Stories from Monday, March 26, 2001

Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, First Friday Coffee, 7:30 a.m., Show Me Center. "Creative Concepts for Sustainable Economic Growth" Conference, Glenn Auditorium, Robert A. Dempster Hall, starts 7:45 a.m.

Samual P. Case has joined St. Francis Medical Center as a member of the heart team at St. Francis Heart Institute . Case has almost two decades of experience in health care administration. He was previously director of Cardiovascular Services and Cardiology Section Administrator at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in Madison, Wis...

Gary McDowell has been named new manager by JCPenney Co., Inc. to the Cape Girardeau store. Penney's here is located at Westfield Shoppingtown Center. McDowell, who comes from Duluth, Minn., is familiar with the Southeast Missouri area. He opened the new Poplar Bluff JCPenney Store in 1995, before transferring to Minnesota in 1998...

Patty Turner of Cape Girardeau has joined the staff of Deer Creek Christian Academy, as a Kindergarten/lst grade teacher's aide. She will develop a new pre-Kindergarten program at the school next term, to go along with the school's K-8 program. Turner has 15 years experience in the pre-school/day care business...

Jerry Reppert, Anna, Ill., businessman, has been named to the Mississippi Delta Advisory Council of Southern Illinois. Gov. George H. Ryan issued an executive order last week to create the special council for the 16 lower counties in the state. The Council will be helpful in developing a coordinated and comprehensive economic program for the region. ...

Clint Karnes of Cape Girardeau has joined Commerce Bank. Roger Tolliver, community bank president for Commerce Bank, has announced that Karnes is new vice president in the commercial lending area of the bank. Karnes has 16 years experience in the financial services industry. ...

Stan Thompson has been appointed to the Capaha Bank Board of Directors. Thompson, who had more than 23 years in banking before retiring. He served as president and chief executive officer of Delta Counties Bank in Sikeston from 1986 to 1990. He was president and chairman of the board of directors at Mercantile Bank in Sikeston from 1983 to 1986. ...

The "Historic Cairo Community" will be the theme of the Cairo, Ill. Chamber of Commerce's annual meeting, to be held March 27 at the Cairo Elks Club. Dinner starts at 7 p.m. A highlight of the meeting will be the naming of the "Business of the Year." Tickets are available at the Cairo Public Library and at Capaha Bank in Cairo...

The Community Counseling Center Foundation's Antique & Collectible Show will be held April 8 at the A.C. Brase Arena Building in Cape Girardeau April 8. The April show is one of two sponsored each year by the Foundation. The fall show will be held Oct. 14...

The Meat Shop of Cape Girardeau received 11 product awards in the Missouri Association of Meat Processors Product Competition, held recently in Columbia. Rob Osborn accepted the awards for the Meat Shop. Awards included: Reserve champion, venison jerky; champion of venison summer sausage, pork riblet's with sauce, beef jerky, turkey and Cajun turkey breast; reserve grand champion in Creole meat pie, venison smackers (snack sticks) and Jalapeno Smackers (snack sticks); and grand champion for whole smoked turkeys and Texas Style Beef Brisket.. ...

Cox farms of Delta, Mo. placed first in the state in the AA Ridge Till Non Irrigated Class in the 2000 National Corn Yield Contest, sponsored by the national Corn Growers Association. Matt Cox, operator of Cox Farms, accepted his award during an awards ceremony held in San Antonio, Tex...

NEW YORK -- With consumers on a spending diet for the past six months, the nation's top merchants are tightening their belts in what some analysts predict could be the leanest times since the early 1990s. That means cutting back on expansion plans, closing stores, and selling or shutting down unprofitable divisions. Some retailers are even delaying shipment of some of their spring merchandise by up to four weeks...

Northwestern Mutual, a provider of individual life insurance, annuities and mutual funds with more than 350 offices across the nation, including Cape Girardeau, has been ranked at the top of Fortune Magazine's list of the nation s most admired company, in the category of "life and health insurance."...

St. Louis is not the first area in Missouri to think about constructing an arch. A highway arch which spans U.S. Highway 61 at the Arkansas-Missouri state line is not as large the giant arch in downtown St. Louis, but it was constructed a long time before its more famous counterpart...

Several major companies have announced job cuts in the past few months, including:...

Despite soft markets for machinery sales, Deere & Co. hopes to match last year's profits by introducing more than 100 new products this year, with more than half of them intended to help capture a larger share of the European farm market. Chairman and CEO Robert Lane told analysts and investors last week that the Moline, Ill.-based company is placing renewed emphasis on innovation and efficiency...

The Academy Awards may be thrilling, but for quilters the International Quilt Show & Contest in Paducah, Ky., is the night of nights. The show-room at the Executive Inn will be overflowing with quilters and quilt fans. One by one, the winners in the 15 categories will be announced and brought to the stage to be honored as the best quilters in the world...

Need about 2,500 square feet? How about 105,000? Or 260,000? It's out there, and it's available. Going into the new year, well over a half million square feet of space under roof could be found, indicating there's plenty of space for expansion of industry and new business in the Cape Girardeau area...

When Mearle Sullinger's barn burned down almost 55 years ago, all she could do was watch. "Lightning had struck it, and the roof was already falling in by the time we knew it was burning," said Sullinger, who lives in the southwest corner of Cape Girardeau County...

You who dress out in disgustingly out-of-style gymsuits every day, waiting to be tortured by some evil coach ... Thank your lucky stars. Because there's going to come a day where the government won't pay for a sadistic person to force you to do unspeakable things with your body for an hour a day...

This year's Home and Garden Show at Southeast Missouri State University's Show-Me Center, matched last year's attendance. Susan Elayer, account executive for Red Letter Communications, the marketing firm that coordinated this year's show -- the 21st year for the event -- reported an attendance of about 10,000 people over the three days...

The Southeast Missouri State University baseball Indians refused to give in as they battled back to win an 11-10 extra-inning thriller over the Belmont Bruins at Capaha Field Sunday afternoon. The Indians never led until Vern Hatton wrapped up the comeback effort with a line single up the middle to score Denver Stuckey with the game-winner in the bottom of the 10th inning...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Scott City's eighth grade volleyball team finished first in Saturday's 10-team Poplar Bluff Tournament, defeating the host squad 15-3, 11-15, 16-14 in the finals. Sikeston placed third.

WINONA, Minn. -- Southeast Missouri State University's gymnastics squad wrapped up its season Saturday night by finishing second in the four-team Midwest Independent Championships. The Otahkians (10-10) had a score of 190.550, behind Illinois State (193.100). Illinois-Chicago (190.350) and host Winona State (185.350) rounded out the field...

CREAL SPRINGS, Ill. -- Alonzo "Pud" Yates, 89, of Creal Springs, formerly of Union County, died Saturday, March 24, 2001, at Herrin Hospital. He was born on Feb. 12, 1912, in Williamson County, the son of Richard and Stella Drew Yates. Yates was a retired truck driver, farmer and laborer. He married Zelma Caraker in July 1935...

ST. LOUIS -- Raymond Diebold, 84, of St. Louis, Mo., died Saturday, March 24, 2001. Born June 8, 1916, in Benton, Mo., he was the son of Lawrence and Susanna Diebold. He was married to Marie Shrum. Diebold served in the U.S. Navy. He is survived by his wife, a son, Ronald Diebold; a sister, Catherine Renaud; and two granddaughters, Anna and Caroline Diebold...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Joyce Merick, 59, of Bloomfield died Sunday, March 25, 2001, at Dexter Memorial Hospital in Dexter, Mo. Merick was born on April 1, 1941, in Sturdivant, Mo., the daughter of Auda and Marie Ray. She spent most of her life in the Bloomfield community and was of the General Baptist Faith. She married Harold Merick Jr. on Dec. 19, 1959...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Walter Balsmann, 73, of Perryville died at his home Sunday, March 25, 2001. Balsmann was born on May 24, 1927, in Apple Creek, Mo., the son of Barney Balsmann and Ida Trapp Balsmann. He was a truck driver for Giesler Concrete for 42 years. He was a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, the Knights of Columbus third degree, and the Holy Name Society...

CHAFFEE, Mo. Flora Keller, 100, of Chaffee died Saturday, March 24, 2001, at the Chaffee Nursing Center. Keller was born Jan. 6, 1901, in Aquilla, Mo., the daughter of Col. Cobb Pruitt and Catherine Damron. She was a homemaker and a member of the First Baptist Church of Chaffee. She married Adam Keller in August 1921. She was involved in the RSVP retired citizens group of Chaffee for several years...

Fred H. Foeste, 80, of Park Hills, Mo., formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Saturday, March 24, 2001, at Country Meadows in Park Hills. Foeste was born on June 16, 1920, in Cape Girardeau, the son of Martin and Minnie Guy Foeste. He worked for the Frisco Railroad Co. and at saw mills around the Cape Girardeau-Jackson area. He married Irene Wolk in 1951 in Ste. Genevieve, Mo. She died on May 23, 1975...

Floyd Landers, 83, of Worden, Ill., formerly of Wolf Lake, Ill, died Saturday, March 24, 2001, at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, Mo. Landers was born Oct. 7, 1917, at Wolf Lake, the son of William and Ethel Davis Landers. He was a retired horse trainer, a veteran of WWII and a member of the Boys Town...

GRAY RIDGE, Mo. -- Loetta Chafin, 65, of Gray Ridge, Mo., died at her residence on Sunday, March 25, 2001. Chafin was born on Oct. 26, 1935, in Gray Ridge, the daughter of Adron and Maggie Jewell McConnaughhay Pennington. She was the owner-operator of Chafin's Cafe in Gray Ridge until ill health forced her retirement. She was a member of the Gray Ridge Baptist Church. She married George Chafin of Holly Springs, Miss., on Dec. 31, 1953...

AFTER THE city council meeting regarding the Marquette Hotel, Tom Phillips said that the hotel was built by Walter Gerhardt. It was not built by Walter Gerhardt. It was built by his brother, Oscar Gerhardt. The reason I know this is because my dad was in construction and worked on it at the time...

KENNETT, MO. -- If there is one profound, undying truth of government in this land of the free (to be taxed) nation of ours, it is that regardless of the circumstances, every form of government will sooner or later run out of money. This is perhaps an obvious view to advance, but it's quite useful. Even truer is the assertion that this transformation from official affluence to abject public poverty can occur in a remarkably brief period, sometimes as rapidly as 24 hours...

There have been all kinds of excuses from some of the 130 law enforcement agencies in Missouri that failed to file their racial-profiling reports with the Missouri attorney general on time. In Southeast Missouri alone, excuses from small-town marshals have ranged from not knowing they had to file the report to not compiling the information in a single report, being short of help, having computer problems, not having a computer program, issuing tickets only to one person or simply overlooking the March 1 deadline.. ...

As foot-and-mouth disease continues to turn up in livestock herds across England, Ireland, a small corner of France and most recently the Netherlands, the U.S. Agriculture Department has seized a flock of 234 sheep in Vermont fearing some of the animals may have a version of mad-cow disease...

To the editor: This letter is regarding Jackson's proposed water line from Highway 25 to Route PP crossing land that isn't within the city limits. There are five pieces of land involved, with no landowners in favor. The first inkling of this project was last June 24 when a surveyor stopped at my sister's and asked for the best way to get to a field. We learned it was our field. None of the landowners had been contacted prior to this...

To the editor: It appears all but two Cape Girardeau School Board members refuse to accept the fact the majority of people support Randie Fidler, Central High School principal. It also appears they are not concerned that they were elected to represent the views of the community...