Stories from Friday, June 6, 1997

To the editor: I'm having a very hard time comprehending shy the most convenient park to my downtown Cape Girardeau neighborhood has such a lousy restroom. Indian Park is a magnificent park for its size: near the river, with terrific outdoor basketball facilities (that are busy with players most of the time the weather permits), perhaps the most historic park in Cape Girardeau with its red granite marker of an important local legend. ...

To the editor: The members of Jackson Memorial Post 10495 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars have noticed that when we read the obituaries in the Southeast Missourian, a small flag is placed beside the name of the deceased if he or she is a veteran. Many newspapers across the country do this, and we are happy to see that you have adopted it. It tells your readers that the person who has died served our country and our flag with honor and deserves this distinction at the time of his or her death...

To the editor: It is sad to see how little most people really do know about Indian history today. Most of what people seem to know is a tiny bit of the story. A caller recently phoned the Speak Out column in the Southeast Missourian. This person claimed that there were no Cherokee Indians living in Missouri when Louis Lorimier began building the area of present Cape Girardeau in 1806. ...

For most of a world bedazzled by the beauty and heart-stopping maneuvers of champion ice skaters, Cape Girardeau probably isn't what pops into most minds when you mention figure skating. In fact, Cape Girardeau has an outstanding ice-skating facility, The Ice, at the Plaza Galleria in the Town Plaza shopping center. Skating is fairly popular among youths in the area, and several of them have done quite well in competitions...

There is no question that concerns in this country and around the world about the environment and the need to use the planet's resources wisely have paid major dividends over the years. But when the environmentalists become preservationists, they start favoring outlandish protection that prohibits the use of vast resources...

Cape Girardeau VFW Post 3838 has presented a donation to the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. Money for the donation was raised from the Post's bingo sessions. In addition, the Post will donate money raised from the Flag Day Memorial Benefit Golf Tournament at the Bent Creek course in Jackson...

Stephanie Drummond and Georgia Rodgers will have their work cut out for them this summer. The two women will be in charge of 40 children during the Salvation Army's Summer Day Camp program to run from June 16 to Aug. 1. Drummond, Salvation Army Community Center director, said the Christian summer day camp, for children 7 to 12, will offer guidance in a positive direction for the children who attend the camp...

When it comes to garage sales, there is no shortage of merchandise. Everything from baby clothes to furniture ends up for sale in the garages and driveways of area homes. More than 140 garage sales are scheduled for Cape Girardeau and the surrounding region this weekend, a record so far for this garage-sale season...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Volunteers will find plenty of litter awaiting them when they kick off the annual Ohio River Sweep this month. March flooding that pushed the Ohio River and its tributaries out of their banks left all kinds of litter along the river's edge, said Jeanne Ison, project director for the sweep...

BENTON -- The Scott County Commission wants to get out of the county's ditches. A group of farmers met with commissioners Thursday morning to discuss some ditches that run along their property that they said are not being maintained. The ditches are a part of the county's drainage system but aren't in a drainage district. That means less money is available to maintain them and they are not as frequently maintained as consolidated areas...

When the shoe factory closed, it was quite a blow, but the town found ways to produce new jobs and a bright future. You don't hear too much about my favorite hometown over in the Ozarks west of here, unless there is something tragic like a quadruple homicide or something bizarre like UFO sightings...

Cape Girardeau's own Riverfest 1997 is just around the corner. On June 13 and 14 downtown Cape will transform into a festival with music, food, events and fireworks. Some major events during the two-day festival are still in need of participants. The Little Miss Riverfest Fun in the Sun Contest, the Miss Riverfest Queen Contest and the sand castle building competition are still open for registration...

COMMERCE -- It all started at KD's Tavern. A group of residents began talking about how the state has promised to build a boat ramp on the banks of the Mississippi River just off Water Street. But the state has been promising that for 25 years. It has made a yearly promise to build the ramp since the Missouri Conservation Department bought a tract of land to prepare for the construction in 1992, Jim Steel said...

The site may have been Bogey Hills, but birdies were on the mind of Cape Girardeau resident Bob McBride Wednesday at the Senior Open qualifying in St. Louis. After touring the front nine in 38, McBride knew a few birdies were desperately needed if he was going to be one of two golfers in the field of 52 to qualify for the U.S. Senior Open June 26-29...

COLUMBIA -- After squeezing into the 2A semifinals with four one-run wins and then losing their first game Wednesday, the Kelly baseball team felt they still had some doubters. But the Hawks silenced their critics Thursday in the consolation game, coming back from a 4-0 deficit, to win 6-4...

MARTIN, Tenn. -- Kim Palmer of Southeast Missouri State was named the OVC's female athlete of the year while Austin Peay's "Bubba" Wells repeated as the conference's top male athlete. The announcement came from conference officials at a Thursday luncheon...

Softball pitcher Christine Engelhardt has become the first Southeast Missouri athlete to be named a Division I first team GTE Academic All-American. Engelhardt, who carries a 3.92 GPA in pre-engineering, is the only sophomore to make the national team...

Three Cape Senior Legion pitchers combined on a three-hitter Thursday to help defeat the Cape Commerce Bank Senior Babe Ruth White Sox 4-1 at Tiger Field. Jeff Michel, Chris Canfield and Todd Pennington all pitched three innings for Cape Legion (3-0). Michel (1-0) started to earn the win, Canfield followed, allowing one run. Pennington struck out seven for the save. Michael Minner (0-1) went the distance for Commerce Bank (0-3), striking out eight and walking four...

PERRYVILLE -- Funeral service for Clara L. Beachler of Perryville will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at Baumann Colonial Chapel in Overland. Burial will be in Lake Charles Memorial Park Cemetery at Bel Nor. Friends may call at the chapel from 3-9 p.m. today...

SCOTT CITY -- Funeral service for Gerald J. Littlepage of Scott City will be held at 2 p.m. today at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City. The Rev. Tim Killian will officiate. Burial will be in Lightner Cemetery, with military rites by VFW Post 6407...

PERRYVILLE -- Terry L. Riney, 40, of Perryville died Thursday, June 5, 1997, at her home. She was born Aug. 29, 1956, in Perry County, daughter of George and Catherine L'Hote End Jr. She and Gerald L. Riney were married Nov. 23, 1979. Riney was a member of Eagles Auxiliary 4034...

Son to Mark Gregory and Tonya Kay Roe of Millersville, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 8:17 a.m. Thursday, May 29, 1997. Name, Anthony James. Weight, 6 pounds 6 ounces. Second son. Mrs. Roe is the former Tonya Green, daughter of James and Kathy Green of Sedgewickville. She is a teacher at Jackson R-2 Schools. Roe is the son of Darold and Frances Roe of Sikeston. He is an engineer at TG(USA) in Perryville...

A Dongola, Ill., woman died after a one-car accident near Anna, Ill., early Thursday morning. At 6:55 a.m., Sherry Williamson, 22, was driving south on Christian Chapel Road one mile south of Route 146 in Union County when she apparently lost control of her car on a curve, left the road and overturned into a creek, according to the Illinois State Police...

DONGOLA -- Sherry Jo Williamson, 22, of Dongola, died Thursday June 5, 1997, as a result of an auto accident on Christian Chapel Road east of Anna. Friends may call after 5 p.m. today at Crain Funeral Home in Dongola. Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Interment will be in Christian Chapel Cemetery...