Stories from Saturday, August 14, 2004

By Michael Jensen Keep a close eye on the planned lawsuit by the City of St. Louis seeking a two-week early voting period prior to the general election. The state of Missouri argues that legislation has not been approved to permit the early voting...

Fred E. Dormeyer Jr., 88, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Aug. 13, 2004, at his home. He was born July 18, 1916, in Stuttgart, Ark., son of Fred E. and Tacie Ford Dormeyer. He and Geraldine Marie Norvell were married Oct. 6, 1939, in St. Louis. She died July 16, 2002...

PUXICO, Mo. -- Bill Eugene Besher, 75, of Puxico died Thursday, Aug. 12, 2004, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff, Mo. He was born Aug. 24, 1928, at Patton, Mo., son of Charley and Mary Gromer Besher. He and Leona Frances Green were married Jan. 3, 1948...

FUTURE CITY, Ill. -- Fred Johnson, 78, of Future City died Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2004, at his home. Heavenly Gates Funeral Home in Cairo, Ill., is in charge of arrangements.

William A. Scott, 86, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Aug. 13, 2004, at the Missouri Veterans Home. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

10 years ago: Aug. 14, 1994 Free picnic caps off events of first three-day River Regional Black Family Reunion; picnic at Arena Park is open to all. Bishop John J. Leibrecht of Springfield-Cape Girardeau Diocese recently announced new pastoral assignments affecting Catholic parishes throughout southern Missouri; among those reassigned is the Rev. Jay Gibson, newly ordained, who is new associate pastor at St. Vincent's Church in Cape Girardeau...

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. trade deficit hit a record $55.82 billion in June as the country's foreign oil bill surged to an all-time high, the government reported Friday. Soaring energy costs also showed up in wholesale prices for July, although a big drop in food costs helped keep the overall increase in the Labor Department's Producer Price Index down to a modest 0.1 percent. ...

HAVEN, Wis. -- From top to bottom, the PGA Championship delivered some major drama Friday. The two best players battled across Whistling Straits until Vijay Singh wound up in a share of the lead and Ernie Els settled in one shot behind. The No. 1 player fought just to make the cut...

Dalhousie Golf Club has seen its touring pro, LPGA British Open winner Karen Stupples, go from relative unknown to the hottest player on the LPGA tour over their three-year relationship. Starting from the beginning of her contract with the fledgling golf club in 2001, at which time Dalhousie was still under construction, Stupples and Dalhousie have grown together...

TAMPA, Fla. -- Disney World this isn't. That's what my original vacation plans included for Friday. But then along came Charley. I've been spending Friday within the confines of The Tampa Tribune with my friend, Heidi Hall, a former managing editor for the Southeast Missourian. ...

Joseph Raymond "Joey" Ansberry, 18, of Clarksville, Tenn., died Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2004, at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. He was born Aug. 11, 1986, at Farmington, Mo., son of Michael William and Therese Marie Backfisch Ansberry. Ansberry was a 2004 graduate of Rossview High School in Clarksville, and was enrolled at Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Harold Hood, 69, of Bloomfield died Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2004, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, following a lengthy illness. He was born Aug. 8, 1935, at Sturdivant, Mo., son of William Ralph and Flora Swindell Hood. He and Sharon Clayton were married May 30, 1964...

The (Independence, Mo.) Examiner The farm subsidy system makes no sense. We need a national debate. The U.S. government and other governments have tentatively worked out trade plans that present our country with a major challenge and a major opportunity. The playing field is not level in world trade, though many of those inequities work to the short-term advantage of developed nations such as the United States -- but at a high cost...

The Kansas City Star Obesity is a critical factor in some of America's most debilitating and costly health problems, including diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer. A recent rule change enabling Medicare to regard obesity as a disease is both sensible and worrisome...

LOS ANGELES -- Julia Child, whose chirping words of encouragement and unpretentious style brought French cuisine to American homes through her television series and books, died Friday. She was 91. A 6-foot-2 American folk icon, "The French Chef" was known to her public as Julia. She showed a delight not only in preparing good food but in sharing it, and ended her landmark public television lessons at a set table with the wish, "Bon appetit."...

Don Roth and his store, Roth Hardware in Old Ilmo, are Scott City fixtures, beloved and depended on by many in the community who grew up buying their nuts and bolts from him while receiving friendly advice and help for free. So it may not be surprising that when Roth, 61, became seriously ill and entered Southeast Missouri Hospital 11 weeks ago, the Scott City community has rallied to his support...

After being stuck about 75 feet high inside a water tower for almost six hours Friday, there were two things on Mike Higgins' mind when he got his feet on the ground: a cigarette and a bathroom. Otherwise, the St. Louis water tower painter downplayed his Friday the 13th escapade, which included a lengthy extrication by the Cape Girardeau Fire Department...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following item on Thursday: At 6:56 p.m., an emergency medical service in the 1100 block of North Spanish Street. Firefighters responded to the following items on Friday: At 12:50 a.m., an emergency medical service in the 1800 block of Huntington Drive...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released Friday by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Jeremy T. Guyton, 19, 609 Themis St., was arrested on suspicion of driving while suspended. Alice M. DePree, 40, 701 S. Sprigg St., was arrested on suspicion of possession of an illegal substance with the intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia...

At first, the idea of painting more murals on the floodwall in downtown Cape Girardeau did not meet with universal approval. But the River Heritage Mural Association and its persistent president, Tim Blattner, had faith in a project that is paying off with images that are delighting the community...

To the editor: In response to "Two-way Main Street discussed": Has anyone given any thought to not allowing any traffic at all on Main Street? Main Street is narrow to begin with, and the removal of the clock would be detrimental to the area. Set up a parking lot for tourists and residents, and bus them to the area. This would be especially beneficial to seniors like myself who don't get around too well...

Shoppers crowded into local stores Friday to take advantage of the tax breaks on back-to-school goods, but retailers say their best is yet to come. Today and Sunday are anticipated to be like the day after Thanksgiving in terms of sales volume. At Old Navy in Westfield Shoppingtown West Park, customers stood in lines that snaked from the checkout counter more than halfway back through the store to check out new clothes for the kids to wear when school opens next week. ...

Doyle Lawson has just finished vacationing in Montana and now he is ready to get back to work. For Lawson, going back to work involves performing on-stage with his bluegrass band Quicksilver, including today's performance at the Ezell Family Bluegrass Festival in Grassy, Mo...

Southeast Missourian BOONVILLE, Mo. -- The Jackson Under 11 Cal Ripken baseball team won its regional tournament pool-play opener Friday, defeating Colorado 9-2. Bobby Clark pitched three innings for the win, allowing three hits and striking out three. Logan Bartles followed with three hitless innings, striking out four and walking two...

Preying on seniors RECENTLY I'VE helped my elderly parents take care of their mail and paying their bills. I am amazed that almost everyday they receive address labels or stationary from alleged not-for-profit groups asking for a donation. While some are legit, I've researched others on the Internet to find that as little as 20 percent of donations go to the cause. ...

Courtaway Daughter to Amanda Jo Courtaway of Jackson, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 2:52 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 7, 2004. Name, Kyleigh-Ann Nicole. Weight, 7 pounds 10 ounces. Second child, first daughter. Ms. Courtaway is the daughter of Debbie Houghton and Scott Peetz of Jackson and Marty and Dessilee Mueller of East Cape Girardeau, Ill...

ATHENS, Greece -- With the five Olympic rings ablaze in the middle of a manmade sea, the Summer Games returned to their birthplace Friday in an epic homecoming that joined the gods of ancient Greece and modern sport. The biggest parade of nations in the games' history began with an announcer's cry of "Welcome back to Greece!" and culminated with a Greek windsurfing champion lighting the Olympic cauldron, which rose slowly at the end of a slender 102-foot arm to burn brightly above the stadium.. ...

Williams won his sixth straight decision in St. Louis' 4-1 victory over Atlanta. By Charles Odum ~ The Associated Press ATLANTA -- Larry Walker is getting comfortable as the No. 2 hitter for baseball's No. 1 team in wins...

Hurricane Charley ripped into Florida's gulf coast Friday afternoon, carrying sustained winds of 145 mph, spawning tornadoes and leaving behind a storm surge that threatened to swamp low-lying beach communities and harbor towns. The Category 4 storm, the most powerful to strike Florida since Andrew in 1992, sent about a million coastal residents fleeing for higher ground and left more than 500,000 without power...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Claire McCaskill on Friday criticized lucrative retirement deals given to university presidents, citing Southwest Missouri State University's package for its outgoing president as the latest example. President John Keiser is leaving but will keep his salary and benefits for another year in exchange for some appearances and fund-raising work...

The former Portageville star will join Southeast for the 2005-06 season. By Marty Mishow ~ Southeast Missourian Roy Booker has decided to continue his college basketball career much closer to home. Booker, a former Portageville High School star who was the University of Montana's third-leading scorer last season as a junior, said Friday he has enrolled at Southeast Missouri State University and plans to play his final collegiate season for the Indians...

Southeast Missouri State University women's basketball coach B.J. Smith is excited about the upcoming season, in large part because he believes the Otahkians' recruits -- most of them junior college transfers -- are extremely talented. But Smith won't have the services of what would have been his most experienced player because he said Friday that Sami Jo Cotton will not return to Southeast due to what Smith termed "personal reasons."...

Samford has been picked to win the 2004 Ohio Valley Conference women's soccer title as voted on by the league's nine head soccer coaches. The Bulldogs, who won the regular-season title in 2003, received seven of the nine first-place votes and 63 points...

I think it's a little-known fact that college students pray all the time. I'm sure that even those students who aren't particularly religious occasionally find themselves sending a word or two to God, especially during those inevitable sticky situations that come with being a "responsible adult" for the first time...

CALCUTTA, India -- A man convicted of raping and murdering a teenage girl was hanged at dawn today in this Indian city, the first execution in nine years in a country where the death penalty is reserved for "the rarest of rare cases." Dhananjaya Chatterjee, 39, was executed at 4:30 a.m...

NAJAF, Iraq -- U.S. forces suspended a major offensive against militants in Najaf on Friday, and aides to Muqtada al-Sadr told Iraqi negotiators that radical Shiite cleric was prepared to disarm his followers in exchange for a list of demands including an American withdrawal from the holy city and amnesty for all his fighters...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush's tax cuts since 2001 have shifted more of the tax burden from the nation's rich to middle-class families, according to a study released Friday by the Congressional Budget Office. The tax rate declined across all income levels -- but more so in the top brackets, the report said...

Four men were arrested Friday for burglaries committed in the city and county over the past four months. The arrests followed a weeklong investigation by the Cape Girardeau Sheriff's Department and the Cape Girardeau Police Department. More arrests are expected next week...

Deborah Bagby began her career as a church organist at age 16 out of necessity -- her father, the pastor, needed someone to accompany his congregation as members made joyful noises unto the Lord during Sunday services. Thirty-five years later, Bagby is a professional church organist and minister of music at Church of the Holy Communion in Washington, D.C., which had been looking for an organist for more than six months when it found Bagby. ...

Cape Girardeau architect Fred Dormeyer Jr., a man who left an indelible mark on the city, died at his home Friday at the age of 88. His architectural career in Cape Girardeau started in 1939 and ran until his retirement in 1996. A graduate of Central High School, Dormeyer attended the School of Architecture of Washington University in St. Louis. After graduating from college, Dormeyer was self-employed as an architect in Cape Girardeau until World War II broke out...

ORAN, Mo. -- A fire started by a smoldering candle did minor damage to a house in Oran Friday evening. According to fire chief Jim Watkins, the occupants of the house, Bob Murray and his wife, had been away for about three hours, and returned to find their sunroom on fire. A large citronella candle meant to repel mosquitos had apparently ignited, Watkins said. The plastic table and chairs in the room melted, and the windows were blackened. The fire was confined to the sunroom...

Southeast Missourian A one-vehicle accident a mile east of Chaffee, Mo., sent two Ballwin, Mo., residents to Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the accident occurred just after midnight Thursday when a 2003 Toyota driven by Michael Halbrook, 33, swerved to avoid an unidentified oncoming vehicle on Frisco Road in Scott County. ...

Church sends members as missionaries Red Star Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau recently sent four volunteers to a province in the Philippines for a prayer walk for clinics on Aug. 9 to 13. The volunteers attended local churches, participated in prayer walks and Bible studies and toured local ministries. ...

PORTLAND, Ore. -- President Bush traded one refrain for another Friday, saying he is "getting the job done" on the economy and more. Not so, said Sen. John Kerry, criticizing administration tax cuts as insensitive to the middle class as he ended a 22-state tour...