Stories from Monday, February 23, 1998

Bill Oliver wants to "make a difference" at Carbondale. Oliver, a native of Chaffee and formerly of Cape Girardeau, has some ideas for this Southern Illinois city of more than 27,000. "We need to work on attracting new jobs," said Oliver, who is the new president of the 400-member, Carbondale Chamber of Commerce...

Northern Reflections and Northern Getaway have opened at West Park Mall in Cape Girardeau. The two stores, under one roof along the Famous Barr corridor at the mall, feature clothing for women and children. Northern Reflections features women's casual wear, including sweat shirts, denim and dress pants...

Workforce Inc., a regional full-service employment company, has opened a branch at 2520 William. Workforce, which opened in 1994, is based in Farmington and has branches at Ste. Genevieve and Perryville. Joe Rozier, who has been with Workforce more than a year, is director of placement for the Cape Girardeau office, and Denise Becker is director of personnel...

J. Scott Porter of Cape Girardeau has been named manager of the Scott County Missouri Mentoring Partnership. Marge Nichols Sullivan, coordinator of the program, announced Porter's position recently. The mentoring program offers youth who have experienced out-of-home placements an opportunity for employment with mentor support in the workplace...

Van Matre Buick of Cape Girardeau has earned the "Best in Class" award from Buick Motor Division of General Motors. The agency received the award for the 11th consecutive year, said Mark Van Matre, general manager of the local dealership. The local dealership is one of only 11 that earned the certification 11 years in a row. The agency also received a Bronze Longhorn Steer in recognition of being one of the 11 top performing dealers in the Dallas region...

The New Madrid power plant, owned and operated by Associated Electric Cooperative Inc., set new production records in 1997. The facility generated 7,616,773 net megawatts during the year, eclipsing the previous record of 7,314,554 megawatts established in 1981...

Ray Nabors, entomologist at the University of Missouri Delta Center at Portageville, will conduct beekeeping courses at four county extension centers, including Cape Girardeau County. The local seminar will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 14 at the Jackson Extension office...

The recommended stock portfolio of Edward Jones, a financial-services company, has achieved the highest overall return among 15 major brokerage firms for 1997, with a return of 39.5 percent, according to the Wall Street Journal's latest quarterly stock-picking survey...

Stephen Hall of St. Louis reported his group's recommendation as Holly Faulkner of St. Louis listened. So you want to learn how to write in the business world. A good first step is to bone up on your grammar skills and remember three words: concise, concrete and courteous...

Every day we are apprised of some event of national, regional or local interest concerning our health care system. However, we seldom hear much about the companies that produce and supply basic materials that make it possible for our local health care providers to do their jobs. ...

MOUND CITY, Ill. -- One of the nation's oldest national cemeteries, Mound City National Cemetery, is nearing capacity. The cemetery near the small community of Mound City is the resting place for more than 7,500 people listed on the cemetery's burial register...

Stopping the cycle of violence in abusive relationships within Cape Girardeau County is the goal behind a program created and implemented by the prosecuting attorney's office in conjunction with area probation and parole officers. The Domestic Violence Diversion Program, proposed two years ago by Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle, has had a 97 percent success rate in diminishing domestic violence. ...

Debra Willis Hamilton knows that it is not easy for most victims of domestic violence to break free from the violent relationship. As the shelter manager of the Safe House for Women in Cape Girardeau, Hamilton has seen the devastating effects of the cycle of violence on women and children and knows the difficulty many women have in ending the relationship...

Every now and then when you're watching TV or reading a magazine or a newspaper, you stumble across an item that lets you know some now-discarded relic of your childhood is worth lots and lots of money. Anyone whoever had a Barbie and buried her in the backyard, shaved her head or gave her away knows the feeling...

A decline in major crime last year in Cape Girardeau demonstrates that police are on the right track in their efforts to make sure the city continues to be a safe place to live and work. For the first time in five years, major crime dropped in Cape Girardeau, falling 14.6 percent from 1996 to 1997. Major crime includes murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault, burglary, stealing, vehicle theft and arson...

Nell Holcomb School pulled off an amazing accomplishment in receiving accreditation with distinction from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Accreditation comes through a Missouri School Improvement Plan review that examines a wealth of information on such items as class size and classroom space to test scores and graduation rates...

To the editor: In his Feb. 5 letter, Ray Umbdenstock condemns the set of attitudes which are collectively known by the term political correctness as through control on the part of liberals. Although I am in general accord with this set of attitudes, I still agree with Mr. Umbdenstock that the foisting of them upon unwilling conservatives is an undesirable thing. Let me explain...

To the editor: Many people will probably disagree with this letter, but when they come up with a better word to describe the cause of the issues that follow,I will concede that I erred. Being a person who believes in the truth rather than this silly political correctness which prevails today, here goes...

MOUNDS CITY, Ill. - At least one military leader buried in the Mound City Cemetery is a woman. Madame Nadine Turchin, because of a wartime twist of fate, led the 19th Illinois Regiment into one of its fiercest battles during the spring of 1862. The 10-day Tennessee campaign earned her a spot in Civil War history...

This week the Southeast Missourian asked, "What do you think of the possible freeze on teachers' salaries for the 1998-99 school year?" Barbara Freed, Cape Girardeau "I don't think you can just blanket freeze everybody. I think each case has to be looked at individually. They should look at their's too (administration salaries)...

Iowa State baseball coach Lyle Smith was happy to get out of Cape Girardeau with a victory. Southeast Missouri State University coach Mark Hogan was generally pleased with the way the weekend went even after his squad lost Sunday afternoon. So both coaches had reason to be upbeat after a thrilling 6-5 Iowa State victory in front of about 200 fans at Capaha Field...

It was only moments after Saturday night's big overtime win at Eastern Illinois when Southeast Missouri State University basketball coach Gary Garner pointed something out to a reporter. "We've beaten everybody in the conference now except Murray State," said Garner...

COLUMBIA -- Southeast Missouri State University's gymnastics team had its second-highest score of the season here Sunday night but still lost to the University of Missouri. The Lady Tigers scored a best-ever home total of 193.4 to defeat the Otahkians, who finished at 191.05. Southeast has never won a meet at the Hearnes Center...

SEDALIA -- Notre Dame High's boys basketball team wound up going 1-1 in the Sedalia Sacred Heart Classic as the Bulldogs dropped a 70-58 Sunday afternoon decision to Ste. Genevieve Valle. The Bulldogs had beaten Kennedy Saturday afternoon. Bryan Meyer scored a game-high 26 points to pace Valle, which improved to 12-6...

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. -- De'Teri Mayes of Murray State is the Ohio Valley Conference player of the week. The senior guard from Montgomery, Ala., scored 32 points and grabbed six rebounds as the Racers defeated Austin Peay 86-78. He scored 27 points and grabbed five rebounds in an 81-76 victory over Tennessee State...

ORAN -- Billie Dover, 68, of Oran died Sunday, Feb. 22, 1998, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Ponder Funeral Home in Sikeston.

Robert Dubrey, 65, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Feb. 22, 1998, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home.

Mamie Elizabeth Farrow, 81, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Feb. 21, 1998, at Fountainbleau Lodge. She was born March 18, 1916, at East Cape Girardeau, Ill., daughter of Quincey Adams Gray and Lula Elizabeth Grammer. She and Pearl Edward Farrow were married Sept. 5, 1934, at Morley. He died Oct. 1, 1987...

COBDEN, Ill. -- Paul Leroy Askew Jr., 56, of Cobden died Saturday, Feb. 21, 1998, at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis. He was born June 12, 1941, at Effingham, son of Paul L. Askew Sr. and R. Ferns Myers Askew. He and Susan Breeden were married July 28, 1962, at Effingham...

Hubert George Fisher, 78, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Feb. 21, 1998, at The Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born June 14, 1919, at Glennon, son of George and Mary Blanche Horrell Fisher. He married Albertine Martin on June 11, 1943, at Glennon. She survives...

ANNA, Ill. -- Josephine Lindsey, 78, of Anna died Sunday, Feb. 22, 1998, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Feb. 26, 1919, daughter of Charles and Ollie DeJarnett Dillow. She is survived by a brother, Rolla Dillow of Apple Valley, Calif...

ANNA, Ill. -- Doyle E. Schluter, 71, of Anna died Sunday, Feb. 22, 1998, at Memorial Hospital in Carbondale. He was born Feb. 20, 1927, at Elco, son of William and Mary Knupp Schluter. Schluter was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and was retired from the Postal Service in Chicago...

More than 40 Southeast Missouri State University faculty and staff members are serving as "Southeast Friends" this semester for more than 130 beginning freshmen. Dr. Karen Myers coordinates the program. She said it is designed to improve retention of students at the school...

The Cape Girardeau Noon Optimist will hold their annual Chili Day from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 4 at the Arena Building. Live entertainment featuring the group "Spotlight" is a new addition for this year's event. Tickets are $5 for adults, $2.50 for children and may be purchased in advance from any member or at the door...

CHARLESTON -- Janet Holman Brewer, 58, of Charleston died Sunday, Feb. 22, 1998, at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis. She was born Oct. 6, 1939 in Lebanon, daughter of William Elmer and Willie Jane Holman. She married David Brewer on Feb. 4, 1961. She lived in Charleston for the past 37 years where she was a member of the United Methodist Church, the American Cancer Society and the Molly French Garden Club...