Stories from Saturday, June 24, 2000

With its fluttering, colorful flags set off by metal-gray paint, the Navy mine-hunting ship USS Black Hawk docked at Riverfront Park Friday morning and will be open for public tours this weekend. The ship, a 188-foot-long, 36-foot-wide MHC 51 (Osprey) class, is normally at home in coastal ocean waters. ...

"Warning, men at work." Motorists in Illinois will see these signs earlier in the day. The Illinois Department of Transportation is alerting motorists that highway maintenance workers are now working summer hours, which means crews will start work at 6:30 a.m...

More radioactive contamination has been discovered at Southeast Missouri State University's Magill Hall, school officials said Friday. Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspectors detected the contamination in a second-floor room of the science building that formerly was used for experiments with radioactive chemicals. An area of the floor against a wall and underneath a pipe was found to be contaminated...

A 16-year-old boy suspected in the shooting death of his grandmother was certified Friday by Judge Scott Thomsen to be tried as an adult. Joshua Wolf likely will appear within the next week before Circuit Judge Gary Kamp to be bound over for trial on charges of first-degree murder, second-degree arson and armed criminal action, said Abbie Crites-Leoni, attorney for the 32nd Judicial District's juvenile office...

I've been thinking about parenthood a lot lately, and I've resolved one thing in my mind: It usually takes two to be effective. It's as if an invisible testosterone alarm sounds in my household whenever Patrick drives into our driveway, enters a room or just wakes up in the morning. At that point, it wouldn't matter if I whipped out a bagful of new toy trucks or a brand new puppy, because all eyes would still be firmly planted on Daddy...

Two people suffered moderate injuries Thursday in separate single-vehicle accidents in the region. Derek Hale, 18, of Cape Girardeau was taken to St. Francis Medical Center after an accident five miles west of Marble Hill. It occurred at 8:15 p.m. on Highway 34...

The staff of the Center for Orthodontics, 5 Doctors' Park, supports the YELL Foundation. From left: Tina Kaiser, Jessica Fabian, Angela Crook, Cindy Glueck, Katrina Sutton, Cindy Layton, Dr. S. Edwin Noffel, Dr. David Feuerhahn, Kathy Rodgers, Jami Bouge, Terry Cornwell, Deb Kapfer, Dana Houseman and Jayne Jones...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Wanted: Library director for the counties of Cape Girardeau, Scott and Perry, able to oversee a staff of 16 full-time workers, experience with budgeting, grant writing, staff organization and knowledge of information technology, dynamic interpersonal skills and ability to motivate staff. Advanced degree in library science preferred but not essential...

Cape Girardeau city and county have been awarded more than $170,000 from a new Department of Natural Resources grant fund for stormwater improvements. More than $9.6 million in grants were awarded to communities throughout the state for improvements to stormwater, wastewater treatment and public drinking water systems this month. Funding from the projects was provided by a constitutional amendment approved by Missouri voters in 1998...

Two men were treated for heat related illnesses, which Cape Girardeau firefighters fear might increase over a hot weekend. "You'll get a lot of people working out in their yards, and the heat will sneak up on them," said Capt. Bobby Kembel of the Cape Girardeau Fire Department. "They just don't realized that it's that hot."...

On one side of the Fellowship Baptist Church's sanctuary, about 30 teachers and students nestled in pews awaiting the procession of the flags and Bible. It's Thursday afternoon, the fourth day of vacation Bible school, which began June 12 at the Cape Girardeau church...

Angie Hankins has happy memories of her first experiences with summer vacation Bible school. She was 4 or 5 in Morgantown, Ky., where her grandfather was a pig farmer and Mennonite minister. Her grandfather used to drive his pickup truck with a camper shell and pick up all the children for Bible school and take them to the church. She recalls how everyone drank water from a pump out of tin cups at the church...

The McDowell Capahas will have one of their most anticipated regular-season baseball series in a number of years this weekend when the nationally-renowned Clarinda (Iowa) A's come to Cape Girardeau. The Capahas and A's will have a 5 p.m. doubleheader today and a 1 p.m. single game Sunday, with all the action at Capaha Field...

CHAFFEE -- -- Chaffee Legion swept Poplar Bluff in a district doubleheader Thursday night, winning 8-6 in the opener and 10-1 in the nightcap. Chaffee improved to 13-1 overall and 10-0 in the district. Josh Eftink pitched three hitless innings in relief of Bill Posey to get the win in the opener. Eftink walked one and struck out four...

UNIONTOWN, Mo. -- Erica A. Best, 90, of Uniontown died Friday, June 23, 2000, at Perry County Nursing Home. She was born March 31, 1910, in Perry County, daughter of Martin and Sucanna Lueders Schuessler. She and Theodore Charles Best were married May 5, 1935. He died Feb. 24, 1960...

ANNA, Ill. -- Funeral for Ray Gene Morgan of Anna will be held at 3 p.m. today at First Baptist Church in Jonesboro. The Rev. Joseph Aldridge will officiate. Burial will be in Jonesboro Cemetery. Friends may call at the church after 11 a.m. Lutz and Rendleman Funeral Home in Anna is in charge of arrangements...

Mary C. Scherer, 93, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, June 22, 2000, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born Sept. 29, 1906, in Scott County, daughter of Andrew and Josephine Diebold Wiedefeld. She and Toney Scherer were married April 16, 1925. He died in 1986...

Arthur Leon Burchyett, 70, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, June 22, 2000, at his home. He was born Nov. 25, 1929, at McClure, Ill., son of Raymond and Loretta Mae Jaynes Burchyett. He and Eva Le Key were married Jan. 5, 1952, in Osceola, Ark. She died Dec. 11, 1973. He and Madge Roloff McClard were married July 19, 1975, in Jackson...

SCOPUS, Mo. -- Betty Jo Ford, 64, of Kimberling City died Thursday, June 22, 2000, at Skaggs Community Hospital in Branson. She was born July 8, 1935, at Scopus, daughter of Dale and Clolia Cook Stevens. She married Jim Ford. The Fords have lived in the Kimberling City area 15 years, moving there from Winfield. She was a member of the Church of Christ in Kimberling City...

GLEN ALLEN, Mo. -- Jeanine Ann Howard, 60, of Glen Allen died Thursday, June 22, 2000, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Nov. 20, 1939, in Creve Coeur, Ill., daughter of John and Mary McGuigan Osborne. She and Otis E. Howard were married Oct. 29, 1966...

OLIVE BRANCH, Ill. -- Funeral for Irma Boecker Hagler of Olive Branch will be held at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Crain Funeral Home in Tamms. The Rev. Billy Don Heady will officiate. Burial will be in St. John's Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home from 6-8 p.m. today and Sunday until service time...

I JUST read the Speak Out item "Stay after school" about home-schoolers using the basketball and football fields at taxpayers' expense. May I remind you people that whether they go to public school or not, we still pay the taxes the same as usual. Quit your griping...

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court dealt another damaging blow to religious freedom in the United States . In Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe, the court, in a 6-3 decision, struck down a Texas school district's policy that allowed an elected student representative to deliver a public invocation before home high school football games. The court declared the policy unconstitutional in that it violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment...

For some time now, state budget forecasters have predicted a tight revenue future for Missouri. Because of tax cuts designed to keep state revenue from exceeding constitutional caps limiting growth, plus an expected slowdown in the state's booming economy and a loss of retail sales taxes to e-commerce, doomsayers warned of lean times...

In affiliating with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Greater St. Louis, organizers working to bring such a group to Cape Girardeau County couldn't have chosen a better partner. Big Brothers and Big Sisters groups have proven successful throughout the nation in providing youth with positive role models and mentors. Having the organization active locally will prove a fine addition to the community...

To the editor: An editorial by Michael Jensen, editor of the Standard Democrat in Sikeston, Mo., regarding the Confederate flag appeared in Gary Rust's May 24 column. Mr. Jensen is upset that the Confederate flag was removed from the South Carolina statehouse...