Stories from Saturday, June 3, 2000

Neighbors around Morgan Oak and Ellis streets are looking out for each other more often now. With the help of police, they have formed the only active neighborhood watch group in Cape Girardeau. Since the group's first meeting in early April, complaints of loitering, narcotics sales and traffic problems have diminished, Cpl. Kevin Orr said...

Area lawmakers say the just-completed session of the Missouri Legislature was a good one partly because of the bills that weren't passed. "I actually looked at this session as a pretty good session," said state Rep. David Schwab, R-Jackson. Schwab was one of five area lawmakers who discussed the session at the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce's First Friday Coffee. About 170 people attended Friday's meeting at the Show Me Center...

Parts of Cape Girardeau are moving into the fast lane of telecommunications technology. Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. is well ahead of schedule in deploying digital subscriber line (DSL) service in portions of the city. "We're taking orders today," said Jan Newton, president of Southwestern Bell-Missouri...

I started thinking about my oldest son, Jerry, yesterday, and the tears started falling, right on cue. Today is his fourth birthday, and it's a little overwhelming to realize he has gone from baby to toddler to preschooler in the blink of an eye, and is only a year away from being school-aged...

The 16-year-old boy suspected in the murder of his grandmother will have his certification hearing spread over two days later this month, a court official said. Joshua Wolf will appear at the Jackson courthouse on June 23 and 26 before Circuit Judge Scott Thomsen. The hearings will decide whether he should be tried as an adult in the shooting death of Carolyn Lindley...

Leland Gattis has been named the new principal at Louis J. Schultz School. Gattis, currently the assistant principal at Central Junior High, was selected from a field of six internal candidates for the position at the seventh-grade center. Current Schultz Principal Rob Huff is vacating the job to become the district's business manager July 1...

Except for a slight chance of rain in the forecast, conditions look great for the 1,700 or so people who hold tickets for tonight's Southeast Night at Busch Stadium. The Southeast Missourian and Southeast Missouri State University are the joint sponsors of the event that is providing a way to a large group of Southeast Missouri residents to come together to enjoy the St. Louis Cardinal game against the Cleveland Indians...

SCOTT CITY Mo. -- "Please pray for B.J.," reads the sign in front of the Scott City fire station. It's just one of about a dozen signs that line the city's main street offering support to the family of this young and very sick resident. B.J. Bradley, the 2-year-old son of Billy and Niki Bradley of Scott City, has neuroblastoma, a rare childhood cancer that has caused tumors to grow throughout B.J.'s small body. ...

Former Southeast Missouri head football coach John Mumford has been named the defensive line coach for Army. Mumford served as head coach at Southeast for 10 seasons, leading the Indians to a 40-70 record during his tenure. Mumford resigned after the Indians finished the 1999 season with a 3-8 record, his eighth losing season at Southeast. He has since been replaced by former Marshall defensive coordinator Tim Billings...

The McDowell Capahas got solid pitching from Chad Bogenpohl and Jerry Wolsey and got two key hits in the sixth as they knocked off the Fairview Heights Redbirds 4-2 Friday night at Capaha Field. Wolsey got the win in relief as the Capahas improved to 4-1 on the season...

MARBLE HILL -- Evelyn R. Hutson, 78, of Marble Hill died Friday, June 2, 2000, at St. Luke's Hospital in Chesterfield. She was born Oct. 14, 1921, in Henrietta, Texas, daughter of William Richard and Margaret Hopkins Brazil. She and Roy R. Hutson were married Oct. 3, 1942. He died Nov. 5, 1974...

Son to Tedra Sue Medley and Todd Anthony Allen of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 5:33 p.m. Monday, May 22, 2000. Name, Mykael Anthony. Weight, 8 pounds 5 ounces. Ms. Medley is the daughter of Teddy J. Baer of Toledo, Ohio, and Janet McClenithon of Cape Girardeau. Allen is the son of Sarah Allen and Dennis Allen of Jackson...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Nancy R. Walder, 75, of Evansville, Ind., died Friday, June 2, 2000, at her home. She was born Dec. 11, 1924, in Shelbyville, daughter of Paul and Velma Allen. She married Robert W. Walder. Walder retired as a clerk at Sears in Evansville. Formerly of Cairo, she was a member of St. Patrick's Catholic Church and of Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Evansville...

SIKESTON -- Gwendolyn Pauline Jones, 87, of Sikeston died Friday, June 2, 2000, at her home. She was born July 4, 1912, in Scott County, daughter of Charles and Lina Gregory Pierce. She married J.W. "Buddy" Jones, who died April 3, 1982. Jones worked many years at International Shoe Co. and was a lifetime member of First Nazarene Church...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Alma F. "Sister" Gilliam, 76, of East Prairie died Thursday, June 1, 2000, at East Prairie Nursing Center. She was born in New Madrid County, daughter of Warner and Katie Florence Chapman Wilson. She and Clarence "Ted" Gilliam were married in 1945 at Charleston. He died Jan. 31, 1984...

NEW MADRID -- Elder James Louis Parker, 48, of New Madrid died Tuesday, May 30, 2000, at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis. He was born Oct. 1, 1951, in Charleston, son of John and Willie Mae Treadwell Parker. He and Mary Sims were married Oct. 27, 1974...

KARNAK, Ill. -- Funeral for John E. Kean of Karnak will be held at 11 a.m. today at Wilson Funeral Home in Karnak. The Rev. Ken Sharp will officiate. Burial will be in Belknap Masonic Cemetery, with military rites by Vienna VFW Post 5222. Friends may call at the funeral home from 9 a.m. until service time...

CHARLESTON -- Clarence Abernathy, 89, of Charleston died Friday, June 2, 2000, at Miner Nursing Center in Miner. He was born Aug. 21, 1910, at Lowndes, son of Henry and Mary Marget Abernathy. He and Vallie "Aunt Sissie" McCormick were married Nov. 18, 1946. She died June 20, 1994...

PUXICO -- Funeral for James E. Crank of Hot Springs, Ark., will be held at 10 a.m. today at Caruth-Hale Funeral Home in Hot Springs. Dr. J. Richard Love will officiate. Burial will be in Forest Hills Memorial Park in Little Rock, Ark. Crank, 74, died Thursday, June 1, 2000, at his home...

Just about every month we see a new Al Gore. Correction: Every month we see the same Al Gore engaged in yet another pathetic effort to remold his image into something more palatable to the voters. Ironically, with every succeeding transformation, Gore makes himself less electable, especially against George Bush. ...

The Cape Girardeau City Council will consider a proposal Monday to ask the local cable-television provider to conduct a survey to gauge customer opinion about the system, which also serves Jackson. The survey could prove useful to the provider, Charter Communications, giving the company valuable information about what its customers like and dislike. However, the key consideration is the timing of the survey...

The Cape Girardeau Board of Education has signed off on a $600,000 plan to air condition Central High School. That may sound like a substantial sum, and it is. However, when you consider that the original cost estimate to air condition the building was $4.3 million, district administrators deserve considerable credit for developing a workable alternative to keep costs down...

To the editor: Kevin Sherlock, an investigative reporter who specializes in public document searches, undertook an extensive review of death certificates for women of reproductive age in Los Angeles County. He pulled the autopsy reports while looking for indications of "therapeutic misadventure." He was able to find 29 abortion related deaths in Los Angeles County between 1970 and 1987, four of which occurred in one year. ...

To the editor: Using Speak Out as a public forum has always concerned me. My basic feeling is that it can serve as a useful emotional outlet. The problem area is that it is a rumor mill that does not require crosschecks to see if the information has any validity. There is humor and hurt, truth and travesty. More often than not, the tone is negative, but that is not your problem. Positive people should take the time to call in...