St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 197

SERVING: Antonia, Arnold, Barnhart, Byrnes Mill, Cedar Hill, Crystal City, De Soto, Oittmer, Festus, Fletcher, Goldman, Grubville, Hematite, Herculaneum, High Ridge, Hillsboro, Horine, House Springs, Imperial, Kimmswick, Mapaville, Morse Mill, Murphy, Oermann, Olympian Village, Otto, Parkdale, Pevely, Richwoods, Scotsdale, Valles Mines, Victoria, Vineland, Ware, Weber Hill IN SPORTS: Festus girl tears a second knee ligament. Page JC9 1 mqoIJ si iti i i ir i 1 1 uh 1 it i MONDAY, JANUARY 31, 2000 ST.LDUIS POST-DISPATCH JC1 A A a radio jrire suences Jefferson County Singers are needed for "Messiah" at the college The Jefferson College Community Chorale is seeking singers for an Easter performance of George Frederick Handel's "Messiah." Rehearsals will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Mondays, beginning Feb. 7 in Room 100 of the Fine Arts Building. This will be the last chorale performance under the direction of long-time music professor Richard Bell, who will be directing the group for the 27th consecutive year.

Bell is retiring in June. For more information, contact BeU at (636) 797-3000. after 32 on the air year I f-" frtimillt)mi- fekJ -A WAYNE CROSSUNP0ST-DISPATCH Jeff Cook, a technician from Memphis, aims a microwave antenna on the roof of Festus High School to receive the Internet. The antenna, along with 25 computers, is being provided to the district free, in exchange for ads on computer screens. Fox, Festus district schools get free computers; students get advertising Kills Registration begins for college community courses Registration is under way for continuing education courses through Jefferson College.

Many courses begin the week of Feb. others wiU start at various times throughout the spring. Residents can choose from courses in agriculture, art, business, computers, dance, English, guidance, health, history, home economics, language, music, professional development, real estate, recreation and swimming. Courses will be held at eight locations across the county, including the college's Hillsboro and Arnold campuses and the De Soto, Festus, Fox, Grandview, Northwest and Windsor school campuses. For more information and class schedules, call 797-3000.

Cedar Hill Selby supports bill to issue bonds for roads State Rep. Harold Selby, D-Cedar Hill, is co-sponsoring a bill authorizing the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission to issue up to $2 billion in bonds over a six-year period to address the state's most pressing transportation needs, including repairs to Highway 30. Selby said the bonds would be paid off with proceeds from the state's gasoline tax and would not result in a tax increase. "Highway 30 is crumbling away," Selby said. "This will provide the funding to repair our highways before they deteriorate to the point of rebuilding." Selby said issuing the bonds now would allow maintenance projects to be completed at a lower cost than they might otherwise be if the state were to wait for the tax funds to become available.

"If we wait and put them on a list and repair them six or seven years from now, then it will cost us more than selling the bonds and paying the interest on the bonds and doing it now," Selby said. "This is not the cure-all for all the transportation problems in Missouri, but it's a bridge to get there." Festus Library plans "Read-to-Me" program through March 31 The Festus Public Library is sponsoring a Read-to-Me program Feb. 1 through March 31. Children will be rewarded with a paperback book when a parent, grandparent, sibling or neighbor has read 25 books to them. The books must be checked out from the Festus public library.

For more information, call 937-2017. The Region Forum is scheduled on Mentz Hill Road project A public forum will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 28, on preliminary design and engineering work for the improvement of Mentz Hill Road from Kennedy Road to Forest Path Drive in Sunset Hills. The meeting will be in the Assembly Room of the Sunset HiUs City HaU, 3939 South Lindbergh Boulevard.

The city has entered into a contract with Black Veatch for preliminary design and engineering work on the road project The public forum will allow people to ask questions and get more information about the project Anyone who is unable to attend the forum may submit questions about the project in care of the city engineer, Ron Williams. His e-mail address is: Deal to sell the station to Larry Rice is called off Arson is suspected By Tim Rowden Of the Post-Dispatch Little remains of the white cinder-block building that housed KHAD-AM KDJR-FM radio station at 4003 Frissell Road near De Soto. The roof has caved in. The blackened broadcasting equipment sits scattered outside. Three signal towers surrounding the building stand silent; the signal lights no longer flash.

The radio station, in operation since 1968, burned to the ground Thursday. Authorities suspect arson. The Rev. Larry Rice, who runs a regional ministry for the homeless, was preparing to buy the station. He said he hoped the arsonist, if there were one, was not trying to send him a message.

Rice had expected to close a $225,000 deal Friday after negotiating since summer to buy the small contemporary-country-music station. He said the sale was called off pending an KIIAD-AM 'KDJR-FM Current owners: Erich and Kim -Schafermeyer Previous owners: Pinkny and Judy Cole Potential buyer: The Rev. Larry Rice investigation into Thursday's early-morning fire and further negotiations with the owners. Nobody was hurt in the blaze. "I have learned over the years to place everything in God's hands," Rice said.

"I'm glad it didn't happen two days after we closed the deal. I'm very, very regretful." Known for his New Life Evangelistic Center in St. Louis and elsewhere, Rice spreads his message on 14 radio stations in Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas and Kansas and on eight television stations in Missouri and one in Arkansas. Among them are a television station in St. Louis and a radio station in Cedar Hill.

Rice says he planned to change the De Soto AM station's call letters to KCBW; the FM operation was to be closed. He says he received many letters and telephone calls making claims for debts owed by the station. "We got one letter that was from somebody who was concerned that we wanted to operate it" Rice said. "But I believe that was just somebody trying to get revenge on the previous owner. I See Fire, Page 2 construction mission that the couple wanted to place mini-warehouses on the property.

Jo Ann Brown, who lives in Hawk Point across Highway 61-67, said she and most of those living in the 31-house subdivision were opposed because their property overlooks the proposed site. She said the residents were worried about property values if the warehouses were built. "At least leave the trees along the road, have no gravel driveways because of the dust and keep the lighting aimed downwards," she said. Rauls repeated that the commission could not put conditions on zoning requests. The Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Commission previously approved the petition on a vote of 10-2.

The districts have made an agreement with a San Ramone, Internet company, the ZapMe! which seemingly offers a solution too good to be true. By Chris Carroll Of the Post-Dispatch In America's schools, on the eve of the 21st century, computer literacy has all but taken a place among reading, writing and arithmetic as the fourth R. Students are often told that their future employers will take knowledge of the new technology as a given. Even while still in school, those who have access to computers and know how to use them have an edge over those who don't. But administrators in school districts upgrade the districts as well as the Mehlville district, think they have found a partial answer to the problem of getting expensive but necessary technology.

The districts have nu de an agreement with a San Ramone, Internet company, the ZapMe! which seemingly offers a solution too good to be true, but one which 1,300 schools around the country have taken them up on. The company provides schools with the computers, and all the school must do is use them a minimum number of hours a day. It's all for free. Too good to be true? But the public-private arrangement has not been without critics across the country. ZapMe! receives revenue from advertisers who pay to place ads that appear on See Computers, Page 2 DeClue that the state had control over sewage systems and the commission was not allowed to place restrictions on the rezoning.

He pointed out that the zoning change would mean only one-half house more on an acre. John Scheble, an alderman from Byrnes Mill, said he would prefer to see the area stay zoned for larger lots. The commission also gave unanimous approval to a request from Robert and Nelda Smreker of Eureka for a change in zoning for 15.4 acres zoned mostly for a mobile-home park with a sliver of residential. The property is at the northwest corner of East Seckman Road and Highway 61-67. Dan Govero of Govero Land Services spoke for the Smrekers.

He told the com i-Hi fionnrlpfl IiLa an tti opportunity, and it really did sound too good to be true. But after a few months of using it, 1 it turns out it's not too good to 1 be true. It's realJ i Alan Emerson, technology coordinator for the Fox School District 1 that are less than wealthy face the challenge of finding the means to buy the costly equipment necessary to train students to use computers. Several school districts, including Fox and Festus where voters in both districts rejected recent funding initiatives to White Oak Lane in House Springs. Speaking for JHB Properties, engineer Gene Fribis said there had been a question about sanitary sewers designed for the property.

He said his firm had met with the state Department of Natural Resources and had been asked to build a sewage-treatment plant to handle not only the subdivision but adjacent property as well. The plant serving the area would be eliminated. Kevin DeClue, who owns eight acres to the south of the proposed development, said he was concerned about storm-water runoff to his property, especially into his one-acre pond. He also objected to the more dense zoning designation and said the area would "be like the city." Presiding Commissioner Sam Rauls told County OKs rezoning for House Springs Approval paves way for new subdivision byLeekhorll Special to the Post-Dispatch The Jefferson County Commission last week gave unanimous approval to a petition from Fribis Engineering of Arnold for the rezoning of about 54 acres near Byrnes Mill from 3Vi units an acre to four units an acre. JHB Properties of St Louis plans to build a subdivision on the tract at 3860 BP I.