Stories from Monday, May 20, 1996

Leave it to Missouri Sen. John Ashcroft to make one of the worthiest and most fruitful proposals of this or any other year. Last week, our state's junior senator proposed making Social Security taxes deductible on the federal income tax return. Good for him...

Pat Young makes house calls. He's not a doctor, doesn't take care of broken limbs, cuts and scrapes, or any other ailments of humans. He can take care of broken chairs, tables with scratches and nicks, recliners with broken mechanisms and other furniture ailments...

It was a tense case of man versus beast. Jim Barker, an animal control officer, had a wily raccoon cornered at a business on South Minnesota in Cape Girardeau. Barker had his "catch pole." The raccoon had its teeth. In a flash, Barker looped his prey with the pole, pulled the cord tight, and dropped the screaming, biting, clawing mass of fur into a customized truck...

The police summary in Cape Girardeau may be devoid of dog bite reports for weeks. Then they start -- calls about people, mostly children, bitten on the cheek, the hand, the leg. So animal control officers know it's spring. The problem is that people keep their dogs inside all winter and think spring is the season to let them run free, said Charles Stucker, an animal control officer. At the same time, more children are outside, coming into contact with dogs...

What could possibly entice a person to leave the comforts of home to venture into a Panama jungle and build a road? "You're helping people, in kind of a third-world country, to give them something better. That's kind of a good feeling," Missouri National Guard Pfc. John Mackey said...

More than two years after Cape Girardeau voters approved $25 million in sewer revenue bonds, community leaders will recognize work on the city's outdated sewer system. Mayor Al Spradling III, City Council members, representatives from Sverdrup Engineers of St. Louis and Robinson Construction Co. of Perryville will meet at 10:30 a.m. today for a groundbreaking ceremony at College and Henderson streets...

Norman Brooks has been teaching art students at L.J. Schultz since the building opened as a seventh-grade attendance center 31 years ago, but this year will be his last in the classroom. Brooks and his wife, Peggy, are just two of the 23 teachers, principals and staff members in the Cape Girardeau school district who accepted a retirement incentive from the Cape Girardeau Board of Education. In all, 27 district employees are retiring later this month...

It's official. I'm another year older today. I'm told wisdom comes with age. Au contraire. At least so far. What I've found instead is that the list of phenomena I just don't get is growing longer and longer. There are a lot of things none of us get, I'm sure. The former Yugoslavia. Free radicals. (That's something to do with stopping wrinkles, not a political movement. Don't ask me to explain it.) Black holes, quarks, gravity and physics in general. Cosines. Logarithms...

Monday, May 20 at 6 p.m. Vocational-Technical School room 214 Old Business -- School breakfast program waiver -- Early retirement incentive program New Business -- Report from Educational Facilities committee Action Items -- Summer school application...

This week the Southeast Missourian asked, "What do you think should be done to improve air travel safety?" Pansy Snowden, Jackson "Buy new planes. I understand most of the domestic fleet is over 20 years old." Valerie Wondrick, Cape Girardeau "I know they're doing everything they can as far as inspectors. ...

THE HERITAGE Foundation president writing in an column entitled "State of conservatism" has a rather upbeat message. I would like to share two paragraphs with Speak Out readers. "The principles and values of conservatism did not change. They are based on free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values and a strong national defense. ...

Missouri's sister state to the East proudly calls itself the "Land of Lincoln" to recognize its native son named Abraham. Our state, on the other hand, might try upstaging Illinois by broadening its slogan and becoming the "Land of Lawyers." This would recognize the more than three-year practice of Gov. Mel Carnahan to name lawyers to many of the state's blue ribbon commissions and even those on a lower echelon...

Anna, Ill. -- Sterling H. Wilson, 68, of Anna died Sunday, May 19, 1996, at his home. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at the Lutz & Rendleman Funeral Home in Anna.

City Hall Monday, May 20, 7:30 p.m. Public Hearings -- A public hearing to consider vacating the city's interest in a utility easement in Sherwood Hills Subdivision. Appearances -- Proclamation for 1996 Olympic Torch Relay Day. -- Appearances before the Council on items listed on the agenda...

JACKSON -- Harry C. Vogt, 80, of Jackson died Saturday, May 18, 1996, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born May 19, 1915, in Friedheim, the son of Frederick and Marie Brune Vogt. He married Mary Beth Marlin on May 24, 1941. Vogt graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in 1947 and did his postgraduate work at the University of Missouri. ...

CHAFFEE -- Dovie Williams, 79, of Chaffee died Saturday, May 18, 1996, at The Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born April 1, 1917, in Higdon, Ark., to Calvin and Nellie Mae Mortan Williams. She married Dee Elgie Williams on Jan. 29, 1935. He died Nov. 13, 1980...

Springfield, Ill. -- Michael Wayne Copeland, 40, of Springfield, formerly of Wolf Lake, Ill., died Saturday at St. John's Hospital in Springfield. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at the Lutz & Rendleman Funeral Home in Anna.

ST. MARYS -- Gilbert L. Thompson, 83, of St. Mary died Saturday, May 18, 1996, at the Jackie Lowes Boarding Home. He was born May 27, 1912, in Perry County, to Ferdinand and Angela Mercier Thompson. On Dec. 10, 1932, he married Dolphine Brown. Thompson was a retired farmer and past deacon of Trinity Baptist Church in St. Mary...

Apple Computer Inc. will cut its product line in half and increase its Internet focus in a recovery strategy that its chief predicts will leave the current troubles a distant memory a year from now. "Hey, this is Apple. Expect the impossible," Gil Amelio said from his San Diego office last week...

A 12-week "Weigh Down Workshop" will be held at Lynwood Baptist Church on Lynwood and Randol. A free orientation session will be held today at 6:30 p.m. Additional information is available by calling Cathy Connell, 334-6602 or 335-7224.

A new Drury Inn Hotel opened recently at Interstate 70 and Mid River Drive in St. Peters. The new Drury Inn is the 14th hotel in the St. Louis metropolitan area under the operation of Drury Inns Inc., which now operates 1,890 rooms in the St. Louis area, making the organization one of the largest hoteliers in the city...

Prestige Air Service has been appointed a Cessna pilot center by Cessna Aircraft. Cessna pilot centers provide pilot training. "We're proud to bring the advantages of the Cessna system back to Southeast Missouri," said Sharon Dunn, Prestige general manager. "Teaming together, we hope to increase the number of operations at the Cape Girardeau airport, which could help to bring addition federal funding for the airport."...

Wiese Planning & Engineering Inc. of St. Louis, a Caterpillar Lift Truck dealer, has been named 1995 "Dealer of the Year" by Caterpillar Lift Trucks for a fourth straight year. Weise markets Caterpillar Lift Trucks through branch facilities in Indiana, Illinois and Missouri, including Sikeston, Union and Hannibal...

Nominations are now being accepted for Enterprise Awards for best business practices. The awards, sponsored by Arthur Andersen Services, Boatmen's Bank, Johnson & Higgins of Missouri and the St. Louis Business Journal, will recognize emerging and mid-sized companies that have implemented a "best business practice" in one of four critical areas -- customer satisfaction, motivating and retaining employees, sharing knowledge in the organization, and fostering innovations...

Ameritech Cellular and Paging observed its fifth anniversary in Southeast Missouri last week. Ameritech has grown from a skeleton crew of four in May 1991 to more than 20 agent distribution points in Southeast Missouri, including Cape Girardeau, Perryville, Marble Hill, Jackson, Dexter, Poplar Bluff, Kennett, Hayti, Malden and New Madrid...

Special investment workshops, sponsored by Boatmen's Investment Services Inc., a subsidiary of Boatmen's Bank, will be held Tuesday at the Holiday Inn in Cape Girardeau, at 2 and 6 p.m. Guest speaker will be Laura Zografas, regional vice president of Putnam Investments, who will discuss "Investment Strategies for Today's Environment"...

East Missouri Action Agency is accepting applications for the Summer Youth Employment Program, which is funded through the Southeast Missouri Private Industry Council. The program, designed to provide youth between the ages of 14 and 21 who meet federal income guidelines, with training and support services to assist them in developing occupational and career goals and obtaining "real-world" work experience...

The West End Merchants' Association will observe its first anniversary May 28. Hors d'oeuvres and refreshments will be served at the group's monthly meeting Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at HRH Dumplin's. Dennis Vollnick of Drury Southwest will be guest speaker. He will discuss development plans for the West End area...

Shirley Ferguson, a transcriptionist in Southeast Missouri Hospital's medical records department, and Evelyn Gass, a member of the hospital's radiation therapy nursing staff, were honored for 35 years service during the hospital's 26th Employee Award Banquet last week...

Santie Wholesale Oil Company Inc., a Sikeston-based oil company, has purchased four acres of property at Corporate Circle and Southern Expressway in the Six Thirty Industrial Park in Cape Girardeau, for a warehouse and fueling facility. Santie, which caters to business and commercial users, provides a line of lubricants, petroleum fuels, propane and related products. Product lines include Amoco, Mobil, Citgo and Oil Dry...

The new shop at 31C N. Main St. is owned by Jim and Deborah Winterholt of Cape Girardeau, and Jerry Harris, who recently purchased the building at 31 N. Main. The business, which offers a delivery service, offers imported and domestic wines, specialty beer and cordials. Also available are gift baskets and a catering service for parties...