Stories from Friday, January 12, 2001

George Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" will be presented Feb. 13 at the Show Me Center. The musical includes the tunes "Summertime," "I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'," and "It Ain't Necessarily So." It will feature a 20-34 piece orchestra and will be directed by Will Roberson, who has directed productions of the opera classic for the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera and Atlanta Theatre Under the Stars...

Here's guessing P.S. Dooley has a rich inner life. See for yourself on the walls of the Lorimier Gallery. A woman barks into a loudspeaker before a Rockettes line of pink flamingoes. In "He Remembers When She was Young," a man walks on a covered bridge while a woman does a handstand. "Fantasy" is a menage of lips and bare shoulders...

When the Harlem Globetrotters played their first game on the road in Hinkley, Ill., 75 years ago, 300 people watched in the school gymnasium and the team only took in $75. Since then, audiences have grown to 120 million fans worldwide and ticket prices range from $12 to $35...

By Chad Armbruster As I sit here and write my first official column for OFF!, I'm sitting in a Steak N' Shake in Arnold, MO. Why? Because as we are all aware the holidays force us to be around our families for such a length of time it should be considered illegal. ...

By: Amber Niswonger Have holiday meals finally caught up with you this season? Are your clothes starting to fit a little more snugly? If so, a good New Year's resolution would be changing your diet. Weight loss at New Year's seems to be very popular. ...

film reviews by Vasiliy Zaitsev M. Night Shyamalan, director of Unbreakable (PG-13), is a risk-taker and an artist - so why the hell is he allowed to make movies? Didn't Shyamalan realize that his rich, patient story development, his beautifully framed shots, his subtle yet poignant directorial guidance of the actors would be as interesting to a modem audience as my dictionary is to my dog?...

By Jaysen Buterin "To thine own self be true" - Shakespeare Well dear readers, it was one hell of a year. Considering that when 12:01 am rolled around on January 1, 2000 it was supposed to be the end of the world as we know it, but now, we feel fine. ...

By John Wymann Owner of Mollies, Europa's & N'Orleans Long in the shadow of the world's most successful brewery, one would not suspect Cape of supporting a deep offering of imported beers. One would be surprised. With expanding availability and increased consumer awareness, beers from all over the world are finding, loyal customers within our community...

By Mix 104.7's Jason Parker We made it! Despite all the hype about last years Y2K bug, we made it to and survived 2000 to cross over into another new year. With the beginning of a new year, the time has come for breaking resolutions and looking back to see what came of last year. ...

By Richard Cason So the theme of this month's "Off Magazine" is "babies", huh? This seems appropriate enough: Baby New Year has just arrived and some friends of mine welcomed into the world their first child only a few days ago. The arrival of the New Year is celebrated by millions of people and, of course, the birth of a child is probably the single most important event in anyone's life; but there is a third baby that is born only every few years and it is one that I as a music fan have been expecting for the better part of a decade: The birth of a brand new sound.. ...

"It's been the worst day - since yesterday" - Flogging Molly, Swagger An Interview by Jaysen Buterin There are some people out there who when they think of Irish musical culture, they think of the perfunctory well-oiled machine of Celtic step-dancing. ...

By Chad Armbruster Throughout the month of January, Southeast Missouri State University has many events planned to remember the renowned leader of the Civil Rights Movement in America, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The highlight of the events will be the 16th Annual Memorial Breakfast Buffet at 8 a.m., January 15 in the Show Me Center. ...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Cape Girardeau County Coroner Mike Hurst doesn't have an office, a vehicle to transport bodies or even a county morgue. Just storing evidence is a major challenge for the newly appointed coroner. Late Thursday afternoon, he donned blue rubber gloves and loaded a tall cardboard box of blood and urine samples, evidence from past death cases, into his brown pickup truck...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- A woman says an animal control blunder caused her 3-year-old, one-eyed, escapist mutt, Pepper, to be euthanized despite her best efforts to reclaim him from the animal shelter. Sandy Blankenship says an overzealous Scott City animal control officer seized the dog and told her she had to appear in city court before she could retrieve Pepper from the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri, which contracts with Scott City to hold captured pets...

A new house is taking shape at home. No, I'm not building a new house to live in. Nor am I repeating my highly successful barn-building project in my back yard. This house is for purple martins. I am not, of course, the first person to build a martin house. You see them everywhere, high atop a slender pole. A martin house looks like an apartment building for birds, because purple martins like to live with friends and family...

JACKSON, Mo. -- With little comment Thursday, Cape Girardeau County commissioners approved a revised 2001 budget that includes little in the way of capital improvements. The county's chief budget officer, Auditor H. Weldon Macke, drew up a new budget only two weeks after submitting an initial budget that covered general operations and road and bridge spending but didn't include capital improvements. The county's fiscal year began Jan. 1...

JACKSON, Mo. -- After waiting more than 3 1/2 hours for a jury to reach a verdict, Russell Cline of Perryville, Mo., chose to decide it himself. Cline pleaded guilty in the shooting death of an acquaintance last year and accepted a sentence of 10 years in prison...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Maintaining Sikeston's airport is important to the city's future economic development, said Alan Keenan of the Airport Comprehensive Plan Committee. Keenan said for many corporate representatives, "the airport is our community's first impression."...

Following is the December list of new buildings, expansions to existing buildings, remodeling projects and the status of those projects in Cape Girardeau. The permit information is provided by the city's Division of Inspection Services. New buildings...

Less than 24 hours before they could officially begin making sales calls, members of Girl Scout Troop 268 were setting goals and preparing to entice relatives and friends with a slick direct mail campaign to ask a simple question: Got Cookies? "It's a presale letter they'll send to family members and friends to let them know Girl Scout cookie time is here and we're going to be trying to sell them lots of cookies," said Troop 268 leader Vicki Zickfield...

For the first half of Thursday's game against Murray State, Southeast Missouri State University's women's basketball team appeared to still be reeling from Tuesday's tough overtime loss to Tennessee Tech. But the Otahkians, trailing by nine points at halftime, recovered in time to pull out a 74-66 victory over the Lady Racers at the Show Me Center...

Cuthbert Victor had hardly been a factor for Murray State's men's basketball team during the first 12 games of the season. But Thursday night, Victor was probably the game's No. 1 star as he helped lead the Racers past Southeast Missouri State University 60-58 in front of season-high Show Me Center crowd of 5,943...

BENTON, Mo. -- Trailing 28-24 at halftime, Kelly's girls basketball team switched to a man-to-man fullcourt defense and it paid immediate dividends as the Lady Hawks defeated a young Scott City team 59-44 to claim the Scott-Mississippi Conference Tournament championship Thursday night...

Lynne Obermiller, a senior co-captain at Notre Dame High School, became the first Notre Dame Lady Bulldog to be named all-state as a volleyball player. Obermiller was recently named second-team all-state in Class 2A by the state's volleyball coaches' association...

Two Southeast Missouri residents died Thursday in separate car accidents in Dunklin County. Patricia L. Patrick, 33, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died after an accident near Campbell, Mo. Police said Patrick was driving a 1994 Dodge van southbound on Highway 53 near Route J, four miles north of Campbell around 7:20 a.m...

Adopted son to Daryl and Kimberly Hays of St. Louis. Born April 21, 2000. Name, Christopher Jordan. Weight, 7 pounds 14 ounces. First child. Mrs. Hays is the former Kimberly Hopkins, daughter of Loral and Barbara Hopkins of Jackson, Mo. She is a self-employed music teacher. Hays is the son of Dorlas "Buck" and Joyce Hays of Jackson. He is a project engineer with Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis...

Funeral for H. Howard Knapp of Cape Girardeau will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Ford and Sons Sprigg Street Chapel. The Rev. Mark Ramsey will officiate. Burial will be in Lorimier Cemetery. Friends may call at the chapel from 4-8 p.m. today. Knapp, 89, died Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2001, at Heartland Care Rehab Center...

PUXICO, Mo. -- Marie Maddox, 92, died Thursday, Jan. 11, 2001, near Puxico. She was born April 8, 1908, in Lakewood, Ill., daughter of Edward Stanton and Ada Virginia Cox Mitchell. She and William Harley Maddox were married Feb. 21, 1925, at Aid, Mo. He died July 24, 1973...

MATTHEWS, Mo. -- Herschel W. Yates Sr., 90, of Minneapolis, Minn., died Sunday, Jan. 7, 2001, in Minneapolis. He was born Oct. 6, 1910, in Auxvasse, Mo., son of Henry Herschel and Martha Wilson Yates. He married Gertrude Wilson, who preceded him in death...

ORAN, Mo. -- Nancy Elizabeth Abner, 52, of Oran died Thursday, Jan. 11, 2000, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Aug. 16, 1948, in Blytheville, Ark., daughter of Richard and Betty Jo Alton McCain. She and Dwayne Abner were married on Feb. 8, 1966...

ZALMA, Mo. -- The Rev. Cletus C. Gobble, 79, of East Carondelet, Ill., died Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2001, at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Belleville, Ill. He was born Sept. 22, 1921, at Zalma, son of Nelson E. and Mae McDaniel Gobble. He married Thelma Ritter...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Rosemary C. Schremp, 57, of Perryville died Thursday, Jan. 11, 2001, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. She was born Feb. 11, 1943, in Perryville, daughter of Harry H. and Bernice R. Huber Schremp. She and Eddie L. Schremp were married Nov. 20, 1981...

William Andrew Brennan, 36, of Fulton, Mo., died Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2001, at the University of Missouri Hospital and Clinics in Columbia. He was born July 19, 1964, in St. Louis, son of Ronald and Mary Elizabeth "Betty" Helm Brennan. Brennan worked at Betty's Hallmark Store in Fulton...

COBDEN, Ill. -- Wilbert F. Brumleve, 71, of Cobden died Thursday, Jan. 11, 2001, at Union County Hospital in Anna, Ill. He was born April 3, 1929, at Teutopolis, Ill., son of Leo and Margaret A. Basler Brumleve. He and Sue Thomas were married June 8, 1957, at Cobden...

ORAN, Mo. -- Funeral for Hunter Michael Boshell will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Oran. The Rev. Greg Forrester will officiate. Burial will be in Forest Hills Memorial Cemetery. Friends may call at the chapel after 9 a.m. Saturday...

Dale C. Mayfield, 96, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, Jan. 11, 2001, at The Lutheran Home. He was born July 5, 1904, at Mayfield, Mo., son of John H. and Tilda Seabaugh Mayfield. He and Alpha M. Allen were married Nov. 9, 1930, at Marble Hill, Mo. She died March 27, 1989...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Charles J. Pratte, 99, of Perryville died Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2001, at Perry Oaks Manor. He was born April 2, 1901, at Minnith, Mo., son of John and Emma Zahner Pratte. He married Helen A. Riesenbeck, who died in December 1977. Pratte had been a firefighter, and was a member of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church...

To the editor: I recently had the privilege to have a case brought before the Internal Revenue Service in U.S. Tax Court in St. Louis. I felt payment of 89 percent of my total income was excessive and that, given the opportunity, I could explain my position before a judge and the matter could be resolved...

The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission tried to make a decision of how it spends construction funds that would appease both urban and rural areas. In the process, future rural projects came out ahead -- marginally -- but wound up with less of the pie than outstate improvements had been receiving...

When Missouri voters in November rejected a constitutional amendment giving the legislature more authority to revise recommendations of the Missouri Citizens Commission on the Compensation of Elected Officials, some took it as an indication that the state's voters like the commission...

The success of George Bush's first term may hinge on the expeditious implementation of his tax cut package. As such, it is important that he devote sufficient political capital to its speedy passage. Because Bush's re-election in 2004 may depend on the ultimate form and timing of his tax cut bill, he can expect vigorous opposition from congressional Democrats, who have a vested interest in delaying and diluting his proposal...

FOR ALL the talk about how us bad Republicans are going to spend all this money and everyone's going to be broke, I'd ask you Democrats one question. I read where our interim governor, Roger Wilson, wanted to spend $30.9 million on a museum and memorial for late Gov. ...

To the editor: Regarding the Dec. 21 Health section article concerning ambulance service: When Cape County Private Ambulance Service and the Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to my residence after a 911 call, I was impressed with the rapid response time. Patient assessment and the resulting transport to Southeast Missouri Hospital were uneventful. I am thankful and appreciative of the care provided...