Stories from Friday, February 13, 1998

To the editor: Most of the dialogue regarding the proposed tobacco ordinance in Cape Girardeau allows that teen-age smoking is both unhealthy and undesirable, and for good reason. Tobacco use among Missourians is significantly higher than the national average. ...

Almost everyone has a headache now and then - even children. As a parent, the big question is when to be concerned about your child's headaches. Most of the time the apparent cause of your child's headache can be logically identified -- such as staying up too late, missing a meal, playing in the sun too long, or bumping his or her head. Recurring, frequent headaches with no apparent cause should be brought to the attention of your child's physician...

Thursday night's performance by the Katherine Dunham Museum Children's Workshop began with the words "In the beginning there were drums" and ended with boisterous applause for the exciting performances of the young company from East St. Louis. An estimated 250 people were at Academic Auditorium for the Black History Month event, the culmination of the company's two-week residency at Southeast...

Founded a century ago by six men sitting on a lumber pile in Seattle, Wash., the Fraternal Order of Eagles and its Ladies Auxiliary have over 1 million members in over 2,500 Aeries and Auxiliaries in the United State and Canada. While the national organization celebrates 100 years, the Cape Girardeau Aerie 3775 celebrates 20 years of fellowship and fund raising, said Bill Stoffel, secretary of the local organization...

SIKESTON -- U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-Cape Girardeau) will be among speakers at the annual Rural Restoration Conference that gets under way Sunday and runs through Tuesday at the Ramada Inn in Sikeston. Emerson will deliver the keynote address during a general-assembly session at noon Monday...

Prospective students will get a closer look at Southeast Missouri State University at the school's "Show Me Day" Saturday. The event is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. in the Show Me Center. The event will begin with a college fair in which prospective students may browse through informational displays of the school's various colleges and departments...

Right: The Friends of Scouting campaign began Thursday with a combined donation of $6,200 from Cape Girardeau banks toward the $43,000 goal for the Shawnee Council of the Boy Scouts. From left, Steve Green of Union Planters Bank, Craig Wells of Mercantile Bank, Doug Watson of the Bank of Missouri, Steve Taylor of NationsBank and John Cochran of First National Bank presented checks to Narvol Randol Jr., campaign chairman...

To the editor: It was gratifying to read in Wednesdays Missourian that the City Council is considering a new noise ordinance that could bring relief to the beleaguered downtown area. And, hats off to concerned citizen John Eck, who recognized that the noise pollution problem is getting worse and did something about it. ...

A black light reveals a less than perfect job of cleaning fingernails. Diane Gregory, left, of the Cape Girardeau County Health Department gave Cobret Joe some lotion with pigment that cam be detected by black light as "pretend germs." A fifth-grader walks up to the black light and sticks his hands under it. Ghostly purplish-white splotches are immediately visible...

The U.S.-Iraq situation is serious and deserves the full attention of our government as it wrestles with a rogue nation whose actions underscore its potential for international disaster. However, the stakes are far too high to rush headlong into war, and the Clinton administration's hawkish public relations campaign is a long way from achieving a solution in this instance...

To the editor: Recent letters to the editor that have attempted to defend Mr. Clinton sound as if they could have been written by James Carville himself. They follow the same worn-out pattern of deny and destroy. Deny any accusation, even in the face of credible testimony and evidence, and attempt to destroy the reputations of anyone with the backbone to stand up to the president and to try to find out the truth behind the numerous Clinton scandals. What are the facts that we know...

The naming of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport -- a move approved by Congress last week -- is a fitting tribute to a former American president who managed to do more for the positive undergirding of this nation than any other president in the final half of the century...

President Clinton's former senior policy adviser, George Stephanopoulos, will lecture at Southeast Missouri State University next month. Stephanopoulos will speak March 3 at 7 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom. The event is open to the public and admission is free. The lecture is sponsored by the Student Activities Council...

Bill Nehmer has died three times, and lived to tell about it. In fact, Nehmer, 72, travels all over the world to share his wisecracks and insights on living, and dying, with humor. Nehmer, a practicing lawyer and professional speaker, was in Cape Girardeau Friday to talk about his book, "Have A Heart: The Lighter Brighter Side of Recovery," at St. Francis Medical Center...

A pilot job-readiness program at VIP Industries complements a state vocational rehabilitation plan that will be discussed in public hearings this month. On Feb. 24, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, a part of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, will begin a series of 28 public hearings to discuss vocational rehabilitation or independent living programs for people with disabilities. A vocational rehabilitation hearing will be held in Cape Girardeau March 23...

Q: What does the modern man need to be a hero on Valentine's Day? There are other questions too, but few answers. Heart-shaped cookies with pink frosting: That's what I remember about those Valentine's Days at one-room Shady Nook School in Greenwood Valley, just over the hill from Kelo Valley in the Ozarks west of here...

The Ohio Valley Conference's experiment of doing away with playing only doubleheader games for its men's and women's basketball teams has apparently not worked out very well. In an attempt to give the women's programs somewhat equal billing with the men's programs, the OVC has scheduled about half of its women's league games on week nights when the men are not playing. Saturdays are still reserved for both the women and men...

Southeast athletic director Carroll Williams said he likes the idea of putting women's teams into the spotlight, but even he admits that splitting the nights has caused several problems. Under the current setup, the Southeast women's basketball team is averaging 672 fans through seven home games. ...

Southeast Missouri State University basketball coach Gary Garner was worried his Indians might not take Tennessee-Martin seriously enough Thursday night. The Skyhawks should have been so lucky. Once again setting a new school record for 3-point baskets, the Indians hammered the Skyhawks 87-61 in front of 4,624 fans at the Show Me Center...

In a girls basketball battle between Cape Girardeau county rivals Thursday night at the Tiger Fieldhouse, the start was a bit of a surprise, but the final result wasn't. Despite scoring the first seven points against state-ranked Jackson, Cape Girardeau Central's Lady Tigers allowed the Lady Indians a 13-2 scoring run to end the quarter. Jackson, ranked second in Class 4A and the top-ranked girls team in Southeast Missouri, never trailed again on the way to a 54-46 SEMO Conference victory...

NEW MADRID -- Kelly's Ashley Dirnberger scored the winning basket nine seconds left Thursday to propel the Lady Hawks to a 45-44 victory over New Madrid in girls basketball. The winning bucket was set up when teammate Jennifer McNiell made a steal with 20 seconds left. Kelly improved to 17-5 overall. New Madrid fell to 12-9...

Southeast Missouri State University's baseball team, which opens the season today at Mississippi, has been picked to finish sixth in the Ohio Valley Conference in voting by the league's head coaches. Middle Tennessee received five first-place votes and was tabbed for first while Austin Peay got the other four first-place votes and was picked second...

The Southeast Missouri State University men's and women's indoor track teams will compete Saturday in the 10-team McDonald's/Saluki Invitational at Southern Illinois-Carbondale. Other teams involved are Eastern Illinois, Memphis, Murray State, Arkansas State, Valparaiso, McKendree, Parkland and Wisconsin-Parkside. Tennessee-Martin will enter a women's team only...

Riding a three-meet winning streak, Southeast Missouri State University's gymnastics team will face a rugged test Saturday when the Otahkians compete at nationally-ranked Illinois. The Fighting Illini are rated 18th in the nation entering the 7 p.m. meet...

CHARLESTON -- Eugene F. Smith, 77, of Belleville, Ill., died Tuesday, Feb. 10, 1998, at his home. He was born Oct. 10, 1920, in Mississippi County, son of Frank and Willie Presson Smith. He and Jean Presson were married May 15, 1942. She died Oct. 22, 1997...

ANNA, Ill. -- Funeral service for Fred Pickles of Anna will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Lutz and Rendleman Funeral Home in Anna. Everett Frizzell will officiate, with burial in Anna Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home Saturday from 9:30 a.m. until service time...

Beverly Ann Adams, 55, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, Feb. 11, 1998, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born Oct. 27, 1942, in Monett, Ark., daughter of Elvin Earl and Earline Francis Ladd. She and David Adams were married in 1959 in Booneville, Miss...

Funeral service for Charles Scott Grantham Jr., 1803 Huntington, will be held at 10 a.m. today at Ford and Sons Mt. Auburn Chapel. Dr. Larry Gallamore will officiate, with burial in Memorial Park. Grantham, 62, died Tuesday, Feb. 10, 1998, at DePaul Health Center in St. Louis...

ANNA, Ill. -- Mildred Zeitler, 97, died Wednesday, Feb. 11, 1998, at City Care Center in Anna. She was born July 2, 1900, in St. Louis, Mo., daughter of William and Augusta Broeman Foerstat. She and Carl Joseph Zeitler were married June 22, 1922. He died in 1984...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Willie A. Bush, 70, of Kansas City, Kan., died Tuesday, Feb. 10, 1998, at Shawnee Gardens Nursing Center in Shawnee, Kan. He was born March 16, 1927, in New Madrid County, son of George Albert and Josie E. Everly Bush. He and Geneva L. George were married Feb. 2, 1968. She died Nov. 14, 1997...

PERRYVILLE -- Russell E. Wills, 73, of Perryville died Wednesday, Feb. 11, 1998, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born March 8, 1924, in Longtown, son of Peter and Della Bingenheimer Wills. He and Neltha Roth were married Sept. 7, 1946...

CHAFFEE -- Agnes J. Ourth, 88, of Chaffee died Wednesday, Feb. 11, 1998, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born March 12, 1909, near Chaffee, daughter of Leo and Theresia Dumey Seyer. She and Henry J. Ourth were married Aug. 23, 1927. He died March 28, 1984...

SEDGEWICKVILLE -- John Henry Garland, 78, of Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, Feb. 11, 1998, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Oct. 31, 1919, at Sedgewickville, son of Henry and Lou Roe Garland. Garland had farmed and also drove a school bus for Meadow Heights School District several years. He was a member of Sedgewickville United Methodist Church...

MARBLE HILL -- Otis H. Sitze, 93, of Fredericktown died Wednesday, Feb. 11, 1998, at St. Luke West Hospital in St. Louis. He was born Feb. 15, 1904, at Marble Hill, son of Marion and Alice Lincoln Sitze. He married the former Tava Seabaugh, who preceded him in death...

JACKSON -- Hugh Jenkins, 66, of Jackson died Wednesday, Feb. 11, 1998, in the Emergency Room at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Dec. 18, 1931, in Formosa, Ark., son of the Rev. Claud and Mary T. Buchannon Jenkins. Jenkins was a trainer for Tennessee Walking horses in Tennessee and Arkansas, and for the former George Kimbel Horse Barn in Jackson for eight years...

Georgia Ellen Sexton, 86, of Quartzsite, Ariz., died Wednesday, Dec. 24, 1997, at her home. She was born Nov. 6, 1911, in West Frankfort, Ill., daughter of Thomas M. and Mary E. Henson Foulk. She and Garrett John Sexton were married May 14, 1936, in Cape Girardeau...

CYPRESS, Ill. -- Carlis Penrod, 87, of Cypress died Thursday, Feb. 12, 1998, at Massac Memorial Hospital in Metropolis. He was born July 6, 1910, in Union County, son of Henry A. and Ruth Canupp Penrod. He and Ruth Turner were married July 3, 1931. She died Sept. 18, 1994...

PERRYVILLE -- Betty Jean Perr, 67, of Barnhart died Wednesday, Feb. 11, 1998, at Barnhart. She was born Aug. 3, 1930, in Perryville, daughter of Herbert Lohman and Stella Klaus. She and Hugo H. Perr were married June 19, 1949. Perr was a member of Zion Lutheran Church in Hillsboro...

CHARLESTON -- Funeral service for Geneva Deanne Mullen of Smithville, Ark., will be held at 2 p.m. today at the Methodist Church in Smithville, with the Revs. Wayne Clark and Patricia Sims officiating. Burial will be in Hillhouse Cemetery in Jesup, Ark...

LILBOURN -- L.C. Wilson, 41, of Lilbourn died Wednesday, Feb. 11, 1998, in Howardville. He was born June 21, 1956, in Frenchman Bayou, Ark., the son of Cecil and Elnora White Wilson, and had lived in Missouri for more than 38 years. He married Linda Boyd Wilson on Oct. 29, 1980. She survives of the home...