Stories from Friday, December 1, 2000

The first time he tried Capoeira, an acrobatic African-Brazilian martial arts dance form, Paul Zmolek left his blood on the floor. "Something told me this was for me," the former high school football and wrestling captain said. If the earrings and the soul patch hint that Zmolek hears a different drummer than many college professors do, his 6-2 former lineman's frame and his words make it clear that the anorexic and intellectual approaches to dance once popular don't move him...

The state of Missouri soon could foot the bill for two-year degrees at Southeast Missouri State University and the Sikeston Area Higher Education Center through the A+ Schools program. Officials at Southeast and Three Rivers Community College have reached an agreement on the venture, which still awaits final approval from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. DESE officials say approval is likely...

The 1992 murders of Sherry, Curtis and Randy Scheper in their Cape Girardeau home had detectives stumped until the arrival of a mysterious letter from an informant identifying himself as "Del Orfo." They located Del Orfo when one of the detectives realized the name might be a code for a telephone number. Del Orfo ultimately implicated three men in the killings...

Some of you are overheating from a burning question you keep asking me. No, it's not the one about who's going to be our next president. By the way, I know who it's going to be. Just like I knew who was going to win before we even voted. I'll gladly repeat my amazingly accurate prediction, and if I'm wrong I'll wash your car for you. Here goes: The next president of the United States will be Al Gore or George W. Bush. Take my word for it...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri Tax Commission officials expect to rule by the end of the year in a dispute between Casino Aztar and Pemiscot County that has prevented the county and other local taxing jurisdictions from receiving nearly $433,000 in 1999 property taxes...

Business retention and expansion, economic development and recruiting new industry and availability of competent workers are priorities of Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce members, according to a recent survey by the group. The priorities were established during the chamber's annual Three-minute Survey...

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson's mobile office has scheduled visits to several Southeast Missouri cities in coming weeks. Dec. 7, the office will be at the Marble Hill Library from 12:30-1:30 p.m. and Jackson Chamber of Commerce from 2-3 p.m. Dec. 11, the office is scheduled to make stops at the Scott County Courthouse in Benton at 8:30 a.m., the Heritage House in Sikeston at 10 a.m., the library in Charleston at noon, the city administration building in East Prairie at 1:30 p.m...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- Law enforcement officers were searching late Wednesday night for a man who had jumped out of a vehicle after he had carjacked a 37-year-old woman in St. Louis and ordered her at gunpoint to drive south on Interstate 55. "Basically, we're looking at everything south of us, because he told her to drive south," said Capt. Janice Stroup of the Scott City police...

Missouri school districts will officially release reports today detailing academic, financial and assessment information from the 1999-2000 school year. Public schools are required to make district profiles available to district patrons by Dec. 1 each year. Kelly and Kelso C-7 school districts completed the state-mandated reports ahead of schedule and released them to the Southeast Missourian for publication...

JACKSON, Mo. -- A 66-year-old man has been charged with sexual misconduct and child molestation for three incidents involving a 12-year-old girl, an assistant Cape Girardeau County prosecutor said. Kenneth J. Barker, of 720 Olive St. in Jackson, Mo., appeared in court Thursday with his attorney, Allen Moss...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- After losing four starters -- two of them were all-staters and three of them are now playing college basketball -- this is supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Scott City Rams. You'll have a hard time convincing St. Vincent of that...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Southeast Missouri State University's Krista Haukap established an OVC record for kills Thursday night. But the biggest kill was the one collectively claimed by the Otahkians as they eliminated North Carolina from the 2000 NCAA Volleyball Tournament Thursday night in a dramatic five-set match...

OAKVILLE, Mo. -- The Cape Central Lady Tigers were in another "zone" in the championship final of the Oakville Tournament. Central (2-1) picked up the second-place trophy as it suffered its first defeat of the season at the hands of Francis Howell 51-40...

COBDEN, Ill. -- Patsy June Poucher, 61, of Cobden died Thursday, Nov. 30, 2000, at Memorial Hospital in Carbondale, Ill. She was born May 14, 1939, at Sikeston, Mo., daughter of Sidney and Virginia Lynch Hornback. She and John C. Poucher Sr. were married May 14, 1977, at Cairo, Ill...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- The Rev. Homer T. "Tizar" Cross, 80, of Charleston died Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2000, at Charleston Manor. He was born Sept. 19, 1920, in Lee County, Ark., son of James Homer and Rosetta Minnitt Cross. He married Mildred Gibson. Cross was a retired farmer, and became an ordained minister in 1992. He was a member of St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church. He lived in Missouri more than 76 years...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Irwin S. Shell, 83, of Jackson died Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2000, at Jackson Manor Nursing Home. He was born Aug. 3, 1917, north of Oak Ridge, Mo., son of Fredrich Mason and Elizabeth Irwin Shell. He and Erna Lenora Pohlman were married April 9, 1939...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Charles W. Alexander, 76, of Sikeston died Thursday, Nov. 30, 2000, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born Feb. 24, 1924, in Sikeston, son of Charles H. and Ollie Lee Miller Alexander. He and Frances M. Duff were married Feb. 22, 1947, in Sikeston...

GORDONVILLE, Mo. -- Funeral for Betty Gene Massie of Ellington, Mo., was held Wednesday at Ellington First Baptist Church. The Rev. Jim Frago officiated. Burial was in Dan Massie Cemetery. McSpadden Funeral Home in Ellington was in charge of arrangements...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- Norman Arthur Gossling, 94, of Scott City died Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2000, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Oct. 9, 1906, in St. Louis, son of Ernest Edward and Lettie Franklin Gossling. He and Beulah Glenn were married July 4, 1936, in St. Louis. She died Feb. 22, 1987...

ANNA, Ill. -- Hope Ann Marie Smith was stillborn Monday, Nov. 27, 2000, at St. Therese Medical Center in Waukegan, Ill. Survivors include her parents, Robert Joseph and Ruth Ann Smith of Round Lake Beach, Ill.; two sisters, Naomi Smith and Brittany Musick; two brothers, Eric and Christopher Smith; maternal grandparents, Timothy and Patricia Sprous of Pomona, Ill., Joe and Sandra Ratliff of Round Lake Beach; paternal grandparents, Joel and Ursala Smith of St. ...

LILBOURN, Mo. -- Ora E. Crawford, 95, died Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2000, at Sikeston Convalescent Center in Sikeston, Mo. He was born Jan. 31, 1905, at Lilbourn, son of Rance and Jane Ballard Crawford. He and Ella Bailey were married June 27, 1931. She died Sept. 22, 1989...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Elton V. Koch, 74, of Perryville died Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2000, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. He was born Jan. 11, 1926, at New Wells, Mo., son of Edwin and Hilda Scholl Koch. He and Dorothy L. Mueller were married Dec. 22, 1951. She died Aug. 10, 1991...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Steve H. Sindle, 48, of Sikeston died Thursday, Nov. 30, 2000, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born Aug. 26, 1952, in Sikeston, son of Roy Eugene "Gene" and Ollie Jones Sindle. He and Vanetta F. Darter were married Jan. 19, 1974, in Oran, Mo...

Daughter to Staff Sgt. Edgar L. and Crystal D. Myers of Yokota Air Force Base, Japan, 8:24 a.m. Friday, Oct. 27, 2000. Name, Morgan Olivia. Weight, 7 pounds 5 1/2 ounces. Mrs. Myers is the former Crystal Williams, daughter of Bob and Sue Williams of Collinsville, Ill. Myers is the son of Edgar and Nancy Myers of Jackson, Mo. He is a biomedical engineer with the U.S. Air Force, stationed at Yokota...

To the editor: Did you have a nice Thanksgiving? Ham, or maybe turkey and dressing? That's nice. You have a Democrat for president. But consider this: If George W. Bush gets elected, you may be lucky to have turnips and black-eyed peas next Thanksgiving...

To the editor: I fear that I have lost something. Each person has a free and equal right to participate in our system of government by voicing our opinions. I believe that my voice has been lost amid the chaos of big PACs and large corporations. I am a solitary voice. ...

An article in your Nov. 26 paper was entitled "Ad links callers to supremacist group." The article caught my eye. Sunday before last there was a paid-for commercial advertisement in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch which allegedly read: "Mossberg 590 12 gauge, $100.00." In the story, an unidentified St. Louis telephone number was listed to call for more information...

While many U.S. citizens remain focused on the still-undecided presidential election, other nations have been electing new leaders without nearly so much attention. Canada re-elected a prime minister, Haiti restored a former president to office and Romania completed the first stage of electing a president...

A woman who was a cheerleader in high school, played in a band during college and taught elementary music in Fenton, Mo., is coming to Cape Girardeau Saturday to raise money for Southeast Missouri State University. Seven Grammy Awards after she gave up public-school teaching in 1986 to follow her dream into the big time, Sheryl Crow of Kennett (by way of Los Angeles) is donating an evening of hit songs to raise money for SEMO's School of Visual and Performing Arts and the Kennett Area Higher Education Center.. ...

Stealing or cheating? EVERYONE KEEPS saying Al Gore is trying to steal the election, but I suggest that one can only steal something if it was never yours. I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that Gore won the popular vote in Florida, and Bush and his followers want to cheat him out of it. So is Gore the stealer? No, I think Bush is the cheater...

To the editor: I feel that you are very one-sided in your coverage of the election for George Bush. As a member of the press, should you not report only the facts instead of your attempt to sway your readers judgment toward Republican views? I know If I were a candidate, I would not want anyone's vote unless he meant to vote for me...

The Central Junior High School orchestra, band and chorus will present a holiday concert at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Central High School auditorium. The Central High School women's choir, men's chorale and chamber choir will give their holiday concert at 2 p.m. Dec. 10 at Centenary Methodist Church...