Stories from Thursday, December 11, 1997

To the editor: Most recently as I meditated about being married to the same person for 30 years, something occurred to me which I find absolutely amazing. When two people live together this many years, their minds become one, even if they have both developed a serious memory loss. In fact, this is when it becomes the most important. I find examples of the following conversation almost a daily experience:...

Three years ago, Mike Rouggly attempted to find a way to bring a gospel message back into a commercialized Christmas holiday. He found the answer to his quest by building a simple manger constructed from slab wood. Rouggly and members from Mount Auburn Christian Church will present the third annual Living Nativity Friday and Saturday from 5-9 p.m. at the church, 930 Mount Auburn Road...

When a little girl at the Salvation Army community center jumped onto Jerrie Miller's lap, the child asked why Miller loved her. "I love you because you're so beautiful and sweet," Miller responded. "I wish my mommy loved me," the girl said. Miller said she could feel her own heart break. The children that she works with at the Salvation Army center just want someone to care for them and love them, she said...

Zimmer Radio Group has become the fourth owner of the building that houses a NationsBank branch at Mount Auburn Road and Independence. The building, which will serve as corporate headquarters for the radio group, will also remain a branch bank. Zimmer has 27 radio stations in Missouri and Southern Illinois...

THIS IS in reference to the "No sympathy for sexual misconduct" comment. The person who called in this opinion comes across as someone who places the blame of having AIDS on the person who has it because they didn't use a condom or abstain from sex. ...

To its credit, the Kansas City School District appears to be making good -- and tough -- decisions regarding the future after court-ordered state funding ends for its failed desegregation program. Missourians have paid hundreds of millions of dollars to the district in recent years for all sorts of expensive geegaws that did little to address the miserable state of public education in that urban area...

Everywhere you go, there is music in the air. Most of the time shoppers don't even pay attention to the ever-present melodies that play in shopping malls and retail stores. This so-called elevator music has become so prevalent that many would-be listeners just block it out...

To the editor: The following was read to the families and friends of Cape Central Junior High School students during the school's regular holiday program. Kathi Fish, president of our PTA at CJHS, expressed her feelings from her heart that night and said what many of the parents, including myself, feel at this time. Kathi gave permission to have this published:...

To the editor: Note: because of the complex nature of the subject matter of this letter, it will be necessary to occasionally use big, fancy words and make uncommon references (known as metafurs and anallogicalities) with which the reader may not be familiar. I apologize. I tried to avoid overdoing this wherever possible...

The Cape Girardeau Planning and Zoning Commission wants the state to reconsider a possible corridor for the new Highway 34-72 improvement. Planners from the Missouri Department of Transportation and QST Infrastructure Inc., consultants for the project, met with commissioners Wednesday night to discuss their plans...

SIKESTON -- On Wednesday morning, Lambert's Cafe got its "A-plus" sticker from the Missouri Department of Health. More and more of the stickers are appearing on restaurants in the Sikeston area, signifying that all of the food-handlers in the restaurants have been vaccinated against the Hepatitis A outbreak that has sickened 43 people in the area...

Karen Redfearn has plenty to keep her busy. A mother of seven children, Redfearn found time to go back to college. She will graduate Saturday from Southeast Missouri State University with a bachelor of science degree in recreation. Not only has she earned her degree, but she will graduate summa cum laude with a nearly straight-A grade-point average of 3.97 on a 4.0 scale...

Public school patrons interested in making decisions relevant to their respective districts can officially sign up for a chance at the job when school board election filings open Dec. 23. All board of education candidates must file between 8 a.m. Dec. 23 and 5 p.m. Jan. 20. All local public school districts will hold elections to fill two three-year terms on their boards...

Debbie Hunt is 20. Her son Shane is 3; her other son Kevin is 4 months old. They live in a two-bedroom house in Cape Girardeau warmed only by a single space heater donated by the Salvation Army. The kitchen is heated by turning on the oven and leaving the door open...

An information referral network that would enable families like Debbie Hunt's to find help quickly is in the planning stage. Nancy Jernigan, executive director of the Area Wide United Way, says a single toll-free phone number would connect people anywhere in the region with information about their specific needs...

Dec. 11, 1997 Dear Leslie, Cape Girardeau is about 70 miles from Paducah. The two cities are like fraternal twins, both about the same size, both situated on a big river. Before cable TV, Paducah had one of only three channels that could be received in Cape Girardeau. We watched and contributed to Paducah's telethon for kids with muscular dystrophy, and on Friday afternoons through the '60s and beyond watched their healthier kids do the Mashed Potato on a show called "Dance Party."...

Directions: 1 Proceed south on Main. Right on William. Left on Spanish. 2 Turn right on Morgan Oak, Right on Sprigg, Left on William. 3 Turn right on Kingshighway. Proceed north to Hopper Road. Left on Hopper Road. 4 Turn left on West Rodney. Right on East Rodney. Right on Hawthorne...

A coach with five new, young faces in her starting set understands that her team is going to miss key free throws and turn the ball over. So she demands effort and defense. In contrast, when your team is ranked No. 2 in the Missouri Class 2A poll, you expect a lot. And you can't even fathom your team shooting 26 percent and committing 21 turnovers...

Things must have looked mighty bleak to Angel Rubio back in 1995 when he injured his knee during Southeast Missouri State University's first football game of the season. He underwent surgery and never stepped on the field again that season. A long, grueling rehabilitation process was in Rubio's future...

All season long, the Jackson High football team searched for state recognition. With the release of the final Class 5A state poll and naming of the final two all-state football teams today, the Indians appear to have earned some of that. Jackson's magical run through an undefeated regular season was rewarded with a Class 5A state ranking and three key members of this year's squad were named to the all-state team...

Southern Illinois University's basketball team has had Southeast Missouri State's number in recent years, the Salukis winning the last four meetings between the squads. Tonight, in a 7:05 tipoff at the SIU Arena in Carbondale, Southeast will look to break that streak...

CHAFFEE -- The Scott City Lady Rams advanced to the finals of the Chaffee Invitational with a 56-24 win over Portageville Wednesday. Scott City (4-0) outscored the Lady Bulldogs 17-0 in the third quarter to seal the victory. Becca Gowen led four Lady Rams in double-figure scoring with 15. Amy O'Brien followed with 11 points and Megan Noon and Jessica Dees had 10. Dees also had nine rebounds...

COLUMBIA -- The Southeast Otahkians indoor track team opened the season with an impressive performance Tuesday at Missouri in a non-scored triangular meet. The Otahkians claimed seven first-place finishes, with Yvonne Hente claiming title in the 200- and 400-meter runs. Jon Riley was the only winner for the Southeast men, claiming the long jump with a leap of 24-10. Teammate Eugene Staten took second...

John A. Tarr, 133 S. Park, died Wednesday, Dec. 10, 1997, at St. Francis Medical Center. Ford and Sons Mt. Auburn Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

EAST PRAIRIE -- Funeral service for Ethel M. Cogdill of Doniphan will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Shelby Funeral Chapel in East Prairie. Pete Morton will officiate, with burial in Dogwood Cemetery. Visitation has been changed from today to after 5 p.m. Friday...

MINNITH -- Shelby Jean Thompson, 58, of Minnith died Wednesday, Dec. 10, 1997, at her home. She was born April 2, 1939, at Minnith, daughter of Douglas and Roela Counts Brewester. She and Norval Lee Thompson were married Oct. 11, 1958. Thompson had worked at Perry County Memorial Hospital 20 years. She was a member of Saline Baptist Church...

SIKESTON -- Funeral service for George C. King of Sikeston will be held at 11 a.m. today at Ponder Funeral Home. Dr. Jim Guffie and the Rev. Lee Fansler will officiate, with burial in Garden of Memories Cemetery. King, 81, died Monday, Dec. 8, 1997, at Missouri Delta Medical Center...

SIKESTON -- Gertrude Dickson, 85, of Paragould, Ark., died Tuesday, Dec. 9, 1997, at Arkansas Methodist Hospital in Paragould. She was born Aug. 26, 1912, in Saubougla, Miss., daughter of Thad Robert and Bessie Ann Nolan Tindle. She and Wayne P. Dickson were married Nov. 26, 1938, in Osceola, Ark. He died Dec. 19, 1958...

BLOOMFIELD -- Edna M. Pickens, 107, of Bloomfield died Wednesday, Dec. 10, 1997, at Bloomfield. She was born July 14, 1890, at Aid, daughter of William Henderson and Nancy Jane Harper. She and Curtis Cleveland Pickens were married June 30, 1912, at Acorn Ridge. He died July 20, 1974...

Son to Scott David and Theresa Louise Jarvis of Sikeston, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3, 1997. Name, Tryston Scott. Weight, 8 pounds 11 ounces. Second son. Mrs. Jarvis is the former Theresa Scudder, daughter of Tony Scudder and Vivian Scudder of Sikeston. Jarvis is the son of Robert Jarvis of Bertrand and Christy Kane of Sarasota, Fla. He is employed at Marnor Aluminum...

SIKESTON -- Elva V. Manchee, 89, of Sikeston died Tuesday, Dec. 9, 1997, at St. Luke's Hospital in Chesterfield. She was born July 30, 1908, in Red, daughter of Lewis Parrish and Rosa Etta Kestner Green. She and Francis "Dick" Manche were married July 7, 1930, in Peoria, Ill. He died March 17, 1963...

Up on the rooftop, a few weeks before the reindeer pause, Rhett Hendrickson stood with a string of Christmas lights in his hands, then squatted to attach them to the gutters of his house. On the ground, his younger brother Ryan -- a senior at Cape Central who admitted that he's afraid of heights -- offered suggestions on where the 1,500 lights should go...

Participants in the Festivals, Families & the Arts program Saturday at Franklin School will learn to identify the works of Georges Seurat and will produce work based on his style. The program is designed for children ages 5-13 to learn art skills with their parents. Rita Johnson is the teacher...

Entries are being accepted for the 1998 Best Unsigned Band Competition sponsored by Musician Magazine. Entries must be postmarked by Dec. 31, 1997. Information is available by phoning 1-(800)-SONG98. Judges for the competition are Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Ani DiFranco, techno artist Moby, Art Alexakis of Everclear, bluesman Keb'Mo' and guitar virtuoso Eric Johnson...

JACKSON -- The St. Louis Iron Mountain & Southern Railway is planning its 7th annual Murder Mystery and New Year's Eve Party on Dec. 31. The first New Year's Eve excursion was in 1991, just after a heating system had been installed on the 1926 Chicago Commuter cars...

CHARLESTON -- The historic Moore Home in Charleston will be open for holiday tours Sunday. Two other homes are also featured on the Mississippi County Historical Society's tour. The tour will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Tickets are $3 and can be purchased from the historical society. Musical entertainment is planned and refreshments will be served...

MARBLE HILL -- Project Endeavor is sponsoring a Christmas Home tour from 2 to 6 p.m. on Dec. 13 in Marble Hill. Homes on the tour belong to David and Dodi Conrad, Frank and Marie James, Tery and Sharon Sanders and Wayne and Marilyn Whitener. Features of the tour include a girls' caroling choir, Christmas decorations, refreshments and the opportunity to view historic and new homes in the area...

NEW MADRID -- The Hunter-Dawson State Historic Site in New Madrid will hold Christmas candlelight tours Dec. 13. Additional tours ill be held Dec. 14. On Dec. 13, daylight tours will be held from 10 to 4 p.m. and candlelight tours from 6 to 9 p.m. On Dec. 14, tours will be held from noon until 4 p.m...