Stories from Monday, July 12, 1999

Don McElmurry has joined Capitol Hill Realty Inc. McElmurry, who retired from Hoechst Roussel Pharmaceuticals in 1996 after 33 years, recently completed ICI Real Estate School and received his state board certification. He is a member of the National Association of Realtors, Missouri Association of Realtors and the Cape Girardeau County Board of Realtors...

Jennifer Chronister and Johnny Faith have received promotions at Fox 23 KBSI. Chronister, who joined Fox 23 as an intern while attending the university here, has been promoted to national sales manager at Fox 23 and UPN 49. Chronister, graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, with a bachelor's degree in radio and television, joined KBSI full time in 1993...

Some 26 employees of Alliance Blue Cross Blue Shield Processing Center in Cape Girardeau have been honored for 100 percent accuracy in the quality of their work over a four-month period. John O'Rourke, chairman, president and chief executive officer of the insurance company, attended the awards luncheon Thursday at the Holiday Inn, where each received a plaque and "Commitment to Quality" gift shirts...

Laura Fay Thomas has joined Thomas Insurance Services at 1925-A William in Cape Girardeau. Thomas has experience in the insurance industry. She previously worked with Bankers Life and Casualty.

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. Looking for a good read? How about the annual reports of your stocks and mutual funds?...

Dianna Stevens of Ullin, Ill., a Modern Woodmen of America district representative, has completed a five-day educational program at the company's headquarters in Rock Island, Ill. Stevens was one of 30 Modern Woodmen's nationwide field force to qualify for the program that reviewed fraternal benefits and activities through Modern Woodmen, a member-owned fraternal life insurance and financial services...

Whitney A. Watts has received a promotion at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's rural development office at Jackson. Watts, who joined the office in May 1998, has been named community development technician. Watts' promotion was announced recently by Randal D. Friend, community development manager at the Jackson office...

Illinois Gov. George Ryan has appointed Robert Vickrey, a seven-year board member, as chairman of the Illinois Gaming Board. New commission members are Chicago attorneys Gregory C. Jones, Joseph Lamendella and Stuart Levine. They replace outgoing members William Browder, whose term expired; Gay S. Pyatt, who left a year before her term was to expire; and Terry Scrogum, who resigned to take a full-time job in the Ryan administration...

Dale P. Kramer has been selected as the 1999 inductee into the Retailing Hall of Fame. Kramer, retired president and chief executive officer of ShopKo Stores Inc., will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in August. He was selected for the honor by Discount Store News, a trade publication of the industry...

The Small Business Development Center will conduct counseling sessions at Cape Girardeau, Sikeston and Perryville this month. The counselor, Gil Degenhardt, will be available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 21 at the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce office. The counseling sessions (about one hour) are free. Call 335-3312 for appointment...

The "millennium bug" and what it means to both businesses and individuals will be the topic for the "Y2K Community Conversation: Are We Ready?" seminar Wednesday at Southeast Missouri Hospital's Harrison Room. The session will be sponsor by the hospital's Generations Family Resource Center...

As of Oct. 12, there will be 6 billion people on Earth. Or, maybe not. The date might be July 22. Or, July 19. You can't say exactly when, say United Nations Population Fund (UNPF) officials, but the UNPF has declared Oct. 12 as the official "Day of Six Billion."...

Pendleton Woolen Mills has opened a retail store in Cape Girardeau. The store at 2117 William in Heritage Square offers men's and women's clothing, along with other items, including Indian blankets. Peggy Tinsley is store manager. The business will be open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday...

Little more than a year after unveiling its hot New Beetle, Volkswagen is already thinking of changing it -- by cutting off the top. Robert Buechelhofer, board member in charge of sales and marketing, said the company will consider offering a convertible version of its retooled classic, although he wouldn't say when...

Certified public accountants Melvin H. Schmidt and Susan K. Frey have formed an accounting partnership, Schmidt & Frey LLC, which has opened at 1930 Independence in Cape Girardeau. Frey, the managing partner, attended Southeast Missouri State University, and is a graduate of Texas A&M University...

The Furniture Garden has opened at 18 N. Sprigg in Cape Girardeau. The new furniture store is an expansion of a business operated by Wally Rexroad over the past dozen years. Rexroad, who retired as a professor at Southeast Missouri State University in 1988, has been in the used-furniture business since...

Melinda Zimmerman smiled in hopes of covering up a wince of pain as her son climbed carefully onto her lap. Seven-year-old Jesse had just awakened and came outside to check on his mother, who is recovering from back surgery. "He's a wonderful boy," Zimmerman said, as she held her son and kissed his head...

JACKSON -- A federal program benefiting public schools and libraries will provide the Jackson School District with nearly $21,000 this year. Technology director Bob Bartley said the school district has received three checks totalling $16,084 from the E-rate program. Another check for $4,822 is expected this month in discounts for Internet and telephone service costs accrued by the district between January 1 and June 30...

Lower humidity and a stellar card of attractions boosted attendance numbers at the second annual Cape Girardeau Regional Air Festival. Airport manager Bruce Loy estimated the air show drew between 9,000 and 10,000. Gate figures are not yet available. Last year, poor weather prevented some planes from flying in...

STE. GENEVIEVE -- Some things are best left in French. Among the songs performed for the Bastille Day celebration this weekend was a traditional French children's tune about how a little girl drowns a cat in a well. "It's not what you would think of as a children's song, so we sing it in French," said Patti Naeger, leader of the children's choral group, "Les Petits Chanteurs."...

Editor's note: This story is being published again because a typographical error rendered it unreadable in Sunday's edition. CHICAGO, Ill. -- Russ Felker III has always gone his own way. Twenty years ago, when personal computers were just a speck on the Silicon Valley horizon, 7-year-old Russ already had one. ...

DEXTER -- Recycle. Recycle. Recycle. The message must be making an impact in the area, because tons of solid waste is being recycled each year in Stoddard County. Over the past two years the Stoddard County Sheltered Workshop has kept 800 tons of solid waste out of landfills, Jim LaBrot, workshop manager, said...

Quick action by a local day-care center has contained a hepatitis A outbreak in Cape Girardeau. Three cases were confirmed after a day-care worker became jaundiced and was hospitalized. About 30 children and adults who were potentially exposed to the disease received preventative medication...

Liquor licenses are serious business, and it's good to see that the city of Cape Girardeau takes care with their issuance and renewal. It's no secret that alcohol excesses by customers can lead to incidents of assault or worse. The number of times police are called to businesses that serve liquor is closely monitored by Cape Girardeau police...

I THINK upgrading Houck Stadium is a great idea. However, the football field should be left alone. All over the country, outdoor sports facilities are scrapping their artificial turf and returning to natural turf. Busch Stadium and Faroe Field at Missouri University are prime examples in our area. ...

CHAFFEE -- Chaffee's Senior Legion baseball team split a doubleheader with Poplar Bluff Sunday, winning the first game 9-5, then losing the second 7-6. Brian Obermann picked up the win in the opener, going 5 1/3 innings. He gave up all five runs on three hits and six walks. He struck out four. Josh Eftink pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief...

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Rhodes Renegades, a 15-and-under girls AAU basketball team that represents Southeast Missouri, has advanced out of pool play in a national tournament in Oklahoma for the first time in team history. The tournament, according to Renegades coach Craig Millham, is one of the top basketball tournaments for this age group in the country. He said 200 NCAA Division I basketball coaches are scouting the event...

Pauline Walker, 77, of Charleston died Sunday, July 11, 1999, at the Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Funeral arrangements are incomplete but are being handled by the McMikle Funeral Home in Charleston.

Retired Col. C.I. "Peachy" Lutz, 90, of Charleston, died Sunday, July 11, 1999, at the Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Funeral arrangements are incomplete with the McMikle Funeral Home in Sikeston.

James G. "Pete" Malone, 61, of Sikeston died Sunday, July 11, 1999, at the Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. He was born Sept. 26, 1937, at St. Louis, son of James Lacui and Virginia Baker Malone. He was a self-employed pilot and had served in the U.S. Air Force. He was former assistant director of aviation for the state of Missouri, a member of the Confederate Air Force and a past member of the Sikeston Jaycees...

JACKSON -- Betty Francis Green, 56, of Jackson died Saturday, July 10, 1999, at her home. She was born Dec. 30, 1942, at Patton, daughter of Elvin and Freedie Cook Long. She and Dewey Green were married July 29, 1967, at Patton. He died April 16, 1992...

DONIPHAN -- Doris Wendt Barbre, 79, of Doniphan died Saturday, July 10, 1999, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born April 23, 1920, at Milwaukee, Wis., daughter of Gustav and Ruth Ebsen Wendt. She and George W. Barbre were married Aug. 4, 1948 at Honolulu, Hawaii...

TUNNEL HILL, Ill. -- Emily Sue Faris, 57, of Tunnel Hill and formerly of Charleston, Mo., died Sunday, July 11, 1999, at the Harrisburg Medical Center. She was born Dec. 16, 1941, at Charleston, daughter of Lawrence Marshall and Alice Virvle Hayden Manker. She and Jerry Faris were married June 29, 1985...

POPLAR BLUFF -- Mark L. Childs, 79, of Poplar Bluff died Friday, July 9, 1999, at the Missouri Veterans Home at Cape Girardeau. He was born Feb. 26, 1920, at Appleton, Wis., son of Raymond and Ella Miller Childs. He and Geraldine Garner were married Dec. 30, 1972, at Sikeston...

Roxie Anderson, 85, of Sikeston died Saturday, July 10, 1999, at the Hunter Acres Caring Center in Sikeston. She was born Aug. 19, 1913, in Ripley County, Tenn., daughter of John and Bertha Alice Harris Wison. Anderson had lived in Missouri for more than 50 years and was a member of Greer's Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Sikeston...