Stories from Tuesday, March 16, 1999

Sometimes it's hard to find things for your kids to do when they exclaim: "I'm bored." The Internet may offer some solutions for parents and kid activities on lazy afternoons or even a surprise snow day in March. The Internet is never at a loss for things to do. Let's take a look at a few spots we found for kids. Weekly Reader, a longtime favorite of schoolchildren, has entered the Cyberworld...

JACKSON -- Be understanding. Be genuine. Be honest. Be enthusiastic. These four ideals demonstrate Josie Glueck's basic philosophy on teaching, as does a fifth principle -- be active. Glueck is a 15-year teaching veteran working at Jackson Middle School. The physical education teacher said she works to keep herself and all students as active as possible on a daily basis...

Dana Headrick, right, and Sasha Childers colored a picture of a kite which related to a poem, "The Kite," at May Greene Elementary School. When May Greene Elementary School students created a Principal's Day card for Dr. Barbara Kohlfeld, they told her they liked her willingness to read poetry to them...

TAMMS, Ill. -- In an unusual solo motion, Illinois Supreme Court Justice Moses Harrison II late Monday ordered a stay of the execution of Andrew Kokoraleis pending a decision on the case by the U.S. Supreme Court. Although court officials declined to comment on whether the order would force a postponement of the execution, scheduled for 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, Kokoraleis' lawyer Alan Freedman said the U.S. Supreme Court will no longer expedite the case because a stay is pending at the state level...

A public forum will be held next week to allow Cape Girardeau school patrons to review data used by a committee that recently proposed elementary school boundary changes. The forum will be held at 6 p.m. March 24 at Central Junior High School cafeteria. The Cape Girardeau Board of Education, redistricting committee members and school administrators will be on hand to discuss enrollment information and answer questions from the public about the repositioning of elementary school boundaries...

Instead of waiting 10 years to save all the money needed to make improvements to the A.C. Brase Arena Building, the city wants to borrow the money from a Sikeston bank through a lease-purchase agreement. The city council approved an ordinance Monday night that would lease the Arena Building to the First National Bank of the Mid-South so that nearly $230,000 worth of renovations can be completed over a three-year period. The ordinance will get final approval at the April 5 council meeting...

Southeast Missouri State University wants to hike tuition and general fees, and add a student health fee. Combined, the fees would total $107.50 a credit-hour for in-state undergraduates, a $4 hike from the current rate. An undergraduate student taking 12 credit-hours would pay $1,290 for a single semester, a $48 increase from the current cost...

Last week I went to prison. Although my visit was brief and work related, I still didn't like the feeling it gave me. The place was exactly as I'd imagined it, complete with coiled wires sitting atop gigantic chain link fences. Even in the dead of night, the prison was brightly lit but far from charming...

The Cape Girardeau school board voted 5-1 Monday night to discontinue a second class preparation period for new and probationary secondary teachers. Secondary teachers currently are required to teach during five of seven class periods each day. The other two periods are scheduled free times when teachers can plan curriculum, make copies or do other work on site...

Every time Missourians hear about another state commission, they tend to grab their wallets. That's because most commissions of late have produced predictable reports saying taxpayers ought to pay more for something. Take the Total Transportation Commission of a few months back. The aim, we were told, was to put together the best statewide transportation plan possible. What we got -- and what we expected -- was a recommendation for more taxes, more spending and very little in the way of a plan...

The official-looking envelope in the mailbox says you're a finalist in a well-known sweepstakes. Instructions on how to claim your prize are inside. Who wouldn't rip open the envelope to see how big the check will be? Then you remember you didn't enter the sweepstakes. So how can you be a finalist?...

To the editor: This letter is in response to the March 3 article on DWIs. The article presented the idea of putting first-time offenders through a treatment program before giving them jail time. This, in my opinion, is a bad idea. I think we should instigate a zero-tolerance law...

To the editor: I hope everyone read the opposing views of Proposition B on the March 11 Opinion page and noted the stark differences in the two articles. The article by Thomas McClanahan was filled with facts from independent sources, primarily John Lott from the University of Chicago, while the one from Morley Swingle was filled with hysterical personal opinion...

To the editor: Now that the impeachment affair has been beaten to death, the latest flimflam is what to do with the federal surplus. What surplus? All of the so-called surplus is money that belongs to the Social Security Trust Fund. So it will be with the so-called surpluses for years to come. However, never let it be said that our national leaders, Republican and Democrat alike, can face an issue forthrightly and honestly and deal with it commensurately...

To the editor: Thank you for the fair coverage of the "We Card" program in your Feb. 22 editorial. As retailers, we are aware of our responsibilities to uphold the law and prevent the retail sale of tobacco to minors. The "We Card" program gives our clerks on the front lines the necessary skills to fulfill our responsibilities...

Agenda, Monday, March 15 Public hearing -- Held hearing to consider the rezoning of all the property addressed as 2387 W. Jackson Boulevard from R-2 (single family residential) to C-2 (general commercial) as submitted by Stephen Wilson. Action items...

JACKSON -- Noting that developing the traffic corridors outlined in the city's new Comprehensive Plan and Major Street Plan will take five to 10 years, Mayor Paul Sander says the city needs to tackle its current traffic problems. "With the extraordinary growth our community has encountered, it has become apparent to everyone that certain traffic bottlenecks have developed and present safety and traffic flow dilemmas," he said...

Cape Girardeau's electricians won't have to pass an examination to receive their license, but only if they currently hold a license. The city council approved by a 5-2 vote Monday night an ordinance that would exempt existing license holders from the test. An ordinance passed in 1996 would have required every electrician to pass a standardized test...

As far as Southeast Missouri State University baseball goes so far this season, if it's not one thing, it's another. The Indians, who have been hampered by a variety of injuries, have been snowed out of two scheduled games early this week -- even though the weather has all of a sudden turned nice...

Scott City High School, coming off a sensational football season, is now in the market for a new head coach. Terry Flannigan recently accepted a position as an assistant football coach at Sikeston High School for next season. He will also be involved with the track program at Sikeston while teaching weight training...

There has been an upheaval in the coaching staff at Chaffee High School. During last Thursday's March meeting of the Chaffee School Board, the head coaches of four of the school's major sports -- football, boys basketball, girls basketball and baseball -- were not rehired for next school year...

Bruce Qualls has not been rehired as the head baseball coach at Chaffee High School -- and he's mighty upset about it. During last Thursday's March meeting of the Chaffee School Board, Qualls was one of four head coaches in some of the school's major sports who were not rehired for next school year...

NORMAL, Ill. -- Southeast Missouri State University's gymnastics team bounced back from Sunday's home loss to Auburn by winning on the road Monday night. The Otahkians edged Illinois State 192.925 to 192.600. "I thought we performed pretty well," said Southeast coach Kris Buchheister. "We were pretty consistent, with 48 and up across the board."...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Southeast Missouri State University's softball team began its week-long California trip by sweeping a doubleheader Monday. The Otahkians downed Indiana State 1-0 and 12-4 as they evened their record at 3-3. Southeast will face Cal State-Sacramento today before beginning play in the 16-team Capital Classic Thursday...

The Cape Gators recently competed in the Ozark Division I Championship in St. Peter's. The following swimmers placed in the top eight: Katie Luehman (10 & U): 5th 100 freestyle, 7th 200 freestyle Jake Meyer (10 & U): 5th, 200 freestyle Jameson Kuper (11-12): 5th 200 freestyle...

PERRYVILLE -- Irma Agnes Klobe, 81, of Perryville died Sunday, March 14, 1999, at Perry County Nursing Home. She was born July 31, 1917, in Perry County, daughter of August and Mary Louise Cissell Smith. She and Harold Klobe were married May 23, 1936...

BLOOMFIELD -- James S. Baker, 96, of Bloomfield died Monday, March 15, 1999, at Dexter Memorial Hospital in Dexter. He was born March 10, 1903, at Davisville, son of Samuel and Rachel Osburn Baker. He and Hasel Capps were married Aug. 18, 1925. Baker was a maintenance worker at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, retiring in 1968 and moving back to Bloomfield...

SIKESTON -- Funeral for Linda J. Peel of Sikeston will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Blanchard Funeral Chapel in Sikeston. Dr. Jim Guffie will officiate, assisted by the Rev. Billie Fair. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery. Friends may call at the chapel from 5 to 8 p.m. today...

Ernest Joseph "Jody" Hagy, 49, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, March 14, 1999, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born May 6, 1949, at Dexter, son of John and Beatrice Hagy. He and Nancy Howard Parrish were married Feb. 5, 1995, in St. Louis. Hagy was a truck driver with Delta Express. He was a member of the Assembly of God Church in Bell City. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army. Hagy moved to Cape Girardeau four years ago from Dexter...

MORLEY -- Memorial service for Joyce Faye Ingram of Morley will be at 1 p.m. today at New Life Christian Center. The Rev. Don Russell will officiate. Burial will be in Wardell Memorial Cemetery at Wardell. Bradshaw-Osburn Funeral Home at Wardell is in charge of arrangements...

CHARLESTON -- A memorial service for Virginia Louise Long of Charleston will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at McMikle Funeral Home in Charleston. Leon Sterling will officiate. Friends may call at the funeral home Wednesday from noon until time of service. Long, 69, died Saturday, March 13, 1999, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston...

PERRYVILLE -- Funeral Mass for Gladys E. Meyer of Perryville will be at 10 a.m. today at St. Maurus Catholic Church in Biehle. The Rev. Mark Bozada will officiate. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Friends may call at Young and Sons Funeral Home from 6:30 to 9:15 a.m. today...

SIKESTON -- Funeral for Raymond Lewis of Sikeston will be held at 1 p.m. today at Shelby Funeral Home in East Prairie. Carl Addison and Larry Smith will officiate. Burial will be in Odd Fellows Cemetery near Charleston. Lewis, 85, died Saturday, March 13, 1999, at Clearview Nursing Center...

MARQUAND -- Funeral for Ronald Lee Cook of Marquand will be held at 2 p.m. today at Marquand United Methodist Church. The Rev. W.D. Snyder and Stella Turner will officiate. Burial will be in Mouser Cemetery at Marquand. Follis-Sonderman Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements...

JACKSON -- Funeral for Cecil E. Monteith of Jackson will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson. The Revs. Gary Petty and Dean Heady will officiate. Burial will be in Russell Heights Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home from 4 to 8 p.m. today...

MATTHEWS -- Phillip Glenn Tidwell, 39, of Matthews died Saturday, March 13, 1999, at St. Louis University Hospital. He was born July 31, 1959, at Sikeston, son of Virgil Lee and Charlotte Ergle Tidwell. Tidwell was a farm laborer. Survivors include his mother of Matthews; five brothers, Robert Tidwell of Matthews, Harold Tidwell of Carbon Hill, Ala., Larry Tidwell of Wichita, Kan., Donald Tidwell of Sikeston, Christopher Tidwell of Jasper, Ala.; three sisters, Nida Brand of Nauvoo, Ala., Sandra Decker of New Madrid and Patricia Angel of Blodgett.. ...

SIKESTON -- Shirley J. Donze, 58, of Sikeston died Monday, March 15, 1999, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Nunnelee Funeral Chapel in Sikeston.

ANNA, Ill. -- Atwood Head, 82, of Anna died Monday, March 15, 1999, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Friends may call after 5 p.m. Wednesday at Crain Funeral Home in Anna. Funeral will be 1:30 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home, with the Revs. Floyd Stout and Verlee Eaker officiating...

JOHNSTON CITY, Ill. -- Ronald Lee Chronister Jr., 28, of Fredericktown, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Sunday, March 14, 1999, in a traffic accident in Madison County. He was born Dec. 17, 1970, in St. Louis County, son of Ronald L. Sr. and Jo Ann Richardson Chronister...

MARBLE HILL -- Jerry D. Huckstep, 64, of Marble Hill died Sunday, March 14, 1999, at his home. He was born Aug. 24, 1934, in Cape Girardeau, son of Roscoe and Georgia Davis Huckstep. He married Fay Yount on Jan 12, 1957, in Marble Hill. He was a member of Harmony Congregational Methodist Church and an Air Force veteran...

DONGOLA, Ill. -- Clinton Duckworth, 65, of Dongola died Monday, March 15, 1999, at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Marion. Friends may call 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at Crain Funeral Home in Dongola. Funeral will be 11 a.m. Thursday at the funeral home, with the Rev. A.W. Landis and Everett Frizzell officiating...

Ollie Gregory, 91, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, March 15, 1999, at Ratliff Care Center. She was born Jan. 2, 1908, at McClure, Ill., daughter of Tilton and Sarah Adaline Phillips Matlock. She and Wesley Gregory Sr. were married in March 1922 in Cairo, Ill...

Robert E. Burdine, 60, of Jacksonville, Ill., died Friday, March 5, 1999, at St. John's Hospital in Springfield, Ill. He was born Sept. 27, 1938, at Steele, son of Robert Richard and Marion Wright Burdine. He and Nancy Holly were married Feb. 21, 1960, at New Madrid...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Funeral for James Carl "Jim" Busby of St. Louis will be held at 3 p.m. today at Shelby Funeral Home in East Prairie. The Rev. Gerald Brown will officiate. Burial will be in East Prairie Memorial Park Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home from noon until service time...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Funeral for Robert C. Elkins of Jonesboro will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Hileman and Parr Funeral Home. The Rev. Jim Galbraith will officiate. Burial will be in Caster Cemetery, with military rites by Anna VFW Post 3455. Friends may call at the funeral home from 5 to 8 p.m. today...