Stories from Saturday, September 23, 2000

Back in the 1970s, Rob Dillon found a way to deal with the voices in his head. "How often do you find yourself jumping from one thought to another, getting distracted by a mental to-do list of your own thoughts?" asked Dillon, a theater professor at Southeast Missouri State University. "Meditation is a way to get free from the chattering monkeys in your brain."...

ALTENBURG, Mo. -- Mary Koenig always goes to the East Perry Community Fair Parade but didn't expect to be part of it this year -- unceremoniously pulled into the middle of the street and serenaded by eight lawn chair-toting men in green shorts and combat boots...

Missouri gubernatorial candidates Bob Holden and Jim Talent will have their own cheering sections when they square off in a televised debate Monday night at Southeast Missouri State University. Each of the candidates has been allocated 350 tickets for chairs closest to the stage in Academic Hall Auditorium, which seats 1,200. As of Friday afternoon, the Talent and Holden campaigns had handed out most of their tickets to supporters...

There's nothing like a good date with your husband to make you invincible again. I have been having a rough couple of months trying to manage family and career and school and civic work. What I've learned is that even Wonder Woman had her limitations. Hers happened to be chunky red knee boots and an ugly, ugly wardrobe. My limitations of time, money and energy are much more important and reality-based...

The Cape Girardeau Board of Education accepted the low bid for a rough grading and storm sewer project to develop land at the site of the district's new high school. Dumey Contracting of Benton, Mo., won the contract with a base bid of $990,521.55. The bid was more than 21 percent less than the district's estimate of $1.261 million...

A man who worked to clean up radioactive contamination at Southeast Missouri State University's Magill Hall this summer has reportedly tested positive for exposure to the radioactive material, americium-241. University officials and its current cleanup contractor, Science Applications International Corp., disclosed the news at a press conference Friday afternoon...

Thursday's political rally at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport didn't mark Republican vice presidential candidate Dick Cheney's first time in town. In June 1993, he spoke at a $50-per-plate breakfast at the Drury Lodge, blasting President Bill Clinton...

A shortage of interpreters for the deaf in Southeast Missouri and the licensing process required for those interpreters were two primary topics of discussion at a public hearing in Cape Girardeau Friday night. About 40 area residents, including deaf individuals, parents of deaf children and interpreters for the deaf, attended the hearing, which was sponsored by the Missouri Commission for the Deaf. ...

Monday night's gubernatorial debate between Bob Holden and Jim Talent won't be the first gubernatorial debate in Cape Girardeau. Democrat Warren Hearnes of Charleston and Republican Ethan Shepley, former chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis, debated twice in a single day in 1964...

Cape Girardeau police may never find a man who called in to report a shooting that never happened on Friday. But a man whose birthday celebration was interrupted by almost a dozen officers searching for a shooting victim wants to find the caller. About 11:50 a.m. ...

Southeast Missouri State University's women's soccer team probably had more good scoring opportunities than Southwest Missouri State yet the Otahkians suffered a 3-0 home loss Friday night. Such is the fickle sport of soccer, where the winner is often not who plays the best but who can capitalize the most...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Dyersburg (Tenn.) coach James Counts summed it up the best. "They physically whooped us," he said. Jackson turned its game up a notch and Mario Whitney rushed for 261 yards on just 12 carries as the Indians dominated a solid Tennessee squad 43-14 Friday night...

Is there anything left in Southeast Missouri State University's slingshot? Tim Billings, the Indians' first-year head football coach, sure hopes so. The Indians have recorded two straight stunning victories, first rallying from 31 points down to beat Southern Illinois and then shocking national power Illinois State during last Saturday's home opener...

Southeast Missouri State University cross country coach Joey Haines doesn't expect his men's team to contend for the 2000 Ohio Valley Conference title, but he is looking for the Indians to make considerable strides this season. "I'm not predicting any championships, but I think we'll be pretty improved and I expect us to be competitive," said Haines, whose Indians finished seventh in last year's OVC meet. "Our goal is to get in the top half of the OVC."...

FRESNO, Calif. -- Southeast Missouri State University's volleyball team dropped both its matches Friday as it opened play in the tough Fresno State Tournament. Southeast, which fell to 4-8, suffered a 15-6, 15-8, 15-8 loss to Santa Clara and a 15-10, 15-9, 12-15, 15-2 loss to the University of San Diego...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- It may not have been a thing of beauty, but it was a big win for Chaffee over SEMO South Conference foe Portageville. The Red Devils (2-2) picked up a 19-0 win over winless Portageville (0-4) at Chaffee Friday night. The game, marred by miscues on both sides of the ball, included two big plays by Chaffee that spelled the difference...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- Marcus Klund rushed for nearly 225 yards as Scott City High's football team solidified its No. 6 Class 2A state ranking Friday night with a 48-13 romp past visiting Brentwood from the St. Louis area. The Rams improved to 4-0 as they dropped the Eagles to 1-3. No further information from the contest was received...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Mary L. Deal, 89, of Sikeston died Monday, Sept. 18, 2000, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. She was born Aug. 21, 1911, in Rector, Ark., daughter of Francis and Almeda Caufman King. She and William O. "Skeet" Deal were married June 21, 1931, in Atkins, Ark. He died April 8, 1989...

Virginia L. Heuer, 74, of Rockford, Ill., died Monday, Sept. 18, 2000, at Northwoods Health Care Center in Belvidere, Ill. There will be a graveside service at 2 p.m. today at Cape County Memorial Park in Cape Girardeau, with the Rev. Wade Robertson officiating...

Theola W. Schafer, 90, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Sept. 22, 2000, at Chateau Girardeau Health Care Center in Cape Girardeau. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Ford & Sons Funeral Home.

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Leroy Wamble, 85, of Sikeston died Friday, Sept. 22, 2000, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. He was born July 19, 1915, in Essex, Mo., son of Charles Franklin and Minnnie A. English Wamble. He and Mary Lou Brisendine were married Jan. 22, 1946...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Odessie Williams, 68, of Sikeston died Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2000, at her home. She was born Oct. 23, 1931, in Tunica, Miss., daughter of Billie and Palee Johnson McKinney. She and Curtis Williams were married Nov. 9, 1946. He died Sept. 9, 1999...

PATTON, Mo. -- Virginia Louise Sheeler, 77, of Patton died Friday, Sept. 22, 2000, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Oct. 7, 1922, at Denton, Mo., daughter of James and Maudalene Willis Parnell. She was co-owner of a roofing business...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Funeral for Deborah Lynn Bishop of Perryville will be held at 11:30 a.m. today, at Young & Sons Chapel in Perryville. Friends may call from 11 a.m. today until time of funeral. Burial will be in Home Cemetery. Bishop, 50, died Thursday, Sept. 21, 2000, at Perry County Memorial Hospital...

Daughter to David and Sarah Frederick of Union, Missouri, St. John's Mercy Hospital in Washington, Mo., 3:31 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2000. Name, Caitlynn Paige. Weight, 7 pounds 9 ounces. First child. Mrs. Frederick is the former Sarah Rosenkoetter, daughter of Carl and Sharon Rosenkoetter of Beaufort, Mo. Frederick is the son of Pauline Frederick of Cape Girardeau. He is an extruder operator at Rexam Containers...

AS A citizen I would just like to commend the youth of the community who took a stand at See You at the Pole. We believe in you and have a lot of confidence of your future leadership in the community, state and the country. We would also like to express our appreciation for the youth pastors and the support of parents who took a stand along with the kids throughout Southeast Missouri. Keep up the great work. We need more prayer, not less, in our region...

Perhaps the next time Sen. Joe Lieberman decides to invoke the Bible on the campaign trail he could read a passage from Exodus to his running mate, Al Gore. I'm referring to the Tenth Commandment: "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife ... or anything that belongs to your neighbor."...

We're excited at the prospect of a debate on the courthouse lawn, a tradition that went by the wayside with the advent of radio talk shows, political television ads, candidate Web sites and the like. The Jackson Chamber of Commerce is bringing the idea back to Southeast Missouri with a set of Saturday-afternoon debates at the Cape Girardeau County Courthouse on Oct. ...

Fueled by their strong religious beliefs and the independent spirit common to Southeast Missouri, Jackson football fans organized their own prayer at the Sept. 15 home football game. Before a June Supreme Court ruling, prayer was a part of every home game. Various ministers took turns praying for good sportsmanship, Christian behavior and an injury-free contest. Most of the crowd bowed their heads reverently and gave a hearty "Amen!" at the end...