Stories from Monday, February 2, 1998

Union Planters Corp. reported earnings of $208.8 million, or $2.45 per diluted share for 1997, up from the $171.5 million or $2.05 per diluted share of 1996. The 1997 results reflect the acquisitions of five financial institutions during the year, including Hattiesburg, Mississippi-based Magna BanCorp. Inc. and Miami, Fla.-based Capital Bancorp., which increased total assets about $3.6 billion...

The Fastenal Co. reported net sales of $107,114,000 during the fourth quarter, up 38 percent from the $77.6 million during the same period in 1996. Net earnings grew from $7.9 million during the fourth quarter of 1996 to $10.3 million during the same period of 1997...

Missouri business leaders are still anticipating moderate-to-substantial retail sales growth, manufacturers and other business contacts remain optimistic for the new year, with orders and inventories at desired levels, and construction activity, especially commercial, is expected to remain strong...

Unemployment compensation and worker compensation seminars will be conducted in Cape Girardeau next month. The two sessions will be held at the Holiday Inn. Doug Kaylor, benefit payment control supervisor for the Division of Unemployment Security, and Claude M. Day, chief appeals referee, Division of Unemployment Security, will be speakers at the unemployment compensation session, from 9 to noon...

The Cotton Producers of Missouri will hold its annual banquet-meeting next month. The meeting will be held at the American Legion Building in Kennett March 14. The majority of Missouri cotton is raised in seven Southeast Missouri counties, headed by Dunklin County, with more than 135,000 acres a year...

This "Financial Focus" column is prepared by Edward Jones Investments, headquartered in St. Louis. Jones includes branches throughout the nation, including Cape Girardeau and Jackson. Paying for college just got a little easier with the passage of the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997. ...

Richard Aufdenberg of Burfordville has joined Missouri Farm Bureau Federation & Affiliated Cos. as a career agent at the Jackson office, 406 W. Washington. Aufdenberg has completed a two-week training session on life, accident, health, property and casualty insurance...

Players Island Casino, the new Polynesian-themed gambling, dining and entertainment complex at Metropolis, Ill., held its "official" grand opening celebration last week. A number of mayors and officials from Southern Illinois and western Kentucky attended the "island Luau" Tuesday, which followed the unveiling of the new facility that includes a 300-seat island Buffet, Coral Reef VIP lounge, Trader Gift Shop, and the riverboat casino, which cruises the Ohio River...

Like so many other of today's major companies, Wal-Mart Stores had humble beginnings and grew out of one person's idea of how to do something a better way. Many of these companies would not have come to be if someone in power had been willing to listen and act on a new idea, and Wal-Mart is among them. ...

Brenda Glueck prepared a plate of chicken and noodles at Brenda's Place, 602 Morgan Oak. Brenda's Place is one of the 2,000 small businesses in Cape Girardeau. Small business is big business. How big? It depends on how you figure it. The National Federation of Independent Business, which keeps tabs on small business activities, puts the cutoff between large and small at 500 employees...

Chan's Restaurant observed its 10th anniversary in Cape Girardeau recently. Peter Chan, who previously owned a restaurant in Hong Kong, opened his restaurant at 1159 N. Kingshighway here in January 1988. Restaurant hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and noon to 10 Saturday...

The Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Restaurant is observing its fifth anniversary in Cape Girardeau this month. The Cracker Barrel, 3216 William, adjacent to the Holiday Inn, opened in January 1993. A birthday cake will be served at the restaurant today from 2 to 4 p.m. Fifteen employees have worked at the restaurant since its opening...

PERRYVILLE -- Becoming a private, not-for-profit business will make Perry County Memorial Hospital more competitive in the long run, hospital officials say. It is now a public, not-for-profit hospital. The administration and board of directors have been studying the feasibility of converting it to a private, not-for-profit institution...

Editor's note: This is one in a series of articles following Erin Holt and Bradley Botsch, both of Bernie, as they progress through their freshman year at Southeast. Bradley Botsch decided not to take a chance on an unknown roommate during his first year at college. He teamed up with Jason Crow, a friend since they were 3 years old...

Girardeau George is back. After a year's absence, the region's best-known groundhog will be at his familiar spot along Route W today keeping close watch on the skies. If you notice the hairy little rodent, it could mean bad news for fair-weather friends. If you don't see George, it could be good news...

What was a fleeting thought about a month ago has become a real chance to help people enter the workforce and gain independence for Claire Ellinghouse. Ellinghouse owns Kids Wear Again, a consignment shop that carries children's wear and maternity clothing. She recently got an opportunity to use skills she's gained from her business to help a cause she has always supported...

Not even the threat of a groundhog seeing his shadow and announcing six more weeks of winter could quell the springlike enthusiasm of those who ventured outside on the first day of February to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather. With highs reaching the upper 50s and no precipitation on the horizon, area residents crowded parks, golf courses and car washes for the opportunity to enjoy the weather...

An Ohio company has a corporate hug policy. If employees at the Health Care and Retirement Corp. in Toledo think their co-workers have done a good job, they're encouraged to give them a hug. Nothing like a warm, fuzzy feeling to keep the troops happy...

To the editor: To the Speak Out caller who said he was a Christian and would not stop to give me a ride because he might speak about God and that would make me miserable: That person has just demonstrated how little faith he has that God is indeed going to kerplunk me into the lake of fire and brimstone when I meet my well-deserved miserable end. ...

To the editor: I would like to address the issue the author of the Jan. 18 letter stated dealing with public prayer. I never take Scripture lightly, because I believe it to be the 100 percent accurate word of God, and I do not believe in boastful, insincere actions or prayer, which is what I believe Christ is referring to in Matthew 6:1-7. ...

To the editor: As I write this letter, the allegations linking Monica Lewinsky to President Clinton continue to increase by the second. It has dominated and commanded news coverage to such an extreme that much of the other news is not being reported...

To the editor: I am 17 years old, and I am writing about an issue that I think is very important. I think that teen-age drunk driving is a very big problem today. It has become very popular because it is an escape. Many weekends I have spent in my car driving down back roads to escape from my problems. It is a release for many teen-agers, but it is the wrong way to get rid of stress and problems. There have been too many wrecks due to this, whether they were fatal or non-fatal...

The Rural Health Clinic operated through the Cape Girardeau County Health Department is serving a much-needed health-care void in Cape Girardeau and Bollinger counties. Last year, clinic visits totaled 7,035, an average of 586 a month. Without the clinic, many if not most of those children and women probably would have not received medical attention when they were ill...

Officials in Cape Girardeau County are taking a serious approach to making sure the county is prepared in the event of a disaster, and the people of the county will be thankful they are doing so should a major disaster strike. Representatives of county and city governments and some organizations last fall attended a mock disaster exercise in Jefferson City to find out how well the county is prepared. ...

This week the Southeast Missourian asked, "What do you think of the allegations against President Clinton?" Christine Fell, Cape Girardeau "I think they're true. Because he's trying to cover it up so much that it's obviously upsetting him." Ken Suhre, Jackson...

A bipartisan coalition of Missouri legislators, led by Sen. Peter Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau, is supporting a bill aimed at helping police officers who work with canine units to police themselves. The bill, which was drafted in consultation with the Missouri Police Canine Association, seeks to establish state standards for certification of police dogs and their handlers. Presently, no such statewide standards exist...

Despite suffering a 86-77 loss against powerful Eastern Kentucky Saturday, Southeast Missouri State University's women's basketball season still has an opportunity to complete a successful homestand tonight. In order to do that, the Otahkians must defeat Morehead State, which comes to the Show Me Center for a 7 p.m. tipoff...

Armed with plenty of confidence after two impressive home victories, Southeast Missouri State University's basketball Indians will now venture back out on the road for an important three-game swing. First up is a fourth-place Ohio Valley Conference showdown against Austin Peay tonight. The squads will square off in a 7 o'clock tipoff in Clarksville, Tenn...

CHARLESTON -- Some of the state's top high school girls basketball teams will take part in the 19th annual Charleston Invitational Tournament that tips off tonight. Jackson, ranked third in the most recent Class 4A state poll, is the No. 1 seed, with Poplar Bluff -- rated fifth in 4A -- second...

7:30 p.m. Monday City Hall Action items Power and Light Committee -- Consider annexation of property owned by Pascal and Danielle Dunod and set public hearing for 7:30 p.m. Feb. 17. -- Consider ordinance authorizing cable Channel 5 access and funding agreement with Cape Girardeau...

SCOTT CITY -- Marcella O. Robinson, 90, of Scott City died Saturday, Jan. 31, 1998, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born on Oct. 5, 1907, at Benton, daughter of Joseph and Mary Walter Scherer. She and Stanley Robinson were married on Aug. 17, 1929. He died Feb. 19, 1992...

AURORA, Ill. -- Ina C. Clifford, 103, of Aurora and formerly of Dongola, died Saturday, Jan. 31, 1998, at Countryside Care Centre in Aurora. She was born June 12, 1894, at Dongola, daughter of William Grant and Emma Head Cooley. She and Hallie E. Clifford were married Aug. 10, 1911. He died in October 1963...

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Elmer E. Weber, 79, of Lincoln died Sunday, Feb. 1, 1998, in Lincoln. He was born June 3, 1918, at Wittenberg, Mo., son of Otto and Ida Perr Weber. He was married to Esther Weber. He was the owner and operator of Triangle Sheet Metal Plumbing and Heating...

MARSTON -- Joe Haubold, 77, of Marston died Saturday, Jan. 31, 1998, at his home. He was born Aug. 9, 1920, son John R. and Ivd Hawkins Haubold. He married Virginia Louise Stanfill at Sikeston on May 12, 1946. Haubold was a farmer and livestock producer. He was a veteran of the U.S. armed services. He was a member and deacon of the First Baptist Church of Lilbourn...

DENVILLE, N.J. -- Michaela Jean-Ann Rhodes, infant daughter of Todd and Sandy Grebe Rhodes, was stillborn Monday, Jan. 26, 1998, at Northwest Covenant Medical Center in Denville. Survivors include her parents of Landing, N.J.; a brother, Jacob Rhodes of Landing; grandparents, Lonnie and Shirley Hahs Grebe of Oak Ridge and Melvin and Charolette Kassel Rhodes of Jackson; and paternal great-grandparents...

George N. Allemang, 81, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Jan. 30, 1998, at his home. He was born Feb. 4, 1916, at Grafton, Ill., son of Antony M. and Natalie Gainnie Allemang. He and Patricia Smith were married Sept. 30, 1938, at St. Louis. He worked for Graybar Electric and owned and operated an appliance and furniture store...

CARUTHERSVILLE -- The Mississippi River bridge connecting Missouri and Tennessee at Caruthersville was shut down Sunday by the U.S. Coast Guard after a barge struck it. I-155 was shut down for about 3 hours at the recommendation of the Coast Guard when a barge struck the bridge, the Missouri Highway Patrol said...

An Oak Ridge teenager who was critically injured in a one-car accident Saturday died Sunday afternoon as a result of her injuries. Kelli S. Grantham, 15, was pronounced dead Sunday at St. Francis Medical Center by Cape Girardeau County coroner John Carpenter. Grantham was a passenger in a car driven by Jenny Schnurbusch of Jackson...

7:30 p.m. Monday Study session at 5 p.m. Public hearings -- A public hearing on a request by Marvin L. and Kathy J. Miller and Larry D. and Deborah L. Bruns for a special use permit for a workroom for the manufacture of slipcovers and related items at 911 N. Missouri in an R-3 two-family residential district...

Gertrude E. Siebert, 81, of Cape Girardeau and formerly of Tilsit died Sunday, Feb. 1, 1998, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Aug. 1, 1916, daughter of Louis F. and Fredericke Ahrens Siebert. She was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church at Tilsit...