MCGWIRE, METH SECTIONS INCLUDED IN YELL ISSUE

A souvenir, eight-page newspaper section dedicated to Cardinal slugger Mark McGwire will be included in this year's YELL edition.

Special edition YELL newspapers will be sold Tuesday on street corners in Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Scott City. The $2 donation for these special editions funds literacy efforts in the community.

In addition to eight pages of photos and stories about McGwire, the YELL edition will have a 16-page reprint of the Southeast Missourian's eight-page series on methamphetamine. The newspaper examined in-depth the drug's hold on the region and efforts to stamp it out.

Some 40 Beanie Babies will be awarded to lucky YELL purchasers. Coupons for the collectible babies will be randomly inserted in the newspapers. Among the 40 Beanie Babies to be given away are the highly sought-after Glory Bear and Fortune Bear.

The YELL edition has stories about literacy efforts under way in the community. A number of local people have written essays about the importance of reading or what they enjoy reading.

YELL stands for Youth Education Literacy and Learning. Money collected during the one-day fund raiser is used for the Southeast Missourian's Newspaper In Education program. Newspapers are delivered to area classrooms at no cost to schools. In addition, a portion of YELL proceeds will be awarded to local literacy initiatives.

For information, contact Kim McDowell, YELL coordinator, at (573) 335-6611.