Stories from Monday, February 3, 1997

Richard W. Bradshaw of Oak Ridge has been named "Representative of the Year" by Prudential Insurance and Financial Services, 1020-B N. Kingshighway, Cape Girardeau, for outstanding sales and client service. Bradshaw joined Prudential in October 1991 as a registered representative. He has qualified for a number of local and national awards as a member and fellow of Life Underwriters...

The Southeast Missourian's "Top 60" industries, based on the number of employees, started as a "Top 25," five years ago, but due to growth, expansions and new industry, the list went to "Top 40 in 1995 and "Top 60" last year. The 1997 list has been redesigned. ...

Mark C. Lamping, president of the St. Louis Cardinals, will keynote the sixth annual Missouri Chamber Day, at Jefferson City Feb. 12. Lamping will appear at the 11:30 a.m. luncheon at the Ramada Inn, Missouri Chamber Day at the Capitol will feature appearances by legislators, state officials and business leaders, who will discuss the 1997 session of the Missouri General Assembly...

The Fastenal Co. reported net sales of $77,568,000 during the fourth quarter, up from $57.9 during the same period in 1995. Net earnings grew from $7.2 million during the fourth quarter of 1995 to $7.9 million during the same period of 1996. Fastenal, national distributor of threaded metal products and related construction supplies, is headquartered at Winona, Minn., and has a branch facility at 2228 Bloomfield Road in Cape Girardeau...

The Internal Revenue Service, 137 Broadview in Cape Girardeau, provides walk-in taxpayer assistance Monday and Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through April 15. Taxpayers may also look "on line" for help. The IRS homepage, available around the clock, has forms, publications and other information. Taxpayers need a computer and modem to access the IRS homepage. Dial IRIS at Fedworld, (703)-321-8020. If you have Internet capabilities, the address is www.ustreas.gov...

Sales of Missouri wines have increased steadily during the past five years. The state's 29 registered wineries annually produce about 300,000 gallons of wine, the highest level in Missouri since before Prohibition. More than 2.5 million people a year visit Missouri wineries...

Shoe Carnival Inc., which has 93 stores throughout the Midwest, including Cape Girardeau, now accepts American Express. Shoe Carnival, headquartered at Evansville, Ind., is a retailer of name brand and private label footwear for the family.

Union Planters Corp. reported earnings of $133.7 million, or $1.92 per fully diluted common share, for 1996. Results for 1996 were reduced by emergency related and other charges, of some $66 million after taxes. Earnings in 1995 were $172.8 million, or $$2.64 per fully diluted common share...

Federal safety regulators offered this advice to parents across America -- and their long-locked little girls -- on how to muzzle their hair-munching dolls: "Disconnect the insatiable toy's batteries." The Consumer Product Safety Commission stopped short recently of issuing a warning about Cabbage Patch Snacktime Kids -- the most lenient action it could have taken. Nor did it issue a recall on the toy, which would be the most severe penalty the agency could impose...

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) -- Big Three earnings were flat last year at just over $12.9 billion, partly because of a 22 percent overall decline in fourth-quarter profits blamed largely on General Motors Corp.'s big strike costs. Even so, 1996 ended up as Detroit's third most profitable year. It would have ranked No. 1, if not for GM's $1.2 billion in after-tax losses from strikes in the United States and Canada and other one-time charges...

Dutch insurer Aegon NV is buying Providian Corp.'s insurance business for $3.5 billion, becoming the latest big European player to stake a claim in the lucrative U.S. market. The takeover, announced recently, comes as life insurers are merging to fend off competition for consumers' savings from banks and mutual fund companies. As part of the transaction, Providian, headquartered in Louisville, Ky., will spin off its Providian Bancorp unit to its own shareholders...

JCPenney Department stores nationwide will participate in "JCPenny Has a Heart" day Saturday. Funds from the local store's participation, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., will go to the local United Way charities. Consumers may purchase $5 tickets from designated local charities -- American Red Cross, Association of Retarded Citizens, CASA , Easter Seals Society, Gibson Recovery Center, Girls Scouts, Habitat for Humanity, Jackson Ministerial Alliance, Jackson R-2 Children's Fund, Lutheran Family Services, Safe House for Women, Salvation and United Way.. ...

Administration Health Care Institute has opened at 1028 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau. The new institute provides state certification in a number of classes -- Medical Terminology, Medicare/Medicaid Insurance Billing, Medical Transcription and CPT-4/ICD9 Coding...

Vincill Specialty Feed has opened in Cape Girardeau. The pet food store, housed in the former one-room, Juden School No. 1 building, 900 W. Cape Rock, offers foods and supplies for all pets. The structure was built in 1854 said Edwin Smith, owner of the new business, who has furnished the building with farm-related antiques...

Sword & Shield Counseling Ministries has opened in Cape Girardeau. Sword & Shield, 210 N. Sprigg, was established last year as a ministry to individuals and provides spiritually based counseling for families and individuals, employee counseling, community networking and stress management...

A new trucking business has opened at Jackson. D & D Transpoartation, 606 E. Main, owned by Dennis Davis of Jackson and Diane Lutes of Cape Girardeau, provides long and short hauls over the road truck transportation. The new business, which has five trucks, provides employment to five workers and hauls products throughout the country...

Two new Drury Inn & Suites hotels are under construction in the Atlanta area. The 134-room facility at Interstate & Jimmy Carter Boulevard in Norcross, will open in April. Construction is just beginning on a 144-room Drury Inn & Suites near the Atlanta Airport at I-85 and Virginia Avenue...

Visitors to the National Coal Museum watched a demonstration of underground coal mining equipment. A group of visitors prepared to go 600 feet underground at National Coal Museum. A few days before Christmas, a familiar red-and-white clad figure appeared at Old Ben Mine No. 25 near West Frankfort...

Casino Aztar has announced an expansion of its facilities at Caruthersville. Casino Aztar's 12,000-square-foot "Riverview Park" will consist of an expo center, a rodeo arena and a scenic picnic area. The center will be available for banquets, wedding receptions, meetings, trade shows and other events. The rodeo arena will be the site of a two-day rodeo over the Fourth of July Weekend and various horse shows throughout the spring and summer...

Coal still has a future in the Southern Illinois economy despite news of declining tonnage and sales over the past five years, a state commerce official says. The Illinois Coal Development Board, which submits an annual "coal report" to the Illinois General Assembly, reports a decline in the production and sale of coal by more than 4 million tons in 1995. The decline was blamed on increased competition with Western low-sulfur coal...

This year's judge for the 19th Annual High School Art Symposium at Southeast Missouri State University had a daunting task. Bill Needle, a professor emeritus at Southeast, was asked to pick the usual 70 to 80 finalists from a record 606 entries for the exhibition...

On an average day in 1995, 39,790 vehicles were counted along Interstate 55 between Scott City and Cape Girardeau. The Missouri Department of Transportation estimates that about 15,000 of those vehicles were traveling solely the five-mile stretch between Cape Girardeau and Scott City...

Winners in the 19th Annual High School Art Symposium at Southeast Missouri State University were announced Sunday. Sculpture: Justin Weaver, Cape Girardeau Central High School, 1st place; Jed Payne, Sikeston High School, 2nd place; and Nathan Dickinson, De Soto High School, 3rd place...

A long, long time ago in a cineplex far, far away, George Lucas released a magical movie combining elements of the quest for the Holy Grail, "The Wizard of Oz" and other mythic themes. It was, of course, "Star Wars." And it was good. And the sequels were good, and the people were happy and managed to resist, for the most part, the dark side of The Force...

The primary purpose of state government in Missouri these days seems to be funding more school rooms in our cities and building more living rooms for felons in our prisons. Missouri Department of Transportation officials discuss plans to build a new headquarters in Jefferson City, but tradition calls for engineers to run out of cash halfway through...

A state evaluation of the Jackson School District found little wrong with the school system and cited an outstanding relationship between the district and the community. That comes as no surprise, given the attitude not only of patrons living in Jackson, but those who live in the sprawling rural area the district serves have as well. Anytime the schools have been in need, school district residents have seen to it that the job gets done, no matter what the cost...

In a report on the status of public education in America, Education Week magazine recently rated Missouri and Illinois schools only average. Of Missouri schools it said the state isn't convinced that education is worth a major investment, and a commitment -- not wealth -- would improve the situation. Of Illinois schools it found that chronic money problems are aggravated by regional divisions, and reforms are at the mercy of budgets...

It's an anomaly that a presidential election campaign more sleep-inducing than Sominex had scarcely ended when political activists right and left began to open up deep and troubling issues. The tax code is under fire, as Congressman Dick Armey and others seek to replace the graduated income tax with almost anything else that comes to mind: flat tax, sales tax, who knows what? Campaign financing cannot be dodged. ...

Even though Town Plaza Cinema was full this weekend with the re-release of "Star Wars," the crowds filing into the shows have lacked the costumed presence of some die-hard fans elsewhere. Absent from the big screen for 20 years, George Lucas' epic science fiction movie is making its return with new sound, digitally enhanced visuals and 3 1/2 more minutes of action...

The Southeast Missourian asked, "What do you think of the controversy at the Egyptian High School over "Death of a Salesman"? J.T. Graham, Cape Girardeau "I think it should be up to the parents what their children read. If they don't want their children to read the book, then the children should not read the book."...

The Bubba Wells Show comes to Cape Girardeau tonight and Southeast Missouri State University's basketball Indians are probably hoping it doesn't meet to rave reviews. Wells, Austin Peay's marvelously talented senior forward, will be the prime focus of Southeast's defense when the teams square off in a 7:45 Ohio Valley Conference game at the Show Me Center...

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Southeast Missouri State University's gymnasts picked up their first meet victory of the season Sunday as they captured a four-team event hosted by Iowa. The Otahkians finished with 191.65 points. Iowa was second with 189.75. Then came Winona State (185.30) and Wisconsin-LaCrosse (184.575)...

Southeast Missouri State University's women's basketball team continues to dig itself a deep hole in the Ohio Valley Conference race and things sure won't get any easier today. Austin Peay, the defending OVC champion, will pay a visit to the Show Me Center for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff...

JACKSON -- Cape Girardeau Central's freshmen boys basketball team won the Jackson Tournament by beating the host squad 61-52 Saturday. Ross Conner had 26 points, 16 rebounds and eight blocked shots for the 13-4 Cubs. Corey Lewis added 10 points. Central's eighth graders fell to 4-8 by losing to Charleston 45-28 in the consolation game of the Jackson tourney. Chris Cole had 12 points...

BELL CITY -- Bell City High's volleyball team, which won the Class 1A state championship this past season, recently received more honors. Carl Ritter was named Class 1A Coach of the Year by the Missouri High School Volleyball Coaches Association while senior Denise Steiner and junior Leslie Lee were named to the all-state first team...

CHARLESTON -- Three of the state's premier Class 4A girls high school basketball teams will be on display this week when the annual Charleston Tournament is held. Top-seeded Jackson, No. 2 Cape Girardeau Central and No. 3 Poplar Bluff -- who will all compete in the local 4A district tourney later in the season -- are the headliners of the seven-team event...

ANNA, Ill. -- A 36-year-old woman died early Saturday morning in a fire at her Anna home. Joyce Trexler Rains was the only death in a fire that swept through her residence at 101 Douglas around 4:26 a.m. She was the only one at home at the time of the fire, Anna Fire Department reported...

CHAFFEE -- Justin Matthew Dragoni, 13, of Chaffee died Saturday, Feb. 1, 1997, at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. He was born Aug. 26, 1983, in Cape Girardeau, son of Jack and Gayle Dowd Dragoni. He was a seventh-grader at Chaffee Junior High School and a member of St. Ambrose Catholic Church...

ST. MARY -- Clifton F. Boyer, 63, of St. Mary, died Sunday, Feb. 2, 1997, at Ste. Genevieve County Hospital. He was born Aug. 15, 1933, in Conon Mines, son of the late Louis and Gladys Boyer. He was a winemaker, a life member of the D.A.V. and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Korean War...

ADVANCE -- Ralph R. Crosswhite, 87, of Advance died Saturday, Feb. 1, 1997, at his home. Arrangements are incomplete at Morgan Funeral Home in Advance.

ANNA, Ill. -- Joyce Trexler Rains, 36, of Anna, Ill., died Saturday, Feb. 1, 1997, at her home. Friends may call after 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Lutz & Rendleman Funeral Home in Cobden, Ill. Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Alto Pass Cemetery...

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Ada Mae Metje, 69, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Feb. 1, 1997, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born May 21, 1927, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of the late Ernest and Edna Kennedy Sandlin. She married Roy Metje April 10, 1974, and he preceded her in death on July 29, 1996. Her first two husbands, Charles Hunter Webb and William T. Kreamer, also preceded her in death...

PERRYVILLE -- Mildred N. Rhodes, 84, of Maryland Heights, formerly of Perryville, died Saturday, Feb. 1, 1997, at Cedars Nursing Home in Cedar Hill. She was born Feb. 5, 1912, in Perry County, daughter of the late Charles and Bessie Smith. She married Franklin R. Rhodes on June 25, 1935. He preceded her in death on Feb. 6, 1991...

SCOTT CITY -- Alma Rose Jackson, 92, of Scott City died Sunday, Feb. 2, 1997, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Amick-Burnett Funeral Home in Scott City.