Stories from Wednesday, October 4, 2000

It is certainly apple season again. Daycares and kindergarten classes are visiting the orchard, and my two children are cooking with apples in their classrooms. It thrills me to death to see the teachers interested in cooking and trying to bring that interest into the classroom...

In my last column I explained why fall is a great time to plant trees and shrubs. Now I want to give you four tips that will make your fall plantings successful. First, you must amend the soil. Most of the soils in the Heartland contain high amounts of clay. ...

By Donna Denson The weather is cooler and autumn colors are in abundance. Time to get off our duffs and get outside before the winter freeze. Let's explore Ferne Clyffe State Park in southern Illinois. Named after the abundance of ferns that grow in the area, Ferne Clyffe is an outstanding natural scenic spot. ...

City Of Roses...again. Cape Girardeau's perennial music festival featuring local and regional acts. This year features 3 street stages and stages in the local clubs. Rhythm & Blues fans have the largest selection this year. Bruce Zimmerman and the Shysters have been playin' the blues for years. ...

Artist - Marvelous 3 Title - ReadySexGo Label - Elektra/2000 Marvelous 3 seemingly came out of nowhere in 1999 with their smash single "Freak of the Week" but in reality they had been honing their craft for years primarily in the South, building a loyal audience. ...

By Mix 104.7's Jason Parker jparker@withersradio.net Who or what is on your life's little "To-Do" list? If you find yourself asking what a "To-Do" list for life is, then keep reading. If you do know what it is, then please skip to the next paragraph. ...

By Michael Hines, hasatan@yahoo.com "Conan, I too have a public service announcement." -Max Weinberg I want to be honest with you. This is not the first version of this column. I'm comfortable with writing letters to the editor, logical argumentation, and sensationalist descriptions. But suprisingly, my editor didn't quite know what to think of the first rendition...

The Dharma Bum by Jaysen Buterin "Grace was in all her steps, Heaven in her eye In every gesture dignity and love" - Book VIII, Paradise Lost Maybe it's because of the fact that I have moved to Greensboro apparently at the height of its monsoon season...

By James Brennan At a time when a metal-hip hop fusion seems to be the humdrum radio norm, I find it really refreshing to see a jam band pop up in the local music scene. The octet Cape Rock Drive, aptly named for Sprigg Street (ha ha), is a talented group of musicians who play a good classic/hippie rock set list. ...

PATTON, Mo. -- After bloodhounds and a helicopter couldn't find 77-year-old Lona Brotherton during an all-night search, Bollinger County Sheriff Dennis Willis surmised she was either abducted or dead. "By 5 this morning, I wouldn't have given a nickel for her chances," Willis said Tuesday. "I thought she was a goner."...

John Ashcroft and Mel Carnahan offer different opinions politically, but the two have finally agreed on one thing -- to meet for two broadcast debates before the Nov. 7 general election. Gov. Mel Carnahan, a Democrat, hopes to unseat John Ashcroft, a Republican, in a hotly contested U.S. Senate race...

Ongoing projects...

A 38-year-old man died Monday in a work-related accident at a trucking warehouse, said John Capenter, Cape Girardeau County coroner. Billy Wayne Lesar Sr., 38, died at 11:28 p.m. after being trapped between a loading machine and a steel wall at Custom Express Inc. at 14916 Highway 177, Carpenter said...

OAK RIDGE, Mo. -- At the four previous public hearings on Cape Girardeau County's proposed planning and zoning measure, one of the most frequently criticized parts of the plan was a regulation to restrict septic systems in an agricultural zone to lots three acres and larger. Some people complained they want the right to give a member of their family a one-acre lot to build on...

Missouri Mentoring Partnership, a program that matches adult mentors with young people who need them, recognized its Mentor and Mentee of the Year award recipients at a banquet Monday at Centenary United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau. The partnership has two programs. The job program helps youths get jobs and keep them. Corporate partners designate on-site mentors to help the program participants they employ...

The city could be a cleaner city after residents haul away old furniture and appliances and clean the empty paint cans and yard chemicals from their basements. The city will hold a fall cleanup week, beginning Monday. Residents must haul items to the city's transfer station at 2500 S. Sprigg St., between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m...

The best way to teach a 10-year-old about Mississippi River ecology isn't by using maps or diagrams. Try turtles. Stink pots, red-eared sliders and map turtles can tell the story as well as human beings, as students from the Trinity Lutheran School discovered in downtown Cape Girardeau Tuesday morning during a National Audubon Society program...

A free, depression screening will be held from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday at the Osage Community Centre in Cape Girardeau. The Depressive and Manic Depressive Association of Southeast Missouri says between 17 million and 20 million Americans annually develop some form of depression, a treatable illness that can cause disability and loss of work productivity. It also can affect family and social relationships...

The top seeds are the "usual suspects" as area high school softball teams gear up for district play. Action kicks off today for Class 4A, with classes 3A and 2A teams getting under way Thursday. An oddity of the Class 1A playoffs is Delta, in its first year of fall softball, is guaranteed an appearance in the championship game since there are only two teams in its district. Delta (6-10) meets host Naylor for the crown and a chance to advance at 1 p.m. Friday...

We are still trying to fit all of the pieces of the puzzle together. The last two games have been very frustrating for our coaching staff and players. In all areas we showed brief signs of becoming the type of team we want to be but we had a number of mental errors and mistakes that kept us from capitalizing on the good things we were doing...

Southeast's Arteme namedOVC Runner of the Week Southeast Missouri State's Amy Arteme has been named the Ohio Valley Conference Runner of the Week for the second time this season. Arteme finished fourth overall at the 23-team Vanderbilt Commodore SC Classic this past Saturday, covering the 5K course in 18 minutes, 52 seconds...

The Jackson High School girls tennis team had a sensational regular season, going 13-0 in dual matches to stamp itself as the top squad in Southeast Missouri. Now the Lady Indians will set their sights on continuing that success in the postseason as they shoot for the Class 4A, District 1 Tournament championship...

Scott Wittenborn scored twice and assisted once to lead Notre Dame to a 4-2 soccer victory over Sikeston in a SEMO Conference match-up Tuesday at Notre Dame High School. After a scoreless first half, Nathan LeGrand put Notre Dame up 1-0 with a goal on an assist from Dustin Haupt at the 8-minute mark of the second half...

MURRAY, Ky. -- Southeast Missouri State University's women's soccer team dropped to 0-2 in the Ohio Valley Conference with a 2-0 loss to Murray State on Tuesday. The Racers (8-5, 2-1) had eight shots on goal to the Otahks' seven, but Murray State goalkeeper Geri Thompson managed seven saves...

Southern Missouri Christian School will host a slow-pitch coed softball tournament Oct. 14 at Hillcrest Park in Poplar Bluff, Mo. The entry fee is $100 per team, plus one green dot and one blue dot softball. The deadline to enter is Oct. 12. For more information or to enter a team, call 686-1155 during the day...

The 11th annual Southeast Missouri State University Booster Club/River Eagle Golf Tournament will be held Oct. 13 at Bent Creek Golf Course in Jackson, Mo. The event is an 18-hole scramble featuring six-person teams. The entry fee is $65 per person or $390 per team. Refreshments and lunch will be provided by River Eagle...

The Scott City Park Board is sponsoring a Punt, Pass & Kick competition Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Scott City High School football field. The free competition is for boys and girls ages 8-15 (as of Dec. 31, 2000). No preregistration is needed, but a copy of birth certificate is required at the competition. A parent must also be on hand to sign the registration form. Competitors must wear tennis shoes...

Advance tickets will be on sale for Friday night's high school football game between Jackson and Cape Central at the following locations: (Cape Girardeau) Howard's, Bi-State Oil; (Jackson) SEMO Specialties & Sports. Prices are $3 for adults and $2 for students...

KENNETT, Mo. -- Funeral for Francis Joann Poe Berry of Kennett was held Monday at McDaniel Funeral Home. Major Robert Gauthier officiated. Burial was in Gregory Cemetery at Kennett. Berry, 61, died Thursday, Sept. 28, 2000, in Cape Girardeau. She was born March 2, 1939, at Naylor, Mo., daughter of Robert S. and Irene Shepard Perrin...

Son to Stephen Tyler Barnhart and Amanda Dawn Schemel of Jackson, Mo., Southeast Missouri Hospital, 10:05 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2000. Name, Austin Tyler. Weight, 7 pounds 12 ounces. Ms. Schemel is the daughter of Randy and Vonda Schemel of Missouri City, Texas. Barnhart is the son of Stephen and Darlene Barnhart of Jackson. He is employed at Spartech...

BLODGETT, Mo. -- Funeral for Robert Louis Householder Jr. of Blodgett will be held at 2 p.m. today at Nunnelee Funeral Chapel in Sikeston, Mo. The Rev. Lee Fansler will officiate. Burial will be in Blodgett Cemetery. Householder, 52, died Monday, Oct. 2, 2000, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston...

THEBES, Ill. -- Billy Wayne Lesar Sr., 38, of Thebes died Monday, Oct. 2, 2000, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Jan. 10, 1962, in Cape Girardeau. Survivors include his father of Thebes; three sons, Billy Lesar Jr. of Jackson, Mo., John M. and Joseph Lesar of Cape Girardeau; two brothers, John A. Lesar of Granite City, Ill., Brian Lesar of Thebes; two sisters, Sheila Dodson of Thebes and Trina Jones of Olive Branch, Ill...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Graveside service for Laura Geneva Murdock, formerly of Crowder, Mo., will be held at 4 p.m. today at Garden of Memories Cemetery. Pat Hogan will officiate. Nunnelee Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements. Murdock, 76, died Monday, Oct. 2, 2000, at Clearview Nursing Center...

ANNA, Ill. -- Funeral for Jack Hubbs of Anna will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at Crain Funeral Home in Anna. The Rev. Steve Wilkinson will officiate. Burial will be in Anna Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home from 5-8 p.m. today. Hubbs, 64, died Monday, Oct. 2, 2000, at Jonesboro Health Care Center in Jonesboro, Ill...

Erma T. Hesskamp, 86, of Mesa, Ariz., died Monday, Oct. 2, 2000, in Mesa. She was born in Wentzville, Mo. She married Walter H. Hesskamp. Hesskamp lived in Cape Girardeau 35 years, and in Arizona the past three years. She was an executive secretary at Boatmen's Bank. She was a member of St. Andrew Lutheran Church, and had been active in civic organizations...

ULLIN, Ill. -- Funeral for Virginia C. Severs of Ullin will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday at Jones Funeral Home in Tamms, Ill. The Rev. Richard Martin will officiate. Burial will be in Ullin Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home from 5-8 p.m. today...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Joyce Lee Fisher, 68, of Advance died Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2000, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Morgan Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

THE NUMBER killed by tobacco is a drop in the bucket to compared to alcohol. Isn't it odd that Mr. Clinton and Mr. Gore rave against big tobacco companies? Mr. Gore and his family raised tobacco for years, a product that supposedly kills thousands. Why shouldn't he pay damages like Big Tobacco?...

One hundred seventeen QUILTS on display at Centenary United Methodist Church. Forty-eight youth soccer teams. Weddings. The Southeast Missouri Music Academy fund raiser and performance at St. Vincent's Church Sunday ... a real treat and another display of the fine artistic talent we have. The RIVER BARGE excursion boat tied up at the downtown riverfront. Great football. Flying. Golfing. Tennis. Softball. Walking. Great weather. One fine weekend in Cape...

The Sikeston City Council has some harsh words for a criminal element battling for control of the city's west side: Get out. Now. The city issued the warning through an open letter to the community, and specifically to the city's drug dealers and slumlords, in the Standard Democrat newspaper in Sikeston. ...

The first-ever set of standardized test scores for Missouri's charter-school students are out, and all Department of Elementary and Secondary Education officials can seem to do is claim they're irrelevant. Here's DESE's commentary: The scores can't show improvement or the lack of because they're the first set. There's no basis to compare them to public schools because charter students come from both public and private schools...

To the editor: Recently I took a tour of R.O. Hawkins Junior High School in Jackson to see the crowded conditions. There were a few things that really stood out. One was the attitude of the students, and the other was the attitude of the teachers. Here were our children in less-than-desirable conditions going about their business with smiles. I saw no bad feelings among students, no grudges...

To the editor: On Sept. 29 I went to the federal building in Cape Girardeau. There were two women working the metal detectors at the entrance of the building. I was asked to take off my belt. I asked the security officers if they would use their handheld metal detectors as their co-workers who are men have in the past. The women said they would not use the handheld detector. I had to take off my belt to enter the building...