Local briefs 8/27/04

HealthPoint sneak peek set for Saturday

The public will get its first look inside Southeast Missouri Hospital's new HealthPoint Plaza on Saturday, less than three weeks before the scheduled grand opening. The hospital is holding a "sneak peek" from 1 to 4 p.m. for people to see the HealthPoint Fitness facility at 2126 Independence St. in Cape Girardeau. HealthPoint Plaza is located at the corner of Kingshighway and Independence Street in the former Albertsons supermarket. Much of the construction work has been completed and fitness equipment is in place. The grand opening is scheduled for Sept. 14.

Southeast receives grant to train teachers

Southeast Missouri State University will spend $1.4 million over the next five years to train teachers and school administrators in mid-Missouri to better educate immigrants who have limited English skills, school officials said Thursday. A $741,642 federal grant will pay part of the cost. The matching money will come from the university and the state of Missouri. Dr. Maria Ferrier, director of the office of English language acquisition with the U.S. Department of Education, personally presented the grant to Southeast officials at a news conference at the University Center. The grant will provide training and pay tuition for teachers in the Jefferson City, Pettis County Moniteau County, Columbia and Sedalia school districts who enroll in the program. The program is designed to increase the number of trained, certified English-as-a-second-language teachers in kindergarten through high school classrooms.