Stories from Thursday, May 9, 1996

CHARLESTON -- William Warren May, 82, formerly of Charleston Route 3, died Tuesday, May 7, 1996, at Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Jan. 7, 1914, in Blandville, Ky., son of Clyde Lee and Erma Helen Salee May. He and Eris Lehr were married Oct. 11, 1941...

To the editor: I am writing regarding the recent "survey" conducted on KFVS-TV with high school seniors entitled "Making the Grade." I am a senior at Cape Girardeau Central High School, and I am appalled at the unscientific quiz given to my peers. First, Mary-Ann Maloney had a preconceived notion of the results for the test. ...

The trial in Scott County of Andrew Lyons, who was accused of the grisly murders of his girlfriend, their baby and the girlfriend's mother, ended with a guilty verdict and a jury-imposed death sentence. While such decisions are never easy, the jury sent a clear message that such wanton criminal activity won't be tolerated...

When federal agencies want to send a message about the impact of balancing the budget, they generally look for ways to make Mr. and Mrs. Joe Sixpack feel the pain. That was the case during this year's tax season when the Internal Revenue Service office in Cape Girardeau cut down the hours it provided taxpayer assistance -- even though IRS funding was increased overall...

The Southeast Missouri State University Jazz Band will try something new Friday -- performing in a nightclub. "We wanted to give the students a real life experience of what it's like to play a gig," said the band's director, Barry Bernhardt. The free concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the River City Yacht Club and will include a performance by the Southeast Faculty Jazz Combo, which includes Dr. Dan Dunavan, Dr. David Green, Dr. Jerry Richardson and Leo "Bud" Miget of Perryville...

To the editor: There isn't a country in the world that wouldn't take over the United States if it had the opportunity. Individually, other countries don't have the ability to do this, but collectively (through the United Nations), this is not only a possibility, but also a probability. Our one vote against hundreds means nothing at all...

DELTA -- A 5-year-old Delta boy was in critical condition Wednesday night after being hit by a train near his home. A Missouri Highway Patrol report said Cody King, son of Rocky and Tomma King, was standing on train tracks near Highway 25 northeast of Delta around 5:45 p.m. when the accident happened...

MAKANDA, Ill. -- Most of the stores on the Makanda boardwalk are closed Tuesdays and one has posted a sign that reads "Open noon-4 when possible." The out-of-the-way hamlet's population of 400 is composed mostly of dedicated artists and craftspeople who came here from somewhere else, university professors who don't want to live in Carbondale, natives who knew better than to leave the bucolic hillsides, and one U.S. senator -- Paul Simon...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- State transportation officials announced a $1.2 billion program Wednesday that would repair hundreds of miles of Illinois roads over the next year. Despite a slight increase in money available for this year's projects, officials warned that federal cuts could shrink the program by as much as $200 million next year...

Daughter to Daniel Ray and Karen Marie Christensen of Jackson, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 12:18 p.m. Friday, May 3, 1996. Name, Kelsie Marie. Weight, 7 pounds 4 ounces. Second daughter. Mrs. Christensen is the former Karen Kliegel, daughter of Ed and Ruth Rosebrough of Jefferson City. Christensen is the son of Jay and Ginger Christensen of Bowling Green. He is employed at Snap-On Tools...

LEOPOLD -- Gertrude Mary Beel, 67, of Leopold, died Wednesday, May 8, 1996, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Jan. 2, 1929, at Laflin, daughter of John Henry and Barbara Rosa Horrell Eftink. She and George Alfred Beel Jr. were married May 14, 1949. He died July 19, 1977...

ANNA, Ill. -- Helen C. Ligon, 90, of Anna, died Tuesday, May 7, 1996, at City Care Center. She was born Dec. 15, 1905, in Union County, daughter of Hugh E. and Bessie Ebey Church. She and Harvey L. Ligon were married Oct. 10, 1931. He died Sept. 18, 1995...

James J. Fullenwider, 71, of Decatur, Ill., died Wednesday, May 8, 1996, at his home. He was born Aug. 14, 1924, in Cape Girardeau, son of Oscar and Ethel Gale Fullenwider. He and Betty Austine Frierson were married in September 1950. She preceded him in death...

JACKSON -- Private graveside service for Terry Lane Hartle of Chicago was held Wednesday at Russell Heights Cemetery, with the Rev. O. David Griffin officiating. Cracraft-Miller Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements. Hartle, 42, died Thursday, May 2, 1996, in Chicago...

Funeral service for Joseph R. Kurre, 539 S. Spring, will be held at 10:30 a.m. today at Ford and Sons Mt. Auburn Chapel. The Rev. Louis Launhardt will officiate, with burial in Memorial Park. Kurre, 83, died Tuesday, May 7, 1996, at St. Francis Medical Center...

Bell Monument Works of Cairo, Ill., had the rather dubious honor of becoming the 300th business or group to sign up as a Random Act of Kindness participant. George Bell read about Kindness Week in the newspaper and wanted to bring the effort to his Southern Illinois city...

The Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to a more complete decontamination of the Kem-Pest Superfund site north of Cape Girardeau. The agreement means that once the process is complete property owners will be able to develop the site as they choose, a state official said...

A trade publication reports that the U.S. Department of Justice and Missouri attorney general's office are investigating potential antitrust violations by MedAmerica HealthNet. The report, which was dropped off anonymously at sites around the city, had health-care experts buzzing Wednesday...

SIKESTON -- St. Louis Mayor Freeman Bosley Jr. encouraged Sikeston residents Wednesday to look within themselves for solutions to their city's problems. It was Bosley's first visit to Sikeston, the only community in Southeast Missouri actively participating in the Weed & Seed program. This community improvement program, designed to weed out criminals and seed in social services, is administered locally by U.S. Attorney Edward Dowd's office...

The old Mississippi River bridge at Cape Girardeau is available at no cost to someone who would like to take the structure away. The Federal Highway Administration will spend at least $1 million this year to begin construction of a new Mississippi River bridge at Cape Girardeau. The funding was announced earlier this week. Here is a breakdown on the project...

May 9, 1996 Dear Mom, I guess it's odd to write you a letter when I could just drive a mile or so to see you. But you know I don't always find the time to do that as often as I should. Seems there's always something else to do, someone else to see. So I do it and see them and before you know it the time is gone. And I know that's not right...

The Cape Girardeau County Gun Club will hold its third annual open house May 19. Events begin at 1 p.m. with free hot dogs and soda. The club is located along Highway 72 about three-quarters of a mile from Pioneer Orchard in Jackson. The open house features a free round of skeet or trap shooting, clay shooting and five stand shooting. Anyone interested in sport shooting is invited to attend...

Put thousands of Christian men in a football stadium and move them to cheer for Christ. That is the most visible sign of Promise Keepers, a national group that focuses on Christian fellowship for men. "Every guy is comfortable in a stadium," said the Rev. Louis Monroe, the state manager for Promise Keepers in Missouri and Arkansas...

Waiting for a college acceptance letter is nerve-wracking for any high school senior, but even more so when the letter comes from the U.S. military. Tony Moore of Perryville was "relieved" when he got his acceptance phone call from the Naval Academy in February. "I was relieved after all that paperwork," he said, adding that he first applied last summer...

Students in the top 10 percent of their class at either Cape Girardeau Central or Notre Dame high schools were honored Monday at the annual John Blue Academic Excellence Banquet sponsored by the Cape Girardeau Rotary Club. Dr. Gerald McDougall, dean of the Donald L. Harrison College of Business, spoke about the "Sources and Obligations of Excellence." The banquet was held at the University Center Ballroom on the Southeast Missouri State University campus...

JACKSON -- Falconbridge Publications Inc. has ceased operations. "We ran out of money," said Gregory Lee Dullum, president of the now defunct company which previously published telephone directories in St. Francois County, Sikeston, Dexter and Poplar Bluff areas...