Stories from Saturday, December 23, 2000

Christmas Eve n Grace Bible Church will have a communion service at 6 p.m. Sunday. n New Life Gospel Center in Scott City, Mo., will have an 11 a.m. worship and an 8 p.m. candlelight service with communion. n St. Andrew Lutheran Church will present the cantata "Christmas Rose" during its 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. worship services. A 6:30 p.m. service is suited for families, and there will be an 11 p.m. candlelight service...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Scrooge wouldn't have been pleased with the Cape Girardeau County Commission this year. "We really spent a lot of money," said Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones. The county spent more than $1 million buying land and constructing a new archive center, buying a building in Jackson for the public defender's office and land in Cape Girardeau for a new juvenile detention center, Jones said...

Southeast Missouri State University's master's degree program in business administration received accreditation this month. The International Association for Management Education accredited the program for 10 years. The Donald L. Harrison College of Business' bachelor's degree program in business administration received accreditation for another 10 years, school officials said...

JACKSON, Mo. -- The Cape Girardeau County Commission Thursday awarded a $175,678 Hubble Creek improvement contract to ASA Enterprises of Jackson. The contractor was the low bidder on the project to stabilize a section of Hubble Creek south of Gordonville...

DEXTER, Mo. -- The death of a Dexter jail inmate -- a man who had been arrested twice within a week -- is being investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Stoddard County Coroner Greg Mathis said John Q. Adams, 38, was found dead in his cell at 9:18 a.m. Thursday. An autopsy was scheduled to determine the cause of death, Mathis said...

Credit card phone fraud is increasing in Southeast Missouri, a spokesman for the state's attorney general's office said. In the past week, several callers saying they represent security or customer service departments for credit cards have been contacting residents in central and Southeast Missouri requesting card numbers, said Scott Holste of the attorney general's office...

The Salvation Army will distribute more than 1,000 food baskets today in the area. The baskets also will be available for people who didn't sign up previously. People may go to the Salvation Army, 701 Good Hope St., after 3:30 p.m., and take a picture ID, proof of address and Social Security cards for every child in the house...

In an intriguing political about-face, U.S. Sen. John Ashcroft of Missouri lost his re-election bid to a dead governor last month but was nominated on Friday by President-elect George W. Bush to be the next U.S. attorney general. Local Republicans hail the nomination of one of their own as an appropriate change in the office of the nation's chief law enforcement officer...

Arnold Bell will be Chaffee School District's superintendent for the next two years, replacing Bob Biggs, who resigned in the spring. Bell has been acting superintendent this year and formerly was superintendent in Sikeston for three years. He has said his goals for Chaffee schools included financial stability and improved test scores and instruction...

After more than 30 years with the Cape Girardeau Police Department, Lt. Dale Ratliff reluctantly retired on Friday. "It's a change of life," said Ratliff, as he tearfully acknowledged friends and relatives who gathered at the department. Ratliff retired as the head of the police planning and standards division, which handles firearms training, equipment acquisitions and other details...

The Notre Dame Lady Bulldogs turned a negative situation into a positive one. No. 2 seed Notre Dame (9-2) downed fourth-seeded Cape Central 40-33 to take third place in the HealthSouth Holiday Classic at the Show Me Center on Friday. Central fell to 5-3 on the season, as Notre Dame avenged a loss to the Lady Tigers earlier this month...

After having a 13-11 season last year, the Jackson Lady Indians are looking to re-establish themselves as a state power and the best girls basketball team in Southeast Missouri. They were three quarters of the way there Friday night. After swapping baskets with Poplar Bluff (9-1) through three quarters, Jackson faltered down the stretch as the Lady Mules -- ranked third in 4A -- held off the Lady Indians 50-43 to win their fourth straight HealthSouth Classic...

FREDERICKTOWN, Mo. -- Facing an uphill battle all evening, the Notre Dame Bulldogs finally caught and passed Fredericktown in the closing moments, beating the Black Cats 70-68 Friday night. Scott Wittenborn scored nine of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, while Mark Rubel scored eight of his 10 in the final eight minutes...

GLEN ALLEN, Mo. -- Shirley A. Barker, 66, of Glen Allen died Thursday, Dec. 21, 2000, at her home. She was born Jan. 25, 1934, at Malden, Mo., daughter of Silas D. and Versa L. Gobbel Morris. She and James A. Barker Sr. were married April 2, 1951. She was a homemaker and founding member of the Ladies Auxiliary of Glen Allen Fire Department...

Twin son and daughter to Capt. Lars and Elizabeth Toftemark of Columbus Air Force Base, Miss., Baptist Memorial Hospital, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2000. Eric Ruddy was born at 7:35 a.m. and weighed 6 pounds 13 ounces. Katherine was born at 7:36 a.m. and weighed 4 pounds 13 ounces. ...

Henry August Ochs, 95, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, Dec. 21, 2000, at Chateau Girardeau Health Center. He was born Oct. 9, 1905, in Cape Girardeau, son of Theodore and Bertha Popp Ochs. He and Lucille M. Gladish were married Sept. 5, 1927, in Cape Gir-ardeau. She died July 24, 1994...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Henry B. Duenne Jr., 86, of Charleston died Friday, Dec. 22, 2000, at his home. He was born April 13, 1914, in the Texas Bend community, son of Henry Bernard and Ann Catherine Bruenderman Duenne Sr. He and Helena Rodgers were married Nov. 10, 1937...

DELTA, Mo. -- Jim E. Johnson, 45, of Delta died Thursday, Dec. 21, 2000, at his home. He was born Oct. 25, 1955, in Cape Girardeau, son of Homer and Dorothy Amos Johnson. Johnson was a painter with Duncan Painting and Wallcovering in Chaffee, Mo. Survivors include his mother of Delta; two brothers, Bob Schwepker of Blomeyer, Mo., and Jack Johnson of Delta...

Funeral for Charles Duard Feverston of Mabanka, Texas, was held Thursday at Restland Funeral Home in Dallas, Texas. Feverston, 82, died Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2000, in Tyler, Texas. He was born March 14, 1918, at Leora, Mo., son of Charles E. and Mary George Feverston. He and Lorene Arnold were married Nov. 2, 1942...

FARRAR, Mo. -- Violet L. Detjen, 88, of Farrar died Thursday, Dec. 21, 2000, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Dec. 18, 1912, in Alva, Okla., daughter of Fred and Caroline Schwanke Dimmick. She and Ernst Martin Detjen were married Oct. 16, 1934. He died July 19, 1971...

OLMSTED, Ill. -- Adeline Huddlestun, 87, of Olmsted died Thursday, Dec. 21, 2000, at the home of a daughter in St. Louis. Wilson Funeral Home in Karnak, Ill., is in charge of arrangements.

EGYPT MILLS, Mo. -- William A. "Red" O'Howell, 73, of Egypt Mills died Thursday, Dec. 21, 2000, at his home. He was born March 11, 1927, in St. Louis, son of Grover and Martha J. Rains O'Howell. He married Lucille Reed, who died Dec. 27, 1984. O'Howell was retired from Procter & Gamble. He had also worked at the former Florsheim Shoe Co. in Cape Girardeau, and with Cape Special Road District...

VANDUSER, Mo. -- Funeral for Violet Edith Hughes of Vanduser will be held at 10:30 a.m. today at Nunnelee Funeral Chapel in Sikeston, Mo. The Rev. Joe King will officiate. Burial will be in New Morley Cemetery. Hughes, 89, died Thursday, Dec. 21, 2000, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston...

MOREHOUSE, Mo. -- Funeral for Kenny Nimmo of Morehouse will be held at 1 p.m. today at Watkins and Sons Funeral Home in Morehouse. The Rev. Jerry Adams will officiate. Burial will be in Bluff Cemetery at Idalia, Mo. Friends may call at the funeral home from 10 a.m. to service time...

To the editor: George Bush won the presidency fair and square. He should not have to make any apologies to anyone for his victory. The presidency was not handed to him by a 5-4 vote in the U.S. Supreme Court but by the votes cast in each of the state elections. The Supreme Court merely upheld Florida election laws as approved by the Florida legislature prior to the election in that state...

Just a few years ago, discussions about school choice in Missouri rarely occurred or didn't last long. There were only two choices for education: public, which all taxpayers supported, and private, which taxpaying parents supported. If you lived in a neighborhood and didn't like the school to which your children were assigned, you were welcome to pull them out and send them to a private school. And if you couldn't afford the tuition, tough luck...

Nearly every school board and fire protection district in the area, plus the Jackson Board of Aldermen, has openings that will be filled in the April 3 election. The deadline to file is Jan. 16, although many candidates rushed to do so on Tuesday, the first day of filing...

KENNETT, Mo. -- As it steps forward to assume the reins of authority and power, every new government provides assurances to its followers that it is prepared to offer wise leadership, which carries the implication that it will seek only the best for those it will govern...

OH, GLORY, we finally have a real secretary of state to represent America to the world, one of respect, honor and intelligence. Colin Powell is a hero from the Gulf War who handled his responsible service to our country so well, and he is to be admired by all. ...

To the editor: As all are now aware, there was a rumor that U.S. Sen. John Breaux of Louisiana was being considered by President-elect George W. Bush for the post of secretary of energy in his incipient administration. I was hoping that Breaux would carefully examine Bush's motives and then turn down the job. My hope panned out...