Stories from Saturday, February 20, 1999

Programs for young people are available each Wednesday night at Cape Bible Chapel. While youths gather at the church, adults meet in homes for small-group Bible study. A sign on Cornerstone Church on West End Boulevard advertises the building's sale. Cornerstone is building a church near Minnesota Street...

A mural Dr. Grant Lund is painting at Southeast's Rhodes Hall will depict physicist Stephen Hawking, a contemporary scientist who has succeeded in capturing people's imaginations despite a severe disability. The mural is an attempt both to dress up a drab building and to make a statement about the creativity of science...

For the first time this century the number of Missouri farms is on the increase. A newly released report by the Census of Agriculture shows that from 1992 to 1997 the number of Show Me State farms increased from 98,082 to 98,860. In 1992, only Texas, with more than 185,000 farms, had more farms than Missouri. Texas still ranks No. 1 and Missouri No. 2 in numbers of farms...

What if everyone drove like you? Joyce Marshall, director of the Missouri Division of Highway Safety, hopes the answer to that question always will be a positive one because of a new traffic-safety initiative announced in Cape Girardeau Friday. Marshall joined with Cape Girardeau County law enforcement officers to promote the Missouri Millennium Promise, a statewide public-awareness campaign that calls on Missourians to sign a card pledging to be a responsible driver...

SIKESTON -- Missouri should keep its promises when it comes to building roads and bridges. That message was repeated again and again by state lawmakers and officials from the region who met Friday with Lee Kling, chairman of the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission...

"Grease" is the word. At least, in our home. Our daughters love the 1970s musical. They've watched the video over and over, to the point that I think the movie is etched permanently on our three television screens. These days, Becca and Bailey love to crank up the volume on the living room stereo and dance to the CD soundtrack...

Sometimes I wish I were a fanatic. A fanatic is, by definition, someone who is unreasonably enthusiastic or overly zealous. They take things to extremes in order to express their approval or disapproval of someone or something. There are fanatics to match almost as many things as exist in this world. There are religious fanatics, sports fanatics, exercise fanatics and book fanatics. Also walking around town are drug fanatics, computer fanatics, housekeeping fanatics and shoe fanatics...

To the editor: As the impeachment trial ended in the acquittal of the president, I was reminded of a movie of many years ago. The plot depicted an obviously guilty man being tried for his crime. He was defended by a prominent, shrewd lawyer. As the jury announced the verdict "not guilty," the man exclaims, "Thank God!" to his lawyer. The lawyer promptly responds, "Don't thank God. Thank me. God knows you're guilty."...

To the editor: Here are some quotes from James Carville's appearance Feb. 14 on "Meet the Press": The president "deliberately mislead and deceived the American people ... . He gave false and misleading testimony, and his actions have had the effect of impeding discovery of evidence in judicial proceedings. ...

To the editor: On Jan. 14, many of the youth of Lynwood Baptist Church participated in a ceremony called True Love Waits. The church was decorated beautifully as if for a wedding. The ceremony itself involved the youths who chose to participate and their parents. ...

To the editor: By now we are all probably pretty familiar with the facelift that our beloved $20 bill has undergone. "Monopoly money" seems to be the most frequently used description. This has left many of us wondering what our Treasury Department has in store for us next...

True Love Waits. That's the message of several programs in the region geared to encourage young people to abstain from sexual relations before marriage. One of these abstinence programs comes from a surprising place: the government. Sex education didn't work. Neither did handing out condoms at school...

With a handful of brushes -- sometimes as many as eight at one time -- Cherished Teddies Design Studio artist Yen Shufen will demonstrate her technique today. Shufen will paint figurines and answer questions from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Zickfield's Gift Box, 27 N. Main...

THIS IS in response to the comment that mentioned the dogs being noisy. Dog owners supposedly get their dogs to alarm the owners of intruders. But when the dogs bark incessantly, how are the owners going to be aware of intruders? If there's a city ordinance regulating noise, then this ordinance should also be applied to pets. ...

SCOTT CITY -- Jon Beck left an indelible mark on his final game at Scott City Gymnasium. As if his brilliant performance through the course of the Rams' game against highly touted Dexter weren't enough, Beck swished a 30-foot 3-pointer as time expired, punctuating Scott City's 72-61 victory Friday night...

Seventy-five foot heaves or 5-foot one-handers ... If it's a big shot, Cape Central's Donnie McClinton has been hitting it lately. McClinton drove through the lane, used a spin dribble to his left, pulled up about five feet in front of the basket, floated and put up a soft one-hander as time expired to give the Tigers a 48-46 win over St. Louis University High Friday night...

Area golfers will soon get the opportunity to lower their scores into the 20s for nine holes. Strokes as well as the time required for a round of golf should drop significantly when the La Croix Creek Golf Course opens this spring in Cape Girardeau...

Although Southeast Missouri State University's basketball team will host a first-round Ohio Valley Conference Tournament game Tuesday, tonight will mark the final regular-season home contest for the Indians. So it will be Senior Night at the Show Me Center when Southeast faces Eastern Illinois in a 7:30 tipoff -- and Southeast coach Gary Garner says it's fitting that his four seniors are being honored near the conclusion of the Indians' best Division I season ever...

COLUMBIA -- For Jackson High wrestler Lance Schlick, hopefully the third time will be the charm. Schlick, the Indians' standout 135-pounder, won a pair of matches Friday to advance to today's championship match of the Missouri Class 4A Championships...

SIKESTON -- Dafton Griffin, 72, of Sikeston died Thursday, Feb. 18, 1999, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born July 23, 1926, in Watts, Ark., son of Sam and Minnie Griffin. He and the former Willalee Griffin were married Dec. 8, 1954, in Marshall, Ark...

BELL CITY -- Marie Coleman, 57, of Bell City died Thursday, Feb. 18, 1999, at University Hospital in St. Louis. She was born Sept. 8, 1941, in Olive Branch, Ill., daughter of Loren and Gertrude Browning. She and the Rev. Jerry Coleman were married July 17, 1959, at Bloomfield. He died July 7, 1992...

SIKESTON -- Joseph Charles "J.C." McMillen, 78, of Sikeston died Friday, Feb. 19, 1999, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born Nov. 17, 1920, in Murray, Ky., son of Maxie and Maggie Stagner McMillen. McMillen lived in Mississippi County most of his life. He was a member of First Baptist Church in Bertrand...

Funeral for Winifred Hannah of Mayfield, Ky., was held Feb. 13 at Byrn Funeral Chapel in Mayfield. Dr. L.A. Doyle and the Rev. Carey Puckett officiated. Entombment was in Highland Park Mausoleum. Hannah, 78, died Thursday, Feb. 11, 1999, at Columbia Pinelake Regional Hospital in Mayfield...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Nona J. Hodges, 79, of East Prairie died Friday, Feb. 19, 1999, at East Prairie Nursing Center. She was born Feb. 22, 1919, in Obion County, Tenn., daughter of Delbert and Mary Slaughter. Survivors include four sons, Calvin, James and John Hodges of East Prairie, Vernon Hodges of Houston, Texas; two daughters, Ocie Bradley of Steele, Linda Hodges of East Prairie; two sisters, Wilma Evans of Los Angeles, Calif., Dora Guess of Hickman, Ky.; 14 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.. ...

DEXTER -- Funeral for Walter A. Whitmore of Dexter will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday at First United Methodist Church. The Revs. Fred Leist and R.L. Hester will officiate. Burial will be in Chalk Bluff Cemetery near Dexter. Friends may call at Rainey Funeral Home in Dexter from 5-8 p.m. today...

ANNA, Ill. -- Juanita Hindman, 83, of Oregon, Ill., formerly of Anna, died Friday, Feb. 19, 1999, at Rochelle Hospital in Rochelle. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Crain Funeral Home in Anna. Graveside services will be at 10 a.m. Monday in Jonesboro Cemetery...

FRIEDHEIM -- John F. Hahs, 86, of Friedheim died Friday, Feb. 19, 1999, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born March 29, 1912, near Sedgewickville, son of James F. and Rosetta Friese Hahs. He married Opal Deimund on Dec. 14, 1945. She died March 23, 1994...

Daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Adam Wolfson of Kensington, Md., Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., 1:55 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, 1999. Name, Margaret Judith. Weight, 6 pounds 12 ounces. First child. Mrs. Wolfson is the former Dorothea Israel, daughter of Thomas and Kilja Israel of Cape Girardeau. ...

DEXTER -- James A. Pierce, 75, of Dexter died Friday, Feb. 19, 1999, at Methodist Hospital Central in Memphis, Tenn. He was born Dec. 20, 1923, in Jamestown, Ky., son of J.W. and Lola Pierce. He and Frances Enteman were married Jan. 20, 1950, in Piggott, Ark...