Stories from Saturday, October 28, 2000

With nimble fingers, Shiho Kawamura pressed the ends of a paper-thin, dark green seaweed wrapper together and removed a square bamboo mat used to form the roll before anyone gathered around the table realized she had created a rainbow of culinary delight...

Dr. Robert Tuttle, an evangelism professor at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky., will speak at La Croix United Methodist Church Nov. 3-5. Tuttle will lead services and speak during a Spiritual Life Weekend sponsored by the church. The schedule of events includes worship at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3, and a Saturday seminar from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. He also will preach at services at 5:30 p.m. Saturday and at 9 and 10:30 a.m. Sunday...

After being charged with first-degree murder in the 7-year-old death of her boyfriend, a Jackson, Mo., woman is back at work as a supervisor for the handicapped. Connie N. Pair, 44, who is charged with first-degree murder in the 1993 shooting death of Rocky Ice in Poplar Bluff, Mo., pleaded innocent on Thursday...

Voter approval of county planning won't raise taxes for Cape Girardeau County residents, Auditor H. Weldon Macke said Friday. Macke and members of the county's temporary planning commission accused opponents of the Nov. 7 planning measure of making misleading statements about an increase...

Everything's coming up roses again in Capaha Park. The prize-winning Capaha Rose Garden has been in decline in recent years, a victim of too few volunteers and soil problems. But this year, the Cape Girardeau Council of Garden Clubs, a new influx of volunteers and the city of Cape Girardeau have collaborated to return the Capaha Rose Garden to the pink...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Alexander County Clerk Louis Maze resigned Friday in the midst of vote fraud allegations. Gloria Patton, a former worker in the circuit clerk's office, was named to replace him. Maze, 67, of Olive Branch, Ill., faces a 21-count indictment stemming from a state investigation of votes cast during the March primary elections. ...

Music has always been an important aspect of the Buck household. It started while Patrick and I were still dating. I impressed him with my knowledge of Bobby Womack and Aretha Franklin, and he caught my attention when he recited the life histories of David Ruffin and Teddy Pendergrass...

The election of a new public administrator in Cape Girardeau County likely will bring a change in how the position is paid and how the office operates. Democratic candidate Michael Hurst says he would take a salary rather than rely on fees as outgoing administrator John Ferguson has done. Republican Phyllis Schwab says she is "leaning" toward a salary...

MINER, Mo. -- Two Sikeston, Mo., women were injured Thursday when their vehicle overturned near Miner. Leeanda Hornback, 21, the driver of the vehicle, and her passenger, Patricia Knight, 26, were taken to Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston after the 6 a.m. accident on County Road 807, a mile from Miner...

BENTON, Ill. -- A Kentucky company has proposed building a $600 million coal-fired power plant in unincorporated Franklin County. The plant, proposed by EnviroPower of Illinois, would be near rail and highway systems and could bring an estimated 140 jobs to the Benton area. The company hopes to open the plant in March 2004 if full site work can begin in May 2001...

The way Southeast Missouri State University football coach Tim Billings sees it, his team's final home game of the season today will put the Indians in a rather unique position. For the first time all year -- and eight games into Billings' first season at Southeast -- the Indians will be favored to prevail when Tennessee-Martin visits Houck Stadium for a 6 p.m. Ohio Valley Conference kickoff...

Helen Payne and Erin Hoffman don't expect the competition to be easy, but both coaches feel good about the chances of winning sectional volleyball tournaments today. "I feel like we're going to make it," said Notre Dame's Payne. "We're playing our best volleyball of the season. I know the competition will be tough, but we're confident."...

Defense and Brian Emmendorfer stole the show Friday night as Cape Girardeau Central High School's football team set up next week's anticipated district showdown with Farmington. The Tigers, although appearing less than focused, still had little trouble in disposing of visiting Perryville 20-0 at Houck Stadium as Central posted its third consecutive shutout...

JACKSON, Mo. -- The Jackson running back burned Francis Howell for an 83-yard run, blazing past the secondary and into the end zone. He averaged 13.2 yards per carry, racking up 132 rushing yards. No, he wasn't Mario Whitney. He was Brad Berry. Berry, Jackson's fullback, had a career night and was one of three Indians with at least 100 yards from scrimmage Friday night as the Red and Black lambasted visiting Francis Howell 51-14 in Class 5A, District 1 action...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- The Scott City Rams defense fought off the Crystal City Hornets until the offense could get untracked in a 28-12 district win Friday night. Leading 7-0 after a lethargic first half, the Rams got three second-half scores to improve their record to 7-2 and 2-0 in Class 2A, District 2. Scott City will battle Charleston, also 2-0 in district, for the title on Friday...

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- A heart-breaking loss in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament has ended the season for Southeast Missouri State University's women's soccer team. Morehead State scored with less than two minutes remaining to stun the Otahkians 2-1 Friday afternoon in a first-round tourney game at Eastern Illinois University's Lakeside Field...

High school cross country teams across Missouri will make the final push toward state today when Classes 1A through 3A hold district meets and Class 4A holds sectional competition. Cape Girardeau Central and Jackson will both be involved in the 4A sectional at Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis after faring well during district competition last weekend at the Jackson City Park...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Hayti arranged a big finale for its best season in years, pummeling Chaffee 36-7 Friday night in Class 1A, District 1 football action. Ortiz Banks led the Indian fireworks with 186 yards rushing and three touchdowns, including a 55-yard touchdown scamper on Hayti's second play from scrimmage...

ORAN, Mo. -- Glonda L. "Curly" Johnson, 79, of Oran, formerly of Cape Girardeau, passed away Friday, Oct. 27, 2000, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Glonda was born Dec. 7, 1920, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Roscoe Henderson and Aline Smith Langston. She married Ernest E. Johnson Jan. 31, 1947. He died Oct. 3, 1979...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Homer A. Buttrey, 73, of Advance died Thursday, Oct. 26, 2000, at his home. He was born June 29, 1927, at Mesler, Mo., son of Charles and Della Gray Buttrey. He and Edna Boyer were married Sept. 12, 1967, in St. Louis. Buttrey was a retired machinist and worked at Crane Co. in St. Louis...

DONGOLA, Ill. -- Charles "Charlie" Cox, 59, of Dongola died suddenly Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2000, in Jasper County, Ind. He was born May 14, 1941, in Union County, Ill., son of Charley and Lena Smith Cox. He and Nancy Lingle were married Nov. 11, 1961...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Miriam Leonia Alexander, 79, of Sikeston died Thursday, Oct. 26, 2000, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. She was born March 21, 1921, in Hoxie, Ark., daughter of Fred Lemont and Minnie Pearl Christian Jackson. She and Seamon Orff Alexander were married Sept. 23, 1939, at Charleston, Mo. He died July 28, 1978...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- Esther Jean Rhymer, 54, of Scott City died Friday, Oct. 27, 2000, at her home. She was born May 10, 1946, at Sikeston, Mo., daughter of Woodrow Wilson and Josie Ray Castleberry Yant. She and Wayne Rhymer were married Oct. 17, 1970, in Sikeston...

Son to Steve and Linnie Crosnoe of Pearland, Texas, Texas Women's Hospital in Houston, 1:11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 12, 2000. Name, Brayden Michael. Weight, 6 pounds 12 ounces. Second child, first son. Mrs. Crosnoe is the former Linnie Solman, daughter of Nolen and Sue Solman of Memphis, Texas. She is a flight coordinator with Southwest Airlines. Crosnoe is the son of Cliff and Sally Crosnoe of Cape Girardeau. He is a consulting engineer with Grant Thorton...

JIM TALENT has been preaching character and leadership for the last few months. This past week we found out that he lacks both. Also he doesn't know the meaning of the words dignity and passion, but he is going to find out the meaning of backlash. IN 1993 Al Gore cast the deciding vote to raise taxes on Social Security income. If he really cared about seniors struggling to buy medicine and food and energy, he would never have cast that vote...

George Bush has been baiting Bill Clinton to inject himself into the presidential race, knowing that Clinton's heightened visibility will damage Gore. Polls bear this out. I have a better idea. Bush should encourage Gore to make himself more visible. That would hurt Gore even more...

What a great opportunity the new Student Leadership Academy offers Cape Girardeau's high school students. The new program's goal is to identify 25 student leaders from Central High School and Notre Dame High School and give them the skills needed to meet their full potential. It's a junior version of the Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Cape program for adults...

Make a Difference Day stands out as an annual bright spot in our community. No matter how disheartening the rest of the news may be, we know that, every year, Cape Girardeau and some of our surrounding cities join a nationwide effort to make life better...

To the editor: A link to the online version of your newspaper (semissourian.com) was sent to me today to read Sam Blackwell's column, "Facing the trigger-happy gloom on Lorimier Street." Let me relate an incident that happened a few weeks ago in Crystal River, Fla. ...

To the editor: For the first time, scientists in the United States have admitted creating human embryos knowing that they will be used for experimentation which will cause their deaths. While scientists have been using embryos in this manner for a long time, in the past they justified their experiments by using only so-called leftover embryos, as though that made it OK...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Col. James S. Johnson of Cairo died Saturday, Oct. 28, 2000, at Western Baptist Hospital in Paducah, Ky. He was born Nov. 2, 1910, at Barlow, Ky., son of Dr. James S. and Margaret Wilford Johnson. He and Betty Kleb were married Nov. 17, 1940...