Stories from Sunday, February 3, 2002

For those who know they won't be able to make it to the polls in Cape Girardeau County's April 2 election, county clerk Rodney Miller offers this reminder -- absentee voting. Absentee voting begins Feb. 19, six weeks before the April 2 election. "You vote absentee when you cannot get to the polls on election day," Miller said. "Because of sickness, out of town, work, military obligation, something like that. There has to be a reason."...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- "SOS" has dual meanings for Matt Blunt: It's the familiar ship-in-distress signal when he's serving as a U.S. Naval Reserve lieutenant, and it's the acronym for his elected civilian job -- Missouri's secretary of state. Blunt, 31, juggles both full-time jobs as the nation's only statewide elected official called to active military service -- overseas at that -- after the Sept. 11 terror attacks...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Thousands of files and documents about the plane crash that killed Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan have been released to the public. Carnahan, his son, Randy, and campaign aide Chris Sifford were killed Oct. 16, 2000, when the plane Randy Carnahan was flying crashed in stormy weather. The governor was running for the U.S. Senate at the time...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A church for the homeless that some neighbors had wanted shut down has met the city's building code requirements. David Casperson, pastor at River of Life Outreach, said Friday that he interprets that as confirmation that his outreach center fits within the city's definition of a church...

BELLEVILLE, Ill. -- Donning a blindfold, Joey Waligorski, 10, did his best to pin a paper "hana" on the chalkboard during a Japanese lesson at Belleville's Governor French Academy. Hana means "nose" in Japanese, and Joey was relieved to have put it in the right place on the face drawn on the chalkboard by his teacher Shinya Kyugo...

NEW YORK -- They've got small bodies -- and even smaller allowances -- but children have big choices when it comes to clothes. There are both trendy togs adapted from the hottest adult runway styles and durable garments that can withstand some of the unusual tests a toddler or elementary school student might put them through. Designers and retailers are now aiming to blend the two together...

NEW YORK -- Forecasting is tricky -- just ask any meteorologist who has contended with a sudden weather system. Fashion designers have their own unknown variable: the fickle consumer. Style insiders can push this look or that, but what catches on as a trend is really up to the people who wear it...

The Wall Street Journal appealed Saturday to the kidnappers of reporter Daniel Pearl to show evidence that he is still alive after an all-night search of Karachi graveyards turned up nothing. Pearl's wife and an American Muslim group issued separate appeals for his release, and e-mails purportedly sent Saturday by the kidnappers gave conflicting accounts of his fate...

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands -- The crown prince of the Netherlands married a party-loving Argentine investment banker Saturday in twin ceremonies that combined Dutch simplicity with regal splendor. Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, 34, and bride Maxima Zorreguieta, 30, exchanged civil vows before the mayor of Amsterdam. Two hours later, they knelt before a Dutch Reformed minister and a Catholic priest to consecrate the union...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- On his first outing to the West as Afghanistan's leader, Hamid Karzai was feted and feasted, hailed for his chic and charm, praised for his political savvy. On Saturday, the fanfare ended abruptly -- with his return home. Karzai landed before dawn in this darkened capital, where the threat of lawlessness still dictates a strictly enforced overnight curfew. ...

PARIS -- When the cherry trees blossomed last week -- during what is usually Paris' coldest month -- it was somehow proof that this has been a weird, weird winter. It's not just that the weather has been unseasonably warm in parts of Europe lately. Two weeks ago it snowed in Saudi Arabia. Weather patterns have been turned on their heads...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- By law, public schools in Missouri are not supposed to open until after Sept. 1 each year. But that would be news to the thousands of children and teachers who fill classrooms each August. In fact, most of the state's public schools open before the legal date, under a loophole that allows the academic year to start earlier at schools with students who work in agriculture...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Electricity workers, aided by hundreds of out-of-state crews, repaired more damaged lines Saturday while tree trimmers removed troublesome limbs that were thawing in the daylight. More than 100,000 homes and businesses were still without electricity Saturday afternoon after the ice storm that officials estimate has caused tens of millions of dollars damage in the Kansas City area alone...

WASHINGTON -- Star witness and presidential friend Kenneth Lay. Enron employees' loss of their retirement savings. The company's intricate web of partnerships. All come under the glare of public scrutiny this week as Congress delves into a huge corporate failure heavy with political overtones...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush's new budget will propose $591 billion in tax cuts over the next decade, even as he battles to turn federal deficits back into surpluses, documents show. Though a new round of tax reductions is not a major White House priority this year, the numbers show those cuts would claim a large share of dwindling federal surpluses...

GETTING THEREMost major airlines and a number of charter carriers service McCarran International Airport, just a mile east of the southern end of Las Vegas Boulevard, or the Strip, as it is also known. GETTING AROUND Although the Strip is too long to see on foot, a rental car isn't necessary unless you plan on taking in some of the sites elsewhere. ...

LAS VEGAS -- Las Vegas. The city of lights, and for thousands, the city of love. Sure there's the kitsch: The drive-through wedding chapels and Elvis impersonators crooning "Love Me Tender." But there's also some class and true romance to be found, as many of the 200,000 people who get married here each year can attest...

The Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Large crowds of people are flocking to a Taiwan exhibit of dinosaur fossils from China, home to many of the world's oldest and largest specimens. The exhibit of 23 dinosaur fossils from the collections of three Chinese fossil museums is the largest of its kind in Asia, says Li Kui, curator of the Museum of Chengdu University of Technology...

NEW ORLEANS -- The St. Louis Rams are starting to hear the "D" word. As in dynasty. Kurt Warner talked this week of becoming the first quarterback to win five Super Bowls. It prompted a shudder from Jay Zygmunt, the team's president of football operations...

NEW ORLEANS -- The only thing standing between the St. Louis Rams and yet another Super Bowl blowout could be a 49-year-old coach with a reserved demeanor and a knowledge of defense that's in his genes. In other words, a Super Bowl between the Rams and Bill Belichick, with the coach maneuvering his New England Patriots like pawns into spots where they can shut down the NFL's best offense. ...

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif.-- Pat Perez made three birdies on the back nine of a golf course he had never seen, giving him a 2-under-par 70 on Saturday and a four-stroke lead in the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Perez posted his score at Spyglass Hill, the toughest course in the rotation where he got in only nine holes of practice earlier in the week because of a high fever...

By Jimmy Golen ~ The Associated Press NEW ORLEANS -- Even now, after the New England Patriots have turned last year's last-place finish into a trip to the Super Bowl, coach Bill Belichick winces when recounting the team's early season problems...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- As some Kansas City area residents wait for power to be restored to their homes after this week's ice storm, authorities have issued warnings about the dangers of using generators to provide electricity to their homes. The warnings come after authorities found the body of a 66-year-old Kansas City woman on Friday. The woman, whose name had not been released, may have been the second generator-related fatality in the area during the storm...

HANOI, Vietnam -- The United States is interested in closer military ties with former enemy Vietnam, including visits by U.S. Navy ships, the commander of American forces in the Pacific said Saturday. Admiral Dennis Blair, commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific Command, said military ties between the countries still focus on their past war, including attempts to account for personnel listed as missing in action...

LAGOS, Nigeria -- A week after massive explosions ripped though Lagos neighborhoods, officials on Saturday revealed the extent of the disaster: more than 1,000 people had died, mainly children who drowned in a canal as they fled in panic. The new death toll -- 400 more than previously estimated -- was announced as the Nigerian Red Cross suspended its aid operations after military officials ordered the organization to hand over its relief supplies...

NEW YORK -- For a gathering of the rich and powerful, the World Economic Forum is spending a lot of time focusing on the poor and weak. Presidents and kings, sultans and billionaires heard strong warnings in the World Economic Forum's first two days that wealthy nations must take responsibility to ease the suffering of the developing world...

Term limits, the weak economy and some unusual timing combine to make this election year the most competitive for governors in recent memory, with 36 of the states' top jobs coming up for a vote. It could be an especially challenging year for Republicans, if only because the GOP made such sweeping gains in the past decade that the party's staying power will now be tested...

LOS ANGELES -- Along with a state bird, butterfly, fish and tree, California boasts its own fossil, Smilodon californicus, or Californian saber-tooth cat. Problem is, there was no such species. Rather, there was once such an animal, skeletons of which have been found by the hundreds at the La Brea Tar Pits. But the name of the species was tossed out by scientists in the 1980s in favor of Smilodon fatalis...

A man with a partial spinal cord injury gained impressive walking ability with treadmill training plus an implanted device that stimulates his spinal cord, suggesting the combined therapy might help such patients, researchers report. About half of spinal cord injury patients have partial injury that allows some leg muscle movement but not useful walking. Prior studies have shown that with intensive training on a treadmill, however, some of these patients can learn to walk again...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Even if they have the millions of dollars needed for a space station vacation, delinquents, liars, drunks and the infamous need not apply. That's the word from NASA, which on Thursday released criteria for visitors to the international space station. The nine-page report wraps up two years of work on what's considered "a thorny topic" by at least one space station official...

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. -- Gyms aren't just for muscleheads anymore. FitForever, a small health club in a strip mall, only allows women -- and the average age of the 450 members is 51. Some have that beat by decades. Unlike traditional health clubs, the walls aren't covered in mirrors from floor to ceiling. There aren't racks and racks of free weights. And the little bit of traditional weight equipment in the club wasn't there when it opened in December 2000...

LE ROY, N.Y. -- It wiggles, it jiggles, and next week Jell-O is going on the road. The Traveling Jell-O Museum is slated to be unveiled in Salt Lake City on Wednesday by curator Lynne Belluscio and company spokesman Bill Cosby. Utah is the museum's first stop in part because of international attention directed at Salt Lake City because of the Olympics. But the state also has the highest per capita consumption of the dessert, which is the official state snack...

Gov. Bob Holden's latest education initiative has teachers talking -- but not all of them have positive things to say. The initiative would force teachers in academically struggling districts to take tests if they want raises. Holden calls it an effort to ensure every student in Missouri's public schools receives the best education possible, but some teachers say they feel like they are being unnecessarily blamed for problems that involve everyone from parents to administrators...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A forthcoming state report is critical of the state Division of Family Services for contracting with Southeast Missouri State University to help launch the Bootheel Initiatives program, one of several efforts around the state aimed at reducing and preventing welfare dependency...

Submitted photo Macaroni Mayfield, a yellow Labrador retriever, is about 5 or 6 years old. She was abandoned at the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri when she was 2 and was adopted by Jeff and Jamie Mayfield. Macaroni has passed the American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen Test and has an independent listing with the AKC. She attended the Pindwood Kennel College of Hunting Dogs, but let's just say she doesn't enjoy getting her paws muddy, so the hunting thing never really worked out."...

LITTLETON, Colo. -- Sheriff's officials said they would test a bullet found in the backpack of one of the students killed in the Columbine High School massacre after acknowledging that it hadn't been matched to a specific weapon. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Department initially said ballistics tests proved that officers who shot into the school library during the April 20, 1999, attack didn't fire the bullet found in a notebook in Corey DePooter's backpack...

TERRAL, Okla. -- Police focused their search for four Texas jail escapees around this southern Oklahoma town after burglaries at several area homes aroused suspicion. About 100 law officers went from house to house in Terral and nearby Grady on Friday as police helicopters searched from above and authorities set up roadblocks near the Texas border...

NEW YORK -- The Piano Man is taking his act to Broadway. Billy Joel's songs are the basis for a new musical, "Movin' Out," that will hit the New York stage in October. While the pop music icon won't star in -- or even be part of -- the show, 26 of his songs and instrumental compositions will...

NEW YORK -- Elmo and the "Sesame Street" gang are getting a makeover. With the opening of its 33rd season on Monday, television's best-known children's show will unveil its most dramatic overhaul ever, one designed with competition and a changing audience in mind...

CHICAGO -- Things are changing down at the depot, and a new exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago aspires to show how the 19th-century world of trains and railroad stations is being transformed in the 21st. Train stations, in the old black-and-white movies, had a gloomy -- and sometimes gritty -- glamour. ...

NEW ORLEANS -- Several hours before Sunday's Super Bowl, federal inmate No. 24003-037 will sit down at a TV set in the day room at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta and scan the numbers on the jerseys of players going through pregame paces. As he did even when he was a fugitive from drug charges, Abdul Hakim will be looking for No. 81 -- his son...

HOUSTON -- An internal probe into Enron Corp.'s finances spread the blame for the company's downfall from greedy architects of questionable partnerships to executives, directors and auditors who failed to watch them. The probe, released late Saturday and led by University of Texas School of Law Dean William Powers Jr., said top members of Enron's financial team invested in or created partnerships that facilitated accounting abuses while earning them millions...

Thousands of people waited for their electricity to be restored Saturday in the aftermath of a snow and ice storm blamed for at least 22 deaths. The storm had blown far out to sea on Saturday, leaving a trail of broken tree limbs and snow banks from Oklahoma to Maine...

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. -- Six more weeks of winter. No Super Bowl pick. Punxsutawney Phil left his cozy tree stump for this? The furry forecaster sent groans through a record crowd of 40,000 humans as they shivered in the subfreezing temperatures early Saturday outside the groundhog's home on Gobbler's Knob...

Scientists have identified a stretchy protein they say is associated with the ravages of aging and chronic diseases such as emphysema. The protein, known as fibulin-5, is critical to the development of elastic fibers that stabilize the outside of cell walls, keeping skin tight and lungs and blood vessels pliable...

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. -- Cliff Browne huddles against the cold air, his camera lens pointed toward two distant dots on a hazy horizon. Daylight has broken, and the gray wolves are showing themselves. Browne's voice fills with excitement as he begins counting them, but rises to little more than a whisper as he angles his head for a better view. "I love it!" he says. "I love it!"...

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Scientists at Hewlett-Packard Co. and UCLA said they have patented a means of getting around a significant hurdle in the race to build computer chips out of individual molecules. The breakthrough could give researchers an efficient way to control the flow of information on such minuscule circuits -- a requirement if tiny but enormously powerful molecular computers are ever to become a reality...

Hundreds of area Girl Scouts got to dance the tango in the streets of Argentina, gather coffee beans from the fields of Colombia, get spiritual in India and celebrate independence in Ukraine. They did it in three hours, not counting the quick jaunt to a couple of Siberian prisons with a world-traveling clown...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Democratic House Speaker Jim Kreider prodded the Senate on Thursday to move swiftly on legislation to eliminate the statute of limitations on forcible rape and sodomy. A key Senate Republican apparently took umbrage at the suggestion the Senate is moving too slowly...

SEOUL, South Korea -- Three days after President Bush said North Korea was part of an "axis of evil," leader Kim Jong Il said his regime may increase the capabilities of the world's fifth-largest army to prevent an invasion. While inspecting a unit of the communist state's People's Army Friday, Kim said the military was "weathering out the raging wind raised by imperialists."...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Lawson and Judi Burgfeld of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Jamie Beth Burgfeld, to Darren Ray Hefner. He is the son of Carl Hefner of Advance, Mo., and the late Deborah Hefner. Burgfeld is a 1995 graduate of Jackson High school, and 1998 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University Law Enforcement Academy. She is a police officer with Jackson Police Department...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Sheila and Randy Rhymer of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Jamie Lynn Popp, to Bryan Thomas Kiefer. He is the son of June McCrory of Cape Girardeau, Morris McCrory of Benton, Mo., and the late Jim Kiefer of Perryville, Mo...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Don Mayberry of Advance and Pat Stephens of Arab, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Jennifer D. Mayberry, to Lucas L. Hess. He is the son of Huey and Debby Hess of Advance. Mayberry is a 1999 graduate of Advance High School. She is employed at Cross Trails Medical Center...

Gary and Marsha Holloway of Mt. Vernon, Ill., announce the engagement of their daughter, Andrea Holloway, to Danny Wittenborn. He is the son of Brad and Michele Wittenborn of Cape Girardeau. Holloway is a graduate of Mt. Vernon High School, and received a bachelor of science degree in psychology from Southeast Missouri State University. She is a caseworker with Regency Management in Cape Girardeau...

Bob and Nita Sheets of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Laura Renae Sheets, to Randall Lee Graham. He is the son of Jerry and Jean Graham of Fredericktown, Mo. Sheets is a graduate of Central High School, and received a bachelor of science degree in elementary education from Southeast Missouri State University. She is a fourth grade teacher at West Lane Elementary in Jackson, Mo...

Ron and Darlene Wallis of Eugene, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Jenny Rebecca Wallis, to Dr. Stephen Destan Sides, both of St. Louis. He is the son of Dr. Stanley and Kay Sides of Cape Girardeau. Wallis received a bachelor of science degree in psychology from Truman State University at Kirksville, Mo. She is an IT technical recruiter with Sykes Enterprises...

Richard and Catherine Fehr of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Kimberly Ann Fehr, to Marvin Adams Jr. He is the son of Marvin and Sally Adams of Jackson, Mo. Fehr is a graduate of Notre Dame High School, and received a bachelor of science degree in mass communication/public relations from Southeast Missouri State University. She is employed at KFVS TV...

There's nothing like some shouting to get people in a good mood. I'm not talking about grumpy old men. I'm talking about cheerleading, that wonderful American tradition of arm raises, leg kicks and sock-it-to-them enthusiasm. It's gymnastics with a voice...

I saw some stars the other night. No really! At least I think they were stars. After a fabulous fall observing season that went on for many weeks it's time to get back to typical Midwest winter weather. Get out your planetarium software and simulate the stars rising and setting just so you don't forget which way they go...

MILLERSVILLE, Mo. -- Mike and Jan Onderdonk of Millersville announce the engagement of their daughter, Sarah Jane Onderdonk, to Bradley Allen Jones of Liberal, Mo. He is the son of Allen and Wanda Jones of Lockwood, Mo. Onderdonk received a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Southeast Missouri State University in December 2001. She is employed at Firstar Bank...

ALLENVILLE, Mo. -- Phil and Darlene Thompson of Allenville announce the engagement of their daughter, Amanda Thompson, to Jason Deckard. He is the son of Gala Deckard of Advance, Mo., and the late Jon Deckard. Thompson is a 1998 graduate of Delta High School at Delta, Mo. She is employed at Marion Eye Centers and Optical in Cape Girardeau...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Bernard and Joyce Giesler of Ste. Genevieve, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Tiffany Giesler, to Scott Merriman, both of Jackson. He is the son of Loyd and Sheryl Merriman of Poplar Bluff, Mo. Giesler is a 1995 graduate of Ste. ...

It seems like just about nobody is giving the Patriots much of a chance to win Super Bowl XXXVI. Don't count me among that group, but I do think the Rams will be mighty hard to beat. First of all, you've got to tip your hat to New England, which began the season picked to finish toward the bottom of the AFC East. Then, when quarterback Drew Bledsoe went down with an injury while the Patriots were 0-2, it looked like the Pats would be lucky to win even a couple of games...

KENNETT, Mo. -- Mark Twain once said that every dog needs a few fleas because they keep him from worrying so much about being a dog. Perhaps that is why so many officials welcome all the distractions created in Jefferson City: They divert them from worrying about the problems they have neglected for so long...

Coverage of ND swim feat was disappointing To the editor: As a parent of a Notre Dame swimmer, I am very upset about the poor coverage in the Friday edition of the paper on their last swim meet. Notre Dame took first place in every event at the meet against Principia on Jan. 31...

WHITEWATER, Mo. -- Mr. and Mrs. Mike Clardy of Whitewater celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary Jan. 27, 2002. Clardy and Lynette Leadbetter were married Jan. 28, 1967, at Bethlehem General Baptist Church at Crump, Mo. Their attendants were Mary Deck Peters of Leopold, Mo., and Bill Glenn of Jackson, Mo...

Mr. and Mrs. Clement Birk of Cape Girardeau celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with a family dinner and reception Jan. 12 at Trinity Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall. Hosts were their children and spouses, Gary and Sandy Birk of St. Louis and Saundra and Thomas Farrington of Cape Girardeau...

Tiffany Jill Biggerstaff and Jeffrey Lee Eye were married July 28, 2001, at First Baptist Church in Kimberling City, Mo. The Rev. Randy Johnson performed the double ring ceremony. Pianist was Raphael Thompson. The groom was soloist. Parents of the couple are William and Judy Biggerstaff of Cape Girardeau, and Bruce and Judy Eye of Kimberling City...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Concordia Lutheran Church was the setting Sept. 15, 2001, for the wedding of April Dawn Dugger and Daryl Alan Birk. The Rev. Alan Wollenberg performed the double ring ceremony. Organist was Diane Wicker of Benton, Mo. Soloists were Jennifer Birk-Cook of Perryville, Mo., sister of the groom, and Harold Myrick of Sikeston...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Jennifer Dianne Icaza and Josh Daniel Gast exchanged vows Oct. 6, 2001, at Centenary United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau. Dr. Lee Strawhun performed the double ring ceremony. Music was presented by Robert Francois and orchestra. Soloists were Chrissie Icaza of Jackson and Paul Baum of Springfield, Mo...

Melody Ann Reed and Kenneth Ryan Wasson were united in marriage Dec. 29, 2001, at Schweitzer United Methodist Church in Springfield, Mo. The Rev. Bob Casady performed the double ring ceremony. Organist was Cheryll Moll, and vocalists were Rachel Peacock and Barth Fraker of Springfield...

Daily Statesman DEXTER, Mo. -- Rice from Stoddard County has arrived in Cuba, and the Cubans are buying more U.S. commodities. Eighth District U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson said last week the Cubans "have actually made some second-round purchases from Tyson for chicken quarters." She added that some of the chicken quarters came from the Dexter Tyson plant...

10 years ago: Feb. 3, 1992 Cape Girardeau Public Works Department defends its solid-waste and recycling efforts against criticism launched against program since its inception last fall; Councilman Doug Richards questions whether state solid waste law actually mandates efforts to reduce wastes, or merely "suggests" them...

The name of Melva R. Lewis was misspelled in a Thursday article concerning the mural on the ceiling of the entrance to Hecht's store in downtown Cape Girardeau. The Southeast Missourian regrets the error.

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Second-seeded Marquand knocked off No. 1 Meadow Heights 73-67 to win the Mississippi Valley Conference Tournament. Heath Stephens scored 37 points for Marquand (9-10), while Ryan Stephens and Jared Kunz each had 10. Meadow Heights (11-7) was led by Joey Bell (13), Josh Mayfield (12), Josh Fulton (12) and Cody Thompson (10)...

The unwelcome prospect of going from rivals to bitter rivals has Cape Central and Notre Dame changing their basketball schedules. With Cape Central joining Notre Dame in the Farmington Tournament next year, the schools' boys and girls teams stood the chance of playing each other four times -- twice in the regular season and twice in tournaments...

Saying America "won't cut corners" in the war against terrorism, President Bush is proposing a $48 billion increase in defense spending. If approved by Congress, it would be the largest increase in spending for the Pentagon budget since Ronald Reagan was president...

Americans who watched President Bush's State of the Union address Tuesday night saw three speeches in one. And they saw a president who, in his first year in office, has achieved a level of dignity and trustworthiness that many doubters might not have thought possible a year ago...

Burglars hit a North Kingshighway storefont, making off with $2,000 worth of merchandise, police said. Cape Girardeau police said burglars made their way into the Dollar General Store at 1142 N. Kingshighway by breaking a window. The burglary occurred either late Friday or early Saturday and was discovered Saturday morning...

Cape Girardeau Sunday, Feb. 3 Firefighters responded to the following calls Saturday:At 12:35 a.m., an emergency medical service at 230 Mill. At 1:13 a.m., a motor vehicle accident at the 400 block of Country Club. At 1:16 a.m., an emergency medical service at 1336 N. Main...

Cape Girardeau Sunday, Feb. 3 DWIDavid Janzen Ringo, 943 Bellevue, was arrested Friday for driving while intoxicated and striking parked vehicles. ArrestsJatu Cancer, 18, of Hazelwood, Mo., was arrested Friday for failure to appear. Amy Elizabeth Ryan, 17, of 3847 State Highway W was arrested Friday for stealing. In the same case, two 16-year-old females were cited into juvenile court Friday for stealing...

Stan Wicks doesn't mind rolling up his sleeves. His successful business on Independence Street started out as a way to make a little extra money about 10 years ago. All he had at that time was a few tools and a pickup truck. And most importantly, he says, a supportive wife...

When Melvin Gateley decided to leave the school system after 37 years, he didn't want to stop making a difference. After orchestrating and serving on the Vision 2000 board for 12 years, he felt there was more to do. And after serving eight years as a city council member, he still wasn't finished...

Walter White is running for mayor as a common-sense guy with some non-conventional ideas. While some of his stances concur with the other three candidates -- the idea of making the city more enticing for college graduates to stay here, for example -- many of his plans are unlike anything the other candidates have offered...

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- If only Janet Holt would have stayed in foul trouble, Southeast Missouri State University's women might have had a chance to pull off an upset Saturday. But Holt, who sat out much of the first half with two fouls, did not commit a foul in the second half and wound up with 35 points to lead Ohio Valley Conference power Tennessee Tech from a halftime deficit to an 87-69 victory...

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Tech has plenty of weapons -- so many, in fact, the Golden Eagles can thrive even when their star player is on the bench. That was the case Saturday when the Eagles remained undefeated in the Ohio Valley Conference with an 82-67 victory over Southeast Missouri State University...

Allison M. Smith and Pfc. Jeffrey Steven Daniels were married Dec. 22, 2001, at Faith Tabernacle. The Rev. Doyle Randol performed the ceremony. Music was provided by Mindy Randol of St. Louis and Derek Teague of Cape Girardeau. The bride is the daughter of Ervin D. Smith of Cape Girardeau and Stephanie A. Smith of Oakland, Miss. Parents of the groom are Clark and Vicki Daniels of Cape Girardeau and Kenny and Laura Tierdo of West Palm Beach, Fla...

ANNA, Ill. -- Frederick Wayne Hill, 53, of Anna died Friday, Feb. 1, 2002, at Memorial Hospital in Carbondale, lll. He was born Sept. 5, 1948, in Carbondale, Ill., son of Gilbert F. and Helen Barnett Hill. Survivors include his mother and a sister, Bonnie Stearns of Alto Pass, Ill...

COBDEN, Ill. -- William Frederick Choate, 50, of Cobden died Saturday, Jan. 19, 2002, in Savlamer Hospital in Westmoreland, Jamaica. He was born Nov. 13, 1951, son of Floyd M. and Jewell Trainer Choate. A graduate of Wesleyan University, Choate held a master's degree in paralegal...

Sharla Rosana Pullen, 37, of Bellwood, Ill., formerly of Bell City and Cape Girardeau, died suddenly Jan. 23, 2002, at Maui Memorial Medical Center in Kahului Maui, Hawaii. She was born Oct. 23, 1964, in Bell City, daughter of Charles and Earnestine Jackson Pullen...

MURRAY, Ky. -- Margaret Louise Tarry Roper, 95, of Murray died Thursday, Jan. 31, 2002, at the Lutheran Home. She was born Aug. 10, 1906, in Fulton County, Ky., daughter of J.M. and Nina Maddox Linn. She was first married to Mack Thomas Tarry. He died March 15, 1978. She was then married to Melvin Roper, who died Jan. 27, 1993...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Harold Lee Wright, 70, of Jackson died Friday, Feb. 1, 2002, at St. Francis Medical Center, after suffering an apparent massive heart attack at the Little Ole Opry near Burfordville, Mo. Friends may call from 4-8 p.m. Monday at the McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson. Funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Janet Hopkins officiating. Burial will be in Russell Heights Cemetery with a Missouri military honors service...

Anna Marie Eddleman, 81, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Feb. 1, 2002, at the Lutheran Home. Born June 14, 1920, in Cape Girardeau, she was the daughter of James L. and Gertrude Pearl Borneman Green. On March 25, 1941, she was married to Walter C. Eddleman. He died July 18, 1988...

Be more constructive I DON'T consider myself a Democrat or a Republican. I try and vote for the best person after doing proper research. I am dismayed by the negativity that Peter Kinder gives off. In all my years in Missouri I have never seen Kinder put forth a good idea. He just criticizes others. Maybe it would be better if he could be more constructive instead of putting down others...

Good work, team I WOULD like to congratulate the Cape Central wrestling team, which took some bumps and bruises this season but kept their heads held up the whole season. Hey, you'll get 'em next year Tigers! County all-stars CONGRATULATIONS TO Zack Kelley and Tyler Bowman from Advance for being chosen on the Stoddard County Junior Varsity All Tournament Team...

For many years, Cape Girardeau mayoral candidate Jay Knudtson made a living as a hockey referee. Knudtson enjoys riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle. He likes to play golf. He says his best friend is his 7-year-old son, Gunnar. And he's also a senior vice president with Bank of America...

First snowfall came in on tomcat feet rather than Sandburg's delightful description of fog coming on "little cat feet." My helper, Mary, and I lay down in separate places to window-watch its arrival. Predictions had been numerous. When, outside my window, the first flakes began to fall I began to recall my favorite snow poems. I pretended to be Robert Frost's character who stopped his little horse beside the "lovely woods, dark and deep" to watch them fill up with snow...