Stories from Wednesday, January 6, 1999

To the editor: Lately, many Southeast Missourians have declared that we should morally perceive President Clinton as a good example of everything not to do, such as lying and cheating. We also believe that he admits to some of the mistakes, though not to all, since he has shown remorse and regret. ...

BURFORDVILLE -- A 100-year-old Burfordville home was destroyed Tuesday afternoon after a fire began in the chimney flue. Hampered by cold temperatures, icy roads and frozen water supplies, firefighters from seven fire districts were unable to save the home of Miles and Imogene Lincoln...

"Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we shall diet." That was my attitude during the final holiday weeks of last year. But with the new year I must get serious about losing those pounds which my clothes reveal I have gained. (Wouldn't it be nice if everything had an elastic waistband?)...

Happy New Year! 1999 came in with a blast of cold air and with those bitter temperatures comes a request for some warm beverages. Stephanie Cummings of Jackson is looking for a beverage mix that she can keep on hand for a late night warm-up. All of the recipes that I'll share are easy to prepare with only a few ingredients and they make great little gifts. Any of these recipes would be a nice thank you for someone who surprised you with a Christmas gift...

The Internal Revenue Service will offer more help to taxpayers across the nation, in Missouri and at the Cape Girardeau IRS office. Taxpayers in the Cape Girardeau area will an extra day a week to receive personal help, said Paul Kipper, manager of the local IRS office at 137 S. Broadview...

I JUST wanted to solicit people's comments on this. My sister and I went shopping a few days ago, and we were looking for some Christmas cards with a religious theme. We were very shocked to find that it was extremely difficult to find Christmas cards that had a religious theme. ...

The city of Jackson is proceeding with establishment of a tax-increment financing district west of Interstate 55. The city hopes the TIF designation will speed commercial and industrial development in the 750-acre tract. The TIF district will capture 50 percent of the sales tax within its boundaries. That money will be used for infrastructure improvements and other projects in the city...

To the editor: I'm in prison for my third holiday. Prison isn't a happy place at all, contrary to what most people think it is. It is not the bars, the fences, the razor wire, the armed guards, the low-standard meals or the 120-man units. All this and much more are part of prison but by far not the most important part. Those things are external. Prison is internal. It is about doing time in your head...

To the editor: I live in Oriole, where the Happy Hollow once stood. In this poem, I state that you could get a hot meal there. It was a restaurant-type lounge. About the Wednesday nights men would be there with guns: They had shooting matches which were like raffles for beef or pork. ...

With Cape Girardeau's Transportation Trust Fund, the city is well down the road to better streets. Monday night, the City Council approved a number of projects including the long-awaited improvements to Broadway and Bloomfield. The improvements haven't come without some inconvenience to motorists and residents near construction sites. Because of major widening project, Perryville Road has been closed for some time. It will reopen this month...

Greg Jones, whose brief leadership is credited with infusing the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri with new energy and ideas, is resigning to take a position with the Toledo Museum of Art. Jones, who spent many of his formative years in Toledo, will begin work in mid-February as the museum's creative-arts coordinator. He will oversee a stable of 42 in-house arts instructors...

Don "Dusty" Rhodes will serve as interim chief executive officer of St. Francis Medical Center. Rhodes will take over for James Sexton, who announced his resignation in December. Sexton, CEO for the past two years, leaves St. Francis Feb. 5 for a job as CEO of North Iowa Mercy Health Center and Network in Mason City, Iowa...

ORAN -- Fire department improvements have helped Oran earn a better rating by a national fire insurance organization. It is the community's third rating upgrade in four years. The Insurance Service Organization, which rates fire departments nationwide on a 10-point scale with 1 being the highest rating and 10 the lowest, recently awarded Oran an ISO rating of 5...

Editor's note: Here's what Michael Porter, 7, wrote after talking with Globetrotter Curley "Boo" Johnson: First you have to work very hard -- very, very hard. His father taught him to do that. After you become very good -- very, very good -- then you can do fancy moves and learn how to "hot dog."...

Curley "Boo" Johnson credits lots of practice, perseverance and parental guidance to his success in life and as a member of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team. Johnson, dubbed "Mr. Basketball" by his teammates last year for his dedication to the team's spirit, swapped stories Tuesday during an interview with Michael Porter, 7. ...

It happened again. My boss handed me a self-appraisal form, the harbinger of my annual employee review. Last year, that review resulted in a cost-of-living raise and a week of weighing whether I'd die quicker by throwing myself into the Gulf or watching The WB...

Openings remain in Tuesday's beginning Internet training offered by the Southeast Missourian. The class will be held from 7-9 p.m. at the Dempster College of Business. The class is designed for beginners who want to learn more about the Internet and World Wide Web. Practical surfing tips will be offered along with informational handouts...

I hope you all enjoyed your holiday and are ready for some exciting college basketball over the next couple of months. We've been on sort of a roller coaster. We followed our worst performance in the SIU game at the TWA Dome in St. Louis with our best performance of the season at Oklahoma State. Then we barely survived at home Monday night against an improved Morehead State team...

For Southeast Missouri State University women's basketball coach Ed Arnzen, the two-year wait to get Paula Corder back in an Otahkian uniform was well worth it. Corder, a junior guard/forward who originally signed with Southeast out of high school but wound up playing two seasons in junior college before returning to Cape Girardeau, is the Otahkians' leading scorer through 11 games, averaging 16.8 points per contest...

While the rest of Cape Girardeau is still trying to thaw out of the recent deep freeze that hit the area, Southeast Missouri State University's gymnastics team is getting ready for some sun and fun in Hawaii. The Otahkians will today fly from St. Louis to Hawaii, where they will open the 1999 season Friday night against West Virginia in the Maui Classic. Southeast will return to Cape Girardeau next Wednesday...

Cape Girardeau Central and Ross Conner let one get away, literally. Conner, who scored a team-high 18 points for the Tigers, lost control of an offensive rebound as time expired and Carbondale escaped with 62-61 win at the Tiger Field House Tuesday night...

JACKSON -- What started out looking like a lopsided victory for Jackson High's boys basketball team instead turned into a disappointing defeat for the Indians. The Indians led visiting Hillsboro by 10 points at halftime but were outscored by 20 in the second half as the Hawks posted a 48-38 win Tuesday night. Both squads are now 7-3...

MORLEY -- A wild game that featured 51 fouls and 70 free throws ended with Scott City High's boys basketball team squeezing out an 82-78 victory over host Scott County Central Tuesday night. The Rams are now 10-2 while the Braves fell to 8-3. "It was a wild game," said Scott City coach Derek McCord. "I've never been involved in a game where so many fouls were called."...

ANNA, Ill. -- Paul Moore, 84, of Anna died Tuesday, Jan. 5, 1999, at Union County Hospital at Anna. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Lutz & Rendleman Funeral Home in Anna.

MARBLE HILL -- Thelma Lee Pomeroy, 89, of Marble Hill died Monday, Jan. 4, 1999, at the home of her daughter in Marble Hill. She was born Sept. 12, 1909, in St. Paul, Va., the daughter of Herman and Willie Kympton. She married Edwin Pomeroy, who preceded her in death on Jan. 17, 1990...

SCOTT CITY -- Theon F. Schaefer, 77, of Scott City died Tuesday, Jan. 5, 1999, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City.

ANNA, Ill. -- Graveside service for Annabel Elizabeth Fox of Anna will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at Oakland Cemetery in Little Falls, Minn. Friends may call at Lutz and Rendleman Funeral Home from 2-3 p.m. today. Fox, 80, died Sunday, Jan. 3, 1999, at Union County Hospital...

PERRYVILLE -- Emma L. Oswald, 93, of Perryville died Tuesday, Jan. 5, 1999, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. She was born Oct. 11, 1905, at Farrar, daughter of Henry F. and Lena Detjen Lohmann. She and Walter C. Oswald were married May 26, 1929. He died Oct. 31, 1977...

DEXTER -- Charles Lewis Simpson Sr., 79, of Dexter died Sunday, Jan. 3, 1999, in Cape Girardeau. He was born July 31, 1919, in Cape Girardeau, son of Arthur E. and Jessie May Underwood Simpson. He and Bessie Ruth Melton were married July 1, 1938, at Dexter...

SIKESTON -- Hezzie Lee Bowden, 83, of Sikeston died Saturday, Jan. 2, 1999, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. She was born March 22, 1915, in Gregory, Ark., daughter of John Artis and Betty Banks Bowden. She and Walter Bowden Sr. were married in 1939. He died Oct. 25, 1975...

JACKSON -- Marjorie Deneke, 77, of Jackson died Tuesday, Jan. 5, 1999, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson is in charge of arrangements.

ANNA, Ill. -- Memorial service for Eloise Smith of Anna will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at Crain Funeral Home in Anna. Burial will be in Anna Cemetery. Smith, 71, died Sunday, Dec. 27, 1998, at Clark Memorial Hospital in Jeffersonville, Ind. She was born Nov. 28, 1927, in St. Louis, Mo., daughter of Earl and Annie Doyle Davis...

Son to David Ray and Jackie LeAnn Retherford Jr. of Advance, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 3:28 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 24, 1998. Name, David Jack. Weight, 7 pounds 15 ounces. First child. Mrs. Retherford is the former Jackie DeVore, daughter of Jack and Janice DeVore of Whitewater. Retherford is the son of Dave and Marilyn Retherford of Oak Ridge. The Retherfords own Willow Oak Farms near Advance and own Crown Trucking in Jackson...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Dante "Alex" Patterson, 3, of Cairo died Tuesday, Jan. 5, 1999, at his home. He was born July 13, 1995, in Carbondale, the son of Dante Patterson and Andrea Vinson. He is survived by his parents; a brother, Dante Jamel Patterson of Glennwood, Ga; maternal grandmother and stepgrandfather, Janet Kay and Ralph Allison of Cairo; maternal grandfather, Donald Vinson of Cairo; and great-grandparents...