Stories from Sunday, August 17, 1997

A report issued last month by the Missouri Office of Administration made an earnest effort to explain the confusion over funding for both the 1992 15-year highway plan -- which has since been abandoned -- and the proposed Total Transportation Commission's 20-year plan...

I can't let last week's election go by without a comment. A "thank you" to Betty Hearnes and Hugh Hunter Byrd and man others who made a fight for the restoration of the historic old Mississippi County Courthouse, damaged by an arson fire. What to do? I still find it incredible that just three people can legally make such a big decision, involving millions of dollars, without putting it up to the citizens of the county. ...

It has now been more than four years since a majority of the members of the Missouri General Assembly voted approval of an ambitious educational improvement program which was given the name of Outstanding Schools Act of 1993. In the interval, thousands of Missouri students, teachers, school board members, parents and learning experts have made an input into an assessment fo current educational levels and, more importantly, set learning and achievement goals for young boys and girls well into the next century.. ...

The congressional summer recess serves as a halftime intermission for the Senate hearings on campaign finance misdeeds and reform. one would think, after testimony about the activities of Charlie Trie, John Uang and Mr. Wu on the Democratic side and Haley Barbour on the Republican side, that the public would as the very least want to know more, or demand action to correct, the fund-raising excesses of the 1996 campaign...

HOW TO help Social Security? Presently the 6.5 percent Social Security tax is paid only on income up to $62,500. Why not make all people pay this tax on their total income? There are many people right here in Cape making over $75,000 a year. not to mention members of Congress. Just think how much money we can put into Social Security in the next five years. Instead of reducing the Medicare reimbursement, we maybe could add dollars. All of you think about this...

Trooper Blaine Adams, 36, was promoted to corporal Aug. 1. He will be designated as assistant zone commander of Zone 4, Cape Girardeau. Adams is a 1978 graduate of Jackson High School where he earned all-district honors in football. He graduated from Southeast Missouri State University with a B.S. in social work and a minor in criminal justice and psychology...

Another school year is poised to being and with it friendships will be made and renewed. My own 6-year-old son is about to embark on this journey as he begins kindergarten. As I anticipate his future friendships, I thought back over my past friendships and wondered: what is it about others that we become friends with them and what is it that causes friendships to fade and fall away? The reasons are far too numerous to enumerate now, yet common interests seem to be the most basic reason...

Tower Rock in Wittenberg. Our Lady of St. Joseph Shrine and the 116-year-old St. Joseph's Catholic Church located in Apple Creek is one of the most scenic spots located along the drive. Visitors and residents from across the region will be able to drive, eat, dance and camp their way around Southeast Missouri's Mississippi River valley for five months beginning in August during the annual Mississippi River Valley Scenic Drive fall tour...

Saturday's humidity and heat didn't keep visitors away from the second annual "Wailing in the Woods" folk and country music festival at Black Forest Villages. The second annual event attracted both adults and children, who heard family musical entertainment, saw line and Indian dancers and browsed through craft stands and concessions...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Kewanee in northwest Illinois and Lawrence County in Southeast Illinois near the Indiana state line have been selected as prison sites in the state's latest prison derby. A $45 million juvenile facility that will house 400 youths and provide up to 280 jobs will be built at Kewanee. A $69 million, 1,800-bed medium security adult prison that will provide up to 450 jobs will be constructed in Lawrence County, which borders the Ohio River...

The eight finalists in the 1997 Kodak International Snapshot Award contest will get the good news Monday. The names of the local winners -- whose photo entries will be submitted for national competition -- will be announced in a special keepsake edition Aug. 24, said Joyce Hunter, contest coordinator...

Missouri ranks third behind California and Washington in the amount of earthquake insurance purchased in the United States. More than 25 percent of all California homeowners have earthquake insurance, which amounts to more than $925 million in coverage, about three-fourths of all the quake insurance coverage in the nation...

Luther G. Bellinger speaks from experience. "You can make it," said Bellinger. "You can take charge of your life and be what you want to be." Bellinger, an education consultant in the St. Louis area, pointed to a ring he wears proudly as he spoke to a tired and sleepy group of young people at the Salvation Army in Cape Girardeau early Saturday morning...

Both football teams, coming off sub-.500 seasons, looking for big things. I read with interest the other day a story by The Associated Press that covered the University of Missouri's annual football media day. The comments from some of Mizzou's players were strikingly upbeat and optimistic...

One walks and talks softly but carries a big stick. The other walks and talks with as much volume as imaginable but carries a big stick as well. Chris Justice and Zuri Buchanan -- Southeast Missouri State University's two highly-touted Division I-A sophomore linebacker transfers, from Florida and Oklahoma, respectively -- are certainly as different as night and day when it comes to personality and emotional makeup...

There are numerous negative consequences when livestock drinks from streams. For a number of years, Missouri livestock producers have been urged to fence their livestock from streams. But the question has always been: "Why spend money on watering sources (ponds, wells, solar pumping systems, etc.) for livestock when you can let them water in a stream?"...

Mercantile Bank will close 34 branches as a result of the purchase of Roosevelt Bank. The St. Louis-based bank announced Friday that it would close about 25 banks in the St. Louis area along with nine others in Kansas City and Springfield, Mo. Dennis O. Battles, Mercantile's executive vice president responsible for mergers, said Mercantile will still have about 80 branches in St. Louis...

SCOTT CITY -- Frances C. Cruse, 74, of Scott City died Saturday, Aug. 16, 1997, at St. Francis Medical Center. She was born March 14, 1923, in Fornfelt, a daughter of William and Mary Jane Bollinger Brooks. She and Vernon "Rex" Cruse were married Feb. 9, 1941. He preceded her in death...

PERRYVILLE -- Perry A. Wood, 88, of Perryville died Saturday, Aug. 16, 1997, at PerryOaks Healthcare at Perryville. He was born Feb. 18, 1909, in Perry County, son of Prince Edward and Marcella Mary Richardet Wood. He married Alma H. Hoffman on June 2, 1930. She survives...

COLUMBIA -- Marion Gayle Frederick, 75, of Columbia died Saturday, Aug. 16, 1997 at his home. She was born Nov. 19, 1921, in Williston, N.D., son of Henry A. and Minnie J. Huseby Haakenson. She married Paul Frederick on Sept. 4, 1943, in San Jose, Calif. He preceded her in death...

CHARLESTON -- Carrie Mae Holland, 90, formerly of Charleston, died Friday, Aug. 15, 1997, at Dexter. She was born Jan. 30, 1907, in Sikeston, daughter of Walter Jones and Mary Jane Ramsey Brooks. She lived in Charleston until 1992 where she was a member of First Christian Church. She lived in Burton, Mich., for four years before moving to Dexter 15 months ago...

ADVANCE -- Betty Ann Long, 40, of Essex died Friday, Aug. 15, 1997, at the Sikeston Health Care Center. She was born May 2, 1957, in California, daughter of Charlie and Betty Green McCabe. She married Rick James Long on Dec. 10, 1990, at Buffalo, Mo. He survives...

Cynthia Sue Halter, 47, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Aug. 15, 1997, at St. Francis Medical Center. She was born July 21, 1950, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of George Edward and Wilma Faye Reid McLaird. She married Thomas Halter Sr. on April 22, 1988, at Las Vegas. He survives...

Enterprise zone tax credit programs will be the topic of discussion during a special meeting in Cape Girardeau Thursday. John Kleindienst, manager of tax-benefit programs for the state economic development department, will be guest speaker at the workshop Thursday, to start at 9 a.m. at the Osage Park Community Centre, on North Kingshighway...

A green flame erupted after Mollie's Cafe and Bar chef Matt Tygett added brandy while cooking a wild mushroom salad. Tygett topped off the wild mushroom and rice salad with pine nuts. Portabella, oyster and enoki mushrooms are mixed with romaine lettuce, roasted red bell peppers and Minnesota rice. The edge of the serving dish displayed a design made by Tygett from paprika...

The cellar was a marvel of construction. It was dome-shaped, like an old-fashioned bee skep. The interior brick walls were smooth-plastered and whitewashed. Concrete floor. The whitewash made it less dim inside. The only other light was from the opened door or the small round tile pipe protruding to the outside of the center of the ceiling. ...

NEW MADRID -- The 37th annual American Legion fall festival, sponsored by Brown Twitty Post 595, will be held Aug. 26 through 30. On Aug. 28, the Little King and Queen contest will be held at 7 p.m. at the Dixie Theater in New Madrid. On Aug. 29. the Dixie Players will provide entertainment from 7 to 9 p.m...

JACKSON -- Mary Jeanne Weber, of Jackson, attended the International 4-H Youth exchange alumni (IFYE) conference in St. Louis recently. Weber is the IFYE state president. The conference was attended by 150 people representing 34 states and the countries of Australia, Egypt, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Taiwan...