Judy Magee Stone has written a novel.

It's not surprising that the 75-year-old Stone has written, proofed and published the 14-chapter, "Fertile Fortress," a novel she calls "about 90 percent historical."

Stone, during the more than 40 years of our acquaintance, has written millions of words, proofed twice that many and published thousands of pages for a number of newspapers in western Kentucky.

Judy Magee Stone spent 47 years in the newspaper industry, many of them as owner-publisher of the Wickliffe, Ky., Advance Yeoman, a weekly newspaper.

"I have written millions of words," said Stone, "but, this is my first try at fiction.

Writing the novel, set at Fort Jefferson in an era from 1816 to 1865, a Revolutionary and Civil War fort at Wickliffe, was difficult, said Stone. "It came hard for me because I didn't know how to write fiction."

Stone has written and published eight historical books, including her favorite, "Ballard's Brave Boys," about Ballard County soldiers in the Civil War.

She started writing "Fertile Fortress" five years ago after selling her weekly newspaper operation at Wickliffe. Stone had operated a number of publications during her 47-year newspaper career -- The Livingston Ledger, the Hickman County Gazette, the Carlisle Journal and the West Kentucky News. She retired in 1993, and now makes her home at the Irvin S. Cobb Senior Center, formerly the Irvin S. Cobb Hotel in Paducah.

Stone's book centers around a couple -- Casey Richman, 16, and his young bride, 14-year-old Jane, who settled in a cabin once occupied by Gen. George Rogers Clark, at Fort Jefferson.

90 percent historically correct

The novel is actually 90 percent historically correct, she said.

"There was a Fort Jefferson near Wickliffe," said Stone. "It was located about where the Westvaco Paper Products plant is now."

The Richmans, in the novel, had made their way down the Ohio River on a flat boat.

The book, said Stone, has a happy ending.

Casey Richman's dream house is based on Magnolia Manor, in Cairo, Ill. There are also references to the Trail of Tears and the Underground Railroad.

Some of the events are based on experiences of Stone's father, William Gross Hayden.

Stone is "self-publishing" her book, which is on a number of bookstore shelves in western Kentucky.

"I'm taking a risk on the book," she said. "I may not sell any of them. But I think it's a good book and will sell."

Writing a book is not for everybody, she said. It takes a lot of time, not like writing a story for a newspaper. "I rewrote the novel 35 times," she said.

Planning for another novel

Stone is already planning another novel.

Among Stone's historical books are "Old Fort Jefferson," "Chickasaw County," "Caverns of Crime" and "Ballard's Brave Boys."

Judy Magee Stone has spent more than half of her life writing.

"I was never interested in writing as a youngster," she said. That was until 1946, when she and her first husband, Pat Magee, purchased a newspaper at LaCenter, Ky.

At one time she owned four newspapers.

Through the years, Stone said she had "gone through eight different ways to get out a newspaper," ranging from the Linotype body copy to hand-set headlines, and into the more modern computer era.

Anyone interested in a copy of "Fertile Fortress" or some general conversation, can call Stone at (502)-444-6201.

Woolworth out, Wal-Mart in

Woolworth's is out and Wal-Mart is in.

The Dow Jones industrial average of 30 companies has replaced four of its oldest members with new entries, including Wal Mart

The purpose of the Dow lineup is to refresh the venerable market measure with more dominant industries of technology, health care and finance.

Gone from the list are Westinghouse Electric Corp., Texaco Inc., Bethlehem Steel Corp. and Woolworth Corp.

New on the list, starting today, are Travelers Group Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co., Johnson & Johnson and Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

The changes are the first in six years and come as the Dow has been soaring at unprecedented heights, rising 75 percent over the past two years to eclipse the 7,000-point barrier.

The new entries, which are mostly higher-priced, could push the Dow even higher, say analysts.

To make sure the new list's performance will be comparable to previous years, Dow Jones said it will slightly adjust the formula used to calculate the average.

8,000 looms larger

Suddenly, the Dow at 8,000 looms larger as the average says goodbye to companies from industries used to form the core of America's economy.

Bethlehem Steel was the Dow's last steelmaker, a symbol of how things have changed since the Dow's birth 100 years ago, when economic power was measured by heavy industry's might.

The companies being removed either lag others in their industry or have shifted from the focus that put them among the ranks of America's most prominent companies.

Westinghouse, for example, bought the CBS network and plans to split into two companies, one for its refrigerated truck and nuclear power operations and the other its media holdings.

Woolworth's elimination from the Dow came as it announced a $100 million fourth-quarter profit and said it would open about 400 new stores and remodel an additional 500 stores.

Telecommuting at home

You won't find many Missouri locales on the list for best places to live and work from home in telecommuting.

St. Louis is 124th on the list. Springfield is in the 168th position, and Columbia rounds out the show-me state's entries in the top 200, at 194.

San Francisco has been rated as America's best place to live and work form home, according to a survey of the top 300 metropolitan areas, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

PC World and Money Magazine teamed up to survey the areas.

Six of the nation's "Top 10" places for telecommuters were in California. The Top 10, in order.

San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, Oakland, Tampa/St. Petersburg, Orange County, Calif., Boston, and Atlanta.

San Francisco, according to the survey, boasts a vast network of Internet access numbers and fast ISDN phone-line connections, a high concentration of computer-supply stores and more copy centers per capita than any other areas in the nation. All that, plus a stable economy, temperate climate and the kind of educational, cultural and social scenes few cities can match.

Big cities, according the report, typically offer the type of Internet access and high-speed communications needed to run "an office away from the office."

The public can access the full ranking of all 300 metro areas at the Money Website, http://money.com, or at the PC World Website, www.pcworld.com/apr97;telecommute.

'Top Employer' lists

There is still time for businesses to submit their employment figures for inclusion in one of the Southeast Missourian's "Top Employers" lists.

The 1997 list has been redesigned. This year, we'll present three lists -- a "Top 50" Southeast Missouri list on manufacturing, industry and product-related companies; a "Top 25" Cape Girardeau County list including all employers -- manufacturing, retail, medical, education and others; and a "Top 10" list of largest employers in Southern Illinois.

Companies eligible for any of the lists are urged to submit company name, type of product or business and total employment to:

B. Ray Owen, Strictly Business, Southeast Missourian, 301 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63701.

B. Ray Owen is business editor for the Southeast Missourian.