Stories from Sunday, May 6, 2001

Aaron Roth of the Pocahontas 4-H Club recently won first place in the individual workshop contest at the 12th annual Youth Livestock Grading and Judging Contest and Workshop in Columbia, Mo. Roth, 12, competed against more than 500 youngsters in the state agriculture department-sponsored event...

An ongoing program in Debbi Schorey's first-grade classroom at Orchard Elementary is volunteer reading. Children love to hear stories, and it enables them to become better readers. As they visualize the words and imagine what is being described, they become more familiar with phrases and with putting the words together to form an image...

Aaron Roth of the Pocahontas 4-H Club recently won first place in the individual workshop contest at the 12th annual Youth Livestock Grading and Judging Contest and Workshop in Columbia. Roth, 12, competed against more than 500 youngsters in the state agriculture department-sponsored event...

Office of the Mayor, Paul Sander WHEREAS, the problems of crime touch and affect all segments of our society and can erode the moral and economic strengths of our communities, and WHEREAS, our vitality as a community and as a society depends to a great degree on the willingness of each individual member to give of his or her time and talents in volunteer service, and...

Nine Jackson School employees were honored recently at the Knights of Columbus Hall on their retirement. All of the employees had spent more than 20 years with the school district. Recently, they talked about retirement and their plans after this school year...

Three teachers and a library media specialist were named Educators of the Year by the Jackson Chamber of Commerce. Linda Suedekum, kindergarten teacher; and Diana Hughes and Mary Pensel, special education teachers; and Diane Gregg, a library media specialist, received their awards Monday at a banquet at the Route 25 Hall...

A committee of charter members and members of Company E Missouri National Guard had trophies repaired and restored to their original beauty recently. Enlistment for Company E started in November 1946, and a month later, Company E was formed under the leadership of Thomas K. O'Loughlin. Company E was officially recognized Jan. 10, 1947...

Pat Schwent was good at two things in high school. Sports and music. She came from a musical family. From age 14 on she played in a band. Music won out in college. She graduated with a degree in music and began teaching. The students taught her everything she knows about teaching in the first five years of teaching. She loves teaching kids what she knows and also enjoys watching...

Jim Nelson, public relations chairman of Altenthal-Joerns Post 158, reported donations to American Legion post's scholarship fund. Donating to the fund were Robert and Virginia Dolle and Jack and Evon Schwettman in memory of Ellen Conrad; Mr. and Mrs. ...

For more than 20 years the Jackson Heritage Association has involved adults interested in historical preservation. Now, the group has decided to add a youth committee. At this year's association banquet, the group named Justin Gibbs, a junior high school student, as a youth representative. Gibbs came up with the idea to assist the association throughout the year...

The most noticeable thing about Steve Elfrink at first is his age. He seems too young to be the administrator of a long-term care facility like Monticello House. Elfrink grew up in Jackson. Being the oldest sibling helped him develop leadership qualities...

It used to be said that children should be seen and not heard. At Summerhill school, in England, that idea has been thrown right out the window. In fact, if a window is open at Summerhill, you may just hear the voice of a child shouting at the teacher! Children are not just heard, but they are allowed to shout if they want to...

Parents Without Partners will hold an orientation meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Community Counseling Center in Cape Girardeau. On Friday, the New Direction support group for divorced people will meet at 7 p.m. at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau...

Write a poem and win the $1,000 grand prize! Hollywood's Famous Poets Society will sponsor a new poetry contest, open to everyone. There is no entry fee. To enter, send one poem of 21 lines or less to: Free Poetry Contest, PMB126, 1626 N. Wilcox Ave., Hollywood, CA 90028, or enter online at www.famouspoets.com. A winner's list will be sent to all entrants...

Cape Girardeau County residents who have completed 60 hours toward an undergraduate degree can apply for the Cape Girardeau County's University Extension Council scholarship. Applicants must have at least a 2.5 grade-point average and be enrolled in a four-year degree program in agriculture, human environmental sciences, youth development, which includes social work, psychology, juvenile justice, or business, which includes marketing, accounting and economics...

Name: Skip Smith Lives in: Jackson Family: Consists of Kathy, wife, and two daughters; Sarah and Kristin. Job: Professor in marketing at Southeast Missouri State University. What you like most about the area: The ruralness and natural environment which is familiar to Skip, growing up in rural Vermont. He also likes the reasonable cost of living and the fact that the quality of life has improved over the last decade. Cultural events and shopping options have blossomed...

In an effort to teach children about saving and the concept of money, Linda Puchbauer, branch manager of the Jackson First National Bank recently presented an activity for students at the Primary Annex. The students were presented with four picture alternatives to four situations. They were asked to respond in each situation and had to select a picture to describe their answer...

When Missouri voters adopted term limits for state legislators a few years ago, they did it to break the stranglehold veteran officeholders in key leadership positions have on lawmaking in this state. Now, as some legislators with 30-plus years of tenure face forced retirement, the effort to undo term limits is heating up. ...

When it comes to malicious partisanship, Sen. Tom Daschle knows no bounds. Let me guide you through an odyssey of his first 100 days with President Bush. Of course, to be accurate, I must mention Daschle's rhetoric preceding President Bush's inauguration. ...

JEFFERSON CITY -- Thursday afternoon, the Senate Transportation Committee passed out a substitute for the governor's transportation bill by a 5-4 vote. Within 90 minutes, Gov. Bob Holden delivered himself of what is easily the most hysterical statement delivered by any Missouri chief executive in recent history...

I'M GLAD the people of Mississippi voted by a large margin to keep the Confederate battle flag as part of their state flag, and I'm also glad to see the Confederate flag on cars and pickup trucks. As a Yankee whose ancestors freed their slaves shortly after the Revolution, the Confederate flag identifies the people that we disagree with and don't want to help or associate with. ...

3rd quarter honor roll A honor roll 10th grade Derek Rose. 9th grade Rachel Carbaugh, Sammi Matthews. 8th grade Micah McDowell, Courtney Smith. 7th grade Rachel Huebel. 6th grade Kassy Hess, John Paul Kelly, Ariel Kitchen, Emily Schlegel, Jared Strong...

3rd quarter A honor roll 4th grade Vanessa Ayers, Matt Bierschwal, Megan Brandt, Jaron Brennecke, Scott Cheung, Sylvia Christy, Hannah Cox, Sara Deimer, Halie Dunn, Sami Gross, Jared Green, Jamie Hillier, Courtney King, Brittany Moreland, Angela Moreton, Preston Rhodes, Toni Seyer, Gulmina Shah, Andrew Shupert, Ali Yuen, Brett Smith...

The house of Mankind always has an attic. The attic is that place where we store all those things we neither need nor use, all those things we can't bear to throw away. Our attic soon becomes cluttered with useless objects from by-gone days. Modern Man built his house without an attic, or so he thought. ...

3rd quarter honor roll A honor roll 7th grade Jessica Drew, Emily Henderson, Tyler Naramore, Amber Rose. 8th grade Jessica Bowers, Sarah Cook, Jon Kridelbaugh, Jessica Livingston, Brent Menz, Amon Seabaugh, Kristina Stovall. 9th grade April Helderman, Derek Helderman, Matthew Henderson, Michael Moore, Derek Reiminger...

Steven Reed of Springfield, Mo., has a dream: more passenger trains in Missouri. To his credit, Reed is actually doing something other than just talking about his idea. Unfortunately, the cost of Reed's plan far outweighs any statewide benefit that would be achieved...

Happiness is something we all want, or at least we are led to believe we're all supposed to be seeking happiness. The founding fathers of this great nation wrote specific documents that guarantee our inalienable right to pursue happiness, but they certainly didn't guarantee we'd find it...

I have a set of earplugs. My earplugs are some of the most useful things I have. They protect my hearing when I mow the lawn. They help shut out distractions when I need to pray or study. My earplugs could also be a hindrance, if I let them. I could use them to shut people out. ...

Cape friends of old-time music and dance will hold an old-fashioned contra, square and circle dance May 18. Joe Surdyk will teach and call the dances. Live old-time music will be provided by Gary Watson on fiddle and Gene King on guitar. Each dance will be taught, and experience is not necessary. All ages are welcome...

As we start a new City Council term, I want to thank retiring Councilman Dave Hitt for his eight years of service. Dave was a pro-active, effective member of the Council. Dave always looked at all sides of an issue and voted what he thought was best for Jackson. Thanks again, Dave. Your loyal service to our growing city is deeply appreciated...

'Tis the season for rites of passage. Communions, confirmations, graduations -- just the end of the school year. Growth takes work. The accomplishment of reaching a goal usually ends in a ceremony of some type, but more importantly, relief. In the midst of ending a familiar routine, big time emotions often lurk. ...

Upon entering Monticello House in Jackson, I am escorted by Ray Penzel, a Monticello volunteer the past five years. He also volunteers at Elder Care of Marble Hill. Imogene Unger of the Southeast Missouri Area Agency on Aging, which sponsors the ombudsman program Penzel is involved in, is the person who brought Penzel and his valuable efforts to my attention...

Countless acts of kindness are performed in our area every day. For the most part, these aren't headline-grabbing actions. They're little things, as simple and direct as taking dinner to a sick neighbor. The Southeast Missourian is once again sponsoring Random Acts of Kindness, an annual event that focuses on spotlighting the kindness of people in our area...

BENTON, Mo. -- As the prosecuting attorney for Scott County, Cristy Baker-Neel is supposed to champion law enforcement and to safeguard the rights of victims. But the county sheriff and members of the families of crime victims say she's been too willing to plead down cases...

Joni pinned the cardboard kangaroo to the dining room wall, just part of the many decorations she felt compelled to put up last week in honor of the last episode of "Survivor." Naturally, we had to have a "Survivor" party. Never mind that we had barely watched the show and knew virtually nothing about all the contestants and their television-charted ordeal in Australia's Outback...

What police describe as a drug deal that soured ended in a stabbing and car crash Saturday near the intersection of William and Spanish streets, police said. At about 6:50 p.m. an assault was reported in the vicinity of Indian Park, Sgt. Rick Price said...

HERMANN, Mo. -- The Southeast Missourian accepted three awards at the 2000 Missouri APME News Writing Contest. The winners were announced Saturday in Hermann as part of a two-day Missouri Society of Newspaper Editors and Associated Press Managing Editors convention...

Public universities like Southeast Missouri State University are "foreign policy assets" that have contributed in large part to the United States' success at home and abroad, said commencement speaker Edward Perkins Saturday at the Show Me Center. Degrees were conferred on 769 undergraduates and 134 graduate students during the 2 p.m. commencement ceremony...

WICKLIFFE, Ky. -- Wade Howard receives a card every year on the birthday of the man he murdered. The cards arrive at the Farmington Correctional Center, where Howard is serving a 15-year sentence for killing Doye Coffer, his stepfather. Leota Groce, Coffer's sister, sends him Father's Day cards, too...

Southeast Missouri State University's baseball team is doing just about everything it can to try and finally win its first Ohio Valley Conference regular-season championship. But it's apparently the Indians' bad luck that what could turn out to be their best-ever OVC season is coming in the same year that Eastern Illinois is putting on a show that has been unmatched in recent league history...

Todd Pennington didn't think his stuff was all that hot Saturday afternoon. But that didn't prevent the junior right-hander from tying Southeast Missouri State University's single-season record for victories. Pennington, the national earned-run average leader for NCAA Division I, continued his remarkable year as he fired a three-hitter to lead the Indians past Tennessee Tech 3-1 in the first game of an Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader at Capaha Field...

MURRAY, Ky. -- Southeast Missouri State University's men's and women's track and field teams both took second place in the Ohio Valley Conference Championships Saturday. Tennessee State barely got past the Otahkians. TSU scored 128.5 points while Southeast came up just short at 122...

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Southeast Missouri State University's softball team made its earliest-ever exit from the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Saturday as fourth-seeded Eastern Illinois posted a 1-0 upset victory. The second-seeded Otahkians were eliminated after going 1-2 in the tourney. They allowed only three runs in the three games but managed to score just once...

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Jenny Doehring might not have been the Ohio Valley Conference's softball leader in any one category, but she excelled in just about every area. And that all-around excellence was rewarded over the weekend as Southeast Missouri State University's sophomore was named the OVC Player of the Year...

The skin on Shane Kistner's forehead was slit open. His skull was exposed to the shards of glass, the debris and to his two friends who were riding shotgun. His father didn't even recognize him at the hospital. John O'Rourke had two teeth knocked out. He was covered in his friend's blood. He still has aches and pains...

DONGOLA, Ill. -- Anita Phillips, 69, of Hazelwood, Mo., formerly of Anna, Ill., died Friday, May 4, 2001, at Rosewood Care Center in Creve Coeur, Mo. She was born Oct. 3, 1931, at Anna, daughter of Grover and Ruth Vancil Simmerman. She and Robert F. Phillips were married Dec. 28, 1952. He died Oct. 11, 1975...

ST. LOUIS, Mo -- Ursuline Adademy, an all-girls private school in St. Louis, handed Cape Central a 4-0 loss in girls soccer action on Saturday. Ursuline, one of the better teams in St. Louis, scored in the first minute of the game for the only goal it would need...

Batting average Runs batted in Runs scored Home runs Triples Doubles Hits Stolen bases Walks PITCHING Earned-run average (minimum 20 innnings) Winning percentage (minimum 5 decisions) Strikeouts Fewest walks per 7 innings...

Gertrude H. Pixley, 100, died Saturday, May 5, 2001, at the Fountainbleau Lodge in Cape Girardeau. She was born June 22, 1900, at Uniontown, Ky., daughter of Ernest and Nora Pike Williams. She and Melvin W. Pixley were married Nov. 1, 1919, at Advance, Mo. He died Aug. 5, 1980...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Irven R. Foust, 94, of Marble Hill died Saturday, May 5, 2001, at Elder Care Nursing Home. He was born April 8, 1907, at Poplar Bluff, Mo., son of Cary and Emma Hunziker Foust. He was a retired timber worker. Survivors include three cousins, Derenda Holland of Cape Girardeau, Greta White of Williamsville, Mo., and Clara Baker of Monteverde, Fla...

BURFORDVILLE, Mo. -- Mrs. Dica Bernard, 93, formerly of Burfordville, died Friday, May 4, 2001, at Riverside Regional Medical Center in Hampton, Va. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson, Mo.

BERNIE, Mo. -- Guy "Bill" Craft, 83, of Bernie died Friday, May 4, 2001, at his residence. He was born Sept. 23, 1917, at Bernie, son of Eddie Francis and Emmor E. Pippins Craft. He and Mary Lee Akins were married July 29, 1942, at Malden, Mo. Craft worked for MFA Agricultural Service Fertilizer and Grain for 30 years before retiring. He was a member of the White Oak Grove General Baptist Church of Bernie...

DELTA, Mo. -- Larry James Blue, 46, of Delta died Friday, May 4, 2001, at a family member's home in Oran, Mo. He was born April 18, 1955, at Advance, Mo., son of Paul and Verna Snider Blue. He had worked as a dye cutter at Semo Box Company in Cape Girardeau...

GLENALLEN, Mo. -- Donald Ray Miller, 65, of Glenallen died Friday, May 4, 2001, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. He was born July 26, 1935, at Dutchtown, Mo., son of Donald Chester and Nellie McCulley Miller. He and Karen Berringer were married April 23, 1971...

Rebecca Jill Rigdon and Craig Darrin Marshall exchanged vows July 1, 2000, at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. The Rev. J. Friedel performed the ceremony. Music was provided by Alan Bruns of Cape Girardeau, soloist; Cheryl Oberhaus of Cape Girardeau, pianist; and a string quartet comprised of Michelle Suhr, Kirk Miller, Bob Adcox and Chris Torretta, all of Cape Girardeau...

Out the back door, across the porch, down the steps and about 15 feet out the back walk is an upheaval, a sort of benign volcano of low but ever increasing height and crumbling texture. In the presence of everything around it which resembles a stab of neatness it looks out of place. Neighbors and I traversing around it wonder why I don't fix this "wart on the nose of the walkway."...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Laurie Ann Hobgood and Jason Eric Bell were married Sept. 30, 2000, at Cornerstone General Baptist Church. The Rev. David Cullen performed the ceremony. Parents of the bride are Michael Glen and Jeanne Marshall of Jackson, Mo. The groom is the son of Roxanna Boley of Morley, Mo., and Terry and Jimmie Lou Bell Sr. of Sikeston...

Jerry and Cathy Cady of Freeport, Ill., announce the engagement of their daughter, Megan Michelle Cady, to Kevin Lee Graham, both of Cape Girardeau. He is the son of Steven Graham and Tammy Curtis of Cape Girardeau. Cady is a graduate of Central High School. She is employed at Goody's Family Clothing...

Debbie Klipfel and Larry Hohman Jr. of Cape Girardeau announce their engagement. Klipfel is manager at American Eagle Outfitters. Hohman is self-employed. A June wedding is planned in Jamaica.

Tom and Judy Braswell of Kennett, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Tari Lee Pullin, to William Scott Cauble Jr., both of Cape Girardeau. He is the son of Richard and Lynnore Meyer of Cape Girardeau. Pullin is a 1987 graduate of Kennett High School, and received a bachelor of science degree in health management from Southeast Missouri State University in 1992. She is employed at Fountainbleau Lodge...

Larry and Juneva Lusk of Eureka, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Nicole Dawn Lusk, to Chad Stephen Huckabee, both of Cape Girardeau. He is the son of Ronald and Mary Jane Huckabee of Cape Girardeau. Lusk is a graduate of Eureka High School and Truman State University, and received a master's degree from Southeast Missouri State University. She is a family nurse practitioner at Immediate Healthcare...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Julie Rosalee Dysinger and Carl Eugene Kimball announce their engagement. She is the daughter of William Dysinger of Chaffee and Tim and Paulette Winters of Phoenix, Ariz. Kimball is the son of Buster and Sue Kimball of Lilbourn, Mo...

Ed and Kathy Welker of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Briana Kathleen Welker, to Jamie Lee Brown. He is the son of Jim and Linda Brown of Fruitland, Mo. Welker is a 1998 graduate of Notre Dame High School. She is pursuing a bachelor of science degree in early childhood education at Southeast Missouri State University. She is employed at Christian School for the Young Years...