Stories from Wednesday, July 7, 1999

To the editor: I understand that U.S. senators are debating a constitutional amendment to make flag burning a crime. I ask you to vote no. My father fought in World War II, and he fought for liberty and freedom. He always taught me to respect and honor the American flag, but along with that right came responsibility and the right to dissent...

In some countries cows are sacred. Here, it's the hamburger. While Germany has its sausages and Austria its schnitzels, in the United States the burger is king. Nearly 6 billion hamburgers were sold in American restaurants last year. In fact, five of the biggest restaurant chains in the country have hamburgers at the core of their menu. ...

I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe Independence Day holiday. The weather was perfect for swimming and boating with the high temperatures and humidity. I had a wonderful long holiday with my family. I took a couple of days off from the Senior Center and spent the long weekend potty training our 2-year-old, Lexie. ...

Twenty-two area high school students attended the American Legion Boys State of Missouri held at Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg. Boys State is designed to educate young men about duties, privileges, responsibilities and rights of American citizenship. More than 960 boys attended this 60th year of the program...

Judgment has already been passed TO THE Christian who called and said only God should judge homosexuality: He already has. Read your Bible. Need better ratings for movies SOMEONE NEEDS to be in charge of the ratings for movies, because it seems like there is no rhyme or reasoning for the ratings. ...

Last week a long-running farce called the independent counsel law expired. It won't be renewed, as America's 20-plus-year experiment in this constitutional hybrid goes the way of the dodo. Therein lies a tale. The independent counsel law was a 1970s-era, post-Watergate creature of Washington's liberal reformers. ...

Three cases of Hepatitis A were confirmed from a Cape Girardeau County day care, but county health officials say the outbreak was quickly contained thanks to quick reporting by the day care. Charlotte Craig, director of the Cape Girardeau County Health Department, said one adult and two children at Little Rascal's day care had the infection...

Parents whose children were affected by recently-adopted elementary school boundary changes must return requests to grandfather their children to the Cape Girardeau School District before the July 30 deadline. Applications are available at the district's administrative office, 61 N. Clark, for children hoping to continue their school attendance at the buildings they attended during the 1998-99 school year...

Southeast Missouri State University's Board of Regents will take to the road this fall. As part of the university's effort to review and revise its 1996 strategic plan, the board will visit 11 communities to garner public opinion on what the university has done and should be doing for the region...

Southwestern Bell has been the primary carrier of local toll calls in the Cape Girardeau area the past 15 years. Starting this month, that could change. Customers can choose any company they would like to serve as their carrier. Currently, when a customer picks up the phone and dials 1+ or 0+ Southwestern Bell is the automatic carrier...

You'd have to think a company selling $1 million in life insurance over the phone is a little shady. But I'm betting my future wealth they aren't. It was about 9 a.m. Monday. You may remember that Monday was a holiday -- a time when any regular Joe Office in his right mind should sleep until noon...

A request to move an insurance company to a residential part of town never even had the chance for a vote Tuesday at the Cape Girardeau City Council meeting. Every ordinance requires a motion to be called for a vote. No council members made that motion and the ordinance died...

JACKSON -- The cost of connecting to the sewer system in the City of Jackson increased by 1,200 percent Monday night. The Jackson Board of Aldermen approved a new in-district connection fee of $180. City Administrator Steve Wilson said the previous feeof $15 was "totally out of step" with the city's cost of providing the connection...

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau, and 40 of her farm-state colleagues want President Clinton to submit a plan to Congress to address the financial crisis in farming. In a July 1 letter to the president, she and House colleagues wrote that America's farmers can't stand a second year of record-low prices without government help...

MARSTON -- Residents should know today whether the weekend's efforts to bring water back to the community were successful. The community has virtually been without water since Thursday. Problems began when a pump for the water system broke and when repair efforts began, the old well was determined not to be usable...

MURPHYSBORO, Ill. -- Cape Legion struck first, then the lightning as Ford & Sons evened its season record with a weather-shortened, 11-7 victory over Murphsysboro. Ford & Sons, which improved to 15-15, banged out 15 hits before play was stopped in the sixth inning due to lightning...

Wood & Huston Cape Junior Legion baseball team will begin play tonight in the six-team District No. 14 `A' Legion Tournament in Sikeston. Wood & Huston, the fourth seed, takes a 22-14 record into tonight's 8 p.m. game against fifth-seed Poplar Bluff...

Southeast Missouri State University's Junior Golf Camp will be held July 13-15 at Southeast Discount Golf. The camp, conducted by Southeast's men's golf coach Carroll Williams, will focus on error correction, short game management, video taping of players, computer analysis of swing and play on the newly developed Cape LaCroix Par 3 course...

The Cape Area Youth Soccer Association (CAYSA) is in need of volunteers for the upcoming 1999-2000 soccer season. The organization has two openings on the executive board for a recording secretary and the vice president to manage equipment/uniforms...

Earl Cotner of Scott City recently carded his first hole-in-one at Kimbeland Country Club. Cotner performed the feat with a 6-iron on No. 12, a 155-yard par 3. Witnesses to the shot were Mike Wilcutt, David Hohler and Gary Riggins.

KARNAK, Ill., -- George Verner Hicks, 85, of Karnak died Tuesday, July 6, 1999, at Good Samaritan Care Center in Metropolis. He was born Dec. 26, 1913, in Sherman, the son of the Rev. Acton and Minnie Tate Hicks. He married Ethel Bond Hicks. She survives...

SIKESTON -- Danny Ray Tucker, 43, of Sikeston, died Tuesday, July 6, 1999, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born Dec. 2, 1955, at Sikeston, son of William L. and Nora L. Bruce Tucker. He and Carolyn Sue Butrum were married May 28, 1976, at Sikeston...

Funeral for Patsy Nations of Cape Girardeau will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at Ford and Sons Mt. Auburn Chapel. David Jordan will officiate. Burial will be in Cape County Memorial Park. Friends may call at the chapel from 5-7 p.m. today. Nations, 71, died Monday, July 5, 1999, at her home...

Edwin Nebel, 60, of Terre Du Lac at Bonne Terre died Sunday, July 4, 1999, at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis. He was born Feb. 14, 1939, in Cape Girardeau, son of Edwin and Anita Loos Nebel. He married Marlene Prinz. Nebel was a graduate of Central High School and had worked at Rust and Martin...

JACKSON -- Funeral for Dorothy Melba Conder of Jackson will be held at 10 a.m. today at Cracraft-Miller Funeral Home. Dr. Brian Anderson will officiate. Burial will be in Russell Heights Cemetery. Conder, 89, died Monday, July 5, 1999, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau...

SCOTT CITY -- Daniel Michael Zander, 70, of Scott City died Tuesday, July 6, 1999, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Sept. 15, 1928, in Chicago, son of Michael and Stella Bury Zander. He and Mary Dakin were married Nov. 15, 1975, in Chicago...

CHAFFEE -- Cora H. Mayfield, 84, of Chaffee died Tuesday, July 6, 1999, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born July 7, 1914, in Bollinger County, daughter of John and Francis Welker Hanners. She and Oscar Isaac Mayfield were married Aug. 13, 1937. He died Sept. 30, 1984...

ZALMA -- Lon L. "Linn" Choate, 72, of Zalma died Monday, July 5, 1999, at John J. Pershing VA Medical Center in Poplar Bluff. He was born April 19, 1927, at Grassy, son of Lon A. and Effie Kirkpatrick Choate. He and Dorothy Corbin were married Dec. 27, 1947, in Piggott, Ark...

ANNA, Ill. -- Lois Pulliam, 87, of Anna died Tuesday, July 6, 1999, at Union County Hospital. She was born Aug. 13, 1911, in Union County, daughter of Ed and Hattie Emery Wiggs. She married Clarence Pulliam in 1941. Pulliam was a member of Anna Heights Baptist Church...

MOUNDS, Ill. -- Freda L. Wilburn, 76, of Mounds died Tuesday, July 6, 1999, at her home. She was born Sept. 3, 1922, in Mounds, daughter of Jesse and Edith Simmons Mize. Wilburn was a member of First Baptist Church. Survivors include two daughters, Barbara Allen of South Bend, Ind., Debra Minor of America; two sons, Kenneth Wilburn of Pulaski, Kevin Klasner of Dongola; two sisters, Lillian Bagby of Mounds, Erma Essex of Villa Ridge; three brothers, Jesse Mize of Mounds, Barry Mize of South Bend, Billy Mize of Little Rock, Ark.; a friend, Harley Apple of Mounds; 15 grandchildren; and 23 great-grandchildren.. ...

LEOPOLD-- Geraldine Marie Huffman, 72, of Leopold died Tuesday, July 6, 1999, at St. Francis Medical Center. She was born Oct. 16, 1926, in Cape Girardeau, the daughter of August Hugo and Emma Louise Griffin. She married Leonard Huffman in August of 1946 in Cape Girardeau. He died Jan. 19, 1972...

On a recent trip my husband, Larry Joe and I, were meandering across Oklahoma, where we found ourselves in Sallisaw, a small community nestled in the edge of the Cookson's Hills on I-40, a hop-and-a-skip from Ft. Smith, Ark. Sallisaw has several claims to fame. ...