Stories from Sunday, February 15, 2004

Democratic presidential front-runner John Kerry scored victories east and west Saturday, swamping his rivals in Nevada and the District of Columbia caucuses to build his advantage in delegates needed for the nomination. His opponents pinned their hopes on the coming Wisconsin primary to try to slow him down...

GONAIVES, Haiti -- Haitian rebels seeking to topple the president brought in reinforcements from the neighboring Dominican Republic, including the exiled former leader of 1980s death squads and a former police chief accused of fomenting a coup, witnesses said Saturday, as police fled two more northern towns...

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico -- Actresses Jane Fonda and Sally Field marched through this gritty Mexican border city Saturday urging authorities to investigate the brutal slayings of hundreds of young women and girls. Mexican authorities say 258 women have been killed over the past decade in Ciudad Juarez, a city of some 1.3 million people. Many of the victims were sexually assaulted, strangled and dumped in the desert near Juarez, across the Rio Grande river from El Paso, Texas...

BELLFLOWER, Mo. -- A body found in a cistern beneath his home has been identified as a 51-year-old man. Jeffrey Maher's body was found Wednesday by Montgomery County and Missouri State Highway Patrol officers investigating a tip that a corpse was being concealed at the house in this community, about 80 miles west of St. Louis...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Couples will no longer be able to exchange wedding vows at one Kansas City Methodist church, which has decided to stop performing traditional marriage ceremonies because a church rule prohibits such services for gay and lesbians...

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. already hears the whispers. Will he ever win the Daytona 500? Junior goes into NASCAR's biggest event 0-for-4, even though he has been among the favorites in three of those races and was the overwhelming pick a year ago...

CARMI, Ill. -- A 52-year-old man likely bled to death after he was attacked by a lion, authorities said. "The pathologist is relatively certain Mr. Abell bled to death from the animal bites," Hardin County Coroner Roger Little said Friday, following an autopsy...

CLIMAX, Minn. -- Showing town spirit in Climax is cause for punishment in this Minnesota town. Shirley Moberg, superintendent of Climax-Shelly schools, said T-shirts bearing the town's slogan "Climax -- More than just a feeling," are inappropriate because of the sexual innuendo...

Editorial from The Wall Street Journal Critics of President Bush's education program, the No Child Left Behind Act, now accuse him of enforcing the law on the cheap. We agree the law has its faults, and said so when it roared through Congress two years ago, but lack of funding isn't close to being one of them...

Central High School senior Mark Dunaway has decided to follow in his brother's footsteps and play football for Southeast Missouri State University. Dunaway, a 6-foot, 175-pounder, was Central's leading receiver last season, catching 35 passes for 687 yards and six touchdowns. He also excelled on defense in the secondary with 12 passes broken up, one interception and 35 tackles...

Southeast Missouri State University had 20 top-10 finishes Saturday at the adidas Classic indoor track meet hosted by the University of Nebraska. The Southeast women had 13 of the top finishes in the event, which took place at the Bob Devaney Sports Center and included schools such as Colorado, Colorado State, Wichita State and North Dakota State...

BOSTON -- In the battle over same-sex marriage, liberals have been front and center, pushing to give gays and lesbians the right to wed. But there is at least a small block of conservatives who are on the same page, often for different reasons: They're loath to tinker with a constitution, for one, or they want to see more people -- gay or straight -- make commitments...

Matt and Robbie Petzoldt of Cape Girardeau attend two different schools, plan on careers in the secular and nonsecular world. They aren't interested in the same girls, and their circles of friends are different. One thing they do have in common is that they both became Eagle Scouts on Saturday at Academic Auditorium at Southeast Missouri State University. Though 22 months apart in age, they timed their achievements so they could be honored at the same ceremony...

Around Southeast Missouri, there aren't crazy antics, costumes or a calendar to pose for when it comes to raising money for charity causes. In Cape Girardeau, the major fund-raiser for the American Cancer Society takes on a more elegant air. For 18 years, the local cancer society has been hosting a benefit gala to raise money for cancer prevention and education. This year's event is Feb. 28 at the Bavarian Halle in Fruitland...

Columbia Daily Tribune COLUMBIA, Mo. -- In a couple of months, the American Cancer Society's major annual fund-raising push will begin, culminating in the Relay for Life. Across the country, teams will assemble to collect pledges and organize bake sales, garage sales, car washes and auctions...

GENEVA -- U.S. authorities have given the international Red Cross permission to see Saddam Hussein, but no date has been set, the organization said Saturday. "We have had a green light for a visit," Jakob Kellenberger, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a newspaper interview. "However, we don't yet know when it will take place."...

HAVANA -- America's economy hangs by a thread while Cuba -- after four decades under a U.S. economic blockade -- continues to offer free health care and boasts an infant mortality rate lower than its northern neighbor, President Fidel Castro asserted early Saturday...

The Cape Girardeau and Jackson police departments recently received 95 bags of homeland security equipment -- one for every full-time officer -- that will keep officers protected from dangerous chemicals. The bags include plastic suits, gas masks and two different types of gloves...

Save the tearful goodbyes for Monday. For the soldiers of the 1140th Engineer Battalion, the four-day furlough at home this weekend has offered one more chance to enjoy time with family and friends -- including many a Valentine's Day kiss, no doubt -- before deploying for the war in Iraq...

Before Takamune Suzuki was the vice conductor of the Sony Concert Band in Tokyo, he was -- by his own assessment -- an at-best marginal tuba player at Southeast Missouri State University who didn't even pass an audition for the wind ensemble. "When I left, I didn't really want to play the tuba anymore," he said Saturday. "I didn't feel like I was very good."...

After a brutal session of slaps, punches, body slams and binge drinking, Michael Davis was finally brought to his knees by a kick to the chest at the track and field complex at Southeast Missouri State University on Feb. 14, 1994. Less than 12 hours later, he died in his bed at his apartment of internal bleeding. Ultimately, 16 young men associated with Kappa Alpha Psi, a black fraternity, faced accusations of hazing. Seven of them were also charged with involuntary manslaughter...

When it comes to rodeo safety, the steps made to protect the cowboys are easily apparent to the casual observer. Rodeo athletes can be seen wearing protective vests, and there are always fellow riders in the ring to help the main rider off the animal or to ensure their safety. The steps taken to protect the animals may not be as obvious though...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Gay and lesbian couples from across the country answered this city's Valentine's Day invitation to wed in an unprecedented spree of same-sex marriages that has challenged California law. Hundreds of people lined up Saturday outside city hall to secure marriage licenses -- and then take each other as "spouse for life" in brief vows that have given San Francisco's seat of government the feel of a Las Vegas wedding chapel. ...

Rhode Island nightclub has sparked little change nationally By Michael Mello ~ The Associated Press PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- When a rock band's pyrotechnics set a Rhode Island nightclub ablaze, killing 100 people and injuring scores of others, fire marshals across the nation scurried to review their safety inspections...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Mongo the steer may now be Mongo the steak, but it isn't too late to give the dethroned state fair champion his title back, a judge has ruled. Officials ruled at last year's Illinois State Fair that Mongo's owners had given him banned medicine to treat a sore hoof. They stripped him of his ribbon and gave the title -- and the thousands of dollars it generates -- to the runner-up...

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A man standing on a highway overpass fired a handgun at a sport utility vehicle Saturday on Interstate 70, and investigators said it appeared to be linked to the monthslong series of highway shootings in the Columbus area. No one was injured in the late morning shooting near Patas-kala, about 15 miles east of Columbus...

FALLUJAH, Iraq -- Guerrillas overwhelmed an Iraqi police station west of Baghdad on Saturday, meeting little resistance as they went room to room shooting police in a bold, well-organized assault that killed 23 people and freed dozens of prisoners, officials said...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Four Afghan aid workers were killed in an ambush Saturday, the latest victims in a bloody Taliban-led insurgency threatening plans for midyear elections. A U.S. soldier died in a mine blast, but the military said it was unclear if it was an attack...

ABBOTABAD, Pakistan-- Two earthquakes struck a remote region of northern Pakistan on Saturday, toppling walls and triggering landslides that killed at least 17 people and injured 30 others. Some 150 homes were damaged. At least one person was reported missing. Rescue crews were trying to reach the area in the rugged Hindu Kush mountain range, which is covered by a thick blanket of snow. Officials feared the death toll may rise as temperatures plunged overnight...

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- A U.S. government-financed satellite television station aimed at Arab viewers made its debut broadcast Saturday, airing an interview with President Bush in which he praised Iraqi determination to achieve democracy. Al-Hurra, or The Free One, began broadcasting at 11 a.m. with footage showing windows being opened, symbolizing freedom...

TIKRIT, Iraq -- Spc. Thomas Daniels' one-year stint in Iraq as an Army engineer is almost over. But the 24-year-old is already making plans to return -- without a gun and, he hopes, with a lot a more money. Daniels has applied online for construction work with Washington's military contractor in Iraq -- Kellogg, Brown & Root -- eyeing a job he says will pay more than twice his current salary of around $1,700 a month...

NEW YORK -- Got five minutes? Even most busy people can spare 300 seconds, and that's enough time to check e-mail, flip through a catalog -- or make the difference in someone else's life. Volunteer work, whether it's a regular gig at a soup kitchen or writing a greeting card to someone in a nursing home, is probably as valuable an experience for the do-gooder as the recipient, says author and mother Jenny Friedman...

What others think KUDOS TO the Southeast Missourian for publishing the Saturday editorial cartoon and the Tuesday editorial from Al-Ahram. It's high time folks in Southeast Missouri got a taste of what the rest of the world thinks.Divided learning MY TEACHER was teaching the Big Bang theory. ...

St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church was the setting April 26, 2003, for the wedding of Angela Marie Elizabeth Scherer and Matthew John Bommarito. The Revs. Vincent Bommarito, Al Hoernig, Ignatius Medina, and Monsignor Sal Polizzi performed the ceremony. Lectors were Clinton Farrar of Cape Girardeau, cousin of the bride, and Julie Pisarkiewicz of Columbia, Mo., cousin of the groom...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- David and Janet Schutte of Payson, Ill., announce the engagement of their daughter, Julie Marie Schutte of St. Louis, to Ryan Edwin Masters of Quincy, Ill. He is the son of Dr. Edwin and Jacqueline Masters of Sikeston. Schutte is a 1998 graduate of Payson Seymour High School. She expects to receive a bachelor of science degree in pharmacy from St. Louis College of Pharmacy in May. She is a pharmacy intern at SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis...

MARQUAND, Mo. -- Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Dees of Marquand and Mr. and Mrs. Edward Lichtenegger of Altenburg, Mo., announce the engagement of their children, Sarah Elizabeth Dees and Daniel Mark Lichtenegger. Dees is a 1994 graduate of Marquand-Zion High School. She received a bachelor of science degree in management from Southeast Missouri State University in 1998, and is a 1998 graduate of Missouri Auction School. She is employed by Dees Auction Management...

Gary and Cynthia McCormick of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Amber McCormick, to Matthew Gossage, both of St. Louis. He is the son of Jerald and Cynthia Sims of Carterville, Ill., and Charles Gossage of Murphysboro, Ill. McCormick is a 2000 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University. She expects to graduate in 2005 from the University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Optometry...

Dixie Banks of Des Moines, Iowa, announces the engagement of her daughter, Stacy Lee Banks, to Derek Lee Halter. He is the son of Mary Meyer of Leopold, Mo., and Michael Halter of Cape Girardeau. Banks is also the daughter of the late George Banks. Banks is a 1994 graduate of Van Meter High School. ...

Alan and Rebecca Moneyhun of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Jessica Annette Brown, to Jeremy Wayne Birk. He is the son of Gary and Donna Birk of Cape Girardeau. Brown is a 2002 graduate of Jackson High School. She is a CNA at the Lutheran Home...

Hanna Leigh James and Richard Darron Joplin announce their engagement. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lynn James of Sedgewickville, Mo. Joplin is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Joplin of Jackson. James is a 2002 graduate of Meadow Heights High School. She expects to receive an associate of arts degree in criminal justice from Mineral Area College in May, and has enrolled at SEMO Police Academy for September...

Joan Martin of Cape Girardeau announces the engagement of her daughter, Pamela Franco, to Joseph Mancinelli. He is the son of Dr. and Mrs. M. Joseph Mancinelli of Stamford, Conn. Franco is a graduate of Meridian High School and Southeast Missouri State University. She is owner of Franco Research Group in New York City...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Larry and Karen Kohlfeld of Perryville announce the engagement of their daughter, Karry Kohlfeld, to Travis Brim. He is the son of Wayne and Marilyn Brim of Jackson. Kohlfeld is a 2000 graduate of St. Vincent High School. She received a bachelor of science degree in biology from Maryville University in St. Louis in 2003. She is employed at St. Luke's Hospital in St. Louis...

Mr. and Mrs. John Frye of Scott City celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Jan. 10, 2004, at Eisleben Lutheran Parish Hall. A buffet dinner was hosted by their children and spouses, Patty and Tom Schiwitz of Chaffee, Mo., Donna and Mike Essner and Mike Frye of Scott City, John and Donna Frye of Gordonville, and Debbie and Carl Kolkmeier of St. Charles, Mo...

10 years ago: Feb. 15, 1993 Group of county residents opposed to sale of Jackson sanitary landfill has organized; group is called Cape Girardeau County Concerned Citizens, and Glen Birk is its president. Lights flicker momentarily in parts of Cape Girardeau just before noon, when steel boom of pile-driving crane working near South Kingshighway and William falls onto Union Electric 115.5-kilovolt subtransmission line; both lanes of William Street at Kingshighway are closed to traffic for about three hours as workers repair downed lines.. ...

Daily Dunklin Democrat KENNETT, Mo. -- An owl caused an electrical power outage in a Kennett subdivision Friday morning and led to a doctor being hospitalized. Utility superintendent Larry Jones said he had never seen anything quite like what had happened...

Southeast Missourian JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The power of eminent domain was intended to allow authorities to acquire land from unwilling sellers when private property is needed for a public purpose, such as constructing a highway or government building...

Getting voters to approve tax increases isn't impossible. Taxpayers who believe more money will be put to good use are inclined to approve tax increases. Sikeston voters did it earlier this month. Obviously, voters there agreed with city officials who cited public safety and other needs. School districts in our area have turned down some spending plans, but they have heartily approved those that made sense...

Ruann E. Kinnison and Victor Lee Parker were married Aug. 15, 2003, in Genesee, Colo. The Rev. Patrick Rolnick performed the ceremony. Soloist was Melinda Whitticre of Cape Girardeau, sister of the bride. The bride is the daughter of Andrew Kinnison of Cape Girardeau, and the late Iola Kinnison. The groom is the son of the late Ralph and Mary Parker...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Mindy Welland and Donald Swanner Jr. exchanged vows Sept. 27, 2003, at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. The Rev. J. Friedel performed the ceremony. Music was by the Kinnison Family of Perryville. Parents of the bride are David and Linda Welland of Perryville. The groom is the son of Donald and Madelene Swanner of Scott City...

ST. LOUIS -- Eric Boguniecki scored with 2:54 left in overtime to give the St. Louis Blues a 3-2 victory over Pittsburgh on Saturday night, the Penguins' 14th consecutive loss. Keith Tkachuk and Christian Backman also scored for the Blues, who blew an early two-goal cushion against the NHL's worst team but recovered to end a four-game losing streak at home...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- When Missourians get their property tax bills in reassessment years, sticker shock often results. Although the Missouri Constitution requires taxing entities to lower their property levies to prevent them from profiting from the higher land values reassessments typically produce, that doesn't mean taxes stay flat for individual property owners. ...

SEATTLE -- The skills and technology used to explore the extreme depths of the Earth's oceans will soon find work in outer space. Scientists are making plans to probe the icy seas of Jupiter's moons and drop a lander to the bizarre gasoline-like lakes of Titan, a moon of Saturn...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Southeast Missouri State University's season received two more major blows Saturday night. First, senior center Brandon Griffin -- the Indians' second-leading scorer, leading rebounder and top assist man -- suffered a severely sprained ankle in the first four minutes against Tennessee State. He spent the rest of the game on the bench...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Southeast Missouri State University's women were not quite as dominant against Tennessee State the second time around. But the Otahkians still had little trouble handling the Ohio Valley Conference's worst team Saturday and extending their season-high winning streak to five games...

Standing inside a seven-man circle on Valentine's Day night at the track and field complex, Michael Davis knew what was coming. More pain. More humiliation. More "brotherly love." For days, he had been punched, slapped, slammed, and even caned across his bare feet by other young men as a means of conditioning his mind for membership in Kappa Alpha Psi, a black fraternity at Southeast Missouri State University. Or so they later testified...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Willie Flowers, 86, of Cairo died Thursday, Feb. 12, 2004, at home after an extended illness. Friends may call from 5 to 7 p.m. at Heavenly Gates Funeral Home in Cairo. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following items Friday: At 6:49 p.m., a motor vehicle accident on Highway 25. At 7:57 p.m., an emergency medical service at 115 N. Henderson. At 10:15 p.m., a still alarm at 1533 Parksite. Firefighters responded to the following items Saturday:...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Cheryl Ann Sandage, 51, 18237 County Road 527, Bloomfield, Mo., was arrested Friday on suspicion of stealing. Xavier Joseph Norwood, 19, of 312 S. Hanover, Cape Girardeau, was arrested Friday on a Cape Girardeau warrant for failure to appear...

Hurley Daughter to Jared P. and Rachelle J. Hurley of Jackson, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 9:37 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 8, 2004. Name, Brea Grace. Weight, 6 pounds 9 ounces. Second daughter. Mrs. Hurley is the former Rachelle Chevalier, daughter of Rick Chevalier of Joplin, Mo., and Kelly Snyder of Nevada, Mo. Hurley is the son of Charles and Carol Hurley of Murray, Ky. He is employed at Wireless Retail Inc...

Agnes Borgfield, 90, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Feb. 14, 2004, at Chateau Girardeau in Cape Girardeau. She was born Sept. 22, 1913, in Jackson, daughter of Frederick H. and Lillian F. Day Loos. She and Elmer Borgfield were married Feb. 8, 1931, in Jackson. He died Aug. 15, 1990...

Edwin O. Calvert, 83, of Barlow, Ky., and formerly of Cairo, Ill, died Friday, Feb. 13, 2004, at Life Care Center in LaCenter, Ky. He was born Sept. 15, 1920, in Miller City, Ill., son of Alfred and Fannie Lane Calvert. He was married to EmmaJean Calvert, She died in 1997...

Shirley Eddleman of Whitewater died Friday, Feb. 13, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center. She was born April 21, 1937, at Cape Girardeau, daughter of Lloyd Herbert and Ruth Caroline Kinder Eddleman. She was a nurse's aid in Chicago for 30 years, retiring in 1984. Eddleman was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church...

Gladys Reva Cripps, 72, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Feb. 13, 2004, at her home. She was born Oct. 17, 1931, at Tuckerman, Ark., daughter of Harvey and Lula Mae Nugent Jackson. She and Edwin Elmer Cripps were married June 13, 1964, at Detroit, Mich...

Wilbert E. Huettig, 87, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Feb. 14, 2004, at The Lutheran Home. He was born Sept. 9, 1916, in Cape Girardeau County, son of John Oscar and Freida Klaus Huettig. He and Delma M. Oberbeck were married Sept. 10, 1944, at Cape Girardeau...

Business Today After sitting vacant for more than a year, the former Rhodes 101 station at 1036 N. Sprigg in Cape Girardeau will soon be the site of a new Dairy Queen. Ed Radetic, co-owner of King Williams Management, said the company has acquired the property and been granted a franchise for the restaurant...

19 closings nationwide By Jim Obert Business Today The Circuit City Superstore, which opened November 1999 at 164 Siemers Drive in Cape Girardeau, will close Feb. 23. The closing affects 20 full-time and 24 part-time workers. Circuit City Stores Inc., based in Richmond, Va., says it will close 19 Superstores by the end of the month in order to improve the company's overall financial performance. There will be a loss of 360 full-time and 500 part-time jobs, company officials said...

Bankruptcies filed through Feb. 10 for the Southeastern Division of the Eastern District of Missouri's U.S. Bankruptcy Court are listed below with their corresponding case number. The Southeastern Division includes the counties of Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Dunklin, Madison, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscott, Perry, Reynolds, Ripley, Scott, Shannon, Stoddard and Wayne. Court is held in Cape Girardeau...

Scott County tax liens and lien discharges recorded at the office of Tom Dirnberger, Scott County recorder of deeds, during the month of January are filed by the Missouri Department of Revenue except as indicated by IRS designation. For information concerning the dollar amount of the liens, contact the recorder's office at 545-3551...

By Larry Kudlow Economics editor of National Review Online Co-host of CNBC's Kudlow & Cramer If we knew gross domestic product would run at 4 percent, industrial supply at record levels, basic inflation at less than 1 percent, real disposable income at 3.5 percent, gold around $400 and the 10-year Treasury bond just above 4 percent -- and we knew these performance results would last for many years -- we would be very happy indeed...

Only in Alaska can you glide beside majestic glaciers, forests and snow-capped mountains. This last frontier allows you to watch the breathtaking scene of wildlife beginning their first walks of life in sunny fields of forget-me-nots. What most people don't realize is there are numerous exciting ways to watch Alaska grandeur unveil...

Former partner in Schlimpert & Seyer Auction Service By Jim Obert Business Today JACKSON -- When Clarence Schlimpert was 17, he portrayed a judge in a church play. Part of the plot concerned someone losing his real estate. As the judge overseeing the legal proceeding, Schlimpert went to the steps of a courthouse and auctioned the property...

Cape Girardeau County tax liens and lien discharges recorded at the office of Janet Robert, Cape Girardeau County recorder of deeds, during the month of January are filed by the Missouri Department of Revenue except as indicated by IRS designation. For more information contact the recorder's office at 243-8123...

Business Today The Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce recently presented its 2003 Small Business of the Year award to Red Letter Communications, a marketing and communications firm employing 19 full-time staff members. F.R. "Buzz" Sutherland of the Small Business Development Center presented the Small Business of the Year award to Fred Kinder of Red Letter Communications, who also accepted on behalf of founding partner Jim Riley...

Business Today JACKSON -- The city of Jackson had a busy construction year in 2003. Permit reviews for 2003 were up 70 percent over 2002, but a large part of that increase, city leaders say, is based on reconstruction after the May 6 tornado. "I think it would have been an average year without the tornado damage, but that put us over the top," said Jackson building and planning superintendent Janet Sanders...

Company also receives storm water permit Business Today JEFFERSON CITY -- The global company aiming to build the country's largest cement plant in northern Ste. Genevieve County got a step closer in late January when the state Department of Natural Resources issued a draft clean air permit...

By Nancy Jernigan Giving brings great joy to both the giver and the receiver. The charities of Leave A Legacy of the Heartland want to encourage everyone to consider giving, both on an annual basis and as part of their estate plan, and provide the following tips to help you not only give, but give wisely...

ALTO PASS, Ill. -- Alto Vineyards's 2001 Chambourcin wine received one of five Jefferson Cup awards presented during a recent competition. The award was presented in the category for red wine. The Jefferson Cup is presented to some of the most compelling wines made in America...

Business Today POPLAR BLUFF -- A Charlie & Barney's chili restaurant should open in Poplar Bluff by mid-summer, according to Tom Coyle, executive director of the Indianapolis-based chain. If all goes according to plan, it will be the first Charlie & Barney's in Missouri, Coyle said...

Would create nation's 12th largest bank holding company Business Today Union Planters Corp. and Birmingham, Ala.-based Regions Financial Corp. have signed a merger agreement that will create the nation's 12th largest bank holding company. The new bank will be called Regions Financial Corp...

Business Today DEXTER -- There's a new cable TV company in town -- New Wave Communications. Tom Gleason of New Wave said the company is in the process of rebuilding the entire cable system in the area, a system that hasn't been upgraded since it was controlled by Enstar Cable years ago...

Big River Telephone, a Cape Girardeau-based competitive telephone company serving Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois and Western Kentucky, recently completed the installation of its Voice Over IP local switched network. Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) is a rapidly emerging technology for voice and data communication that uses the ubiquity of Internet-based networks to deploy VOIP-enabled devices in enterprise and home environments...

It's baaaccck! Following three years of gut-churning decline, the stock market is in positive territory again, and strong positive territory at that. In late December 2003, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was over the 10,000 mark at a 19-month high, up roughly 23 percent from the first of the year, and the Nasdaq had climbed over 46 percent during the year. In addition, the economy is showing signs of spark...

The new calendar year is off and running -- we should all have our business strategies and goals well defined, our systems and processes in place. Maybe, maybe not? I know that often I have clients who have these plans successfully working and yet they are missing a key ingredient -- a clear organizational chart...

20,000-foot expansion will add 13 jobs Business Today POPLAR BLUFF -- On Jan. 29, management of Briggs & Stratton and JML Construction of Poplar Bluff broke ground for a 20,000-square-foot addition to the main building in the Poplar Bluff Industrial Park...

By John Graham The company president refused to approve funds for publishing a much needed marketing newsletter for customers and prospects. Initially, he had been enthusiastic and supportive to the point that the first edition was written, designed and approved. But when it came to publishing and mailing the newsletter, he wouldn't approve the expenditure. Yet, four months later, he wanted to get it published and mailed as soon as possible. Why the change of heart?...

Business Today The developer of a proposed ethanol plant in Cape Girardeau says he's already got plans to expand it. The proposed $58 million plant will use alcohol blended with gasoline to create ethanol fuel. Phil Danforth, a Kansas City-area developer and general manager of Renewable Power, told local officials Jan. ...

By Jim Obert Business Today PERRYVILLE -- Near an intersection where 14,000 vehicles pass through daily, a commercial center is under construction and ground will soon be broken for a Save-A-Lot grocery store. Crossroads Village, which will have up to 17 businesses, is being built near Highway 51 Bypass and St. ...

Garfield's restaurant closed Business Today Old Navy, a popular clothing retail chain, submitted plans to the city of Cape Girardeau on Feb. 4 to remodel a large section of Westfield Shoppingtown West Park. If the plans are executed, the new store would become one of the largest in the shopping mall, roughly the same size as Lerner. ...

By Associated Industries of Missouri JEFFERSON CITY -- One of the most important issues facing businesses in our state is the constant battle to satisfy rules and regulations promulgated by the state departments. In response to this concern Sen. Anita Yeckel (R-Sunset Hills) and Rep. ...

Business Today POPLAR BLUFF -- The owners of Advanced Healthcare Management Services (AHMS) are opening a medical clinic in Carter County -- the Van Buren Medical Clinic at 1004 Main St. This clinic is the newest addition to a rapidly growing family of medical facilities with locations in Butler, Carter, Reynolds and Ripley counties...

Business Today POPLAR BLUFF -- With the opening of offices at 679 Physician's Park Drive, doctors with Eye Care Specialists are bringing a full spectrum of eye care to Poplar Bluff. Eye Care Specialists LLC was established in 1991 in Cape Girardeau by Dr. David Westrich under the original name of Cape Retinal Surgery Center. Westrich and the team of physicians at Eye Care Specialist have been servicing Poplar Bluff since 1993 working out of Kneibert Clinic before the move...

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI FARMINGTON New members of the Chamber of Commerce are Bailey's Pub & Grill, Farmington Center for Therapeutic Massage. Touch of Class has relocated downtown into the newly restored building at 18 E. Columbia St. The owners are Christa and Todd Sutton...

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI Rodney Lacey has joined McClanahan Real Estate in Cape Girardeau as a sales associate. Michelle Chrisman and Kera Hoffman have joined Big River Telephone in Cape Girardeau as account executives for the Poplar Bluff and Bootheel region...

Business Today The ceremony will be private, but the entire community will see the results when civic leaders switch on decorative lights outlining the new Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge on Feb. 21. The lighting ceremony will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall on Spanish Street in Cape Girardeau, a short distance from the new Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge...

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI David Haley, staff accountant with Schott & Van de Ven, Certified Public Accountants in Cape Girardeau, recently completed a two-day training on tax return preparation. Haley learned about the structure of the tax system, tax formulas, computation and alternative minimum tax issues. Haley joined the firm in June, after graduating from Southeast Missouri State University with a degree in accounting...

Business Today KENNETT, Mo. -- Bud Hunt, publisher of the Daily Dunklin Democrat in Kennett, has been named publisher of The Daily Statesman in Dexter, the Delta News Citizen in Malden and the North Stoddard Countian newspaper, which serves Advance and Bloomfield...