Stories from Wednesday, February 14, 2001

A Scott City, Mo., man pleaded guilty Tuesday in the death of a Texas woman whose body was dismembered and her remains put into portable coolers and left in an Illinois corn field. Richard Meyer, 42, pleaded guilty in a LaSalle County court at Ottawa, Ill., to one charge of first-degree murder and a second charge of concealing a homicide in the July 11 death of Ernestina M. Hinojosa, 43, of Kennewick, Wash...

While two police officers struggle to recover from gunshot wounds, the city is taking care of them financially, said Cape Girardeau's human-resources director. Sgt. Bradley Moore was hit in the left shoulder and Cpl. Keith May in the abdomen in a drug-related shootout Saturday at the Super 8 Motel on North Kingshighway. Moore was in surgery Tuesday to repair his shoulder. Both were listed in good condition, but officials don't know when either man will return to work...

Love isn't blooming in some school front offices today because of policies prohibiting the delivery of flowers on the biggest floral holiday of the year. Public schools in both Cape Girardeau and Jackson, Mo., have adopted policies in recent years prohibiting deliveries of floral arrangements and other gifts to students, even for Valentine's Day...

Cape Girardeau's religious community must do more to help couples build stronger marriages, both by counseling couples before marriage and throughout their relationship, area pastors said. The Cape Girardeau Ministerial Alliance met Tuesday for its monthly meeting and a review of the community marriage policy, which was adopted nearly five years ago...

Industry and business are running the gamut -- from good to bad to the ugly -- in early 2001 in the Cape Girardeau County area. Company officials are denying some ugly rumors in the immediate Southeast Missouri area. One of the most widespread rumors was that Buchheit Inc. is selling, or just shutting down, after some good years in which the company has spread in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois...

That red cloud hovering briefly over the Spartech Compound on Nash Road Tuesday was a result of an equipment failure inside the plant. Workers were producing red tinted plastic and a filter error resulted in some of the red dye powder escaping from a roof vent, said a Spartech spokesmen. The error was detected immediately, and repairs eventually halted the escaping dust...

New police, fire and public works facilities, a family aquatic center and a golf course club house -- carrying a price tag of roughly $27 million -- are on the city's short list of facilities that need to be constructed as soon as funding can be found...

Good opera communicates the emotional gist of the story no matter how foreign the words. The dialect sung and spoken in "Porgy and Bess" is not foreign to Americans, in fact is as stamped in the American brain as Gershwin's melodies. Opera or folk opera, the beautifully staged and expertly choreographed Living Arts production of "Porgy and Bess" presented Tuesday night at the Show Me Center before an audience of 1,129 at times soared with majesty...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Since proposed in 1994, the plan to improve traffic congestion in the west part of Jackson has evolved from a three-lane widening of Highway 34/72 to an array of bypass possibilities to the five-lane widening of the highway decided upon in 1998. Now the Missouri Department of Transportation wants to turn the 3 1/2-mile stretch of road into a four-lane parkway with a four-foot-wide landscaped median strip down the middle...

Charleston and Cape Girardeau Central have been two of the area's most improved high school boys basketball teams over the second half of the season. But the visiting Bluejays were way above the Tigers' level Tuesday night as they rolled to a 75-58 victory...

Cape Central's two football all-staters -- linebacker O.J. Turner and kicker Brian Emmendorfer -- are both expected to sign a letter of intent today to play for Southeast Missouri State University. Turner, a first-team all-state performer, was by many accounts the best linebacker in the region last year. ...

Southeast Missouri State University men's basketball coach Gary Garner believes that it's never wise to mislead a team regarding the relative strength or weakness of a particular opponent. So Garner is not about to try and convince the Indians that Morris Brown is a strong Division I squad...

Our team played well in beating Tennessee-Martin on the road Saturday night to end a four-game losing streak. I saw positive signs in our loss at Murray State Thursday night and hoped the positives would carry over to Saturday's game. At Skyhawk Arena, Tennessee-Martin had already beaten Austin Peay, Murray State and Eastern Illinois and so we knew we had our work cut out for us...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Forward Jonathan Ressel scored a season-high 28 points and pulled down 12 rebounds as Notre Dame fought off a hot-shooting Perryville squad 70-60 Tuesday night in high school basketball action. "He only hit one three, but he went to the boards well," said Notre Dame coach Darrin Scott of the 6-foot-5 Ressel. "He scored well from 14 to 15 feet."...

VANDUSER, Mo. -- John Douglas "Doug" Wallace, 36, of Vanduser died Monday, Feb. 12, 2001, from injuries received in an automobile accident near his home. He was born Sept. 24, 1964, in Sikeston, Mo., son of Jerry and Jo Susan Burch Wallace. Wallace was a welder with Johnson and Matthews Co...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Larry Stephen "Steve" Stone, 45, of Sikeston died Monday, Feb. 12, 2001, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born Dec. 17, 1955, at Sikeston, son of Myles Long and Johnnie Barnett Stone. He and Lisa Burton were married May 20, 2000, in Sikeston...

Billy Chester French, 67, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Feb. 11, 2001, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo. He was born March 27, 1933, in Dyersburg, Tenn., son of Bennie Franklin and Nola Mae Benthell French. French had been a custodian at Candlewick Lounge...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Funeral for Christine Parker of Charleston will be held at 2 p.m. today at McMikle Funeral Home in Charleston. The Revs. Dale Huff and Dennis Lowe will officiate. Burial will be in Oak Grove Cemetery. Parker, 77, died Monday, Feb. 12, 2001, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo...

ANNA, Ill. -- Robert E. Kollehner, 88, of Anna died Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2001, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born May 1, 1912, near Jonesboro, Ill., son of John Philip Ernest and Ella Esther Reischauer Kollehner. He and Helen L. Menees were married March 15, 1935, at Murphysboro, Ill. She died Aug. 8, 1998...

MARION, Ill. -- Paul Vincent Dollman Sr., 82, of Marion, formerly of Ware, Ill., died Monday, Feb. 12, 2001, at Holley Hills Home in Marion. He was born July 12, 1918, at McClure, Ill., son of Jessie and Effie Dollman. He and Alline Rhodes were married Sept. 12, 1940, in Union County...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- C.D. "Cotton" Springs, 82, of Sikeston died Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2001, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born July 8, 1918, at Cline's Island, Mo., son of Ernest and Arminta Jane Hutchason Springs. He and Martha B. Allard were married Dec. 26, 1936, at Greenville, Mo. She died Aug. 10, 2000...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Truman R. Lewis, 86, of Jackson died Monday, Feb. 12, 2001, at Jackson Manor. He was born Oct. 10, 1914, at Jackson, son of Edward R. and Mora Ford Lewis. He and Evelyn Talley were married May 31, 1935, in Jackson. Mr. Lewis had worked at Cape County Milling Co., the former Palace Theater and owned and operated Park Theater in Marble Hill, Mo., which became Lewis Theater. He also owned and operated Twin City Service Station and developed property in Marble Hill...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- James Michael "Jim" Bula, 55, of Sikeston died Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2001, at Miner Nursing Center in Miner, Mo. He was born Aug. 21, 1945, in Antigo, Wis., son of Stanley and Edna Abrams Bula. He and Melinda Evans were married Sept. 22, 2000, at Benton, Mo...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Willard E. "Shorty" Thompson, 78, of Perryville died Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2001, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. He was born Feb. 25, 1922, at Wittenberg, Mo., son of Martin O. and Minnie Strickland Thompson. He and Esther Lee Hamblin were married Sept. 30, 1972, in Chester, Ill...

For the first time in the history of Cape Girardeau budget planning, citizens can put their two cents' worth in without so much as moving from their desk chairs. The city has an electronic comment form accessible through an Internet link on the left side of the screen at www.showme.net/capecity...

Although residents complain about Cape Girardeau's streets being routinely ripped up, they can be pleased that the city is ahead of the curve on getting its aging water and sewer systems replaced. A study commissioned by a group of water and sewer contractors, mayors and others found that the nation needs about $1 trillion in water and sewer infrastructure improvements by 2020 to properly meet demand...

Fraud or disenfranchisement? If the margin of victory in the presidential election had been 900 votes in Missouri instead of Florida, the allegations of voter fraud and disenfranchisement in St. Louis would have made Missouri election officials look as bad as those in Florida. .....

I WAS stunned almost beyond words by David Limbaugh's futile, failed attempt to reassure us that we should exercise patience when it comes to rebuilding our national defense and that a Reaganomics tax cut should take precedence. When it comes to our nation's sovereignty, we shouldn't be placing top emphasis on pandering to the masses with gimmicky, populist tax-cut proposals. ...

Our Lexie turned 4 years old last Saturday, and we celebrated in the normal fashion with lots of family and friends. She really figured out what birthday parties are all about this year. Last year, she was done after she opened the first gift. This year she knew that with package there was a new surprise awaiting her. We are so thankful for her and cherish each new day with her...

To the editor: The following is an excerpt from Tony Hall's article about the shooting of the two Cape Girardeau police officer's Saturday night: "The last time Cape Girardeau police were seriously wounded in a shootout was 1961. Patrolmen Donald H. Crittendon and Herbert L. Goss died following a gun battle in Town Plaza Shopping Center March 10, 1961. Gross, 67, died the same day while Crittendon, 24, lingered for 11 days."...

To the editor: The Missouri Senate's top leader has taken a wrong position if an article in the Feb. 7 Southeast Missourian is correct, and I assume it is. It is reported that Peter Kinder, president pro tem of the Senate, offered an amendment that will again delay the passage and implementation of a bill to lower the standard for drinking and driving. "A two-year delay seems a reasonable thing," Kinder said...

"All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt." That sentiment, uttered by Lucy Van Pelt of the "Peanuts" cartoon strip, is an appropriate one for today, Valentine's Day. But Miranda Ingram goes even further when she asserts, "It's not that chocolates are a substitute for love. ...