Stories from Tuesday, November 14, 2000

For much of the country, the election has turned into high Hollywood drama. It doesn't seem real. Who will be the winner? Will there be a Grinch or Cruella? One thing's for sure. The Internet played a major role in America's hunt for information during the crazy election last Tuesday and every day since then...

We pulled beside the watermelon patch and lurched to a stop. It was such a lurch, in fact, that I was thrown from my position on the spare tire into the cab of the pickup. The cowboys do this all the time, slam on the brakes just to see if they can dislodge me from my seat on the spare tire. Why? Because they get some kind of cheap thrill out of watching me scramble and stumble around in the back...

Notre Dame High School in Cape Girardeau opened its doors to current and potential students and their parents Monday in an annual effort to attract enrollment. Brother David Anthony Migliorino, principal, said 300-400 families attended the event last year. He believes it is important to let children, particularly those in fifth through eighth grades, see the high school and ask questions of faculty and others...

Central Junior High School has a full week of activities planned in honor of American Education Week, Nov. 13-17. In preparation for the week, eighth- and ninth-grade students decorated colored squares with educational themes. Monday, quilters from the River Heritage Quilters Guild assembled the eighth-grade squares into a quilt which is on display in the main hall lobby. ...

Alyssa Holyfield already knows that her books and tuition fees at Missouri Western College in St. Joseph, Mo., will be paid for when she starts college. Holyfield didn't compete for a full-ride scholarship, she just applied herself to volunteering and community service through the A+ Schools program...

JACKSON, Mo. -- A Cape Girardeau County Transit Advisory Committee member resigned Monday, citing a "divisive" attitude among the group's members and the county's unwillingness to take action on advice. Miki Gudermuth submitted her resignation in a two-page letter to Doug Richards, who chairs the county's five-member transit authority...

The Other Half's endless hoarding of completely worthless possessions fascinated me at first, but after nearly six years of marriage, it just ticks me off. When we married, it was newspapers. Newspapers from Denver. Newspapers from Los Angeles. Newspapers from Philadelphia. Boxes and boxes of them, all carefully organized by date. They didn't contain articles about any particular subject. They weren't mementos of a lovely sojourn in those cities...

Local agencies that provide assistance to those in need want local residents to consider participating in AmerenUE's Dollar More program. The Dollar More program allows AmerenUE customers to donate $1 a bill to a special fund to help pay the energy bills of those who do not have the means to do so...

JACKSON, Mo. -- The Cape Girardeau County Commission has voted to hire a food service company to feed prisoners and operate the commissary at the new jail, which is expected to open in January. Sheriff John Jordan said the hiring of Compass-Canteen Correctional Services, based in Charlotte, N.C., would save the county an estimated $51,763 a year...

The new Main Street office has opened. "We don't have a telephone yet," said Judith Lang, but it should be installed soon. Lang, chairwoman of the 16-member Old Town Cape Board, credited a number of board and committee members for preparing the office for the opening at 111 Independence...

JACKSON, Mo. -- A Cape Girardeau man accused of repeatedly slapping a 5-month-old boy for "whining" was put on five years probation Monday. Cape Girardeau County prosecutor Morley Swingle had asked Circuit Judge John Grimm to sentence Dale E. Nenninger to three years in prison after he was found guilty of a class C felony of child abuse. However, a presentence investigation by the Missouri Probation and Parole board recommended probation...

The decision by Cape Girardeans in the 8th Congressional District will be recorded as a whisper compared with Florida's recount and the counting of absentee ballots in western states. As the Bush and Gore camps battle for Florida's 25 electoral votes, 8th District Republican elector David Barklage will deliver a vote for Texas Gov. George W. Bush for president in Jefferson City, Mo., on Dec. 18...

JACKSON, Mo. -- The trial for a 16-year-old Jackson boy accused of murdering his grandmother will be moved to Columbia, Mo., a circuit court judge decided Monday. Judge John Grimm agreed to a change of venue to Boone County for Joshua Wolf, with the approval of Wolf's attorney, Stephen Wilson, and the Cape Girardeau County prosecutor's office...

JACKSON, Mo. -- A Jackson man was sentenced to seven years in prison Monday for sexually abusing two girls. Richard D. Park, 46, had pleaded guilty earlier this year to two counts of sexual abuse against his nieces, ages 8 and 10, said Angel Woodruff, assistant county prosecutor...

A Honor Roll Grade Five Jesse Eichhorn, Janelle Essner, Drew Halter, Crystal Hency, Heather Hileman, Chase Lasswell, Tyler Ptacek, Darcie Rangel, Donovan Tousignant, Alexandra Turner, Teresa Walker, Jill Walther, Jennifer Watson, Michael Wissehr. Grade Four...

A Honor Roll Grade Five Zachariah Dumey, Lacy Sanders, Ashley Sneathen, Josh Tucker, Dusten Vinson, Luke Hervas, Josh Conklin, John Gabriel, Carrie Walker, Richard Stroder, Brittney Smith, Tray Rush, Nikki Ross, Kyle Garvey, Spencer Goodman, Nicholas Grieshop, Kelci Keith, Andrew Koenig, Aaron Kothe, Pierce Robertson, Kasey Rutherford, Kyle Schutte, Wesley Weber, Ellyn Beil, Grace Blades, Ashley Dunn, Lynne Eggimann, Aaron Floyd, Andrew Lysell, Spencer McCormack, Jessica Pitts, Kelsie Storz, Nicholas Welker, Kelsie Birk, Chelby Chezem, Cody Goodpasture, Andrew Graham, Samantha Jaco, Jessica Kuntze, Jacob Leet, Lindsay Poole, Ashlea Soemo, Morgan Stout, Allen Claar, Cody Frohock, Levi Lewis, Sara Lindy, Alexis Lorenz, Ben Mayfield, Jimmy Myers, Chelsea Olson, Whitney Tankersley, Sierra Bollinger, Bailey Duncan, Lea Haupt, Dylan Jenkins, Justin Miller, Megan Spooler, Megan Ulrich, Sheila Wade, Emily Hoffman, Jamie Schumacher, Chrissy Shinn, George Terry, Austin Wessel, Ross Wiginton, Chelsea Dale, Dusty Gilder, Chase Jamieson, Cassie Kamp, Bobby King, Nathan Meece.. ...

A Honor Roll Grade Six Matthew Hileman, Nathaniel Kinsey, Brad LaBruyere, Abigail Pratt, Brittany Rhodes, Claire Segar. Grade Five Russell Hoffman, Cody Jones, Brittany Lutman, Stevie Probst, Marjorie Savoy, Katie Scholl, Lindsay Siebert, Blaine Smith, Hanna Sprigg...

A Honor Roll Grade Eight Rita Jo Dirnberger, Allison Essner, Sara Huber, Alison Martin, Amber Tenholder. Grade Seven Paige Foeste, Corrie Gerecke, Stacie Kula, Catherine Meyer, Kaitlyn Scheeter, Hassan Shakil, Jesse Vavak, James Williams. Grade Six Allison Bode, Jackie Boos, Aimee Ha, Ryan Heggemann, Shannon James, Hannah Schaefer, Christopher Schultz, Laura Simmons, Kaci Westrich...

Advanced Placement Honors Grade Twelve Sarah Birkman, Amber Bond, Erin Cloninger, Jon French, Sarah Georger, Beckie Jackson, Emily Johnson, Michelle Laird, Andy Lanpher, Ryan Overton, Adam Rainey, Toni Sample. Grade Eleven Lisa Georger, Andrew Jenkins, Aaron Masters, Tyler Phelps, Chase Robins, Christopher Walker...

Grade Five Alyssa Alsup, Travis Beggs, Kayla Broyles, Ricky Buchheit, Peggy Buassee, Jackie Caldwell, Kayla Cissell, Lela Deason, Richard Gramlisch, Terry Gunter, Joseph Harp, Blake Hickman, Zachary Hicks, Shane Hooper, Logan Hopper, Stephanie Long, Kathryn Mainord, Paige Rampley, Elizabeth Ray, Kathleen Ray, April Rockett, Cody Romas, Sarah Ruff, Kayla Sanchez, Chelsey Scheffer, Matthew Simms, Summer Sprouse, Chris Todd, Chelsea Uhrhan, Michael Warren, Shirley Weed, Karrah Wood...

A Honor Roll Grade Six Rachel Burnett, Brie-Anne Egbuka, Tracy Kiser, Carly Trautwein. Grade Five Erich Arvidson, Mark Brand, Lynsea Casey, Olivia Jenkins, Aleta Musgrave, Amanda Petty. Grade Four Brittany Estes, Alexus Gammon, Tyler Payne, Elizabeth Propst, Tara Volkerding...

A Honor Roll Grade Twelve Amanda Ballance, Jessica Griggs, Sarah Hanneken, Sheila Kelley. Grade Eleven Allen Cavaness, Jessica Nicole Stone. Grade Ten Sarah Burford, Colin Campbell, Sean Copeland, Nicholas Matlock, Christina McLane, Cecelia Rhymer, Ashley Williams...

WASHINGTON, Mo. -- Cape Central ran the ball better than Washington. It passed the ball better than Washington. It just didn't score better than Washington. The Washington Bluejays ended Central's Cinderella season Monday night, holding off a resilient Tiger squad 21-14 in an epic battle...

As far as combining athletic accomplishments with academic excellence, it would be hard to match the resume of Dexter High School senior Brett Hale. On the basketball court last season, the guard averaged 25.5 points per game and earned first-team Class 3A all-state honors. In the classroom, he scored an impressive 32 on the ACT...

It might not seem like much, but Southeast Missouri State University's football team still has some kind of achievement to shoot for as the Indians wrap up their first season under coach Tim Billings this week. In a preseason poll of the league's head coaches and sports information directors, the Indians were picked to finish seventh in the eight-team Ohio Valley Conference. A victory over Tennessee State Saturday in Nashville, Tenn. (1:30 p.m. kickoff) will assure Southeast sixth place...

HUNTSVILLE, Mo. -- The St. Vincent Indians rolled to a 24-0 halftime lead and earned their third straight trip to the Class 1A semifinals Monday night with a 31-8 victory over Westran. St. Vincent improved to 12-0 on the season and will play its first home game of the playoffs on Saturday when Adrian visits Perryville. Adrian, which lost to St. Vincent in the 1998 semifinals, defeated Pierce City 28-0 on Monday...

Although the injury will be reevaluated Wednesday, Southeast Missouri State University men's basketball coach Gary Garner said it doesn't appear as if Emmanuel McCuthison will miss much regular-season playing time, if any. McCuthison, a 6-foot-4 senior who is the Indians' starter at small forward, suffered a dislocated shoulder during Saturday night's exhibition victory over the Dreambuilders...

Shelby Scarbrough, 63, of Sikeston, Mo., died Monday, Nov. 13, 2000, at the Missouri Delta Medical Center. She was born Sept. 6, 1937, in Advance, Mo., daughter of Milo and Ruth Sitz. She and John M. Scarbrough were married July 26, 1956. Scarbrough worked at Kegley and Crites until ill health forced her into retirement. She was a member of the First Church of the Nazarene...

James Robert George Jr., 4 months, of Sikeston, Mo., died Monday, Nov. 13, 2000, at the Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born July 3, 2000, in Sikeston, son of James and Melissa Layton George. Survivors include a brother, Zachary Alexander George of the home; maternal grandparents, Debbie and Terry Durham of Memphis, Tenn.; maternal grandfather, Joe Layton of Charleston, Mo.; maternal great-grandmothers, Lucille Miller of Sikeston and Pat Layton of Charleston; maternal great-great-grandmother, Grace Layton of Charleston; paternal grandparents, Billy and Ruby George of Sikeston; and paternal great-grandmother Louella Dowdy of Sikeston.. ...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Claudine B. Smart, 52, of Sikeston, died Monday, Nov. 13, 2000, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Nov. 30, 1947, in Bertrand, Mo., daughter of Everette Cain and Allene Waldron McCutchen. She married Charles Harwell in 1968. He died in 1987. She then married James E. Smart on Dec. 2, 1992, in East Prairie, Mo...

PADUCAH, Ky. -- Edena Horner, 84, of Paducah, formerly of Mound City, Ill., died Sunday, Nov. 12, 2000, at Parkview Nursing Center in Paducah. She was born April 29, 1916, in Livingston County, Ky., daughter of Robert and Katie Johnson Sauvage. She was married to Joseph Horner. He died in 1985...

ROYAL OAKS, Mich. -- Bonnie Halter, 72, of Royal Oaks, Mich., formerly of Oran, Mo., died Sunday, Nov. 12, 1928, at Wm. Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oaks. She was born April 12 , 1928, at Hazel Park, Mich., daughter of Dennie and Pearl Matney. She married Harold Halter of Oran on Aug. 19, 1950. He survives, of the home...

Jean Albert Rudert, 81, of Cape Girardeau, died Monday, Nov. 13, 2000, at his home. He was born March 4, 1919, son of Benjamin G. and Carolina L. LaCroix Rudert. He married Wilda C. Yallaly July 17, 1947, in Cape Girardeau. She died Dec. 3, 1999. He was a retired Linotype operator, having worked for 37 years for Missouri Litho & Printing Co...

WHAT MAKES them think that they get a right to a second opportunity to vote when they couldn't figure it out the first time? I'M CALLING in response to the comment that the groundbreaking ceremony for the new high school was too religious. As a parent whose children have grown up in the Cape Girardeau school system, I have heard Terry Kitchen on many occasion pray over different things at the Cape Schools and have always appreciated his speeches. ...

With the election in the 25th District of Republican Bill Foster to the Missouri Senate, history was made in the Southeast Missouri. Never before has a Republican held this Senate seat. Many thought none ever would representing the mostly overwhelmingly Democratic "Cotton Counties" that for so many years were a foundation of Democratic statewide majorities...

To the editor: "You ain't seen nothing yet" was the theme for the Gore campaign. They sure weren't kidding, were they? The first count of Florida votes proclaimed Bush the winner. The second count proclaimed Bush the winner. That's not enough for Al Gore, though. Now they are demanding a hand recount of the Democratic counties most strongly supporting Gore...

To the editor: All voters -- Democrats, Republicans and independents -- should share a commitment to the most essential ideal in American democracy: Every vote counts. It's time to put aside modern-day politics, go back to our roots and take the responsible steps necessary to ensure that our next president is in fact the individual America elected. This election is not over until every vote is counted in a fair and deliberate way...

To the editor: Capitalism is the source of wealth that provides for our needs. For most of us, it provides us with goods that make our lives a little easier plus income for entertainment. Capitalism has came under fire from fascists who say it creates an unequal distribution of wealth. Fascists believe the state should redistribute the wealth created by those with the most talent to those less talented...