Stories from Saturday, March 24, 2001

Closet-hogging formal wear that had not seen the light of day for months or even years was shaken out and put up for sale Friday at Central High School. More than 100 used formal dresses were available at the event sponsored by the school's Beta Club. The honorary service organization received 10 percent of each sale for use in charitable work...

With the coming of warm, sunny days and temperatures in the 60s, Cape Girardeau residents already have retrieved their shorts and T-shirts from winter storage. Swimming suits can't be far behind. So, from his office behind Central High School, Cape Girardeau parks and recreation aquatic coordinator Doug Gannon is planning to transition the city's two municipal pools into the busy summer season...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Grabbing a lint brush for a microphone, Michael Kassel hopped and spun around the floor of the Perry County Sheltered Workshop Friday afternoon. Several of the other disabled workshop employees danced around him as he moved his lips to Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love."...

I have always enjoyed celebrating my birthday. When I was younger, the celebrations were usually a family dinner and a new outfit from my parents, but as I grew closer to adulthood I began to hold parties. My parties never required presents -- the party itself was enough. I find great satisfaction simply in being around loved ones on my special day, which has worked out well since my birthday always falls just prior to my husband's pay day...

Rates of mortality, length of stay and complications at the St. Francis Heart Institute were "significantly lower" than the national standards for those categories in 2000, according to a report compiled by St. Francis Medical Center. The report titled "A Demonstration of Outcomes" put the hospital's mortality rate at 1.56 compared to the national rate of 3 percent. This occurred despite the fact that the St. Francis' patients were clinically sicker than the national group...

Engineers with the Missouri Department of Transportation will perform a routine inspection on the Mississippi River Bridge in Cape Girardeau next week. Weather permitting, traffic will be reduced to one lane Tuesday through Thursday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Drivers can expect delays of 10-15 minutes...

Cpl. Cody Fulkerson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol will be a guest on KRCU's "Going Public" radio program at 3 p.m. Sunday. He will discuss the area's drug problem, the DARE program and the day-to-day duties of the highway patrol. Going Public is hosted by Tom Harte, Peter Bergerson and Chris Schnell, all faculty members at Southeast. The station is at 90.9 FM on the radio dial...

Teachers and judges at the Southeast Missouri Regional Science Fair are often surprised by the creativity, ingenuity and intelligence students display in their science fair projects. More than 290 projects completed by nearly 250 students will be judged in the event Tuesday at the Show Me Center...

CHAFFEE, Mo. or a guy who had been bothered by elbow problems, G.P. Glueck pitched a pretty decent game. Actually, Glueck was a lot better than decent. The Chaffee High senior fired a two-hitter, with 13 strikeouts and no walks, to lead the Red Devils past Kelly 3-1 Friday afternoon...

Trisha Klipfel and Jessica Ham scored three goals each as Cape Girardeau Central High's girls soccer team stormed past Farmington 11-1 Friday in the first round of the Notre Dame-Cape Central Noon Optimist Tournament. Heidi Pilsner scored a goal and added two assists for Central; Amber Voerg and Caitlin Bahn each had one goal and one assist; and Heather Hey and Julie Underwood had one goal apiece. Hey is the team's usual goalkeeper who was allowed to play in the field Friday...

ATLANTA, Ga. -- Southeast Missouri State University's softball team found the going extremely tough during Friday's opening round of the Georgia Tech Buzz Classic. The Otahkians (5-10) suffered a perfect game at the hands of Wisconsin -- the nation's No. 22 ranked squad -- as they lost 9-0...

For the second straight year, Southeast Missouri State University cross country runner Amy Arteme has been named to the Verizon Academic All-District VII at large-team. Arteme, a junior from Kelly High School, has a 3.857 grade-point average in dietetics...

Daughter to Ryan Mitchell and Helen Elizabeth "Heidi" Hannah of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 3:03 a.m. Wednesday, March 14, 2001. Name, Faith Elizabeth. Weight, 7 pounds 8 ounces. Third child, first daughter. Mrs. Hannah is the former Heidi Etherington, daughter of Rick and Prill Etherington of Cape Girardeau. Mr. and Mrs. Hannah are SIM missionaries in southern Africa. He is the son of Harry and Pat Hannah of Asheville, N.C...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- Anna Carolina O'Brien, 92, of Scott City died Thursday, March 22, 2001, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Sept. 29, 1908, at Kelso, Mo., daughter of Phillip and Mary Link Pfefferkorn. She and William Lawrence O'Brien were married Dec. 24, 1937, at Valley Park, Mo. He died July 13, 1993...

Barbara Ellen Brewer, 66, of Makanda, Ill., died Friday, March 23, 2001, at her residence. Friends may call at Lutz & Rendleman Funeral Home in Cobden, Ill., after 2 p.m. Sunday. Funeral service will be 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. The Rev. Dennis Nance will officiate, with burial in the Evergreen Cemetery in Makanda...

ANNA, Ill. -- A. Eugene Cotton, 56, of Anna died Friday, March 23, 2001, at his home. He was born in June 1944, in Murphysboro, Ill., son of Alvin and Edith Edwards Cotton. He and Kathleen A. Lohrum were married Oct. 2, 1965, in East St. Louis, Ill...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- Funeral Mass for Betty Jean Brockmeyer of Scott City will be held at 10 a.m. today at St. Joseph Catholic Church. The Rev. David Coon will officiate. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Brockmeyer, 60, died Thursday, March 22, 2001, at her home...

Wilbur "Shine" Pardue, 82, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, March 23, 2001, at his home. He was born Oct. 23, 1918, at Orrick, Mo., son of Andrew Jackson and Mary Ella Derstler Pardue. He and Janet Bowers were married March 1, 1969, in Omaha, Neb. Pardue was a riverboat captain 50 years. He had lived in Cape Girardeau 32 years, and was a member of Lynwood Baptist Church. He was a lifetime member of a Masonic lodge in Nebraska...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Alice Aufdenberg, 62, of Sikeston died Wednesday, March 21, 2001, at her home. She was born May 13, 1938, in Kingsport, Tenn., daughter of Norman B. and Kathleen Givens McKenzie Sr. She and Gene Raymond Aufdenberg were married June 21, 1959, in Holly Springs, Miss. He died Jan. 6, 1984...

Marchelle J. Webb, 43, of Cape Girardeau, died Friday, March 23, 2001, at St. Francis Medical Center. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Lorberg Memorial Funeral Chapel.

JACKSON, Mo. -- Funeral for Katherine "Kay" Davenport of Jackson will be held at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson. Jeanette Driscoll will officiate. Burial will be in Pleasant Hill Cemetery at Fruitland, Mo. Friends may call at the funeral home from 4-8 p.m. today...

Mary Hazel Lorberg, 91, of Cape Girardeau, Mo., died Friday, March 23, 2001, at Ratliff Care Center. She was born July 25, 1909, in Leora, Mo., daughter of John L. and Ella Phelps Lufcy. She married Edgar L. Lorberg on Sept. 22, 1928, in Jackson, Mo. He preceded her in death on Feb. 8, 1983...

I FEEL the Jackson School District is going too far in the discipline of the kids today. A lot of it should be put on the responsibility of the parents, not the school. Most parents don't care what their kids are doing today as long as they stay out of their hair and let them continue their successful careers. ...

KENNETT, Mo. -- It was a great headline. Wish I had written it. Of course, had I written the headline, it would probably have been over a dateline that said "St. Louis" as opposed to "Mississippi County." I'm talking about the story in Monday's St. Louis Post-Dispatch (and Tuesday's Southeast Missourian) which was written after census figures were released showing population declines in the Bootheel...

The SAT, once as much a part of a forward-thinking high-school student's life as a slide rule, is becoming less popular with the nation's colleges and universities. Along with its younger cousin, the ACT, the SAT is being discounted as the ultimate measure of whether a student is ready for college life. About a fifth of all four-year schools are no longer requiring the test scores from some or all applicants...

States, counties and cities eagerly anticipate the release of census data every 10 years, and the anticipation was perhaps even stronger this year with the U.S. Census Bureau saying the 2000 census was the most accurate count in history. The population figures and socio-economic data derived from the census are the ideal guidepost for how a community is doing. ...

To the editor: I'm glad to see the Southeast Missourian has been bold and smart enough to allow advocates of responsible marijuana use have their silent screams heard. I recently read a book, "Marijuana: One Man's Mystique, Another Man's Truth," written in 1988 by Maxon Roads that pretty well sums up what is happening with the drug war. In essence, the war is much more destructive than the drugs the war was supposed to stop...

To the editor: At the Jackson School Board candidate forum, I watched the full slate of candidates present their opinions and aspirations. I was impressed with all the candidates and am confident the school board will, regardless of the outcome, gain dedicated, thoughtful members...