Stories from Wednesday, January 24, 2001

Cape Girardeau will get more for its $43,000 than a simple look at police department turnover rates, officials say, deflecting criticism that the city is paying too much for an outside firm to examine why officers are leaving the force. The Police Executive Research Forum, a non-profit firm based in Washington, D.C., this month will begin a comprehensive study of the workings of the Cape Girardeau Police Department. By late spring, the firm will present a report to city officials...

Adult learners working to earn a high school equivalency diploma have less than a year to successfully complete testing or risk starting the process over. The General Educational Development test, or GED, is being rewritten to reflect the current academic expectations of graduating high school seniors. This will be the fourth retooling of the GED test since it was created in 1942...

Just over two years ago, Chris Palmer looked down at his stomach while taking a shower and noticed that one side was bigger than the other. He was "a little freaked out," he recalls. After a CAT scan found cancer, his whole family was in shock. "Our minds just went Boom.'"...

Southeast Missouri State University is expanding its symphony orchestra and launching a symphony concert series thanks to a financial gift from Commerce Bank. School officials said it is part of an effort to lay the groundwork for a first-rate School of Visual and Performing Arts...

JACKSON, Mo. -- The Jackson High School graduation date will be pushed back one week to accommodate inclement weather makeup days, potential holiday travel plans for families, and a state track and field competition. The last day of classes and graduation were originally scheduled to occur May 18, but the school calendar was extended by one week to make up four snow days missed so far this winter...

Cape Girardeau residents can vote for members of the University Extension Council on or before Feb. 2. Ballots will be printed in local newspapers and will be available at the Extension Center in Jackson. They must be returned by mail or brought to the Extension Center...

In the first half, Park Hills' offense was a brand new Mercedes. In the second half, it was a beat up Pinto. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs remained steady and battled past visiting Park Hills 69-60 to win their eighth game in a row and improve to 14-3. The biggest difference in the game was Park Hills' 3-point shooting in the first half compared to that in the second...

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. -- Roy Booker broke loose for 27 points as Portageville handed Cape Central a 56-49 loss on Tuesday. Cape Central (3-13) scored nearly half its points 24 in the fourth quarter, but found itself with too much ground to overcome. Portageville led 26-19 at halftime and outscored the Tigers 13-6 in the third quarter for a 39-25 lead...

Son to Elliott Linzey and Beth Ann Sterling of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 7:01 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 24, 2000. Name, Carter Isaiah. Weight, 7 pounds 5 ounces. Second son. Mrs. Sterling is the former Beth Ward, daughter of Tom Ward and Amy Ward of Cape Girardeau. Sterling is the son of Eric Sterling and Diana Sterling of Cape Girardeau. He is a maintenance mechanic supervisor at Pavestone Co...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Mary Alice McCann, 97, of O'Fallon, Mo., and formerly of Mississippi County, died Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2001, at Garden View Care Center in O'Fallon. She was born Oct. 20, 1903, at Clifton, Tenn., daughter of David Daniel and Amanda A. Turnbow McCann...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Funeral for Omer C. Lyles of Perryville will be held at 7 p.m. today at Young and Sons Funeral Home. The Rev. Gerold McBride will officiate. Graveside service will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Pulliam Cemetery in Patton, Mo., with the Rev. Randy Miller officiating...

WYATT, Mo. -- Henry Edward Gunter, 76, of Florissant, Mo., died Monday, Jan. 22, 2001, at Missouri Veterans Home in St. Louis. He was born Nov. 5, 1924, at Birds Point, Mo., son of Harvey E. and Nancy J. Stewart Gunter. He and Louise Knupp were married April 3, 1949...

MOUNDS, Ill. -- William A. "Bill" Cameron Jr., 68, of Mounds died Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2001, at Daystar Care Center in Cairo, Ill. He was born Dec. 14, 1932, in Pulaski County, son of William A. and Helen Boren Cameron. Cameron was a member of the First Baptist Church of Mounds, the VFW, the American Legion and the Union of Locomotive Engineers. He was a retired engineer for the Illinois Central Railroad and was a veteran of the Korean War, where he served in the Army...

Thelma M. Chappell, 75, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Jan. 21, 2001, at Southeast Missouri Hosdeau in 1963 from Ironton, Mo. She had owned and operated Thelma's Lounge many years and also was a teacher at Head Start. She was a member of First Assembly of God Church, VFW Auxiliary and a charter member of Eagles Auxiliary...

Martha J. Humble, 83, of Canton, Mich., died Monday, Jan. 22, 2001, at her home. She was formerly of Cape Girardeau. Ford and Sons Mt. Auburn Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Gertrude Gullion, 93, of Charleston died Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2001, at Charleston Manor. She was born March 26, 1907, in Charleston, daughter of Ben and Mary Bruenderman Stricker. She had lived most of her life in St. Louis, where she was a seamstress with Frager Brothers Dress Co. After retiring in 1973, she returned to Charleston...

Funeral for Elma V. Dey of Cape Girardeau will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at Ford and Sons Mt. Auburn Chapel. Hal Greene will officiate. Burial will be in Mayfield Cemetery at Carlinville, Ill. Friends may call at the chapel from 4-6 p.m. today. Dey, 91, died Monday, Jan. 22, 2001, at Chateau Girardeau Health Center...

ANNA, Ill. -- Golburn Griffin, 83, of Anna died Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2001, at his home. He was born Aug. 14, 1917, in Union County, Ill., son of Tobias and Elmira Smith Griffin. He married Mary Cooper, who preceded him in death. Griffin was a retired logger and a member of New Hope Baptist Church and Disabled American Veterans...

BERTRAND, Mo. -- Eddie Murlin Childers, 70, of Bertrand died Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2001, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo. He was born Nov. 22, 1930, at Wolf Island, Mo., son of Con and Esta Tripp Childers. Childers lived in Mississippi County most of his life and was a truck driver. He was formerly of East Prairie, Mo...

To the editor: I wish to express my disgust at President Bush's recent criticism's of our country's education system. I heard an excerpt from a speech Bush made recently at what was noted by the newscaster as a "predominately black" elementary school. ...

Even in death, Traci Taylor continues to inspire young people across the nation. The Cape Girardean lived with leukemia for 13 or her 19 tender years. Feeling OK on some days, tired and ill on others, how easy it would have been for Traci to give up hope of making a contribution to our community...

What an exceptional honor for Missouri that two top leaders of the Republican National Committee are from our state -- one of them from Cape Girardeau. Jack Oliver was named deputy chairman of the RNC. At age 32, he's a rising star in the Republican Party, a fifth-generation Missouri lawyer and former national finance director for President George W. Bush's campaign...

My desire finally to follow the Clinton admonition "just to move on" is outweighed by my obligation to comment on the distasteful nature with which Clinton handled his last days in office. When taking office and pledging to lead the most ethical administration in history, Clinton issued an executive order extending from one to five years the prohibition on administration officials becoming paid lobbyists after retiring from government service. ...

I DON'T understand all these high-falutin' columns praising John Ashcroft as a man of principle. Ashcroft is on record as saying he considers abortion murder. Yet, in his apparent zeal to become attorney general, he has testified he will enforce laws allowing murder (abortion). That kind of stance seems to make Ashcroft anything but a man of principle. How could a man of principle say he will enforce laws he believes to be murder, even if he doesn't agree with them?...

To the editor: Here I am. I'm 68. What was my first memory? Of the Woods Building? We moved to the Woods Building at 605 Independence when I was 4 or 5 years old. "Independence" was the first word I learned to spell. The building was owned by "Uncle Billy" Woods. His son, Willie, live there with him. I don't think he had ever been married, but he loved to talk about The War. World War I. We lived four places on the third floor. The best was at the back with the big porch...

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? It's an age-old question, but the recently published "Cambridge World History of Food," a massive work containing more than 2,000 pages and 2 million words, is not afraid to tackle it, even if it does straddle the fence in its answer. ...

I really opened up a can of worms this time. Last week I shared the recipe with you for Yucatan pork so many of you wanted. In the recipe it listed the ingredient achiote. After many telephone calls from readers who had been searching for it at the stores, I know now it is not available in the Cape Girardeau area. But the good news is, you can substitute 1 teaspoon paprika and 1 teaspoon turmeric for the achiote, and it will be just fine...