Stories from Thursday, August 31, 2000

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI No state title has been won a football state championship from this part of the state since Chaffee did it in 1983. If any team will do it this year, it will likely be St. Vincent, which made it to the state semifinals in 1A last year and lost in the finals in 1998...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- It's a chicken-and-egg type of thing. Which came first, St. Vincent's big success or St. Vincent's big numbers? Either way, the percentage of students who play football for the Indians is nothing short of astonishing. There are between 92 and 95 boys enrolled at St. Vincent High School...

Poplar Bluff was explosive on offense last year and solid on defense. This year head coach Mark Barrouse feels the offense is just as good and the defense will be improved. "I've been pleasantly surprised with the way things have gone," said Barrouse. ...

Perryville will have a new look this season in more ways than one. For starters, the Pirates have a new head coach in Lance Bell, who was an assistant at the school the past four seasons. And Bell has scrapped the wishbone offense the Pirates used the past couple of years, instead going to a more wide-open, spread attack...

The 1999 season was one of many firsts for Fredericktown. Now the Black Cats are hungry for seconds. Fredericktown, which went 6-4, had its first winning season in 16 years in 1999, is looking to start the millennium with its first back-to-back winning seasons in 37 years...

All starting times 7:30 p.m. unless noted (Week 1) Friday, Sept. 1 St. Charles West at Cape Central Sikeston at Jackson Malden at Scott City Chaffee at Grandview Waynesville at Perryville St. Vincent at Park Hills (7:00) Crystal City at Fredericktown (7:00)...

SIKESTON --Sikeston's 1999 season may have been one of head coach Charlie Vickery's more satisfying campaigns. No, the team didn't win a district title, nor will the squad go down as one of the best Sikeston teams ever, but it's the way they improved as the season went on that stands out...

CAPE CENTRAL Brian Emmendorfer (5-10, 170, sr.) Cape Central, K Emmendorfer booted a 58-yarder last year, second longest in state history. However, his team didn't give him enough opportunities last year to put up impressive numbers -- he was just 13-of-16 on extra-point kicks and 4-of-7 on field goal attempts. ...

With all due respect to last year's all-state running backs Justin Robinson of Sikeston and New Madrid's Ricky Smith, the most electric, entertaining football player a year ago could have been Jackson's Mario Whitney. Given that Whitney was a sophomore last year and that Smith and Robinson have graduated, Whitney is no doubt the most talked-about running back in this part of the state heading into the season...

Eastern Kentucky has by far the most tradition-rich football program in the Ohio Valley Conference, but the Colonels have not won an OVC championship since 1997. If the league's head coaches and sports information directors are correct, then that relatively short drought will end this year...

Aug. 31 SE MISSOURI at Marshall, 6 p.m. Glenville St. at Eastern Ky., 6 p.m. Southern Illinois at Murray St., 6 p.m. Eastern Ill. at Indiana St., 6:30 p.m. Lambuth at Tenn.-Martin, 7 p.m. Sept. 2 Alabama St. at Tenn. St., 6 p.m. Sept. 7 Murray St. at Samford, 7 p.m...

Rushing Offense Passing Offense Total Offense Scoring Offense Rushing Defense Passing Efficiency Defense Total Defense Scoring Defense...

SEMO Conference Northern Division Southern Division Central Division Others Note: Perryville and St. Vincent compete in the Jefferson County Conference, in the large and small divisions, respectively; Fredericktown is a member of the Mineral Area Athletic Association; Anna-Jonesboro is a member of the River to River Conference Mississippi Division; Cairo is a member of the Black Diamond Conference...

First-year St. Vincent coach Keith Winkler isn't one to talk about how good his team is or how good it could be. But after his team showed that it could compete against schools with enrollments from five to seven times larger at last Friday night's jamboree, Winkler doesn't have to say it...

Scott City has had quite a two-year run, going 10-2 and advancing to the Class 2A state quarterfinals in each of the past two seasons. While the Rams lost quite a few talented players from the 1999 squad -- including their standout starting backfield of quarterback Scott Johnston and running backs Matt Underwood and David Enderle -- things are still looking up for first-year head coach Stephen O'Brien...

CHARLESTON -- Charleston's football program hasn't enjoyed the success that it envisioned after moving down to Class 2A two years ago. With the dominance the Bluejays enjoyed for so many years in Class 3A, it was only logical that they would continue the trend in a lower class...

Rashad West (above left) took over as Southeast Missouri State University's starting quarterback with four games left in the 1999 season. He led the Indians to their only three victories during that time, with the lone loss being a narrow setback to top-ranked Tennessee State...

Southeast Missouri State University football coach Tim Billings and athletic director Don Kaverman agree that the planned renovations to Houck Stadium would be a huge step toward helping the Indians return to respectability on the gridiron. The addition of a new FieldTurf playing surface this year is just the first of a five-phase improvement program for the stadium that was constructed in 1930. ...

Max Neville remembers the opening kickoff at Houck Stadium almost as if it were yesterday. Which is quite remarkable, considering that the boot took place almost 70 years ago. The date was Oct. 3, 1930, and brand-new Houck Stadium was ready for official introduction as the home of Southeast Missouri State University football. It was constructed at an original cost of $150,000...

There is a virtually brand-new coaching staff, directed by head man Tim Billings, who was a part of the nation's winningest college football program of the 1990s at Marshall. There is a brand-new FieldTurf artificial playing surface at Houck Stadium...

Following is a position-by-position look at Southeast Missouri State University's offense: Quarterback Junior Rashad West is definitely the headliner at this position after taking over as the starter late last season and directing the Indians to their only three wins. He completed 56 of 98 passes for 917 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for 364 yards on 64 carries and scoring six TDs. Those 364 yards on the ground ranked second on the team...

Following is a position-by-position look at Southeast Missouri State University's defense: Defensive Line This unit appears to be thin in numbers, but there is talent, particularly at the tackle spots, where sophomores James Jennette and Marshall transfer Jermaine Motley figure to rule...

Tim Billings, Southeast Missouri State University's first-year head football coach, is proud of his inaugural Indians' coaching staff. Billings said with a smile that he tried to find assistant coaches who are better coaches than him. Asked if he had succeeded, a laughing Billings said, "Of course not."...

We've done the research, talked to the coaches and players, been to a few practices and we've written the stories. But the truth is, we still don't know for sure. Right now, the picture of high school football in Southeast Missouri is an abstract one...

No pain. No gain. Cape Central went through the pain last year as the Tigers struggled though a 1-9 season. But sometimes it takes a little blood to bring out the beast. Cape Central learned a lot about dedication and commitment last season and upon self inspection, many players realized that they were lacking in those departments...

Cape Central has put in the work, it has almost everybody back, and it won't have to learn a new system. Yet the question still looms: Will the Tigers get back to respectability after a 1-9 season? That is a question that will only be answered in time, but coach Lawrence Brookins believes the solution will be revealed in the trenches...

Expectations are high in Indian Country this year. Way high. And not just because of junior running back Mario Whitney and his 4.43 speed in the 40-yard dash. From top to bottom and on both sides of the ball, Jackson seems to be loaded. "This is one of the few years where we've been two or three deep at every position and that gives you a lot of latitude," said Jackson coach Carl Gross. "It potentially could be as good as any team I've coached, on paper...

JACKSON -- When Jackson's football players suited up for practice the first time a few weeks ago, there were no surprises. Every player, even the first-year players, knew what to expect. Because it's the exact same every year. Coach Carl Gross is going to handle the offense. Coach Van Hitt will handle the defense and coach Bob Sink will handle the linemen...

Suckling is the act of drawing milk into the mouth from a mammary gland (as in a breast or udder). This is one of the characteristics that distinguishes mammals from the rest of the animal kingdom. In humans this is more commonly referred to as breast-feeding or nursing. The latter expression comes from the practice of using a "wet nurse," a lactating woman, to breast-feed or nurse another's child...

Some would consider a 3-7 season a failure. To Chaffee, it is something to build on. After years of being a doormat, Chaffee wasn't a guaranteed win last year. The Red Devils were competitive in every game they played and weren't that far from 5-5. But the Red Devils, who got out to a 3-3 start, faded down the stretch as the wear-and-tear took its toll on a team that seriously lacked depth...

It's a changing world we live in, and the games people play are not immune. Sports in general have come a long way from the old days. As we enter a new millennium, it's a good time to check the pulse of high school football. How we got here In the year 1900, high school football was virtually non-existent...

There's a war going on in our public schools, and it has nothing to do with fighting, soldiers or differences of opinion. Now that school is back in session, germs have invaded the curriculum and added another subject that must be taught. Germs are sneaky little creatures that get inside your body through cuts and scratches, through your nose, mouth and your eyes. ...

A 19-year-old Cape Girardeau restaurant manager doesn't believe his actions during an armed robbery on Saturday should have cost him his job. Matt Killian of Scott City, Mo., went into Fazoli's at 5 N. Kingshighway on Wednesday to get his final paycheck after a human-resources manager in Lexington, Ky., said that he should be fired...

It began with old turntables and a small console tucked in a corner of a room of a former apartment building 10 years ago. Today, KRCU is a full-fledged Public Radio affiliate station offering local and network programming 24 hours a day. It is gearing up for its on-air fund drive, a weeklong effort slated to kick off on Oct. 7...

POTOSI, Mo. -- People who knew Gary Lee Roll personally and people who didn't joined together Tuesday night in a dimly-lit gravel parking lot in the minutes after his death to whisper prayers and reflect on the sacredness of life. While the majority of people came to Potosi, Mo., because they opposed the death penalty, two men, including one from Oak Ridge, Mo., showed support of state executions. The two groups were kept separate in the parking lot...

POTOSI, Mo. -- In his final statement before execution, Gary Lee Roll expressed remorse for murdering three Cape Girardeau family members in 1992 and the pain his crimes caused their relatives and his own family. He asked for forgiveness. Roll, 48, of Cape Girardeau had been on Missouri's death row since 1993 after pleading guilty to three counts of first-degree murder for killing Sherry Scheper and her sons Curtis and Randy Scheper during a robbery at their home. ...

Aug. 31, 2000 Dear Leslie, In Cape Girardeau, many people can tell you something about Rush Limbaugh's days growing up here. Now we have the obscene flip side of celebrity. We knew a man who was put to death for murder. Most of the memories are of Gary Roll as a teen-ager or young adult. In adulthood he seems to have disappeared in a haze of drugs...

A Pemiscot County, Mo., woman pled guilty to bank embezzlement charges in federal court. Tracy D. Darnell, 29, of Caruthersville, Mo., appeared before U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber Monday. She pled guilty to three counts of felony embezzlement and theft...

A heat index hovering in the 110-degree range is expected to blanket the Cape Girardeau area until Friday, according to National Weather Service officials in Paducah. "There does not look like a big change in the pattern over the next several days but enough to give us some slight relief into the weekend," NWS meteorologist Rick Shanklin said Wednesday...

In an effort to save money, many people opt to use fans instead of air conditioners to cool off, which can lead to unexpected heat exhaustion, according to area health officials. "Fans are great up to a point, but once the temperature gets so high, they're just moving warm air around," said Charlotte Craig, administrator at the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Department...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- One woman is in jail and officers with the Sikeston Department of Public Safety are currently looking for a man in connection with a rape, robbery and assault. On Aug. 8, a woman told DPS officers that she had been taken to an unknown location by a female and black male. ...

Several Cape Girardeau streets will be closed for temporary construction projects through the remainder of the week. The Cape Girardeau Police department issued Wednesday a list of street closings so that motorists could plan alternate routes for travel...

It's back to the drawing boards for veterans outpatient clinics, planned for construction at six Missouri State Veterans Homes, including Cape Girardeau. "The bids were over budget at every location," said Robert R. Buckner, executive director of the Missouri Veterans Commission. "They ranged from about $700,000 to as much as $3 million."...

Marcus Eliot Jones of Cape Girardeau was named to the University of Mississippi's chancellor's honor roll for the summer semester.

Christopher Steven Lee, a senior in architecture and urban design at the University of Kansas, was named to the spring semester honor roll. Lee, of Cape Girardeau, is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Steven Lee.

A Big Brothers Big Sisters of America chapter in Cape Girardeau County should be up and running by the end of September. The organization, which matches children and adult volunteers to provide children with a positive adult role model, should be operational by Sept. 15, said Becky James, president and chief executive officer of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater St. Louis. In June, James' organization agreed to sponsor development of a Cape Girardeau affiliate...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A 32-year-old Sikeston man was charged with first degree murder on Wednesday for shooting a woman in a car on Aug. 5, law enforcement officials said. David Lee Robinson, of 323 Sunset St., was arrested by police at a location on Magnolia Street shortly before 9 a.m. and charged with first degree murder and armed criminal action, police said...

Matthias Wigger is a businessman. Jens Schoenberg works in a government tax office in Germany. "We are very different," says Schoenberg. But both have been playing trombone in the Youth Wind Orchestra of the Lubeck School of Music for 17 years. Wednesday, the orchestra's big band performed at noon at the University Center. Wednesday night the entire 40-piece orchestra gave a concert at Academic Auditorium...

LILBOURN, Mo. -- When it rains in Southeast Missouri, it pours. When it pours in Lilbourn, it floods. But a Community Development Block Grant announced recently by Gov. Mel Carnahan should help put an end to the flooding. The community will receive $319,200 through the state program to improve the town's streets and drainage system. The Lilbourn Board of Aldermen will also kick in some funding or in-kind work toward the project...

Son to Robert David and Carla Jean Jackson of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 5:22 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 24, 2000. Name, William Blaine. Weight, 8 pounds 5 ounces. Second child, first son. Mrs. Jackson is the former Carla Newkirk, daughter of Jim Newkirk of Hillsboro, Mo., and the late Barbara Headrick of Cape Girardeau. She is employed at Celebrations. Jackson is the son of Beverly Lehnen of Moro, Ill., and Dana Jackson of Godfrey, Ill. He is employed at Holiday Inn...

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- It would be easy to think that Division I-A powerhouse Marshall won't take Division I-AA upstart Southeast Missouri State University very seriously when the squads open their 2000 seasons tonight. But Marshall coach Bob Pruett -- despite his team being an overwhelming favorite -- claims that isn't likely to happen...

Sometimes one play can define an athlete. Take Kirk Gibson, Ricky Proehl or poor ol' Bill Buckner for instance. For Cape Central senior Brian Emmendorfer, it was the second longest field goal in state history. That 58-yarder on Oct. 15 last year officially put Emmendorfer on the recruiting map. ...

Perhaps St. Vincent's football team and Derek Kutz should be thankful that the school doesn't have a boys soccer squad. There's no telling what Kutz's fate would've been had he had a choice between uprights and empty nets. The soccer field is where Kutz learned to kick, but the football field is where St. Vincent's two-time, all-state kicker is developing a reputation as strong as his leg...

Cape Central's Cassie Gross threw a one-hit masterpiece as the Lady Tigers posted a 3-0 home win over rival Jackson Wednesday. Gross struck out two, walked none and faced just two over the minimum. "She pitched great," said Central coach Amy Blattel. "No. 1, she was ahead of the batters. And when she did get behind, she came right at them. And we played good defense behind her."...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Joe Dayton Sander, 75, of Millersville, Mo., died Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2000, at his home. Arrangements are incomplete at McCombs Funeral Home of Jackson.

Marvine W. Keesee, 75, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2000, at Camelot Care Center in Farmington, Mo. She was born July 3, 1925, in Deermont, Ark., daughter of Marvin Mack and Blanche Wilborn Allen. She and Claud Keesee were married Dec. 21, 1970, in Cape Girardeau...

Joseph Norman Niswonger, 70, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2000, at St. Louis University Hospital in St. Louis. He was born Sept. 11, 1929, in Cape Girardeau, son of Norman L. and Irmina Hahn Niswonger. He and Delois "Dee" Emmons were married Dec. 1, 1962, in Perryville, Mo...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. == Ervin "Daniel" Manne, 67, of Florissant, Mo., formerly of Scott City, died Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2000, at his home. He was born Jan. 28, 1933, in St. Louis, son of Army and Josephine Moser Manne. He and Mable Lee "Mick" Poole were married Nov. 22, 1968, in St. Louis...

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. -- Brown Smith, 92, of East Prairie died Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2000 at Sikeston Health Care Center in Sikeston, Mo. He was born May 15, 1908, in Kenton, Tenn., son of Donnie L. and Maude Boucher Smith. He and Florence Pack were married Dec. 13, 1928. She died Aug. 21, 1971...

KELSO, Mo. -- Dylan Wayne Miller was stillborn Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2000, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Survivors include his parents, Jeff Alvin and Rena Elizabeth Marie McIntosh Miller of Kelso; a brother, Matt Miller of Kelso; two sisters, Mindy and Melissa Miller of Kelso; maternal grandparents, Gary and Mary McIntosh of Gipsy, Mo.; and paternal grandparents, Chuck and Peggy Miller of Kelso...

BENTON, Mo. -- Romana Sue Hulshof, 56, of Benton died Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2000, at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. She was born April 26, 1944, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Roman John and Marie Elizabeth Duenne Ressel. She and Vincent Hulshof were married June 13, 1964, at Oran, Mo...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Jesse L. Moonier, 79, of Perryville died Monday, Aug. 28, 2000, at Jefferson County Memorial Hospital in Festus, Mo. He was born Nov. 8, 1920, in Perryville, son of Emil and Lillian Hager Moonier. He and Dessie Haupt were married June 1, 1946. She died Aug. 28, 1985...

GRAND TOWER, Ill. -- David R. Beggs Sr., 69, of Grand Tower died Friday, Aug. 11, 2000, at St. Joseph Hospital in Murphysboro, Ill. He was born Jan. 13, 1931, at Fornfelt, Mo., son of Barney and Ora Greenlee Beggs. He married the former Goldie Fobard...

ORAN, Mo. -- Mathie D. Daniel, 79, of Oran died Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2000, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo. He was born Feb. 15, 1921, at Newton County, Ark., son of Jess D. and Martha Mable Holman Daniel. He and Vennie Marie Ritchie were married March 19, 1941. She survives...

Graveside service for Marilyn Ballow Briney of Tuscaloosa, Ala., will be held at 4 p.m. today at Memory Hill Gardens in Tuscaloosa. Memory Chapel Funeral Home in Tuscaloosa is in charge of arrangements. Marilyn, 66, died Sunday, Aug. 27, 2000. She was a devoted wife and mother and nurtured many lifelong friendships...

ST. MARY, Mo. -- Rudi M. Werner, 79, of St. Mary died Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2000, in the Emergency Room at Perry County Memorial Hospital in Perryville, Mo. He was born Nov. 17, 1920, in Cape Girardeau County, son of Otto and Frieda Siebert Werner. He and Verna Kassel were married Aug. 10, 1946...

Miss Lucille E. Adams passed away at Gardenview Care Center, Chesterfield, Mo., Aug. 30, 2000, at the age of 93. Visitation will be Friday, Sept. 1, 2000, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with services following at 2 p.m. at Ford and Sons Funeral Home, 1001 N. Mount Auburn Road, with interment in Memorial Park Cemetery...

BELL CITY, Mo. -- Odis Gene Calhoun, 37, of Bell City died Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2000, at his home. He was born Nov. 22, 1962, in Cape Girardeau, son of Donald Lee and Barbara Ann Guiling Calhoun Sr. Survivors include his parents; three brothers, J.D. Calhoun of Benton, Mo., Larry and Donald Calhoun Jr. of Bell City; and a sister, Teresa Keller of Scott City, Mo...

I would like to thank the two gentlemen who stopped to help me when my car broke down on Bertling on Wednesday morning. They fixed up my car so I could get it home to my husband and made sure I didn't have to sit out in the heat. I just wanted to thank them...

I applaud Sen. Joseph Lieberman for publicly professing his faith and the media for not freaking out over it. I applaud neither of them for their utter failure to apply the same openness toward conservatives of faith. In every major paper I canvassed this morning, there appeared at least one article, sometimes two, praising Lieberman for proclaiming his faith to "members of a black church in Detroit." Without exception, Lieberman's call for a restoration of faith in America's public life was received favorably by the press. ...

Whenever vandals unleash their senseless mayhem on a community, it makes you wonder when it all started. Did Adam and Eve leave the Garden of Eden because some punks tromped on the flowers and spray-painted the everlasting rainbow in ugly hues of purple an orange?...

After 71 years of one-party rule in Mexico, it may take us awhile to get used to the reforms planned by Vincente Fox, president-elect of our neighbor to the south. One of the new president's ambitious plans is to create a common market in North America. This would mean open borders between Mexico and the United States and between the United States and Canada...

To the editor: Shelf paper. For some, that says it all. For those of you have never undertaken the arduous task of applying shelf paper, read on. The art of applying shelf paper is like trying to pick a fly off flypaper and expecting to get all his feet intact. ...

To the editor: If a consensus is to be reached on the Jackson school bond issue, it seems to me the school board should put the land up for sale that was recently purchased. The last three schools were built with the intention of adding a pod when necessary. Simply put, we were lied to...