Region digest 10/5

Physical plant chiefs to meet at Southeast

Southeast Missouri State University will play host to the 2001 annual conference of the Central States Association of Physical Plant Administrators or CAPPA, Tuesday through Oct. 13.

Physical plant administrators at colleges in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and the Canadian province of Manitoba will be in Cape Girardeau for the conference.

More than 300 people are expected to attend, Southeast officials said.

The five-day program will be held mainly at the Show Me Center with an exhibit hall of more than 55 vendor booths.

Participants will attend programs on building mechanical and electrical systems, planning, design and construction, grounds and support services, and general administration. They also will tour Southeast's facilities, organizers said.

Carnahan mobile office to Perryville on Tuesday

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- U.S. Sen. Jean Carnahan's mobile office will be in Perryville on Tuesday.

The mobile office will be at the Perry County Administration Building from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Rich Lamb, Southeast regional coordinator for Carnahan's office, will be on hand to meet with constituents.

Bekki Cook to speak at League of Women Voters

Former Missouri secretary of state Bekki Cook will speak to the League of Women Voters of Southeast Missouri at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

The meeting will be in the Hirsch Room of the Cape Girardeau Public Library.

Cook will discuss redistricting. The meeting is open to the public.

Fire heavily damages metal plant; no one hurt

ST. PETERS, Mo. -- A series of small explosions and fire that rocked a metal recycling plant Thursday morning did not cause any injuries, fire officials said.

Central County Fire and Rescue Department Chief Frank Schlanke said his department was fighting a three-alarm fire Thursday at the Didion Recycling Co. plant, just north of Interstate 70 in St. Peters.

Schlanke said workers at plant were cutting a piece of metal into a more manageable size around 8:30 a.m. when sparks ignited some magnesium stored nearby.

The fire spread in a few spots to brush in nearby corn and soybean fields, but Schlanke says those fires were quickly extinguished.

Schlanke said if the plant is not a total loss, it has been heavily damaged at the very least.

-- From staff, wire reports