People in the news

The Cape Girardeau County Board of Realtors recently named Larry Cunningham as its Realtor of the Year. The award was presented to Cunningham at the board's annual holiday banquet at the Cape Girardeau Country Club. He works for Century 21 Heartland Realty in Jackson.

Laura Sides Reinbold, a 1997 graduate of Central High School, has been named an assistant attorney general for Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon. Reinbold works in the financial services division. She earned her law degree at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law.

Thomas M. Meyer, owner of Thomas L. Meyer Realty Co. in Cape Girardeau, recently returned from a trade mission with Gov. Bob Holden. Meyer met in New York with top Japanese CEOs from Toyota, Panasonic, Sony and Mitsui. The governor and Meyer discussed Missouri's interest in having these top executives visit Southeast Missouri as a possible site for future plant or distribution facilities. Meyer is a certified international real estate practitioner and helps as a site acquisition consultant.

Genesis Transportation Co. Inc., a locally owned and operated business in Cape Girardeau, conducted its 21st annual safety and awards banquet at the Drury Lodge in Cape Girardeau on Dec. 18. Fifteen drivers were presented awards by the American Trucking Association and Genesis for a combined total of more than 2 million miles of accident-free driving. Award recipients included: Gus Wischmann and Sean Pierce, both of Jackson, for four years of accident-free driving; David Farrow of Jackson (six years); John Loos of Burfordville (10 years); Butch Maevers of Cape Girardeau (11 years); Johnn Nanney of Zalma (11 years); Jim Pate of Benton (11 years); Steve Haggard of Marble Hill (12 years); Virgil Null of Cape Girardeau (15 years); John Crockett of Chaffee (17 years); and Dean Edwards of Cape Girardeau (23 years). Safe worker awards were presented to shop personnel, and one-year safe worker awards were presented to Danny Thompson of Marble Hill and David Andrews of Sikeston.

Future executive senior sales director Jana Jateff of Cape Girardeau recently recognized her Mary Kay unit's top producers for the quarter: Jateff, Heidi Stoor, Kay Waller, Leslie Walker and Amy Cairns. Receiving special honors were Tina Ashby, Ladonia Beggs and Jennifer Wallis.

Martin Priggel, presiding commissioner of Scott County, was recently elected president of the Southeast Missouri Association of County Commissioners. Terry Nichols, presiding commissioner of Iron County, was elected vice president, and Gary Nelson, associate commissioner of Ste. Genevieve County, was elected secretary-treasurer. The association's members meet once a month to provide information to local commissioners.

-- From staff reports