Stories from Wednesday, September 17, 1997

To the editor: You can't put a price on entertainment. I have read yet another opinion by James C. Roche, president of the Cape Girardeau-Bollinger County Landowners Association/Citizens Against the Lake, who, by the way, lives nowhere near the proposed lake site. ...

Back to school night at Central High is tonight Cape Girardeau Central High School parents and teachers may discuss student needs and class schedules during Back-To-School tonight. The wrong date was published in Tuesday's Southeast Missourian. The event begins at 7 p.m. with a brief meeting in the auditorium...

The Cape Area Personnel Association will meet today at noon at Port Cape Restaurant. CAPA, a professional organization with members from the Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Scott City, Perryville and other areas, primary responsibilities are human resources or training functions. It meets monthly...

SADLY I can't take Mr. Sullivan's cat nor do I know anybody who would be as good a mother as I would be to it. Unfortunately I live in a place where pets aren't allowed, but I know exactly what he means when he says his cat is just like a puppy dog. ...

Whether you want to praise them or condemn them, you at least need to know the names of the EIGHT Missouri state senators, (seven Democrats and one Republican) who SWITCHED their votes from opposing PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTIONS to support Gov. MEL CARNAHAN'S veto of the bill. Passed by over two-thirds of the Missouri House and Senate just a few months ago, the veto override failed by just ONE vote last week...

There's nothing like success to breed success. Take the case of Crime Stoppers. In its first few months of operations, Crime Stoppers' rewards have brought tips to crack several major cases. The list is impressive and includes: -- A payment of $1,000 to an informant whose tip led to the arrest of four men accused of shooting an Old Lorimier Cemetery caretaker...

When the tax man cometh, some Americans find themselves short of cash. So the recent $152 billion tax cut bill allowed taxpayers to use credit cards to pay their federal taxes. But the legislation made no allowance for the government to pay the standard processing fee. Without the fee, some major credit card companies have said, "No go."...

To the editor: On Oct. 1, Missouri will implement an important consumer measure to eliminate 3 cents of the state sales tax on food. This smart, consumer-friendly move was proposed as a solution to Missouri's constitutional problem of surplus revenue by state Rep. Rich Chrismer, R-St. Peters, and endorsed by Gov. Mel Carnahan. It was enacted during the most recent regular session of the Missouri Legislature...

The ocean still beckons modern-day explorers, including Cesar Sarento and Morgan Sanger. Sarento, first mate on the new Nina, a caravel ship and replica of Christopher Columbus' Nina of 1492 fame, and Sanger, captain of the ship, will set sail for ports in Spain and Portugal in 1999...

An indirect result of Hurricane Andrew may be lower homeowner insurance rates on new homes in Cape Girardeau. In the aftermath of the hurricane, Insurance Services Office Inc., an organization that serves 1,500 insurance companies nationwide, decided to rate building codes and their enforcement in individual communities and give the information to its members to use in setting rates...

Carol Reimann knew the Missouri Teacher of the Year would be notified Tuesday morning. So the Cape Girardeau teacher, a finalist in the competition, waited. "Nine o'clock came, then 9:30, then 10, then 10:30," she said. "I thought, `Oh well, I did my best.'"...

It was the wise woman who once said, "She who can't change her life changes her hair." It seems a bit trite for a woman to write about hair. There are so many other problems in the world. Sickness. Hunger. The paparazzi. Not to downplay the significance of those things, but bad hair is auniversal crisis. It affects women from Trinidad to Tilsit, from PilotKnob to Pensacola. Yes, there is bad hair sitting atop my head this very moment, and there's no one to blame but myself...

First-graders at Jefferson Elementary School received a couple of treats Tuesday when employees from Sam's Club visited their classrooms with books and refreshments in hand. Two Sam's Club partners read stories to two first-grade classrooms at the school and then presented the class the book to keep in its library. Afterwards, the students enjoyed cookies and punch courtesy of the store...

The Southeast Missourian asked students at Jackson High School what they thought of a pilot program in Kansas City which is using a girls-only trigonometry class to find out whether single-sex education makes a difference for girls. Beth LeFebvre: "I think it is stereotypical to say that guys are more aggressive. In our classroom, I would say most of the girls are more aggressive than the guys. I don't think it's necessary to have separate classes."...

Having been through thick and thin over the past seven to eight years as Southeast Missouri State's head football coach, this is the most difficult article written to date. Saturday night's 41-7 home loss to Illinois State amid the expectations simply boils down to too many missed scoring opportunities early in the game. Dropped passes, turnovers and bad punt snap are not good...

Volvos and Porsches aren't the only imports from Sweden and Germany in southeast Missouri. Lisa Ahstrom, from Falun, Sweden, and Lena Steinberg, of Nachrodt, Germany, both 17 and seniors, have quickly reached the top of area high school tennis. Ahstrom is the No. 1 player on Cape Girardeau Central's tennis team, and Steinberg is the top player for Jackson...

The Cape Girardeau Kohlfeld Scorpions rugby team split a pair of matches last weekend in the St. Louis Royals Tournament. Kohfleld began the day with a 10-3 loss to the Columbia Outlaws. The lone Scorpion score was a penalty kick by Sean Hagan. The Scorpions bounced back to beat the Macoupin County (Ill.) Mercenaries 17-3. Alan Kloss and John Creutz scored on tries for the Scorpions while Hagan had penalty and conversion kicks...

Southeast Missouri State University volleyball players Tuba Meto and Krista Haukap have earned weekly Ohio Valley Conference honors, Meto for OVC Co-Offensive Player of the Week and Haukap for OVC Freshman of the Week. Meto recorded three triple doubles (double figures in kills, assists and digs) last week. She had 242 assists, 57 kills and 67 digs in five matches and was named MVP of the 7-Up Billiken Invitational in St. Louis...

SIKESTON -- Cape Girardeau Central High's boys soccer team did something for the first time in school history Tuesday -- but it's something the Tigers would just as soon have not been a part of. The Tigers suffered their first-ever loss to Sikeston as Andrew Lawson pumped home four goals during the Bulldogs' 5-4 home-field victory...

PERRYVILLE -- Thelma L. Adams, 77, of Perryville died Monday, Sept. 15, 1997, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Aug. 11, 1920, in Perry County, daughter of Walter N. and Leona Gibler Cambron. She and Arthur A. Adams were married Nov. 17, 1945. He died July 30, 1980...

ORAN -- John Franklin Houck, 97, of Oran died Tuesday, Sept. 16, 1997, at St. Bernard's Regional Hospital in Jonesboro, Ark. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel at Oran is in charge of arrangements.

JACKSON -- Robert W. Rauh, 51, of Jackson died Monday, Sept. 15, 1997, at his home. He was born Nov. 22, 1945, in Cape Girardeau, son of Herbert and Ida E. Stueve Rauh. He and Beverly J. Crites were married April 1, 1977. Rauh was a plastic molder at Lenco Inc. He was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church and American Legion Post 158. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War...

THEBES, Ill. -- Funeral service for Frances W. Storm of Thebes will be held at 1 p.m. today at Thebes Baptist Church. Burial will be in Rosehill Cemetery. Friends may call at the church from noon to service time. Crain Funeral Home at Tamms is in charge of arrangements...

Alice Kesterson Bowers, 94, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Sept. 16, 1997, at the Lutheran Home. Ford and Sons Mt. Auburn Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

MOUNDS, Ill. -- William S. Bucher, 75, of Flint, Mich., died Tuesday, Sept. 16, 1997, at Hurley Medical Center in Flint. He was born Nov. 24, 1921, in Mounds, son of Louie and Lena Biessingert Bucher. Bucher was a retired salesman. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II...

Son to Steven and Brenda Ferst of Tallahassee, Fla., Tallahassee Memorial Regional Medical Center, 2:25 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 10, 1997. Name, Joel Perry. Weight, 4 pounds 3 ounces. First child. Mrs. Ferst is the former Brenda Grindstaff, daughter of Marjorie A. Grindstaff of Jackson and the late Perry H. Grindstaff. She is self-employed. Ferst is the son of Mildred F. Ferst of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and the late Joseph H. Ferst. He is an attorney...

The Cape Girardeau Central High School Class of 1947 will hold a 50 year class reunion on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 26 and 27. Friday evening a mixer will be held from 7-11 p.m. at Drury Lodge. On Saturday, a buffet dinner and dance will be held from 6:30 p.m. to midnight at the Cape Girardeau Country Club. Music will be provided by Jerry Ford's band...

A reader, Renauta Gately McNabb, has made the following request: "I have often eaten at the Holiday Inn here in Cape. They have the best bread pudding I have ever eaten. Would you please see if you could get their recipe? I would love to have it." I don't blame Renauta for wanting the recipe, for who can resist bread pudding, perhaps the ultimate comfort food? And the version served at the Holiday Inn is excellent...