Stories from Saturday, January 20, 2001

With puppetering, drama and music sessions each Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, Parker Kohlfeld hasn't found anything about CODA that he doesn't like. So far, learning to play handbells has been his favorite activity during the program offered each week at Centenary United Methodist Church...

Hoping to make more room in their growing districts, Oak Ridge and Scott City school boards will seek voter approval of bond issues during elections April 3. Boards of Education in both districts approved ballot issues this week to finance construction of additional classroom space and new multipurpose buildings. The issues -- which would each require 30-cent tax hikes -- must receive a supermajority of 57.14 percent for passage and would be repaid over 20 years...

There's more to soap box racing than just rolling along in the vehicle, and some area youngster will have a shot at showing his or her skill and winning a national title this year. The Rotary Club of Cape Girardeau already is planning for the St. Francis Medical Center Soap Box Derby, which will be May 19 on Sprigg Street near Blanchard Elementary School...

Icy roads created multiple accidents on highways Friday, law enforcement agencies reported. Patches of black ice created accidents from Ste. Genevieve to Cape Girardeau counties Friday evening. One accident involved a pregnant woman who lost control of her car on Interstate 55. ...

Last Sunday I arrived for church early, and to my surprise, I smelled something. I'm not talking about that faint smell that comes from a newly activated furnace, nor was it the collective mix of women's perfumes and men's colognes that usually clash in church sanctuaries. No, what I smelled had more substance...

Southeast Missouri State University wants to hire more visual and performing arts faculty as it proceeds with development of its River Campus. University officials are looking at adding a dean in 2002 to administer its school for the visual and performing arts. The new school would include the art, theater, music and dance departments...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Lewis Brothers Bakery, producer of Bunny Bread products, announced Friday it is closing its Sikeston plant, located on Kendall Street off Malone Avenue. Sikeston Mayor Josh Bill said the closure means the loss of 110 jobs. The bakery opened in 1953...

Frank Ellis has been named principal of the Cape Girardeau School District fifth-and-sixth-grade center scheduled to open in fall 2002. Ellis, who has been principal of Alma Schrader Elementary School since 1997, is the district's first black principal since segregation. He formerly worked as assistant principal at Alma Schrader Elementary, and also was an remedial math teacher at Jefferson Elementary and classroom teacher at May Greene Elementary School...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Beware of the wounded Bulldog. The Notre Dame Bulldogs came in limping slightly from injury and illness, yet they had possibly their best overall performance of the season as they defeated the Jackson Indians 74-49 at the Jackson High School gymnasium on Friday night...

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Southeast Missouri State University's women's basketball team has gotten off to a strong Ohio Valley Conference start. Today the Otahkians will look to continue that -- and avoid an upset in the process. Struggling Eastern Illinois will provide the opposition for the Otahkians in a 5:15 p.m. tipoff at Lantz Gym...

When St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Rick Ankiel came to Cape Girardeau on Friday, he said he already knew one question he'd be asked by fans. "Everywhere they ask, Can you throw strikes?'" said Ankiel, who led his team in strikeouts during the regular season and wild pitches in the playoffs...

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Tonight's crucial Ohio Valley Conference game at Eastern Illinois presents a double dilemma for Southeast Missouri State University men's basketball coach Gary Garner and his Indians. The Panthers feature the OVC's top scorer and the nation's No. 2 point producer in Henry Domercant, who also happens to rank second in the conference in both field-goal shooting and 3-point shooting...

ST. LOUIS -- The Cape Central Tigers ended a seven-game losing streak in dramatic fashion, hitting the tying shot in the waning seconds of regulation before defeating Mehlville 70-61 in overtime Friday night. Michael Cox deposited an offensive rebound with six seconds left in regulation to complete a late rally and tie the game at 59-59. Cape Central (3-11) had trailed by five points with 2:37 left in game...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Scott City relied on Keller instinct Friday night. Scott City's senior, blue-collar forward Ricky Keller, no stranger to late-game heroics, hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to win the game as Scott City (11-5) fought off the Kelly Hawks 54-51 to claim the Scott-Mississippi Conference Tournament title in front of a packed house at Chaffee High School...

Daughter to Dr. Jim and Nicole Wilson of Winter Park, Fla., 3:32 p.m. Monday, Dec. 11, 2000. Name, Brooke Kendall. Weight, 8 pounds 9 ounces. First child. Mrs. Wilson is the former Nicole Heilman, daughter of Dr. Ken and Pat Heilman of Gainesville, Fla. She is a sales representative with PDI Pharmaceuticals. Wilson is the son of James B. and Nancy Wilson of Cape Girardeau. He is a resident at Florida Hospital East in Orlando...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Marie Hill, 86, of Advance died Friday, Jan. 19, 2001, at her home. She was born Sept. 19, 1914, at Rock Point, Mo., daughter of Harrison and Viola Garrison. She and James Hill were married July 28, 1932, at Leora, Mo. He died Sept. 23, 1985...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Albert Wichern, 87, of Perryville died Thursday, Jan. 18, 2001, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. He was born Aug. 9, 1913, at Point Rest, Mo., son of Henry and Martha Cornehlson Wichern. He and Vera Hecht were married Feb. 20, 1938...

Delmar William Karger, 87, of Hilton Head Island, S.C., died Monday, Jan. 15, 2001, at Broad Creek Care Center. He was born May 9, 1913, in Cape Girardeau, son of Ernest J. and Clara M. Hellwege Karger. He had been married to Paula Miller Karger, Edith Kennedy Loring and Ruth Lounsberry Rivard, all of whom preceded him in death...

DELTA, Mo. -- Oma Louise Eakins, 78, of Delta died Friday, Jan. 19, 2001, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Oct. 20, 1922, at Arbor, Mo., daughter of Leo and Laura Davis Bullinger. She and Earl Alvin Eakins were married Nov. 28, 1938...

MILLER CITY, Ill. -- Donald R. Billings, 70, of Lemay, Mo., died Thursday, Jan. 18, 2001, at his home. He was born April 8, 1930, in Miller City, son of Darold G. and Ruth Ryal Billings. He married Ruth Jean Hensley, who died in January 1999. Billings was the former owner of Billings Hunting Club in Olive Branch, Ill...

Theresa Elizabeth Hale, 83, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, Jan. 18, 2001, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born Aug. 16, 1917, at Festus, Mo., daughter of Joseph and Rose Dietrich Axtetter. She and Lemro F. Hale were married March 1, 1938, at Festus. He died March 10, 1996...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Funeral for Roy L. Savers of Muskogee, Okla., was held Jan. 10 at Black's Funeral Home in Eufaula, Okla. The Rev. Robert Dibell officiated. Burial was in Greenlawn Cemetery in Checotah, Okla., with military rites by Eufaula Lake VFW Post 8798...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Robert Lee "Bob" Griggs, 74, of Mesquite, Texas, died Friday, Jan. 19, 2001, at Mesquite Medical Center. He was born July 31, 1926, in the Rush Ridge community of Mississippi County, son of Lee and Jettie Brown Griggs. He and Jean Thompson were married in 1946. She died in 1970. He and Rose Burger were married March 8, 1989...

For many years, the telephone book was a bible. In addition to using the book to find correct telephone numbers, we used it to confirm spellings of names, and we certainly knew the phone numbers were correct. But that changed with the latest Southwestern Bell telephone book for the Cape Girardeau region...

What is it that liberal interest groups and certain Democratic senators fear about a Bush-Ashcroft Justice Department? What is driving Ted Kennedy to threaten a filibuster against Ashcroft's confirmation? Though there seems to be a subtle charge of racism in the air, Democrats are denying any such implications. "It's the rule of law they're worried about," they say. Given Ashcroft's "extreme views," will he be able to enforce laws with which he strongly disagrees?...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- The tone of America is disturbing. The division in this country is falling dangerously along racial lines. For the life of me, I can't understand why. Statistics released recently showed that Vice President Al Gore received more of the black vote than any candidate in history. ...

I'M READING the front-page story about state Sen. Jim Mathewson poking fun at John Ashcroft about growing up and not seeing movies because his dad didn't want part of the money going to Hollywood because of their lifestyle. I can't imagine Mathewson or anyone else who has any principles not doing the same thing. ...

This week's news that two Cape Girardeau natives would be handing out $100,000 in public teaching incentive awards every year was exhilarating indeed. The natives are brothers Richard Kinder, a former Cape Girardeau attorney and now a Houston corporate executive, and Dr. Jerry Kinder of Cape Girardeau, a retired surgeon. They created the Edna C. Kinder Excellence in Teaching Award, named for their late mother...

Several Cape Girardeau congregations will gather for a service Sunday evening to celebrate unity among their Christian faiths instead of pinpointing their differences. The service, which begins at 7:30 p.m. at the United Church of Christ on South Ellis Street, is part of activities for the "Week of prayer for Christian unity." The Rev. J. Friedel, director of Catholic Campus Ministries at Southeast Missouri State University, will be the speaker...