Stories from Monday, November 6, 2000

Gilat To Home is the Dish networks version of By Directional Satellite Internet. No phone line is required. Upload speed is 128K with download speed on par with ADSL. Radio Shack will be carrying this product. Its alignment is a little more difficult that the TV version, but not much since the dish is larger than the standard 18-inch. ...

The Small Business Development Center will conduct counseling sessions at Cape Girardeau, Sikeston, Perryville and Malden in November. The counselor, Gil Degenhardt, will be available Nov. 15 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce office. The counseling sessions (about one hour) are free. Call 335-3312 for appointment...

Nominations are being accepted for the 2001 Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce's "Small Business of the Year" award. The criteria is simple: A business should have no more than 50 employees, be locally owned and in business at least five years. Nominations should be sent to Small Business of the Year Award, Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, 1267 N. Mount Auburn Road, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63701...

The Cape Girardeau Outpatient Surgery Center, 1429 N. Mount Auburn Road, has been awarded the certificate of accreditation by the Accreditation Association for Amublatory Health Care Inc. (AAAHC). "We're pleased land proud top have achieved accreditation," said Stephanie Husted, surgery center administrator...

Missouri is a good place for family businesses. Six of the nation's largest 100 family-owned and operated businesses are located in the Show Me State. Only New York, California and Illinois claim more large family-based companies. The Missouri list includes Schnucks Markets, which includes an operation at Cape Girardeau. Other Missouri businesses o the list include Anheuser-Busch Companies, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Hallmark Cards, Maritz Corporation and McCarthy...

A Work Smart 2000 Seminar will be held at Glenn Auditorium in Dempster Hall, Tuesday and Wednesday from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Doug Smart, president of Doug Smart Seminars, headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., will be guest speaker for the seminars. Smart, a guest speaker at a number of diverse groups AT&T, Mitsubishi, IBM, Southern Methodist University and the U.S. Department of Education, will discuss the "Smart Method of Effective Communication."...

Ameren Corp. has reported record third-quarter earnings, of $256 million, or $1.87 per share, up three percent over earnings of $250 million or $l.82 per share, of a year ago. Ameren earnings for the nine months ended Sept. 30, 2000, were $431 million, or $3.14 per share, up 10 percent over nine-months earnings of 1999...

The Jackson MFA Oil Company bulk plant held its annual 2000 meeting last week at the American Legion Hall in Jackson. A business report for the fiscal year and election of delegates were held during the luncheon meeting, said Roger K. Hamm, bulk plant manager...

Ford Motor Co. said for the first time last week that the furor over Firestone tires had driven down sales of Ford Explorer sport utility vehicles, with October sales down 16 percent from a year ago. Not only were sales of new Explorers down, but Ford said it had taken steps to shore up sales of used Explorers, whose prices have dropped sharply since the recall was announced...

Nancy Backfish of Scott City, has been named the JTPA Alumni of the Year. Backfish received the award recently from Joe Driskill, director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development, during the annual Governor's Conference at Tan-Tar-A. Backfish lost her job with Florsheim when the plant closed in January. The SPIRALS Job Training program provided her with information about retraining courses and GED classes...

Melinda Hilterbrand has joined ERA Cape Realty, 1409-A, N. Mt. Auburn Road, in Cape Girardeau, as sales representative. Hilterbrand, a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, was previously employed by Dr. David Bliese. She also served as marketing director for Cheekwood Photography Studio in Cape Girardeau...

William H. Kiel, executive director of the St. Francis Medical Center Foundation, recently hosted a strategic planning seminar at the medical center for Foundation and Medical Center Board members. The seminar, entitled "How Do We Take the Foundation of the Next Level?" was presented by William Joseph Moran, of the Moran Company of Kansas City, Mo., which specialized in campaign evaluation and planned giving program...

John Tuttle of Advance, Mo., was the winner of a pair of Super Bowl tickets from a Friends of St. Francis fund raiser, which was a part of the 125th anniversary events at St. Francis Medical Center. The foundation received the two Super Bowl tickets from the Robert's Group of Waukesha, Wis., to be used in a fund raiser...

Jerry Reppert, publisher of the Anna Gazette newspaper, has been re-elected president of the Illinois Press Foundation. Reppert, of Anna, was responsible for incorporating the Foundation in 1981 and has served as its only president.

When Rex Rust started his computer Oct. 12, he got a message from a friend in Virginia. The e-mail's subject line was "OFUFYU." "It probably should have sent me some type of signal that the subject of the e-mail file was bizarre," said Rust, the vice president of Rust Communications. "But so is my friend."...

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. Soon, we'll elect a new president. And it can safely be said that the world is watching, with significant interest, to see who will take over the Oval Office. As a U.S. citizen, you are probably interested in the outcome of the election. But as an investor, should you be equally concerned?...

As prevalent as computer viruses themselves are, virus hoaxes, that is, e-mails warning about some new virus, are spreading. Two computer security sites -- www.mcafee.com and www.symantec.com -- have continually updated encyclopedias of virus hoaxes that people can check to see if it's a hoax...

Jill Smirl has been elected president of the Friends of St. Francis. Other officers for the next two years included Jim Govro, vice president; Rick Essner, secretary; Janet Esicar, treasurer; and historians Ruth Colyer and Mary Greaser. Rick Fehr is retiring president...

John L. Saunders, director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture, has received the National FFA Organization's Honorary American FFA Degree. The degree, highest national honorary award presented by the FFA, recognized those who contribute to the advancement of agricultural education and provide outstanding service to their local program and community...

Irene Eaker of Cape Girardeau has received a 35,000-hour Achievement Award from St. Frances Medical Center Auxiliary. Eaker Has been a volunteer at the medical center since 1977. She received a 25,000-hour plaque in the late 1980s, said Pat Miller, volunteer director at St. Francis Medical Center...

Bob Stumpf has been promoted to the position of managing director at ARCH Air Medical Service, headquartered at St. Louis. Stumpf has been with ARCH Air 16 years. He has been serving as director of flight operations. He is a licensed pilot, flying fixed wing and emergency medical service helicopters and other aircraft...

Johnny Ray Conklin of Kelso, Mo., who represents Cape Girardeau County on the Workforce Investment Board (WIB) of Southeast Missouri, recently attended the Governor's Conference on Workforce Development at Tan-Tar-A Resort. Conklin attended various workshops dealing with job development and changes in the work place. ...

Charles D. Wiggins, owner of Wiggins Insurance Services, 615 N. Broadview, Cape Girardeau, has been honored by the American Community Mutual Insurance Company, for sales. Wiggins received his award while attended the Second Annual Golf Invitational, sponsored by the American Community, at Old Kinderhook in Lake of Ozarks...

Steven Fritzler of Cape Girardeau, a district representative for Aid Association for Lutherans (AAL), has received the National Sales Achievement Award from the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. Fritzler, who joined AAL's field staff in 1989, is with the Michael Mickelson Agency of AAL, Independence, and serves Lutherans and their family members in Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Kennett, Malden and Sikeston...

Dr. Shanon Kirchhoff of Cape Girardeau has become a certified Invisalign orthodontist. Kirchhoff recently attended a four-day training seminar in Reno, Nev.. to qualify for the certification. Only trained and certified orthodontists can treat using Invisalign...

"Life is what happens when you're too busy making other plans" - John Lennon Me and my big mouth, well in this case, me and my big pen. And for those three people who have the Speak Out line on speed dial, before you prepare to launch your hour-long crusading barrage vilifying my use of clandestine content in this column, as David Carradine said, "Patience grasshopper". ...

Absinthe, the very name elicits a myriad of conflicting images. Paris at the turn of last century, poets, artists, masterpieces, quaint cafes, seductive salons, insanity, murder, deformation and death. La Fee Verte or " The Green Fairy", as it was commonly known contained over 70 percent alcohol (140 proof) and was flavored with anise, the taste in black licorice. ...

"Boo!", let me throw out some useful trivia: 1. Pick up a dictionary. 2. Open it to virtually any page. 3. Look at the guidewords at the top. 4. You've just named your alternative rock band's new album. (Ex. "falsity fare", "quarter day quest", "sulky sunfish", or "assault and battery assortment")...

Everyday is a winding road...and true to her roots, Kennett native, Sheryl Crow is following the road home to play a benefit concert. The 7 time Grammy winner will appear Saturday, December 2 at the Show Me Center. Because of her generosity, proceeds from the concert will be divided equally to establish endowed scholarships for students enrolled in the School of Visual and Performing Arts at Southeast Missouri State and the Kennett Area Higher Education Center...

By Jason Parker from Mix 104.7 jparker@withersradio.net How much do you depend upon technology each day in your life? I don' t mean indoor plumbing and electric furnaces, I'm talking e-mail, pagers, cell phones, etc. Recently it occurred to me after visiting my family back home that technology has become almost too much a part of my life. ...

By R. Reklaw When winter fingers poke at soft summer noses. The wasps get antsy, and furry little rabbits get a bit sheepish, their tall ears twitching at the brisk northern breezes. Fat air goes on a diet, as the warm currents rise, turning to a circle...

Have you ever eaten a bowl of hemp cereal? Worn a shirt made entirely out of hemp? Used cosmetics with a hemp base? Written on hemp paper? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you will know where I am coming from If you answered no, then you may be surprised at the wonderful benefits of the hemp plant...

Steve Sullivan The music industry is an amazing machine. Some artists seem to be around forever. Others make their mark and are gone within the blink of an eye. As the year 2000 draws to a close, I look back and think about what artists made an impact that have been around for a while. ...

Vintage political buttons -- the sound bites of yesteryear -- make you wonder whether the personal attacks in present-day presidential campaigns really have achieved any kind of nadir. One of the four men Franklin Delano Roosevelt defeated for the presidency is responsible for the following campaign button: "I don't want Eleanor either."...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Many methamphetamine makers in Stoddard County respect Associate Circuit Judge Joe Satterfield more than his colleagues. Satterfield has set some of the highest bonds in methamphetamine cases. "I haven't had many supporters among judges," Satterfield said. "Some have even ridiculed me."...

Members and supporters of the Democratic Party gathered at Mollie's Cafe and Bar in downtown Cape Girardeau Sunday evening for a tribute to former Gov. Mel Carnahan and a partisan get-out-the-vote rally. About 60 people attended the rally, including Secretary of State candidate Steve Gaw and other local candidates...

Cape Girardeau motorists shouldn't expect higher fines or more tickets being issued if cameras go up at traffic signals. However, some people, including members of the Cape Girardeau City Council, still oppose the idea of a camera being used to enforce traffic laws. They think it is an invasion of privacy...

The body of a 25-year-old Oran man was found Sunday afternoon about a half mile from the city after his truck left the road and struck a tree. The Missouri Highway Patrol said Richard Todd Daniel apparently was driving north on County Road 261 in Scott County and lost control of his 1999 Chevrolet pick up truck on the gravel road...

A Sunday morning fire caused between $50,000 and $70,000 worth of fire, smoke and heat damage to a house in the 2000 block of Earleen Drive. The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the fire around 9 a.m. Sunday. The owners of the house were out of town at the time...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Lester L. Schremp, 77, of Perryville died Sunday, Nov. 5, 2000, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born May 18, 1923, in Perryville, son of Aron and Victoria Huber Schremp. He and Ruth W. Welland were married Oct. 15, 1949...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Pertle Probst, 104, of Jackson died Thursday, Nov. 2, 2000, at Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Aug. 21, 1896, at Neelys Landing, Mo., son of Phillip Nathan and Mary Melinda Caroline Friese Probst. He first married Ethel C. ...

ORAN, Mo. -- Richard Todd Daniel, 25, died Sunday morning from injuries received in a car accident. Arrangements are incomplete at Amick-Burnett Funeral Home in Oran.

Olaf H. Popp, 85, died Saturday, Nov. 4, 2000, at Heartland Care and Rehab Center in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at McCombs Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau.

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Bonnie Sue McCarter, 60, of Marble Hill died Friday, Nov. 3, 2000, at Saint Francis Medical Center. She was born July 19, 1940, daughter of Paul and Neelie Vanderkloots Buentes. She and Thomas McCarter were married Nov. 5, 1976, in Zalma, Mo...

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Nellie Allen, 91, of Forth Worth died Saturday, Nov. 4, 2000, in Fort Worth. She was born March 18, 1909, in Chaffee, Mo. Allen was a former new accounts clerk at Riverside State Bank and former active member of the Eastern Star...

Mr. Kenneth W. Lennington Sr., 73, of Jackson, Mo., passed away at his home Saturday, Nov. 4, 2000. Visitation will be from 4 until 8 p.m. today at the McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home, with the Revs. Dennis Bell, Barry Winders and Thomas Bray officiating. Burial will be in Russell Heights Cemetery, with Missouri military honors at graveside...

To the editor: In defense of letter writer Harry Barry, the morning-after pill is very definitely an abortion pill. Just because Planned Parenthood and abortionists have chosen to redefine when life begins does not change the fact that life begins when an egg is fertilized...

To the editor: I would like to take this opportunity to commend three of Cape Girardeau's firefighters: Captain Crites, Master Firefighter Ainsworth and Paramedic Firefighter Ryan. On Oct. 23, they answered a call from the library to investigate an unusual mist that was building up in the library. Their quick response and knowledge of Freon meant that no one was harmed and a costly compressor was saved from permanent damage...

Informed voters don't need newspaper editorials to tell them how to vote. Voters who have followed the issues, have engaged in the back-and-forth of the candidates and have read and listened carefully for more than a year know how they will vote on major races and issues when they go into the voting booth tomorrow...

KENNETT, Mo. -- We Americans go to great histrionic lengths to describe our quadrennial campaigns for president and vice president, using such high-flown phrases as "an exercise in democratic government" and "evidence of our constitutional adherence." I mention these two phrases because both were used by the two major presidential candidates in recent speeches...

WHY DON'T these fanatics in the Mideast step into the present day and quit reliving and refighting things from hundreds and hundreds of years ago. I am tired of their fighting and terrorism, because someday it might directly affect my relatives and families, and I couldn't stand it. Can't the students from these countries who study in the Western world take back some modern ideas and get these fanatics off the streets for the safety of the world?...

To the editor: I am the proud parent of three members of the Cape Central Marching Band. These kids work very hard and are very devoted to making the band the best it can be. It is as serious to them as any sport. They put as much time, effort and practice in as any of the sports teams. They are out there on the field practicing up to three weeks before school starts in the summer, out in the heat all day long...