MEMO

Potashnick Construction Inc. of Cape Girardeau is the contractor for a major highway project in Arkansas.

Working with a 90-man crew, Potashnick is constructing 8.5 miles of an 11-mile bypass being built to interstate standards west of Pine Bluff. The Potashnick company, which has worked on projects throughout the world, has worked on several Arkansas highway projects over the past quarter-century.

Aid Association for Lutherans (AAL) Branch 7076 of Cape Girardeau has been awarded a Gold Star rating by the fraternal benefit society in recognition of exemplary volunteer service in the community.

To achieve the highest AAL rating, gold or silver stars, branches must annually sponsor at least one benevolent activity (fund-raising event or work project), conduct at least nine meetings, sponsor one educational activity and one member-awareness event, and comply with AAL's attendance, voting and reporting requirements.

One of the fund-raising activities of Branch 7076, which is sponsored by the St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau, provided $1,200 to the local Senior Citizens Center.

AAL provides its members with fraternal benefits and its affiliated companies offer members mutual funds and credit union services. In addition, AAL members are offered opportunities to help others in their own communities.

Officers of the local branch are Robert Hemmann, Cape Girardeau, president; Betty Roth, Cape Girardeau, vice president; Jeanne Kelpe, Cape Girardeau, secretary; and Leonard Dreyer, Jackson, treasurer.

Wendy's Restaurant, 35 S. Kingshighway, has been recognized for customer service.

The award was presented by Wendy's International Inc. for the local restaurant's dedication to quality, service, cleanliness and customer satisfaction. Jay Jones is manager of the local restaurant.

Newspaper companies are facing a major increase in the price of newsprint, which could lead to higher advertising and subscription rates.

Both St. Louis-based Jefferson Smurfit Corp. and Boise Cascade Corp. have announced newsprint increases for August. This latest increase, combined with an increase in May, means the cost of newsprint will increase by more than 20 percent by August.

Chuck Berky, president of C. Berky & Associates Inc., a newspaper broker headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla., says most newsprint companies have less-than-normal supplies on hand even though they are operating at full capacity.

Providence Hospice Group, Inc. of Sikeston announced last week that it had completed the Medicare Survey Process and has been approved as a provider.

Hospice is a program of services for people who face terminal illness and their families. Nurses, social workers, therapists and counselors meet with patients and families in their homes, in nursing homes and other nursing facilities.

St. Joseph Memorial Hospital in Murphysboro, Ill., soon could be owned by the same corporation that runs Memorial Hospital of Carbondale and Herrin Hospital.

Jack Buckley, chief executive of Southern Illinois Healthcare Enterprises in Carbondale, said an agreement was expected by the end of the year.

The Adorers of the Blood of Christ in Ruma, Ill., have owned the 61-bed St. Joseph Hospital since 1956. It is a member of the Adorers' ASC Health System, which includes three other small hospitals near East St. Louis, Ill.

Buckley said any purchase or consolidation of St. Joseph would have to be approved by federal officials to comply with antitrust regulations. He said no layoffs were expected in the near future.