Stories from Sunday, January 30, 1994

Stephen W. Reynolds, 35, of Cape Girardeau, died Saturday, Jan. 29, 1994, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born Aug. 10, 1958, in Cape Girardeau, son of Patrick C. and Martha Lee Portlock Reynolds. He was a member of St. Mary's Cathedral and Knights of Columbus Council #1111 of Cape Girardeau...

Tomorrow may come and go like any day. But by day's end, you may become a lawbreaker in the eyes of the state. The reason is an individual consumer use tax return. The tax isn't new. But Governor Mel Carnahan's administration is making a new effort to collect it by including this form in this year's Missouri tax return...

Habitat for Humanity, a nation-wide organization to provide housing, will get a plug today during the Super Bowl pregame show. Local Habitat for Humanity volunteer Hal Brown said that the Atlanta chapter is in the process of building four homes with some help from the NFL...

Southeast Missouri State University will participate in a national project on improving participation, retention and graduation of students. The university was recently selected to participate in the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU)/Student Loan Marketing Association (Sallie Mae) National Retention Project...

As they used to say in the '60s, "Like, wow, man." What a huge decision it is facing members of the Cape Girardeau City Council concerning the award of a riverboat gambling franchise for our community. Competing proposals from the Boyd and Lady Luck groups have been laid before us for all to evaluate. They are talk of the town, and choosing between them can fairly be said to be among the most momentous decisions ever to be faced by this community...

Son to Mr. and Mrs. Larry Beussink of Jackson, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 5:38 a.m. Monday, Jan. 24, 1994. Name, Tanner Jonathon. Weight, 7 pounds 2 ounces. Third child, second son. Mrs. Beussink is the former Patti Bock, daughter of Larry and Shirley Bock of Gordonville, and the late Jane Bock. Beussink is a machinist at Wahlco D.W. Tool Inc., and is the son of Ed and Rose Mary Beussink of Jackson...

JACKSON -- Raymond "John" Pfeiffer, 68, of Oak Ridge, died at the Lutheran home in Cape Girardeau, Jan. 29, 1994. He was born July 15, 1925 at Shawneetown, son of Hermann Pfeiffer and Hilda Bachmann Pfeiffer. He married Alice Koenig Feb. 4, 1950, at St. Louis. She survives...

SIKESTON -- Robert Lee Sisk, 62, of Sikeston, died Friday, Jan. 28, 1994, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. He was born April 4, 1931 at St. Louis, son of Rolla Sisk and Gladys Stewart Sisk. He is survived by a brother, Rolla Sisk Jr., of Grandview, Mo...

Clarence G. Gosnell, 83, of Missouri Veteran's Home, died Friday, Jan. 28, 1994, at the veteran's home. He was born May 24, 1910, at Chaffee, son of Claude and Lucntia Stokes Gosnell. Gosnell worked for Harris Motor Co. 15 years, then was self-employed as painter...

Dean Armentrout, 88, of Cape Girardeau, died Thursday, Jan. 27, 1994, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born Jan. 6, 1906, at Kirkwood, Mo., son of Charles and Marie Kiem Armentrout. He served in the Merchant Marine He was Mason, and member of VFW Post 3838 of Cape Girardeau...

JACKSON -- Ronnie Ray Cook, 46, of Jackson Route 4 died Saturday, Jan. 29, 1994, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson.

CHARLESTON -- Mildred R. Harris, 74, of Charleston, died Friday, Jan. 28, 1994, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born March 31, 1919, in Charleston, daughter of Russell and Dora Miller Stubblefield. She was employed at Speed Queen Laundromat in Charleston until her retirement in 1979...

MARBLE HILL -- Rita M. Young, 38, died Thursday, Jan. 27, 1994, at Des Moines, Iowa, She was born at Cape Girardeau Sept. 5, 1955, daughter of Troy an Velma Hovis Frymire. The parents, of Grassy, Mo., survive. Also surviving are a son, James R. Young, of Ames, Iowa; daughters, Stacy Young, Rhonda Young and Belinda Young, all of Ames, Iowa; two brothers, Howard Frymire and Tony Frymire, both of Grassy; a sister, Glenda Jones of Cape Girardeau; and one grandchild...

ADVANCE -- Versa Mae Garner, 82, died Friday, Jan. 28, 1994, at her home in Bell City. She was born Oct. 30, 1911 at Bell City, daughter of George Madison Garner and Ada Bell Summers Garner. She had worked 42 years at the Pittsburg Area Saw Co., in St. Louis, before retiring...

In keeping with a tradition that started in 1937, the Southeast Missourian will publish its annual Progress Edition on Feb. 25. The Progress Edition is an annual effort to chronicle the area's achievements of the previous year, while looking ahead to the goals and possibilities of the coming 12 months...

At 16, Crystal worries that maybe the "happily ever after" family life she dreamed of may not come true. The mother of a four-month old son, she advises her friends to wait. "Now that I had a baby everyone is saying `I want a baby.' I tell them `No you don't.' I tell them to wait until they are a little older and no, it's not really a lot of fun."...

The figures were shocking. In 1984, 180 Cape Girardeau County teen-agers got pregnant. The rate was enough to drive the community to action. After an eight-year initiative to stem teen pregnancies, the numbers have dropped. In 1992, 126 pregnancies were reported in the county. But members of the Teen Pregnancy and Responsibility Network are not claiming success...

Southeast Missouri State University students can graduate without ever taking American history. That concerns some of the university's history professors. But Southeast officials say that while it's possible to graduate without having taken American history as a course, all students are exposed to various aspects of American history in the school's University Studies or general education curriculum...

Since most people don't have tickets on the 50-yard line for Super Bowl XXVIII, many of us will have to settle for a front-row seat by the television set when the Buffalo Bills and the Dallas Cowboys face off today. But if your spouse could not possibly withstand another second of football, your television set is too small, you are fresh out of refreshments or you just want to watch the (insert team) lose with other football fans, several area establishments are ready to accommodate your needs...

As the school nurse at Cape Girardeau Central High School Jeanne Heise sees many youngsters who become pregnant. She questions what life holds for them. "Their lives get so complicated at such a young age," said Heise, who is also a member of the Teen Pregnancy and Responsibility Network...

Cape Girardeau's Board of Education will meet Monday for more discussion of facility needs and grade configurations. The study session is set for 6 p.m. at the central office, 61 N. Clark. The school board is in the process of determining a direction for the district regarding replacement or upgrading of school buildings. The configuration of grade levels is also up for discussion...

BENTON -- The Scott County Assessor's office will be setting up temporary offices on Tuesday to help citizens that have questions on how to fill out 1994 personal property assessment lists. Staff from the office will be at the Chaffee Nutrition Center from 9 a.m. until noon and from 1-4 p.m. at the Chaffee City Hall. Also on Tuesday, someone will be at the Scott City Hall from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m...

Southeast Missouri State University's decision to drop its traditional American history requirement for graduation reflects a trend on college campuses to move away from classes rooted in western culture, says an official with a higher education organization...

Southeast Missouri State University has received a $187,500 three-year grant from the Missouri Department of Mental Health, Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse to establish a Community 2000 Support Center at the university. Instrumental in writing the grant proposal were Jacque Hooper, associate professor of health and leisure at Southeast; Carol Veneziano, chair of the Department of Criminal Justice at Southeast; Ed Leoni, professor of health and leisure at Southeast; and Donna Boardman, who has been hired part time as a community prevention specialist with the center.. ...

Southeast Missouri State University will observe National Black History Month with a variety of activities designed to preserve the culture of African Americans. "February is National Black History Month, a time to recognize outstanding African-American men and women, and their contributions in building America," said Debra Mitchell-Braxton, coordinator of National Black History Month activities and assistant director of Southeast's Campus Assistance Center...

Chocolate is a natural product made principally from the bean of the cacao tree. Cultivation of cacao trees can occur only in tropical climates, 20 degrees north or south of the equator. Each pod contains 20 to 40 cocoa beans and it takes approximately 400 cocoa beans to make a pound of chocolate liquor. ...

Snow fell softly and silently in the night. All day long I heard it was coming, but, well, it wasn't here yet. Maybe, methinks, it will be just a light dusting, a Spanish lady powdering her nose. Nevertheless, I checked supplies. I even cleaned the regigerator to get a more accurate account of milk, eggs, butter, bread, assorted leftovers. Total cold assessment? Maybe a week or ten days, according to how much powder the Spanish lady used and the expiration date on the milk carton...

Laura Sparkman starts her day with a bowl of Grape Nuts and a chocolate-covered cookie. She moves on to Russell Stover's chocolate covered cremes and, on a good day, ends with a piece of My Daddy's chocolate truffle cheesecake. "I'm the number one fan," said Sparkman, who works at Commerce Bank in Cape Girardeau. "Chocolate is my favorite food group."...