Stories from Saturday, August 26, 2000

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- The atmosphere for worship at Broadway United Methodist Church has changed since the installation of new stained glass windows. Now the Scott City congregation is greeted by ambient light streaming in through pastel-colored glass as they gather for Sunday worship. The church recently installed 13 new stained glass windows throughout the sanctuary...

On Aug. 9, 1992, Gary Lee Roll murdered Sherry Scheper and her son Randy Scheper in their Cape Girardeau home. Curtis Sheper also was killed, but Roll was not found guilty in his death. Wednesday, eight years after the murders took place, Roll is scheduled to die by lethal injection for his crimes...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- The Happy Meals that sisters Peggy Welker and Tracy Prost bought last month had more than fries and toy skateboards. One had a prize worth $25,000. "It was all on a one-inch square of red paper," said Prost, of Perryville. "When the kids started ripping the toys open, it had fallen on the floor. We picked it up."...

Plans are under way to put the faculty and staff of the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center under one roof within the next two years. Center director Harold Tilley said most people are unaware that business education classes are taught at both the vocational school at 301 N. Clark as well as at Central High School...

A federal court jury in Cape Girardeau has awarded $2.2 million to Katie Bonner of Parma, Mo., in a civil suit stemming from a 1995 chemical spill. Bonner sued ISP Technologies after suffering permanent injuries from an industrial solvent spill at a Dexter. Mo., manufacturing plant where she was working. ISP Technologies manufactured the solvent...

What are little boys made of? What are little boys made of? Frogs and snails, and puppy-dogs' tails; And that's what little boys are made of. What are little girls made of? What are little girls made of? Sugar and spice, and everything nice; And that's what little girls are made of...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Bev Holst danced an Irish jig at the Homecomers talent show when she was 12 years old. Decades later she trains dancers in Desloge, Mo., and Ste. Genevieve, Mo., who invariably bring electricity to the competition. Eighteen different acts and 40 dancers from Holst's La Premiere Danse Center presented more than half the dances in the two categories, one for ages 6 to 12 and the other for ages 13 to 21. ...

The Class of 1969 and the Class of 1970 of Illmo-Scott City High School will hold a reunion picnic Saturday, Sept. 2, at Horshoe Pavilion at Scott City Park. Class members are invited to attend the football game Friday night, Sept. 1, and tour the school. For more information, call Kevin Hillemann at 264-4898...

A 36-year-old woman has reported being abducted by two men at a Cape Girardeau service station, then taken to a park and raped early Friday, police said. At approximately 5:30 a.m., the woman pulled her car into the parking lot of Rhodes 101 Stop at 1008 N. Kingshighway, Sgt. Carl Kinnison said. She had come to a complete stop, but had not turned off the motor...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Going into this high school football season, the consensus in the area is that Jackson is clearly the best team in Southeast Missouri. Though it looked to be the best of the four teams, Jackson didn't exactly provide proof Friday night that the Indians are head and shoulders above St. Vincent, Cape Girardeau Central and Perryville after the four teams hooked up in a four-team jamboree at St. Vincent High School...

The Heartland Pride, a local 16-under girls fast-pitch softball team wound up finishing fourth out of 16 teams during the ASA National Tournament held recently in Montgomery, Ala. The Pride went 5-3 during the tourney.

When Southeast Missouri State University's women's soccer team jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first 29 seconds of the game, many of the 274 fans in attendance probably thought the rout was on. Little did they know that the marathon was on instead. Through the end of regulation and two 15-minute overtime periods, the Otahkians and the University of Northern Iowa Panthers battled to a 1-1 tie during the season opener for both teams at Houck Field House...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- The Perryville High softball team evened its record at 1-1 by blanking visiting St. Pius 7-0 Friday. Megan Narrow pitched all seven innings, allowing five hits and no walks. The Lady Pirates had just five hits, led by Jamie Martin with two. Perryville was helped out by eight walks and several errors...

Damien Michael Clippard-Blair died shortly after birth Thursday, Aug. 24, 2000, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Survivors include his parents, Damontray Blair and Amy Clippard of Cape Girardeau; a sister, Indiha Clippard of Cape Girardeau; a brother, Damontray Blair Jr. ...

Son to Robert Eugene and Kimberly Sue Foulk of Jackson, Mo., Southeast Missouri Hospital, 1:01 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2000. Name, Lucas Alexander. Weight, 9 pounds 12 ounces. Fifth child, fourth son. Mrs. Foulk is the former Kimberly McCulley, daughter of Betty McCulley of Cape Girardeau. Foulk is the son of Willie Stamp of Marble Hill, Mo., and Bob Foulk of Cape Girardeau. He is employed by Foulk Creations...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Former Mayor Robert R. Davis, 87, of Charleston died Thursday, Aug. 24, 2000, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo. He was born Aug. 2, 1913, in Charleston, son of R. Clarence and Rose Phelps Davis. He and Gail B. Benson were married Sept. 2, 1946. She died Oct. 31, 1999...

Katherine Post, 82, of Herndon, Va., died Thursday, Aug. 17, 2000, in Herndon. She was the daughter of Julien N. and Bertha Rector Friant. Her father was president of Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents in the early 1930s. Her mother was president of the Women's National Democratic Club during the administration of President Harry Truman...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Ed A. Mirly, 88, of Advance passed away Aug. 24, 2000, at Advance Nursing Center in Advance, after an eight-year illness. He was born July 11, 1912, in Oak Ridge, Mo., son of August and Angeline Pofher Mirly. Mr. Mirly and Annice May Sadler were united in marriage Jan. 16, 1938, at Shawneetown, Mo., and she survives of the home...

GLEN ALLEN, Mo. -- Madge M. Rose, 85, of Glen Allen, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Friday, Aug. 25, 2000, at Glen Allen. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

JACKSON, Mo. -- Mrs. Lulu Niedling, 91, of Jackson died Friday, Aug. 25, 2000, at Jackson Manor Nursing Home. Friends may call after 11 a.m. Sunday at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson. Funeral will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home with burial in Memorial Park...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- Janice Hope Williams, 63, of Scott City died Friday, Aug. 25, 2000, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo. She was born Jan. 10, 1937, at Illmo, Mo., daughter of Forrest Columbus and Alma Idell O'Guin McCormick. She and David S. Williams were married Dec. 19, 1969, at Chaffee, Mo...

ANNA, Ill. -- Austin Halterman, 91, of Anna died Thursday, Aug. 24, 2000, at City Care Center in Cobden, Ill. He was born July 23, 1909, in Anna, son of Daniel and Maude Williams Halterman. He and Hazel Peeler were married Nov. 2, 1936. She died March 15, 1992. He later married Violet Kerley April 27, 1995...

A winning ploy Nice try, Mr. Brant, trying to get people to vote for a third-party candidate for president. It has already been done. Remember Ross Perot? He didn't want George W. Bush's father to win, so he convinced people to vote for his third party, and that is how Bill Clinton got into office. Is there anything Democrats won't do to try and win this election?...

Most Missourians adjust to August temperatures until someone announces the dreaded "heat index." Only in American politics is the candidate who has raised the most money declared the winner in the next election. The day a workable Middle East peace treaty is signed will be the day the Missouri Department of Transportation says it only needs a few million dollars to complete the 15-year highway plan...

Last time I wrote that Gore was not really straying from the Clinton reservation by stressing Old Democrat (liberal) rather than New Democrat (more centrist) themes. Instead, he was employing another familiar Clintonian strategy: populism and class warfare...

Accountability and independence are two things the Missouri Department of Transportation needs in order to function effectively. The department must be held accountable to the taxpayers of this state and their elected representatives. Yet it also needs the independence to make the right decisions to address Missouri's transportation needs, not just politically advantageous ones...

To the editor: As concerned voters, we have watched recent political events with interest. The banner of "compassionate conservatism" that George W. Bush has raised over his presidential bid this year has intrigued us. Could it be that the Republican Party is returning to the legacy of rational conservatism bequeathed it by the likes of Teddy Roosevelt and, more recently, Richard Nixon in whose presidency many health, environmental and conservation programs were developed?...