Stories from Wednesday, March 30, 1994

Since its inception, the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority has been a partnership between Cape Girardeau and Scott Counties. Now, the city of Scott City wants to annex the port -- to generate gambling revenues solely for the benefit of that community...

JEFFERSON CITY -- Declaring that citizens of Cape Girardeau need a strong voice in Jefferson City, Melinda Benton McCulley filed late Tuesday for the 158th District state representative seat. Filing on the Democratic ticket, McCulley will challenge veteran Rep. Mary C. Kasten, who is seeking her seventh two-year term in the Missouri House...

JACKSON -- Two more general election races developed and a primary election field grew when three more candidates filed for Cape Girardeau County offices Tuesday, the final day of filing for the 1994 ballot. Among those drawing opposition was County Clerk Rodney Miller, a Democrat, who will face Republican Greg Lincoln of Cape Girardeau. Miller, first elected in 1978, is seeking a fifth term, while Lincoln is making his first bid for public office...

The Southeast Missourian begins with today's edition a new packaging of writings by local journalists. It is called "Local Angles" and can be found on Page 2A. "Local Angles" will on a regular basis feature the personal columns of Southeast Missourian staff members. Some have had columns appear elsewhere in the newspaper. Others are new to this sort of writing on a fixed schedule...

SCOTT CITY -- With the riverboat gambling vote in Scott City less than a week away, residents got the opportunity Tuesday night to see what may be in store for the community if the initiative passes. Representatives of three casino-based firms -- Lady Luck of Las Vegas, Royal Casino Group Inc. of Calabasas, Calif., and Eagle Gaming Ltd. of Colorado -- told residents of the bounty that could be theirs if they vote yes on Tuesday...

JEFFERSON CITY -- For some, it had all the drama of a tight election night. For others, it was election night. But for just about everyone, the final two days of filing for offices on the 1994 ballot was an agonizing time that put most pressing state issues on the backburner...

New construction combined with repairs and renovations of existing facilities should offer a winning combination, said candidates for Cape Girardeau's Board of Education. Candidates answered questions at a League of Women Voters forum Tuesday at Central Junior High School. About 50 people attended...

U.S. Sen. Christopher Bond told law enforcement officials from Southeast Missouri Tuesday that he intends to fight for more prisons to house dangerous criminals. "I came today to talk about what's going on in Washington, but more importantly, that you all need to continue to wage this war on crime," said Bond. "We have made some progress over the past few years, but if we are to continue, we need more prisons to house violent offenders during the peak years of their criminal activity."...

Cape Girardeau is becoming a multizip-code city. "Because of the growth of the city and immediate area, we're running out of the four-digit add-on for our current zip code," said Michael Keefe, manager of the Cape Girardeau Post Office. "Effective July 1, we'll be adding another zip code, 63703."...

The beauty of the business I'm in is that on any given day the ordinary can blossom into something extraordinary. Such was the case with Bill Adams. By day, Adams delivers mail. In his free time, Adams collects signatures of famous people. He's been doing that for 34 years...

TAMMS, Ill. -- The more than 250 construction workers needed to build a $60 million super maximum-security prison in Alexander County will be hired from Illinois. Gov. Jim Edgar announced Monday that the Illinois Capital Development Board will require contractors and subcontractors who build the prison at Tamms to sign binding labor agreements with regional unions to hire Illinois workers...

OLIVE BRANCH, Ill. -- LaWanda Evelyn Thrower, 57, of Olive Branch, died Monday, March 28, 1994, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Sept. 4, 1936, in Thebes, daughter of Gerald and Mary Crown Lewis. She married Donald E. Thrower Sr...

NEW HAMBURG -- Funeral service for Paul Conrad Blattel of New Hamburg will be held at 10 a.m. today at St. Lawrence Catholic Parish Center. The Rev. Amel Shibley will officiate, with burial in the church cemetery. Amick-Burnett Funeral Home in Chaffee is in charge of arrangements...

Funeral service for Terry E. Williams of Cape Girardeau will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at Lang-Fendler Funeral Home in Arnold. Friends may call at the funeral home from 4-8 p.m. Thursday. Survivors include his parents, Brian and Frankie Williams; four sisters, Sharon, Susan, Shirley and Nancy of Arnold...

Jeffrey Scott Steel, 32, of Freeport, Texas, died Monday, March 28, 1994, at his home. He was born June 27, 1961, in Cape Girardeau. He was a 1979 graduate of Central High School. Survivors include his wife, the former Kenda Webb; a son, Garrison Steel, a daughter, Samantha Steel, both of the home; his mother, Gladys Steel of Cape Girardeau; five brothers, Leslie Steel Jr. ...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Josephine Spurlock, 86, of Jonesboro, died Monday, March 28, 1994, at Union County Hospital in Anna. She was born March 7, 1908, at Mt. Vernon, daughter of John and Sarah Wininger Uselton. She and Adam Spurlock were married March 15, 1941, at Jackson, Mo. He died in 1979...

Fredrick Eugene Barnhill, 56, of Cameron, died Monday, March 28, 1994, at his home. He was born Aug. 30, 1937, in Paragould, Ark., son of Woodrow Fredrick and Rachil Velvie Williams Barnhill. He married the former Anne F. Burroughs. The Barnhills lived in Cape Girardeau from 1968-84. He was director of meat operations with Wetterau Foods 25 years, including divisions in Scott City, Kansas City, and Tallahassee, Fla. He was currently vice president of store development with Esry Affiliated Foods...

Daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Curt Houston of Grand Tower, Ill., Southeast Missouri Hospital, 1:07 p.m. Friday, March 18, 1994. Name, Elena Nichole. Weight, 7 pounds 11 ounces. Second child, first daughter. Mrs. Houston is the former Phyllis Hughes, daughter of Willis and Gladys Hughes of Grand Tower. She is a fifth grade teacher at Shawnee Elementary North. Houston is a loader operator at Unimin...

One frigid morning a little while back, our newspaper hit my door and jolted me half awake. Somehow, I found my way to the door and picked up the paper, turned the thermostat up, and went back to bed. To stay awake until the chill was off, I switched the bedside radio on. First item of interest came from a town in Illinois: Permission had been granted to young riders to continue their "usage" of the horse trails...

Parents Without Partners Cape SEMO Chapter has scheduled an orientation meeting for prospective members April 6 at 7 p.m. in the Harris Room of the Community Counseling Center, Silver Springs and Bloomfield Road. Parents who are divorced, widowed, legally separated or never married may attend...

A trip to Charleston will be a highlight of the 61st annual Federated Garden Clubs of Missouri convention April 12-14 in Cape Girardeau. The Southeast District is directing the convention. On April 12, a trip is planned to Charleston for their "Gone with the Wind" tour. The Molly French Garden Club will provide an experienced guide to escort each bus. The tour will preview the 26th annual Dogwood-Azalea festival held the third weekend in April...

For Christian Berens and his friends, having fun is as simple as plunging down a spiral slide or taking a dizzying spin on a merry-go-round. So when the Southeast Missourian decided to rate the Cape Girardeau city and county playgrounds, it was only natural to turn to the "experts" -- 8-year-old Christian and his buddies Michael Zimmer, Sara Berkbigler and Sarah Gosche, all 9 years old...

This Easter morning many churches will be decorated with pots of Easter lilies, the beautiful flower that has become the symbol of the holy season. For a week or so prior to Easter, the garden centers, nurseries and retail stores have them available to the public. This plant bears large, fragrant flowers which are waxy white on a tall stalk with long pointed leaves...