Stories from Monday, December 27, 1999

Innovative Idea Integration, LLC, of Jackson, has announced the addition of Marcola business software products. Marcola delivers Microsoft-based technology to small and mid-size manufacturing and distribution companies. Duane Statler of Innovative Idea Integration said the addition of Marcola allows Innovative Idea to provide a full circle of services to its customers...

AG. Edward's Inc. has announced results for the third quarter and the first nine months, which ended Nov. 30. Net earnings were reported at $115 million for the third quarter on revenues of $715 million, or $1.23 cents per basic share. During the same period a year ago, earnings were $68 million on revenues of $524 million, or 70 cents per basic shares...

The Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. (AECI) power plant at New Madrid has completed a three-year period without a lost-time accident. This is an all-time record for the power plant, which employs 193. As of Dec. 14, employees had worked 1,099 days without a lost-time accident. The plant's previous record was 476 days, which ran from March 1994 to mid-1995...

Diana Stevens of Ullin, Ill., a Modern Woodman of America representative for the Southern Illinois area, recently attained the fraternal insurance counselor designation. Stevens had to meet criteria and academic requirements for the program, which included correspondence with Modern Woodman's home office in Rock Island, Ill., field assignments in estate planning and developing personal and business insurance program, and an examination...

Five new members have been installed on the Kennett Chamber of Commerce board. They included Mary Jo Byrd, president of the Bank of Antiques; Bob Hancock, owner of Vavak Brothers Printing Co.; Darren Harris, owner of Harris Pharmacy; Martin Herrington, local officer at Unico Bank; and John Sanders, chief executive officer of Twin Rivers Regional Medical Center...

The Missouri Department of Agriculture and the University of Missouri will conduct training sessions on pesticides throughout January. The sessions, which will provide information on pesticide use, application protection, endangered species and water quality protection, will be held at five Missouri sites, including Cape Girardeau...

The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged Tuesday even as it voiced concerns about inflation, saying a more pressing problem is making sure the financial system gets through the Year 2000 date change without serious mishap. While economists warned that the central bank clearly left the door open for future rate hikes in coming months, the stock market surged on the Fed's decision to bypass a fourth rate increase this year...

Cheryl A. Morris and Cassandra N. "Nikki" Wilson of Schott & Van de Ven, Certified Public Accountants, have completed all requirements, including a four-part examination, to become certified public accountants. The Missouri State Board of Accountancy awarded the certifications recently...

William Nitsch of Sedgewickville has been honored for service to the Missouri Farm Bureau. Charles Kruse, Missouri Farm Bureau president, and Janet Mershon, chairman of the promotion and education committee, recently presented Nitsch with plaque for his work with the promotion and education committee...

Dr. Bernard Burns of Orthopaedic Associates, 48 Doctors' Park, recently attended the North American Spine Society's annual convention in Chicago. Healthcare issues for the next century were discussed. The goal of the meeting was to identify new scientific developments and research to treat patients more effectively...

John Morgan has been promoted to chief photographer of "Heartland News." Mike Beecher, news director for KFVS-12 announced Morgan's new position recently. Morgan has been a news photographer at the station's Illinois newsroom since 1994. Prior to starting at KFVS, Morgan served as a photographer for WRDW in Augusta, Ga., and as chief photographer for WSIL-TV in Carterville, Ill...

Timothy J. Schwent, a certified public accountant with Schott & Van de Ven Certified Public Accountants, has completed a case study in employment law, focusing on fundamental knowledge of the laws and resource issues that apply to businesses. Schwent, a certified public accountant since 1972, specializes in tax planning and advisory services for closely held business...

Plaza Tire Service Inc. of Cape Girardeau has opened a new store in Charleston. Tim Williams of Wyatt is manager of the store, at 1325 S. Main. Plaza Tire has 36 stores in Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and Arkansas. Another store is under construction at Malden, which will open next spring...

Laura Nicholson, refractive coordinator at Kies Eye Center, 1429 N. Mount Auburn Road, recently attended a two-day refractive seminar in Denver. The workshop, sponsored by Services Consulting Group, was limited to 10 participants from across the nation. The LASIK procedure was among topics discussed...

Hold them up to the light, make sure they're not "a little smudgy-looking." That's one youngster's advice for carefully scanning Pokemon trading cards for fakes. There's a lot of fakes going around these days, ranging from Pokemon trading cards to shiny fake counterfeit quarters...

Thousands of visitors flock into the Cape Girardeau area each year. One of the top tourist attractions each year is the 3,307-acre Trail of Tears State Park, located about a dozen miles north of Cape Girardeau. More than a quarter-million visitors head for the park annually for camping, hiking, picnicking, boating and swimming...

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. When people select a broker or financial consultant, they naturally want someone who will help them make money, but is this desire based on short-term thinking?...

BENTON -- Growing up sandwiched between four brothers, 6-year-old Kelsi Essner naturally devotes her free time to soccer, T-ball and PlayStation games. "She's a typical tomboy," her mother, Laura, says. "She is no fan of Barbie." Lately, Kelci has had to spend some of her time at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., where doctors are trying to rid her of a childhood cancer called Wilm's tumor...

When midnight strikes Dec. 31, the sounds of firecrackers and flares of bottle rockets will usher in the new year locally. For the first time, the cities of Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Scott City will allow people to legally shoot off fireworks on New Year's Eve...

Rebecca Seyer and Ashley Beggs, managers at CATO, were expecting a busy return day Sunday and scheduled themselves to work instead of regular sales associates. But the traffic wasn't what they expected. "The returns aren't as bad as we thought they would be," said Seyer. "There were a lot of returns before Christmas."...

Southeast Missouri State University is interested in more than the score when it comes to its struggling football program. The university also is interested in the bottom line. Don Kaverman, Southeast's athletics director, wants to put the football program on sounder financial footing...

Merry ... oh, whatever. Someone who says this might not be Ebeneezer Scrooge or the Grinch, but someone grappling with the winter blues, or what is sometimes called seasonal affective disorder. "Actually, the winter blues is a type of seasonal affective disorder," said Dr. Thad Lake, medical director of psychiatry at Southeast Missouri Hospital. "The symptoms (of the two) are usually similar. It has a seasonal pattern -- same time of year, every year."...

OLIVE BRANCH -- Tony Smith is taking on some new sports. Smith, 10, the one-armed son of Jim and Paula Smith of Olive Branch, tried boys league football during the past fall, but his season as a wide receiver was cut short due to an injury, a broken finger...

I JUST read the Speak Out from the woman who is unhappy with her mailman, something about not picking up letters. I just wish everyone could have my mailman. He is so kind and wonderful, and he comes in to pick up my mail even if I don't have any outgoing mail. ...

Anyone who has spent much time behind the wheel of an automobile likely has had the experience of seeing a driver preoccupied with his or her cellular telephone conversation. In some cases, accidents or near-accidents have occurred as a result. Cellular phones have become almost as common in automobiles today as a radio. ...

The year 2000 will be filled with elections not only on the national, but also the local scene, where many city council and aldermanic seats and school board positions are up for grabs. Last Tuesday was the first day of filing for city and school board seats in Missouri, and it was good to see that a number of candidates wasted no time in doing so across the region...

To the editor: It was a sad moment for me when I read in the Southeast Missourian of the passing of John Boardman. When one has the many interests, desires and skills in accomplishing as much as John Boardman did in making Cape Girardeau a better and more progressive place, it is hard to realize he is no longer with us...

To the editor: It's a shame people feel they must riot and demonstrate to get the attention of Congress. But it's quite obvious that letter writing and phone calls won't do the trick. Congress must know, as we do, that the majority of the people are against the World Trade Organization, foreign aid, excessive immigration and many other things that benefit our enemies and damage our own country. ...

All systems are go for the 55th annual University High Christmas Tournament, which tips off a four-day run bright and early this morning at the Show Me Center. There will be eight games today, beginning at 9 a.m., followed by eight more games Tuesday, six Wednesday and four Thursday, capped by the championship contest at 7:30 p.m...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Charles E. Cummins, 72, of East Prairie died Saturday, Dec. 25, 1999, at the Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born May 24, 1927, at East Prairie, son of Matthew W. and Amanda Cave Cummins. He and Zola Whittenberg Cummins were married July 4, 1949. She died May 1, 1999...

GIPSY -- Curtis O. Wallace, 50, of Gipsy died Friday, Dec. 24, 1999, at his home. He was born Dec. 12, 1949, at Kennett, son of Oran and Eva Peters Wallace. He and Anita Hopper were married May 4, 1968, at Cottage Hills, Ill. She died April 9, 1991. He married Sheila Campbell March 25, 1994, at Cape Girardeau...

JACKSON -- Wilma Bollinger, 92, formerly of Sedgewickville died Sunday, Dec. 26, 1999, at the Presbyterian Manor at Farmington. Arrangements are pending at McCombs Funeral Home at Jackson.

MOUNDS, Ill. -- Emma Gadish Love, 88, of Mounds died Saturday, Dec. 25, 1999, at the Daystar Care Center at Cairo. She was born Oct. 8, 1911, in Lyon County, Ky., daughter of William and Maggie Mae Haney Gadish. She was a homemaker and attended the Living Hope Church at Grand Chain...

Mrs. Marie A. Huckstep, 98, passed away Sunday, Dec. 26, 1999, at the Saxony Village of Cape Girardeau. Mrs. Huckstep was born Sept. 2, 1901, near the Snyder Mill in Hubble Township at Tilsit, Mo., daughter of the late Otto A. and Friederike Burns Siebert. She married Albert L. Huckstep Dec. 9, 1922, at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Tilsit. He died Sept. 27, 1985...