Stories from Wednesday, February 16, 1994

U.S. Rep. Alan Wheat will be in Cape Girardeau Thursday morning as part of a statewide swing kicking off his candidacy for the United States Senate. The 42-year-old, six-term congressman from Kansas City is seeking the Democratic nomination in hopes of succeeding retiring Sen. John Danforth. He started his three-day campaign kickoff tour Tuesday. He intends to file Tuesday in Jefferson City, the first day candidates can file for offices on the ballot in 1994...

A program at the Cape Girardeau Area Vocational-Technical School hopes to get high school students on the right track toward employment. Called Tech Prep, the program has been in place for two years. Ray Walsh from Mineral Area College is coordinating the effort. He spoke at a breakfast Tuesday as part of the school's American Vocational Education Week...

SCOTT CITY -- After far surpassing previous tonnage records in 1993, the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority has started the new year where it left off. In January, net tonnage for the port authority was 30,454, which is the third highest single month total in the port's history...

The lights flickered momentarily in parts of Cape Girardeau just before noon Tuesday when a steel boom of a pile-driving crane working near South Kingshighway and William fell onto a Union Electric 115.5-kilovolt subtransmission line. Both lanes of William Street at the corner of William and Kingshighway were closed to traffic for about three hours as workmen repaired the downed lines...

Daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Dean Lukefahr, Perryville Route 2, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 2:50 p.m. Monday, Feb. 7, 1994. Name, Katlyn Jo. Weight, 8 pounds 5 ounces. Third child, first daughter. Mrs. Lukefahr is the former Tammie Kluender, daughter of Melvin and Carol Kluender of Perryville. She is employed by Perry County School District 32. Lukefahr is a self-employed farmer, and is the son of LeRoy and Patsy Lukefahr of Perryville...

SCOTT CITY -- Bessie Eifert, 88, of Pine Bluff, Ark., died Monday, Feb. 14, 1994, at Davis Life Care in Pine Bluff. She was born March 15, 1905, at Commerce, daughter of Newt and Florence Cook Bowman. She and Fred A. "Pete" Eifert were married in 1942. He died in 1987...

THEBES, Ill. -- Clara Jewel Waters, 89, of Murray, Ky., died Monday, Feb. 14, 1994, at Life Care Center in Jonesboro. She was born April 5, 1904, in Kentucky, daughter of Jack and Vinnie Ward Cook. She and Ernest Waters were married Feb. 2, 1934. He died in 1984...

BENTON -- Michael P. Brogan, 82, an osteopath at Benton for many years, died Tuesday, Feb. 15, 1994, at Ratliff Nursing Home in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Funeral Home in Benton.

ADVANCE -- Etta Marie Abernathy, 81, Advance Route 2, died Monday, Feb. 14, 1994, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Feb. 22, 1912, at Coldwater, daughter of George and Martha Graham Hovis. She and Earnest Abernathy were married April 17, 1936, at Gravelton. He died March 22, 1970...

SCOTT CITY -- William Lee "Bill" Portwood, 78, of Scott City, died Monday, Feb. 14, 1994, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. He was born Jan. 31, 1916, in Hayti, son of Fred and Minnie Hughes Portwood. Portwood was a retired security guard with Hughes Aircraft in California. He moved here six years ago from El Paso, Texas. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II...

BLOOMFIELD -- Funeral service for Loetta Gibson, Bloomfield Route 3, will be held at 1 p.m. today at Watkins and Sons Funeral Chapel in Dexter. The Rev. Robert Lafferty will officiate, with burial in Hagy Cemetery at Dexter. Gibson, 72, died Monday, Feb. 14, 1994, at Dexter Memorial Hospital...

SEDGEWICKVILLE -- Funeral service for Wilbert Neil Lukefahr of Sedgewickville will be held at 2 p.m. today at Young and Sons Funeral Chapel in Perryville. The Revs. W.D. Snyder and Kelly Brotherton will officiate, with burial in Sedgewickville Lutheran Cemetery...

Josephus "Joe" Lacoil Smith, 67, of 1209 S. Benton, died Tuesday, Feb. 15, 1994, at his residence. He was born Sept. 15, 1926, at Randles, Mo., son of Pearl Schlosser. He married Laura A. Mobley, June 13, 1946. Smith was a veteran of World War II, having served in the U.S. Navy...

Every properly-taught writer knows apostrophes are needed to show possession in the use of nouns, but how many are careful to omit the superscript sign in pronouns ending in "s"? Again and again, we find "it's" for "its" in otherwise proper writing. ...

The state of Missouri is looking to take a tougher stance against drunk driving through a series of proposed legislation. It's part of a nationwide trend to lower the accident rate on our highways and byways. And statistics show that tougher laws, combined with educational efforts and stepped up law enforcement, have made a difference in lowered fatalities. But the numbers are still not acceptable...

Dear Editor: To set the record straight on the series of articles you have printed in your newspaper. They are full of inaccuracies. Here are my beginning comments for the state of the city address that was presented on Feb. 7, 1994, that will show the true facts concerning the series of events referred to in your newspaper...

Fred Wilkinson says he "senses a lot of dissatisfied people out there," and for that reason has decided to run for the 1st District seat on the Cape Girardeau County Commission. A lifelong resident of the county, Wilkinson has operated an auto body business for 32 years and has also farmed near Millersville for the last 22 years...

One is just right. Michael and Marsha Coffman of Cape Girardeau think so. Their 2-year--old son, Michael, is an only child. The Coffmans aren't alone. These days, only children can be found everywhere, including the White House. Nationwide, 13 million families, or 20 percent, have only one child living at home, the U.S. Census Bureau says...

Susan Bartlett grew up an only child. So did her husband Randy. As children, they never experienced sibling rivalry. But as parents, they have seen it in their children. The Bartletts have a 19-year-old daughter, Leigh, who is attending Southeast Missouri State University. Their 15-year-old son, Robb, is a high school sophomore...

For many garderners February means starting into a new season with plans and thoughts toward an improved garden. Many like to start seeds indoors for vegetables and flowers. One tries to plan carefully so as to avoid mistakes in choices or locations of past plantings...

Local cooks mixed healthy ingredients with easy preparation and good taste to whip up winning entries in the first Heart Health Recipe Contest. The Heart Institute at St. Francis Medical Center sponsored the contest as part of American Heart Month. Recipes were judged in three categories: main dishes, vegetables, soups and salads, and desserts and breads...