Stories from Wednesday, December 22, 1993

There's a full-scale war going on in Missouri, but rarely do we experience its horrible threat to our personal safety. Most of us do our best to ignore this war and its deadly consequences because we have started to accept it as a permanent part of our lives. This acceptance is changing all of us...

Last Wednesday was a happy day in Cape Girardeau. The largest-ever goal of the Area Wide United Way $500,000 was overtopped, with an astonishing $506,833.44 raised by President Ollie Miller, Campaign Chairman Dennis Marchi and their small staff, backed up by a large cadre of enthusiastic volunteers, and through the generosity of the Cape Girardeau area...

The Salvation Army Tree of Lights campaign has topped the $100,000 mark on the way toward its goal of $115,000. Capt. Elmer Trapp of the Salvation Army said giving needs to remain steady through Christmas Eve to reach the goal. He said demand is up for services this year...

Lenore Bierbaum had planned to retire last summer. But as Christmas approaches, she still finds herself employed as the dean of the College of Education at Southeast Missouri State University. Her retirement has been put on hold while the university continues its more-than-year-long search for a new dean. The school is also looking for a new dean for the College of Health and Human Services as Robert Boissoneau has indicated he is stepping down at the end of the academic year...

JACKSON -- Although the December sales tax check wasn't quite as much as county officials had projected, Cape Girardeau County Auditor H. Weldon Macke is more than pleased with sales tax growth in 1993. Cape County's half-cent sales tax generated $3,450,060 in 1993, an increase of 7.02 percent over 1992. In actual dollars, the increase was $226,288...

Holiday revelers thinking about going over to East Cape Girardeau to take advantage of bars that serve alcohol until 5 a.m. better think twice. Cape Girardeau County authorities are on the lookout. "The chances of getting stopped are greater now. We get our share of them," County Sheriff Norman Copeland said, referring to motorists that have been drinking...

Although outpatient surgery in Southeast Missouri is more costly than most areas of the state, procedures in Cape Girardeau generally are some of the best bargains in the region. A state report issued Tuesday shows that Doctors Park Surgery Inc. in Cape Girardeau has some of the lowest costs in the region, well below the state's median in most categories of outpatient procedures...

Because Christmas falls on Saturday, all federal, state, county, and municipal offices will be closed all day Friday and Saturday. Most banks and financial institutions will close at noon Friday for the weekend. The license fee office in Cape Girardeau will close Thursday at 4 p.m. ...

Son to Mr. and Mrs. Paul Sauer of Memphis, Tenn., Baptist Memorial Hospital East, 11:24 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 9, 1993. Name, Taylor Lynn. Weight, 8 pounds 3 ounces. First child. Mrs. Sauer is the former Fran Welker, daughter of Joseph and Dolly Welker of Perryville. She is a speech language pathologist at Speech Care, PC of Memphis. Sauer is a teacher/coach in the Memphis City School System, and is the son of Elliott and Elsie Sauer of Perryville...

FROHNA -- Funeral service for Theophil P. Popp of Frohna will be held at 10 a.m. today at Concordia Lutheran Church. The Rev. Luther Herman will officiate, with burial in the church cemetery. Young and Sons East Perry Chapel at Altenburg is in charge of arrangements...

ANNA, Ill. -- Nellie B. Dillow, 97, of Anna, died Tuesday, Dec. 21, 1993, at her home. She was born Oct. 10, 1896, in Union County, daughter of John and Lillian Dromgoole Baker. She and Kenneth L. Dillow were married Oct. 8, 1944. He died April 14, 1957...

Funeral service for Sherry Lynn Snell Denihan of Palatine, Ill., will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at Ford and Sons Sprigg Street Chapel. The Rev. David Dissen will officiate, with burial in Rose Hill Cemetery at Thebes, Ill. Friends may call at the funeral home from 6-8 p.m. today...

BLOOMFIELD -- Funeral service for Edith M. Merrick of Bloomfield will be held at 2 p.m. today at Nunnelee Funeral Chapel in Sikeston. The Rev. Bryan Davis will officiate, with burial in Garden of Memories Cemetery at Sikeston. Merick, 75, of Bloomfield, died Monday, Dec. 20, 1993, at Dexter Memorial Hospital in Dexter...

PERRYVILLE -- Lester Conrad, 86, of Perryville, died Tuesday, Dec. 21, 1993, at Perry County Nursing Home. He was born Feb. 11, 1907, in Bollinger County, son of Rubin and Mary Barks Conrad. He married the former Hazel B. Seabaugh, who died Sept. 16, 1972...

SCOTT CITY -- Edward Phillip Blattel, 86, of Scott City, died Tuesday, Dec. 21, 1993, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Dec. 23, 1906, in New Hamburg, son of Antone and Regina Diebold Blattel. He and Josephine Griffin were married April 19, 1927. She died May 17, 1968...

Bishop Charles H. Helmsing, 85, retired bishop of the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese and founding bishop of the Springfield-Cape Girardeau Diocese, died Monday, Dec. 20, 1993, in a rehabilitation facility in Johnson County. He was born March 23, 1908, at Shrewsbury...

ADVANCE -- M. Janet Seabaugh, 55, of Advance, died Monday, Dec. 20, 1993, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born May 16, 1938, at Parma, daughter of Paul and Avon Keith Hyten. She and George Seabaugh were married Dec. 20, 1958, at Dexter...

DONGOLA, Ill. -- Willard Lingle, 73, of Dongola, died Tuesday, Dec. 21, 1993, at his home. He was born April 28, 1920, near Dongola, son of Harvey and Nellie Beggs Lingle. He and Hazel Lentz were married Feb. 1, 1941. She died Jan. 11, 1982. He and Imogene Dillow Karraker were married July 8, 1982...

JACKSON -- Funeral service for Shirley Fay Blattel Banks of Ste. Genevieve was held Monday at McCombs Funeral Chapel. The Rev. Thomas Bray officiated, with burial in Pulliam Cemetery. Banks, 60, died Thursday, Dec. 16, 1993, at St. Anthony Hospital in St. Louis...

Ladybug says... Christmas is a season of traditions and legends. There are many legends associated with the holiday season. For 29 years the Ladybug column has gathered legends to share with readers prior to Christmas Day. Because there are only so many legends (handed down from generation to generation) some here may be repeats...

Tom Harte credits his formidable appetite for spawning an interest in creating savory cuisine. Notwithstanding the idyllic icon of an apron-clad Betty Crocker laboring to prepare an elegant meal for her husband and children, some whisk-wielding men can hold their own in the kitchen...