Stories from Saturday, April 23, 1994

Dear Editor: Regarding the recent comment in Speak Out about the person who thinks the people of Dutchtown should know better than to live in a flood prone area. I feel that person was on the right track; people should not live in areas that can bear the brunt of Mother Nature. This goes for the people in the south with their hurricanes, California with their earthquakes and mudslides, and the Northwest and Northeast have too much snow...

The Town and Country FCE Club is sponsoring its third annual Leukemia walk-a-thon May 7 from 10 a.m. until noon at the Cape County North Park. Check-in will be at Shelter #8. Sponsor forms can be obtained at the Cape County Park office, the University of Missouri Extension office in Jackson, or by calling 243-5570...

Bradley K. Bittle, M.D., will discuss sleep apnea and sleep disorders on this week's "Ask Your Doctor" program. "Ask Your Doctor" airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on Cape Girardeau cable channel 5 and is sponsored by St. Francis Medical Center, Southeast Missouri Hospital, the Cape Girardeau County Medical Society and channel 5...

Dr. Gregory C. Flaker was honored along with seven other individuals April 8 at the University of Missouri-Columbia Medical Alumni Organization's awards luncheon at Kansas City. The presentation was held in conjunction with the Missouri State Medical Association's annual meeting...

Children across the state will receive better protection against diseases as the Missouri Department of Health implements two changes in the childhood immunization schedule, said Dr. Coleen Kivlahan, director of the Department of Health. Children can now receive the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine and the third-dose oral polio vaccine at an earlier age. ...

Several topics of interest to licensed practical nurses will be discussed during the third annual LPN seminar at St. Francis Medical Center May 16. The seminar, titled "Your Profession in the '90s," will begin at 8:15 a.m. in the St. Francis Health & Education Center and will continue until about 3:30 p.m...

Fits of sneezing, itchy watery eyes, runny nose -- so it starts. An allergy attack. "People really are miserable," said Cape Girardeau allergist Dr. Robert Sacha. "It's really a miserable time of year." The allergy season can last year round, depending on what an individual might be allergic to, said Cape Girardeau allergist Dr. Jean Chapman. The most common allergy-causer is house dust mites. For those allergic to the mites, it's a year round problem. Other people have seasonal trouble...

A bill that would have removed Southwestern Bell Telephone from the regulation of the Missouri Public Service Commission apparently died in the Missouri Senate this week. Good riddance, we say. For months, Southwestern Bell Telephone has been promoting the legislation, taking out millions of dollars in television, radio and newspaper ads throughout the state, warning heavy-handedly that the legislation's defeat would "leave Missouri in the Dark Ages."...

To the Editor: Is our water safe? Should Federal laws protect us from poisoned water? These are the questions that we should ask ourselves as the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives decide whether to maintain, strengthen or weaken national clean water laws. ...

Dear Editor, My father, for a great many years, was a pediatrician in our community. When I was a small boy, about 50 years ago, I frequently accompanied him when he made his rounds at both hospitals. I distinctly remember hearing discussions between my father and floor nurses and supervisors. In those conversations, each hospital employee referred to the other hospital as "the other hospital"; in other words, brand X. Even that long ago, they did not want to use their competition's proper name...

Mike Ramsey recently joined the ranks of the Cape Girardeau Fire Department. Ramsey, 27, of Oran is a certified firefighter, having worked with Oran's volunteer fire department and rescue squad since 1986. He is a certified emergency medical technician, and is enrolled in a paramedic course...

The Southern Illinois Gospel Association will be hosting a Sing-a-thon April 30 at Shawnee College gymnasium at 7 p.m. for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Cystic Fibrosis is the number one genetic killer of children and young adults in the United States...

Not many people would connect noted clothing designer Tommy Hilfiger of New York with a boost in the economy of Cape Girardeau. "It could happen," said Gordon Cohen, an executive with Hartmarx, based in Chicago. It's already happening, points out Ron Dirnberger, plant manager of Thorngate Ltd. in Cape Girardeau...

If Debbye Turner had listened to her friends and family she never would have been crowned Miss America 1990. They told her she was too short, her talent (playing the marimbas) too odd, and she didn't have blonde hair or blue eyes. Others predicted that because she's a woman, Turner would never become a veterinarian. She proved them all wrong...

A prevailing-wage dispute over the Towers renovation project has been resolved, with the Missouri Division of Labor Standards issuing a wage determination that will add an estimated $10,000 to $15,000 to the construction cost. Ken Dobbins, Southeast Missouri State University's executive vice president, said the exact cost is still being finalized. But he added, "It's not significant."...

A curious facet of life in America today is our impulse to affix labels to an era as soon as it passes. The 1980s, a period marked by an expanding and successful economy that netted financial gains for all income groups, was incongruously dubbed "the decade of greed."...

A 1993 Chevrolet Corsica repaired by auto collision students at the Cape Girardeau Area Vocational School will be resold, teaching students lessons on the marketplace as well as auto body skills. The car will be showcased at West Park Mall April 29-30 and May 1. Bids are being accepted until 3 p.m. on May 5...

JEFFERSON CITY -- Legislation that would give voters an opportunity to decide whether a 22-member citizen commission should set salaries and benefits for legislators, judges and statewide elected officials is moving through the General Assembly. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Larry Thomason, D-Kennett, already has been approved by the House and likely will be sent to the Senate floor for consideration by the Pensions and General Laws Committee...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Harold D. Osborne, 71, of Vandalia and formerly of Cairo died Tuesday, April 19, 1994, at Utlaught Memorial Hospital in Greenville. He was born Sept. 17, 1922, at Vandalia, the son of Clifford and Elva Elam Osborne. He was a repairman for the Illinois Bell Telephone Co. before his retirement. He attended the Cairo Baptist Church, and was a member of Cairo Elks Lodge No. 651. He also was a veteran of World War II...

Earnest Loyd Thompson, 77, of 146 S. Frederick Street, died Thursday, April 21, 1994 at St. Francis Medical Center. He was born July 13, 1916 at Sylamore, Ark., son of William P. and Lura Crews Thompson. He had worked as a mechanic for R.B. Potashnick Co. and was later a truck driver with J.S. Alberici Company. He was a member of Teamsters Local 574 in Cape Girardeau...

Virginia Cochran, 2452 Brookwood, died suddenly on Thursday April 21, 1994 at Southeast Hospital. Arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

JACKSON -- Walter G. Renne, 91, of Jackson died Thursday at the Lutheran Home where he had resided for the past four years. He was born Jan. 11, 1903 at Gordonville, the son of W.C.F. and Elizabeth Kester Renne. He married Edna Kaften on Nov. 8, 1942 at Jackson. She preceded him in death on Sept. 9, 1976...

SIKESTON - James E. "Punch" Marcy, Sr., 71, of Sikeston, Rt. 3, died Thursday, April 21, at Doctors Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff. He was born April 13, 1923, in Atoka, Tenn., to Willie Lee and Fronie Elizabeth Marcy. On April 27, 1969, Marcy married Minnie Ramsey in Sikeston. ...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Mabel Lee Melton, 91, of Louisville, Ky., formerly of Anniston, died Thursday, April 21, 1994, at the Meadow View Nursing Center in Louisville of an extended illness. She was born July 25, 1902 in Anniston, the daughter of John and Cora Ford Waters...

PERRYVILLE -- Robert McDowell, 96, of Perryville, died Thursday, April 26, 1994, at Perry County Nursing Home. He was born Dec. 30, 1897, in Perry County, son of James William McDowell and Mary E. Young McDowell. He was married April 29, 1919, in Silver Lake, Mo., to Mary M. Layton. She preceded him in death April 23, 1990...