Stories from Sunday, September 6, 1998

To the editor: On behalf of the Cape Girardeau Police Department, I would like to commend the staff of the Southeast Missourian on the excellent series of articles focusing on the dangers of methamphetamine. I would also like to convey our appreciation for your sponsorship of the "Life or Meth" forum, which was very well attended by students, family members and community leaders...

As we drive through the streets on a holiday morning, we all enjoy Old Glory proudly blowing in the breeze. Most of us never stop to wonder just who it is that places the flags for all to enjoy. Our thanks go to a special group of young men. The boys in Boy Scout troop #311 rise early each holiday and place a flag at designated areas throughout the city...

Amanda Allmon, daughter of Roger and Linda Allmon of Jackson, participated in the White Coat Ceremony at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine Aug. 5. Allmon was a 1994 graduate of Jackson High School and a May, 1998 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University. She graduated summa cum laude with an interdisciplinary degree in chemistry, physics and biology...

25 years ago: 1973 Cape Girardeau County has spent or obligated $258,097 of $279,398 in federal revenue-sharing money received during 1972 and first quarter of this year, leaving balance of $28,234 as of March 31; balance includes total of $6,933 in interest earned on non-appropriated money; largest single capital expenditure and obligation is for construction of proposed county juvenile detention home, to be built at Cape Girardeau as soon as contracts are signed by Kiefner Brothers Inc. ...

Welcome to the sky this September. I hope your summer was restful and now you are ready to get out the telescope and binoculars and start some stargazing. The astronomy club will have its first meeting of the season on September the 20th in room 121 Rhodes Hall at 7 p.m. ...

Jackie Sproat of Marble Hill has been named editor of the Jackson USA Signal. For the past year, she was editor of the Banner-Press in Bollinger County. Sproat was a news and features writer for the Capaha Arrow at Southeast Missouri State University where she majored in English and theater...

To the editor: The participation in the August primary shows that fewer and fewer people wish to vote. This trend is an indication that Americans are either fed up with politics or think it doesn't matter whom they choose to represent them in government. Some people just don't want to think about politics at all...

The scene was Thursday night on CNBC's "Hardball," hosted by the incomparable Chris Matthews, formerly speechwriter for President Jimmy Carter and chief aide to the late House Speaker Tip O'Neill. Matthews was interviewing a journalist from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Bill Clinton's hometown newspaper. ...

With children back in school and the arrival of the first Monday in September, tomorrow must be Labor Day. Football is here, and shortly we will be busy raking the falling leaves of autumn. We join with our friends and neighbors in the trade union movement, and with all Americans, in celebrating this tribute to the rights of workers and to all who toil for an honest living...

What is it about the Missouri Bootheel and honest elections? Elections in Southeast Missouri are once again making news around the state, and it isn't pretty. On Election Day in November 1996, Republican operatives alleged that some Democrats were operating an illegal vote-buying scheme in Mississippi and New Madrid counties. ...

The safest bet any of us could make today is that at the end of the current two-month fall election campaign, a majority of the voters of Missouri and the United States will be no more aware of the issues or the candidates' views on how they can be resolved than we are at this very moment...

The pacing ostrich is history, as are horse races and Nebraska Bill's Wild West and Trained Bronco Show. At one time or another, all were part of the annual celebration known as the Southeast Missouri District Fair. The 143rd annual district fair will run from Sept. 13 to Sept. 19 and will feature everything from carnival rides to circus clowns and champion livestock...

Transforming a city park into a fairgrounds doesn't happen overnight. There's nothing magical about it. It takes a lot of hard work. Pete Poe knows what it takes. Poe is president of the Southeast Missouri District Fair Association, the organization that puts on the annual SEMO District Fair...

Countdown to the annual YELL campaign has started. During the early morning hours of Sept. 15, volunteers in Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Scott City will man street corners and hawk special-edition newspapers. Proceeds from the special sale go to literacy efforts in the three communities...

APPLE CREEK -- A breeze blew the sweet aroma of fried chicken and kettle-cooked beef across the church grounds Saturday afternoon as Louis Meyer explained why he comes to the St. Joseph's Picnic every year. His father "witched" the church's well. Meyer pointed out a fence he helped build, then his great-grandfather's tombstone in one corner of the cemetery and his grandfather's halfway back...

From 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays at the Cape Girardeau Civic Center, students can do their homework in an environment that's very different from the classroom. They can help each other. And it's OK to talk. "I think they like the atmosphere," says Willa Hamilton, who supervises the center's After School Program. "They like coming every day and seeing one another...

Life is full of whys. It's particularly so for parents who have to endure the constant questioning of their young sons and daughters. Our youngest daughter, Bailey, is sliding down the slope toward age 3. For her, the journey is full of whys. The other night, Joni asked Bailey not to put her foot in the plate of food...

Things might not have worked out like he originally thought they would, but the bottom line is that Angel Rubio is a member of the National Football League. Rubio, who earned Division I-AA All-American honors at Southeast Missouri State University in 1997, was taken by Pittsburgh in the seventh round of this year's NFL draft...

Southeast Missouri State University has over the years produced its share of National Football League players, although the school has not exactly been known as one of the nation's hotbeds for future NFL talent. But you couldn't tell it by what's taking place with the two NFL teams in the San Francisco Bay area...

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Southeast Missouri State University women's cross country team opened its season Saturday with a victory in a 12-team meet hosted by the University of Memphis. Southeast placed five runners in the top 15, including three in the top five en route to 35 points...

The Sikeston Lion's Club will hold its 2nd annual Charity Golf Tournament Sept. 25 at the Bootheel Golf Club in Sikeston. The two-person scramble will begin with a 1 p.m. shotgun start. Cost is $45 per person, which includes green fee and golf cart. Attendance and contest prizes will be awarded...

The Jackson Parks and Recreation Department is in the process of forming a coed volleyball league for this fall. Play will be held Monday nights beginning Oct. 5 at the First General Baptist Church in Jackson. The league will last 10 weeks. The league fee will be $60 per team...

The Sixth annual Kid's Fest will be held Sept. 12 at Capaha Park. Events will include a Toddler Trot for those 2 and under; Mighty Mites, a 50-yard dash for 3- and 4-year-olds; Speedy Sprinters, a 75-yard dash for 5 and-6-year-olds; and Radical Runners, a 100-yard dash for children 7 to 9...

The 11th annual Women's Distance Festival will be held Sept. 12 at Park Shelter No. 4 at Capaha Park. The event will begin a 8 a.m. with a 1-mile walk/run and a 3.1-mile walk and a 3.1-mile run. There will be divisions from 10-and under to over 70. Childcare will be available during the event...

The Noon Optimist of Jackson will sponsor the Little Indians Flag Football Clinic, which will begin on Sept. 19 and run through Oct. 31. The clinic is open to boys and girls in Grades 3-6. Registration will be held Sept. 12 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Breadeaux Pisa (1250 Old Cape Rd.) in Jackson. Registration fee is $15...

Cape Girardeau Central finished sixth in the competitive Great Eight Tennis Tournament Saturday in Columbia. The Tigers lost to defending-state-champion St. Joseph's 8-1, beat Joplin 7-2 and lost to John Burroughs 7-2. Lara Golike, the Tigers' No. 3 singles player, won her match against St. Joseph's 6-7 (5-7), and 9-7 in a tiebreaker used in place of a third set...

Andrew Kenner, 12, fired a hole-in-one last Sunday at Kimbeland Country Club. Kenner, playing with his father, John, used an 8-iron to accomplish the feat on No. 4, a 115-yard par 3.

A two-day golf clinic will be held Sept. 12-13 at Bent Creek Golf Course. The clinic, which will address club fitting, swing technique and the mental game, will be led by LPGA professional Judy Williams Johnson. She will be assisted by U.S. certified golf instructor Harry Gueth and Arena Golf manager Jack Pettet...

The Cape Gators swim team will hold its fall sign ups Sept. 8-11 at Capaha Pool from 5-7 p.m.. The team is open to boys and girls ages 6 years through college.

The Cape Parks Development Foundation Mixed Scramble will be held Oct. 3-4 at Jaycees Municipal Golf Course. Entry fee is $80 per team and will have an entry deadline of Sept. 30. The field will be limited to 50 teams. Prizes will be cash payouts. For more information, call 334-2031...

COLUMBIA -- A Missouri-based insurance company says it will pay part of the cost of processing deer donated to needy people through the "Share the Harvest" program. Shelter Insurance Companies, headquartered in Columbia, has agreed to pay $20 toward the processing of any whole deer that a hunter donates to Share the Harvest. In previous seasons, hunters paid all or some of the cost of processing their deer before donating all or a portion of it to the program...

If you want to see first hand how a Management Intensive Grazing System benefits the producer and the environment, attend the Southeast Missouri University Demonstration Farm Forage -- Beef Field Day on October 3, 1998 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. This field day will be at the Southeast Missouri State University Demonstration Farm located North of Cape Girardeau off of Highway W on County Road 618 (look for the sign)...

In the age of modern farming, one misconception widely held is that fish and wildlife simply cannot fit into today's farming systems. Fortunately for those who enjoy the creatures of the wild, this notion need not be true. Fish, wildlife and agriculture can coexist on the same land. All it takes is a little management and an understanding of the needs of fish and wildlife...

JACKSON -- Area cross country teams got a good chance to look at the competition early in the season Saturday at the Jackson Invitational held at Jackson City Park. And according to the results of the class-divided meet, Northwest of House Springs should be strong again on the boys side, while the girls' defending 4A state champion Kirkwood may stand a good chance to repeat...

For sheer offense, the Cape Girardeau Central vs. Columbia-Hickman game Friday night was a rarity. The Tigers and Kewpies combined for 946 yards and 47 first downs in Hickman's 47-39 win. "Personally, I'm an old defensive coordinator, and I'd just as soon keep the yards and score down," Tigers coach Jerry Dement said. "We're not big on stats other than the "W"...

For the fourth consecutive year, the Notre Dame Soccer Fest trophy goes to Carbondale. Zach Hampson scored in the second minute of double overtime to give the Terriers a 2-1, come-from-behind victory over Notre Dame in the championship game of the season-opening tournament Saturday at the old Notre Dame High School soccer field...

JACKSON -- Annabelle Grace Rose, infant daughter of Dan and Robin Israel Rose of Jackson, died at birth Friday, Sept. 4, 1998, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She is survived by her parents; a sister, Tessa Rose of the home; and a brother, Nicholas Rose of the home; paternal grandparents, Fred and Marie Rose of Dexter; maternal grandparents, Elmer and Virginia Reed; and paternal great-grandmother, Hazel "Verdi" Pratt of Dexter...

Charles Earl Bumpas, 70, of 806 N. Spanish died Saturday, Sept. 5, 1998, at St. Francis Medical Center. He was born on Aug. 17, 1928, at Madisonville, Ky., son of John and Maude Sutton Bumpas. He worked in a saw mill and a was an Army veteran. He was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ in Cape Girardeau...

JACKSON -- David E. Murphy, 42, of Jackson died Saturday, Sept. 5, 1998, at the St. Louis University Medical Center. He was born March 25, 1956, at Cairo, Ill., son of David R. and Mary Alice Egner Murphy. He married Pearla Skelton of Gordonville on Oct. 7, 1978, at the Christ Lutheran Church in Gordonville...

Former funeral director and Cape Girardeau civic leader Willard H. "Dutch" Estes died Friday at age 89. He had been in ill health in recent years. "He was a good man," said Lester Burchyett of McClure, Ill. "Dutch was a wonderful person. He tried to be a friend to everybody."...

MINER -- Margaret Ann Sitzes, 62, of Miner died Friday, Sept. 4, 1998, at Clearview Nursing Center at Sikeston. She was born on Aug. 19, 1936, at Matthews, daughter of R.B. and Eva Fodge Shaw. She worked in the dietary department of the Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston for 10 years...

BIEHLE -- Joseph R. Pingel Sr., 71, of Biehle died Friday, Sept. 4, 1998, at St. Louis University Medical Center. He was born on April 4, 1927, at Biehle, son of Rudolph Joseph and Josephine Hotop Pingel. He married Hilda C. Geringer on Sept. 3, 1955, at Arnold...

CHESTER, Ill. -- Dorothy Fortner, a native of Bernie, died Friday, Sept. 4, 1998, at the 3 Springs Nursing Home in Chester. She was 71. She was born June 3, 1927, daughter of James Vernon and Eugenia Sanders Nunn. She married George L. Fortner in St. Louis on May 13, 1956. He died Nov. 14, 1994...

PUXICO -- Margaret Clark, a lifelong resident of Puxico, died Saturday, Sept. 5, 1998, at the Puxico Nursing Center. She was 88. She was born Sept. 2, 1910, in Keota, Iowa, daughter of William Carl and Bessie Sayler Hamilton Hoth. She married Lawrence G. Clark in Butler County on Jan. 29, 1941. He died Sept. 28, 1996...

MOUNDS, Ill. -- Oma A. Harvick of Mounds died Friday, Sept. 4, 1998, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was 82. She was born Aug. 22, 1916, in Warren County, Tenn., daughter of John and Annie Jones Youngblood. She married W.T. Harvick April 8, 1935, in Lebanon, Tenn...

Helen Marie (Johnson) Kavanaugh died Thursday, Aug. 27, 1998, beloved wife of the late Joseph F. Kavanaugh and Lawrence J. Seibold; dearest mother of Joseph (Joyce) Seibold and Julia (Judy) Bisesi; dear grandmother of John and Larry Seibold and Patti Siebert; dear great-grandmother of Alex Siebert; dear sister of Paul Johnson; our dear sister-in-law, aunt, great aunt, cousin and friend of many. Services and internment were private...

Jean Bell Mosley's new autobiography, "For Most of the Century," is only available in serialized form in the Southeast Missourian. Return each week for her continuing story. "New beginnings" is a phrase dear to my heart and I was glad to hear Reagan say it to the nation...

Don Koehler picked some fresh rosemary which he uses to season pork, chicken and vegetables. Paul Schnare, owner of Sunny Hill Gardens & Florist, displayed a lime tree. Many choose the small citrus trees for decoration, but the fruit is edible. Some people grow their own pepper plants in containers. Tobasco peppers can be used to flavor vinegar and spice up other foods...