Stories from Sunday, February 11, 2001

February is Food for Fines Month at all branches of Riverside Regional Library: Jackson, Altenburg, Perryville, Benton, Oran and Scott City. Anyone with late charges on books, videos, or audio tapes may bring in some canned goods to the library during the month of February, and we will wave all fines for overdue items that have been returned. (Sorry, but this does not apply to charges for lost or damaged items.)...

Jackson's Lois Stitt visited with two staff members at the Hotel Del Mar, Campeche, Mexico. "This city stole my heart," Stitt said. Jackson's Lois Stitt was part of a was a seven-day trip to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, sponsored by the Southeast Missouri State University Spanish and business departments. The group consisted of the professor and 11 students...

Rodney Bollinger, Jackson Planning and Zoning superintendent, recommended that the Planning and Zoning Board completely withdraw a recent proposal to rezoning 181 properties. The board's January meeting draw a large crowd -- many of whom spoke out against a proposed change from C-3 (general business) to C-2 (general commercial)...

"It was definitely a moment in history," Vicki Abernathy remarked, looking over mementos from her trip as a delegate to the 1996 Democratic National Convention in Chicago and to the 1997 Clinton Inauguration. Abernathy, already battling the effects of diabetes in 1996, had to make some of the longer jaunts in a wheelchair. Yet she found Chicago to be a most friendly place during the convention...

St. Paul Lutheran School PTL. will host As annual "Chili Day" Sunday, Feb. 18. This is one of the fundraisers that the PTL uses to support the school. Currently the PTL is working on raising funds to help supply the new school/multi-purpose building...

A coach in the fourth- and fifth-grade Optimist Basketball Leaqgue gave players some pointers during a game out Feb. 3. Good sportsmanship is one of the biggest aspects stressed in the Optimist Basketball league. Fans watching Optimist basketball games get to see some good action. here, a player goes up for two in sixth- and seventh-grade action...

Southeast Missouri State University has promoted two of its administrators. Diane Sides has been named director of university relations and Art Wallhausen has been named associate to the president. School officials said Wallhausen's new title reflects his growing responsibilities for oversight of the university relations office...

December was cold and snow; January has been warmer, with the snow melting. There is a saying: "If you don't like Missouri weather, stick around a day or two, it will change." When I was a child, I didn't like broccoli, but now I do. Last season's champs are this season's chumps (at least in the NFL where team fortunes change very quickly!). All around, always is change. Another saying goes, "The only constant in life is change."...

Celebrating my two-year anniversary in Jackson with a severe head cold was not exactly what I had envisioned for this weekend. Of course Feb. 1, 1999 was my first day on the job here, so last weekend would really have been the most appropriate time for a celebration. I only had a mild head cold then...

Majhon Phillips, 2000 Miss Pre-Teen Missouri will be hosting and entertaining throughout the evening at Trisha's Bed & Breakfast, Tea Room, and Gifts in Jackson, Valentine's Day. The Phillips and the Wischmanns have been friends for years and have done joint business options previously...

Life is made up of "wins" and "losses." We all succeed sometimes. We all fail sometimes, but isn't it amazing that (1) we take all the credit for the successes and (2) we tend to blame someone else for the failures. Most of us enjoy our memories, the instant replay of the things we've said and done over the' years! We do enjoy reliving our past. ...

Nearly 40 patrons recently gathered in the library at Oak Ridge High School to hear about the bond issue proposal to go before the voters on April 3. Cheri Fuemmeler, superintendent, described the construction design, and Larry Hart, financial adviser, explained the financial aspects of the proposal...

With all of the current talk about the U.S. missile-defense system, Russia has weighed in. Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev said such a system would be ineffective, because technology developed by the Soviets in the 1980s could easily counteract the outer-space shield. In addition, China is said to be developing ground-based lasers and pulse weapons that are intended to blind or destroy U.S. satellites...

Some the most interesting pieces of information to emerge from your state capitol in the last few months comes from our good friends at the Missouri Farm Bureau. It concerns the debate over what to do with transportation in our state. First, some background...

Recently a representative from the Department of Natural Resources conducted a sanitary survey on the city's water supply. The purpose of the survey was to evaluate the adequacy, reliability and safety of Jackson's overall water system. The survey included thorough inspections of wells, the treatment plants, and the water storage tanks...

KENNETT, Mo. -- Readers' answer to the question -- Does Rural Missouri have a future? -- may be both rapid and annoyed. Of course we have a future, and the optimists among us may even declare that Missouri's outstate area, comprising approximately 90 of our 114 counties, has prospects exceeding those of the urban regions...

THUMBS UP to the "Helpful officer" Speak Out caller. Your words were a nice change of pace to what we usually read about officers, and I wanted to thank you for sharing your experience. You inspired me to extend my own words of praise for this extraordinary officer. ...

The military battlefields of the future will be in outer space, where satellites are the backbone of communications, spying and control of our fighting forces. This is the scenario envisioned by Vice Adm. Thomas R. Wilson, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, who last week testified at the U.S. intelligence community's annual world-threat briefing to the Senate Intelligence Committee...

College-bound high school students can take the ACT Assessment on April 7, the next nationwide test date. The registration postmark deadline is March 2. Late registration postmark deadline is March 16, with an additional fee is required for late registration...

For Mark Goodwin, a lesson in humility led to a lesson in productivity. Already a veteran teacher and possessor of a master's degree in biology, Goodwin was struck by an urge to try outdoor writing in the late 1980s. "I started reading articles and thinking I write as well as those guys,'" Goodwin recalled. "In reality, I couldn't."...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Cape Girardeau County property owners can expect to pay higher taxes this fall because of reassessment, required every under state law every odd-numbered year. Cape Girardeau County Assessor Jerry Reynolds estimates real estate assessed valuations and tax bills could climb by 7 percent, on average, excluding any levy hikes...

As AmerenUE engineers Allen Bues and Dennis Worley check the pressure reading on a steel wellhead rising from a Johnston City, Ill., prairie, they are standing above $6 million in natural gas. The sharp increase in the price of the invisible gas -- at this site, stored in a 900-acre natural sandstone cavern beneath the wellhead -- has been receiving a great deal of scrutiny from the Missourians who will be purchasing it. ...

A shootout inside a Cape Girardeau motel Saturday ended with a suspected drug manufacturer killed and two police officers wounded and in serious condition. Officer Bradley Moore was shot in the left arm and officer Keith May in the abdomen after the two followed up on a tip from the SEMO Drug Task Force that methamphetamine was being produced in a room at the Super 8 Motel on Kingshighway near the Interstate 55 junction...

Valentine's Day is full of bad poetry, not to mention all those heart-shaped boxes of chocolate. Britney Spears Valentine cards are a hit with our just-turned 9-year-old. Becca's already filled them out so she'll be ready to hand them to her friends and classmates on Feb. 14...

Jake Williams let out some line slowly, then braced to apply just enough pressure to bring in the large fish. The target of the young angler was a 30- to 35-pound sailfish. "Haven't lost one yet," grinned Jake, a 7-year-old. The action, about noon Saturday, during the 13th annual Budweiser Sports Show this weekend at the Show Me Center, came on a Sportsfishing Simulator, more commonly referred to as "Virtual Fishing."...

As a fire climbed up from a basement to an attic Saturday, a deaf woman who was alone in her parents' house couldn't hear a smoke alarm, Cape Girardeau firefighters said. Veronica Cooper was asleep in a bedroom at 214 S. Park St. while her parents made a short shopping trip and her young son, Chad Robinson, played outdoors...

The old saying goes that the good die young. Ron Michel might not have been young when he passed away suddenly Monday after suffering a heart attack, although at 57 he certainly left this world way too soon. But Ron was definitely young at heart. I guess that was the direct result of being involved for so many years in the game of baseball first as a talented player who pitched briefly in the minor leagues and for a long time with the Capahas, and then later as a local summer coach for many years.. ...

MARTIN, Tenn. -- One glaring weakness of Southeast Missouri State University's men's basketball team this season has been an inability to finish games strong. On numerous occasions, the Indians have played relatively well for much of the way before faltering down the stretch. Consequently, they have lost several close contests to become arguably the Ohio Valley Conference's most disappointing squad...

Southeast Missouri State's baseball team has players who came from California, North Dakota, Texas, Minnesota, Chaffee and even Australia. But on Saturday, the Indians all came from one place: behind. Trailing 4-1 going into the bottom of the ninth in what was supposed to be a seven-inning game, the Indians scored four runs to claim a thrilling 5-4 win over Iowa State in their season opener in very cold conditions at Capaha Field...

MARTIN, Tenn. -- Southeast Missouri State University's women's basketball team had the perfect strategy to pick up a much-needed road victory Saturday afternoon. The Otahkians took control early and basically never relinquished it as they downed Tennessee-Martin 80-67 to snap a two-game losing streak and salvage the finale of a three-game road swing...

Cape Central's student section, "The Jungle", is making itself at home on the road. Painted and dressed in every shade of orange imaginable, the high school hooligans have provided a lift for Central's struggling boys basketball team. Twice in the last two weeks, the Tigers (6-15) pulled off upsets on the road over their fiercest rivals and without a doubt the Central fans played a part in both wins...

ST. LOUIS -- Eight Jackson and three Cape Central wrestlers finished in the top four at sectionals Saturday to advance to the state tournament next Saturday. Among the eight qualifiers for Jackson were five champions including Brock Howard (103), Mike Wright (119), Brett Stroud (130), James Love (152) and Ray Goodson (215)...

I was walking along a wooded patch of the Whitewater River last February soaking up the awesome sunset that was painted before me. Deep purples and maroons were bleeding into golden yellows and oranges as sent forth by the sun. A few fluffy clouds hung in the sky effortlessly, contrasting the sky around them with rich pinks and purples. ...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Nathan G. Fritsche, 17, of Perryville died Friday, Feb. 9, 2001, at Perryville. He was born Jan. 11, 1984, at Perryville, son of Gerald W. and Sandra Morrison Fritsche. He was a student at Perryville High School. He was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Future Farmers of America, National Honor Society and the Immanuel Lutheran Youth Group...

Linnie Louise Bell King, 92, of Ocala, Fla., died Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2001, at Ocala. She was born in Chaffee, Mo., Dec. 19, 1908, daughter of Robert C. and Mary Cox Bell. She lived in Cape Girardeau until she relocated to Ocala 15 years ago. She was a member of Bethel Assembly of God Church in Cape Girardeau and was involved with a number of community groups here. She was affiliated with Trinity Baptist Church in Ocala, Fla...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Jewell I. Jones, 83, of Charleston died Friday, Feb. 9, 2001, at her home. She was born Jan. 2, 1918 in Fisk, Mo., daughter of Joseph Raleigh and Edna Ethel McKenzie Brothers. She lived in Mississippi County most of her life. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Charleston and was a 50-year member of the VFW Auxiliary. She worked at Brown Shoe Company until her retirement in 1980...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Lemen H. Hahs, 80, of Jackson died Saturday, Feb. 10, 2001, at Perryville. Arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson.

JACKSON, Mo. -- Richard G. "Dick" Schmidt, 68, died Friday, Feb. 9, 2001, at his home near Shawneetown, Mo. He was born Aug. 1, 1932, in Fort Madison, Iowa, son of Lee and Adaline Wilmesmeier Schmidt. He moved to Jackson in 1966. He trained and bred horses and was a known horse whisperer for many years...

WHITEWATER, Mo. -- Hansel Willie Williams, 73, of Whitewater died Friday, Feb. 9, 2001, at his home. He was born July 11, 1927, in Olney, Ill., son of Willie and Ada Lynch Williams. He was Navy veteran of World War II. He attended the Jackson Church of the Nazarene. He worked many years for a number of implement dealers in Illinois and five years for Cape-Kil Pest Controli Company, before retiring in 1996...

Flossie Myrtle Allen, 101, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Feb. 10, 2001, at the Lutheran Home. Allen was born Feb. 3, 1900, at Laflin, Mo., daughter of Phillip Young and Sarah Olive Clanahan. She and Robert Jacob Loos were married Dec. 29, 1928. He died May 14, 1946. She and Ora Jack Smith were married Oct. 15, 1951. He died Jan. 25, 1966. She and Gilbert Allen were married March 5, 1974. He died Dec. 26, 1987...

DEXTER, Mo. -- Vergie Coleman, 72, of Dexter died Saturday, Feb. 10, 2001, at Vintage Villa Nursing Center in Dexter. She was born Dec. 6, 1928, at Ridgley, Tenn., daughter of Edgar and Lelia Thurman. She was a former resident of Fairdealing, Mo., and Doniphan, Mo., but had lived at Dexter the past six years. She was a member of the Missionary Baptist Church in Center Hill, Mo. She was a member of the Order of the Golden Rule...

DEXTER, Mo. -- Lucille Mallory, 83, a former resident of Dudley, Mo., died Friday, Feb. 9, 2001, at Waterford, Mich. She was born March 4, 1917 at King City, Mo., daughter of Charles and Bessie Fadley Laffoon. She and Norman L. Mallory were married April 16, 1937, in Dudley. He died Jan. 1, 1993...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Faith Abigail Miles, infant daughter of Harold and Paula Mayberry Miles, died Friday, Feb. 9, 2001, at her home in Advance after an extended illness. She was born Aug. 7, 2000, in St. Louis. She was baptized Nov. 26, 2000, at LaCroix United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau by the Rev. Ron Watts...

VILLA RIDGE, Ill. -- Edna Ruth Ablett Moore, 90, of Ullin, Ill., formerly of Grand Chain, Ill., died Friday, Feb. 9, 2001, at Massac Memorial Hospital in Metropolis, Ill. She was born Jan. 27, 1911, at Grand Chain, daughter of James Wesley Ablett and Edna Anna Presgrove Ablett...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- Edith Jane Perr, 88, of Scott City died Friday, Feb. 9, 2001, at her residence. Perr was born Jan. 16, 1913, at Olathe, Kan., daughter of Ruben Weaver Welsh and Pearl S. Jones. She and Henry Ernest Perr were married May 16, 1943, at Cape Girardeau. He died May 18, 1998...

Lizabeth Boone Dunn, 41, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Feb. 9, 2001, at Benton, Mo. She was born July 21, 1959, at Poplar Bluff, Mo., daughter of Robert Ray and Juanita M. French Boone. Survivors include her mother and stepfather, Juanita and Jerry J. Henley of Cape Girardeau; sons, Paul E. Stewart, Commerce and Matthew L. Stewart, Commerce; a brother, Robert D. Boone, Cape Girardeau; and maternal grandmother, Gladys D. Smith, Portageville...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Jerry W. Dickerson, 50, of Jackson died Saturday, Feb. 10, 2001, at St. Francis Medical Center. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Ford & Sons Funeral Home.

There are as many secrets to a happy marriage are there are happily married couples, says Claire Watson, director of education at the Community Counseling Center. And there are just as many stories of how couples met and married. Some grew up as family friends, others met by coincidence. Still others were set up on a blind dates and have been married for decades...

Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Schearf of Cape Girardeau are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. An open house will be held from 2-5 p.m. today at their home. Schearf and Virginia Benefield were married Feb. 11, 1951, at the Church of God in Gale, Ill.

I didn't participate in sending my valentines until I started to school. But I helped my sister Lou, three years ahead of me, make her many. First we made sure that Mama or Grandma had ordered a wallpaper sample book from Sears Roebuck. These books were about the size of an ordinary 6 by 9, 150 page book, each page a sample of the wallpaper that one could order through the mail...

Cindy Lea Moore and Richard Thomas Lukefahr exchanged vows Jan. 25, 2001, at Enchanted Gardens in Jackson, Mo. The Rev. Bill Ross performed the double ring ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Sherry and Jerry McLaird of Cape Girardeau, and the late Dr. Louis Moore. The groom is the son of Phyllis Lukefahr of Cape Girardeau, and the late Tom Lukefahr...

Kara Joy Miller and Dennis Robert Stockard were married Jan. 17, 2001, in the Chapel by the Bay at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nev. The Rev. Sandra L. Robbins performed the double ring ceremony. Parents of the couple are Tom and Joyce Miller of Cape Girardeau, and Robert and Velma Stockard of Brentwood, Tenn...

Gretchen Noel Reynolds and Robert E. Snowden Jr. were married Nov. 13, 2000, in Cancun, Mexico. The Rev. Benito Juarez performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Bill and Barbara Reynolds of Springfield, Mo., formerly of Cape Girardeau. The groom is the son of Mrs. Robert Snowden Sr. of Overland Park, Kan., and the late Mr. Snowden...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Immanuel Lutheran Church was the setting Oct. 28, 2000, for the wedding of Amy Dawn Reisenbichler and Paul Arthur Dunning. The Rev. Matthew Marks performed the double ring ceremony. Organist was Janet Seibel, trumpeter was Eric Seibel, and soloist was Carol Taylor...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Tabitha Ann Bruch and Brian Lynn Thompson were married Sept. 2, 2000, at Concordia Lutheran Church. The Rev. A.J. Wollenburg performed the double ring ceremony. Music was provided by Diane Wicker of Benton, Mo., and soloist was Chuck Swift of Alton, Mo...

Jessica Montgomery Ford and Cpl. Joey Alan Carrington were united in marriage Oct. 7, 2000, at Centenary United Methodist Church. The Rev. Clayton Smith performed the double ring ceremony. Organist and pianist was Mary Miller of Cape Girardeau. Soloists were Julie Shamel and Leslie Buck of Cape Girardeau...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- Jaime Leigh Mayberry and Benjamin Wade Spane were married Aug. 5, 2000, at Chaffee General Baptist Church in Chaffee, Mo. The Rev. Joe Payne performed the double ring ceremony. Pianist was Clay Evans and vocalist was Kyle Moyers. The bride is the daughter of Judith Mayberry of Scott City. The groom is the son of Randy Spane of Chaffee and Sue Spane of Oran, Mo...

Laura Michelle Stoffel and Bradley Keith Goodman exchanged vows Sept. 23, 2000, at First Baptist Church in Jackson, Mo. The Rev. Carter Frey performed the double ring ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Mike Stoffel of Cape Girardeau and Kaye Camp of Chaffee, Mo. The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Raines of Jackson, and the late Raymond Goodman of Perryville, Mo...

Ralph and Sandra Nussbaum of Cape Girardeau and Jerry and Linda Hardin of Scott City, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Sharon Fornkohl, to Chad Abernathy. He is the son of Edgar and Linda Abernathy of Cape Girardeau. Fornkohl is employed at Smith Stop in Dutchtown, Mo...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Gary and Linda Kight of Advance announce the engagement of their daughter, Lindsey Ragan Kight, to Glen David Graham of Cape Girardeau. He is the son of Harvey and Jeanette Graham of New Madrid, Mo. Kight received an associate of arts degree in nursing from Southeast Missouri State University. She is a registered nurse at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau...

BENTON, Mo. -- Alan and Vera Hennemann of Benton announce the engagement of their daughter, Crystal Ann Hennemann, to Shannon Paul Schumer. He is the son of Thomas and Linda Schumer of Perryville, Mo. Hennemann is a 1999 graduate of Kelly High School. She is a waitress at Cedar Street in Cape Girardeau...

Laura Dunlap of Jacksonville, Ill., and John Dunlap of Springfield, Ill., announce the engagement of their daughter, Catherine Elizabeth Dunlap, to Eric James Stock of Taylorville, Ill. He is the son of Robert and Fay Stock of Cresson, Pa. Dunlap is a 1992 graduate of Jacksonville High School, and 1996 graduate of Culver-Stockton College at Canton, Mo. She is executive director of Old Town Cape...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Lori Dannenmueller and David Lawrence of Perryville announce their engagement. She is the daughter of Marcella and Charles Westrich of Chaffee, Mo. Lawrence is the son of Mavis Lawrence of Perryville, and the late Wayne Lawrence. Dannenmueller is administrative assistant at Robinson Construction Co. in Perryville...

SEDGEWICKVILLE, Mo. -- Cassie Lynn James and Chad Alan Brotherton announce their engagement. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lynn James of Sedgewickville. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Steve Brotherton of Jackson, Mo. James is a 2000 graduate of Meadow Heights High School, and is attending Mineral Area College. She is employed at Millersville Gas and Grocery...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Tom DeReign of Sikeston and Linda Crader of Oran, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Stephanie Roxanne DeReign, to Donald Michael Davenport. DeReign is a 1995 graduate of Sikeston High School. She received a bachelor of arts degree in criminal justice from Lindenwood University in 1999. She is employed by the Division of Child Support Enforcement in St. Charles, Mo...

JACKSON, Mo. -- The Rev. Dwayne and Shirley Coleman announce the engagement of their daughter, Charity Spring Coleman, to Matthew Stephen VanAmburg. He is the son of Stephen VanAmburg of Jackson and Sharon Turner of Sikeston, Mo. Coleman is a 1995 graduate of Thomas W. Kelly High School at Benton, Mo. She is attending National American University in Kansas City...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Great rooms have come and gone in popularity through the years. Recently more builders have returned to this combined usage area. White vinyl siding, a covered front porch and an attached two-car garage present clean, well-cut lines to this three bedroom ranch. The surprise, however, is the floor plan of this Jackson, Mo., Redbud subdivision home. One of the home's best features is the great room, which sits at the rear of the garage and just off the kitchen...