Region digest 01/22/02

Cape mayor forum to be on television

Voters who missed last Wednesday's mayoral forum at the Cape Girardeau City Council chambers will have an opportunity to see it on cable access channel 5 at 6 Wednesday. It will be repeated again at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 29.

The event, sponsored by the League of Women Voters, KZIM and the Southeast Missouri State political science department, features the city's four mayoral candidates, Jay Knudtson, Melvin Gateley, Walter White and Stanley Wicks.

Among the topics discussed include term limits, the ward system, taxes, the River Campus, building codes, affordable housing and downtown developments.

Holden appoints coroner for Mississippi County

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Terry A. Parker of Charleston was appointed to serve as Mississippi County's new coroner Friday by Gov. Bob Holden.

Parker, 30, replaces John Allen McMikle of Charleston, who resigned in December citing health reasons.

Parker became a licensed funeral director in 1992 and has worked at McMikle Funeral Home in Charleston for nearly 13 years. Parker attended Southeast Missouri State University.

Edward Jones tops list of best places to work

NEW YORK -- St. Louis broker Edward Jones topped Fortune Magazine's list of the 100 best places to work, the magazine said Monday.

Jones, a financial services company, employs about 4,800 people in Missouri and 23,000 worldwide. It ranked ninth on Fortune's list last year.

The magazine pointed out that Jones had no layoffs during 2001 and granted early bonuses to brokers hurt by the decline in stock trading.

Other Missouri companies on the list included American Century Investments in Kansas City, at 23rd, and A.G. Edwards in St. Louis, at 67th.

Snow doesn't dampen 16th Ag Expo spirit

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Threats of snow didn't stop folks from attending this weekend's 16th Annual Ag Expo.

"That kind of weather doesn't bother farmers," said Bruce Beck, agronomy specialist at the University of Missouri Extension Service.

The event, sponsored by the University of Missouri Extension Service and the Three Rivers Community College Agriculture Club, was intended to raise awareness of the agriculture industry.

Phyllis Flanigan, county program director at the University of Missouri Extension Service, said the only events that had fewer participants than usual were the beauty pageants.

"We projected about 12,000 people were in attendance," said Black River Coliseum director Calvin Rutledge. "It was better than last year."

Man seeks 'holy grail' in ballot initiative

A Missouri gun enthusiast is campaigning to ease firearms restrictions in his state, using Vermont law as a model.

Steve Umscheid, 55, is circulating a petition that calls for a repeal of the Missouri laws that prohibit the carrying of concealed weapons. Vermont is the only state in the nation that doesn't require a permit to carry weapons.

"Vermont's concealed weapon law is a legend across the nation in the gun community," said Umscheid, a computer programmer who works for the city of St. Louis. "No restrictions: That's the holy grail."

A concealed weapon initiative failed in a 1999 statewide vote, losing by about 3 percentage points.

Umscheid has until the end of April to collect enough signatures from registered voters. He said he needs at least 60,000 valid signatures; so far, he only has 6,000.

-- From staff, wire reports