Funeral for Emerson's mother set for today

A private funeral will be held today in Bethesda, Md., for Sylvia Hermann, the mother of U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau. The Bethesda resident died Sunday at age 89. Hermann had been active in Republican Party politics since she was a little girl, said Lloyd Smith, an aide to Emerson. Her husband, Abe, was the chairman of the Republican National Committee in 1960. He preceded her in death in the 1980s...