Stories from Sunday, July 25, 2004

Erin Lea Schoen and Corwin James Easley were married May 22, 2004, at La Croix United Methodist Church. The Rev. Ron Watts performed the ceremony. Music was by Chris Nall and Paul Smollen of Cape Girardeau. The groom played the saxophone. The bride is the daughter of Thomas and Sandra Schoen of Oak Ridge. The groom is the son of Jack and Laura Luttrell of Cape Girardeau and Jim and Sue Easley of St. Charles, Mo...

Edward J. Schmidlein, 88, died Friday, July 23, 2004, at The Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Dr. Schmidlein was born Oct. 11, 1915, in New York City, son of Edward J. and Frieda Schmidlein. He was married to the former Lydia (Lee) Gunzer for 58 years. She preceded him in 1998...

Donald Joe Smith, 56, of Jackson died Saturday, July 24, 2004, at his residence. He was born Nov. 8, 1947, in Cape Girardeau, son of Albert and Buna Wright Smith. He and Joyce Rodenberry were married Dec. 2, 1967, in Cape Girardeau. Smith was a member of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Egypt Mills. He retired from Procter & Gamble in 1997 after 29 years with the company. He served with the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1973 and was awarded a Purple Heart...

ANNA, Ill. -- Lorene Lanier, 88, of Anna died Saturday, July 24, 2004, at Jonesboro Health Care Center. She was born Dec. 28, 1915, in Anna, daughter of Robert and Bessie Johnson Lanier. She was a member of First Baptist Church in Anna and had worked as a secretary for the church, Anna Quarries and Anna State Hospital...

Mary Louise "Doll" Pritchard, 74, of Bragg City, Mo., died Friday, July 23, 2004, at Pemiscot Memorial Hospital in Hayti, Mo. She was born Jan. 1, 1930, at Cooter, Mo., daughter of William Lardell and Clara Flippo Laster. She and Raeburn Aubry Pritchard were married Sept. 23, 1948. He died March 21, 2004...

BENTON, Mo. -- Robert "Bob" Lee Keen, 78, of Benton died Saturday, July 24, 2004, in a single-car accident on Highway 77 near Diehlstadt, Mo. He was born Aug. 30, 1925, in Benton, son of Alvin and Clara Marie Menz Keen. He and Shirley Parker were married Sept. 20, 1974...

ZALMA, Mo. -- Stephanie Louise Caldwell, 33, of Zalma died July 23, 2004, from injuries sustained in a Wayne County, Mo., car accident. She was born Jan. 23, 1971, at Chaffee, Mo., daughter of Warren and Louise Simmers Caldwell. She was a 1989 graduate of Advance High School and was a certified nurse aid at the Puxico Nursing Center in Puxico, Mo...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Stirling H. "Abe" Boyts, 81, of Chaffee died Friday, July 23, 2004, in a one-vehicle accident on Highway 77 south of Blomeyer, Mo. He was born Aug. 23, 1922, in Puxico, Mo., son of John U. and Marie May Harbin Boyts. He and Alva Rea Holland were married Oct. 13, 1948. She died Oct. 13, 2002...

10 years ago: July 25, 1994 Home building in Cape Girardeau is moving at record pace this year; overall starts during first six months of 1994 are healthy 12.1 percent above those of same period in 1993; during past two months, 22 permits have been issued for single-family houses...

Plassman Daughter to Nick and Val-Lisa Plassman of Norfolk, Va., U.S. Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Va., 3:50 p.m. Friday, July 2, 2004. Name, Abigail Rose. Weight, 8 pounds 15 1/2 ounces. Second child, first daughter. Mrs. Plassman is the former Val-Lisa Stuessel, daughter of Gary and Jeanie Stuessel of Mount Carmel, Ill. Plassman is the son of Pam Plassman of Cape Girardeau and Jim Plassman of Marble Hill...

Art is a blessing IT IS really a shame that people in Scott City don't understand what true art is. Art is not something that has to be understood. It is something that expresses an emotion or feeling from the artist. Just because the art on the side of the building in Old Illmo is not Monet, Van Gogh or Picasso doesn't mean it is not art. What Paul Schock is bringing to Old Illmo is a blessing...

BROOKFIELD, Mo. - Dozens of outboard motors, boats, pickup trucks and other equipment will go on the auction block at the Missouri Department of Conservation's surplus property auction Aug. 14 in the north central Missouri city of Brookfield. The auction will start at 10 a.m. at the Conservation Department office, 115 Pershing Road...

There was a time when a ranch-style house meant one thing -- boxy and boring. That certainly is no longer the case. Ranch-style homes today are as varied as any other style of home. Now all it means is that the home has its main living space conveniently all on one floor...

The Associated Press STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- Organizers of a race for homing pigeons are still scratching their heads in wonder after about 75 percent of the birds -- famous for their ability to find their way home -- went missing during the contest. Of the 2,000 pigeons let loose Sunday, only about 500 have returned to their lofts after the 93-mile flight between the cities of Ljungby and Malmoe in southern Sweden, said Lars-Aake Nilsson of the Malmoe Homing Pigeon Club...

While the exploding Hispanic populace brings with it elements of a new culture, it also brings a unique set of social issues. These are issues Natalie Sandoval says we all need to deal with. Sandoval is a case worker with the Community Caring Council in Cape Girardeau. Through the council, this native-born American of Hispanic descent is working to identify and address these problems. She is doing so by forming the city's first Council on Hispanic Affairs...

Al-Qaida branch threatens Australia if it stays in Iraq CAIRO, Egypt -- An online statement by a group representing itself as al-Qaida's European branch threatened on Saturday to turn Australia into "pools of blood" if it doesn't withdraw its troops from Iraq. It was the second statement in a week by the Tawhid Islamic Group, a previously unknown group which on Wednesday threatened attacks in Bulgaria and Poland if their troops remained in Iraq...

For most Missourians who go to the polls Aug. 2, the decision on Amendment 1, which would authorize a gambling casino at Rockaway Beach, Mo., will come down to personal viewpoints on whether or not gambling has been good for the state. Over the past three decades, Missouri has gone from a state whose constitution expressly forbade gambling of any type to one where a state lottery, bingo and casinos are commonplace. ...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWIs Christopher Steven Van Dorpe, 405 N. Grissom St., Advance, Mo., was arrested Thursday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Angela Carron and Anthony DeWilde were united in marriage June 5, 2004, at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. The Rev. Kevin Fausz performed the ceremony. Organist was Terry Edwards of Perryville. Vocalists were Mary Hoehn, Bill Fischer and Pat Prost, all of Perryville...

Jennifer Lyn Biri and Kevin Wayne Gerhardt were married Aug. 16, 2003, at Millersville First Baptist Church. The Rev. Daniel Hale performed the ceremony. Pianist was Sarah Hoffmeister and soloists were Matthew Hale and Elizabeth Hoffmeister, all of Jackson...

Randy and Martha Crader of Burfordville announce the engagement of their daughter, Samantha Jo Crader, to Joseph Riley Leazenby. He is the son of Doyle and Linda Leazenby of Marble Hill, Mo. Crader is a 2003 graduate of Jackson High School. She is employed at Broadway Prescription Shops Inc...

Kirk and Stephanie Augspurger of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Debra and Robert Hawkins of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Lesley Elizabeth Augspurger, to Jonathan Lynn Popp. He is the son of Larry and Tammy Popp of Cape Girardeau...

Margie Newman of Jackson announces the engagement of her daughter, Teresa Ann Ellis Newman, to Nicholas John Teichman. He is the son of Kathy Teichman of Jackson, Brad Teichman of Chaffee, Mo., and Daryl Cooper of Cape Girardeau. Newman is also the daughter of the late Hobart Newman...

Cheryl Oberhaus of Cape Girardeau announces the engagement of her son, Erik John Oberhaus, to Beth Christine Geolat. She is the daughter of Jerry and Chris Geolat of Waterloo, Ill. Oberhaus is also the son of Mel Oberhaus of Jim Thorpe, Pa. An Oct. 16 wedding is planned at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Columbia, Ill...

Jon and Ruby Majors of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Sara Jane Majors, to Michael Del Kisner, both of House Springs, Mo. He is the son of James and Connie Kisner of Cedar Hill, Mo. Majors is a graduate of Hazelwood East High School. She received a bachelor's degree in business administration from St. Louis University in 1998. She is a municipal bonds analyst with A.G. Edwards and Sons in St. Louis...

John and Fay Kieffer of Lebanon, Tenn., announce the engagement of their daughter, Julie Laine Kieffer, to Charles Brandon Wagoner. He is the son of Brad and Janice Wagoner of Mount Juliet, Tenn., formerly of Cape Girardeau. Kieffer is a 2000 graduate of Friendship Christian School, and received a bachelor of science degree from Tennessee Technological University in 2003. She is employed by Putnam County Board of Education in the adult education program...

James and Cheryl Lawrence of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Jessica Rose Lawrence, to Brad Edward Hennemann. He is the son of Wayne and Joyce Hennemann of Perryville, Mo. Lawrence is a 1999 graduate of Notre Dame High School. She received a master's degree in physical therapy from Maryville University in 2004. She will begin working this fall as a physical therapist in the Fitness and Rehab Center at Perry County Memorial Hospital in Perryville...

Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Lemonds of Cape Girardeau celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a dinner party June 19, 2004, at the home of a daughter and son-in-law, Lynne and Gerald Taylor. Hosts were their daughters and sons-in-law, Lynne and Gerald Taylor, and Donna and Kevin Etzold, all of Cape Girardeau...

Mr. and Mrs. Clarence J. Greaser Jr. of Cape Girardeau celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary May 22, 2004, with Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral and a dinner reception at Celebrations. Hosts were their sons and daughters-in-law. Greaser and Martha Ann Bollinger were married May 22, 1954, at St. Denis Catholic Church in Benton, Mo., by the Rev. Charles Schmalle. Their attendants were Mary Francis LeGrand, Raymond Bollinger, and the late Yvonne Martin and Walter Greaser...

Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Summers of Jackson celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with a reception April 25, 2004, at New McKendree United Methodist Church. Hosts were their daughter and son-in-law, Marilyn and Wayne Fronabarger of Oak Ridge, and grandchildren, Kelly Fronabarger of Cape Girardeau and Darin Fronabarger of Oak Ridge...

By Denny Howard and Chuck Walters There has been a lot said about Amendment 1 recently, from both opposition and proponents of the issue. Since we are the founding members, we would like to set the record straight. Amendment 1 will give the city of Rockaway Beach, Mo., the chance to be the location of a license from the Missouri Gaming Commission for a riverboat casino on the White River in Southwest Missouri...

Springfield News-Leader The television ads touting a riverboat casino in Rockaway Beach are a well-done, slickly produced example of the art of propaganda. Why, these plain-speaking regular folks just want to build a day care center on a riverboat after that durn guvment stole away their livelihood by building a dam...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following items Friday: At 7:57 p.m., an emergency medical service at 1112 Bloomfield St. At 9:33 p.m., a motor vehicle accident at William and South Mount Auburn Road. Firefighters responded to the following items Saturday:...

The Associated Press MEXICO CITY -- A Mexican judge refused Saturday to issue an arrest warrant for former President Luis Echeverria, accused of ordering the killing of protesters at a 1971 demonstration, a spokesman for the special prosecutor's office said...

Think the tilt-a-whirl is tough? Homecomers organizers have announced a new ride for Jackson's annual festival, one that will get your blood pumping more than the swinging chairs. It's a ride longer than the 40-foot jumbo slide. This one is 60 miles long, in fact. So long, there will even be snacks along the way...

WESTPHALIA, Mo. -- These guys put Madonna in "A League of Their Own" to shame. The male participants in the six-team Boys as Babes softball tournament played just as hard as Madonna's character in the classic film about women playing baseball. However, these boys had the additional challenge of not only wearing a skirt, but also hats, jewelry, makeup and a variety of other accessories...

The directive at the core of U.S. reconstruction efforts in Iraq was simple: Win hearts and minds. But supporters of one soldier, Sgt. 1st Class James Williams, say Army efforts to win the good will of Iraqis ended with charges that could send him to prison...

It's all in the hands. Nearly 40 people learned creative evangelism through puppetry and ventriloquism at the Capefest Ministry Fair held at the House of Hope on Saturday. "Ventriloquism works in ministry because it's an attention grabber," said Donna Collins, a ventriloquist of 30 years and a missionary. "My dad was a pastor who used ventriloquism in his ministry. By the time I was 12 I started helping my mom do children's ministry."...

The answer to poor literacy among Cape Girardeau's elementary students may be found through coaches, but not the kind who punish with push-ups. The Cape Girardeau School District will introduce the concept of reading coaches to its elementary reading program this year, with coaches stationed at each of the district's five elementary schools...

A week after a stabbing left a young man dead and another young man in the Scott County jail facing murder charges, there's plenty to talk about in Scott City. A week ago, Chad Chaney, 23, was stabbed in the chest defending his cousin Donald Brooks from a knife attack. Some young people who were attending a party in a remote area known as Red Gate said that Robert Grant, 21, came there uninvited and looking for a fight...

When Jorge Taleno walks down the streets of Cape Girardeau today, he can hardly believe his ears. When he's about town, he commonly overhears the sound of his native Spanish in random conversation between passers-by. Not the broken stuttering of teenagers trying to show off what they learned in a high school Spanish class, but the smooth, fluent speech of other native Hispanic tongues...

WILMINGTON, Del. -- A vanity license tag chosen as a gag has left its owner holding the bag. Jim Cara thought the "NOTAG" plate he got for his Suzuki motorcycle would give people a laugh. Instead, he found that the joke -- along with more than 200 parking violations -- was on him...

VALMEYER, Ill. -- The Plaza Tire Capahas suffered a two-hit loss in the opener of a doulbeheader with Valmeyer but came right back with a one-hitter of their own to split a pair of shutouts on Saturday. Jamie McAlister was the hard-luck loser in a 3-0 opening loss for the Capahas (27-8). McAlister allowed three runs on six hits in six innings...

ST. LOUIS -- Barry Bonds got to celebrate on his 40th birthday, even if the St. Louis Cardinals wouldn't allow him to contribute. A day after Bonds hit a three-run, seventh-inning home run in the Giants' victory over St. Louis, he drew his major league-leading 79th intentional walk at a key spot in San Francisco's 5-3, 10-inning win...

EAST CAPE GIRARDEAU, Ill. -- Illinois police have made an arrest in a March shooting that left a Metropolis, Ill., man dead. Rosemary Inserra, 47, of East Cape Girardeau was arrested Friday on charges of involuntary manslaughter and reckless discharge of a firearm in connection with the death of Glen L. Lang Jr., 38. She is being held at the Tri-County Detention Facility in Ullin, Ill., with bail set at $25,000...

Vehicles collide, burst into flames in Illinois Two men were seriously injured in a three-vehicle accident in Illinois Saturday morning. According to the Illinois State Police, a three-car accident occurred at 7:55 a.m. Saturday in Alexander County on Highway 3. ...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Fifty-four days into a record-breaking overtime legislative session and three weeks after the start of the fiscal year, Illinois lawmakers adopted a state budget Saturday night that increases spending on education and health care and erases a multibillion-dollar deficit. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- In the campaign ads, grandmotherly Virginia Ferguson of Rockaway Beach taps on the television screen to get voters' attention and tells them that if they ratify Amendment 1, it will provide a new economic life for her hometown and about $50 million in revenue for the state without a tax increase...

BOSTON -- John Kerry narrowly trails President Bush in the battle for the 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House, as he makes his case at the Democratic National Convention this week to topple the Republican incumbent. Tall hurdles remain in his path, including Electoral College math that favors Bush...

The Ohio Valley Conference's football media day will be Monday in Nashville, Tenn., as the league's official preseason poll is released. OVC head football coaches and sports information directors vote on the predicted order of finish for the 2004 season -- and it's doubtful they'll project Southeast Missouri State University to fare as poorly as some major national media outlets have...

The Jackson American Legion team could not take advantage of a strong start from A.J. Seiler and dropped two games to Sikeston on Saturday to finish as runner-up in the American Legion District 14 championship at Jackson. With the RE/MAX Achievers needing only one win to clinch their first district championship, Sikeston outdueled them 6-5 and 17-7 to push its record to 4-1 against Jackson this season...

EVIAN, France -- Wendy Doolan shot a 7-under 65 in the final round of the Evian Masters on Saturday to beat top-ranked Annika Sorenstam by a stroke and collect the biggest check of her career. Doolan finished at 18-under 270 to earn the $375,000 winner's check for the third title of her nine-year career...

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- Dennis Eckersley and Paul Molitor excelled in the clutch, so they should be used to the nerves by now. Then again, induction speeches at the Baseball Hall of Fame are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. "I'm getting a little bit more anxious," said Molitor, contemplating Sunday's ceremony. "There's a lot of things to handle."...

Stooges parody wins Faulkner contest JACKSON, Miss. -- Screenwriter David Sheffield won this year's Faux Faulkner contest by imagining what it would've been like if William Faulkner -- a Nobel laureate known for thickets of challenging (often parenthetical) prose -- had written for the Three Stooges. ...

WASHINGTON -- It won't be easy to decide whether it's appropriate to create a Cabinet-level official to oversee the nation's vast intelligence community. Look no further than former CIA director Jim Woolsey. He is 60 percent in favor and 40 percent against the move recommended by the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks...

KENSINGTON, Kan. -- If it's true that a family that eats together stays together, then this town of 500 should have no worries. That's because there's one thing that never falls off the hometown calendar. No matter the month or the weather, residents have a standing reservation on Friday nights for dinner -- together...

FAIRBURY, Ill. -- At Spence Farm, Kris and Marty Travis extend an open invitation to visit, learn and get connected. The oldest farm in Livingston County, dating to 1830, remains a working farm from which the Travises earn a living. But it's also become an educational project aimed at teaching people about preservation of buildings, crops, trades, county history and natural areas...

JERUSALEM -- They're calling it the "intra-fadeh" -- an uprising not against Israel but against the Palestinian establishment. A week of turmoil in the West Bank and Gaza Strip has had Yasser Arafat reshuffling top posts and promising to cede some authority...

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Militants raided a Palestinian police station and a local government office on Saturday, as unrest in the Gaza Strip stretched into a second week despite efforts by Yasser Arafat to defuse mounting discontent with his leadership...

MIREBALAIS, Haiti -- Nightly, camouflage-clad rebels patrol this central Haitian town, still armed and active five months after the rebellion that led to the ouster of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Under international pressure, the new government has ordered factions to give up their guns in less than two months, but it has shown little willingness to confront ex-soldiers controlling parts of the countryside despite the presence of U.N. peacekeepers...

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- After months of delay, NATO has ordered hundreds more peacekeepers to Afghanistan to help provide security during presidential elections, but the deployment still appeared to fall short of 3,500 troops that were promised. NATO ambassadors meeting late Friday approved two more battalions for Afghanistan, one each from Italy and Spain. A battalion has between 600 and 1,000 soldiers...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraqi interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi urged Egypt on Saturday to stand fast in the face of the kidnapping of one of its diplomats and ignore militants' demand that it abandon any plans to lend security assistance to Iraq. "It is time for us to close ranks to fight terrorism. ...

SAN DIEGO -- The final "Star Wars" prequel is just "Episode III" no more. Lucasfilm announced its new title Saturday: "Revenge of the Sith." The movie, set for release in May 2005, will link the prequels with the original "Star Wars" trilogy by showing how Luke Skywalker's father, Anakin, went from a sweet-natured slave boy to the galaxy-crushing villain Darth Vader...

Unlikely TV star Ken Jennings puts game show back on the map By David Bauder ~ The Associated Press NEW YORK -- Beverly Herter is in a club that's grown less exclusive by the day: She lost to Ken Jennings on "Jeopardy!"...

NEW YORK -- For 23 years, it was an unsolvable crime: a mob hit on three Bonanno family captains, slaughtered by machine-gun fire in a social club. The details emerged this summer as the family's ex-underboss, now a government informant who remembered everything but the definition of "omerta," implicated Bonanno chief Joseph "Big Joey" Massino...

Cody Rouse has finished third and second the past two years at the state wrestling finals. Rouse now is ready to find out if the work he has put in since the season ended will pay off in All-American honors. Rouse is a member of Team Missouri, competing this week at the National Junior Cadet Finals in Fargo, N.D. Rouse, who qualified for the event by winning the regional meet in April, is wrestling at 152 pounds in the Greco-Roman style. The event began Saturday and concludes Tuesday...

The Cape Girardeau Riverdogs struggled to find hits on Saturday, but they used the Southern Illinois Sandgnats' pitching and fielding woes to end the season with a victory. Nathan Siedler allowed the Riverdogs only four hits, but he walked seven. Three Sandgnats errors in the fifth inning helped Cape escape with a 6-2 win in a rain-shortened game at Capaha Field...

BESANCON, France -- Too strong. Lance Armstrong capped his most dominant Tour de France with a crushing win in the final time trial Saturday, all but guaranteeing him a place in history as the first six-time winner of the 101-year-old race. Pedaling furiously for a victory he didn't even need to secure his sixth crown, Armstrong again overpowered his rivals, building a gaping lead that he carried past cheering crowds to the finish in Besancon...

Don Sargent enjoys seeing the wildlife who have taken up residence in his wooded neighborhood off Kage Road in Cape Girardeau. There's a family of deer that peek out from the woods across the road and a red fox who tries to catch his breakfast squirrel every morning around 7:30 a.m. From his back porch, Sargent can keep tabs on all the creatures coming and going...