Stories from Sunday, November 28, 2004

More than just shoppers fluttered about the Westfield Shoppingtown West Park Mall this weekend. Tom Shaffer of A Wing and a Prayer, a new promotional company for bird shows, put together a display of nearly 30 exotic birds, something most shoppers didn't expect...

Do you get Uncle Fred another shirt for Christmas? What about Aunt Edna, who returns everything she unwraps? And on Christmas morning, do you smile and thank your cousin Ethel for the scarf that matches nothing in your closet? Keeping the Christmas spirit and maintaining family relations are made possible with the advent of a little plastic card. ...

The holiday season is always rough for Merlin and Nicole Pyrtle. The encroaching cold brings back harsh memories of loss. Two winter birthdays that are mourned rather than celebrated. On Nov. 27, 2000, Nicole gave birth to the second of twins -- the first had been miscarried. ...

Barb Elfrink wouldn't realize until later how serious the situation was. She still remembers how the nurses were all upbeat and wore happy faces. Their body language suggested otherwise. They flashed around Barb's bed with a purpose, constantly checking monitors and vitals, jotting down notes like journalists covering a natural disaster just before deadline. A slew of medical people came to ask questions; they made her sign all sorts of forms. Barb thought it was routine...

Nicholas McAdams can't help but reach out and touch the twinkling lights on his family's Christmas tree. Like so many things in life, the soft glow of the bulbs calls out to the Gordonville 2-year-old, enticing him to explore. It's his will to explore -- from climbing on top of the kitchen stove to wandering out into a busy highway -- that has Nicholas' mother, Michelle McAdams, constantly on edge...

Mr. and Mrs. John Statler of Cape Girardeau celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Oct. 10, 2004, at Grace United Methodist Church. The reception was hosted by their daughter, Tamara Smee. Statler and Dorothy Young were married Nov. 25, 1954, at Chaffee United Methodist Church in Chaffee, Mo. Their attendants were Eva Golightly and Jacob Statler, brother of the groom, both of Chaffee...

Rick and Gina Marshall of St. Louis announce the engagement of their daughter, Jessica Marshall, to Jarred Crouch, both of Waterloo, Iowa. He is the son of Mike and Cheryl Crouch of Jackson. Marshall received bachelor and master degrees in engineering management from the University of Missouri-Rolla. She is a self-employed business and residential organizer with Organized For You!...

Ashley Nichole Estes and Jason Delmer Keller were married May 22, 2004, in Riviera Maya, Mexico. Parents of the couple are Alan and Nancy Estes and Larry and Deanna Keller, all of Jackson. The bride was escorted by her father. Matron of honor was the bride's mother...

Resa Hallene Strickland and Wayne Brett Armstrong were married May 31, 2004, at First Baptist Church in Oak Ridge. The Rev. Jon Sedgwick performed the ceremony. Parents of the bride are Thomas and Judy Strickland of Jackson. The groom is the son of Malcolm Armstrong and Lucia Armstrong of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe...

Julie Jean Poirot and Raymond Wesley Roberts exchanged vows Nov. 13, 2004, at St. Ann Catholic Church in Nashville, Ill. The Rev. Paul Weinoff performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Cindy Poirot of Nashville, and the late John Poirot. The groom is the son of Dr. and Mrs. Theodore Roberts of Sikeston, Mo...

Bruce and Mary Hager of Frohna, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Karrie Lynn Filer, to Stephen Matthew Zschille, both of Jackson. He is the son of Bob and Debi Brown of Jackson and Steve and Kathy Zschille of Patton, Mo. Filer is also the daughter of the late Brad Filer...

Homeowners are all too familiar with pegboard. For decades, tools have been unceremoniously hung from hooks on this crumbly brown pressboard. Long kept out of sight in dank basements and messy garages, pegboard is the last product do-it-yourselfers could envision as modern, stylistic and in vogue...

NEW YORK -- One dressing dilemma is solved by patent leather: When you're headed out to a celebration of any sort, pull those shiny patent pumps out of the closet and you'll see the party has already started. "There is something very celebratory and festive about patent leather," says accessories designer Kate Spade. "It goes back to the days of patent leather Mary Janes, which were your party shoes as a child."...

SALT LAKE CITY -- After languishing for decades in an old shed, several artifacts from the Illinois town where Mormon church founder Joseph Smith settled have been reclaimed and catalogued. Among them are pieces of the original Nauvoo, Ill. temple's baptismal font and floor and items that reflect the everyday life of early Latter-day Saints -- including silverware, ceramics, fruit and canning jars, medicine bottles and children's dolls...

NEW YORK -- The holiday season represents an opportunity for families to come together, even if divorces or differences have moved them apart. Whatever the issue was that polarized parents, stepparents and other relatives, it should be set aside during this season and everyone should do their best to be inclusive and respectful of other family members and their desire to celebrate with the children they share ties to, says Barbara LeBey, author of "Remarried With Children: Ten Secrets for Successfully Blending and Extending Your Family" (Bantam).. ...

NEW YORK -- School nurses do a lot more than tend to cuts, bruises and the occasional bloody nose. Those playground wounds are all part of the job, says Karen Tremblay, the nurse at East Taunton Elementary School in Taunton, Mass., but so are the more serious and life-altering insulin injections, wellness programs, asthma education and allergy monitoring...

It won't be long before back yard birding enthusiasts tote out tons of seed and suet in the annual effort to attract flocks of feathered friends. Birds will have their pick of tasty morsels ranging from energy-packed black oil sunflower to delicate thistle to robust suet...

BLUE ISLAND, Ill. -- The mighty Egyptian monarch King Cluck was buried with great fanfare recently in the front lawn of Kerr Middle School. About 40 mourners wailed as the "pharaoh" and his favorite pets, games and foods were readied to enter the afterlife...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A lot of time and craftsmanship more than 145 years ago went into building a pair of log cabins with a center dogtrot. Now the same painstaking care is being used to dismantle and relocate the Cole County home of oak and stone, now located off Highway 179...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The federal Transportation Security Administration has extended a private company's contract to hire security screeners at Kansas City International Airport. The TSA's contract with FirstLine was scheduled to expire last week but was renewed for another year. Firstline was awarded the contract in 2002...

MARION, Ill. -- Illinois State Police now believe a different vehicle caused an accident on Interstate 57 that killed five people on Thanksgiving Day. At first authorities said a northbound van carrying the Flores family from Chicago crossed the median just before 2 a.m. near Marion and struck two vehicles head-on. The van burst into flames, killing everyone inside...

When people stop making something everybody wants it more, and it becomes more valuable. By Samantha Critchell ~ The Associated Press NEW YORK -- A watch's primary function might be to keep track of hours, minutes and seconds, but its style, system and statement are hardly secondary factors...

What makes collectors tick? Not all watches are created equal -- and not all watches have equal value. According to Edward Faber, co-owner of New York's Aaron Faber Gallery, which sells vintage, estate and collectible jewelry, there are general guidelines that help establish a timepiece's value...

BEIJING -- The mother of a 21-year-old man accused of slashing as many as nine boys to death as they slept in their high school dormitory turned her son in after he attempted to commit suicide, a news report said. Yan Yanming, 21, was reported to police after he attempted to take his life late Thursday in the city of Ruzhou, the Xinhua News Agency said on Saturday. The agency said Yan confessed and said he slashed the students out of hatred...

The Christmas window at Hutson's Fine Furniture in downtown Cape Girardeau is as much about holiday traditions as it is family togetherness for both its viewers and its creators. The window -- usually filled with animated elves, trains circling their tracks, and Santa Claus -- has been drawing families to 43 S. Main St. for nearly 50 years...

KIEV, Ukraine -- Ukraine's parliament declared the country's disputed presidential election invalid Saturday amid international calls for a new vote, fueling what has become a political tug-of-war between the West and Moscow over the future of this former Soviet republic...

PHILADELPHIA -- A tanker spilled 30,000 gallons of crude oil into the Delaware River between Philadelphia and southern New Jersey, creating a 20-mile-long slick that killed dozens of birds and threatened other wildlife, federal officials said Saturday...

Prepared to spend the next many months reading about reforming Social Security? Of course not. And you don't have to. Just read the next 975 words of this column and you will know all you need to know. In fact, you will be able to fix Social Security yourself in the time it takes to recite this sentence: "Drop the wage indexing formula." As anybody who has been breathing during the last decade knows, Social Security is heading for disaster. ...

"Saving Private Ryan" aired on Veterans Day in Springfield, Mo., a decision KSPR general manager Dave Tillery said was not difficult. But in one-third of the country, viewers were instead treated to Oprah, "Coming to America" or "Return to Mayberry."...

Some locals recently mentioned to me that these are tough times to be a Southeast Missouri State University sports fan, with football going 3-8 and men's basketball coming off three straight losing campaigns, although there is renewed optimism for this year...

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Ken Lowe had an idea that every room in the house -- and the grounds outside -- could have its own television show. The idea became Home & Garden Television. Since it went on the air a decade ago, HGTV has become one of America's most recognized cable brands, reaching 87 million households and sprouting sister networks for E.W. Scripps Co...

MOSCOW -- The head of a parliamentary commission investigating the September hostage seizure at a school in southern Russia said there is evidence of involvement by a foreign intelligence agency, the Interfax news agency reported Saturday. The statement was the latest of several in which Russian officials and politicians have alleged foreigners were involved in the Sept. ...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The Iraqi government Saturday brushed aside Sunni Muslim demands to delay the Jan. 30 election, and a spokesman for the majority Shiite community called the date "nonnegotiable." Insurgents stepped up attacks, blasting U.S. patrols in Baghdad and killing a U.S. soldier north of the capital...

BUCHAREST, Romania -- When Romanians pick a president today, their main choice is between the forces of the past -- flawed but comfortingly familiar -- and an inexperienced challenger promising a dynamic, Western-leaning future. The close race reflects a nation being pulled in two directions as it elects the man who will replace longtime President Ion Iliescu and pursue Romania's cherished dream of joining the prosperous European Union in 2007...

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill. -- The Great Lakes Naval Training Center will review its Adopt-a-Sailor Thanksgiving Program after hundreds of meals cooked by Chicago area organizations went uneaten Thursday, officials said. The traditional Thanksgiving Day program allows Navy recruits to leave the base near North Chicago to enjoy the holiday meals with families or various organizations...

AMES, Iowa -- Adam Crossett kicked Iowa State out of the Big 12 championship game. Crossett's 25-yard field goal in overtime, the first of his college career, gave Missouri the lead and A.J. Kincade's interception preserved a 17-14 victory for the beleaguered Tigers on Saturday...

Saturday's transactions BASEBALL NATIONAL LEAGUE PITTSBURGH PIRATES--TRADED C JASON KENDALL TO THE OAKLAND ATHLETICS FOR LHP MARK REDMAN AND LHP ARTHUR RHODES. BASKETBALL NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION HOUSTON ROCKETS--ACTIVATED G BOB SURA FROM THE INJURED LIST. PLACED G CHARLIE WARD ON THE INJURED LIST...

ST. LOUIS -- St. Vincent's football team preached the team-game this season, never singling out any one player. That philosophy applies to the Indians' running game as well, where they entered the Class 1 state title game on Saturday with six players having rushed for 200 yards or more, including three with 500 or more. St. Vincent's running back by committee style worked perfectly against undefeated East Buchanan, as the Indians rushed for 232 yards on 52 carries in a 21-0 win...

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay used a late spurt to slip past Southeast Missouri State University 59-55 in men's basketball action Saturday night. Southeast fell to 1-2 with its second four-point road loss of the season. The Phoenix improved to 2-1...

There was no official championship game in the HealthPoint Plaza Thanksgiving Classic -- but you'd have a hard time convincing Southeast Missouri State University and Illinois-Chicago of that. Those women's basketball teams, after winning their opening games on Friday, put on quite a show during the event's final contest Saturday afternoon...

AMES, Iowa -- With a kick and a pick, Missouri knocked Iowa State out of the Big 12 championship game. Adam Crossett kicked a 25-yard field goal in overtime to give Missouri the lead and A.J. Kincade intercepted a pass in the end zone to preserve a 17-14 victory for the beleaguered Tigers on Saturday...

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Erik Meyer connected with Eric Kimble on a 45-yard touchdown pass with 1:49 left Saturday as Eastern Washington rallied and stunned top-ranked Southern Illinois 35-31 in the opening round of the NCAA Division I-AA football playoffs...

** Learning from column I LOVE reading Justin Cox's columns on the Voices of 2morrow page about living in Chile. His travels have made him aware why our country is great and where we need to improve. He tells how traveling has made him grow as a person with other people and their cultures. It is so interesting. I appreciate you putting it in the paper...

BENTON, Mo. -- Elmer Charles "Johnny" Wiedefeld, 84, of Benton died Friday, Nov. 26, 2004, at his home. He was born March 4, 1920, at New Hamburg, Mo., son of Joseph and Rosalie Scheeter Wiedefeld. He and Anna Marie Scheffer were married July 29, 1948, at Piggott, Ark...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Dorothy Ella Bingenheimer Mirly, 69, of Collinsville, Ill., and formerly of Perryville, died Thursday, Nov. 25, 2004, at Collinsville Care Center. She was born May 25, 1935, at Uniontown, Mo., daughter of Charlie and Ella Vogel Bingenheimer. She and Robert Mirly were married Feb. 19, 1955...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Hester Mae Ledbetter, 90, formerly of Sikeston, died Friday, Nov. 26, 2004, at the Life Care Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Sept. 17, 1914, in Oran, Mo., daughter of Harvey G. and Hattie Robinson Crader. She had worked at Sikeston Ceramics Manufacturing Co. and had also been a cook for the Rustic Rock, the War Drum and the Gaslight Square restaurants in Sikeston...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Ola Bee Bollinger, 86, of Chaffee died Saturday, Nov. 27, 2004, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Aug. 22, 1918, at Oran, Mo., daughter of Thomas and Birdie Craven. She and Edwin Burger were married Dec. 5, 1937. He died Feb. 26, 1982. She and John Bollinger were married Feb. 12, 1984. He died June 3, 1999...

** 25 years ago: Nov. 28, 1979 About 15 parents and members of the Gordonville Parent-Teacher Organization appeared before the Jackson school board last night to protest the board's decision to eliminate the first-grade classroom at the Gordonville School and bus the first graders to the Primary Annex at Jackson...

** Appreciative of coverage This note of appreciation goes to Bill Hester, a sports writer who works with the Southeast Missourian newspaper and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. I know people are always calling in to complain about the lack of good sports coverage in their area, but I want to acknowledge the good work being done by Bill and others on your staff. ...

ST. LOUIS -- St. Vincent's dominant defense made its final appearance of the year a memorable one, forcing a Show Me Bowl-record six interceptions and eight turnovers in a 21-0 win over East Buchanan on Saturday in the Class 1 state football championship game at the Edward Jones Dome...

WEST PLAINS, Mo. -- Jackson's girls basketball team won the championship of the West Plains Zizzer Classic Saturday by beating host West Plains 45-36. Jackson won all three games in the season-opening, round-robin event. Bobbie Jones paced the Indians with 11 points Saturday...

A full house of 728 fans came out to watch Saxony Lutheran open its impressive new facility with a 62-57 basketball win over Marquand Saturday afternoon. Saxony (2-0) started slow and the Tigers came out shooting hot, jumping out to an early 13-7 lead with 2:50 to go in the first quarter. But Saxony's Lauren Lueders slowed Marquand with some strong defensive play, and Tim Lorenz began scoring inside to bring the Crusaders within two...

NEW YORK -- Buying gifts for people who love to travel has never been simpler, thanks to the ease of Internet shopping, a burgeoning selection of specialty items and publications, and gift certificates that allow recipients to book an inn or spa when and where it's convenient for them. Here are some gift ideas to inspire you, from stocking stuffers to luxurious dreams come true...

WASHINGTON -- Ask not why so few inaugural speeches resonate long after they are given. History always will remember Abraham Lincoln's appeal to the "better angels of our nature." History probably has forgotten President Bush's flowery declaration four short years ago that an "angel still rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm."...

WASHINGTON -- When former CIA director George Tenet said his farewells at a two-hour ceremony this summer, a deputy noted that 40 percent of the agency's staff had worked for just one chief. It was a symbol of Tenet's endurance, seven years on the job, the second longest tenure of a director. It also was a mark of the agency's growth during a hiring spree that began in 1998 and accelerated after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001...

Virginia man: Oh no, not another million dollars SUFFOLK, Va. -- When Mike Kainrath found an extra $1.8 million in his bank account last week, he had just one thought: "Oh, no! Not again." Kainrath had found an extra $115,661 in the account in April 2003, and $2,700 in November 2002. ...

A single mother hopes that Toybox can provide her children with a few gifts to brighten their Christmas holiday. Her two children won't have much without community donations through Toybox. Zoe, 4, wants a Cabbage Patch doll, books, Dora the Explorer toys and Fisher-Price power touch books. Her sister, Marisa, 2, wants a kitchen play set, a Sit-n-Spin, an Elmo doll, books and Dora the Explorer toys...

St. Helens has largest earthquake since October MOUNT ST. HELENS -- A 3.1-magnitude earthquake shook the crater at Mount St. Helens on Saturday, the strongest quake at the volcano since mid-October. U.S. Geological Survey scientists said they did not believe a major eruption was imminent -- just a continuation of the minor ash and steam eruptions that have been occurring since the mountain reawakened this fall. ...

Pakistan downplays report of tech leaks ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistan on Saturday defended its efforts to halt leaks of nuclear technology amid suggestions that a new CIA report says a renegade scientist provided more help to Iran's nuclear weapons program than previously disclosed. ...

** Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following items Friday: At 5:10 p.m., an emergency medical service in the 400 block of North Frederick Street. At 5:35 p.m., an emergency medical service in the 1900 block of North Sprigg Street. At 5:59 p.m., an emergency medical service in the 1000 block of North Missouri Avenue...

** Cape Girardeau The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWIs A subject is in custody pending filing of formal charge on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Arrests A subject is in custody pending formal charges for failing to drive on the right half of the road...

Let's see. Several Indiana Pacers were suspended by the NBA after a brawl with fans. Clemson and South Carolina removed themselves from any bowl games after the two teams engaged in a brawl that took 100 law-enforcement officers to quell. And a dispute in northern Wisconsin over a deer stand left six hunters dead and others wounded...

Downtown Cape Girardeau will be a big holiday party tonight when the 10th annual Christmas Parade of lights starts at dusk at Capaha Park and makes its way down Broadway to the riverfront area. More than 100 entries -- all featuring lights and music -- are signed up for the parade, which is a wonderful way for families to kick off the holiday season...

There is something very charming about a bungalow-style home, especially when it has been carefully preserved. The bungalow home was designed with simplicity and function in mind, but with an arts and crafts flair, they were never short on style. The home at 509 N. Maryland St. in Jackson is a good example of the bungalow charm. This one has woodsy paving stones leading to its welcoming front porch...

** Coaches not to blame REGARDING THE current state of athletics at Southeast Missouri State, I concur that changes need to be made. They need to be made at the top, the very top. When board of regents leadership says that there is no money in athletics, then the mediocrity we are seeing is what we are going to get. ...