Community digest 11/19/01

Homeschooling meeting scheduled for Tuesday

The Mississippi Valley Home Educators' monthly homeschool meeting will be held from 9 a.m.-noon Tuesday at the Salvation Army in Cape Girardeau.

Participants will discuss teaching methods and activities for children taught at home. For more information, call Pam Recker at 335-6810.

Macke appointed to steering committee

Cape Girardeau County Auditor H. Weldon Macke has been named a member of the National Association of Counties Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs Steering Committe by NACo President Javier Gonzales.

NACo's 11 steering committees from the policy-making arm of the association. Each committee is comprised of approximately 60 to 100 county officials who meet several times during the year to examine issues critical to local government.

The Taxation and Finance Steering Committee focuses on financial resources of counties, fiscal management, federal assistance, municipal borrowing, county revenues, federal budget, and federal tax reform.

The steering committee's recommendations on legislative policies and goals are presented to NACo's membership during the association's Annual Conference. If approved, the recommendations become part of the American County Platform, which is the basis of NACo's efforts in representing counties before Congress and the White House.

Genealogy society meets next week

The Cape Girardeau County Genealogy Society will meet at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 27, at Riverside Regional Library in Jackson.

Jane Randol, an archivist from Jackson, Mo., will present the program on "Treasures in the Cape Girardeau County Archive Center."

For more information, call Bill Eddleman at 335-1507.

Historical society changes meeting day

The Chaffee Historical Society and Museum Committee has changed its meeting from the fourth Thursday of the month to Tuesday at Sisters Restaurant in Chaffee, Mo. This will be a Dutch treat luncheon to discuss holiday plans and the museum renovation progress. Plans for a bake sale on Wednesday at the restaurant are under way.

Anyone interested in helping in any way may attend the meeting or call 887-6962 or 887-6225.

Optimists sponsoring oratory contest

The Jackson Optimist Club and the Noon Optimists of Jackson are sponsoring the 2001-2002 Optimist Oratorical Contest. It is the longest running program sponsored by Optimist International, and is designed to inspire today' youth, 15 years of age and younger, to motivate and inform others through the art of public speaking.

This year's theme is "If I Could Change the World."

All interested participants need to fill out the application form by Feb. 1.

For application form and official rules, contact Carol Horst at 243-7916.

Great Books series at library ends Dec. 13

The final discussion meeting for the Great Books series will be at 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 13, in the Hirsch Community Room of the Cape Girardeau Public Library. The book for this date is "The Bluest Eye," by Toni Morrison.

Dr. Joel Rhodes of Southeast Missouri State University will lead the discussion on this first novel by the Nobel laureate.

The Great Books series is co-sponsored by the Cape Girardeau Public Library and the Center for Regional History.

For more information, call Dr. Frank Nickell, director of the Center for Regional History at Southeast, at 651-2833 or the Adult Services Department at the library at 334-5279.

Library accepting canned goods in lieu of fines

The Cape Girardeau Public Library will accept canned and dried foods for overdue fines the entire month of December. This does not apply to replacement costs of materials or other library fees. The food value is 50 cents per item.

The food will be donated to FISH, which will distribute it to the local families the organization helps.

Even if you don't owe a fine, the library will welcome food donations.

-- From staff reports