Stories from Sunday, March 3, 1996

To the editor: Recently, considerable editorial content has been devoted to the subject of school choice or the voucher system. It has been touted as part of the solution to the educational woes that have befallen our public-school systems. But I cannot recall anyone explaining in detail how it will work. Too many questions have been left unanswered...

The chairman of Southeast Missouri State University's political science department will get a first-hand look at Islamic culture during a two-week trip to Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Dr. Peter Bergerson is one of 15 people across the nation who will visit the Middle East on fellowships from the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations and the William J. Fullbright Institute at the University of Arkansas...

When Taffy came home with Larry Tidd and his family after being rescued from a Shannon County puppy mill, she wasn't too sure of her new surroundings. "I think she had never known anything outside a rabbit hutch," said Tidd, president of the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri. "She didn't know what steps were, or staircases, and she really didn't know what the outside was."...

At least three people have died on Missouri roads during the weekend, all in single-vehicle accidents in the southeastern part of the state. Daniel Walton, 44, of Potosi, died just after 1 a.m. Saturday when the minivan he was driving went off a county road near Potosi and hit a utility pole, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said...

When Chris Hartlein's best friend Brett Turner heard that his friend had been diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease, he knew something had to be done to help Chris raise money to pay the costly medical bills that Chris would soon be facing. Turner faced a dilemma -- what could he do from a Virginia Beach Naval Base?...

Chris and his girlfriend, Shelly Ponder. Three weeks ago 19-year-old Chris Hartlein had no idea he had cancer. He did know he hadn't been feeling well since late last year. He had been coughing and having trouble breathing, symptoms that were originally diagnosed as a sinus infection...

Emptying the contents of the egg is commonly done by poking a small hole in the top and bottom of the egg and the substance inside is then blown out. An electric kyska is used to do the actual egg writing. Lohse got this one 17 years ago from his mother-in-law...

Brandon Younger, Zachary Murily and Jared Springer spend many nice afternoons outside, swinging. Four-month-old Jake Schohet giggles in delight just before his afternoon nap. Schohet is one of several babies at the daycare. The slide is also a popular form of play at the 24-hour daycare...

To the editor: There was discussion in the newspaper concerning funds that were missing by Dr. Coleen Kivlahan, director of the Missouri Deaprtment of Health. Given the amount of funds and the total lac, of explanation, most -- if not all -- managers in private enterprise wouls have been fired immediately...

Any doubt that the current resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. heads up the most pro-abortion White House in American history went out the window this week. In a letter to Sen. Orrin Hatch, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, President Bill Clinton made it clear this week that he will veto the ban on partial-birth abortions passed last year by both houses of Congress. ...

Presidential candidate Pat Buchanan recently told a writer for a state political newsletter that if he were the party's nominee this fall, he would carry sometime-bellwether Missouri against Bill Clinton. The former St. Louis editorial writer, speaking before he won in the bellwether state of New Hampshire, was quoted as saying: "I know Missouri and I can win the state in November, even if I'm shut out of the caucuses."...

This Thursday, lawmakers will depart Jefferson City for their annual spring break (March 8-18), which marks the halfway point for the 1996 session of the General Assembly that began Jan. 3. Unless the pace picks up dramatically in the latter half, this year will see the fewest pieces of major legislation passed of any session in recent years. This isn't by any means necessarily bad...

To the editor: What's the matter with Bob Dole? Essentially, Dole is afraid to define himself to the American people. He knows who he is. He's a top-notch political engineer. Neither the Republican-Democrat partisan nor the conservative-liberal absolute images as they are now implanted in the public discourse fit him. He's all of these. He's a pragmatist par excellence, and he's trying to cram himself into the present contrived mold of a conservative...

To the editor: Children and adults misspell words. Because they unwittingly do so does not mean any of them are bad people. The news media was wrong to criticize a vice president of the United States for spelling potato with an "e." The liberal news media would have us believe they are bastions of spelling. They have other problems far greater. Now I hear about this thing called creative spelling and how it's going to make our children better writers...

MILLERSVILLE -- The First Baptist Church of Millersville will hold a revival this week, with the first services today. Today's services will be held at 10:30 a.m. and at 7 p.m. On Monday, Thursday and Friday, services will begin at 7:30 p.m. On Tuesday, a youth night service begins at 5:30 p.m., and Wednesday is children's night, with services beginning at 6:30 p.m...

ESSEX -- Harry O. Gifford, 67, of Essex, died Friday, March 1, 1996, at the Dexter Memorial Hospital. He was born April 23, 1928, in Savannah, Tenn., son of John L. and Sarah Marie Cagle Gifford. He had lived in Essex for the past three years, moving from East Prairie. He was formerly employed by the HUBCO Muffler Co. in East Prairie. He attended the Assembly of God Church in Essex...

SCOTT CITY -- Robert M. Jungers, 77, of St. Charles, formerly of Scott City, died Thursday, Feb. 29, 1996, at St. Joseph Health Center. He was born Sept. 1, 1918 at Scott City, son of Matthew and Anna Jungers. He was a supervisor for Southwestern Transportation Co., retiring after 41 years...

Willetta Friar Arnold, 74, of Cape Girardeau, died Friday, March 1, 1996, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born April 27, 1921, in Everton, Mo., daughter of Lloyd and Susan Friar Irby. She married Gene Arnold Oct. 25, 1942, in Wichita, Kan. He survives...

ZALMA -- Mack Irvin, 78, of Zalma, died Friday, March 1, 1996, at the Dexter Memorial Hospital. He was born Oct. 17, 1917, in Bollinger County, son of Robert and Maude Bennett Irvin. He was a retired farmer and a member of the Brush Creek Baptist Church...

OLIVE BRANCH, Ill. -- Howard D. "Buzzy" Johnson, 57, of Olive Branch, died Friday, March 1, 1996, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born in Mounds, Ill., on Aug. 29, 1938, son of Robert H. and Hattie Boren Johnson. He was a clerk for the Illinois Central Railroad and was a former employee of the Florsheim Shoe Co. and Southern Medical Center in Cairo...

Genevieve B. Lueders, 80, of 1115 N. Henderson died Saturday, March 2, 1996, at her home. She was born Sept. 1, 1915, in Downs Grove, Ill., to W. Roy and Katherine Kearney Behrel. She married Paul R. Lueders on Aug. 25, 1945, in Downers Grove, Ill. He preceded her in death Sept. 23, 1995...

ULLIN, Ill. -- Irene Egner Kearney, 78, of Ullin, Ill., died Friday, March 1, 1996, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born April 7, 1917, to Rich and Hattie Egner in Ullin. She married Pat Kearney on Aug. 31, 1935. He survives...

PULASKI, Ill. -- Henry Otis Ervin, 95, of Pulaski, Ill., died Saturday, March 2, 1996, at St. Joseph Memorial Hospital in Murphysboro, Ill. He was born Feb. 10, 1901, to William and Cora Smith Ervin in Carterville, Ill. Survivors include his wife, Mary Rosalee Sullivan Ervin; two daughters, Naomi Ervin of Chicago and Luvetia Zaski of Franklin, Mich.; a son, Clarence Sullivan of Florida; seven grandchildren and great-grandchildren...

Wanda Brown Fallert, 64, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, March 1, 1996, at St. John's Mercy Medical Center in Creve Coeur. She was born Dec. 23, 1931, to Grover and Agnes Barringer Brown in Chaffee. Survivors include two sons, Vince Fallert of St. Louis and Hal Fallert of Des Moines, Iowa; two daughters, Karen Cohen and Cathy McBride of St. Louis; a brother, Willard Brown of Dexter; a sister, Emogene McClain of St. Ann and seven grandchildren...

MARION, Ill. -- Mina Gurley Crawford, 85, of Marion, Ill., formerly of Buncombe, Ill., died Friday, March 1, 1996, at her home. Friends may call at Crain Funeral Home in Anna, Ill., Monday after 6 p.m. Funeral service will be at the funeral home Tuesday at 3 p.m...

Hail, hail, hail to thee coffee Hail, hail, best of blisses Ah coffee, ah sweet coffee, Coffee if my pa would please me Only coffee will appease me -Cantata No. 211 (Coffee Cantata, 1732) Johann Sebastian Bach's satirical Coffee Cantata, using lyrics by the poet Picander, expresses the turmoil in the 1700s surrounding the addictive nature of coffee. Two hundred years and 44 cups of Folger's later, I am slowly unearthing the power of the addiction that the composers spoke of...

ANNA, Ill. -- Margaret E. Frogge, 77, of Anna died Saturday, March 2, 1996, at Union County Hospital in Anna. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Lutz & Rendleman Funeral Home in Anna.

The students at Trinity Lutheran School in Cape Girardeau and St. Paul Lutheran School in Jackson will be "Celebrating God's Love" during National Lutheran Schools Week. More than 3,000 Lutheran schools across the country will observe the week, which begins today and continues through Saturday, by embracing the theme "Celebrating God's Love."...

To the casual observer, old St. Francis Hospital is an aging, dilapidated building that serves as just another canvas for graffiti and vandalism. But State Rep. Mary Kasten paints a much brighter picture. She and a local committee of social service representatives and interested citizens want to renovate the 83-year-old brick building for use as a family resource center...

JACKSON -- Only two months ago, Lindsay Siebert was a typical 13-year-old with typical interests. She liked movies, surfing the Internet and seeing her friends at Jackson Middle School. Then she learned a hard fact of life: It's not always easy to do what you're told...

Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman outrank Hootie and the Blowfish or just about any rap performer for the cats in the Cape Girardeau Central High School Jazz Band. As the teen-agers warmed up for their gig at Saturday's Central High School Jazz Festival, they talked about jazz...

Easter Seals Celebration '96 will air today from West Park Mall in Cape Girardeau. The telethon, Easter Seals' main fund-raiser for the year, will be broadcast live from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on KBSI Channel 23. Local hosts will be Jhan Thomas, Mike Simmons and Jim Modglin...

Okay, your seedlings have just arrived from the Missouri Department of Conservation's Forest Nursery. Now what do you do? Hopefully, you can plant them immediately and get them off to the best start possible. If you have to store your seedlings for a few days, however, just keep them in the bundle and keep them cool. ...

JEFFERSON CITY -- Many anglers spend hours, days, even weeks preparing for big fishing trips. They put careful thought into picking the right spot and packing everything they'll need to increase chances of catching a stringer full or a trophy fish. The preparation for any fishing trip should include learning fishing regulations...

FREDERICKTOWN -- Whitewater racing fun is coming to Millstream Gardens Conservation Area. The Missouri Whitewater Association will sponsor its annual kayak races March 16 and 17 at the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) area on the Little St. Francois River in Madison County...

Museums and historic places attract visitors for a variety of reasons. Some people like to see the uncommon collections while others enjoy a refresher lesson in history. Southeast Missouri isn't without its own unique collections and historical museums. After being closed for the winter, several of the museums open this weekend. Here's a highlight of what you'll see at some of the area's museums:...

One of the solitary pleasures for anyone, if he has the time, is to look at anything to see what it is like. To say that looking at a utility pole reminds you of a utility pole is not allowed in this pursuit. But to say that a utility pole looks like a Paul Bunyan penny pencil thrust upside down into the ground is to lift the vision out of the ordinary. ...

"The Advantages of Breastfeeding" will be the topic of the March meeting of the La Leche League. The group will gather Thursday at 10 a.m. at 919 South Pacific in Cape Girardeau. Nursing babies and toddlers are always welcome. The discussion will include encouragement and information on breastfeeding, nutrition and weaning...

Parents Without Partners will hold an orientation for new members at 7 p.m. March 6 and March 21 at the Harris Room of the Community Counseling Center. Parents who are divorced, widowed or separated or never married are encouraged to attend. On March 16, the group will sponsor a St. Pat's Dance at the Cape Girardeau VFW Hall. A $5 donation will be collected at the door. Music will be provided by Charlie's Music Review...

Dr. Michael Fichter, Southeast Missouri State University professor of criminal justice, will lead trips to Sweden, Bulgaria and Turkey this summer. He will lead an 18-day trip to Sweden May 20 to June 7. The trip will include lectures at the University of Orebro on social work, law, courts, corrections and other social-service agencies...

"Pamper Yourself" is the theme for the March 11 luncheon sponsored by Cape Girardeau County Christian Women's Club. The luncheon and meeting will be held from noon to 2 p.m. at Holiday Inn. Karen Stevens of New Hope Counseling will give tips and techniques to soothe and relax you. Special music will also be presented...

CAN ANYBODY tell me if the city council or anyone in the city government of Cape Girardeau is doing anything at all to actively pursue the old St. Francis Hospital site? As we know, the majority of Cape Girardeau feels it's the best site, but we may feel it's the best site and of course the city council and the GSA is going to do what ever they darn well please, and if they feel that it's not logical to put it there, they're going to put it somewhere not logical...