Stories from Monday, June 22, 1992

After three months of rehearsals, a group of singers from 12 Cape Girardeau churches are ready to sing the praises of patriotism. Organizers of the five-day Freedom Celebration, at which the singers will perform, say although issues such as a sluggish economy, joblessness and racially-motivated riots can cast a shadow on national pride, patriotism is indeed alive and well...

WARE, Ill. -- The Route 3 entrance road to Union County Wildlife Refuge, which was closed by the Illinois Commerce Commission in 1983, is expected to reopen this year. The commission issued an approval for the reopening of the road recently in response to a petition from the Union County Board of Commissioners, which long has supported the reopening, and the Union County Road District...

The fate of the former St. Francis hospital building is a question that continues to nag city officials nine months after the City Council passed a law to address the problem of dangerous and dilapidated structures. The old hospital site at the corner of Good Hope and Pacific is badly overgrown with weeds, thistles and grass. The building, with its broken windows and doors, also is difficult to secure...

JACKSON -- Communities throughout Southeast Missouri will observe the 216th birthday of the United States on the Fourth of July, which occurs this year on a Saturday. With a few exceptions, most activities will be held on July 4. Following is a rundown of area Fourth of July activities...

Renovation work at the Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport terminal building will get under way this week. A groundbreaking ceremony for the improvement project will be held at 9 a.m. today. R.A. Schemel and Associates is the contractor for the project. It has 270 days to complete the project, which includes interior and exterior work...

The Southeast Missourian asked theater patrons for their opinion of the movie, "Batman Returns." Jim Williams: "It was very interesting. It showed more of the character of Batman than the first movie did. This movie was lighter and it seemed that he cared more. He was like a person who wanted to help."...

The University of Missouri-Columbia has announced undergraduate students named to dean's lists or honor rolls for high academic achievement. Although eligibility for scholastic honors varies among MU's schools and colleges, all students must achieve at least a 3.0 based on a possible 4.0 grade point average to receive recognition...

SCOTT CITY - Blanch Burke, 74, of Scott City died Friday, June 19, 1992, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born March 28, 1918, in Morehouse, the daughter of Jesse P. and Bendia Graham Culbertson. On Aub. 4, 1937, she married Charles Burke in Cape Girardeau. He survives of the home...

JACKSON -- Joann C. Schweer, 58, of Route 5, Jackson died Saturday, June 20, 1992, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born July 24, 1943, in Waynesburg, Pa., the daughter of James F. and Mary Falga Matz. She lived in this area for the past 25 years, where she was a member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Jackson. ...

Daughter to Tim Matteson and Stephanie Sutton, Jackson Route 1, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 8:32 a.m. Thursday, May 14, 1992. Name, Tayler Denea. Weight, 5 pounds 7 ounces. First child. Miss Sutton is the daughter of Bobbie Mize of Jackson and Gary Sutton of DeSoto. ...

SCOTT CITY -- Paul E. Cavaness, 77, of Scott City died Saturday, June 20, 1992 at his home. He was born Jan. 23, 1915 in Grand Tower, Ill., son of Ervin Franklin and Clara Painter Cavaness. He married Gladys Virginia Kinder on April 8, 1939. She preceded him in death on March 20, 1975...

Wilma Pletcher, 90, of 133 East Cape Rock Drive, died Sunday, June 21, 1992 at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born Nov. 2, 1901 in Switz City, Ind., daughter of Frank and Nettie Rampley Strauser. She married Leo Richard Pletcher on April 14, 1921 in Bloomfield. He preceded her in death on Oct. 27, 1967...

Harold Dean Farrow, 54, of rural Cape Girardeau, died Saturday, June 20, 1992 at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born March 6, 1938 in Cape Girardeau, son of Lawrence and Esther Lange Farrow. He married Ruth Ellen Franck on Sept. 30, 1961 in Cape Girardeau. She survives of the home...

The latter part of June each year ushers in a thriving, if short-term, enterprise throughout Southeast Missouri. Fireworks vendors will sell their merchandise through the July 4 holiday, providing a sizable boost to the local economy. We happily join in the festive celebration of our nation's independence, but also urge the public to apply common sense and courtesy to their handling and use of fireworks...

The wheels are now being set in motion for Gov. John Ashcroft to write a new paragraph in state history books by becoming the first executive to name all seven members of the Missouri Supreme Court. The list of the three nominees chosen by the Missouri Appellate Judicial Commission has been forwarded to the executive office as the next-to-last step is started: background checks on the nominees by state Highway Patrol officers...

As an aspiring (and distracted) writer who shares an apartment with a struggling painter, I have a special reverence for art. It thrills me, challenges me, inspires me, guides me. When I see something beautiful or powerfully created, it often brings tears to my eyes, making me want to shout to the world, "Look at this! Look! Do you feel it? Does it change you, too?"...

Heaven forbid that it should ever happen, but if the fireman shook his head and said that only one or two items could be saved, I would not hesitate making value judgments but rush in to snatch the painting which hangs on the east wall of our dining room. Farewell, Pendelton shirts and Daniel's patient R2 D2...

What has: - five sticky fingers wrapped around a paint brush - 200 eyes glued to a pantomime performance - white hair, nimble fingers, and a big smile - hundreds of strings (all attached) - vicious villains and handsome heroes??? If you answered, "The programs of Southeast Missouri Council on the Arts," you are right!...

Public funding of the arts has recently become a topic of intense discussion throughout the country. As taxes increase at every level for a broad array of public programs, the temptation is to tighten controls, narrow selectiveness, and question the necessity of every program. This process is a healthy response for citizens involved in government and the public i~nterest...