Stories from Saturday, September 18, 2004

By MARK BRASFIELD Blytheville Courier News BLYTHEVILLE -- Blytheville's defense forced six Cape Central turnovers Friday night, rolling to a 49-20 win at Haley Field. The Chicks (3-0) held Central quarterback Blake Slattery to 10 of 23 passing for 127 yards, a touchdown and four interceptions. Garrett Stevens lined up behind center in fourth-quarter mop-up duty, completing five of 13 for 43 yards and throwing a pick...

10 years ago: Sept. 18, 1994 The Rev. Neal O. Zeilinger is installed as pastor of St. Mark Lutheran Church; conducting installation ceremony is the Rev. Dennis Hallemeyer, assistant to Bishop Charles H. Maahs. Sandi Hendricks has been hired as minister of education at Grace United Methodist Church; Hendricks and her family have lived in Cape Girardeau since 1986...

ANNA, Ill. -- Walter Fred Sitter, 81, of Anna died Friday, Sept. 17, 2004, at St. Joseph's Memorial Hospital in Murphysboro, Ill. He was born April 7, 1923, at Union County, Ill., son of Fred and Nellie Brown Sitter. He and Helen Marie Martin were married Sept. 7, 1944...

Daniel S. "Danny" Smith, 27, of Scott City died Thursday, Sept. 16, 2004, in an automobile accident in Jacksonville, N.C. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City is in charge of arrangements.

ANNA, Ill. -- Helen Kay Bird, 94, of Anna died Friday, Sept. 17, 2004, at Vienna, Ill. Arrangements are incomplete at Crain Funeral Home in Anna.

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Dennis Fraser, 41, of Sikeston died Thursday, Sept. 16, 2004, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born Feb. 22, 1963, at Kennett, Mo., son of Tommy and Martha Northcutt Fraser Jr. Fraser was a graduate of Sikeston High School and a 1985 graduate of Memphis State University...

Mary Margaret Billingham, 93, of St. Louis died Thursday, Sept. 16, 2004. She was born Feb. 15, 1911, in Jackson, daughter of Silas and Mamie Bauer Crole. Billingham received a bachelor of science degree in education from Southeast Missouri State University, and did graduate work at Washington University, Webster College, Maryville University, and Denver College...

Former football and golf coach at the University of Missouri-Rolla, A.C. "Bud" Mercier, 68, of Rolla died of cancer Thursday, Sept. 16, 2004, at his home. He was born July 8, 1936, in St. Louis, son of L.A. and Virginia Mercier. He married the former Jane Burton...

SEDGEWICKVILLE, Mo. -- Trula E. Mayfield, 80, of Sedgewickville died Friday, Sept. 17, 2004, at Jackson Manor, where she had been a resident since May. She was born July 8, 1924, at Daisy, daughter of Ellis and Hannah Barks Seabaugh. She and Carl C. Mayfield were married July 11, 1942, in Jackson...

To the editor: I read your article on the 50th anniversary of the closing of Cobb School. I was pleased you covered it. It was encouraging to hear stories of a thriving school in the African-American community in Cape Girardeau and the lives of the people it touched. As a young, white member of society, I find these stories important to hear and particularly helpful to me in educating my perspective on the world around me...

To the editor: Campaigning for the presidency in 2000, George W. Bush promised to limit carbon dioxide emissions to control global warming. After he assumed office -- in what was widely seen as payback for the energy industry that helped finance his campaign -- Bush reneged on his pledge. Bush claimed such regulations were inappropriate because there was no clear scientific link between human activity and global warming...

To the editor: In reference to Ferrell Till's criticism of Tom McCanless' evaluation of Zell Miller's speech at the Republican Convention: Till called Miller's speech a distortion of the facts, but nowhere in his letter does he point out a distortion or a misstatement of fact. His only complaint appears to be that others, including some Republicans, voted against the same bills that John Kerry voted against...

William Winford "B.W." Harrison was a gentleman who quietly spent much of his time and money making his wife happy, even after her death. Almost everything Harrison did after his wife, Hazel, passed away in 1990 honored her memory. When he gave Southeast Missouri State University $800,000 in stock toward the purchase of the former St. Vincent's Seminary, it was because Hazel was devoted to Old St. Vincent's Church...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following items on Thursday: At 8:06 a.m., emergency medical service at 2000 William St. At 9:54 a.m., still alarm at Kingsway and Walker Street. At 2:31 a.m., fire at 1409 N. Sprigg St. At 3:29 p.m., fire at 618 Boxwood St...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released Friday by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Carl A. Lucious, 20, 513 William St., was arrested on suspicion of unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action...

Fruit with burgers ONE OF your Speak Out callers said that the reason poor people are fat is because fruits and vegetables cost too much. I dare anybody to go to the store and show me that bananas cost more than Twinkies. Bananas and apples are much less expensive. I suggest the fast-food restaurants give us a choice between fresh fruit or fries with our burger combo meals...

Emily Newsham scored two goals to lead the Southeast Missouri State women's soccer team to a 2-1 victory against Air Force in the Toys for Tots/Military Academies Classic at the Anheuser-Busch Center in Fenton, Mo. Southeast fell behind 1-0 seven minutes into the game when Air Force's Amanda Cleland scored off scramble in the goalmouth following a corner kick...

The people who came to see Sammy Kershaw at the SEMO District Fair on Friday were there to have a good time. And they did, thanks to Kershaw's high-energy, crowd-friendly performance. Kershaw performed a mix of his hits and songs off his latest album, "I Want My Money Back," to a crowd of about 2,000 in the grandstand...

Bird and McHale. Montana and Rice. Gene Maevers and Jimmy Sinn. Some athletes just have a chemistry. Maevers and Sinn cut through to the finish with blade-like precision Saturday, pumping like pistons in a restored muscle car. The focus was the stuff of legends...

Much attention has been given to Jackson's progress. But some of the city's uptown merchants will soon find out how much attention should be given to its past. A new effort at forming a historical district uptown is underway in Jackson. When asked about details of the possible district -- like eligible buildings and potential costs -- Tom Strickland said he didn't want to give away any specifics until all of the uptown building owners had been approached...

WASHINGTON -- A packet of Texas Air National Guard records released Friday showed that the commanding officer of President Bush's basic training unit took a special interest in him as a trainee and wrote to his father to praise him. Democrats called that proof of preferential treatment...

Today Fruitland Community Church will hold a satellite program on Christian counseling at 10:30 a.m. There is a cost for the program. For information, call 204-0724. The Boyd Family will perform in concert at The Church of God in Cape Girardeau at 7 p.m. today and Sunday...

Football The Carolina Panthers have not had a very good week: Running back Stephen Davis was lost Friday with a knee injury, just days after star receiver Steve Smith broke his leg. Davis and Smith are the defending NFC champions' top two offensive threats...

The Associated Press MOSCOW -- President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Russia is "seriously preparing" for pre-emptive strikes against terrorists, as Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev claimed responsibility for a school hostage-taking and other attacks that have claimed more than 430 lives...

The Southeast Missouri Regional Crime Lab recently learned that it will receive $1 million of the $3.375 million allotted for fighting methamphetamine in Missouri. The crime lab will use the money to renovate its current building so the Law Enforcement Academy can be moved into it, said Tom Schulte, an aide to Sen. Kit Bond. Bond is a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which approved the spending bill Friday...

CHICAGO -- Struggling to put together a new bankruptcy plan, United Airlines said Friday it is in talks with its unions about the need for an additional $500 million in cost cuts. The cuts would come on top of $655 million in yearly cost savings the company identified two weeks ago and $2.5 billion in wage and benefit cuts it made a year ago. They also would be separate from a tentative plan to end employee pension plans, which would save $4.1 billion in payments due over the next five years...

St. Louis rapper Murphy Lee is off to college -- at least electronically. Lee, who shared a 2004 Grammy for best rap performance by a duo or group for "Tailfeather," has enrolled at Southeast Missouri State University. Currently, Lee is enrolled in six credit hours of online classes, including criminal justice and political science classes, and would like to pursue a business degree, said his publicist, Jane Higgins...

SAMANA, Dominican Republic -- Slow-moving Tropical Storm Jeanne lashed the Dominican Republic on Friday with wind and rain that triggered mudslides and collapsed walls before it weakened to a tropical depression and headed toward the Bahamas. Eight were killed across the Caribbean...

The violent remains of Hurricane Ivan pounded a large swath of the eastern United States on Friday, drenching an area from Georgia to Pennsylvania, washing out dozens of homes, sweeping cars down roadways and trapping more than 100 students at an elementary school...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A suicide car bomber slammed into a line of police cars sealing off a Baghdad neighborhood Friday as American troops rounded up dozens of suspected militants, capping a day of violence across Iraq that left at least 52 dead. Among the 63 suspects arrested were Syrians, Sudanese and Egyptians, officials said. Coalition forces say foreign fighters are playing a major role in the insurgency...

Area ministers and church leaders are looking for ways to transform their church, energize members and help people understand their purpose in life. And they're doing it with the help of Rick Warren's book, "The Purpose Driven Life," plus Internet devotions and small group studies...

Murder attempt yields 10 years in prison A Marble Hill, Mo., man convicted in June of attempted murder was sentenced to 10 years in prison Friday. Timothy D. Lincoln had been tried in Bollinger County on a change of venue. Prosecutors said Lincoln left a message on Gary Eldridge's answering machine in August 2003 asking to meet him at the Rhodes 101 Station in Jackson. ...