Stories from Saturday, April 7, 2001

Participants in the prayer patrol at La Croix United Methodist Church have lived through tragedies, rejoiced in good news and learned the value of prayer. More than 140 children have been praying for police, firefighters, emergency personnel and the mayor during the Lenten season as part of a ministry program sponsored by the church...

At a time of day when most other people are scurrying to beat the rush at their favorite restaurant, a group of Cape Girardeau residents gathers for a prayer and praise service. The noon worship service, sometimes called "Lunch with the Lord," is held on the first Tuesday of the month at a different church each month, which helps ensure that people from many congregations are given the opportunity to attend...

OAK RIDGE, Mo. -- Bill Criddle sells a little bit of everything, but the talk is free. The 71-year-old furniture and junk dealer has an opinion on almost everything, including the latest census figures. He doesn't believe them. The Census Bureau says Oak Ridge's population hasn't changed in 10 years -- the town still has 202 residents...

Growing up in Sikeston, Mo., Neal Boyd liked to sing nursery rhymes and themes from cartoon shows on TV. His mother, Esther, says he was particularly fond of the Smurfs. In eighth grade, the bulky football tackle amused his friends by parodying opera singers. Then the choir director overheard him in the cafeteria...

OLD APPLETON, Mo. -- Mayor Kenneth Buchheit figures the Census Bureau counted right when it put the town's population at 82 last year. That also was the town's population 10 years ago. "Nothing has changed," he said. "I am pretty sure that is right," said the 54-year-old Buchheit, who has lived in the town his entire life...

Spring has finally sprung, and my family couldn't be happier. OK, I admit it, we are not cold-weather people. Like all kids, Jerry and PJ enjoy the occasional snow day, but like their parents, they don't really care for the cold. During the winter months we'd rather be wrapped up in heavy, homemade quilts and thick white socks while we eat bowls of my mother's stew with large triangles of hot cornbread slathered with butter...

A 20-year-old Cape Girardeau man is continuing to chip away at criminal charges that had put him in prison for 25 years. Dmitri Bell is attempting to cut up to 10 years from his stay in prison after successfully appealing a 7-year sentence last fall for interfering with an arrest. An appeal of two drug convictions was filed with the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District this week...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- The season for stealing chemicals to make methamphetamine has arrived in Perry County, Sheriff Gary Schaaf said. During the past week, deputies have charged eight people with attempting to steal anhydrous ammonia from farmers, who are increasing supplies of the fertilizer for spring planting...

Floral arrangements and pretty furniture may not sound like the manliest of gifts, but the items were among those sold by auction Friday to raise money for a men's social group. A truck bed liner, several televisions and assorted gift certificates also were auctioned during the Salvation Army Men's Club sixth annual fund-raiser. Organizers hoped to raise about $2,000 to cover costs for character building programs and Corps activities...

The first class of the Cape Girardeau Student Leadership Academy -- featuring 25 students from the city's public and parochial schools -- is completed. Four students who were participants in the class were among speakers for the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce First Friday Coffee Friday along with Cape Girardeau police chief Rick Hetzel, a member of the student leadership steering committee...

With the way Eastern Illinois has started Ohio Valley Conference baseball play, Southeast Missouri State University's Indians can hardly afford any slips if they want to remain in contention for the regular-season league title. That's why Southeast coach Mark Hogan knows just how important this weekend's three-game series against visiting Eastern Kentucky is...

The Cape Central Tigers locked their keys in their car. They left their fly unzipped and spilled their coffee while checking their watch. They endured what every human being suffers through from time to time -- a bad brain day. Central committed five errors and made numerous mental mistakes as the Tigers fell to Potosi 9-4 in a sloppy game Friday at Cape Central High...

Thirteen track teams will converge on Jackson today as the Indians prepare for their annual invitational. The meet, which will begin with field events at 10 a.m., will be held at the junior high complex and will wrap up at around 4 p.m. Cape Central's girls figure to be a clear favorite to take the team title...

ST. LOUIS -- Cape Central met its first state qualifying cut in a swimming meet Friday night. Crutches and all. Mary Beth Owen, recovering from a stress fracture in her leg and still using crutches, made the state cut in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:19.44 at the University of Missouri-St. Louis as Central took second place in a tri-meet with Incarnate Word and Lutheran South...

Southeast Missouri State University athletes who excel not only on the playing fields but in the classroom were celebrated Friday during the school's annual Scholar Athlete Luncheon at the University Center. A total of 114 student-athletes with a 3.0 or higher cumulative grade-point average were honored. That figure ranks as the second-largest group in school history, topped only by last year's 121 honorees. The scholar athletes represent 44 percent of the student-athletes at Southeast...

Daughter to Thomas Louis and Karen Ann Broussard Jr. of Jackson, Mo., Southeast Missouri Hospital, 3:43 a.m. Saturday, March 31, 2001. Name, Alaina Faith. Weight, 7 pounds 9 3/4 ounces. First child. Mrs. Broussard is the former Karen Spain, daughter of June Spain of Fredericktown, Mo. She is a special education teacher at Jackson R-2 Schools. Broussard is the son of Thomas and Kathleen Broussard of Fredericktown. He is band director at Jackson R-2 Schools...

William Fred Stone, 80, of Bonne Terre, Mo., formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Thursday, April 5, 2001, at Missouri Baptist Hospital in St. Louis. He had been in ill health for some time. He was born April 1, 1920, in St. Louis, son of George E. and Rose A. Youngerman Stone...

KARNAK, Ill. -- Adeline Bunker Tutko, 76, of Karnak died Wednesday, April 4, 2001, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Aug. 20, 1924, at Karnak, the daughter of Ward and Ruby Nelius Bunker. She married Edward Tutko. He died in 1976...

PINCKNEYVILLE, Ill. -- Geneva S. Cast, 56, of Pinckneyville died Friday, April 6, 2001, at Memorial Hospital in Carbondale, Ill. She was born Aug. 13, 1944, in Missouri, daughter of James and Laura Ricketts. She and Archie Cast were married Nov. 2, 1966. He died Nov. 5, 1998...

COBDEN, Ill. -- Raymond E. Tweedy, 95, of Cobden died Friday, April 6, 2001, at Union County Hospital in Anna, Ill. He was born Nov. 16, 1905, in Huey, Ill., son of Dr. James R. and Jessie Cover Tweedy. He and Frances Anderson were married Aug. 28, 1929, in West Frankfort, Ill. She died Nov. 4, 1979...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Mildred Rolens, 72, of Perryville died Thursday, April 5, 2001, at her home. She was born Nov. 22, 1928, in Bollinger County, Mo., daughter of Ruben and Mary Duncan. She and Ivan Rolens were married in February 1947. He died in October 1993...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Funeral for Norma Lee Nelson of Advance will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at Morgan Funeral Home. The Rev. Wayne Page will officiate. Burial will be in Dongola Cemetery at Dongola, Mo. Friends may call at the funeral home from 5-8 p.m. today...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Funeral for Elbert Robert Yount of Sikeston will be held at 10:30 a.m. today at Nunnelee Funeral Chapel. Kelley Grubbs will officiate. Burial will be in Webb Yount Cemetery at Marquand, Mo. Yount, 77, died Thursday, April 5, 2001, at Miner Nursing Center...

John James "Jack" Durkin Jr., 75, of Alpharetta, Ga., died Friday, March 16, 2001. He was born Nov. 19, 1925, in McKees Rocks, Pa., son of John J. and Marie Durkin. He married Mary Delores Kelly in May 1948 at McKees Rocks. Durkin was a chief chemist in the cement business 40 years and had lived in Pennsylvania; Cape Girardeau; Hutson, N.Y.; and Independence, Kan. He retired and moved back to Cape Girardeau in 1985, and had lived in Alpharetta since 1995...

It's too bad that David Limbaugh couldn't find some respected, acknowledged authority to quote in his recent column. To quote himself is about as silly as you can get. Now is he excusing George Bush's lies during the campaign. If Al Gore had pulled the same kind of turnabouts, Limbaugh would have called him 40 kinds of liar. It's this kind of foolishness that will quickly marginalize Limbaugh...

Phony number: The White House and Congressional Republicans should stop giving tax-cut opponents unnecessary ammunition by agreeing that the president's proposal would cost $1.6 trillion over 10 years. The number assumes that tax reductions do nothing to stimulate the economy and that increased incentives mean not a penny more in government revenue. The idea is preposterous, similar to a retailer's believing that reducing prices doesn't help move merchandise...

What brave and loving souls the area's foster parents are. They're willing to open their homes and hearts to children who are battered and bruised -- either figuratively or emotionally -- from the events in their own homes. But there aren't enough of at least one kind of foster parent in this area. The state is asking more minorities to get involved in the program...

New taxes in the Oak Ridge and Scott City school districts met with success this week. Both passed with more than 60 percent of the vote. That's generously above the 57.14 percent standard for school bond issues in Missouri. At a time when news about the economy isn't always good, it's inspiring to see communities get out and support their schools. Both districts have seen steady growth over the past decade, and patrons of those schools saw the need to provide support for new construction...

To the editor: Two events occurred recently which touched the lives of thousands of people in Southeast Missouri and throughout the world. I am talking about the death of Dr. Alvin Barry, president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod March 23 in Orlando, Fla., and his funeral March 30 in St. Louis...

To the editor: Thursday morning's paper reported Southeast Missouri State University desires to build a new residence hall. Would it not be reasonable to welcome these anticipated students with a place to park? DONALD C. METCALFE Cape Girardeau