Stories from Friday, January 8, 1993

Americans are all too familiar with public works projects that become boondoggles, monuments to government waste and inefficiency. But the Lexington Avenue arterial project is not one of them. Far from it. The Lexington project continues to move forward with a singlemindedness that should be applauded...

The Franklin School PTA will have it's annual chili supper on Thursday from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Tickets are $2 and are available from Franklin's fourth, fifth or sixth grade students or at the door. Chili, drink and dessert are included in the price of the ticket...

The Historical Association of Greater Cape Girardeau Inc. will meet on Monday at 7 p.m. in the activity room of Chateau Girardeau. John Schneider, a member of the Historic Preservation Commission of the city of Cape Girardeau, will be the speaker. His presentation will be "The Commission: What it is, what it has done, what it hopes to do, its status in the certified local government program"...

CHAFFEE -- It's been rather quiet - so far - around Chaffee City Hall and the Chaffee Board of Education office. Only two candidates have filed: Ward 2 Alderman Ed Gauthier and Tom Davenport, who has filed for one of the three seats on the school board that will be filled in April...

The number of vehicle accident fatalities in Missouri in 1992 was at a seven-year low, the Missouri Highway Patrol reported this week. At the same time, highway safety officials said Missouri achieved the nationwide goal of 70 percent usage of seat belt and child restraints by the end of 1992...

Gambling promises the poor what property performs for the rich: something for nothing. - George Bernard Shaw Although many Missourians may not be avid readers of the writings of George Bernard Shaw, they seem anxious to fulfill his conclusions on gambling. Within a short period of time, the state has lifted decades-old sanctions against numerous forms of gambling that were once outlawed in an effort to stem corruption in public life throughout Missouri...

Beginning Experience of Southeast Missouri is hosting a singles dance at the St. Vincent De Paul Church Activity Center in Cape Girardeau on Jan. 16, from 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. The music will be provided by a variety sound system, mixers will be featured, and soda and ice will be available. The dress is casual...

Cape Girardeau is another step closer to sorting out the conundrum posed by the city ward representation measure voters approved in November. The newly-formed Zone Election Committee comprised of 22 citizens interested in resolving legal and technical questions surrounding the charter amendment initiative held its first meeting Thursday at City Hall...

Last year was another unusual weather year for the Cape Girardeau area. For the second year in a row, the daily high in 1992 did not reach 100 degrees, and the overnight low did not fall below zero, according to statistics provided by Al Robertson, climatologist and professor of Earth Science at Southeast Missouri State University...

DELTA -- A patch job on the crumbling west wall at the Delta High School should begin today, weather permitting. But replacing the fallen bricks provides only a temporary solution to the aged building's problems, said Superintendent Larry Beshears. The district is considering an April bond issue for building repairs and perhaps new construction...

Southeast Missouri State University will establish a minority mentor program, effective next fall, to recruit academically talented minority students. The university plans to offer 10 beginning freshmen students a work-study arrangement in which they would receive $1,000 each for the 1993-94 academic year in exchange for working in various university departments, said Admissions Director Juan Crites...

Need some plumbing fixtures? How about some loud speakers, bicycles, jewelry or scrap metal? Southeast Missouri State University has a hodgepodge of items such as these, which it hopes to sell at an auction of surplus property Saturday at the Show Me Center...

PERRYVILLE -- Graveside service for Frances M. Norrington of Perryville will be held at 10 a.m. today at York Chapel Cemetery. The Rev. Ed Hankinson will officiate. Miller Family Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Norrington, 72, died Tuesday, Jan. 5, 1993, at Perry County Hospital...

TAMMS, Ill. -- Marian Riggle, 77, of Tamms, died Wednesday, Jan. 6, 1993, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born July 22, 1915, in Cairo, daughter of Nick and Janet Curnes Lewis. She and Ed Riggle were married in April 1966. He died Dec. 28, 1991...

EAST PRAIRIE -- Lona Adkisson, 94, of East Prairie, died Thursday, Jan. 7, 1993, at Gideon Care Center in Gideon. She was born Feb. 21, 1898, in Marion, Ky., daughter of Francis Marion and Minnie Nunn Daniel. She and Carl Eugene Adkisson were married in 1917. He died in April 1968...

BLOOMFIELD - Harry N. Norman, 79, of Memphis, Tenn., died on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 1993, at Baptist East Hospital in Memphis. He was born Nov. 8, 1913, near Dexter, son of Andrew and Sarah McAllister Norman. He married Lillian Edwards in 1936. She died in 1955...

Winefared D. Luebbers, 79, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died at the Deal Nursing Home at Jackson, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 1993. He was born April 18, 1913, in Bollinger County, son of George and Betty Leggett Luebbers. On Nov. 1933, he married Hazel Stoffel at Benton, Mo...

Son to Mr. and Mrs. Keith Smith, 1109 West Mount, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 10:48 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 31, 1992. Name, Clayton Alexander. Weight, 9 pounds 13 ounces. First child. Mrs. Smith is the former Mimi Mecham, daughter of Dean and Peggy Melm of Edwardsville, Ill. She is an English teacher at Central Junior High School. Smith is a service technician with Specialized Office Services, and is the son of James Smith of Gibbs, and the late Peggy Smith...

LAKE OZARK -- Missourians who are concerned about the future of their state's streams and rivers will have an unparalleled opportunity in February to see what's being done to conserve and enhance flowing waters in the Show-Me State, during the nation's first comprehensive, statewide stream conservation program...

WAPPAPELLO, Mo. Christmas tree fish shelters will be replenished in Wappapello Lake Jan. 16. "These shelters provide fish with breeding areas, resting places and protection," said Michael McClendon of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the lake. "The shelters give young fish much-needed living space and provide protection from larger fish."...

The Cape County Christian Women's Club will meet from noon to 2 p.m. Monday at Holiday Inn. Cost is $6.50. A special feature will be "Shear Hi-Lites" by Aleda Phillips of The Style Stop in Jackson. Music will be presented by Jim and Pam Rainey. Speaker will be Hazel Samsel of St. Louis. Her topic will be "The Perfect Solution."...