Stories from Saturday, February 10, 2001

As more and more people are seeking to find their faith, churches are examining different styles of music, embracing change, adding service times and developing new programs -- all in an attempt to create a sense of worship. The Southeast Missourian begins today an occasional series looking at the ways we worship, whether in congregations large or small and whatever the denomination...

Turning off lights and running only full dishwasher loads might not seem to be major cost-saving measures, but Cape Girardeau schools superintendent Dr. Dan Steska wants to make every penny count in the district's $23 million budget. Steska keeps a folder of cost-saving ideas handy in case he hears a tip he thinks will help the district through a financial crunch that could cause a state "financially distressed" designation before year's end...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Two teen-agers from Southeast Missouri who led law enforcement officials on a multi-state manhunt were arrested Friday in Alabama, the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department reported. Suspects in a Bootheel crime spree, 18-year-olds Michael Dean Wilkins of De Soto, Mo., and Benjamin H. Brase, of Sikeston, Mo., were located late Thursday night at the Guest House Inn motel in Gulf Shores, Ala., by local police, said Lt. David James of the sheriff's department...

BENTON, Mo. -- A Scott County man was in jail late Friday in connection with his girlfriend's death after a deputy discovered her body inside the couple's rural Scott County home about two miles east of Benton. Sgt. Jerry Bledsoe of the Scott County Sheriff's Department said Lizabeth Dunn, 41, had been stabbed. Her boyfriend, Larry F. Baker, 40, is suspected of killing her and then trying to set a fire to cover up the crime...

Corporate Airlines is looking to the future here. Last May, the Smyrna, Tenn.-based commuter airline assumed contracts with Trans World Airlines to provide flights from Cape Girardeau Regional Airport to Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, TWA's hub...

Dennis Stroughmatt, a Southeast Missouri State University graduate and a Cajun fiddler, will be featured Sunday on KRCU's "Going Public" radio show. Stroughmatt will discuss the culture and history of the French in Missouri and Illinois and perform native tunes...

Southeast Missouri State University plans to develop hiking and biking trails on the tree-filled River Campus overlooking the Mississippi River. Dr. Pauline Fox, vice president of administration and enrollment management, said the school is close to securing a grant from the state to construct the trails...

John Wyman will be rebuilding the Broadway entrance to The Royal N'Orleans restaurant a little sooner than expected. "Actually about a week sooner," said John Wyman, restaurant owner. Already damaged by a large chunk of ice just before Christmas, the entire structure, added on in 1991, was sent to the ground by high winds about mid-day Friday...

From Melverue Abraham's vibrantly spiritual paintings to Bwana Jackson's illustrations of jazz musicians, from Najjar Abdul-Musawwir's bold renderings based on Islamic religious traditions to Renee Blissett's colorful ceramics evoking childhood memories, diversity was the hallmark of Friday's Emerging African-American Artists reception at the University Center...

If Southeast Missouri State University's men's basketball team is to snap its four-game losing streak tonight, the Indians are going to have to knock off one of the Ohio Valley Conference's hottest squads on its home court. Tennessee-Martin's Skyhawks are on a serious roll and are even in the hunt for a top-four conference finish heading into the 6 p.m. tipoff at Skyhawk Arena in Martin, Tenn...

Southeast Missouri State University's women's basketball team entered this week in great shape regarding a top-four Ohio Valley Conference finish. But heading into today's 4 p.m. contest at Tennessee-Martin -- which concludes a three-game road swing for Southeast -- the Otahkians' position in the league is being threatened...

Southeast Missouri State University's golf team has named Jack Connell as a volunteer assistant coach. Connell is the director of golf at Dalhousie Golf Club at Prestwick Plantation, which is currently under construction in Cape Girardeau. Connell, formerly the head golf professional at Cape Girardeau Country Club, will be assisting head coach Carroll Williams...

Ten Jackson wrestlers and four grapplers from Cape Central will compete today in the Missouri Class 4A sectional round at Parkway South High in St. Louis. The top four wrestlers in each weight class will advance to the state meet next week in Columbia...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Tony Jones hit a 3-point basket with one second remaining in overtime as Sikeston posted a thrilling 37-36 victory over Cape Central Friday night. Jones' basket gave the Bulldogs five points in overtime after they went scoreless in the fourth quarter...

Southeast Missouri State football coach Tim Billings has promoted assistant coach Kip Shaw to assistant head coach and has named defensive secondary coach Shannon Morrison the team's defensive coordinator. Morrison will replace Mike Phillips who resigned to pursue other opportunities in Texas...

ANNA, Ill. -- Jewel "Jude" Sims, 91, died Thursday, Feb. 8, 2001, at the VA Medical Center in Marion, Ill. He was born Sept. 25, 1909, in Pulaski County, son of Thomas Jefferson and Florence Isadore Miler Sims. He and Mildred Marie Dixon were married April 29, 1929. She died June 12, 1980. He later married Lessie Lee Laminack Duncan...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Funeral for Dorothy M. Henson of Gooding, Idaho, was held Jan. 29 at Demaray's Gooding Chapel. The Rev. Jim Davis officiated. Burial was in Hagerman Cemetery in Idaho. Henson, 80, died Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2001, at Mountain View Care Center in Kimberly, Idaho...

BERTRAND, Mo. -- Lear Mock, 85, of Bertrand died Friday, Feb. 9, 2001, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo. She was born Nov. 28, 1915, in Russellville, Ark., daughter of William James and Martha Elizabeth Hill Parrish. She and William C. Mock were married May 5, 1942. He died Oct. 8, 1999...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Funeral for Minnie A. Steinhoff of Federal Way, Wash., will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson, Mo. The Rev. Brian Anderson will officiate. Burial will be in Russell Heights Cemetery at Jackson. Friends may call at the funeral home from 6-8 p.m. today...

WOLF LAKE, Ill. -- Barbara S. "Tootie" Myers, 64, of Wolf Lake died Thursday, Feb. 8, 2001, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born May 23, 1936, in Anna, Ill., daughter of Fred and Myrtle Dover Modglin. She and Richard A. "Dick" Myers were married June 6, 1954, at Wolf Lake...

COBDEN, Ill. -- Andre Monterastelli, 84, of Cobden died Friday, Feb. 9, 2001, at Union County Hospital in Anna, Ill. He was born March 28, 1916, in Spring Valley, Ill., son of Guilio and Rosa Pellegrini Monterastelli. He was a retired coal miner. There are no known survivors...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Herman Newman, 88, of Sikeston died Thursday, Feb. 8, 2001, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born Aug. 27, 1912, at Canalou, Mo., son of Lee Roy and Katie Jane Peterson Newman. He and Clara Chapman were married April 2, 1933...

OLMSTED, Ill. -- Oscar Curt, 97, of Olmsted died Friday, Feb. 9, 2001, at Union County Hospital in Anna, Ill. He was born Nov. 6, 1903, near Olmsted, son of August and Eva Rinehart Curt. He and Dessie Corzine were married in 1933. Curt lived all his life in the house where he was born in Pulaski County. He had peach orchards and was a cattle and vegetable farmer. He served on the First State Bank of Olmsted Board of Directors 46 years...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Opal L. Groves, 66, of Charleston died Friday, Feb. 9, 2001, at her home. She was born Sept. 9, 1934, in Mississippi County, Mo., daughter of Neal and Lavay Bugg Adams. She and Joseph Groves were married July 8, 1963. Groves lived in Mississippi County most of her life. She had worked at Ellis' Confectionery, Brown Shoe Co., Freda's Fashions and Wal-Mart, all in Charleston. She was a member of Elm Street Baptist Church and was church secretary many years...

Winifred Eugenia Bone, 76, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, Feb. 8, 2001, at the Lutheran Home. She was born March 16, 1924, in Cairo, Ill., daughter of Emil and Fannie Schlamer Axelson. She and James S. Bone were married March 1, 1946, in Cairo. Bone and her family moved to Cape Girardeau in 1955 from Mound City, Ill. She was affiliated with the Lutheran church, and was a member of VFW Auxiliary...

BURFORDVILLE, Mo. -- Roy Clinton Locke, 78, of Burfordville died Friday, Feb. 9, 2001, at Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Jan. 30, 1923, in Binger, Okla., son of Ambrose and Lillie Hunt Locke. He and Edith Wise were married Oct. 21, 1950. She survives...

COBDEN, Ill. -- Franklin Gene Norris, 46, of Cobden died Friday, Feb. 9, 2001, at his home. He was born June 22, 1954, in Anna, Ill., son of Carl and Helen Overton Norris. Norris had worked at Florsheim Shoe Co. in Anna and Cape Girardeau and most recently was employed by Union County Highway Department...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Ardean "Smokey" Johnson Sr., 67, of Sikeston died Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2001, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born March 23, 1933, in Tyronza, Ark., son of Charlie and Maggie Johnson. He and Dora Gaines were married in 1951 in Osceola, Ark...

SHAWNEETOWN, Mo. -- Richard G. "Dick" Schmidt, 68, died Friday, Feb. 9, 2001, at his home near Shawneetown. McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson, Mo., is in charge of arrangements.

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Arthur E. Bock, 78, formerly of Perryville, died Thursday, Feb. 1, 2001, at Memorial Medical Center in Jacksonville, Fla. He was born Oct. 17, 1922, at Uniontown, Mo., son of Gottfried William and Hilda Martha Herring Bock. Bock was a retired civil service aircraft repairman. He was a member of Faith Lutheran Church in Jacksonville...

DEXTER, Mo. -- Clyde E. Denney, 62, of Conyers, Ga., died Friday, Feb. 9, 2001, at his home. He was born Feb. 20, 1938, in Carroll County, Ga., son of Durward and Nona Bishop Denney. He and Judy Harmon were married July 19, 1976, at Dexter. Denney was formerly of Dexter. He was a truck driver with Dart Container and a member of Lake City Baptist Tabernacle in Conyers...

For decades, the phone book and the dictionary have been useful and necessary tools for newspaper news departments. The dictionary helps us spell tough words like "hors d'oeuvres" and "maneuver" correctly. And the phone book used to tell us useful things such as how businesses preferred to be identified or when to use an ampersand in a business name or the correct street address for every business in town...

To the editor: Regarding the Cape Gir-ardeau emergency fund: How come no one is asking the obvious question? Is that money earning all the interest possible? It could be in short-term investments which normally I would expect a city the size of Cape Girardeau to know about...

What a privilege it is to have such fine examples of success and community spirit in Cape Girardeau as those recognized at last week's annual Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce banquet. The chamber presented its Rush Limbaugh Award, named for the well-known community-minded lawyer who practiced here for 75 years, to Vernon Auer. ...

One of my favorite economists, Larry Kudlow, writing for National Review Online, suggested that President Bush "is essentially governing under Ronald Reagan's policy agenda." I agree, but Kudlow got me to thinking about the different dynamics operating today and Bush's prospects for implementing his agenda, particularly his tax cut...

I REALLY want to thank conservatives and Ronald Reagan for deregulation. Businesses merge and buy each other up, and they're going to take the American people to the bank. Where is all this competition that deregulation was supposed to create? I believe in a free-enterprise system, but I'm beginning to feel like we've gotten to where businesses can just rip the consumer off and screw up the economy. Deregulation didn't do anything to increase competition...

To the editor: Recently several Democrats have used Speak Out to demonize Republicans for utilizing various government programs including Social Security, going so far as relating it to accepting welfare. As an ardent Republican I would like to take this opportunity to respond...

Son to Gene Douglas and Chrystal Lin Reeves of Thebes, Ill., Southeast Missouri Hospital, 1:44 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1, 2001. Name, Jordon Alexxander. Weight, 7 pounds 13 ounces. Fifth son. Mrs. Reeves is the former Chrystal LaBeau, daughter of Linda Owen and Larry Owen of Mounds, Ill. She is a cashier at Bi-State Southern. Reeves is the son of Marie Reeves and Jim Jaco of Jackson, Mo. He is a meter reader with Alliance Water...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Memorial Mass for Albert "Joe" Lux of Chicago Ridge, Ill., was held Jan. 13, 2001, at Church of the Assumption Catholic Church in Crestwood, Ill. Lux, 72, died Saturday, Jan. 6, 2001, at his home. He was born July 2, 1928, at Chaffee, son of Fred and Coletta Compass Lux. He first married Wanda Goff, who preceded him in death. He later married Nancy Jones...