Stories from Wednesday, March 8, 2000

In natural settings, wildlife depends upon plants to provide both food and shelter. As I indicated in my last column, you can increase the variety and numbers of wildlife that frequent your landscape by selecting plants and plant groupings that attract wildlife. If you don't have plants in your landscape, I can assure you that your backyard will almost be devoid of wildlife...

Children learn by example. What are they learning from the growing rage on the road, at the office and at home? It's not just faraway places that deal with adult rage. A recent case in Poplar Bluff illustrates the problem. An argument over barking dogs apparently sparked a recent shooting among neighbors in Poplar Bluff. ...

Society has been overwhelmed by a series of school shootings in recent months. Violence has that effect. People are outraged. But the outrage too easily dissolves into helplessness. There are no easy answers to questions like "How can we make sure it won't happen again?" or "Who is to blame?"...

This has been a fascinating primary season, especially the seesaw battle between George Bush and John McCain. It has been so fast-paced and so defiant of historical patterns that analysts are reduced to scratching their heads in bewilderment. Despite the morass of unconventional and inscrutable data, one truth has emerged with sparkling clarity: The influence of the press is alarmingly formidable...

To the editor: All of our laws are based on the idea that theft is not acceptable behavior. It is no accident that the Framers of the Constitution originally intended to protect the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of property, later changed to the pursuit of happiness. ...

The Southeast Missourian is an additional educational tool for area teachers, which the Newspaper in Education program encourages. The program is being celebrated across the nation this week. The goal of NIE is to reinforce a lifetime reading habit and to teach students to acquire and value information from newspapers and other media...

Cable television service in Cape Girardeau County won't change much with a switch to Charter Communications, but high-speed Internet service, digital programming and more channels are just around the corner, Charter officials say. The switch from Falcon Telecable became effective Monday and was announced Tuesday by Charter Communications. Charter is headquartered in St. Louis and serves 6.2 million customers...

Vice President Al Gore and Texas Gov. George W. Bush cruised to victory Tuesday in Missouri's first presidential primary since 1988. With 97 percent of the vote counted, Bush led rival John McCain 58 percent to 35 percent in the GOP primary. Alan Keyes, had 6 percent of the vote...

FRUITLAND -- Fifth-grade teacher Martha Short loves to share a good story. Short and her students at North Elementary School are reading "Adventure on Ocrakoke Island," a serialized adventure story written by Karen Adams Sulkin and illustrated by Robert Lunsford...

Radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh secretly broadcast many of his shows from the studios of radio station KZIM in Cape Girardeau during the month before the death of his mother, Mildred "Millie" Limbaugh. On Tuesday's show, Limbaugh praised the Zimmer family, KZIM and its staff for making it possible for him to spend as much time as possible with his mother, who died Thursday, March 2, 2000, at her home. She was 74...

Reading books has been one of my favorite activities for as long as I can remember. Even before I could read myself, my mother would read to me. The warm feeling that came from cuddling next to Mom and helping turn the pages as she read was so special I've made it a priority to read to my own children...

Agenda 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 6 City Hall Action Items Power and Light Committee Street Committee...

Honda still makes the most popular car for thieves, Cape Girardeau police said. Various model years of Honda Accords and Civics remain targets for stealing year after year for one reason, Cpl. Kevin Orr said. "There's a market for them," Orr said. Cars popular among thieves follow market trends, said the National Insurance Crime Bureau, in Palos Hills, Ill. Thefts of high-end light trucks have grown significantly on a national scale, the bureau said...

Southeast Missouri basketball officials hope Murray State University, big Indian rivals on the court, find some favor from NCAA selectors this weekend. The more teams in the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament the better the bottom line for the Ohio Valley Conference...

A Cape Girardeau day-care center owner is upset a restaurant adjacent to her property can sell liquor while children play nearby. Patty Turner, who owns Friends Forever Preschool at 1749 Independence, is angry no one told her a bar was opening at 1751 Independence...

Perry County School District 32 Board of Education Meeting Wednesday, March 8, 2000 7:30 p.m. Senior High Library Action Items: Approval of FY 2001 salary schedules based n passage of Proposition Y 1. Classified employees' schedules 2. Teacher salary schedule...

For Scott City, it's payback time. The Rams (26-3) go into tonight's 8:15 Class 2A sectional game against the Bulldogs with revenge on their minds. The game will take place at the Tiger Field House on the campus of Cape Girardeau Central High. Portageville ruined Scott City's senior night a couple weeks ago with a 73-68 win. ...

It's certainly an exciting time in our basketball program at Southeast Missouri State. We had a great tournament in Nashville and came away with the championship trophy and a ticket to the NCAA Tournament. We had two goals going into the season -- to win the OVC title and to advance to the NCAA Tournament -- and this determined group of young men has accomplished both goals...

Ultimately, Columbia is where Advance wants to go. But to get there, the Hornets will have to get past Thayer. Advance, the fourth-ranked team in Class 1A, will take on Thayer tonight in a Class 1A sectional game at Poplar Bluff High School. Thayer (25-3) won a 53-52 overtime regional game against South Iron on Monday. The Bobcats won the game in amazing fashion, forcing overtime on two free throws then coming from nine points down in overtime to claim the victory...

Only one Class 2A team in Southeast Missouri has played Notre Dame's girls within respectability this season. That team will challenge Notre Dame again at 6:30 tonight when the Lady Bulldogs take on Twin Rivers in a Class 2A state sectional game at Cape Central High's Tiger Field House...

Scorpions claim home opener 39-5 The Kohlfeld Scorpion Rugby Club won its homer opener against the Scott Air Force Base Rowdies 39-5. Scorpion Jamie Hann stung the Rowdies with a try in the first three minutes of the game and Kohlfeld never looked back...

The Southeast Missouri Sate University will face Missouri today at Capaha Field as it begins a stretch of five consecutive home games. Missouri brings a 9-7 record into the 3 p.m. game. The Tigers played nationally ranked Texas this past weekend and went 1-2 in the three-game series...

ST. LOUIS -- Cape Central's girls swim team captured four first-place finishes but dropped its season-opening dual meet 114-69 against Parkway Central Tuesday. Mary Beth Owen accounted for two of the victories. She touched the wall first in the 500 freestyle in a school-record and state-qualifying time of 5:09.91. She also won the 200 IM in a state-qualifying time of 2:12.98. Jean Maguire also posted a state-qualifying time in winning the 100 freestyle in :57.93...

SIKESTON -- Ronnie N. Worth, 60, of Sikeston died Monday, March 6, 2000, at Clearview Nursing Center. He was born Sept. 3, 1939, in Hayti, son of Valley Brook and Julie Belle Rettig Worth. Survivors include two sons, Ronnie Worth II of Davenport, Iowa, Ronnie Worth of Flint, Mich.; seven brothers, the Rev. ...

SCOTT CITY -- Omer George Ware, 83, of Billings, Mont., formerly of Illmo, died Tuesday, March 7, 2000, at Eagle Cliff Manor. He was born May 9, 1916, in Cairo, Ill., son of George S. and Rita Jaeckels Ware. He and Dorothy Westrich were married March 12, 1945. She died in 1989...

Richard T. Mahy Sr., 85, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, March 7, 2000, at the Lutheran Home. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Dolores Catherine Ziegler, 70, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, March 5, 2000, at St. Francis Medical Center. She was born Nov. 12, 1929, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Anton J. and Emma Burger Ziegler. Ziegler was a records clerk 35 years with Southwestern Bell Telephone. She was a member of St. Mary's Cathedral and Southwestern Bell Telephone Pioneers...

PERRYVILLE -- Brenda Lee Honeycutt, 42, of Perryville died Tuesday, March 7, 2000, at St. Louis University Hospital. She was born Feb. 5, 1958, at Perryville, daughter of Elvin E. "Happy" and Marjorie A. Hahn Moonier. She and Harrel Honeycutt were married Feb. 3, 1996...

Committal service for Betty Lou Uhr of Cape Girardeau will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at Cape County Memorial Park Mausoleum. The Rev. Vyron Yount will officiate. There is no visitation. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. A memorial service will be held later...

Son to Dennis and Deidre Hartmann of Little Rock, Ark., St. Vincent's Doctors Hospital, 8:29 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17, 2000. Name, Nathan Randall. Weight, 10 pounds 6 ounces. First child. Mrs. Hartmann is the former Deidre Walton, daughter of Riley and Marilyn Walton of Joplin. Hartmann is the son of Robert and Esther Hartmann of Cape Girardeau. Mr. and Mrs. Hartmann are teachers at Christ Lutheran School in Little Rock...

PERRYVILLE -- Dwenda Lee Poinsett, 71, of Perryville died Tuesday, March 7, 2000, in Perryville. She was born Jan. 5, 1929, at Zalma, daughter of Glen C. and Reba I. Abernathy Speer. She and James A. Poinsett were married Sept. 14, 1946. He died Sept. 22, 1998...

Maude E. Smith, 91, died Tuesday, March 7, 2000, at St. Francis Medical Center. She had formerly lived in Carbondale, Ill., and West Frankfort, Ill. She and Clarence S. Smith were married. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Crain Funeral Home Pleasant Grove Chapel...

MALDEN -- Helen Jones, 69, of Malden died Tuesday, March 7, 2000, at her home. Watkins and Sons Funeral Home in Dexter is in charge of arrangements.

MILLERSVILLE -- Donald Lloyd Smith, 56, of Millersville died Monday, March 6, 2000, at his home. He was born Aug. 17, 1943, near Jackson, son of Lloyd Lilbourn and Sarah Josephine Smith. He and Joan L. Welker were married May 25, 1963, at Oak Ridge...

ORAN -- Fred L. Sturgeon Jr., 79, of Oran died Tuesday, March 7, 2000, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Jan. 16, 1921, at Oran, son of Fred L. and Lucie Alice Smith Sturgeon Sr. He and Mildred "Mickey" Howell were married Oct. 9, 1941. She died April 7, 1999...

HAYWOOD CITY -- John H. Hamilton, 63, of Haywood City died Saturday, March 4, 2000, at Sikeston Convalescent Center. He was born Jan. 1, 1937, at Kewanee, son of David and Morean Weakly Hamilton. Hamilton attended the Hooe School in the Bug Ridge community. He was a member of New Morning Star Baptist Church...

JACKSON -- Sherman Cooper Cracraft Jr., 80, of Jackson died Tuesday, March 7, 2000, at Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born April 6, 1919, in Jackson, son of Sherman Cooper and Berenice C. Miller Cracraft. He and Elizabeth "Betty" Blackwell were married May 24, 1941. She died Feb. 3, 1975...

Recently we attended the wedding of Lee Ann Halstead and Larry Shell. Lee Ann is a close friend and the creator of the unique artwork for my books. Everyone else knows Lee Ann as the proprietor of The Gallery in New Madrid. An intimate gathering of family and friends were privileged to be a part of this elegant occasion. ...

The beautiful weather we are having must be the reason for the huge response to Recipe Swap this week. There were 39 recipes sent in this week to share. I think this is a record. It is exciting to see so many people answer requests for other people of whom they don't even know. But we all have the one thing in common, we love recipes and cookbooks...