Stories from Wednesday, March 11, 1998

To the editor: It is very clear to see the problems the insurance-medical partnership encountered. Both Wade Adams of MedAmerica HeathNet and Gerald L. Nicholson place blame, bad-mouth and criticize without any concern for the consequences of the initial decision to take the easy way out of the MedAmerica partnership. They showed no concern for the thousands of patients covered by this plan...

More than 1,000 young people gathered for prayer and celebration in Cape Girardeau recently. It was all part of "The Joshua Generation: Taking America Back" rally. These young people gathered from Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana. What a wonderful sight it was to see so many teens and pre-teens bonding together for positive change. Speakers and singers encouraged those in attendance to take a path away from drugs, alcohol, suicide and premarital sex...

The news wasn't very newsy. The test scores of American children are lagging behind students in other industrialized countries. The comparisons have become routine, and the fact American children lag behind is also becoming commonplace. U.S. students did poorly in math with scores markedly lower than 14 other countries. In science, U.S. student scores were lower than 11 other countries...

Prisoners are now being placed in the 520 cell TAMMS SUPER-MAXIMUM prison. It's a real-world application recognizing that one bad apple can spoil a barrel of apples. I heard remarks once from the former state warden of the then 2,000-inmate Jefferson City prison while I was touring the facility. He said that if he could remove the 75 to 100 really bad apples from the prison ... in case of a fire he could march the remaining prisoners down Main Street to another building without incident...

The Southeast Symphonic Wind Ensemble will perform a concert at Southeast Missouri State University's Academic Auditorium Thursday for all fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade classes in Cape Girardeau schools. In addition to introducing the students to band instruments, the program will feature a musical geography lesson with the performance of selections from Norway, Hungary and the United States...

Missouri's two U.S. senators weighed in on opposite sides of a vote on affirmative action. Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond voted with Democrats and a minority of Republicans last week to uphold a program that steers billions of dollars in federal highway projects to companies owned by minorities and women...

Riverfest will be different this year, organizers announced Tuesday night. Riverfest 1998, scheduled for June 12 and 13, won't feature a main-stage act. Instead, smaller entertainment groups will be set up throughout the festival area, said Tim Hahn, event co-chairman...

Temperatures again today weren't expected to climb out of the 30s as the region remained in the grip of a cold front that passed through with a vengeance on Monday. The return to winter weather followed an extended period of spring-like temperatures through much of February and early March that made the latest blast of arctic air difficult for most to deal with...

The Cape Girardeau Veterans Council and about 40 veterans expressed interest in getting a state-run cemetery for veterans in Cape Girardeau County during a meeting Tuesday attended by the executive director of the Missouri Veterans' Commission. The council, made up of members of veterans organizations in Cape Girardeau and Jackson, has been unsuccessful in a search for land for a cemetery. ...

It's official. I am a crotchety old woman. I used to be the girl who couldn't say no. Night of bar-hopping Friday capped off by breakfast at the Waffle House? Sure! Dinner, movie and drinks Saturday? Count me in! Special end-of-weekend dance party Sunday night? Well, I have to work Monday morning, but OK!...

The circumstances are very similar. Last season, Notre Dame High's girls basketball team thrusted through the Class 2A, District 2 tournament by nearly 40 points a game. This year, the Lady Bulldogs won the three games by an average of almost 42 points...

Delta's boys and Scott County Central's girls will try to continue their postseason march tonight when both squads face Ste. Genevieve Valle in Class 1A sectional-round games. The contests will be played at Poplar Bluff High School, with the girls game slated to begin at 6:30 p.m. and the boys matchup to follow at around 8...

By automobile, the 3-hour trip to Columbia from Jackson can be quite a haul. Getting to Columbia for the MSHSAA Show-Me Showdown over the course of a high school basketball season might even be considered a more difficult task. But for Jackson seniors Christa Millham and Dana Eakins, making their third trip to the Hearnes Center for the state championships, there's nothing to the journey to Columbia...

On Feb. 24 in Portageville, Scott City High led the hosts 41-22 at halftime and cruised to a 70-62 victory in its final regular-season game. Don't expect a similar result when the teams meet at 8:15 tonight in a Class 2A sectional game at Cape Girardeau Central's Tiger Fieldhouse, Scott City coach Derek McCord said...

ST. LOUIS -- The Cape Central girls dropped their opening swim meet of the spring season Tuesday with a 109-76 loss at Parkway Central. "Even though we lost we had eight state-qualifying times and some of those times might get on our top team lists over the past eight years," said Central coach Dayna Powell. "To see how everyone preformed, I was very pleased for the first meet."...

Southeast Missouri State University's scheduled home baseball game against Missouri Baptist Tuesday afternoon was postponed because of the cold weather. No makeup date has been announced. Today's scheduled contest against Memphis at Capaha Field has also been canceled. Weather permitting, the two teams will try to play the makeup game at 2 p.m. Thursday...

ST. LOUIS -- Corey Frazier, a Charleston High graduate, has won the Sixth Man Award for St. Louis University's basketball team. Frazier, a 6-foot-1 senior guard, has averaged 5.4 points per game off the bench this season for the Billikens. The former all-stater at Charleston rejoined the team in mid-January after sitting out the first part of the season due to academic ineligibility...

The Show Me Center board of managers met Monday and decided not to pursue a minor league professional hockey franchise. "The inherent risks associated with a start-up venture is not economically appealing at this time," said David Ross, director of the Show Me Center...

STURDIVANT -- Funeral for Lee Dalton of Sturdivant will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at Morgan Funeral Home in Advance. Wiley McGee will officiate, with burial in Morgan Memorial Park at Advance. A rose croix service will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday...

SIKESTON -- Joe Holland, 75, of Sikeston died Monday, March 9, 1998, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born Jan. 29, 1923, at Lamar, Ark., son of Tom and Vanda Harris Holland. He and Florence Jean Thomas were married Feb. 28, 1944, at Sikeston...

PUXICO -- Olive Townsend, 87, of Puxico died Tuesday, March 10, 1998, at Dexter Memorial Hospital in Dexter. She was born Oct. 30, 1910, at Trask, daughter of Oliver A. and Sarah E. Crawford Townsend. Townsend was a graduate of Bloomfield High School, and 1945 graduate of Missouri Baptist School of Nursing...

SIKESTON -- Isom Combs Jr., 50, of Sikeston died Saturday, March 7, 1998, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born Oct. 10, 1947, in Marigold, Miss., son of Isom and Willie B. Wells Combs Sr. Combs was a member of Mt. Calvary Baptist Church at Parma...

PORTAGEVILLE -- Funeral for Mary Lou Campbell of Portageville was held Monday at DeLisle Funeral Home, with Hershel Godair officiating. Burial was in Portageville Cemetery. Campbell, 70, died Friday, March 6, 1998, at her home. She was born April 30, 1927, in Russellville, Ark., daughter of Robert and Lena Stout. She and William Allen Campbell were married April 5, 1941, in Osceola, Ark. He died April 27, 1995...

KELSO -- Helen Ann Ressel, 58, of Kelso died Tuesday, March 10, 1998, at her home. She was born March 27, 1939, at Kelso, daughter of Joe Michael and Theresa Heuring Welter. She and Tom Ressel were married Nov. 4, 1961, at Kelso. Ressel was a machine operator at Columbia Sportswear 14 years. She was a member of St. Augustine Catholic Church and its Ladies Sodality...

WHITE OAK -- One man was killed and another injured in a car wreck Tuesday morning on Dunklin County Highway 25. Scott Bradshaw, 37, of Kennett was fatally injured in the accident, which happened at White Oak, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol...

CHAFFEE -- Alice Barbara Barnes, 88, of Chaffee died Tuesday, March 10, 1998, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born June 10, 1909, at Seventy-Six, daughter of Joseph F. and Geraldine Huey Schneier. She and James Artie Barnes were married Oct. 8, 1924. He died Feb. 10, 1988...

Phyllis Burciaga, 67, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, March 10, 1998, at St. Francis Medical Center. She was born May 2, 1930, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Claty V. and Erna H. Hoyer Sullenger. Burciaga was a graduate of Central High School, and attended Southeast Missouri State University. She was a member of Evangelical United Church of Christ...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- William Robert McCain, 41, of Jonesboro died Tuesday, March 10, 1998, at Union County Hospital in Anna. Friends may call at Hileman and Parr Funeral Home from 5-8 p.m. today. Funeral will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.

Son to S. Darin and Laura Ellen Halter of Sikeston, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 1:34 a.m. Wednesday, March 4, 1998. Name, Joshua Patrick. Weight, 8 pounds. First child. Mrs. Halter is the former Laura Fitzpatrick, daughter of Nelson and Nancy Eaker of Benton and Rick Fitzpatrick of St. Louis. She is a seventh grade teacher at St. Francis Xavier School in Sikeston. Halter is the son of Larry and Diane Halter of Benton. He is a mechanical engineer at Noranda Aluminum in New Madrid...

SIKESTON -- Marvin Eugene Ward, 18, of Route 3, Sikeston died Monday, March 9, 1998, at his home. He was born Oct. 11, 1979, at Berrien Sprigs, Mich., the son of Harold and Patricia Ann Dozier Warren Jr. He is survived by his father of the home; four brothers: Harold C. Warren of Miner, Michael Lee Warren of Mounds, Ill., David Wayne Warren of Sikeston; and Jeffery Warren of Tamms, Ill.; a sister, Tina Marie Wilson of Sikeston; six half-brothers and two half-sisters...

The Southeast Missourian asked students at Jackson High School about the Lady Indians basketball team qualifying for the Class 4A Final Four at Columbia for the fourth straight year. The team will play defending-state champion Gateway Tech on Friday...

JACKSON -- The Jackson Board of Education passed a refunding bond resolution during a meeting Tuesday that will earn the district up to $432,000 in interest savings. The resolution authorized the sale of the callable portion of the Series 1996 Bonds sold by the district two years ago to finance several construction projects. ...