Stories from Wednesday, November 3, 1999

The leaves of a willow oak tree resemble those of a willow oak. When people find out that I teach at Southeast Missouri State University, the conversation usually continues like this. "What subject do you teach?" "I teach ornamental plant identification."...

To the editor: Thank you, Joe Sullivan, for your Worst Highway Interchange in Missouri Contest idea. I'm already at work building interest in the idea. We've tried other ways that did not work. Let us pray this will.We have already come up with some ideas. ...

To the editor: Thanks to Donna Bedwell for the excellent article on the Cape Central Marching Tigers. For more pictures and highlights from all their competitions this year, and for the past three years, readers are invited to visit the CHS band Web site at http://biology.semo.edu/chsband/.WALT LILLY, CHS Band WebmasterCentral High SchoolCape Girardeau...

To the editor: There is a basic factual error in your Oct. 18 editorial regarding spending on higher education. In it you state: "With the state budget increasing annually at 8 to 10 percent in recent years, the growth is far higher than the rate of inflation." In the last five years, growth in the state operating budget has averaged 5 percent. This includes federal funds -- earmarked for specific purposes -- that have increased faster than the rest of the state budget...

Our family survived Halloween, and what a time we had. Our 5-year-old Ross wanted to dress up like something different every day prior to Halloween, and our 2-year-old Lexie loved all of the decorations around town, especially the witches. She wanted to just get to the candy and forget everything else. All in all we had a wonderful and safe time with our family and friends who stopped by for homemade soups and desserts...

To the editor: Members of the 110th Fighter Squadron, Missouri Air National Guard (the F-15 squadron at Lambert Field) must begin taking the anthrax vaccine in February as required under a Department of Defense mandatory inoculation program. This is an unnecessary health risk to the Missouri Air National Guard members...

Cape Girardeau's Mothers Against Drunk Driving organization was recognized nationally last week for its efforts to raise the awareness of drinking and driving. It was a well-deserved honor. MADD works closely with the Safe Communities program through the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Both organizations are not only making more people think about drinking and driving, but they have had a hand in lowering the numbers locally...

LET'S TALK about road rage. I just noticed some. I was at restaurant going through the drive-through and this woman behind me was making nasty comments and loud enough for everybody to hear about me and my van. If she does that to the wrong person and experiences road rage like I've seen road rage before, she might not be so lucky the next time. ...

The power of prayer has long been recognized by people who have a strong religious foundation. Prayer can move mountains and change lives. But a new study has attempted to quantify the impact of prayer on heart patients. Researchers at the Mid-America Heart Institute studied 990 patients admitted over a year's time to its coronary care unit in Kansas City. ...

Missouri' s Court of Appeals for the Eastern District made history Tuesday when judges held court for the first time at Southeast Missouri State University. It was the first time in the court's 124 years that it has met at an undergraduate school. Eight appellate court judges, including Chief Judge Mary Rhodes Russell, handled court matters. The judges rotated, with each of 14 cases being heard by a three-judge panel...

Demolition plans remain on hold for two of the city's largest condemned buildings: old St. Francis Hospital and Marquette Hotel. The city hopes it won't have to take action on either of the deteriorating structures. The three-story hospital building at Good Hope and Pacific streets has a new owner who plans to build an apartment complex on the site. The property is being maintained, and there have been no complaints against it, said Michael Miller, Cape Girardeau city manager...

Although few people know it, Pat Boone was outspoken about the anti-abortion movement long before it was popular. But, he said, it hasn't always been a cause the media likes to write about, so it hasn't gotten as much attention as other causes. Boone, a teen idol from the 1950s and '60s, made rock 'n' roll hits like "Tutti Frutti" and "Ain't That A Shame" popular with teen-agers. ...

There's nothing more humiliating than putting your qualifications on display for someone to accept or reject. I should know. I've been rejected by nearly every major newspaper in the United States. Many of them send letters. One of my favorites, received three years ago from a Tennessee paper, said something like, "We have no job openings that match your qualifications." Hey! Not so fast! You don't have any janitorial positions open? How about paper routes? My car runs, dammit...

It has been seven months since Michelle and Vince Wingo withdrew their son, Elijah, from the Cape Girardeau School District's early childhood special-education program. The district was not providing the necessary support to meet their autistic son's needs, they said, so they opted for an in-home curriculum called applied behavior analysis therapy...

On Saturday Boy Scouts will be putting out plastic sacks for one food drive while members of a fraternity will be picking up filled sacks for another drive, as the season for collecting food for the needy gets underway.November and December are big months for food drives, as those who organize them capitalize on the feelings of giving that abound around Thanksgiving and Christmas.This weekend, for example, two food drives are overlapping. ...

The Teen Challenge Thrift Store has expanded operations. Teen Challenge officials will officially mark the opening of a 2,200-square-foot room adjoining the current 6,600-square-foot operation at 117 N. Middle at 9 a.m. Thursday."We needed the extra space," said Jack Smart, executive director of Teen Challenge International of Mid-America. "The new space will be used primarily for furniture, exercise equipment and other large items."The public is welcome to attend the opening ceremony...

Anakin Skywalker is leading the Area Wide United Way into the cyber-auction world. The non-profit organization is putting up for bids a mannequin of Anakin, the boy from "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace," that was donated by JCPenney. But instead of a local auction, the United Way will auction the mannequin on eBay, the online auction house. ...

MARBLE HILL -- Voters in Marble Hill Tuesday made the city collector an appointed position. The vote was 42-25 in favor of the proposition. City officials backed the change, arguing that the city needed an appointed rather than elected city collector...

BENTON -- Chaffee voters resoundingly rejected an operating tax levy the public schools were seeking to offset decreased state funding. The vote was 148 for and 400 against the levy, which would have added 85 cents to the current levy of $2.81 per $100 assessed valuation. ...

DELTA -- Voters approved two measures Tuesday to finance construction of a new well to solve the town's water problem. Voters were asked to approve a $330,000 revenue bond issue and enact a half-cent capital improvements sales tax. A simple majority was needed for passage of both issues...

Southeast Missouri State University men's basketball coach Gary Garner was pleased with the work habits of his first two Indian teams. But Garner said those squads lag a little bit when it comes to outworking his third Southeast squad, now in its third week of practice as it continues to prepare for the 1999-2000 season."Every year since I've been here, I've said something to the effect that I really like our work ethic," said Garner. ...

JACKSON -- Sometimes when Jackson running back Mario Whitney dashes past 11 defenders en route to the end zone, it's easy to forget he's a sophomore. But when talking face-to-face, his youth is evident. Whitney, a transfer from Atlanta, Ga., has been dubbed this year "Mario Speedwagon." It's a fitting spinoff of the popular rock band REO Speedwagon of the late 70s and early 80s, who have produced such titles as "Time for Me to Fly," "Take it on the Run", "Wheels are Turning," and, as Whitney so often does, "Breakaway".Whitney, born in 1983, had never heard of the group and didn't fully understand his nickname which was introduced publicly on the radio several weeks ago until the name of the band was brought to his attention on Tuesday.. ...

To simply say that Southeast Missouri State University's volleyball team has been on a roll would not even begin to do the Otahkians justice. Southeast has been one of the nation's hottest squads. The Otahkians won their 15th straight match Tuesday night, rolling past Ohio Valley Conference foe Murray State 15-9, 15-7, 15-7 in front of a season-high 568 fans at Houck Field House...

After our victory against Southwest Missouri, I felt that we may not take a struggling Tennessee-Martin as seriously as needed. Through the week we seemed loosely confident at times. However, we won our second game of the year last Saturday by defeating the Skyhawks 36-7 in Martin, Tenn...

A Frisbee golf tournament will be held Nov. 20 on the Southeast Missouri State University campus .The tournament is open to both teams and individuals and will have a scramble format. Preregistration will take place Nov. 6 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and Nov. 13 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the entrance to the Student Recreation Center. Entry fee is $3 per person.For more information, contact Torrie Tollison at 243-5632...

The Jackson Parks and Recreation Department will hold a Points for Pizza basketball shoot off at 10 a.m., November 20, at the First General Baptist Church in Jackson. Registration for boys and girls ages 9-17 is at 9:30 a.m. Entry fee is $1. Participants will be divided into three age brackets: 9-11, 12-14 and 15-17. Domino's Pizzas and Super Video movies will be awarded to the top three placers.For more information, call 243-3568...

The Heartland Golf Academy will hold an open house at the Arena Golf in Cape Girardeau Saturday, Nov. 6, between 15 p.m.Individual or group instruction and personalized video analysis will be offered. For more information contact school director Mike Uhls at 573-332-0862...

OLIVE BRANCH, Ill. -- Loretta Burns, 60, of Olive Branch died Tuesday, Nov. 2, 1999, at Memorial Hospital at Carbondale.Arrangements are pending at Crain Funeral Home at Tamms.

ANNA, Ill. -- Juanita Pickles, 93, of Anna died Tuesday, Nov. 2, 1999, at Union County Nursing Home in Anna. She was born in Jonesboro, Ill., Sept. 28, 1906, daughter of Harry and Etta Rose Lingle. She married Fred Pickles on June 7, 1947, in Union County. He preceded her in death on Feb. 11, 1998...

OLIVE BRANCH, Ill. -- Clara Mae Bledsoe, 58, of Olive Branch, died Monday, Nov. 1, 1999, at her home. She was born Dec. 30, 1940, in Olive Branch, daughter of Richard and Zola Jamison Ollis. She and Lloyd Earl Bledsoe were married Jan. 26, 1960. He died Sept. 29, 1999...

ORAN -- Cleophis "Cleo" MIlls, 76, of rural Oran died Sunday, Oct. 31, 1999, at the Sikeston Convalescent Center. He was born Nov. 30, 1922, in Mississippi, son of Jim and Esther Eanes Mills. He married Willie B. Steward on April 7, 1950. He had lived in Missouri more than 65 years. He was a retired school bus driver for the Scott County Central School system. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II and a member of Greer's Chapel Baptist Church in Sikeston...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Mattie Eunice Keen, 97, of East Prairie died Monday, Nov. 1, 1999, at East Prairie Nursing Center. She was born Oct. 4, 1902, in Luxora, Ark., daughter of Alfred and Lucy V. Turner Reynolds. She and Willie W. Keen were married Nov. 6, 1917, in Osceola, Ark. He died April 18, 1974...

Vera Irene Harland, 82, of Palm Springs, Calif., died of complications from pneumonia on Sunday, Oct. 10, 1999, at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, Calif. She was born on Feb. 7, 1917, in Piedmont, Mo., to Flynn and Sarah Sparks Dunnegan, the youngest of seven daughters. ...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Frances Seigart, 70, of Cairo died Monday, Nov. 1, 1999, at Daystar Care Center. She was born July 8, 1929, in Cairo, daughter of Purrander and Eva Cornwell. She was a member of Immanuel Baptist Church. Survivors include three daughters, Marjorie Stout of Mounds, Theresa Seigart of Lynn, Mass., Mary Zesky of Dongola; four sons, Stanley Seigart of Mounds, Clifford Seigart of Centralia, John and Marlyn Seigart of Brookport; several grandchildren; and several great-grandchildren...

William R. Kinslow, 76, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, Oct. 28, 1999, at St. Francis Medical Center.Graveside service will be held at noon Thursday at Mound City National Cemetery near Mound City, Ill. Military rites will be conducted by VFW Post 3838, of which he was a member.Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements...

ORAN -- Luther Steward, 62, of Oran, died Monday, Nov. 1, 1999, at the Green Meadows Retirement Home in Sikeston.He was born March 31, 1937, in Malden, son of Everrie and Georgia Mae Cannon Steward.He worked in the steel mills in Marion, Ind., before moving back to Sikeston in 1976. ...

COBDEN, Ill. -- Inez Hope Lingle, 83, of Cobden died Tuesday, Nov. 2, 1999, at St. Joseph's Memorial Hospital in Murphysboro.Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Lutz & Rendleman Funeral Home in Cobden.

MOREHOUSE -- Charles "Chuck" Hileman, 64, of Morehouse died Monday, Nov. 1, 1999, at Jackson Purchase Medical Center in Mayfield, Ky. He was born Jan. 23, 1935, at Morehouse, son of Lee and Lela Cavins Hileman. He first married Carolyn S. Taylor Feb. 14, 1958. He later married Wanda Nicholas Dill June 21, 1993...

Robelian "Sis" Carter, 70, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Nov. 1, 1999, at her home. She was born Sept. 27, 1929, in Diehlstadt, daughter of Clemmie and Robelian Peterson Carter. Carter did domestic work for several Cape Girardeau families, worked at Lee-Rowan Co. in Jackson from 1973-77, and at the former Baker's Big Burger in Cape Girardeau. She was a former member of Second Baptist Church...

A Cape Girardeau woman and her 4-year-old daughter were abducted Tuesday and driven out of the state by the woman's former boyfriend, police said. The 28-year-old woman told police that the 19-year-old man came to her house at 8:30 a.m., Cpl. Kevin Orr said. The man told her that he wanted to mend their broken relationship. Then he asked to borrow her car to go to a job interview on Tuesday, police said...

HurstDaughter to Thor Edward and Mary Theresa Hurst of Marble Hill, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 26, 1999. Name, McKenna Sophia. Weight, 8 pounds 2 ounces. First child. Mrs. Hurst is the former Mary Niedbalski, daughter of Richard and Silvia Niedbalski of Jackson. She is employed at Studio Design. Hurst is the son of Carl and Janet Hurst of Marble Hill. He is employed at Hurst Auto Electric...

POPLAR BLUFF -- One of the eight men facing charges in a clash with Cape Girardeau Police last June pleaded guilty to lesser charges Tuesday rather than face a jury trial, said Morley Swingle, prosecuting attorney for Cape Girardeau County. Jermaine Williams, 21, pleaded guilty to interfering with arrest before a Butler County judge on a change of venue from Cape Girardeau County. ...

Looking for something different to grace your holiday meals? Here it is. This chutney-style fruit side dish has the feel of tradition and will certainly add a touch of spice to your holiday meals. My great-grand-Aunt Loubell prepared this dish from home-canned fresh fruits from her orchards. More than 60 years ago, it was a real dilemma for her to add store-bought pineapple to her special recipe, but she did. And it was great...