Stories from Wednesday, June 12, 1991

When it comes to safety, children usually need a helping hand. But to really learn the lessons, hands-on instruction works best. That's the beauty of Cape Girardeau's new Safety Village. Youngsters bicycle through this miniature village of traffic lights, intersecting roadways and crosswalks to learn the ABCs of traffic safety...

Dogs may be man's best friend, but the independent cat has nuzzled its way into the number one role as the nation's most purr-fect pet. Cats rule the roost in 24 percent of American households, an increase of 55 percent over the past decade. More than 56 million cat owners about two million more than dogs can now be counted in the United States, and if the American Humane Society has its way, there'll be even more new cat owners after the month of June...

The Cape Girardeau Municipal Band will combine magic and music at its concert tonight. The free concert begins at 8 p.m. in the Capaha Park band shell. Bill Coomer, an area magician who has been performing for 20 years, is the special guest performer this week...

On Sunday morning, May 26, Charles Kuralt interviewed a group of Chapel Hill graduating seniors about their expectations for employment following graduation. An attractive young lady was the first candidate to appear on TV. "Sometimes you get a rejection on your applicant," was the way she summarized her experiences so far...

The subject is tears. More specifically, it is the merit or dishonor they bring to politicians. Our democracy embraces all forms of debate; it is a bit embarrassing, however, that this matter is now given a national forum. Almost all persons are physically capable of crying. Tears are produced by lachrymal glands, which are activated in times of eye distress or extreme emotion...

The Cape Girardeau city staff Tuesday countered claims that the city would deficit spend under next year's $27 million operating budget proposal. Assistant City Manager Al Stoverink told the City Council at a special meeting Tuesday that sagging city sales-tax receipts won't require deficit spending but will require that funds from the city's motor-fuels tax be transferred from new street projects to general street maintenance...

SCOTT CITY -- An investigation began Tuesday into a woman's claim that two Scott City police officers abandoned her son in a parking lot after taking the boy's grandfather to jail. The officers deny the charge, saying the boy was not left alone. They said the grandfather had handed over responsibility of the boy to two friends who witnessed the arrest and later took the boy to a friend's house...

Cape Girardeau banker and civic leader Maurice R. "Moe" Sandfort has been named president of Boatmen's National Bank of West Plains. Sandfort, who came to Cape Girardeau in October 1983 as president and chief executive officer of Centerre Bank, has been serving as executive vice president of Boatmen's Bank of Cape Girardeau since it acquired Centerre in a merger in December 1988...

Two Cape Girardeau photographers criticized Central High School's policy of designating an official photographer for senior pictures in its yearbook. Steve Robertson, owner of Robertson's Creative Photography, said at the Board of Education meeting Tuesday night that the process was unethical...

Student financial-aid programs could undergo sweeping changes under legislation Congress will consider this year. Such legislation could have a major impact on funding of a college education at Southeast Missouri State University and nationwide. "This is the year that Congress will deal with reauthorization of higher-education amendments, which fund student financial-aid programs," said Gene Buck, director of financial aid at Southeast...

FRANK RAYBURN Occupation: Employer Services Representative Birthplace: Detroit, Mich. Current home: Cape Girardeau What do you do in your spare time? "Church activities, attend sporting events." Pet Peeve: "People who are not dependable." The best part of my life was: "Meeting my wife and seeing our three daughters grow up."...

More than 1,200 local "Straight A" students and their guests watched the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Francisco Giants Monday afternoon. The students earned two tickets to the ballgame through a Straight A baseball ticket program sponsored by Schnucks, the Southeast Missourian and KZIM radio...

JACKSON -- Halfway through 1991 Cape Girardeau County's sales-tax receipts are running slightly behind what was collected a year ago. The first six checks distributed by the Missouri Department of Revenue totaled $1,522,484.64, which is under the $1,533,241.43 received for the same period a year ago...

ORAN -- A 37-year-old former mayor of Oran is awaiting a kidney transplant. Two weeks ago, Leroy Eftink had both of his diseased kidneys removed at St. Louis University Hospital. He was scheduled to come home today. His mother, Alma Eftink of Oran, said that her son is now on a waiting list for a kidney. In the meantime, he20must undergo dialysis three times a week...

JACKSON -- The Jackson School Board Tuesday approved a tentative 1991-92 operating budget that anticipates more than $500,000 in expenditures than it does in receipts. However, the budget will still have a July 1, 1992, balance of $1.8 million. But Business Manager Howard Alexander warned if the income side of the ledger doesn't improve in the next year and a half, the district faces a severe financial crisis...

When most of us think about the circus, images of trained elephants, crazy clowns and acrobats who defy death on a high wire fill our minds. But there is one unusual act in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus that many of us have never seen before. It's hair-hanging...

A Southeast Missouri State University English professor has written a behind-the-scenes account of a 1965 racial demonstration at the University of Mississippi. The account has been published in the Journal of Mississippi History. The essay by Robert Hamblin, English professor, titled "The 1965 Southern Literary Festival: A Microcosm of the Civil Rights Movement," recounts the attempts of a biracial delegation from Tougaloo College to participate in the annual meeting of the previously all-white Southern Literary Festival. ...

NEW MADRID -- A St. Louis Southwestern train derailed near New Madrid at 3;15 p.m. Tuesday, causing no injuries but prompting law enforcement officials to launch an investigation. A spokesperson for the Missouri Highway Patrol said the train, consisting of two engines and 21 cars, derailed as it traveled east near the crossroad of Route 62 and Interstate 55...

Wet pavement was responsible for three accidents Tuesday, including one that left a 1-year-old girl in critical condition. A spokesperson for the Missouri Highway Patrol said one accident occurred at 10:50 a.m. Tuesday in Scott County on Highway 91, 1 miles west of Morley...

Daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Leslie Knott, Cape Girardeau Route 1, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 12:22 a.m. Tuesday, June 4, 1991. Name, Leslie Hannah Faith. Weight, 6 pounds 2 ounces. First child. Mrs. Knott is the former Kimberly Tippen, daughter of Ken and Ruth Tippen of Bloomfield, and is employed at the Lerner Shop. Knott is assistant manager at Silo, and is the son of Leslie and Donna Knott Jr. of Caruthersville...

SIKESTON -- Elbert F. Clark, 71, of Sikeston, died Tuesday, June 11, 1991, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born Jan. 2, 1920, in Clarksville, Ark., son of Emerson Grant and Della Witt Clark. He and Imogene Edwards were married June 28, 1951, in Piggott, Ark...

Missouri's reflection in the many rivers that flow through the state show an interesting picture. The state is one of the largest of the 50, with a fascinating history and land over which the French, English, Spanish and finally the American flag has flown...

Rice production has doubled in the United States during the past decade, and all indicators are pointing to increased gains into the 1990s and beyond. "Southeast Missouri farmers in two counties are sharing in the rice success story," says Joanne Leathe, a home economist with the USA Rice Council, headquartered in Houston, Tex. "Missouri is the 6th largest rice-growing state in the U.S."...