Stories from Friday, September 4, 1998

This is a message of hope. Impotence is not an inevitable sign of old age ... it is curable. Impotence, sometimes referred to as erectile dysfunction, is a condition resulting in failure to obtain and-or maintain an erection. Nearly every man has experienced erectile failure sometime in his life but if it occurs more than once out of every five times, there is a problem...

Itch, itch, sneeze, sneeze. The ragweed season is here, spreading misery to allergy suffers throughout the region. Almost no place in the United States is ragweed-free, but it is most common in the central part of the nation. "It is a perfect ragweed season," said Cape Girardeau allergist Dr. Robert Sacha...

Nine members of the Orange County California Chapter of the National Rush Limbaugh Fan Club got a taste of the radio talk show host's hometown hospitality Thursday. Extending that hospitality was Limbaugh's mother, Millie Limbaugh, known for her gracious, down-to-earth, charm...

I HAVEN'T heard much from Libertarian Leading Lights lately. I was wondering about a couple of things. Allow me to precede that by saying the Southeast Missourian series of articles on meth labs were illustrative of journalism at its finest. Having said that, I was wondering about the official position of the Libertarian Party as pertains to methamphetamine. ...

If a 14-year-old boy from a small community in western Tennessee had stolen a handgun from his friend's stepfather, managed to get to a Jackson school and, frightened by the sight of a nearby police officer, accidentally shot and killed a teacher, this area would have been in the national news for days on end...

Thanks to a state law, notification must be given when Missourians convicted of certain crimes such as murder are up for parole. As a result, people whose lives have been directly affected by the crime have an opportunity to tell the parole board why the convict shouldn't -- or should -- be paroled...

To the editor: I recently became aware of a situation in the Senate that should be brought to the attention of all Missourians. We elected Sen. Kit Bond to represent us in the Senate of the United States, and I believe that he has, in most cases, done very well. As they say, no one can please or fool all of the people all of the time...

To the editor: I caught the Aug. 2 letter to the editor from Roy Wilson, Missouri's Department of Mental Health director. All I can say is the mental-health guys are sure trying to get us doped up. Am I the only one who noticed that he said these new medications hold great promise? This sounds an awful lot like we're talking about experimental drugs that have not been proven to help at all...

To the editor: I read Edward Smith's letter about the unions. I went to work at the shoe factory in 1959 for 25 cents an hour. We didn't get medical care or vacations with pay or holidays or overtime. In 1940, Ellis Baker and I helped get a union. We could talk to the company without being fired. With the help of the unions and President Roosevelt, we got better wages and all the other things people should have, but without the union, we wouldn't have, including Social Security and Medicare...

Southeast Missouri State University's renovated social science building will be named after the late Albert Sidney Johnson Carnahan, a former congressman and Gov. Mel Carnahan's father. A.S.J. Carnahan graduated from the university, then Southeast Missouri State Teachers College, in 1926...

Cape Girardeau County Commissioners unanimously endorsed the merger of St. Francis Medical Center and Southeast Missouri Hospital on Thursday. The commissioners agreed to work with hospital antitrust lawyers to draft a letter of support for the merger plan...

Cape Girardeau's hospital administrators will head to Davenport, Iowa, next week to learn more about the business of merging. James Sexton, president and chief executive officer of St. Francis Medical Center, and James Wente, administrator of Southeast Missouri Hospital, and a team of delegates will visit Genesis Medical Center, the hospital formed when St. Luke's and Mercy hospitals merged in 1995...

Craig Schnuck, chief executive for Schnuck Markets Inc. urged Cape Girardeau business leaders to set the pace for this year's Area Wide United Way campaign by making their pledges first. Schnuck was the keynote speaker at a chief executive officer luncheon Thursday, a forerunner to the official United Way kickoff next week. At that time, the campaign goal will be announced...

Editor's note: this column first ran July 5, 1996 Colors stopped being basic a long time ago, but that doesn't prevent wistful memories of basic black. Once upon time, when folks my age were children in a land not to far from here, there was something special about a new box of Crayolas. There were, if I remember correctly, eight crayons in the flat, yellow-and-green box...

The Cape Girardeau County Parks Commission has created a program to solicit memorials for contributions for trees, planters, benches, picnic tables and shelters. The memorial program was developed by an expanded Board of Park Commissioners. For a donation of $75 or more toward park improvements, a plaque can be placed in the park in honor of, in memory of or donated by an individual or organization...

Southeast Missouri State University launched a cooperative 2+2 bachelor of science in industrial technology program in St. Louis. The program was established on Aug. 20. Southeast is offering the program in conjunction with St. Louis Community College and the University of Missouri-St. Louis. The degree is designed to prepare students for industrial supervision and management positions...

Jackson knows Sikeston well enough. The Bulldogs are on the schedule every year. What Jackson would like to know now is: What about Jackson? After an 11-1 1997 season, the Indians graduated all but four players with substantial varsity experience. They are taking an introspective approach to their first game of the 1998 season tonight against Sikeston. The game begins at 7:30 at Jackson...

Within the excitement and pressure surrounding opening night of the football season, the most elementary rule of the game can be easily forgotten: Don't drop the ball. Cape Girardeau Central and Columbia-Hickman are keeping the rule in mind as they prepare for their 1998 opener tonight at Houck Stadium. Game time is 7:30...

Truman State's bid for a stunning football upset Thursday night was pretty much foiled by a Southeast Missouri State University walkon. After the Bulldogs had scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to go ahead 18-17 with just over three minutes remaining, Corey Chester took matters into his own hands...

Nothing comes easy for Scott City at the beginning of the 1998 football season. The Rams open against Missouri Class 2A power Malden at 7 p.m. Friday. In week two, they travel to Portageville to play last year's Southeast Missouri Conference South Division champion...

As Jackson High's Nathan Windeknecht recorded another hat trick, the home teams had their way Thursday in first-round games in the Notre Dame Soccerfest. Cape Central outlasted Poplar Bluff 4-3 in overtime. Notre Dame dominated Hillsboro 8-0, and Jackson controlled Sikeston 7-0...

Sharon Louise Park, 45, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, Sept. 3, 1998, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born Dec. 9, 1952, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Norbert and Viola Exler Schlegel. She was a cashier at Western Sizzlin' Steakhouse in Cape Girardeau and a member of Trinity Lutheran Church. ...

SIKESTON -- Robert Lee Pennington, 64, of Sikeston died Thursday, Sept. 3, 1998, at John J. Pershing VA Medical Center in Poplar Bluff. He was born Feb. 12, 1934, at Gray Ridge, son of Adron and Maggie Jewell McDonnaughhay Pennington. Pennington retired as a technical sergeant with the U.S. Air Force, and was a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars...

Lillian Frances Brown, 88, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, Sept. 2, 1998, at Beverly Health and Rehabilitation Services of Cape Girardeau. She was born Dec. 4, 1909, in Elizabeth, Ark., daughter of William Joseph and Martha Ann Meads Ables. She and Alvis Durant Brown were married Dec. 12, 1931, in Marked Tree, Ark. He preceded her in death...

WITTENBERG -- Woodrow Wilson, 82, of Wittenberg died Wednesday, Sept. 2, 1998, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Nov. 1, 1915, at Sandy Island, son of William and Nettie Berry Wilson. He and Rosella Turner were married Dec. 13, 1941...

ANNA, Ill. -- Betty Massey, 64, of Anna died Thursday, Sept. 3, 1998, at her home. She was born April 28, 1934, at Cobden, daughter of Sylvester Loren and Virgie Helen Mangrum Barlow. She and Carl Massey were married July 27, 1961, in Cobden. Massey was a member of Ware United Pentecostal Church...

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- James Monroe "Josh" Dickey, 82, of Carbondale died Wednesday, Sept. 2, 1998, at his home. He was born June 7, 1916, in Franklin, Ky., son of Daniel D. and Lillian Barnes Dickey. He married Florence Welsz, who died July 5, 1968. He later married Vera Seufert, who died in 1989...

PADUCAH, Ky. -- Patricia "Patty" Pahalek Kneer, 64, of Paducah died Thursday, Sept. 3, 1998, at her home. She retired from Citizens Bank and Trust Co. as a senior customer service representative. She was a member of St. Thomas More Catholic Church and an associate member of the Charity League...

Daughter to DeAnna L. Peterson of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 11:12 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 27, 1998. Name, Harley K. Weight, 6 pounds 14 ounces. Miss Peterson is the daughter of Gena K. Peterson of Cape Girardeau. She is employed at VIP Industries...

Mrs. Gertrude Corey, 94, a longtime Cape Girardeau resident, passed away at Jackson Manor on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 1998. She was born on Nov. 26, 1903, in Alexander County, Illinois, the daughter of Charles and Sarah (Warden) Burgens. She married Fred Heilig who preceeded her in death and later married Everett Corey, who preceeded her in death in 1969...