Stories from Tuesday, August 7, 2001

Erica Johnson was recently selected as the recipient of a $300 scholarship from the High School Rodeo Association and Ariat Boot Co. She also received the George Gorrell Memorial Scholarship. She is the daughter of Bert and Mary Helen Johnson, and a recent graduate of Sikeston High School in Sikeston, Mo...

WICKLIFFE, Ky. -- The mystery of the "mound builders" still exists at Wickliffe Mounds Research Center, where student groups and visitors can explore the remains of a Mississippian village in a self-guided tour. The four mounds and display buildings house the clues to Mississippian life, from building habits to burial practices...

Editor's note: This is an chapter from Jean Bell Mosley's book that was first published in 1960. Our barn was sturdy and roomy and comfortably cobwebbly, but not the biggest one in the valley. Our cows were just placid, old, cud-chewing cows. Even the hound dogs couldn't boast a pedigreed hair on their black and tan sides. ...

Ellen Dillon took her two children to the Show Me Center last April because they wanted to hear the unorthodox physician portrayed by Robin Williams in the movie "Patch Adams." Dressed in a clown costume, Patch Adams prescribed humor and joy as ways for caregivers to connect with people who are sick...

Mayor Al Spradling III made it clear upfront: The Cape Girardeau City Council would not be dealing with the merits of a plan to build a new church on Old Hopper Road at Monday night's meeting. "A city does not have any zoning authority over the construction of a church," Spradling told a cramped council chambers that seemed equally split between supporters and objectors. "We will only be dealing with the day-care aspect of the proposal."...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - State revenue officials are waiting for the General Assembly to consider exempting federal income tax rebates from state taxes before developing a plan to collect the revenue should lawmakers fail to act. The Missouri Department of Revenue estimates that Missourians will collect $771 million from the federal government under the retroactive tax relief plan signed into law this year by President Bush. ...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Quality of service won out over quantity of hours for the Chaffee Solid Waste Department Monday night. The Chaffee City Council voted 5-3 to keep the status quo for the department's three full-time workers after Councilman Ron Davis pointed out they were being paid about $9 per hour for a full 40-hour workweek without having worked 40 hours...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A truck driver was fatally injured Monday afternoon in a collision between a tractor-trailer truck and a bus south of the intersection of Interstate 55 and Interstate 57. The driver's identity was not immediately known. A Missouri Highway Patrol spokesman said he did not know the extent of injuries on the bus...

William G. Beggs picked peaches at Pioneer Orchard. The orchard has been in his family for four generations. (POTOS BY STEPHAN FRAZIER) Peach and apple orchards throughout the area look good, according to orchard representatives. "We'll kick off the official apple season with our pick your own' season during the Labor Day weekend," said Stanley Beggs of Pioneer Apple Orchard in Cape Girardeau. "We'll start off with Golden Delicious, Red Delicious and some large Jonathons."...

The Cape Girardeau Municipal Band will play its final concert of the season at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Capaha Park Band Shell. Steve Schaffner and Derek Irwin will provide special entertainment. The children in the audience will be the celebrity guest conductors...

A rape was reported in Cape Girardeau early Monday morning, allegedly involving a man who forced his way into an apartment on the 600 block of North Sycamore. Police said the man went to the apartment at about 4 a.m. and knocked on the door. The victim apparently answered the door and the man forced his way into the residence and raped the woman before fleeing on foot...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Nine streets or other paved areas are scheduled to receive asphalt overlays in the fall as part of Jackson's annual street improvement program. The city will spend $71,830.70 on the program this year. The Jackson Board of Aldermen awarded the contract for the work Monday night to Apex Paving Co. of Sikeston, Mo...

The following is a listing of players from area high schools or Southeast Missouri State University who are competing in professional baseball. Included in the list are each players' local connection, his last year as an amateur and his major league affiliation (if applicable). Statistics are through Sunday...

A pair of Southeast Missouri racers earned their first wins of the season Saturday, joining two repeat winners at Auto Tire and Parts Racepark. Lee Dunn and Henry Nash each won for the first time, Dunn in sprints and Nash in limited late models. Dunn, of East Prairie, Mo., rode past leader Todd Rowland on the fifth lap, then led the rest of the way uncontested for his ninth career win at the track. Rowland was second with Shawn King third...

By a wide majority, the U.S. House of Representatives voted last week to ban human cloning. Clearly, the idea of reproducing human beings by artificial means is repugnant across the political spectrum. An attempt to make an exception for the cloning of embryos to be used in medical research also was soundly rejected. Instead, key legislators urged scientists to rely on adult stem cells for their medical studies...

I ALSO work a minimum-wage job, paid my taxes and get by the best I can with a child. Guess what I'm getting back from our wonderful president: a big fat zero. Thanks a lot, Mr. Bush. I grew up in Cape. I haven't lived there in about five years. I miss the town terribly and relish every trip I make back. ...

In the weeks of legal battles that followed last year's elections, there was a tide of sentiment to reform -- everything, it seems is ripe for reform -- the American election process. The presidential election and its court-mandated outcome in Florida prompted calls for changes in how we elect presidents. And a raft of election irregularities across the nation, including a mess in St. Louis, spurred state and local election officials to look for improvements...

To the editor: I recently read a column by U.S. Sen. Jean Carnahan regarding campaign-finance reform. Carnahan stated, "Last year's U.S. Senate race in Missouri shattered all previous records. The two opposing campaigns spent almost $18 million. This figure does not include spending by the state parties or outside interest groups. ...

To the editor: This letter addresses the comments that Dennis Giszczak of Lansing, Mich., made concerning Gov. Bob Holden's signing a ban on same-sex marriages. Giszczak said Holden's action showed bigotry and ignorance. Either Giszczak does not know what homosexual groups are doing, or he wants to perpetuate the lie that their legal maneuvering is harmless to society...

ANNA, Ill. -- Margaret Lingle, 54, of Anna died Sunday, Aug. 5, 2001, at Union County Hospital. She was born July 5, 1947, in Anna, daughter of Lewis and Louise McHughes Gee. Lingle was a hairstylist, and member of Anna VFW Auxiliary. Survivors include a son, Robbie Lingle of Anna; her mother of Anna; two sisters, Carolyn Sadler and Wilma Raynor of Manhattan, Kan.; four brothers, Jimmy Gee of Wamego, Kan., Mike Gee of St. ...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Ollie Bramlett, 85, of Montgomery, Ala., formerly of Charleston, died Saturday, Aug. 4, 2001, at UAB Hospital in Birmingham, Ala. She was born July 21, 1916, in Lawrenceburg, Tenn., daughter of James A. and Nancy Ella Woodard Shepard...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Memorial service for James Ben Andrew "Butch" Barnes of Sikeston will be held at 10 a.m. today at Nunnelee Funeral Chapel. The Rev. Kelley Grubbs will officiate. Friends may call at the chapel after 9 a.m. Barnes, 59, died Friday, Aug. 3, 2001, at his home...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Funeral for Alpha Ann Frazier of Sikeston will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Chaffee, Mo. The Rev. Tom Bray will officiate. Graveside service will be at 2 p.m. in Highland Cemetery at Hunter, Mo. Friends may call at the chapel after 4 p.m. today...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- Funeral for Kim Dale Estes of Scott City will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City. The Revs. Arnell Carbaugh and Dennis Bell will officiate. Burial will be in Cape County Memorial Park in Cape Girardeau...

ALLENVILLE, Mo. -- Lee Roy Chambers, 73, of Allenville died Monday, Aug. 6, 2001, at his home. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Chaffee, Mo., is in charge of arrangements.

ULLIN, Ill. -- Glenn "Bull" Kesler, 76, of Ullin died Monday, Aug. 6, 2001, at Union County Hospital in Anna, Ill. He was born Nov. 21, 1924, in Wetaug, Ill., son of Lionel "Doc" and Elsie Sheffer Kesler. He and Verna Lee Crippen were married Dec. 23, 1961...

Daughter to Gary Gene Wolfe and Nicole Leigh Seiler of Leopold, Mo., Southeast Missouri Hospital, 12:41 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2001. Name, Kyleigh Nicole. Weight, 6 pounds 9 1/2 ounces. First child. Ms. Seiler is the daughter of Joe and Vickie Seiler of Leopold. Wolfe is the son of Larry and Fran Wolfe of Chaffee, Mo. He is employed by Quade Farms...

Monday, Aug. 6 Public hearings Consent ordinances n Passed an ordinance accepting general warranty deeds and temporary construction easements from Drury Land Development Corp., Drury Development Corp., DSW Development Corp., Bluff City Beer Co., and Eugene and Marsha Holloway for the widening of Siemers Drive between Campster Drive and Bloomfield Road...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Aaron Dale Manche died shortly after birth Thursday, Aug. 2, 2001, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. Survivors include his parents, Bruce Manche Jr. and Lara Reuter Bahr of Perryville; a brother, Derrick Manche of Patton, Mo.; two sisters, Danielle Knott and Mariah Bahr of Perryville; maternal grandparents, Edwin and Lois Reuter of Chester, Ill.; and paternal grandparents, Bruce and Barbara Manche of Perryville...

Probably the surest way to understand the depth of dissatisfaction among many conservatives with the Republican Party is to be a conservative columnist who often defends Republicans. You wouldn't believe the passion in the e-mail I get from fellow conservatives who have long since abandoned the Republican vehicle, believing it no longer serves the causes in which they believe...