Stories from Tuesday, October 1, 1991

Motorists who shun seat belts and have no medical insurance account for roughly more than $320,000 in uncompensated trauma care at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. The figure covers the hospital's fiscal year that ran from July 1, 1990 to June 30, 1991. Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau keeps no similar figures...

Prudent shoppers are finding some grocery bargains in Cape Girardeau. With no less than three 24-hour grocery operations here, consumers are seeing a variety of food-buying incentives. They can expect more as two additional grocery operations are on the horizon here, one of them to open next week...

A coalition of teachers and four Missouri school districts, including Sikeston, have filed a lawsuit challenging Gov. John Ashcroft's planned cuts in public school spending. The 32,000-member Missouri State Teachers Association (MSTA), along with Sikeston, Doniphan, Monett and Trenton school districts, filed the lawsuit Friday in Cole County Circuit Court...

SCOPUS -- A 3-year-old boy was killed in a house fire early Monday morning, despite efforts by the father to rescue the child. The boy, Travis Proffer, and his father, Randy Proffer, were alone in the house when the blaze broke out. The boy's mother, Melinda, was working a midnight shift at Procter & Gamble...

An advisory board assessing Cape Girardeau's cable television franchise agreement with TCI Cablevision of Missouri is becoming impatient with the cable company's failure to disclose certain financial records. Michael Maguire, chairman of the Cable TV Citizens Committee, said the committee is "unhappy" with TCI's response to repeated requests for specific information that relates to income the company derives from its Cape Girardeau operations...

MCCLURE, Ill. - At least one person was injured Monday night following the collision of a car and semi-truck on Route 3, two miles north of here, Illinois State Police said. The accident occurred at about 8:45 p.m. and closed the highway in both directions...

Tonight's scheduled concert by Kathleen Mattis at Old St. Vincent's Church has been canceled, said Beverly Strohmeyer, executive director of the Southeast Missouri Council on the Arts. Strohmeyer said Mattis suffered an arm injury and is unable to perform. The concert will be rescheduled sometime in the spring, she said...

Apparently, the only things certain these days are taxes, death and Saddam Hussein. --- A pessimist is a Missourian who is so concerned about the state's financial crisis that he believes every time John Ashcroft leaves the governor's office, he isn't coming back...

A panel of nursing professionals and others are looking at ways to improve the profession in Missouri, and that's good medicine for us all. Called Missouri Nursing 2000, the study is a collaborative project of a number of nursing groups, headed up by the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Nursing...

Dear Editor: The first annual Y.E.L.L. for Newspapers held Sept. 11 for the N.I.E. and literacy programs in Cape Girardeau County was indeed a success with approximately $13,000 raised in Cape Girardeau and Jackson. The thank yous are many the hundreds of volunteers "hawking" newspapers, the business firm who made the volunteers welcome, the firms donating prizes, West Park Mall, V.I.P. Industries, and all the individuals purchasing the special Y.E.L.L. edition...

Cape Girardeau resident Clara Mina Hutchison, 79, formerly of Commerce, died Monday, Sept. 30, 1991 at The Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements were incomplete Monday evening and will be announced later by Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel of Scott City...

Lloyd D. McNeely, 70, 1721 William St., died Monday, Sept. 30, 1991, at his home. The body is at Ford and Sons Sprigg Street Chapel where funeral arrangements are incomplete.

EGYPT MILLS -- Funeral service for Jessie Reiss of St. Louis was held Saturday at St. Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Louis. Burial was in SS Peter and Paul Cemetery. Hoffmeister Colonial Mortuary was in charge of arrangements. Reiss, 88, died Tuesday, Sept. 24, 1991...

The Cape Girardeau Chapter of The Mended Hearts will holds its annual reunion for heart patients tonight at the Drury Lodge. This year's reunion will feature a special presentation a "heart to heart talk" sponsored by Southeast Missouri Hospital's Regional Heart Center...

"Guinea Pigs is Pigs" and "Wacky Machine" are films to be shown during the Fabulous Fun Film hour at the Cape Girardeau Public Library Wednesday. The new, hour-long program will be conducted Wednesday through Nov. 13 at the library from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m...

The Knights of Columbus in Cape Girardeau will participate in the Missouri Knights 21st annual Tootsie Roll fund-raising Drive Oct. 18, 19 and 20. Tootsie Rolls will be given in exchange for a donation to people wearing bright yellow aprons at all major shopping areas and at the city banks...

Ruby Masterson Edwards, 93, of Cape Girardeau, died Monday, Sept. 30, 1991, at Deal Nursing Home in Jackson. She was born Sept. 20, 1898, at Gravel Hill, daughter of Joseph F. and Mary Ellen Poe Masterson. She married Walter R. Edwards Oct. 5, 1924, in Cape Girardeau. He preceded her in death...

SCOPUS -- Travis Proffer, 3, son of Mr. and Mrs. Randy Proffer of Scopus, died Monday, Sept. 30, 1991, in a fire at his home. McCombs Funeral Home at Jackson is in charge of arrangements.

Essie S. Robinson, 84, of Cape LaCroix Manor, died there Monday, Sept. 30, 1991. She was born Sept. 5, 1906, at Millersville, daughter of Jesse and Della Robins Smith. Survivors include two brothers, Harry and Bill Williams, and a sister, Mayme Bowers, all of Cape Girardeau...

PERRYVILLE -- Howard S. Huber, 73, of Perryville, died Saturday, Sept. 28, 1991, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. He was born June 21, 1918, in Perry County, son of George E. and Mabel Wills Huber. He and Bernice Gibbar Schremp were married Sept. 30, 1989...

BLOOMFIELD -- William Riley Lewis, 89, of Bloomfield, died Sunday, Sept. 28, 1991, at St. Francis Medical Center. He was born Jan. 5, 1902, at Catron, son of Perry and Addie Christian Lewis. He and Flora Henson were married Dec. 23, 1937. She preceded him in death...

URBANDALE, Ill. -- Duard A. Mohundro, 71, of Urbandale, died Sunday, Sept. 29, 1991, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was an employee of Servicemaster Industries in Cairo, and veteran of World War II. Survivors include his wife, Lucille; four daughters, Dwanda Sullivan and Linda Poole of Wickliffe, Ky., Jill Potts of Villa Ridge, Kim Garner of Urbandale; two sisters, Juanita Herndon of Wright City, Mo., Maybelle Dillman of Granite City; a brother, Carlos Mohundro of High Hill, Mo., and eight grandchildren.. ...

SIKESTON -- Louise Polley, 59, of Sikeston, died Sunday, Sept. 29, 1991, at the home of a daughter. She was born Feb. 3, 1932, in Aberdeen, Miss., daughter of Claude and Lelar Kelso Cecil. She married Donald Ray Polley July 3, 1970, at Tanner. Polley had been a cook and waitress. She was a member of Smith Avenue Church of God and its Women's Ministry...

Ruby Masterson Edwards, 93, of Cape Girardeau, died Monday, Sept. 30, 1991, at Deal Nursing Home in Jackson. She was born Sept. 20, 1898, at Gravel Hill, daughter of Joseph F. and Mary Ellen Poe Masterson. She married Walter R. Edwards Oct. 5, 1924, in Cape Girardeau. He preceded her in death...

PERRYVILLE -- Frank A. Pinkley, 89, of St. Louis died Monday, Sept. 30, 1991, at the Lutheran Medical Center in St. Louis. He was born May 20, 1902 in Ste. Genevieve, the son of Charles and Theresa Samson Pinkley. A retired supervisor with Union Electric, he was a member of the Masonic Lodge 544 of St. Louis and a member of the Shriners and the Scottish Rite...

I'D JUST LIKE to say congratulations to the Scott City seventh-, eighth-, and ninth-grade football team. Even though they lost to Malden they put on a good exhibition and played good football. Congratulations on a job well done. THIS IS TO you who called in about her grandmother and grandsons. ...