Stories from Monday, October 9, 2000

Farmland Industries and Dairy Farmers of America, two Missouri cooperatives based in Kansas City, are the top two largest cooperatives in the United States. Farmland Industries led the way with more than $10.7 billion in revenue during 1999, up $2 billion from 1998. The farmer-owned agricultural co-op does business in all 50 states and more than 50 countries...

Meyer's Alt Haus Wieder (Old House Again) has opened at 509 Morgan Oak St. Alt Haus Wieder offers many one-of-a-kind items for building, renovating and decorating of vintage homes. If we don't have what you're looking for, we'll help you find it," said Thomas M. Meyer...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Artfully Framed and Interior Design are moving to a new location. The businesses, which share space, will remain in the same building at 1939 N. Westwood in Poplar Bluff, but due to larger inventories and expanded gift lines will move elsewhere in the building...

The Small Business Development Center will conduct counseling sessions at Cape Girardeau, Sikeston, Perryville and Malden in September. The counselor, Gil Degenhardt, will be available Oct. 18 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce office. The counseling sessions (about one hour) are free. Call 335-3312 for appointment...

The Entrepreneurial Agriculture Conference will be held at Sikeston Dec. 7. The fourth annual event will be held at the Ramada In and will focus on value added enterprises for farmers in the Delta Region, which includes Missouri, Kentucky, Arkansas, Tennessee and Illinois...

Tractor Supply Company (TSC) has opened its 300th retail farm and ranch store, at Triune, Tenn. TSC, headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., was founded in 1938 as a mail order catalog business offering tractor parts to farmers. Today, the company owns and operates 300 specialty retail stores in 27 states, including Cape Girardeau...

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, plans to open more than more than 300 stores worldwide next year in one of the company's most ambitious expansion plans. In a separate move, Wal-Mart has closed down its e-commerce site and said it won't reopen for "a few weeks."...

Walgreen Co. capped a year of rapid expansion with a 22 percent jump in profits in its fourth quarter, benefiting from booming prescriptions and the healthy condition of the U.S. drugstore business. Prescription drug sales, which account for more than half the company's revenues, rose 24 percent in the July-through-September period and 25 percent for the year...

Soybeans aren't just for cattle and hogs anymore. These days, they are found everywhere from gravel roads to houses. The House That Soy Built, a 65-foot by 40-foot structure recently constructed at the Farm Science Review, an outdoor farm exhibition near London, Ohio, uses a number of soybean products...

If you follow the financial news even casually, you probably know that, over the past year or so, the Federal Reserve has raised interest rates several times in an attempt to contain inflation and "cool off" the economy. But what exactly does a slowing economy mean to you -- and your investments?...

Timothy J. Schwent, a CPA with Schott & Ven de Ven, Certified Public Accountants, recently completed a class on estate planning called the "family limited partnership." The training included how to make the best use of family limited partnerships to protect client assets and how to reduce the estate tax burden. The class was held in St. Louis, presented by the Missouri Society of CPAs...

Richard G. Steele of the Cape Girardeau law firm of Bradshaw, Steele, Cochrane & Berens, is one of three new Missouri Bar committee representatives recently elected from districts of Missouri Court of Appeals. Other new representatives include John Cowherd, Mt. Vernon, Mo., and Vincent F. Ogee Jr., of Liberty, Mo...

Greg Talbut, business manager of the Show Me Center on Southeast Missouri State University campus, recently earned the Certified Facilities executive (CFE) designation, form the International; Association of Assembly Manager. Applicants area rated on their experience and accomplishing in association management and must complete comprehensive written and oral examinations...

A three-member delegation form the River Heritage Association of Insurance and Finance Advisors of Cape Girardeau recently attended the 111th annual National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) Convention and Career Conference, held in Orlando, Fla...

Christy Murphy of Poplar Bluff has been named program development specialist of the Visiting Nurse Association of Southeast Missouri. Murphy, a certified Home Care/Hospice Executive, the only person in Missouri to attain this certifications, will be responsible for introducing VNA services to three new counties Wayne, Carter and Ripley...

Janet Kluesner of Oran has joined Special Effects Beauty Salon at 2532 William in Cape Girardeau. Kluesner has 15 years of experience in the beauty industry. She is a graduate of the Sikeston Beauty School.

Cape Girardeau had 286 accidents last year at major intersections with traffic lights, and police think they might have found a way to prevent more accidents from happening. Police are proposing that tiny cameras be mounted to traffic signal lights around the city to help catch motorists who run through red lights and cause accidents...

In 1961, Jean McKay was the only dietitian assigned to the Air Force Surgeon General's office in Washington, D.C. One April day she was ordered to be in Cape Canaveral at 8 the following morning. She didn't know why she was going and was not allowed to tell anyone where she was going except her husband...

C-SPAN community relations representative Meghan Stalebrink was impressed when parents, students and faculty of Cape Girardeau Central High School began sending her e-mail messages two months ago asking that the C-SPAN school bus visit the school. After receiving 50 e-mail messages, one that included a virus that shut down her computer for a day, Stalebrink said she knew the school could not be put off by a two-year waiting list or other minor details...

Ongoing projects:...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Jane Randol Jackson knows how difficult it can be to research family history when documents are missing or are miles apart. She tried to research her family history while living in Europe. Using documents in Cape Girardeau County was difficult because of the distance but also because the documents were so scattered. ...

Jackson Board of Aldermen 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 9 City Hall Public Hearings n Hearing to allow citizen comment on the city's performance on the Community Development Block Grant, Project No. 98-ED-08, awarded Sept.. 28, 1998. Action Items Power and Light Committee...

Cape Girardeau City Council Monday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. Council Chambers, 401 Independence Study session at 5 p.m. Public hearings n Public hearing regarding the request of Cape Girardeau Baptist Association to rezone 2912 Bloomfield Road from R-1, single-family residential district to R-4, multiple-family residential district...

Southeast Missouri State University's banged-up defensive line took another hit Saturday when James Jennette suffered a knee injury early in the second quarter of the Indians' 31-6 loss at Tennessee Tech. Jennette, considered the Indians' top defensive lineman, had already missed several games this year with a broken hand. The 315-pounder stayed down on the artificial surface of Tucker Stadium for several minutes before hobbling off the field with the aid of two Southeast trainers...

KARNAK, Ill. - Joseph Bernatowiz, 81, of Karnak died Friday, Oct. 6, 2000, at Western Baptist Hospital in Paducah, Ky. He was born Nov. 27, 1918, in Grand Rapids, Mich., son of Joseph and Blanche Oliver Bernatowiz. He was formerly of Grand Rapids and had retired as a construction worker...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Hershel V. Page, 64, of Des Peres, Mo., died Saturday, Oct. 7, 2000, at his home. He was born March 24, 1936, at Crowder, Mo., son of the Rev. J. Marshall and Geneva Taylor Page. He and Betty Plouvier were married Dec. 23, 1962, at St. Charles, Mo...

JACKSON, Mo. 00 Ellen Bee Conrad of Jackson, age 74, died Saturday, October 7, 2000 at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born April 10, 1926 daughter of Ira and Esther Seabaugh Crites. She and Leonard J. Conrad were married June 18, 1955. He preceded her in death Aug. 6, 2000...

A.D. Price, 77, of 1612 Greenbrier, Cape Girardeau died Oct. 7, 2000, at St. Francis Hospital. He was born Nov. 28, 1922, at Beebe, Ark., son of Arthur D. and Ethel Hall Price. He and Betty June Taylor were married July 31, 1952, at Piggott, Ark. At an early age, he moved to Osceola, Ark., where he attended schools. ...

Charles E. Weber, 71, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Oct. 7, 2000. He was born Sept. 4, 1929 in Sedalia, Mo., son of Harry E. Weber and Mary Boyle Weber. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He owned and operated Charles Weber Insurance Agency for many years...

OLD APPLETON, Mo. -- Nora D. Ruehling, 89, of Old Appleton died Friday, Oct. 6, 2000, at Perry County Nursing Home in Perryville, Mo. She was born May 12, 1911, in Old Appleton, daughter of Charles A. and Bertha I. (Hoffman) Bodenschatz. Both parents preceded her in death. On May 28, 1937, she married Leo H. Ruehling. He died Jan 24, 1974...

Walter W. Collins, 89, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Oct. 7, 2000, at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Sept. 3, 1911, at Cape Girardeau, son of Samuel E. and Mary Elizabeth Wolters Collins. He owned and operated Walt Collins TV Repair shop. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was an assistant scout leader for Troop 2 for more than 25 years and a member of Grace United Methodist Church...

I WOULD Like to make a comment about the debate and about how many times Al Gore lied, especially about Social Security. He said he will veto any bill that would cut Social Security to invest it in another program. Well, Mr. Gore, why did you break the tie vote to tax Social Security?...

The Missouri Supreme Court spent much of the day last Wednesday hearing arguments in a case that claims the requirement on a state tax form to sign an oath before God is an unconstitutional violation of the separation between church and state. The language is contained on a personal-property assessment list taxpayers in all but first-class counties must fill out each year and send to the county assessor. ...

Allegations of misconduct in the Alexander County, Ill., March primary election surprised few followers of Alexander County elections over the years. The county, after all, has had more than its share of voting irregularities and allegations of irregularities through the years, so many that suspicions are raised practically every time voters go to the polls...

To the editor: In an effort to persuade Jackson voters to approve the forthcoming $6 million bond proposal for the third time, the Board of Education has conducted personal tours of the schools for civic leaders, retired teachers, grandparents and others. ...