Stories from Tuesday, October 17, 2000

www.freakylinks.com One of the newest Web sites is tied into the television show from Fox. It's brought to you from the same folks that did the Blair Witch Project. It has a very long disclaimer on the front page, which gives you notice that the content of the Web site, like the show, may be frightening to young children...

In 1990, the East Prairie School District was one of three districts in Missouri designated as a pilot site for The Arts as a Basic Program, a state initiative designed to help school districts develop arts programs as part of the core school curriculum...

n Storyteller David Alexander is East Prairie's latest artist in residence. By Sam Blackwell EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. As the second largest town in a county ranked third worst in the state for children, East Prairie is a place where hardship and even poverty are as familiar as the flat landscape. The farm community of 3,400 has no stoplights, one factory that is closing and one artist in residence...

By Sam Blackwell JACKSON, Mo. Jackson Board of Aldermen meetings traditionally begin with those in the chamber standing to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Monday night, Mayor Paul Sander invited those who wished to participate to remain standing for "a moment of silent prayer."...

JACKSON, Mo. Fighting to free landlocked Jackson High School for future expansion, Jackson school officials plan to purchase two houses on West Monroe Street and turn them into parking lots. School officials said the timing of the purchases, just prior to voter consideration of a bond proposal Nov. 7 that requires a four-sevenths majority for passage, won't affect the outcome of the election...

That person is me. First, let's consider some background on the subject. About half of all marriages end in divorce, usually after the 100th time the wife has said, "You never listen to me anymore!" or the husband has said, "Honey, I am TRYING to watch the GAME here!" And then there's the sad aftermath of divorce. Women sit around wracking their brains, wondering what they could have done differently while men get young, nubile girlfriends and sports cars...

By Laura Johnston Martin Robinson thinks Cape Girardeau should offer a better view of the Mississippi River and he's got just the plan to do it. Robinson would like the city to develop a walking trail from the overlook at Cape Rock Park down to the city water plant so that people have a better view of the river...

Few people think about the public library when doing estate planning, but one anonymous donor bestowed a unique gift to the Cape Girardeau Public Library in a last will and testament. The library received 100 shares of IBM stock, which amounts to more than $10,000. It was a first for the library, said Director Betty Martin...

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. An East Prairie man has been charged with second-degree assault by Mississippi County Prosecuting Attorney Jennifer B. Raffety. According to the East Prairie Police Department, Daniel B. Ledbetter, 33, had been having problems with a neighbor, Kenneth E. Thomas, 26. Allegedly Thomas came to Ledbetter's home Friday and pushed him, threatening to burn his house...

Gov. Mel Carnahan was missing late Monday and presumed to be the victim of a small-engine plane crash in Jefferson County south of St. Louis. CNN reported that Carnahan, 66, was accompanied on the plane by Chris Sifford, Carnahan's director of communications, and one of his sons, who may have been flying the plane. Observers in the area reported seeing a fireball around 7:30 p.m...

The last time Manuel Pacheo and Ron Turner were in Jackson, Mo., it was to announce plans for a special fund campaign for construction of a new University of Missouri Outreach and Extension office for Cape Girardeau County. That was in late February 1999...

Linda Nash and Jane Jackson will talk about local connections with the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial during Monday's meeting of the Historical Association of Greater Cape Girardeau. Nash and Jackson are members of the committee overseeing plans to commemorate the bicentennial...

n Endovascular repair allows a surgeon to repair an aneurysm from inside the artery. By B. Ray Owen A new system to repair aneurysms could have patients out of the hospital in two days instead of six weeks, according to the surgeon using the system...

Party: Republican Age: 35 Home: Perryville Family: Wife Karen and two sons, Adam and Gerard. Education: Attended El Paso (Texas) Community College and Belleville (Illinois) Area College. Profession: President of Healthcare Mobility Inc. and executive vice president of Triocrex, a pharmacy and medical equipment supply business. He previously worked 10 years as a paramedic...

The Cape Girardeau Board of Education might need to take out a note to pay expenses if balances in its funds continue to dwindle. The board was warned at Monday's meeting that it should monitor its balances. Certified public accountant Jeffrey C. Stroder said that "at this point we weren't alarmed, but it was something we wanted to make sure everyone was aware of." Stroder's firm, Beussink, Hey and Roe, had presented the district's 1999-2000 audit report to the board...

Cape Girardeau city and county officials will participate in a disaster and tornado drill Thursday. The exact time of the drill is not being announced but city officials are expected to activate the Emergency Operations Center as part of the exercise, said Tracey Glenn, public information officer for the city...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. Now when the Poplar Bluff Fire Department responds to a fire it will have the latest in technology available, a thermal-imaging camera. Fire Chief Randy Hastings said the camera will allow firefighters to see when it's totally dark "in any kind of smoke."...

JACKSON, Mo. A request for a special-use permit to build a communications tower on East Jackson Boulevard was tabled by the Jackson Board of Aldermen Monday after the owner of a nearby laboratory said he is concerned about possible health effects. Roberts Wireless Communications proposes erecting the tower for Sprint at 4034 E. Jackson Blvd. The tower would be 180 feet from Environmental South Inc...

By Marty Mishow According to Southeast Missouri State University football coach Tim Billings, the open date the Indians had Saturday might just have been what the doctor ordered. Speaking at his weekly media conference Monday, Billings said the off week allowed the Indians to heal some injuries and to concentrate on their own improvement rather than having to prepare for an opponent...

Notre Dame continued its fine play on the road to the district playoffs with a straight-set 15-8, 15-13 victory over Bloomfield Monday night at Notre Dame High School. The victory was the Lady Bulldogs' seventh straight and improved their record to 16-7-4...

Taylor was an electrician in construction work before retiring. Survivors include a son, Robert Taylor; six brothers, Charles Taylor of Cairo, James, Joe and John Taylor, all of Salt Lake City, Utah; Tom Taylor of Mt. Vernon, Ill., Hugh Taylor of Junction City, Ill.; four sisters, Mary Thompson of Phoenix, Ariz., Margaret of Houston, Texas, Ann of Wickliffe, Ky., and Sara Lovin of Belle Rive, Ill...

She was born July 14, 1961, at Portageville, Mo., daughter of Lawrence Vernon and Mandy Ophelia Wilson Thornton. She married Carl Williams at Parma. Williams was a member of House of Prayer Number 2 Church at Malden, Mo. Survivors include her husband of Hayti, Mo.; a son, Dominique Thornton of Parma; a daughter, Precious Farr of Parma; her parents of Lilbourn, Mo.; seven sisters, Barbara Johnson and Cynthia Tilman of Parma, Leslie Johnson, Loretta, April, Brandy and Nicole Thornton, all of Lilbourn; and a friend, Richard Farr of Parma.. ...

Mesa Funeral Care was in charge of arrangements. Announcement courtesy of Morgan Funeral Home in Advance, Mo. Humphreys, 64, died Thursday, Oct. 5, 2000, in Mesa. He was born Sept. 3, 1936, at Zalma, son of Robert C. and Sadie Sylcox Humphreys. Humphreys was an oil distributor many years. He served in the U.S. Navy...

He was born Dec. 31, 1952, in Anna, son of Clyde and Jenny Arnhart Isom. He and Lori Davis were married May 31, 1995, in Anna. Isom was a dietary manager at Shawnee Correctional Center and a former member of Anna City Council. He was a member of Anna Heights Baptist Church...

She was born July 11, 1912, at Zalma, Mo., daughter of James and Josephine Batty Gobble. She first married W.L. "Roy" Kinder, who preceded her in death. She then married Clarence Shirrell, who also preceded her in death. She later married the Rev. Earl Fisher in July 1991...

He was born July 18, 1918, in Biggers, Ark., son of H.A. and Lillie Mae Plunk Kuykendall. He and Ethel Cates were married Dec. 20,1947. Kuykendall retired from farming in 1982. He was a member of the Church of Christ in Charleston, Masonic Lodge 407 AF&AM and VFW Post 4294. He had lived in Charleston since 1940...

He was born June 18, 1921, in Jackson, Mo., son of Leo and Cloe E. Turner Loos. He and Louise M. Street were married Oct. 6, 1947, in Osceola, Ark. Loos retired from Missouri National Guard in 1981 as a chief warrant officer W-3. He was a truck driver with ABF Trucking, retiring in 1988...

Son to Jarrett Michael and Ashley Nichole Ford of Jackson, Mo., Southeast Missouri Hospital, 6:23 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 28, 2000. Name, Christian Michael. Weight, 7 pounds. First child. Mrs. Ford is the former Ashley Estes, daughter of Alan and Nancy Estes of Jackson. She is a student and is employed at Estes Deli and BBQ. Ford is the son of Monica Harris of Cape Girardeau. He is employed at Southeast Hospital...

I WOULD just like to make some comments about what I think is going to happen Nov. 7. I think we are going to see Al Gore in as president. I think I am almost positive Republicans are going to lose the House. I can't wait to see all those horrible Republicans up there lose all those chairmanships that they have and they have sit on the other side of the floor and keep their mouths shut for the next eight years. ...

In the first five years of his new program, Ashcroft said, Missouri classrooms would see federal funding increase from $840 million in fiscal 2005, under current law, to $1.12 billion when the new proposal is added. Well, maybe. One supposes that Sen. ...

Efforts to reduce the blood-alcohol level constituting proof of intoxication to 0.08 percent have failed time and again in Missouri, one of 31 states that still use the 0.10 standard. Sixteen states, including Illinois, have moved to the lower standard through the deliberations of their elected representatives in their respective state legislatures. ...

I'm the woman who was in the photograph with the article on the front page of the Sept. 24 Southeast Missourian about the mobile-home park that Holigan is putting in behind my house. At the time the article was written, I was undecided as to which way I wanted to vote on county planning and zoning. ...