Stories from Saturday, January 22, 2005

Redhawks have overtaken the Southeast Missouri State University campus. Plastic Redhawk decals are stuck to dorm windows. Bulletin boards announce free T-shirts to the first 500 students who come a special celebration at the recreation center at 3 p.m. Seven MP3 players will be given away, the invitation says. Climb to the Redhawk roost. Participate in an egg guess. See red-tailed hawks from a bird sanctuary...

There are a lot things Drew Wilson could have spent $42 on. A new toy, for one -- you can never have too many green Power Rangers. But when the 7-year-old learned that his school was raising money for tsunami victims, he knew where his combined birthday/allowance money should go...

As long as there has been money, there has been someone who needs to borrow some. As long as people have needed to borrow money, there have been pawnbrokers. Some were operating in China 3,000 years ago. But the business is always changing and sometimes pioneering...

The criminal investigation of Jackson Mayor Paul Sander is closed, and no wrongdoing was found, a state attorney general spokesman said Friday. Sander, mayor since 1993 and seeking re-election in April, finally has resolution to a 2-year-old inquiry...

Painting contractor J. Clay Waller failed to qualify as a Cape Girardeau City Council candidate because he didn't submit enough valid signatures on his nominating petition, city clerk Gayle Conrad said Friday. That leaves former council members Loretta Schneider and J.J. Williamson as the only candidates seeking the open Ward 4 seat...

River Campus project officials encouraged more than 100 local contractors on Friday to bid on the various construction tasks needed to build Southeast Missouri State University's arts school. "What we are ready to do is get down to work and start building this thing," Dr. Dennis Holt, vice president of administration and enrollment management, told the contractors at a morning meeting in the University Center...

Cold sufferers could face new obstacles to buying medicine such as Sudafed under a plan outlined Friday by Gov. Matt Blunt to crack down on the manufacture of the illegal drug methamphetamine. The plan is one that law enforcement officials and legislators discussed before Blunt was sworn in as governor. State Rep. Scott Lipke, R-Jackson, had said earlier that he would prefile a bill making starch-based products containing pseudoephedrine or ephedrine controlled substances...

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- Sprint Corp. said Friday it will offer large bonuses to company executives who agree to stay with the company through its merger later this year with Nextel Communications Inc. Sprint, the nation's third-largest wireless carrier, and Nextel, the fifth-largest, announced last month that they plan to combine by the end of 2005...

ST. LOUIS -- Union nurses at St. John's Mercy Medical Center approved a contract proposal Friday that ends their 37-day strike at the St. Louis area's second-largest hospital. Members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 655 voted 528-127 to approve the three-year deal, ending a walkout that began Dec. 15...

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Rams have fired special teams coach Mike Stock, the third man to coach the Ram's special teams since 2000, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Friday. Calls to a Rams spokesman were not returned. Stock, 65, was in St. Louis just one season after replacing Bobby April, who was fired after the 2003 season. April had been with the Rams for three seasons. He replaced Larry Pasquale, fired after one season in 2000...

PARIS -- Saturn's largest moon apparently is lashed regularly by rain made of liquid methane, forming pools, cutting river beds and eroding rocks in much the same way that forces have shaped the Earth, scientists said Friday. The European Space Agency's probe that landed on Titan's frozen surface a week ago put Europe's stamp on the distant reaches of the solar system with its discoveries of a mysterious, methane-rich globe...

KOBE, Japan -- U.N. delegates adopted an action plan to reduce casualties and damage caused by natural disasters today at the close of a conference that had mobilized support and money for a tsunami early warning system in southern Asia. But the plan fell short of setting targets or spelling out ways to assess progress...

ATLANTA -- The 11-year-old boy believed to have been taken from Florida by a convicted child molester was recovered in a wooded area in northwest Georgia. "The child has been recovered," FBI spokesman Steven Lazarus said Friday evening. "He is safe and he is OK. The adult subject is still at large. We believe he is possibly in the same wooded area."...

ST. LOUIS -- Two men were sentenced to prison Friday on racketeering charges related to a series of crimes, including the killing of two people, U.S. Attorney James Martin said. Bobby Allen Rohrer, 39, of Columbia, was sentenced to 29 years in prison. Henry George Rehmert Jr., 27, of Belle, received a 10-year sentence. Both men were also ordered to pay $475,000 in restitution to several victims in the case...

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. -- The police chief and the director of regulatory affairs were among four people arrested Friday as part of a federal corruption investigation into the government of this impoverished Mississippi River city. Indictments against the regulatory affairs director, Kelvin Ellis, and police chief Ronald Matthews were unrelated, but both men were arrested within hours of each other, and the arrests were announced during a news conference involving officials from several federal agencies.. ...

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Tim Henman smashed a ball into the stands in anger in the fourth game of the third set Saturday, his cleanest hit in a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 third-round loss to Nicolay Davydenko at the Australian Open. The seventh-seeded Henman was a semifinalist at the French and U.S. Opens last year and a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon. But he seemed distracted Saturday, making 32 unforced errors and five double-faults. He won less than half his 69 net approaches...

LOS ANGELES -- NBC is sticking with "Joey" -- and several other new series -- despite modest ratings. "We knew we were going to be in for a tough year this year in the post-'Friends' era," Jeff Zucker, NBC Universal Television Group president, said Friday. "It turned out to be tougher than we expected."...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A hit country song and a move to Nashville. Could it be that LeAnn Rimes is finished with her foray into pop and rock and ready to return to her country roots? Not quite. Rimes does have a Top 10 country single with "Nothin 'Bout Love Makes Sense," a light, bouncy tune from her new album "This Woman," which comes out Tuesday. And she and her husband, an aspiring actor, did move to Nashville from Los Angeles...

After a pair of down-to-the-wire games in the semifinals of the Scott-Mississippi Conference boys basketball tournament on Thursday, it was fitting Friday's final between No. 2 Scott County Central and No. 4 East Prairie would go to overtime. When the final buzzer sounded it was East Prairie on top 67-62, as the Eagles continued their charmed season. East Prairie improved to 15-3 with its 10th consecutive win. It was the first conference tournament title for the Eagles since the 1985-86 season...

The biggest crowd of the season for a basketball game is expected at the Show Me Center today as fans will be a part of history when Southeast Missouri State University unveils its new Redhawk mascot. That occasion, set for 4:45 p.m, will officially mark the end of Southeast's athletic teams being known as Indians and Otahkians. Beginning today, the university's sports squads will all be nicknamed Redhawks...

Ohio Valley Conference officials are attempting to gather information regarding a reported incident following Thursday night's men's basketball game between Southeast Missouri State University and Tennessee Tech at the Show Me Center. Tech forward Willie Jenkins, who scored 34 points in the Eagles' dramatic 82-81 overtime win, is alleged to have made an obscene gesture to a group of Southeast fans in the immediate moments after the contest...

As impressive as Southeast Missouri State University's women were against Tennessee Tech on Thursday, the team knows that will mean little when Austin Peay visits the Show Me Center tonight. Southeast (10-6, 4-1), which moved into a first-place Ohio Valley Conference tie with its 62-45 rout of Tech, and Austin Peay (6-10, 2-3) square off at 7:30 p.m., following the men's contest...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Last season, Missouri collapsed under the scrutiny of an NCAA investigation. This season, there's no such excuse. Heading into today's game against Nebraska, the Tigers (9-8, 1-3 Big 12) appear to be a fast-sinking ship. Coach Quin Snyder, who turns every postgame news conference into a psychology session, knows he's saddled with a dysfunctional team...

A snowstorm moving Friday from Canada into the Great Lakes drew weather warnings from North Dakota to New Jersey and the Long Island Sound, with some areas bracing for a foot of snow or more. New Jersey and areas around New York City expected up to 15 inches of snow over the weekend. Several areas to the west expected less snow, but some, such as southwestern Ohio, already had several inches on the ground from earlier storms...

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Patrick Deuel is half the man he used to be. Deuel, 42, was scheduled to leave the hospital as early as Friday, seven months after he checked in in grave condition, at 1,072 pounds. After undergoing stomach-reduction surgery in October, he is down to 610 pounds and is healthier...

TYLER, Texas -- A college student whose abduction was captured on a surveillance videotape as she was leaving her clerk's job at a Wal-Mart was found shot to death Friday, and a suspect was arrested, authorities said. The body of Megan Leann Holden, 19, was discovered in a ditch alongside a highway in western Texas. Police said she was killed at the hands of a man who went on a multistate crime spree before he turned up Friday at an Arizona hospital with a gunshot wound...

SAN DIEGO -- Soupy fog made it impossible to see the ball. And the way Tom Lehman is playing at the Buick Invitational, it might be hard for the rest of the field to find him. Lehman made two straight birdies to regain the lead, then returned from a three-hour fog delay to close out his second round with two more birdies for a 5-under 67 on the South course at Torrey Pines, matching the 36-hole record and giving him the lead going into the weekend...

WASHINGTON -- Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist's frailty at the inauguration is renewing speculation the Supreme Court soon will have its first vacancy in more than a decade. How soon is anybody's guess, though later rather than sooner may be better for President Bush, whose programs could stall in Congress once a fight over a high-court nomination begins...

25 years ago: Jan. 22, 1980 David R. Stewart, the manager of a private security guard service, becomes the fourth Democrat to file for Cape Girardeau County sheriff, while First District County Court Judge Leonard F. Sander, a Republican, files for another term...

Southeast Missouri State University players say they have no choice but to try and stay positive despite yet another narrow Ohio Valley Conference loss. And they add that they can't afford to feel sorry for themselves, particularly not with two-time defending OVC regular-season champion Austin Peay visiting the Show Me Center today...

Baseball...

To the editor: Our 3-year-old granddaughter came upon her granddad taking down the Christmas tree. With sudden tears, she grieved, "I want more Christmas." We continue to console that the comforts of Santa fun, exchanging gifts and the dazzling lights go all too soon. Remaining is the comfort of the one born in Bethlehem. It stays for all seasons...

Leslie Kieninger, 83, of Pocahontas died Thursday, Jan. 20, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born March 19, 1921, at Pocahontas, son of Martin and Matilda Bellman Kieninger. He and Verna Kester were married May 5, 1951, at Friedheim...

To the editor: Alaska's dividend example could end the Iraq war. Iraq oil money could be invested, returning an annual dividend to all Iraqis. The oil belongs to these people to invest in education and alternatives to oil to the benefit of all Iraqis and all people of the world. Investing in their own oil infrastructure and education would give them rapidly increasing control of their own future...

To the editor: In response to "Kids' health": My husband and I were in college when we had a baby. Our pediatrician at the time told us our baby was going to be mentally retarded and we were two white trash kids trying to draw a check. Mortified yet?...

To the editor: Liberal Democrats have a gigantic moral-values deficit and don't even know it. They have an entirely different take on values, and that is why George W. Bush is in the White House for four more years. To liberal Democrats, family values are about equal pay, minimum wages, gay rights, health care for every American, federal assistance for the poor and homeless and social-welfare issues. ...

To the editor: Kudos to Mike Dumey and everyone who performed or helped with the "Annie" benefit concert on Jan. 18. It is so reassuring to see so many young people willing to give of their time and talents for those who are coming behind them, the eighth- and ninth-graders, so that they may have the chance to perform a real musical. ...

Needs a cleaning; Aid to the enemy; Movies and paint; Giving the honor; Thanks for purse; Paint the lines; Thanks for gift card; Hidden costs; Quoting Darwin; A hard choice

Protect the environment; Not a good plan; Lower the tax; Thanks for coverage; Choose a story; He's a blogger too; Cold Amtrak ride; Trolley with a view

ANNA, Ill. -- William Full, 89, of Macon, Ga., formerly of Anna, died Friday, Jan. 21, 2005, at Portsbridge Hospice in Macon. Arrangements are incomplete with Crain Funeral Home in Anna.

St. Vincent ran its winning streak to nine games on Friday night by beating St. Pius 76-63 in a Jefferson County Conference game at Festus, Mo. Alex Armbruster poured in 34 points and Jacob DeWilde added 22 to lead the Indians (11-4, 4-1). Waylon Richardet pulled down 16 rebounds for St. Vincent, which has won 11 of its past 12 games...

Maxine Swanner, 75, of Brookland, Ark., died Thursday, Jan. 20, 2005, at Northeast Arkansas Medical Center in Jonesboro. She was born Nov. 22, 1929, in Greenwood, Ind., daughter of Ruben and Lucy Reynolds Whittaker. She and J.D. Swanner were married Sept. 30, 1946, in Sikeston, Mo...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Virginia Colleen Chessor, 81, of Sikeston died Thursday, Jan. 20, 2005, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. She was born Oct. 8, 1923, in New Madrid, Mo., daughter of Fred and Nina Ann Robinson Eiceman. She and Bill Chessor were married Oct. 21, 1939, in New Madrid, Mo. He died June 5, 1994...

WASHINGTON -- The European Union announced Friday that it was prepared to end penalty sanctions on $4 billion worth of American exports to Europe. However, EU officials warned they could reimpose some of the tariffs if a dispute is not resolved over a U.S. law that showers $136 billion in new tax breaks on companies...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released Friday by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI * Claire Custer, 19, 390 N. Henderson Ave., was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and failure to yield...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following items on Thursday: * At 7:20 p.m., illegal burn at 3041 Keystone Drive. * At 8:05 p.m., emergency medical service in the 200 block of Mason Street. * At 9:11, emergency medical service in the 800 block of North Spanish Street...

In his book "The River Between Us," Richard Peck portrays the Civil War in Cairo, Ill., for young adult readers in realistic terms. For example: "They lay where they'd been sick. They sprawled in their messes because they were too weak to get to the privies, if there were privies. ...

The speaker in a photo on Page 3A of Friday's edition was incorrectly identified in the caption. He is assistant men's basketball coach Robert Guster. The Southeast Missourian regrets the error....

"I didn't really mean it" and "I've had a bad day" are common phrases people use to excuse themselves for treating others badly. The emotional damage that can be inflicted by such treatment was abruptly brought to my attention a few weeks ago as I listened to a friend vent her frustration and anger...

Muslims in Southeast Missouri gathered on Friday to mark the holiest of days for their faith. Akin to the Christmas celebration in the Christian tradition, Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of the Sacrifice, is the most important holiday of the Islamic calendar...

Willeford; Bailey; Donley; Biester; Raspberry; Wheeler; McMillen

Margie Lorene Bruce, 81, of Scott City died Thursday, Jan. 20, 2005, at her home. She was born July 14, 1923, in Advance, Mo., daughter of Richard and Berniece Hill Reed. She and Aaron Nathaniel Bruce were married Oct. 8, 1960. He died May 10, 1990...

Today; New service schedule at Centenary UMC; True Love Waits study at First Baptist inJackson; Marriage Encounter Weekend seminar coming; Friendship Bible study schedule planned

DIEHLSTADT, Mo. -- Glenna Mae Guiling, 92, of Diehlstadt died Thursday, Jan. 20, 2005, at Ratliff Nursing Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Feb. 26, 1912, in Bee Branch, Ark., daughter of Joe and Margaret Lou Mahan Halbrook. She and Hallie Harold Guiling were married Feb. 20, 1932. He died Nov. 19, 1975...

ANNA, Ill. -- Pamela K. Fox, 43, of Boles, Ill., died Thursday, Jan. 20, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was formerly of Anna. She was born Aug. 16, 1961, in Castro Valley, Calif., daughter of Fred and Janice Johnson Isit. She and Rick Fox were married March 14, 1982...

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Roy Blount Jr. knew something was wrong at his beloved Krispy Kreme -- long before the stock price began to plummet and the scent of corporate scandal filled the air. When the North Carolina company opened its first doughnut shop in New York City, the Georgia-born humorist rushed right down to see how his favorite boyhood treat fared in that Northern clime. ...

DALLAS -- They're housewives, workaholics, PTA members and ... rock stars? Women fighting to shatter the stay-at-home-mom stereotype and rediscover their youthful voice are forming bands, such as Housewives on Prozac in suburban New York, Frump in Dallas and Placenta in Oakland, Calif...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush is readying a new budget that would carve savings from Medicaid and other benefit programs, congressional aides and lobbyists say, but it is unclear if he will be able to push the plan through the Republican-run Congress...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A mother accused of giving her 4-year-old son crack cocaine to "calm him down" has been charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Michelle R. Shelton, 32, of Kansas City, was arrested Thursday and was being held on $25,000 in bond...

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia -- Aid groups warned on Friday it might be too soon for the U.S. military to scale back its emergency operations for Asia's tsunami victims, while an informal cease-fire between Indonesian troops and rebels appeared to have collapsed, threatening to derail relief efforts...

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Thousands of armed Palestinian police took up positions in the northern Gaza Strip on Friday to prevent attacks on Israel, and Islamic militants said they were suspending rocket fire -- major steps toward a possible truce after more than four years of bloody Mideast conflict...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A car bomb exploded outside a Shiite mosque packed with worshippers celebrating a major Muslim holiday Friday, and a suicide driver blew up an ambulance at the wedding of a Shiite couple south of the capital. At least 21 people died and dozens were wounded -- including the bride and groom...

MINA, Saudi Arabia -- Over and over, the loudspeakers urged, "Please walk slowly, please don't push each other," and security guards funneled the crowds into manageable streams as tens of thousands of Muslim pilgrims converged on stone pillars Friday to cast pebbles in a rite of purification...

OSNABRUECK, Germany -- The commander of three British servicemen accused of mistreating Iraqi detainees said Friday he told soldiers to make captured looters "work hard" picking up garbage to deter rampant theft but saw no abuse. Maj. Dan Taylor denied ordering the alleged abuses, which occurred in May 2003, and said he gave the "work hard" order in an attempt to crack down on persistent looters at the sprawling aid warehouse compound outside Basra being guarded by the defendants' unit...