Stories from Monday, January 14, 1991

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Beginning next school year, L.J. Schultz Middle School will have elevator service. The school district will install an elevator in the 77-year-old school this summer. Larry Dew, business manager for the district, said Sides Construction Co. submitted the low bid of $131,550 for the project. Dew said the architect's estimate was $150,000...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Twenty-five years ago, the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department raised the highway over the St. Louis-Southwestern (Cotton Belt) Railroad on Highway 77, north of Chaffee. The project was a success in that it stopped the grade crossing collisions. The same cannot be said for the overpass itself...

JEFFERSON CITY - State Rep. Mary Kasten of Cape Girardeau has captured a seat on the powerful House Budget Committee. The 30-member committee reviews recommendations from the five appropriations committees and compiles a final draft of the state's $8.3-billion budget for the full House to consider...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- The switch from the traditional card catalogue system to a computerized card catalogue and checkout system is complete at the Cape Girardeau Public Library. "We're eliminating the card files," said Terry W. Risko, who assumed the position of library director in early December. "The computer system has been in effect here 16 months, and most of our patrons are familiar with its operation."...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- The Cape Girardeau City Council Monday will for the third time in two years consider a liquor license application for the old Sprigg Street Tap at 325 South Sprigg. The council will discuss Phillip McClellan's liquor license application at Monday's study session. The tavern license has twice been rejected by the council, the last time on Nov. 5, 1990...

SGT. PATRICK M. MCGINNIS U.S. AIR FORCE Sgt. McGinnis is the son of Pat and John Litwicki of Cape Girardeau. He attended Notre Dame High School and entered the Air Force in 1980. He spent four years in Aviano, Italy, where he met his wife, who was then Airman Cheri Hobbs. They married in 1982 and now have two sons, Michael, 7, and Shawn, 4...

The Southeast Missourian asked Cape Girardeau firefighters what they like about moving to the new Fire Station Number Two located at 378 S. Mount Auburn Road. Capt. Steve Niswonger: "One thing the new station has is a hose tower where we can hang the hoses for drying. At the old Number Two station, we had to lay them out on the driveway or put them in a hose dryer which was inconvenient."...

The Senate Ethics Committee's public hearings regarding Sens. Dennis DeConcini, John McCain, John Glenn, Donald Riegle and Alan Cranston began on Nov. 15, 1990. They concluded last week. For about three months, there has been daily coverage in major metropolitan newspapers, frequent excerpts of witnesses' testimony on the network evening newscasts, innumerable editorials and op-ed pieces, and gavel-to-gavel daily coverage by C-SPAN. ...

To The Editor: I read with great dismay an article in your Wednesday, January 9, 1991 paper concerning interest rates on loans to reservists called to active duty. The article quoted a local attorney and reservist as saying this is "kind of a joke"...

Ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Sylvester Stallone in "Rocky IV" The just-convened First Session of the 86th Missouri General Assembly has gotta do an awful lot between now and May 17 to meet the expectations of 5.1 million Missourians, not all of whom appreciate the number of difficult problems to be overcome. It is a task that would test the combined strength of the original Rocky and the four subsequent ones...

During last Wednesday's opening session of the Missouri General Assembly, state lawmakers unwillingly sampled a form of lobbying that inexplicably proliferates despite its ineffectiveness. Moments after a prayer opened the proceedings, members of a group called AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP)lived up to its acronym and began a demonstration in the House gallery, blowing whistles and showering the legislators with pamphlets. ...

To the Editor: Periodically over the past few years Peter Kinder has entertained us with articles bragging about the economic expansion engendered by the Reagan/Bush deficits. While Republican Administrations were sending deficit budgets up to the Hill and enjoying the benefits of economic expansion purchased with this debt-spending Peter kept telling us how wonderful it was. ...

Open Letter to Rep. Richard Gephardt: IP1,0I am appalled by your recent statement on national television. You inferred that you and other members of Congress would cease to fund a war in the Persian Gulf if the President ordered troops to remove Iraqi forces from Kuwait...

Son to Mr. and Mrs. Jim Watkins of Overland Park, Kan., St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., 5:10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 27, 1990. Name, Joshua Luke. Weight, 7 pounds 15 ounces. Mrs. Watkins is the former Lisa Ann Eaker, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Eaker of Cape Girardeau, and is an air traffic controller at Kansas City Center in Olathe, Kan. Watkins is traffic control supervisor with FAA at the center, and is the son of Celia Watkins of Buffalo and the late Mr. Watkins...

SCOTT CITY -- Service for Irene Sanders will be held Tuesday at 11 a.m. at the Eisleben Lutheran Church here, with the pastor, Rev. Daniel Wagner, officiating. Burial will be in the Eisleben Lutheran Cemetery. Friends may call after 4 p.m. today at the Amick-Burnett Funeral Home here, and from 9 to 10:45 a.m. Tuesday at the church...

APPLE CREEK -- Service for Ray Ponder will be held at St. Joseph's Catholic Church here at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Friends may call at Young & Sons Funeral Home at Perryville after 5 p.m. today, and until 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. A wake will be held at the funeral home today at 7 p.m...

TAMMS - Funeral services for Jim Andy Dickerson, 70, of Miller City, will be held at 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, at the Crain Funeral Home in Tamms. The Rev. Kenneth Wilson will officiate. Burial will be in the Olive Branch Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home after 5 p.m. today...

GLEN ALLEN -- Funeral service for Charles A. Burner of Glen Allen will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Glen Allen Baptist Church. The Rev. Ray Meek will officiate. Burial will be in Lakeland Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Lakeland, Fla. Mr. Burner died Saturday at the Bond Nursing Care Center in Marble Hill. He was 83...

STURDIVANT -- Funeral service for Margie L. Logan of Sturdivant will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Liley Funeral Home in Marble Hill. The Rev. Luther Rhodes will officate, and burial will be in the Bollinger County Memorial Park Cemetery at Lutesville...

I JUST WANT to thank KFVS for showing "Christmas Eve with Loretta Young" on Christmas Eve. I hope we get more movies like that because I enjoyed it so much. Thank you. THE PEOPLE SHOULD know why we're in this Desert Shield war. We should have told Hussein how we felt on this issue. ...

TO THE PERSON in Wednesday's edition of Speak Out who spoke on behalf of the homeless, thank you. It's nice to know that other people care. My wife saw a homeless man on Kingshighway with a sign that read, Will work for food. We bought him a hamburger, fries and a cup of coffee, and he accepted it gratefully. ...

MCCLURE, Ill. -- Funeral service for Mrs. Alberta J. Roy Rymer of McClure, Ill. will be at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Ford and Sons Sprigg Street Funeral Chapel in Cape Girardeau. The Revs. Randy Morgan and J.C. Mattox will officiate and burial will be in the Lindsey Cemetery in McClure...

ORAN -- Service for Corene Hoffman will be held at 10 a.m. today at the Guardian Angel Catholic Church at Oran, with Rev. Norman D. Varone officiating. Burial will be in Guardian Angel Catholic Cemetery. Amick-Burnett Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Training grants from East Missouri Action Agency are available for vocational training at the Cape Girardeau Area Vocational-Technical School. Qualified applicants will receive funding for 100 percent of tuition, supplies paid, plus needs-based payment...

JACKSON -- Jackson and Mehlville came away as division winners from Saturday's seven-team wrestling tournament hosted by Jackson High School. Mehlville captured North Division honors while Jackson finished first in the South Division. The North Division proved to be the strongest of the group as both Mehlville and Millington, Tenn., won all their dual matches. Mehlville finished with 131 points to 117 for Millington. Then came Webster Groves with 80 and Clayton with 78...

ST. LOUIS Saturday marked a historic date in the young tenure of Cape Central High's swimming program. The Tigers traveled to St. Louis and defeated host Chaminade 97-89 for their first dual victory in school history. This is the first season that Central is fielding a swimming program...