SPEAKOUT

Check Advance police

I AM a citizen of Advance, and I am really unhappy with the police force. I believe somebody needs to do some kind of check on our police officers. My husband and I are hard-working citizens. We are drug free and alcohol free. We have children we are raising. This is horrible. Our town is just a laughing stock. You can't drive through town without being harassed. The druggies get away with everything. It's just ridiculous. Somebody needs to do something about our police officers.

Low water in East Cape

I'D LIKE to say something about this water deal we've got here across the river in East Cape. We're out of water half the time but when they want the water bill paid, they don't forget to let you know that. We haven't had water now for almost two days. We can't flush our toilet. We can't wash our dishes. We have to go the store to buy our drinking water. I think that's awful when a senior citizen 80 years old has to get out and find a way to go buy water.

Candidate's motives

I'M CALLING in regards to the candidate forum. I just listened to Mr. Trickey a second time to make sure what I heard was correct. I feel like our community has enough people who work for their own personal interests, and I feel as though that's what he's doing. He's angry that his contract was not renewed. He's angry with school board and superintendent, so he's going to get up on his own personal bandwagon to try to get them dismissed. Mr. Trickey no longer works for the Cape public school system. As far as his opinions on his contract, it takes a whole board to decide whether somebody's contract is going to be renewed, not just one superintendent.

Fight OBE

MISSOURIANS, rally and fight Outcomes Based Education. I think you see the effect of that on the children now. They can't even make change from a dollar. It's going to get worse if we have Outcomes Based Education. Contact Peter Kinder or any of your representatives and try to foil what will mess up our educational system more than it is.

Remember Don's weather?

I USED to like to watch the weather when Don McNeeley would draw on a big U.S. map with a grease pencil and the intro was an animated owl that raised an umbrella as the raindrops began to fall. I'm going to sign this an old-timer, because I think there's probably a whole bunch out there who remember the same thing.

Cemetery thefts

ON MARCH 26 there were two floral arrangements placed on two graves in Memorial Park around 2:15 p.m., and by 4:15 they were taken from the graves. I think these people should remember the Ten Commandments, "Thou shall not steal," and if they have any conscience, they should place them back on the graves because I think it is a terrible thing to steal from the dead.

I WOULD like to thank Peter Kinder for his excellent series on Outcomes Based Education. However, I would like to see the Missourian ask our school board candidates where they stand on the issue of Outcome Based Education. The material given on the school board candidates so far has been good, but I think that needs to be covered. I want to know where they stand on this.

REPLY: Cape Girardeau school board candidates have been asked at two forums about OBE (as reported in the Missourian). In both cases, the candidates generally indicate that this is a complex issue and that the label "OBE" is applied to almost any education reform. All of the candidates say they don't know enough about OBE to take a stand on it.

Crusade might have helped

I'M READING the article about Annie Gaylor of the Freedom From Religion Foundation who says she's an atheist. Her whole group of 3,300 members is atheist. I think that maybe if they would have come to Cape for the crusade last week, maybe we would have 3,300 more people who are not atheist in this country. She needs help.

Public tennis at SEMO

IT WAS my understanding that Cape Girardeau residents were welcome to play tennis on SEMO's tennis courts. My question is why then does the SEMO person in charge of the courts keep all the gates chained and padlocked? Why are the lights that burn out not repaired on a timely basis? Why are the coin operated tennis court light switches inoperative? They just take your quarters but you get no lights. About 40 people, including myself, have felt welcome to use the tennis courts for at least the past 10 years. Has there been a change in SEMO policy regarding the use of the courts?

REPLY: Richard McDuffie, the Southeast Missouri State University athletic director, said the gates on the street side of the tennis courts are kept locked, but gates on the other side of the tennis courts remain open. He said he was unaware of the lighting problems but said he would look into it immediately.