Area digest 07/11/04

Registration for SEMO parking starts Monday

Southeast Missouri State University students may register for 2004-2005 campus parking permits beginning Monday, school officials said. Students may apply and pay for permits online or they may complete a standard paper application. A lottery system based on student seniority will be used to distribute preferred decals. First-year students aren't eligible for preferred parking, school officials said. Registration will close at 4 p.m. on July 23. The lottery will be conducted July 28 to assign the preferred parking permits.

Route P bridge being repaired this week

Traffic on a Route P bridge in Bollinger County will be reduced to one lane this week while Missouri Department of Transportation crews make routine repairs to the structure. The bridge, two miles west of the Route P and Highway 51 intersection, will be reduced to one lane from noon to 6 p.m. on Monday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, and 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday. Wide loads and tractor-trailers won't be allowed to cross the bridge while repairs are being made.

County transit study gets state funding

The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission approved a $225,000 contract for Cape Girardeau County's transit study on Friday. The study has been touted by local transit officials as the one that will find solutions to the county's public transit problems. Currently, there are several transit operators in the county, but they are all run independently, with many of them receiving the same funding from the federal government. The idea of the study is to find the best way to combine services and make transit as efficient as possible. Shirley Tarwater, transit operation specialist with the Missouri Department of Transportation, said the study will take about a year to complete.

Southeast Missourian garners four awards

The Southeast Missourian recently received four awards in the National Newspaper Association's 2004 Better Newspaper Contest. A first place award in the "best Web site" category went to webmaster James Baughn for the newspaper's site at www.semissourian.com. Managing editor Sam Blackwell received second place in the "best review" category for his review of Central High School's production of "The Diary of Anne Frank," which ran Aug. 10, 2003. Education reporter Callie Clark received second place in the "best education/literacy story" category for the occasional series "Taking on the Challenge," which followed Central Junior High teacher Jason Bandermann through his first year of teaching. In the "excellence in typography" category, design editor Gabe Hartwig received third place for design in various issues of the newspaper.

Highway panel awards William St. contract

The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission awarded a $1.08 million contract Friday for improvements to William Street in Cape Girardeau. Gaines Construction Inc. of Wentzville, Mo., will do the work. The project includes adding dual left-turn lanes from William Street onto Mount Auburn Road, a continuous right-turn lane from the Interstate 55 northbound off ramp to Mount Auburn Road and traffic signals at Farrar Drive and William Street. The work could begin later this month and is expected to be completed by late fall. Some construction work will be done at night to minimize the inconvenience to motorists.

Bootheel social reformer subject of KRCU show

KRCU's "Going Public" radio show today will focus on the life of Bootheel farmer and social reformer Thad Snow. Bonnie Stepenoff, a member of the history faculty at Southeast Missouri State University, will be interviewed about her book, "Thad Snow: A Life of Social Reform in the Bootheel." The public affairs show will air at 3 p.m. on 90.9 FM.

-- From staff reports