Stories from Saturday, July 22, 1995

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Jerry D. Atwell, 51, Jonesboro Route 1, died Thursday, July 20, 1995, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born April 22, 1944, in Georgetown, La., son of Wesley and Julie Atwell. He and Naomi Sue Whitney were married Feb. 7, 1987, in Pineville, La...

Cape Girardeau residents in the past week have received a graphic reminder of the importance of a quality water system. This city of 35,000 population was under a boil-water order for just over two days. Occasional orders to boil the water that comes out of the tap aren't uncommon for many small towns in the region. But it was the first time many Cape Girardeau residents had ever had to comply with such a directive...

Southern Illinois has set its sights on a $20 million project to provide safe drinking water in rural parts of five counties. Residents in Alexander, Pulaski, Union, Johnson and Massac counties will ultimately benefit. In this day of technological advancements, it is hard to believe there are a million Americans without clean drinking water, many in rural areas...

More than two years after federal law enforcement officers raided the Branch Davidian cult compound, the very mention of Waco, Texas, evokes an array of emotions and opinions. Many critics express scorn and outrage for the tactics of the feds who carried out the raid that ultimately cost cult leader David Koresh and 80 of his followers their lives. Other people cite disgust for Koresh and disbelief that anyone would defend a guy whose twisted theology led so many gullible people astray...

Daughter to Alexander Scott and Gretchen Kennedy of St. Louis, St. Anthony's Medical Center there, 7:10 p.m. Tuesday, June 27, 1995. Name, Caitlin Lorraine. Weight, 8 pounds 8 ounces. First child. Mrs. Kennedy is the former Gretchen Holland, daughter of Gordon and Susan Holland of Cape Girardeau and Gail Holland of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. ...

PARMA -- Funeral service for Lottie O. Baskin of Benton, Ky., will be held at 1 p.m. today at First Baptist Church in Parma, with the Rev. John Lemmons officiating. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery at Malden. Watkins and Sons Funeral Home in Parma is in charge of arrangements...

He was born Sept. 18, 1910, in Mississippi County, son of William N. and Kate Thurman Tatum. He and LaDonna Bailey were married Dec. 23, 1983. Tatum had farmed, and was a member of Anniston Christian Church. Survivors include a son, Bill Tatum of Anniston; a stepson, Jeff Mathis of East Prairie; a sister, Willie Chenault of Little Rock, Ark., and four grandchildren...

Linda Fay Packard, 43, of Caruthersville, died Thursday, July 20, 1995, at her home. She was born Aug. 12, 1951, in Genoa, Ill., daughter of Russell and Lila Abernathy Keegan. She and Ron Packard were married May 29, 1970. Packard was a real estate agent a number of years, and had been with Century 21 Ashland Realty Co. the past three years. She was a member of Eastwood Memorial United Methodist Church in Caruthersville, and Southeast Missouri Homebuilders Association Inc. in Cape Girardeau...

ANNA, Ill. -- Graveside service for Clara Cook of Lake Charles, La., formerly of Anna, will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Anna Cemetery with the Rev. Dewayne Taylor officiating. Burial will be in Anna Cemetery. Lutz and Rendleman Funeral Home of Anna is in charge of arrangements...

An improved weekly Finance page returns to the Southeast Missourian today. It will be published each Saturday. The page features 300 of the most active stocks on the New York Stock Exchange and the American Stock Exchange plus National Association of Securities Dealers over-the-counter trading. In addition, the list includes about 80 reader-requested stocks...

Copyright 1995 Southeast Missourian Despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling barring state payments for teacher salaries in Kansas City, an attorney for the district said Friday that part of Missouri's $110 million in fiscal 1996 desegregation funds would likely be spent on teacher salaries...

Mother Nature and Steve Spradlin will have much to say about how Freedom Bird fares during the Balloons and Arts Festival's hot-air balloon race. Mindful of that fact, Freedom Bird owner Jon Friedrich of Gordonville figures the only thing left to do is to hop in his car, give chase on land and hope for the best. "I feel like we've got a chance to win the race," Friedrich said. "I also feel like I've got a shot at winning the lottery and Publisher's Clearing House sweepstakes."...

The five finalists for Cape Girardeau city manager come from Missouri, Tennessee, Kansas and Oregon. They range in ages from 41 to 58. Two are from the St. Louis suburbs of Creve Coeur and Ferguson. Four of the five currently are city managers or administrators in towns similar in size to Cape Girardeau or smaller. One is a former city manager who currently is a management consultant...

In a rare move to get out of the house, The Other Half took me to the movies last Sunday. I don't know what happened to us. Pre-marriage, we were out every night for dining and dancing, visiting with friends and family, cruising up and down Interstate 55 with the wind in our hair...

Poison ivy contains urushios, which causes an itchy rash for people allergic to it. Doug Newman, a natural history regional biologist, showed an elderberry plant found on a trail at Cape Girardeau County North Park. The plant's bark, twigs, leaves and shoots are toxic, but its ripe fruits are edible...

The second annual Summer Institute on Autism will be held Aug. 2 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff. The one day conference provides information and hands-on strategies to parents and professionals involved with children with autism...

The HealthSouth Rehabilitation Center has scheduled a seminar on Americans with Disabilities Act from 1 to 4:45 p.m. Aug. 9 at the Drury Lodge State Room in Cape Girardeau. Elizabeth Kenworthy will conduct the seminar. She is national director of ADA for HealthSouth Corp. The topic is "How to Prevent Your Workers' Comp Injury from Becoming Your ADA Nightmare."...

During the summer, blood donations run low while the need remains high. A safe and adequate blood supply must be available for those patients who need it and depend on a strong donor base of individuals willing to share their good health with others. The American Red Cross urges healthy people to give blood regularly -- donors may give every eight weeks...