Stories from Saturday, December 11, 2004

When news of an impending superintendent salary increase made its way to the Central High School student newspaper staff, students quickly came to the conclusion that it was an issue they couldn't ignore no matter what the repercussions. Amidst the usual columns on musical artists, video games and student life on the Tiger's Nov. ...

Squirrels drive some people nuts. Bird lovers aren't fond of the fluffy-tailed rodents, which explains why a variety of weight-sensitive bird feeders have been created to keep squirrels out. Some homeowners consider squirrels a nuisance since the animals take out their passion for gnawing on houses. They've chewed their way into attics and taken up residence, and biting at electrical wires is not uncommon...

Jim Parker's steamboat mural on the side of Mollie's Cafe & Bar is now finished. The mural now at 11 S. Spanish St. is Cape Girardeau's first mural on the riverfront, and is considered to be the work that started the tradition that led to the murals along the floodwall, according to the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri...

Southeast Missouri State University plans to take advantage of Cape Girardeau's Broadway widening project to dress up the Broadway-Henderson Avenue entrance to the campus with improved parking, green space and monument signs designating the school...

State transportation commissioners on Friday approved the expenditure of $159 million on 57 road projects, including seven in Southeast Missouri -- the first beneficiaries of a funding plan approved by voters in November. The project list marks the first phase of the transportation department's "smooth roads" initiative that eventually will spend about $400 million on repaving, striping and other road safety improvements during the next three years...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A U.S. soldier pleaded guilty Friday to killing a severely wounded Iraqi teenager in what investigators say may have been a mercy killing, the latest of several similar incidents that have undercut efforts by the United States to win support among Iraqis and defeat a rampant insurgency...

QUETTA, Pakistan -- Assailants set off a powerful time bomb next to an army truck parked in a teeming outdoor market in southwestern Pakistan on Friday, killing at least 11 people -- mostly civilians -- and injuring more than two dozen others, police and hospital officials said...

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Colin Montgomerie walked off the 18th green in a tie for the lead with Tiger Woods at the Target World Challenge, and someone told him the tournament was in his hands. Montgomerie, of all people, knows better. "It's in Tiger's hands," he said with a smile...

DENVER -- Sprinter Michelle Collins was suspended for eight years for a doping violation linked to the BALCO scandal and will forfeit results that include 2003 indoor world and U.S. titles in the 200 meters. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said Friday that a three-member panel of the American Arbitration Association concluded Collins, 33, used various performance-enhancing substances that allegedly were provided by the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative...

WASHINGTON -- Spc. Robert Loria of Middletown, N.Y., lost his arm in Iraq, but instead of a farewell paycheck from the Army he got a bill for nearly $1,800. On Friday a platoon of New York lawmakers came to his rescue. Loria found himself stuck in Fort Hood in Texas this week when Army officials said he owed money for travel expenses and for lost equipment...

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration has spent more than $65 million in the past two years to aid political organizations in Ukraine, paying to bring opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko to meet U.S. leaders and helping to underwrite exit polls indicating he won last month's disputed runoff election...

OPEC approves cutting oil production next year CAIRO, Egypt -- OPEC agreed Friday to reduce its daily oil output by 1 million barrels a day starting Jan. 1 -- and reserved the right to cut deeper early next year if crude turns much cheaper than now. ...

BOSTON -- Less than seven months after same-sex couples began tying the knot in Massachusetts, the state is seeing its first gay divorces. Newlyweds seeking to renounce the vows they so recently took have been trickling into probate courts across the state, filling out obsolete forms that still read "husband" and "wife."...

FORT WORTH, Texas -- When Eugene Florence wanted to become a preacher in the 1940s, he had to attend seminary at night because black students weren't allowed to take day classes. On Friday, 53 years after he graduated with a theology degree, 100-year-old Florence was awarded a master of divinity degree at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary...

NEW YORK -- Archie Griffin wouldn't mind sharing his claim to fame. The former Ohio State tailback is the only player to win two Heisman trophies, receiving his second in 1975. Oklahoma quarterback Jason White has a chance to match Griffin tonight when college football's most prestigious individual award is handed out in New York...

ST. LOUIS -- It's been more than four months since Kyle Turley shut himself down for the season with another back injury, and the St. Louis Rams are still feeling the repercussions. The biggest hole on the offensive line has been Turley's vacated right tackle spot. Grant Williams has been beaten repeatedly in recent weeks, and he was burned for the sack that knocked quarterback Marc Bulger out of last week's 16-6 victory over the 49ers with a sprained right shoulder...

It didn't take Southeast Missouri State University coach Gary Garner long to determine what cost his team the most during Thursday's 69-66 home loss to Montana. "The turnovers really hurt us," Garner said. On a night that saw Southeast do plenty well against the physical Grizzlies, the 19 turnovers against a squad that really doesn't press loomed large. And Montana was able to convert those miscues into 23 points as Southeast fell to 2-4...

Eli Harris took a feed from Alex Ray and made a lay-in with less than two seconds remaining to lift Central's boys basketball team into the finals of the Northwest/Mobil "On the Run" Classic on Friday night with a 52-50 win over Eureka at Northwest High School...

WASHINGTON -- Former New York police commissioner Bernard Kerik, President Bush's choice to be homeland security secretary, has withdrawn his name from consideration, the White House announced late Friday. Presidential press secretary Scott McClellan, in a conference call to news organizations, revealed that Kerik had withdrawn "for personal reasons."...

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Just down the road from the Magic Kingdom, major league teams toyed with trades and focused on free agents as the winter meetings began Friday. Russ Ortiz, Steve Finley and Richard Hidalgo found new teams, though there were no trades announced as of mid-evening...

WASHINGTON -- Fewer teens are engaging in sexual activity than in the past, and those that do are more likely to use contraceptives, the government said Friday. The National Center for Health Statistics said that for girls aged 15 to 17 the percentage who had ever had intercourse declined from 38 percent in 1995 to 30 percent in 2002...

Charges of removing or defacing a manufacturer's serial number, sale or possession of equipment with an altered identification and sale or possession of stolen property against Todd Rowland of Jackson have been dropped without prejudice. Charges dismissed without prejudice may be being refiled if a prosecutor finds reason to bring the charges back...

Old memories I JUST finished reading TBY. It was all interesting, but the best part of the paper was the article by Donald Kraft, "Childhood in downtown Cape during the Depression years." I am 81 years old, and I related to everything I read: the snow on the ice trucks, 10-cent movies at the Orpheum Show. I'll have to say those were the good old days. Thanks, Donald Craft, for stirring up those memories. I enjoyed every minute of reading this article...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Rose C. Renner, 85, died Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2004, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. She was born May 1, 1919, in Perry County, daughter of Louis and Theresa Unterreiner Leible. She and Joseph Renner were married May 26, 1947, at Apple Creek, Mo. He died Feb. 26, 1996...

Mildred Martin Niswonger, 87, of Jackson died Friday, Dec. 10, 2004, at her home. She was born Oct. 6, 1917, at Daisy, daughter of Tony Sappington and Arlie Roberts Cobble. She and Clyde "Bud" Martin were married in 1934. He died Jan. 29, 1969. She and Frank Niswonger were married May 13, 1987...

BENTON, Mo. -- Anna Elizabeth Vincent, 83, of Benton died Thursday, Dec. 9, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born June 29, 1921, at Benton, daughter of Thomas Marshall and Eva Mae Davidson Hensley. She and Harvey Moore were married Aug. 11, 1937. He died Feb. 9, 1974. She and Emitt Vincent were married June 2, 1977. He died Feb. 20, 1994...

John L. Metz, 63, of Jefferson City, Mo., died Friday, Dec. 10, 2004, at Capital Regional Medical Center in Jefferson City. He was formerly of Cape Girardeau. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Shirley R. Legins, 58, of Martin, Tenn., died Thursday, Dec. 9, 2004, at Volunteer Community Hospital in Martin. She was born March 30, 1946, in Potosi, Mo., daughter of Arley M. and Opal Mounce Roberts. She married Billie Joe Legins. Legins was a secretary at Ross and Sons Merchandise, and a member of Central Baptist Church...

Mary Wilmes, 85, of Creve Coeur, Mo., died Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2004, at Delmar Gardens of Creve Coeur. She was born Dec. 30, 1918, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Eugene R. and Helen M. Andrews. She married George H. Wilmes, who preceded her in death...

Irby Son to Travis Stephen Irby and Victoria Brooke Revelle of East Prairie, Mo., Saint Francis Medical Center, 6:27 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 27, 2004. Name, Wyatt Stephen. Weight, 7 pounds 4 ounces. Second son. Ms. Revelle is the daughter of Teresa Witherspoon of East Prairie and Ronnie Revelle of Poplar Bluff, Mo. She is a student. Irby is the son of Shelia Irby of Oran, Mo., and Steve Irby of Louisville, Ky. He is employed by Ingram Barge Co...

To the editor: Thank you so much for the article, "A river running through families," published in November. Only another towboater's wife would even come close to understanding what we go through month after month. My husband, Charles, has been gone more than he's been home this year. I hope his days will start being more regular. Our 15-year anniversary is coming up next month, and he will be on the boat. At least he will be home for Christmas...

To the editor: Time was when age made a difference in one's behavior. Today it is quite different. Self-respect is not often a part. A television commercial features an elderly man stepping from a bus and dancing in a freakish manner in order to attract people to Six Flags. ...

To the editor: Regarding Janice Hays Chadha's comments on George Will's Dec. 3 column: What a wonderful dose of liberal arrogance. That resume of faculty qualifications for political infallibility was very impressive. Too bad a doctoral program cannot guarantee plain old common sense. Fortunately, a majority of voters did not agree with her on Nov. 2...

Two drivers injured in Larch Lane collision A head-on crash at 8:51 a.m. Friday two miles west of Fruitland resulted in moderate injuries for two motorists from Cape Girardeau County. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the accident occurred when Blake Hendricks, 18, of Jackson, driving a 1991 Chevrolet, crossed the center line of Larch Lane and hit head-on a 1991 Jeep driven by Bradley Graham, 54, of Cape Girardeau...

Toybox A mother with an active child and another with a learning disability has made some special requests of Toybox this year. Toybox is a program of the Southeast Missourian and Cape Girardeau Jaycees that provides gifts to needy children. This mother has asked that her exuberant, energetic 10-year-old son get games or toys that will keep him busy. He's very sports-oriented, she says, and needs an outdoor activity...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls on Wednesday: At 5:56 p.m., smoke smell in the 1400 block of North Main Street. At 11:4 p.m., emergency medical service in the 400 block of Jefferson Street. Firefighters responded to the following calls on Thursday:...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released Friday by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Richard W. Lehman, 43, 4826 Metropolitan St., Kansas City, Kan., was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, driving on a suspended license, failing to stop at a stop sign and leaving the scene of an accident...

Almost every town in America has its own drug culture. In 2000, drugs were involved in at least three of the five homicides that occurred in the small city of Perryville, Mo. Last week, Perryville police were investigating three deaths that appeared to be caused by drug overdoses. All three people who died had been to the same party days earlier. Authorities believe they may have obtained tainted drugs at the party that killed them when taken days later...

Briefly Christmas pageant performed at Lynwood Lynwood Baptist Church will present "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever," a play based on the popular book by Barbara Robinson, at 6 p.m. Sunday. The play is performed by the members of the WAK children's choir and directed by Jeff South...

HONOLULU, Hawaii -- Southeast Missouri State University's women had their four-game winning streak snapped a long way from home. Playing on the first night of the Waikiki Beach Marriott Invitational late Thursday, Southeast suffered a 79-69 loss at the hands of the University of Hawaii, the host squad...

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southeast Missouri State University's track and field program turned in more impressive performances Friday during its second meet of the indoor season. The non-scored Saluki Fast Start Invitational featured host Southern Illinois, Illinois, Lincoln, Lindsay Wilson and Southeast...

25 years ago: Dec. 11, 1979 Cape Girardeau County health officials and Prosecuting Attorney Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. are concerned over possible health hazards from a slough that runs through Delta; the water isn't draining and has become stagnate, says county sanitarian Marvin Campbell; Limbaugh says his research shows the slough is owned by 15 to 20 property owners in the town who own land adjacent to it...