Stories from Monday, December 20, 1999

Burl Products, 709 William, will hold its grand opening Dec. 29. The company, which opened recently, produces and sells redwood clocks, tables, plaques, jewelry boxes and other items. The business, owned by John L. Lashly, is open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5...

The Sikeston Area Chamber of Commerce has reached a record level in membership after a recent two-day membership blitz netted 54 new members. The blitz pushed membership to 561. Seven new directors have been selected, and new officers will be elected at the Dec. 28 board meeting...

Dana Corp., headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, announced that its subsidiary, Dana Australia Pty., Ltd., has started production of rear drive modules for Holden Limited, a General Motors Corp., for that company's Commodore passenger car. Sales of the modules, which are manufactured in Australia, will exceed $100 million annually...

Some 69 members and guests attended the Bootheel Regional Planning Economic Development Commission's recent annual meeting at Rebecca Sharp's Restaurant in New Madrid. Guest speakers included Henry Hungerbeeler, director, Missouri Department of Transportation; Mike Seabaugh and Paul Hildebrandt, economic development representatives; Ron Swift, executive director, SEMO Private Industry Council; Skip Smallwood, AmerenUE; and Donna Burk, Southwestern Bell Corp...

Lisa Williams of Jackson was winner of a rent/mortgage payment up to $500, during a special drawing of the American Red Cross, Southeast Missouri Chapter's "Holidays on the House" fund raiser. Norman and Jean Rocan of Bonne Terre won a playhouse. The final drawing will be held today...

Plans have been revealed for a new $4.7 million office building in Marion, Ill. Wisconsin Physicians Services (WPS) will construct a 52,000-square-foot office on 11 acres in the southeast corner of the Robert L. Butler Industrial Park and move its operations from Chicago...

An Illinois company that makes medical products will consolidate its international distribution operation in Nashville, Tenn. Hollister Inc. of Libertyville has signed a lease for a 100,000-square-foot warehouse to be built for the company in north Nashville, less than four miles from downtown...

MOLINE, Ill. -- Deere & Co. has agreed to purchase the Timberjack Group for $600 million, an acquisition that would create one of the world's largest producers of forestry equipment. The deal is subject to regulatory approval by the federal government and the European Commission. It is expected to close early next year...

Bart B. Ozbun, assistant vice president and financial counselor in charge at Merrill Lynch in Cape Girardeau, has been named to the St. Francis Foundation board of directors. Ozbun's appointment was announced this week by William H. Kiel, executive director of the foundation...

Two Cape Girardeau residents have completed the Leadership Missouri program. Donna Burk, area manager of Southwestern Bell, and Kathy Swan, president of Johnson Communications Service, graduated from the program, sponsored by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce...

Sam Peeler, owner of Solar Control Window Tinting Unlimited, 2210 Kingsway Drive, and Daryl Wade, an installation specialist, recently attended a workshop at the Chicago 3M Sales Center. Training sessions were conducted on installing transparent film on glass windows...

Thomas Harold has joined the firm of First Financial Planners Inc. He will work with Richard R. Cuba at 720 Forest Ave. The firm offers a full line of financial services, including retirement planning, college planning, annuities, individual stocks, mutual funds and insurance...

William R. Schott and Harold G. Fallert, certified public accountants with Schott & Van de Ven, Certified Public Accountants, 1020 N. Kingshighway, recently attended a two-day, federal tax institute at Nashville, Tenn., sponsored by the Tennessee Tax Institute...

Terry Taylor, of Phoenix and formerly of Cape Girardeau, has been promoted to regional sales manger for retail sales by Jimmy Dean Foods. He will be headquartered at Phoenix and will work in a seven-state region that includes eastern Missouri. Taylor started with Jimmy Dean Foods in January 1997 as district sales manager for Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois and western Kentucky...

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 Not that long ago, a Dow Jones industrial average of 10,000 seemed scarcely imaginable. Yet, we reached it, and little more than a month later, we zipped through to 11,000. Now, few people would deny the possibility of the Dow reaching 15,000 in the foreseeable future...

The 20th century wasn't even a year old when a patent was issued for a thin piece of wire bent into a double-oval shape. Its use? A paper clip. Since then, the paper clip has been manufactured in bunches, and after a century the idea still works. The clip -- designed to hold loose sheets of paper together -- almost missed being invented in the 20th century, and there are those people who say the patent was given to the wrong man...

Holiday wish lists aren't only for children, and neither are toys. Some of the hottest items adults are buying this year are Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) players, big screen televisions and satellite television systems. Among other items selling well this holiday season are computers, computer games, digital camcorders and cameras, compact disc players for cars, and computerized navigational and security systems for cars...

C.P. Johnson of Neelyville is one of six rice farmers honored as "Rice Farmers of the Year," by Zeneca Ag Products, Rice Farming Magazine and the USA Rice Federation. The six recipients, by state are Johnson of Missouri; Martin Walt Jr. of Dumas, Ark.; Abbott Myers of Dundee, Miss.; L.G. Raun Jr., of El Campo, Texas; Jimmy Hoppe of Fenton, La.; and Ken Collins of Biggs, Calif...

There are many reasons not to drink and drive. Nineteen of those reasons are represented by ornaments on a Tree of Memory in the lobby of the Cape Girardeau Police Department. They are the 19 area residents who have died in alcohol-related traffic accidents in the last decade...

When William Faulkner accepted the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950, most of his books were out of print and his work was not considered important enough to merit a college seminar. But the Nobel changed everything for the writer who has become known as "the American Shakespeare."...

Jo Ann Emerson and Ron Gladney disagree on politics, but that hasn't hampered their relationship. There is an easy give-and-take between Emerson, a Republican congresswoman from the 8th Congressional District of Southeast Missouri, and Gladney, a St. Louis lawyer and staunch Democrat whose clients include labor unions...

Santa Claus comes in a van, not a sleigh, to make deliveries for Toybox. While there aren't eight tiny reindeer landing on the rooftop, there are plenty of helpers around to make sure Santa knocks loud enough at a door or that he doesn't trip over the sacks of toys...

NEW HAMBURG -- Superintendent Robert White said the Kelso School District is moving steadily forward. White said a report of educational conditions during the 1998-99 school year indicates "steady gains" by the district in some areas and "continued effort" in others...

The Cape Girardeau Board of Education will meet at 6 tonight at Central High School. The meeting, normally held at the junior high school, will be moved so board members can hear a presentation from librarian Julia Jorgensen regarding library changes and programs during the past year...

WHILE VISITING Cape Girardeau, I found your article on federal gun cases quite amusing from the U.S. attorney. I am in law enforcement in the western part of Missouri and have been for over eight years. Our department works 70 to 80 hours a week, and if the federal prosecutors and county prosecutors would do the same, they could prosecute the criminal element. ...

The thought police have been lying in wait throughout the presidential campaign season waiting to pounce, and during Monday night's debate, George W. Bush gave them a big chunk of red meat. The candidates were asked to reveal their favorite political philosopher. George W. Bush rather undramatically announced that Jesus Christ had made a profound difference in his life once he accepted him into his heart...

An announcement last week that a Texas-based company may build a $200 million, peak-energy power plant in Bollinger County offers a ray of hope to a county that could use the economic benefits the plant would bring. The Bollinger County Commission is negotiating with Duke Energy North America, which would pay money to the county in lieu of taxes if it decides to build the plant in Bollinger County. ...

Scott County government has suddenly found itself in a predicament no Missouri county would envy: It must repay almost $400,000 in sales-tax revenue that should have gone to New Madrid County. The Missouri Department of Revenue recently notified Scott County that Wal-Mart in Sikeston had been paying its sales taxes to Scott County for the past two years and seven months when it should have been paying them to New Madrid County. ...

To the editor: I just finished reading about the cost of the proposed new high school in Cape Girardeau. Yes, the estimate for constructing it seems high, but that must be the going rate now. I am a Jackson native and now live in Lincoln, Neb. Two new high schools are being built due to tremendous growth. The estimated cost? $100 million...

BROSELEY -- Scott City and Kelly met with totally different fates Saturday during the opening round of the 16-team Twin Rivers girls basketball tournament. Scott City suffered a 45-43 overtime loss to East Carter County while Kelly rolled past Senath-Hornersville 54-19...

DEXTER -- Nellie Abbott, 91, of Corning, Ark., died Saturday, Dec. 18, 1999, at the Arkansas Methodist Hospital at Paragould. She was born Nov. 23, 1908, in Ripley County, daughter of Charles Robert and Nora Gibson Hurt. She was first married to Louis Black in 1935. She and Frank Abbott were married in 1947. He died in May of 1973...

WHITEWATER -- Stella L. Willer, 86, of Whitewater died Sunday, Dec. 19, 1999, at her home. She was born March 9, 1913, daughter of Emory D. and Amelia L. Blumenberg Cook. She and Wilbur J. Willer were married April 12, 1934, in Whitewater. He died Dec. 16, 1995...

RANDLES -- Robert "Butch" Lancaster Sr., 81, of Randles died Saturday, Dec. 18, 1999, at St. Francis Medical Center. He was born Sept. 7, 1918, at Bell City, son of Bill and Clara Simmons Lancaster. He and Clarisa Stewart were married July 19, 1941, at Heagy...

Mary Ann Dalton, 67, of O'Fallon and formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Saturday, Dec. 18, 1999, at St. Joseph Hospital in Lake St. Louis. She was born April 18, 1932, at Jackson, daughter of William and Magdalena Neumann Walters. She and Clarence H. Dalton were married Oct. 15, 1953, at Jackson. He died Sept. 5, 1984...

CHAFFEE -- Alfred V. Hanlon, 74, of St. Charles, died Saturday, Dec. 18, 1999, at St. Joseph's Hospital in St. Charles. He was born June 18, 1925, at University City, son of Francis Bernard and Mary Ethel Montgomery Hanlon. He and Jean Bentley were married Feb. 15, 1947. She survives...

Monday, Dec. 20 at 7:30 p.m. Council chambers, 401 Independence Study session at 5 p.m. Ordinances New ordinances Resolutions Appointments Liquor license Other...