Stories from Monday, March 30, 1998

D&K Healthcare Resources Inc. is in. D&K Wholesale Drug Inc. is out. Stockholders of the former D&K Wholesale Drug Co., a regional wholesale drug distributor, voted overwhelmingly to change the company name during the annual shareholders meeting. "The new name more clearly defines the diversity and concentration of our services," said J. Hord Armstrong III, chairman and chief executive officer of D&K Healthcare Resources Inc...

Ed Gray of the Missouri Emergency Management Department in Jefferson City will be guest speaker at the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce's First Friday Coffee. The Friday session will be held at 7:30 a.m. the Show Me Center. Gray will discuss "Disaster Preparedness For Your Business."...

Aid Association for Lutherans Branch 1688 of Cape Girardeau has been awarded a Gold Star rating by the fraternal benefit society in recognition of exemplary volunteer service in the community. To achieve the highest AAL rating, gold or silver stars, branches must annually sponsor at least one fund-raising event or work project, conduct at least nine meetings, sponsor an educational activity and an member-awareness event, and comply with AAL's attendance, voting and reporting requirements...

Seymore Memorials and Seymore Signs is open at 701 State Highway 25 at Dexter. The company is the former Lemmon Monument Co., a 60-year-old company. Don Seymore purchased Lemmon Monument in 1988. During the past decade, he has added the sign division, providing vinyl letters and logos for signs that can be applied to vehicles, doors, storefronts and other areas...

A business-education exposition will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday at the Sikeston High School Field House. The program, sponsored by the Sikeston Area Chamber of Commerce and Sikeston schools, will provide job and career information along with opportunities for businesses to network...

MORAD Manufacturing Co., a Sikeston company that designs and manufactures radiators for automotive, commercial, agricultural and industrial applications, has received the "Excellence in Business" award for business achievement from the Missouri Small Business Development Center...

The Show Me Center has received the "Prime Site Award," presented by Facilities magazine. The award recognizes excellence in convention and entertainment facilities and the quality of staff serving event clientele in the United States and Canada. The Show Me Center is a 7,500-seat, multipurpose facility that opened in 1987...

The Academy of Scuba Training Inc., 2005 N. Kingshighway, has added a new company, Aqua Lung-U.S. Divers Co. to its snorkeling and dive equipment product line. The Aqua Lung company, La Spirotechnique, in 1947 manufactured the first Aqua Lung regulation, co-invented by Capt. Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Emile Gagnan. Cousteau, a pioneer of modern diving, was a member of the board of directors of U.S. Divers Co. and the parent company, Aqua Lung International...

STIHL dealerships will offer a fly-fishing trip for two during its "STIHL North to Alaska" promotion, starting next month. The new outdoor sports television show, with host Larry Csonka, a former All-Pro and Hall of Fame fullback for the Miami Dolphins, will air at 7 a.m. each Saturday on ESPN and 6 p.m. each Tuesday on ESPN2...

Hollywood Casino Corp., which operated theme gambling and entertainment facilities and the nation's largest collector of authentic motion picture memorabilia, has acquired major pieces created for the production of "Titanic," the top-grossing motion picture of all times...

Ray Drury is retiring from the automotive industry after 39 years. Drury will retire Tuesday from Crown Cadillac Olds Nissan, 607 S. Kingshighway, after six years with the company as salesman. Drury started in the auto business in 1959, as a parts manager with Millikin Olds Cadillac. Three years later the dealership changed hands, becoming Townes Olds Cadillac. Drury stayed on, and in 1970, he became parts and service manager, and part-time salesman, when Dean Taylor purchased the dealership...

Jeanne Pruitt is new owner of Studio Design beauty salon. Pruitt has purchased the six-station salon, at 229 S. Broadview. The salon opened more than two years ago. "We have six hair dressers and a nail tech," said Pruitt.

Jim Blakemore Repairs is open for business. Blakemore of Cape Girardeau is in the home repair and remodeling business. The Alexander County, Ill., native who has lived in Cape Girardeau since 1991, has licenses from the City of Cape Girardeau, for plumbing and electrical work, and will do carpentry land remodeling work...

Only 4,300 acres of kenaf were harvested in the United States five years ago. Little, if any, kenaf was grown in Missouri. The U.S. acreage has increased to more than 16,000 acres, and the state has a number of experimental plots. "Kenaf" (pronounced "kuh NAFF") could become the miracle fiber of the next century...

A rude receptionist at the insurance agent's office was the last straw for Nancy Friedman. She called the agent and canceled all her policies. "He asked me why. I told him, `Your people stink,'" Friedman said. The agent convinced Friedman to teach his staff what they were doing wrong and how they could improve their telephone skills...

This "Financial Focus" column is prepared by Edward Jones Investments, headquartered in St. Louis. Jones includes branches throughout the nation, including Cape Girardeau and Jackson. Each year, one out of every 1,200 homes catches fire, and most homeowners have insurance coverage. ...

The new Wal-Mart Supercenter has opened at Anna. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the new store recently. Wal-Mart's new facility consists of 109,000 square feet, more than double the space of the former Wal-Mart store at Anna. The new store is near U.S. Route 51 and Illinois Route 146...

EAST PRAIRIE -- A Mississippi County teen-ager was killed, and two other people were injured in a one-vehicle accident shortly after noon Sunday four miles south of East Prairie. Scott Weakley, 17, of East Prairie was killed when the truck in which he was a passenger went off a bridge, fell 12 feet and came to rest on the top of the truck's cab...

This week the Southeast Missourian asked, "What are your thoughts about the Jonesboro, Ark. school shootings?" Ron Scott, Cape Girardeau "I believe it's sad actually that it's happened but I believe that these kids have basically given up all of their childhood rights. Basically instead now they're going to have to face being tried as an adult because they made that decision when they did the stupid act. It's pretty sad."...

Voters in Perryville and Longtown will decide municipal races when they head to the polls for the April 7 general election. Voters in the rest of Perry County will cast their ballots in uncontested bids for office. In Perryville, two people -- incumbent Roger Prost and William D. Richardet -- are running for the Ward 1 seat on the Board of Aldermen...

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Cape Girardeau native Billy Swan is best known for the 1974 song "I Can Help," but these days his daughters Planet and Sierra are his biggest hits. Swan, who also had a long musical association with Kris Kristofferson and wrote the 1960s hit "Lover Please," is hardly finished with his own music career. He just recorded a new CD, "Like Elvis used to do," and is searching for a distribution deal...

Cape Girardeau voters will consider 18 issues on the April 7 ballot, an unusually lengthy ballot. Cape Girardeau County Clerk Rodney Miller recommends voters take time in advance of election day to consider the issues. "This kind of lengthy ballot is more typical in larger cities," Miller said. "We usually don't have this many issues."...

Jessica Chinnadurai, of Sikeston, dressed in her parents' native Indian costume at the International Carnival Sunday at the recreation center. The carnival kicked off a week of activities at Southeast Missouri State University. A weeklong celebration of cultures from around the globe kicked off at Southeast Missouri State University Sunday with the annual International Carnival...

Cyberspace is no place for a sentimental journey. When checking my e-mail the other day, I found a note bearing a name I didn't recognize. The author knew me. It was one of those, "Hi, howya been/wasn't high school a long time ago/why aren't you married yet" notes that I'm tempted to just delete...

Overwhelming public support for the improvement of Highway 34 across Southeast Missouri and a call by Illinois' two gubernatorial candidates for a new highway across Southern Illinois are good indications that a long-needed east-west route across the region might come about...

The Cape Girardeau Job Service Office could become a satellite office of the one in Sikeston and have fewer employees under a plan being considered by the Missouri Division of Employment Security. The downsizing shouldn't affect the services offered the public by the office since most of its work is done by telephone and computer anyway. ...

To the editor: As I sit here reading about the latest school shooting, I can't help but think about these boys who decided to pull the triggers. I didn't know them or what their home life was like, but I think the parents ultimately are the responsible party...

To the editor: Thou shalt not kill has been a part of our tradition, and that tradition included not only the aspect of one's life, but, to a degree, respect for personal possessions as well. Increasingly, many of those so-called values are being pushed aside. Even among youths there are those who promote the old idea of brute force...

I READ the article about the lady who was divorced seven years and attending a divorce seminar for the second time. It seems to me that this lady is living in the past and the seminar didn't do very much good for her the first time around. Perhaps she needs professional help or she could take a lesson from my mom and get a life. ...

To the editor: After reading the March 24 letters from the nurse anesthetists rebutting the March 21 letter of Dr. Stephen Stigers, I will ad my bit as to the credibility of the nurse anesthetist. My sister, a 1944 graduate of DePaul Nursing School in St. Louis, was the first from that school to do advanced study in anesthesia. After doing this at three teaching hospitals, she worked at a large hospital in Ohio...

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- The Southeast Missouri State University baseball team was unable to gain any ground in the Ohio Valley Conference standings Sunday, splitting a doubleheader with Eastern Illinois. After dropping the opening game of the weekend series Saturday, Southeast took advantage of five EIU errors to win the first game of Sunday's twinbill 5-4. The Panthers' defense tightened in the nightcap, committing only two errors in a 4-3 win...

Oma C. Copeland, 72, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, March 28, 1998, at her home. She was born March 20, 1926, at McClure, Ill., daughter of Everett and Julia Riehl Endy. She and Henry "Jake" Copeland were married Nov. 9, 1945, at Cape Girardeau. She was a resident of Cape Girardeau for more than 50 years and was a homemaker. She was a member of Faith Baptist Temple...

CHARLESTON -- Catherine Jane Farmer, 80, of Charleston died Saturday, March 28, 1998, at her home. She was born Oct. 3, 1917, at Charleston, daughter of the A.D. and Mary Lynch Simpson. She and Jesse R. Farmer were married Dec. 28, 1947. She graduated of Charleston High School. She attended Central Methodist College in Fayette and business school in Bowling Green, Ky...

Kate Edmundson, 96, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, March 19, 1998, at Chateau Girardeau Health Center. Arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

William H. Strain, 81, died Sunday, March 19, 1998, at St. Joseph Health Center in St. Charles. Arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

MARBLE HILL -- Paul Charles Acup, 64, of Marble Hill died Sunday, March 29, 1998, at Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. He was born Sept. 28, 1933, at Grassy, son of Levi and Dora Phillips Acup. He was a member of the Lutesville Assembly of God Church...