Stories from Sunday, October 6, 1991

DEXTER -- Herbert Lee Shipman, 86, died at his home in Dexter on Friday, Oct. 4, 1991. He had lived all his life in Stoddard County, where he was a farmer. He was a very active member of the Mt. Glead "Hills" General Baptist Church. He was born Feb. 7, 1905 to William J. and Frocy Grogens Shipman...

The Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney's office has a new assistant prosecutor. Lori A. Spillane, 25, officially assumed the position of assistant prosecuting attorney Tuesday. She is a native of Chesterfield in St. Louis County and a May graduate of the St. Louis University School of Law...

Participants in the Fall Conference on School Science and Mathematics at Southeast Missouri State University will get a bird's-eye view Monday of a live bald eagle. The bird will complement a keynote dinner address by Mike Lampey of the Springfield, Mo., Zoo. The event is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom...

If an unexpected fire occurred in your home while you and your family were asleep, could everyone get out safely? Assuming your home is equipped with working smoke detectors, what would you and your family do, and where would you go, if the smoke detectors went off during the night?...

Planning for infrastructure improvements in fiscally unsettled times is tough enough. Now, Missouri and other states have put their road and bridge projects on hold because Congress let its highway funding mechanism lapse. Money for road projects has stopped flowing from Washington to the states, and it won't resume until a new highway bill is in place. ...

BENTON -- An Oran teenager was injured early Saturday morning in a single-vehicle accident one mile west of Benton. The Missouri Highway Patrol reported that Tanya D. Klipfel, 16, was taken to Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau with "moderate" injuries after she lost control of the car she was driving, left the roadway, and struck an embankment...

St. Francis Medical Center's annual Womancare Conference, a day filled with seminars, presentations, displays and health screenings, will be held Nov. 2 at the University Center. An optional "Pamper Yourself Night" is slated Nov. 1 at the Cape Girardeau Holiday Inn...

IN THE SOUTHEAST Missourian on Sept. 26, there is an editorial written by the Southeast Missourian concerning the city being on the right track of low-cost housing. One of the sentences in here states: "Just this summer the city got another block grant. ...

The Commander in Chief of Desert Storm, George Herbert Walker Bush, has seen his poll numbers rise to stratospheric heights owing to his masterful conduct of world affairs. But poll numbers on his conduct of economic policy now show a majority of Americans disapproving the President's conduct of this where-we-live economic measurement. What follows is a review of last year's comments on this subject, as the preventable disaster we stumbled into unfolded...

Mark J. Pelts is a resident of Kennett and a lawyer in the firm of Pelts, Stokley and Turnbow. He is also a member of the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents I appreciate the invitation of my friend Peter Kinder to contribute a "Be Our Guest" column. ...

JACKSON -- George W. Vinyard, 83, of Jackson died Saturday, Oct. 5, 1991, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Funeral arrangements at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson are incomplete.

Graveside military rites for Sylevester Presberry of Cape Girardeau will given at 10 a.m. today at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis by Ft. Leonard Wood. Presberry, 69, died Wendesday, Oct. 2, 1991, at Cape LaCroix Nursing Home in Cape Girardeau. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements...

MARBLE HILL -- Diana Branaman, 49, of Granite City, Ill., formerly of Marble Hill, died Friday, Oct. 4, 1991, in St Louis. She was born near Marble Hill on Dec. 3, 1941, daughter of Jess and Mattie Rhodes Hahn. She was a records clerk for Micro Film Services Corp. of St. Louis...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Alva Denton, 86, of East Prairie, died Friday, Oct. 4, 1991 at the Missouri Delta medical Center in Sikeston. He was born Sept. 28, 1905 in Clay County, Ill. to Joel Issac and Rosa Fender Denton. He lived most of his life in Mississippi County, where he was a retired bus driver. He was a member of the First Church of God in East Prairie...

Constance M. Baur, 81, of Cairo, died Thursday, Oct. 3, 1991, at her home. She was born in 1910, daughter of Paul and Henryetta Schuh Baur. She was a teacher in the Cairo Public Schools for many years before her retirement. She was a graduate of Louisiana State University...

JACKSON -- Iris Valere Barks, 87, of Dearborn, Mich. and formerly of Sedgewickville died Thursday, Oct. 3, 1991, at Oakwood Hospital in Dearborn. She was born May 1, 1904, in the Sedgewickville community, the daughter of Charles R. and Presentis Mueller Conrad...

SIKESTON -- Lois Robinson Murback, 78, of Sikeston died Friday, Oct. 4, 1991, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. She was born March 9, 1913, at Mill Springs, daughter of John Edward and Nora Mae Waller Robinson. On Dec. 7, 1935, she married B.J. Murback, who preceded her in death on Jan. 10, 1976...

MARBLE HILL -- While records show sales tax revenue in Bollinger County nearly doubled from 1989 to 1990, officials insist the county is still struggling financially. A half-cent increase in the sales tax rate, approved by county voters in 1989, caused sales tax revenue to jump from $166,034 in 1989, to more than $321,000 in 1990. Sales tax revenues in 1991 are estimated to be $320,000, according to county records...

O.C. Ferrell, professor of marketing and business ethics at Memphis State University, says the best way a businesses can avoid ethical quandaries is to develop the trust of its constituents, both employees and customers. Ferrell, who has written college textbooks on the subject, was one of the speakers at a business ethics conference Friday at Southeast Missouri State University...

(First of two parts) MARBLE HILL Using county tax dollars to fund three "neighborhood watch" programs in Bollinger County is coming under fire by members of a committee who contend the practice is illegal. The watch programs, operating in Zalma, Grassy and Sedgewickville, each receive $2,000 annually from the county, according to county records...

Proposition B garnered varying reaction from parents of Southeast Missouri State University students who visited the campus Saturday during the university's Family Weekend celebration. For some, like Kenneth and Virginia McNeal of O'Fallon, Proposition B, the tax-and-reform measure for education, is a total unknown...

NEW YORK -- "60 Minutes," the CBS-TV news magazine program, will broadcast a segment on national radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh III this evening. The show is seen Sunday evenings at 6 p.m. on KFVS Channel 12. A 60 Minutes videotape crew accompanied Limbaugh during his "Rush to Excellence Cruise" through the Carribean last January. ...

JACKSON -- The city of Jackson was literally in the dark early Saturday after lightning apparently struck an electrical substation and Union Electric was forced to shut down a 34.5 kilovolt line providing power to the city. An unrelated and isolated power outage occurred in Cape Girardeau Saturday morning, a Union Electric spokesman said...

Holiday decorating efforts in Cape Girardeau will be rewarded this year through a new Holiday of Lights project. An outdoor light decoration contest and a driving tour are planned during December. The Holiday of Lights committee is meeting Monday to finalize details...

Phil Breithaupt left Teen Challenge, a local camp that helps individuals fight drug and alcohol abuse, in 1987. Now, the well-known religious entertainer is back at the camp. "I'm glad to be back," he said. "It finally feels like we're home." Breithaupt and his wife Beverly are both working at Teen Challenge. He is a regional representative for the camp and directs the choir, and she is an administrative assistant...

CHAFFEE -- The North Scott County Ambulance District has settled on a new home office to replace its Chaffee City Hall ambulance garage that was damaged by fire last November. On Wednesday, the district entered into a contract for approximately three-quarters of an acre of land, with a two-bedroom brick house, about a mile south of Chaffee on Highway 77, said district Board of Directors member and the project coordinator, Ervin Arnzen. The site is between Chaffee and Oran...

Dr. Louis Ostrow will be featured on this week's edition of "Ask the Doctor," which will air Wednesday at 8 p.m. instead of its normal Thursday viewing. The program can be seen on Cable Channel 13 with hosts Martha Muench and Dr. Jean Chapman. It is co-sponsored by the St. Francis Medical Center, Southeast Missouri Hospital, and the Cape Girardeau County Medical Society...

A seminar on "How to Reduce Test Anxiety for the Professional Secretary" will be held Wednesday from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in the University Center. The workshop is sponsored by the Clerical, Technical Service Staff Council and the Training and Development committee of Southeast Missouri State University...

The Cape Girardeau Better Breathers Club will meet Tuesday at 2 p.m. at Cape Girardeau Public Library. Guest speaker will be Bill Logan, director of the St. Francis Medical Center Wellness program. Logan will talk on the importance of exercise with those who have breathing problems...

Three Cape Girardeau residents involved with recycling and energy-conservation issues will be among those honored by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Wednesday in St. Louis. Doug Kaminskey, the city's environmental services coordinator; Dan Muser, Parks and Recreation Department director; and Glenda Quinn of the Cape Girardeau County League of Women Voters all will be recognized for their volunteer efforts during the DNR's Paper to Trees campaign earlier this year...

Prospective students and their parents are being invited to "Discover Notre Dame" next Sunday. The Cape Girardeau Catholic high school will hold an informational evening from 6-8 p.m. Bishop John Leibrecht of the Springfield-Cape Girardeau Diocese will be the event's special guest...

Proposition B, an education tax proposal on the Nov. 5 ballot, will be the topic of an Oct. 17 video presentation at Edward D. Jones & Co., a securities investment company, 1749 Independence Square. "The purpose of the broadcast, which will start at 3:45 p.m., is to provide Missourians an opportunity to learn more about this major issue which will be on the Nov. 5 ballot," say Joe and Donna Domian, local representation for St. Louis-based Edward D. Jones & Co...

There's a lot of misconceptions about the use of lead, says John FitzSimmons. "We get some surprising answers on surveys concerning lead use," said FitzSimmons, vice president and general manager of the Doe Run Mining Co. "Some people think lead produced from our mines is being used in paint. Others thought it was being used in gasoline."...

Before the Camel of Apparel Accouterments noses me out of my tent, I decided to tackle the shoe closet. My accumulation of shoes is light years away from Imelda's, still the shoes do pile up when you've got a don't-throw-it-away-you-may-need-it-someday complex...

Visit Lee Ragland's house and he'll meet you at the door. His first words will likely be "Welcome y'all." Step onto his front porch amid the flags and ivy and you'll hear music coming from inside, most likely reminiscent of the old south. But beware as you venture inside...

One is certain that it is autumn when the chrysanthemums begin their spectacular show. Mums are the flower most home gardeners depend upon to add that splash of color that is so welcome after the trials of the summer garden. This year has been one of great disappointments...

The president of the Cape Girardeau Area NAACP and three executive board members attended the organization's state conference Sept. 27-28 in Hannibal. Michael Sterling, president of the local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said the theme of this year's conference was "Rising to Justice and Equality...

Taylor Glass and Remodeling opened recently at 2145 Independence. "We are a full line glass shop, including glass, mirrors and windows for new construction or commercial remodeling," said Pat Taylor. "We'll provide plans for remodeling." Taylor and his wife, Donna Taylor, are experienced with all phases of remodeling, from a small repair job to complete residential remodeling, said Taylor...

Cape Girardeau County's unemployment rate may not reach the lowest level of any county in the state, but month after month, the jobless rate ranks among the 10 lowest in the state. As expected, the unemployment rate took a moderate dive in August, slipping under the 5 percent rate...

JACKSON -- Longaberger Baskets & Pottery, 624 West Washington, Jackson, will hold an open house Monday. The new business, operated by Kelly Rose, features 60 difference sizes of baskets, ranging from the small hostess baskets to laundry baskets. Open house hours will be from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday...

Construction is under way on a new truck repair shop and offices for Hines Trucking Co. The building, 45 x 70 feet, is being erected at 1221 S. Kingshighway by Walters Building of Jackson, and is expected to ready this fall. The trucking firm, which has 10 units, is owned by Harold and Judy Hines, and hauls rock and asphalt for Delta Asphalt...

BENTON -- A new automotive repair and machine shop opened near here recently. Ervin Automotive is located on County Road 331. "We do complete engine repair," said Terry Ervin, owner of the shop. "We also do engine tune-ups, brake work, and oil changes."...

Martha Skinner of Jackson was a big winner during the recent Case Power & Equipment loader/back hoe rodeo held in Fenton. Skinner received a crystal plaque and $50 in cash for winning the ladies' "Lift and Stack" division of competition. In the men's division, two area operations finished in the top three. Tim Beussink of Gordonville finished in the runnerup position, and Mark Skinner of Jackson finished third...

Harry Philip, director of operations for Lone Star's 1.2 million ton cement plant at Cape Girardeau, has been appointed to vice president of manufacturing services for Lone Star Industries, Inc., headquartered at Stamford, Conn. He will also remain in his present position at the local facility here...

Jim D'Amour is manager of the new Shop 'n Save grocery store which will open in Cape Girardeau Tuesday. D'Amour has been with Shop 'n Save a year, but has more than 30 years in the grocery business, most of them in California. Prior to joining the St. Louis-based firm, he was district manager with Pack 'n Save, a similar grocer chain in California...

JACKSON -- Jamey B. Dockins has joined McCombs Funeral Home as an apprentice mortician. Dockins, a 1989 graduate of Jackson High School, is a recent graduate of Mid-America College of Funeral Service, Jeffersonville, Ind., where he finished in the top 10 percent of his class...

Mike Overschmidt of Glen Allen has been selected to enter the United Parcel Service's (UPS) Missouri District Hall of Fame. Overschmidt received a UPS Hall of Fame sports coat and Certificate of Recognition for achieving 20 years of safe driving. He received his award during the eighth annual Safe Driving Award Hall of Fame Banquet, held recently at the Sheraton Plaza Hotel in St. Louis...

Keith Seabaugh of Cape Girardeau has retired from ABF Freight System Inc., after 25 years with the company. Seabaugh joined ABF at its Cape Girardeau terminal in 1965 as a road driver. He had previously driven a tanker for Standard Oil of California...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A company that makes items such as Nestle Crunch ice-cream bars and Eskimo Pies is expected to close in November, leaving more than 300 employees out of work. Merritt Foods Inc., a novelty ice-cream manufacturer, will close Nov. 29, company officials said...

SIKESTON -- The Sikeston Trade Mart has opened at 1209 E. Malone here. The new operation open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday features several dealers from a wide area with various items arts and crafts, ceramics, ladies clothing, tools, lamps and antiques...

Zickfield's Gift Box, a downtown Cape Girardeau retail operation, is a Christmas store six months of the year. "We start our Christmas efforts each year in July and work continuously until November when the annual `Christmas Open House' takes place," says Kent Zickfield. "We combine collectibles, Christmas, gifts and fashion jewelry to make a successful operation."...

Dave Jackson of Cape Girardeau, a salesman at Van Matre Buick, is a big winner in the district Buick Walk-A-Round. He won $1,000 first prize in the district contest by submitting a video tape filmed at the local Buick dealership. Jackson performed his walk-a-round on a 1992 Buick LaSabre, describing the car, its features and functions, during a five-minute demonstration...

Van Matre Buick, 511 S. Kingshighway, has announced two new appointments. Lee Ruebel of Cape Girardeau has joined the firm as service manager. Les Plain has been named service adviser. Ruebel has more than 21 years of experience in the automotive field, including 15 years as a service manager...