Stories from Thursday, March 22, 2001

The Marquette Hotel hasn't changed much in its year spent under the threat of condemnation and demolition. The stately 72-year-old structure continues to age, vacant, on Broadway in downtown Cape Girardeau, reaching a level of deterioration that threatens pedestrians passing underneath, the city's building inspections director says...

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- The captain of a towboat that sank in a fatal accident on the Mississippi River last month was likely responsible for his own death, an official with boat owner Luhr Bros. of Columbia, Ill., said Wednesday. The Patty Ann went down with its captain and two deckhands on board shortly before midnight on Feb. 27 near Ste. Genevieve. The deckhands were able to swim to safety, but Capt. John Distefano was lost. His body has not been recovered...

March 22, 2001 Dear Pat, A winter has passed since we were last at DC's family cabin, a winter so cold and unyielding hardly anybody has been out there. The cabin has an ancient furnace that burns wood. Except for the turkey hunters in the family, most of us are fair weather visitors...

Mark Carver Spouse: Lisa Children: Three school-aged children Employer: UCB Pharmaceuticals, sales representative Other public offices: One previous term on school board Ferrell Ervin Spouse: Glenna Children: Two school-aged children Employer: Chairman of the Southeast Missouri State University mass communications department...

A federal judge has ordered that a Sikeston, Mo., man remain in custody until his jury trial for allegedly burning a cross in front of a black family's residence. Justin Scapino, 23, will stay in the Cape Girardeau County Jail until May 29, when he is scheduled to go on trial for a charge of racial intimidation...

Bunko enthusiasts helped raise funding that will be used for special projects in Cape Girardeau schools during a tournament Tuesday at Clippard Elementary School. "It went wonderfully," said Kandee Metje, co-executive coordinator of the Cape Girardeau Public School Foundation. "We're thinking about doing another next fall because everyone had so much fun." The foundation sponsored the event...

The president of the Southeast Missouri Home Builders Association can't think of anyone who wouldn't want to attend this weekend's annual Home and Garden Show. The offerings are diverse. Chefs will prepare some of their favorite recipes for onlookers. A master gardener will explain how to design the ideal front lawn. And craftsmen will explain how to improve a home inside and out...

Back-to-back home runs in a three-run fourth inning lifted the Cape Central Tigers to a 3-1 win over SEMO conference foe Chaffee at Tiger Field on Wednesday. Cape Central and Chaffee, both coming off solid 2000 seasons, left no doubt that they will be contenders this year as well...

Sure, Michael Minner was disappointed by being knocked out in the second inning. But that couldn't diminish the thrill Minner experienced at coming home to pitch a college baseball game. Minner, a junior left-hander for the William Woods Owls, was the losing hurler Wednesday afternoon as Southeast Missouri State University posted a 24-3 non-conference rout at Capaha Field...

OXFORD, Miss. -- Southeast Missouri State University's softball team got a bit of revenge against the University of Mississippi here Wednesday. The Otahkians, who had lost a pair of 8-0 games to Mississippi in Cape Girardeau earlier this month, split a doubleheader with the host Rebels this time, winning the opener 4-2 and losing the nightcap 8-0...

Justin Keen, a Jackson High School graduate, has been named an NAIA All-America Scholar-Athlete for men's basketball. Keen, a sophomore at Columbia (Mo.) College who is majoring in business, holds a cumulative 3.73 grade-point average. He averaged 5.0 points and 2.1 rebounds per game this season for a Cougars squad that compiled a 29-4 record and qualified for the NAIA national tournament...

Southeast Missouri State University's men's and women's outdoor track teams will open the season this weekend at the Alabama Relays in Tuscaloosa, Ala. "The Alabama Relays will be loaded with outstanding teams and individuals," said Southeast coach Joey Haines. "This will be a good meet to let our athletes see how they stack up against the top talent early in the season."...

JACKSON, Mo. -- A Ste. Genevieve grand slam in a five-run fifth inning doomed Jackson High's baseball team in a 7-1 loss Wednesday. The Indians, who committed five errors, dropped to 1-1 after they picked up an impressive win over Notre Dame on Monday...

POCAHONTAS, Mo. -- Funeral for Ernst Henry Wallman of Pocahontas will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at Zion Lutheran Church in Pocahontas. The Rev. Howard Mueller will officiate. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Friends may call at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson, Mo., from 4-8 p.m. today...

Daughter to Thomas L. and Amy Suzanne Huber of Perryville, Mo., Southeast Missouri Hospital, 7:23 a.m. Tuesday, March 13, 2001. Name, Maegyn Layne. Weight, 8 pounds 5 ounces. Second daughter. Mrs. Huber is the former Amy Grebing, daughter of Dorene Grebing of Frohna, Mo., and the late Milton Grebing. She is employed at Tilley Eye Center. Huber is the son of Gary and Pat Huber of Perryville. He is employed at TG(Missouri)...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Olen Vanover, 56, of Bloomfield died Tuesday, March 20, 2001, at the home of a daughter. He was born Nov. 3, 1944, in Sikeston, Mo., son of R.V. and Trecie Latham Vanover. Vanover was a master sergeant in the U.S. Army 23 years, serving tours of duty in Germany and Vietnam. He raised cattle on his farm near Bloomfield. He was a member of Miner Baptist Church...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Cora Woodfin, 84, of Marble Hill died Wednesday, March 21, 2001, at Mae Hill Manor in Farmington, Mo. She was born July 22, 1916, at Elvins, Mo., daughter of Peter Marshall and Martha Jane Benton Sitzes. She and Omer Woodfin were married Sept. 11, 1948, at Clayton, Mo. He died April 11, 1978...

JOPPA, Ill. -- Linda Burris Myers, 60, of Joppa died Tuesday, March 20, 2001, at Western Baptist Hospital in Paducah, Ky. She was born March 8, 1941, in Metropolis, Ill. She was a Catholic. She is survived by two sisters, Frances Duley of Joppa and Cinda D'Andren of Chicago; a half sister, Tawny Fleming of Mississippi; two stepdaughters, Linda Gunkle of Cornville, Ariz., and Cindy Helgeson of Kismet, Kan.; and her father, Dewey Burris of Bryant, Ark...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Helen L. Dunlap, 97, of Oklahoma City, Okla., formerly of Cairo, died Tuesday, March 20, 2001, at her home. Crain Funeral Home in Ullin, Ill., is in charge of arrangements.

JACKSON, Mo. -- Milton Nitsch, 78, of Jackson died Wednesday, March 21, 2001, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson is in charge of arrangements.

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Ivory L. Kent, 72, of Charleston died Tuesday, March 20, 2001, at Beverly Health and Rehabilitation Services of Cape Girardeau. She was born May 25, 1928, in Armorel, Ark., daughter of Orange and Lueller Reed Riggin. She and Edward Kent were married in 1978. He died in 1997...

MOREHOUSE, Mo. -- George Cambron, 93, of Morehouse died Wednesday, March 21, 2001, at Wentzville Park Care Center in Wentzville, Mo. He was born Feb. 22, 1908, in Morehouse, son of Jacob R. and Lena Clark Cambron. He and Frieda Warren were married June 1, 1946. She died April 21, 1997...

To the editor: Robert Trankle (March 18 letter to the editor) appears to have confused the Hebrew shalom, which could be translated "wholeness for the whole man," with the Greek soteria (salvation), derived from the verb sozo (to save, deliver). While sozo is used to speak of deliverance from disease, it has no intrinsic relation to human wholeness. ...

To the editor: It was Mark Twain who noted, "It takes a lot of folks to make a hero." I am certainly not a hero. I am merely the recipient of an award. Jerry Rapp, my co-recipient and partner from the Corps of Engineers, agrees. The credit for the award belongs to a lot of folks...

There is a heated vote taking place on semissourian.com. This week's poll question asks, "How do you rate the first two months of the Bush presidency?" Early votes registered overwhelming support for the new president. Recent tallies have pulled the numbers closer. In a way, the first few days of voting on semissourian.com reflect some of the sentiment around the country about the initial months of the Bush presidency...

It comes as no surprise that Cape Girardeau's Albert M. Spradling Jr. drew a standing ovation after addressing the Missouri Senate March 13 on the occasion of his 81st birthday anniversary. Spradling, a Democrat who spent 25 years in the state Senate from 1952 through 1977 and served as president pro tem from 1961 through 1964, was called to Jefferson City by the current president pro tem, state Sen. ...

Although on the back burner for now, battle lines are drawn over a Missouri legislative proposal that would bar fired workers who test positive for drugs from receiving unemployment benefits. When state Sen. John Loudon's measure moves ahead, opponents which include labor and Democrats, traditional supporters of organized labor will take on business and Republicans, who control the Senate and are pushing the legislation...

I WANT to commend the neighbors of the little girl in Jackson for their attitude at a time like this. I hope the prosecuting attorney, Morley Swingle, finds out who the father is and what age he is. He should suffer the consequences and know that these things just can't be passed on...

To the editor: I want to comment on the fact that in 14 years in education -- two as a band director, 10 as a high school counselor and the last two in technology support -- I have worked with a total of seven principals. I have worked closely with Central High School principal Randie Fidler for the last five years, and he stands head and shoulders above any of them in terms of integrity, enthusiasm for what he is doing and genuine concern for the education of children...