Stories from Wednesday, January 21, 1998

To the editor: Some of your readers have to be getting tired of Donn Miller's overindulgence of big words and overzealous rantings against this or that. Is there anything besides freedom of speech that he believes in? Are any of his beliefs worthwhile to any of us who travel in the mainstream of life? Could it be that he is trying hard to be different or searching for something missing in his life?...

Human cloning? The procedure is probably within scientific reach. Scientists have already successfully cloned animals. But should this procedure be extended to humans? No. A Chicago physicist has shrugged off President Clinton's denunciation of human cloning and said he will go abroad, if necessary, to continue his work...

The gambling business in Missouri has become something of a mess, thanks to easy-go-lucky regulatory actions by the state's gaming commission and several legal decisions that should have been settled before the first riverboat casino ever set sail -- or became permanently docked in a pond...

While driving to Memphis Thursday night (for a $81 round-trip flight to Atlanta compared with a late-inquiry $700-plus from St. Louis) I hit what people are describing as "black ice." At 32 degrees temperature, the rain turned to ice on an overpass bridge at Blytheville, Ark. Thanks to my anti-skid brakes and computerized car steering, I managed to escape by slowing down to avoid other vehicles which were sliding off the highway...

I WANT to comment about the fashion guy, Mr. Blackwell, on his opinion that the Spice Girls don't have any fashion. Well, this is my opinion. I don't really like the way he said it. I one of their fans, and I don't think he had any room to speak about them...

Voters in some 10 area school districts won't have to make any hard decisions when they select school board candidates April 7. The deadline for candidates to file for elections was 5 p.m. Tuesday. Only the minimum number of candidates needed to fill openings filed for elections in eight area districts...

Budget savings for the next fiscal year were the main topic of discussion during the Cape Girardeau Board of Education meeting Tuesday night. Dr. Dan Tallent, superintendent, gave a preliminary report to board members outlining projected spending patterns for the 1998-99 school year. ...

The city of Cape Girardeau has signed on with the Operation Weed and Seed anti-crime initiative. The City Council Monday night approved a contract for services with Southeast Missouri Weed and Seed, Inc., and will seek funding to strengthen law enforcement programs against drugs and gang activities...

ORAN -- Reports that their 6-month-old puppy had been put to sleep on the very day Oran employees picked him up have led an Oran family to seek a state investigation into the way in which the town treats animals. State statute requires that any healthy animal impounded by a city must be kept for five days to allow the rightful owners time to reclaim the animal. Then the animal may be disposed of either through adoption or euthanasia...

Missouri Republicans will offer a bounty for busting methamphetamine labs in legislation that provides that the state for the first time finance rewards for crime tips. The proposed "Bounty Bill" offers a $10,000 reward for information leading to the destruction of a meth lab and the arrest and conviction of the lab operators...

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson doesn't pull any punches when she speaks about the global warming treaty. "U.S. negotiators caved on everything," said Emerson, who was in Cape Girardeau Tuesday for her 8th Congressional District Business and Economic Development Advisory Team...

Missouri Consolidated Health Care Plan officials say they want answers on what health-care options members will have after MedAmerica HealthNet Inc. goes out of business. Representatives from the insurance pool met with employer groups Tuesday at the Holiday Inn to discuss what is being done in light of MedAmerica HealthNet's anticipated bankruptcy...

Nothing like an apartment hunt to stress that there's no place like home. There's a new psychological term I'd like to share with you. It's "house envy." Remember, you heard it here first. All my friends are buying houses. They're leaving that apartment pony ride behind and jumping on the bucking bronco of mortgage payments...

Venture Stores, a St. Louis-based chain with 93 department stores in nine states, has filed for bankruptcy protection. Venture filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware, where it is incorporated. The company also announced that is has obtained from its current bank group, led by BT Commercial Corp., a new $190 million debtor-in-possession revolving credit facility that will provide the company with adequate capital to continue operations during its reorganization.. ...

It is good to be back home and finally have a full week of practice. We had three games on the road last week with only one practice to prepare for each game. This week we will have a chance to work on what we need to work on, not just prepare for another team...

Cape Girardeau Central High senior Chris Bergerson had the game of his life, which pretty well ruled out any chance Notre Dame had of sweeping the season series from its city rivals. The 6-foot-5 Bergerson started out hot with 12 first-quarter points and he never let up, finishing with a career-high 32 as the Tigers upended the Bulldogs 75-64 Tuesday night in front of a surprisingly less-than-packed crowd at Notre Dame's small gymnasium...

BLOOMFIELD -- Gary Ahern netted a game-high 23 points as eighth-seeded Advance upset top-seeded Bell City in the first round of the Stoddard County Tournament Tuesday night at Bloomfield High School. Advance also received 14 points from Tommy Tucker and 10 from Seth Cantrell...

OLIVE BRANCH, Ill. -- Funeral service for Judy Hester of Olive Branch will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Trinity Assembly of God Church in Olive Branch. Friends may call after 5 p.m. Thursday at the church. Hester, 51, died Monday, Jan. 19, 1998 at Memorial Hospital in Alton...

BREWER -- Mary Flossie Layton, 95, of Brewer, died Tuesday, Jan. 20, 1998, at her home. She was born Oct. 5, 1902, in Perry County, the daughter of Henry F. and Mary Moore Brewer. She and L. Harold Layton were married April 15, 1929. He died Nov. 14, 1961...

SIKESTON -- Graveside service for Lucille Smith Ford of Sikeston will be held at 11 a.m. today at East Prairie Memorial Park Cemetery in East Prairie. Pastor Larry Smith will officiate. Shelby Funeral Home in East Prairie is in charge of arrangements...

ANNA, Ill. -- Funeral service for Julia B. Huffman of Anna will be held at 11 a.m. today at Hileman and Parr Funeral Home in Jonesboro. The Rev. Tom Miller will officiate, with burial in St. John's Cemetery near Dongola. Huffman, 77, died Sunday, Jan. 18, 1998, at Union County Hospital...

JACKSON -- Funeral service for Janice E. Kuehnert of Jackson will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau. The Rev. Paul Short will officiate, with burial in Trinity Lutheran Church Cemetery at Altenburg. Friends may call at Ford and Sons Mt. Auburn Chapel in Cape Girardeau from 4-8 p.m. today...

Myrtle M. Denfip, 94, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Jan. 19, 1998, at the Lutheran Home. She was born Oct. 14, 1903, in Olive Branch, Ill., daughter of Frank and Octavia Brown Denfip. Denfip attended school in Olive Branch; graduated from St. Mary's School of Nursing in Cairo, Ill., in 1926; attended San Antonio Junior College and Incarnate Word College in San Antonio, Texas; Butler University in Indianapolis, Ind., and Austin Peay College in Clarksville, Tenn...

Raymond C. Kapfer, 88, of Cape Girardeau Veterans Home died there Tuesday, Jan. 20, 1998. He was born March 21, 1909, at Oran, son of Oswald and Margaret LeGrand Kapfer. Kapfer was owner and operator of Auto Service Station. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II...

MARBLE HILL -- Milford J. Long, 72, of Marble Hill, formerly of Dupo, Ill., died Tuesday, Jan. 20, 1998, at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Belleville, Ill. He was born Sept. 7, 1925, near Scopus, son of John P. and Annie M. Garland Long. He and Addele Shrum were married Sept. 4, 1948...

SIKESTON -- Ralph B. Cantrell, 67, of Sikeston died Tuesday, Jan. 20, 1998, at Methodist Central Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. He was born July 25, 1930, in Greenfield, Tenn., son of Ezra Clifton and Irene Robins Cantrell. He and Jane Gardner were married Oct. 25, 1952, at Sikeston...

Daughter to Randy R. and Dena L. Preston of Perryville, Perry County Memorial Hospital, 12:10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 5, 1998. Name, Danielle Lynn. Weight, 8 pounds 1 ounce. First child. Mrs. Preston is the daughter of Jack and Barb Abernathy of Perryville. She is employed at Perry County Abstract Co. Preston is the son of Ray and Ola Preston of Jackson. He is employed at Keller Motors Inc...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Narvie Flournoy, 92, of Cairo died Monday, Jan. 19, 1998, at Charleston Manor Nursing Center in Charleston, Mo. He was born Feb. 11, 1905, in Forrest City, Ark., son of Will and Artelia Pruitt Flournoy. He and Parmelia Buford Flournoy were married in 1928. She preceded him in death...

Graveside service for Maude J. Higginbotham of Chapel Hill, N.C., was held Tuesday at Memorial Park. The Rev. Cy Smith officiated. Ford and Sons Mt. Auburn Chapel was in charge of arrangements. A memorial service was held Sunday at Aldersgate Methodist Church in Chapel Hill...

CHARLESTON -- John L. Johnson, 69, of Paducah, Ky., died Sunday, Jan. 18, 1998, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. He was born June 12, 1928, in Ridgely, Tenn., son of Johnny and Emma Mae Henderson Johnson. He married the former Ophelia Hart...

Jonesboro, Ill. -- Arlie H. Kassing, 80, of Jonesboro, died Tuesday, Jan. 20, 1998, at Jackson County Nursing Home in Murphysboro. He was born Nov. 18, 1917, at Dongola, son of Henry and Ada Bowman King. He was a retired truck owner and operator and a veteran of World War II...

JACKSON -- A costumed presentation of "The Greatest Show on Earth: An Evening with P.T. Barnum," will be the program when the Jackson Heritage Association holds its annual awards banquet Saturday, Jan. 31, at Bent Creek Golf Club. The presenter will be Dr. Jeffrey E. Smith, a professor of history at Lindenwood University. Smith is a member of the American Mirror Speakers Bureau, which is sponsored by the Missouri Humanities Council and funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities...

JACKSON -- The Jackson Board of Aldermen will remain intact for at least another year. Tuesday was the last day of filing for the April 7 aldermanic election. No one but the incumbents stepped forward during the filing period, meaning Aldermen Larry Cunningham, David Reiminger, Fred Leimer and David Ludwig each will serve another two-year term...

JACKSON -- Jackson will lose the only full-time fire chief the city has ever had when Chief Gary Niswonger retires April 1. Niswonger went to work for the Jackson Fire Department in 1971 and was named chief in 1977. At 62 going on 63, he decided the time is right to begin his retirement...

As California restaurant critic Merrill Shindler observes, "Like politics and religion, nobody agrees about the one true chili." It's a dish that's easy to get into an argument over. For example, some people vehemently claim that real chili does not contain beans while others claim just as vehemently that it does and, what is more, they'll specify the particular type of bean which must be used. ...