Stories from Monday, December 14, 1998

Every year something new comes down the pike for those favorite pets, including toys, food, clothes and safety items. In the latter category, pet owners can now purchase a pet car seat that adjusted to different heights to allow the pet to see out of the vehicle's window. A safety harness keeps the dog or cat in place...

An On-Site Sewage Installers Workshop was held at the Drury Lodge in Cape Girardeau last week. A number of speakers, including Randy Myles, soil scientist from the University of Missouri; Bob Ege and Joe Hainline, both of the Missouri Department of Health; Randy Norden, Missouri Rural Water Association; Heath Kirkpatrick of Laser Specialists Inc.; and others discussed sewage systems...

Sperling Inc. of Cape Girardeau has received the American Towman Ace Award for achievement in customer service excellence. Nomination guidelines for the towing industry's Ace Award include fewest customer complaints and achieving estimated time of arrival following calls. Nominations are by the nation's major motor clubs...

Spartech Corp. has announced record sales and earnings for its fiscal year, which ended Oct. 31. Sales for fiscal 1998 were $653.9 million, up 30 percent from the $502.7 million recorded in fiscal year 1997. Operating earnings improved to $69.7 million, or 10.7 percent of sales, and net earnings for the fiscal year were $33.7 million, or $1.18 per diluted share, up 32 percent from the $23.5 million or 95 cents per diluted share for fiscal 1997...

Debbie Pate has joined Capaha Bank, 3168 William, as a teller. Pate has 17 years experience in the banking industry, including bookkeeping, loan service and as a teller. She previously worked for NationsBank of Cape Girardeau. Capaha Bank has operations in Cape Girardeau, Tamms, Ill., and Cairo, Ill...

Heavy equipment maker Caterpillar Inc., headquartered at Peoria, Ill., will open a second plant here Sumter, S.C., adding another 80 jobs. The $7 million plant announced last week will make threaded cylinders for the company's earth-moving and mining products. Production is scheduled to begin next fall...

Great wines may come from France, but some 2,500 miles and an ocean away, Missouri and Illinois are showing the wine market that some pretty good wines also come from the U.S. Heartland. Vins gris, Villard Blanc, Vidal, Serendipity, Seyval and Chambourcin are familiar names in area wine country...

JCPenney Co. is expanding its push into Latin America. The department store chain has agreed to pay $33.3 million for control of Brazil's Lojas Renner SA retail chain. Renner, which has a work force of 1,900 and operates 21 stores in southern Brazil, had revenue of $210 billion last year...

New owners now occupy the former Ratliff's Grocery Store at 1007 S. Sprigg St. The name has changed, but the service will remain the same at "The New Store," which opened more than a week ago. "We'll continue to provide necessities to people," said Walter White. "We feature a basic line of groceries -- canned goods, salt, meat, lunch meats, fruits, chips and vegetables."...

Forget about Y2K, that bug that is threatening computers when the calendar turns to the year 2000. Right now, there's another numerical calamity: "00 Billion Burgers Sold." McDonald's Restaurant signs show the number of hamburgers the giant chain has sold. That number now stands at 99 billion burgers or 99 Gigaburgers (GB)...

A new chiropractic office has opened in Cape Girardeau. Dr. Philip Pappas opened the facility at 1930 Broadway recently. Pappas is a graduate of Logan College of Chiropractic. Deborah Cobb is chiropractic assistant. Office hours will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 to 6, Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday...

SCOTT CITY -- Greg's Auto Repair has moved to 202 Cape St. The auto repair shop opened in January at 622 E. Second St. The business, owned and operated by Greg Gross of Scott City, is open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with Saturday hours by appointment...

Golden Sky Systems, a DirecTV service provider, has opened at 205A S. Kingshighway. The DirecTV programming package offers a wide selection of channels for subscribers, along with pay-per-view movies and special events. The company held its open house last weekend...

Raising money for school projects and classroom needs isn't a new idea, but several area school districts are developing new methods for raising needed funds. The latest solution to the age-old money problem most smaller districts face is to create nonprofit school foundations...

Move aside Elmo. Furby has taken center stage as this year's hot holiday toy, and by all accounts, the Furby frenzy has outpaced Elmo, a red furry muppet who lives on "Sesame Street." Furby, an interactive, gremlin-like plush animal, has parents camping out in the middle of the night waiting for stores to open...

ULLIN, Ill. -- Illinois' first privately operated jail, the Tri-County Justice & Detention Center at Ullin, is expected to open soon but is still waiting for water. Mike Kleinik, administrator for the new facility, said a Jan. 15 opening date is expected...

The Rev. Adam Mueller was a guest speaker Sunday night at the Old Hanover Lutheran Church. He preached a Christmas sermon entirely in the German. Mitchell Lucido was the youngest member of the congregation Sunday night at Old Hanover Lutheran Church for the seventh annual German Christmas Worship Celebration...

Let's get something straight from the start: Popular opinion to the contrary, the 12 days of Christmas have nothing whatsoever to do with any segment of time before Christmas Day. Period. Despite what you will be told this week and next by angst-ridden advertisers out to sell one more yuletide doodad before the pre-Christmas liquidation sales kick in, and despite what you hear said by a bevy of inane radio deejays who think they are oh so clever because they can count beyond 10 without taking their shoes off, the 12-day period does not begin today and end on Dec. ...

Few voices have been raised in protest of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission's decision to scrap the state's 15-year highway plan in favor of a five-year plan that puts more money into urban projects in St. Louis and Kansas City. The commission's action of a month ago came after a long debate on the virtues of the 15-year plan, which was enacted seven years ago under governor John D. ...

The Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce will continue efforts toward getting a Metropolitan Statistical Area designation for the Cape Girardeau-Jackson-Scott City area. MSA designation was dubbed a top priority when the chamber board met recently to plot a course of action for the coming year...

To the editor: A couple of items have come out in the media that I think we will accept without a fight. Both further infringe on individual liberty. Both confirm the current trend in our thinking. Both continue the flow from individual responsibility for actions to complete dependency on government...

To the editor: The Missouri Department of Conservation is to be commended for officially denouncing the worn-out Sierra Club rhetoric that to cut logs on public land is somehow akin to destroying the forest. In the Sierra Club's words, "Cutting down all trees and brush in a large area -- 10 to 15 acres -- is the same as converting a forest into a barren wasteland." What nonsense such outright distortions really are...

Special Meeting Monday, Dec. 14 7:30 p.m. Agenda Action Items Power and Light Committee -- Consider bill proposing an ordinance approving voluntary annexation of property owned by Larry L. Reutzel and Randy D. Reutzel. -- Consider motion approving procurement policy specifically relating to Community Development Block Grant Projects...

This week the Southeast Missourian asked, "If you were a member of the House of Representatives how would you vote on the four articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton?" Chuck Stotz, Cape Girardeau "I'd vote yes for the articles of impeachment to see that it goes on to the Senate."...

JACKSON -- Daisy Irene Langley, 88, of Jackson, formerly of Poplar Bluff, died Saturday, Dec. 12, 1998, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Jan. 31, 1910, at De Soto, Ill. She and Jessie Thomas Langley were married on Feb. 14, 1947. He died Jan. 10, 1972...

VIENNA, Ill. -- Edna McGill, 90, of Vienna, formerly of Anna, died Saturday, Dec. 12, 1998, at Union County Hospital in Anna. She was born Dec. 30, 1907, at Anna, daughter of Ora and Stella Mae Campbell Dillow. She and the Rev. Herman McGill were married on Oct. 11, 1930. He died Aug. 6, 1978...

Paula C. Weiss, 85, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Dec. 12, 1998, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at McCombs Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau.

Elsie Jane Fisher, 81, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Dec. 13, 1988, at the St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born March 16, 1917, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Zinn. She was married to Theodore Fisher, who died in death in 1948...

LILBOURN -- Mattie "Nude" Warren, 72, of Lilbourn died Thursday, Dec. 10, 1998, at the Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. She was born April 11, 1926, at Shaw, Miss., daughter of Hamp and Elizabeth Hoy Green. She had lived in Missouri since 1965...

JACKSON -- Elsie Marie Farrow, 73, of Jackson died Saturday, Dec. 12, 1998, at Jackson Manor Nursing Home. She was born Dec. 19, 1924, at Ste. Genevieve, daughter of Jules and Elsie Neubrand Moore. She and Truman Farrow were married on April 9, 1948. He died April 4, 1989...

Clarence Dan Haney, 88, of Sikeston, formerly of Mississippi County, died Sunday, Dec. 13, 1998, at the Clearview Nursing Center in Sikeston. He was born July 10, 1910, at Flemingburg, Ky., son of Travis and Nancy Bell Heffer Haney. He was a retired farmer...