Stories from Thursday, November 30, 2000

Do you know how many years it takes to become a good physician? An entire lifetime. Good physicians must allocate some of their time, all their life, toward maintaining their medical education. With the rapid advances occurring in medicine, science and technology, the half-life (the time it takes for 50 percent of your knowledge to deteriorate) of a medical education is less than five years without a dedicated continuing effort to remain educated about these changes...

JACKSON, Mo. -- If a bullet from Robert D. Moore's .38-caliber revolver killed 19-year-old Jesus Sides at Indian Park last month, Moore said it was a mistake. "If I shot Jesus it was an accident and I didn't mean to," Moore said in a 13-minute videotaped statement shown at a preliminary hearing on Wednesday...

The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission has given a clean bill of health to Southeast Missouri State University's Magill Hall after tests this found radioactive contamination of the science building has been cleaned up. NRC's inspection brings an end to cleanup work that cost the university $1.1 million...

Mr. D is an 88-year-old retired Pentecostal minister living alone on a meager income. He has poor vision, hardening arteries and congestive heart failure. He lives on $700 a month plus some food stamps, but medical bills and doctors visits don't leave much for food or other household needs...

Nov. 30, 2000 Dear Patty, My oldest friend just turned 50. His wife threw a surprise party where he and some of his musician friends jammed the night away. Everybody seems to have a friend like Brad, someone you are having a lifelong conversation with even though you speak only every few months or years...

Life has been hard recently for the five children in one Cape Girardeau family. They recently moved to a different home where rent was less because they couldn't afford the monthly payments and other basic bills. Their father is without a job now and there likely won't be many toys this Christmas...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Armed with a patriotic spirit and a willingness to teach, Jackson's military veterans are ready to join forces with Jackson High School students to develop commemorative activities for future Veterans Day celebrations. Charles Hutson, Americanism chairman for the Altenthal-Joerns American Legion Post 158 of Jackson, asked the Jackson school board this week to consider planning some type of Veterans Day program for next year...

KARNAK, Ill. -- The Shawnee Development Council has received three new 14-passenger buses for the Shawnee Transportation Authority fleet that provides transportation for residents of Massac, Alexander, Pulaski, Union and Johnson counties. The council has provided rural transportation since 1978, by reservation, to clients needing dialysis, cancer treatments or other medical services...

Cape Girardeau resident Helen Sterling filed a lawsuit against the Southeast Missourian on Nov. 20, alleging in the petition that the newspaper damaged her "reputation, character and standing in the community." It was filed two years after the Missourian began a series of articles about Community Sweat Equity Housing Corp., a not-for-profit organization for helping low- and moderate-income families become homeowners...

Cape Girardeau Fire Capt. Mike Ramsey spent Wednesday morning crawling on the floor of a house off Bloomfield Road, unable to see through his visor, overheating in his flame-retardant gear, with sections of sheetrock bouncing off his helmet. But the house was not on fire. The abandoned house is slated for demolition, and has been opened by the landlord to the crew of Cape Girardeau Fire Station No. 3 for training in the interim...

ITTA BENA, Miss. -- Southeast Missouri State University men's basketball coach Gary Garner was anxious to see how his team would respond to its first true road game of the season Wednesday night. Rest assured Garner didn't like what he saw. The Indians fell into an early hole and, despite a furious late comeback, never could climb out of it as Mississippi Valley State posted an 83-77 victory at Harrison Arena...

Turnovers and missed opportunities spelled defeat for the the Otahkians as they fell to David Lipscomb University 61-60 at the Show Me Center on Wednesday night. Despite not playing well, Southeast had a golden opportunity to win the down-to-the-wire contest and send Lipscomb home still searching for their first-ever Division I victory...

Southeast Missouri State University volleyball coach Cindy Gannon believes this just might be the year her team finally wins its first NCAA Division I Tournament match. Today, Gannon will find out if she is right as the Otahkians (22-8) play North Carolina (26-7) at 4 p.m. CST in a first-round tourney match in Gainesville, Fla...

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- Jackson got 24 points from Andrea Koeper as the second-seeded Lady Indians advanced to the finals of the Farmington Tournament with a 59-55 win over No. 3 Farmington Wednesday night. Koeper made 13 of her 16 foul shots -- most of them down the stretch -- and pulled down seven rebounds for Jackson. She scored 22 of her points in the second half...

Business retention and expansion, economic development, recruiting new industry and availability of competent workers are among topics planned for the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors Retreat on Friday, at the Lone Star Industries Natatorium...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Frank Ware Sr., 79, of Charleston died Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2000, at the Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo. He was born April 9, 1921, in Osceola, Ark., the son of Jerry and Lela Gater Ware. He had lived in Missouri for more than 40 years. He retired from U.S. Steel and was employed at the Charleston Housing Authority at the time of his death...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Emma J. Bergman, 94, formerly of Perryville, died Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2000, in Merced, Calif. She was born Nov. 6, 1906, in Cleveland, Mo., daughter of Otto and Sattie Masterson Voigt. She and LeRoy M. Bergman were married May 16, 1925. He died Dec. 28, 1972...

John Spann Baumstark, 72, of Omaha, Neb., died Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2000, at Bergan Mercy Medical Center in Omaha. He was born Dec. 23, 1927, in Cape Girardeau, son of Herbert F. and Helen L. Spann Baumstark. He married the former Mary A. McConkey. Baumstark was a biochemist and a professor emeritus at Creighton University Medical School. He was a member of St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church...

Jack Karl Bond, 65, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2000, at his home. He was born July 24, 1935, in Cape Girardeau, son of Grover Cleveland and Bertha M.L. Goza Bond. Bond was a graduate of Central High School, and received a degree in accounting from Northwestern University in Chicago...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Joseph M. Bohnert, 90, of Perryville died Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2000, at Perry Oaks Manor. He was born May 6, 1910, at Longtown, Mo., son of Joseph William and Theresa Geringer Bohnert. He and Wilhelmina T. Berkbuegler were married Oct. 17, 1932, at Brewer, Mo...

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. -- Richard Tanksley, 79, of East Prairie died Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2000, at Bertrand Retirement Home. He was born June 20, 1921, in New Madrid County, Mo., son of William Perry and Delia Rose Faust Tanksley. He and Mildred Williams were married Sept. 3, 1946...

The Rev. Herbert Bruhn, 89, of Cape Girardeau passed away Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2000, at the Lutheran Home. Friends may call Thursday, Nov. 30, from 4-8 p.m. at McCombs Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau. Funeral service will be Friday, Dec. 1, at 11 a.m. at First Assembly of God Church on Mt. Auburn Road. A graveside committal service will be held at 3 p.m. at Herculaneum Cemetery in Herculaneum, Mo. The Rev. Gary Brothers will officiate. Friends may also call at the church after 9:30 a.m. Friday...

ORAN, Mo. -- Mike Sauceda, 45, of Oran died Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2000, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo. He was born April 5, 1955, in Sikeston, son of Jessie and Sophia Sauceda. He was raised by his grandparents, Vidal and Susie Valdez Sauceda Sr...

NO, EVERYONE is not on Bush's side. According to a recent poll, 50 percent of those polled think he should continue "full speed ahead." If the situation were reversed, how you Republicans would be screaming, but that would be OK. You Republicans seem to have a convenient way of accepting and believing only what you want. A very strange lot, I would say...

Government giveaways aren't always as popular as one might expect. As we have noted before, it never ceases to amaze us how some intended recipients of tax-funded largesse simply don't want handouts. And it is even more amazing to watch government's gyrations to find ways to put more Americans on the dole...

Let's face it: Flu shots this year have been hard to come by. While the Cape Girardeau County Health Department and some area physicians have received partial orders of the hard-to-come-by vaccine, other counties in Southeast Missouri haven't received a single dose...

To the editor: It outrages me to hear Al Gore stand there before the nation and say he wants every vote counted. It was his campaign that conducted an organized, concerted effort to invalidate as many overseas military ballots as it could. His campaign was the one that sent operatives to most every county in Florida with a five-page instruction manual for contesting these military absentee ballots. For Democrats now to claim they want a full count is pure hypocrisy...

To the editor: Recently I sat down with the family to view a documentary on the rock group Creed. There has been so much said regarding their spiritual status that I wanted to see the case presented by the secular media. If one is a Christian, he will not be able to hide it...