reform Party Convention. I watched it for three days on C-SPAN. Undoubtedly, the person who wrote the Aug. 22 editorial, "Did you miss Reform conventions -- both of 'em?" did not watch for any of the three days. The editorial was nothing but a repeat of the brainwashing tactics of the television news media...

Something happens when government says "no" to news organizations seeking information. An assumption is made that government is hiding something -- something the public might be interested to know. So who is "government," and who are these "news organizations."...

Jackson's Homecomers is in full swing. Once again, the community celebration is providing fun and good memories for thousands of visitors. Tonight, one of the largest talent shows to be found anywhere in this area is scheduled for 6:30 o'clock. And on Saturday the big event will be the Miss Homecomers contest at 7 p.m., followed by a performance of the Mike and Robyn Show, featuring Mike Dumey and Robyn Hosp, two of our area's finest musical entertainers...