Stories from Friday, June 5, 1998

To the editor: Our most sincere thank you goes to everyone involved with the Nick Leist retirement dinner May 23. We especially want to thank T. Wayne Lewis, Robyn Hosp, Mike Dumey, Cheryl Fortner, Herb Wickham, Kirk Hanser, Gene McClellan, Johannes Limousine Service, Fran and Carol Horst, Ruth Illers and the Rev. Sam Roethemeyer. Also, a special thanks to the 200-plus people who attended and helped celebrate his 30-year career at Jackson High School...

In our culture a golden brown tan is considered attractive and most of us think we look healthier with a tan -- but looks can be deceiving. The fact is that our tanned skin is not healthier. The same damaging process that causes a painful, red sunburn occurs when we tan. ...

SIKESTON -- Christopher Vogler is one of the star speakers at this year's Heartland Writer's Conference even though his job is to develop movies. That's because Vogler's book, "The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Storytellers and Screenwriters," is popular with people writing for the screen...

Cape Girardeau County received a nearly $11,000 dividend return from its Workers' Comp insurance pool. The Missouri Association of Counties operates a self-insured Workers' Compensation Fund. Eighty-six counties and seven health departments are members...

Dawn Abney pushed back the toenail cuticle with an orange stick to allow better growth of the toenail. Toenails are trimmed at a 45-degree angle. A metal file is used to shape the nail before it is smoothed with an emery board. Brandi Wilson, a student at Stage One The Hair School, gave a manicure to Ashley Carlton of Jackson...

Missouri's Sunshine Law -- officially known as the Missouri Open Meetings and Open Records Act -- was first adopted 25 years ago. The intent of the law has been to give the public access to meetings and documents relating to government. The Missouri Legislature has fine-tuned the Sunshine Law from time to time, mostly thanks to the leadership of the Missouri Press Association. ...

The Safe House for Women in Cape Girardeau, which provides refuge and care for battered women and their children, is one of 41 charitable organizations across Missouri that have qualified to issue tax credits for contributions. Tax credits can be one of the best incentives for charitable giving. ...

To the editor: First of all, I wish to join the many others who regret the passing of the great statesman, Barry Goldwater. I had the privilege of meeting and supporting him in Arizona when he made his bid for president. As a true conservative, he had a great respect for the average person and did not hesitate to speak out whenever his conscience told him to -- the true conscience of a conservative...

To the editor: This is mostly about the school shootings that have occurred recently and the spin put on them by people with their own agenda. This is my contribution. Clarence Darrow has always been a hero to me since Dr. Bolen introduced his ideas to me in a biology class some 50 years ago. ...

To the editor: A recent opinion piece written by Marvin D. Brown, forestry division administrator for the Missouri Department of Conservation, suggested that forest economy and protection go together. His suggestions might provide some guidance for our federal legislators, Jo Ann Emerson, Kit Bond and John Ashcroft. All three have voted to continue the logging-road subsidies in national forests...

On the 30th anniversary of Robert F. Kennedy's assassination, many area residents still recall not only the shock and sadness they felt when they heard the news of his slaying, but the excitement Kennedy generated when he came to Cape Girardeau earlier in the year...

Raising the Federal Housing Administration loan limit would help more families in Cape Girardeau County and other rural communities buy homes, a Housing and Urban Development official said Thursday. Michael Tramontina, the HUD secretary's representative for the Great Plains, said the agency wants Congress to raise the limit on loans insured by FHA to a single national maximum of $227,150...

Cape Girardeau city officials already have a list of projects that could be paid for through a federal initiative to help communities prepare for disasters. The city, designated the first Disaster Resistant Community in the state, has been invited to participate in the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Project Impact, which could make Cape Girardeau eligible for up to $500,000 in federal funding...

The Cape Girardeau County Commission and experts with the federal government are looking for ways to fund a project for erosion and flooding along Hubble Creek. In April, a committee, which had studied the problem for two years, recommended a four-part solution expected to cost $4 million...

JACKSON -- Forty-four staff members and children at the Kiddie Kollege day-care center in Jackson have been treated with an antibiotic after an infant was diagnosed with a contagious illness, health officials said. The illness was detected earlier this week when a 4-month-old boy from Bollinger County was treated in the emergency room of St. Francis Medical Center. The boy, who attends Kiddie Kollege, was subsequently released...

Once you decide to keep a car with 100,000 miles on the odometer, repair expenses have a way of multiplying. The old brown car and I came to a meeting of the minds recently. My old car is 10 years old, has about 100,000 miles on the odometer and about 50,000 miles on the duct tape that holds the car together...

Dusty L. Statler, a student at Oak Ridge R-6, has been recognized by the United States Achievement Academy for his achievement as a National Leadership and Service Award winner. Statler will appear in the USAA Official Yearbook, which is published nationally. He is the son of Randy and Sherri Statler of Oak Ridge...

Egyptian High School senior Travis Honey was recently named winner of the 1998 Dekalb Agricultural Accomplishment Award. The award, sponsored nationwide by DEKALB Genetics Corporation, is presented to the outstanding high school senior agricultural student who demonstrates superior scholarship, leadership and agricultural experiences...

Brendan McMeel, a student of St. Vincent DePaul School in Cape Girardeau, qualified to compete in the National History Day Competition in College Park, md., from June 14-18. McMeel qualified to compete in the national competition by winning first place in the state competition held April 19 in Columbia. His paper, "Lost Cherokee: Lost Identity," adhered to the required theme, "Migrations in History: People, Places and Ideas."...

Danny Robert, an eighth-grade student at St. Mary's School, placed first in Region 12 and tied for first in the nation in the Algebra I division in a national math contest. Four tests were taken during the course of the year for the competition called MathFax. More than 500 schools participated in MathFax, with 1,600 student's scores, representing the top three scores from individual schools in the Algebra I division, posted on the Internet...

The Cape Girardeau Target store awarded Cindy Casper and Matthew Fisher the Take Charge of Education All-Around Scholarship awards. The $1,000 awards are based on community and volunteer service, volunteer leadership awards and honors, an essay on volunteer service, an appraisal by their volunteer supervisor or leader and a grade point average of at least 2.0...

Lauren E. Young of Jackson has been awarded a Regents' Scholarship to attend Southeast Missouri State University for the 1998-1999 academic year. The Regent's Scholarship is awarded to high school seniors who have achieved an Enhanced ACT score of 27 or SAT score of 1220. Students must also have a high school grade point average of 3.5 or graduate in the top 10 percent of their class...

Eleven local students were recently named to the 1998 honor roll at Southwest Missouri State University. Students named to the list earned at least a 3.5 grade point average and completed at least 12 credit hours during the spring semester. Of the 15,507 students enrolled in the spring semester, 2,517 were named on the list...

It has been a tiring but rewarding past couple of days for recent Cape Girardeau Central High School graduate Ross Bennett. Bennett left Cape Girardeau Wednesday evening headed for St. Louis, where he had shoulder surgery Thursday morning. Plenty groggy, he then returned home late Thursday afternoon...

Larry Smith was present in spirit and voice -- if not body -- during the University of Missouri Tiger Caravan get-together in Cape Girardeau Thursday evening. Smith, the Tigers' head football coach, and several other MU officials were unable to depart the Columbia airport because of extremely bad weather conditions in that area...

COLUMBIA -- Rain, plus a little bit of hail, forced Wednesday's Class 1A baseball championship game at Simmons Field between Oran and Halfway to be rescheduled for today. The two teams are expected to meet today at 9 a.m. with the 2A championship game, which was also postponed Thursday, to follow...

BLYTHEVILLE, Ark. -- Behind the pitching of Michael Minner, Cape Girardeau's Ford & Sons American Legion baseball team was able to salvage a doubleheader split here Thursday night. Blytheville won the opener 12-4 but Cape prevailed in the nightcap 6-4. Ford & Sons is now 4-4 on the season...

The annual Ohio Valley Conference Summer Meetings, held this year for the first time in Cape Girardeau, concluded Thursday. Presidents, athletic directors, faculty representatives and senior women administrators from the 10 OVC schools were in town Tuesday through Thursday to conduct their annual meetings...

Chris Bradshaw, one of the top players for Cape Girardeau Central High's baseball team this past season, will be taking his skills to Mineral Area College. Bradshaw, who graduated from Central this year, earlier this week signed a letter of intent with the junior college in Park Hills...

Southeast Missouri State University gymnastics team has added its second Canadian with the signing of Toronto native Michelle Walker. Walker will join Erin Chenier as Otahkians from north of the border. Chenier, who will be a senior next season, owns numerous Southeast records...

DEXTER -- Orlin C. "Bugs" Stuart, 79, of Dexter died Tuesday, June 2, 1998, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Sept. 4, 1918, in St. Louis, son of Orlin C. and May Susana Blickhan Stuart Sr. He and Grace Taylor were married Dec. 6, 1940, at Dexter. She died Sept. 23, 1993...

H.L. "Linc" Ward, 89, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, June 3, 1998, at Fountainbleau Lodge. He was born Jan. 30, 1909, in Charleston, son of John Thomas and Dollie Davenport Ward. He and Lena Jackson were married Feb. 15, 1941, at Bloomfield. She died Nov. 18, 1994...

ADVANCE -- K. Gene Nothdurft, 67, of Advance died Wednesday, June 3, 1998, at Dexter Memorial Hospital. He was born April 12, 1931, in Advance, son of Robey and Marie "Helen" Dunning Nothdurft. He and Verna Lee Ervin were married May 7, 1960, in Cape Girardeau...

Barbara L. Frisbie, 62, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, June 4, 1998, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Harold E. Smith, 75, of St. Louis, Mo., died Wednesday, June 3, 1998, at St. Anthony Medical Center. Survivors include his wife, Florence; two daughters, Robin Ligons of St. Louis, Treva Singleton of Granite City; a brother, Bob Smith of Florissant; and two grandchildren...

Dorothy S. Wood, 76, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, June 4, 1998, at St. Francis Medical Center. She was born Oct. 29, 1921, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Harvey and Irene Hill Seabaugh. She and Tom Wood were married Aug. 9, 1936, in Cape Girardeau. He died Jan. 21, 1988...

COBDEN, Ill. -- Donald Gene "Bacon" McCann, 68, of Cobden died Thursday, June 4, 1998, at Memorial Hospital in Carbondale. He was born Feb. 20, 1930, in Cobden, son of Paul W. and Bertha B. Messamore McCann. He and Norma Jeanne Adams were married April 3, 1958, in Jonesboro...

JACKSON -- Funeral for Zola Mae Robison of Jackson will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at New Bethel Baptist Church at Neelys Landing. The Revs. Johnny Clements and Mike Harrison will officiate, with burial in the church cemetery. Friends may call at Cracraft-Miller Funeral Home from 4-8 p.m. today...