Stories from Monday, February 1, 1999

Living in Cape Girardeau is a wonderful thing if you don't need technology. Our local phone company, Southwestern Bell, has announced it is going to push to put DSL service in 8.2 million homes by the end of the year. Of course, that large number does not include Cape Girardeau...

Watches such as the Timex Humvee, left, and Dakota Digital Compass do more than just tell the time. The Dakota Data Bank watch stores information as well as the time. The Max Tech Data Bank watch shows world time, stores telephone numbers and wishes the user a good day...

As the public address announcer at Miami's Pro Player Stadium began to introduce the teams for Sunday's Super Bowl XXXIII, the crowd at Cape Girardeau's River City Yacht Club began to hoop and holler. A chorus of boos and jeers filled the room when he announced the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Denver Broncos. Of the 100 people that crowded in to watch the game on the club's big screen television, the vast majority was rooting for Denver's opponent, the Atlanta Falcons...

House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert doesn't need a road map to find Southeast Missouri. After all, his communications director, Pete Jeffries, knows a thing or two about the Bootheel. Jeffries served as press secretary for U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson from July 1991 until the congressman's death in June 1996. Emerson served as congressman in the 8th District of Southeast Missouri...

The Cape Girardeau community, looking for another way to promote emergency preparedness, is offering a way for teen-agers to get involved. The city, through Project Impact, has teamed with the American Red Cross, the Boy Scouts, Southeast Missouri State University and Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse to form a new Emergency Management Explorer Scout Post...

Move over, Monopoly. There's a new game in town. And for couples searching for a distinctive Valentine's gift that promises to enrich their relationships by increasing their understanding of each other (blah, blah, blah), this may be just the ticket...

To the editor: I recently watched our U.S. House of Representatives in action during the debate over whether President Clinton should be impeached. To avoid being labeled as partisan, I want to set the record straight. I am neither Democrat nor Republican. ...

HOW CAN somebody who has your kids say you abandoned your kids when they wouldn't let you see your kids and then they go behind your back and adopt your kids? Why doesn't the truth come out? I don't see how somebody can adopt any kids like that. I WOULD like to comment about the man with nine DWIs. ...

After exhaustive searches, school boards at Jackson and Perryville have chosen superintendents to guide their respective school districts into the next century. The Jackson Board of Education hired Dr. Ron Anderson of Liberty to replace Dr. Howard Jones, who will retire. The Perryville Board of Education hired Dr. Stephen Doerr of St. Louis County to replace Dr. Rex Miller, who is resigning...

Pilots who use Cape Girardeau Regional Airport are faced with a dilemma: whether to believe the weather-condition reports that emanate from the airport's automated weather system. The airport's Automated Surface Observing System determines weather conditions for pilots, but it isn't always accurate. The system has two sensors that peer into the sky to gather readings. The sky can be mostly clear, but if there is one small cloud over the senors, the system interprets the conditions as poor...

7:30 p.m. Monday Jackson City Hall Action items Power and Light Committee -- Consider a motion authorizing the advertisement for bids for a truck for the Water Distribution Department. -- Consider a motion authorizing the advertisement for bids for a combination sewer cleaning truck for the Wastewater Department...

The Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to allow Southeast Missouri growers to plant more genetically engineered "Bt" corn. U.S. Sen. John Ashcroft praised the regulatory agency's decision. Ashcroft, a Republican, said it would put more money in the family budgets of Bootheel farmers...

7:30 p.m. Monday City Hall Public Hearings -- A public hearing regarding the necessity to improve that part of Bloomfield Road from west of South Kingshighway to Siemers Drive, not including the Interstate 55 bridge, for a distance of approximately 6,500 feet...

CARBONDALE -- The Southeast Missouri State women's track team finished in second place in the eight-team McDonald's Saluki Invitational Saturday with a team score of 112. The men took seventh place with 29 points. Heather Keltner sprinted to two first-place finishes for the Ohtakians. She ran the 200-meter dash in :25.12 and the 400 dash in :56.09...

JACKSON -- Jackson's boys took first place in the Jackson ninth-grade basketball tournament when Charleston forfeited by walking off the court in the first half of the championship game with the score 20-8. In the third-place game of the tournament, Cape Central edged Farmington 62-58...

FAIRMONT CITY, Ill. -- Funeral for Harold M. Alvey, 71, of Fairmont City will be at 1 p.m. today at Kassly Mortuary Chapel in Fairview Heights, with the Rev. H. Wayne Alvey officiating. He died Friday, Jan. 29, 1999, at his home. He was born June 4, 1927, in Chaffee, son of Virgil and Lizzie Davis Alvey...

JACKSON -- Louise M. Kasten, 76, of Jackson died Saturday, Jan. 30, 1999, at the Lutheran Home. She was born June 19, 1922, at Gordonville, daughter of Charles and Anna Romine Borchers. She and Milton "Jim" Kasten were married July 17, 1955. He died Jan. 26, 1990...

Ada Sullivan, 93, of Cape Girardeau, formerly of Cairo, Ill., died Saturday, Jan. 30, 1999, at Chateau Health Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Feb. 2, 1905, at Cairo, daughter of Halliday R. and Bessie Bogue Winslow Aisthrope. She and Robert R. Sullivan were married June 19, 1926, at Cairo. He died Sept. 7, 1973...

ANNA, Ill. -- Betty Lingle of Anna died Sunday, Jan. 31, 1999, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Crain Funeral Home in Anna.

PERRYVILLE -- Wesley L. Paul, 72, of Perryville died Saturday, Jan. 30, 1999, at his home. He was born Feb. 10, 1926, at Sheboygan, Wis., son of Carl L. and Ruth Genoksiky Paul. He and Evelyn L. Hartman were married on Feb. 20, 1979, at Chickasha, Okla...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Evelyn Louise Smith, 39, of St. Louis, formerly of East Prairie and Cape Girardeau, died Saturday, Jan. 30, 1999, at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis. She was born Aug. 6, 1959, at Sikeston, daughter of John Richard Smith and Jewell Evelyn Williams...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Alta Faye Carr, 74, of Cairo died Saturday, Jan. 30, 1999, at Caseyville Nursing Home in Caseyville. She was born June 2, 1924, in Massac County, daughter of Charlie and Bertha Oliver Jaynes. Survivors include a son, H.B. Carr, of Belleville; two stepsons, Tom and John Carr, both of Memphis; a brother, Bob Jaynes of St. Louis; two sisters, Emma Forest of St. Louis and Edna Lester of Batesburg, S.C.; and three grandchildren...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Charles Edward Sanders, 68, of East Prairie died Saturday, Jan. 30, 1999, at his home. He was born Jan. 19, 1931, at Success, Ark., son of T.L. and Merlannie Choate Sanders. He and Mozell Watson were married Nov. 5, 1950. He lived in Mississippi County most of his life and was a retired farmer...

SIKESTON -- Hazel Curtis, 76, of Sikeston, formerly of Mississippi County, died Saturday, Jan 30, 1999, at the Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. She was born Sept. 30, 1922, at Bowling Green, Ky., daughter of Arthur T. and Carrie Kitchens Thornton. She and Elwayne Curtis were married in 1943. He preceded her in death...

This "Financial Focus" column is prepared by Edward Jones Investments, headquartered in St. Louis. Jones includes branches throughout the nation, including Cape Girardeau and Jackson. In the 1960s, a Brooklyn couple, Donald and Mildred Othmer, invested $50,000 in the stock market on the advice of a trusted friend. When the Othmers died during the 1990s, they left an estate worth $800 million, thanks to the advice of their friend, Warren Buffett...

H&R Block has expanded its operations at Jackson. Investments and insurance have been added to the Jackson office's tax and accounting business, and additional space was needed, said Odie Lingle and Faye Lingle, owners of the Jackson H&R Block business...

Toni's Flower House is under new ownership. Sharon and Sonny Bodenstein recently purchased the business at 41 S. Sprigg St. Sharon Bodenstein has experience in the flower shop industry. She previously worked at Sweetheart Florist in Jackson. The store will be open six days a week -- from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m to 2 p.m. Saturday...

Stacy Taylor has been named program assistant by the Missouri Mentoring Partnership for Cape Girardeau and Scott counties. Taylor previously served as office manager for Lutheran Family and Children's Services the past two years. Prior to that she was a senior customer representative for Chase Manhattan Bank and Town North National Bank in Dallas, Texas...

Union Planters Corp. reported earnings of $225.6 million, or $1.58 per diluted share for 1998, compared to $339.8 million or $2.47 per diluted share of 1997. The 1998 results reflect acquisitions during the year of Magna Group Inc., a $7.7 billion operation at St. Louis; Ready State Bank in Hialeah, Fla.; Southeast Bancorp., in Corbin, Ky.; and LaPlace Bancshares Inc., at LaPlace, La...

Dana Corp., headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, has announced all-time high sales and earnings for 1998. Full-year sales were $12.5 billion. For the year, operating income jumped 26 percent, to $591 million, and earnings per share increased 24 percent, to $3.54. With some one-time adjustments, net income was at $534 million for the year, with earnings per share at $3.20 on a fully diluted basis...

New officers will be introduced, and awards will be presented for business of the year, organization of the year, man and woman of the year at 6 p.m., Feb. 20, at the Dexter Chamber of Commerce banquet at the National Guard Armory in Dexter. New chamber president Jack Huffman will discuss chamber plans for the year. He succeeds president LaVeda Banken...

The New Madrid Chamber of Commerce will observe its 40th anniversary during its annual Chamber Awards Banquet at 6 p.m., Feb. 27, at Rebecca Sharp's Catering. Three awards will be presented during the event -- Man or Woman of the Year, Community Service and Lifetime Achievement...

Small Business of the Year and the Rush H. Limbaugh awards will be presented during the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce's annual meeting and dinner dance Friday. Entertainment, dinner, introduction of new officers and other special presentations -- including the Go-Getter Award -- are among activities scheduled. A social hour will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. with a buffet dinner at 7 and awards presentation and program at 8. Dancing will start at 9...

Tuesday Job Fair, Mingo Job Corps Center, Puxico, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce First Friday Coffee, 7:30 a.m., Show Me Center. Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce annual meeting, Show Me Center. Feb. 7 to 9 Southern Soybean Conference, Memphis, Tenn...

Speakers have been named for the Economic Outlook Conference, to be held Feb. 18 at Glenn Auditorium, Dempster Hall, at Southeast Missouri State University. They include Dr. William Gavin, vice president of the research department of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. He will discuss "Monetary Policy and the Economic Outlook," and Dr. Edward Robb, director, Business and Public Administration Research Center, University of Missouri-Columbia, will discuss "The Economic Outlook for Missouri."...