Stories from January 2005

Thirty-six years ago, Darren DeLoach missed being a New Year's baby by just an hour and a half. On Saturday, with his fourth child, he didn't miss. Micah Olivia DeLoach was born at 2:06 a.m. Saturday, becoming the first area baby born in 2005. The healthy baby girl was born to Darren and Janet DeLoach at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Baby Micah weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Starting this week Missouri Republicans will be in the driver's seat of state government. They will also be in the hot seat. Having controlled the state Senate for the last four years and both legislative chambers for the last two, the GOP has wielded tremendous influence on the policy agenda. The missing component, of course, was a Republican governor...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Counties across Missouri have yet to fully embrace a new law that took effect in August allowing them to create funds to help reimburse law enforcement for the costs of battling crime. Once a county creates a fund, judges can require offenders to pay up to $300 into the fund as part of their probation or suspended sentence. ...

Windows, televisions and computers were literally smashed to bits. Holes were pounded through doors and along hallways. Thousands of dollars of high-tech video and sound equipment was destroyed. A gash was ripped through the piano that is normally used to play songs of peace...

Mr. and Mrs. James Sanford of Scott City will celebrate their 69th wedding anniversary Jan. 4, 2005. Sanford and Laura Humphrey were married Jan. 4, 1936, in Jackson. The couple has a daughter, Betty Rosenquist of Scott City; four grandchildren, Deaonna (Paul) Dale of Salem, Mo., Ed Ressel Jr. of Kelso, Mo., Deborah (Rick) Tittle of Sikeston, Mo., James Ressel of Cape Girardeau; and five great-grandchildren, Ian, Isaac, Eric, Amber and Sean Dannenmueller...

Mr. and Mrs. John Reed of Cape Girardeau recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with an open house. Hosts were their children, grandchildren, and a sister of Mrs. Reed. The couple was married Dec. 19, 1954, at Red Star Baptist Church. The Reeds have three sons, Richard (Cheryl) Reed, Robert (Regina) Reed, and Ronald (Terri) Reed. They have four grandchildren, Rachel, Roma Ann, Richard II and Jude; and four great-grandchildren, Sierra, Logan, Ridge and Lucas...

Tom and Terry Mirly of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Holly Ann Mirly, to Jim Robert Mroczkowski. He is the son of Jim and Dianne Mroczkowski of St. Louis. Mirly is a 1998 graduate of Jackson High School. She received a bachelor of science degree in computer science from Southeast Missouri State University in 2002. She is employed at SBC in St. Louis...

James and Barbara Reitzel of Whitewater announce the engagement of their daughter, Melissa Reitzel, to Kirk Miller, both of Cape Girardeau. He is the son of Kathryn Miller of Jackson, and the late Kenneth Miller. Reitzel is a graduate of Delta High School, and received a bachelor of science degree in nursing from Southeast Missouri State University. She is a registered nurse at Kies Eye Center and at Southeast Missouri Hospital...

BENTON, Mo. -- Brad and Rita Milam of Benton announce the engagement of their daughter, Julie Nicole Milam, to Michael Dean Riley II. He is the son of Mike and Gail Riley of Blodgett, Mo. Milam is a 2000 graduate of Kelly High School. She received a bachelor of science degree in dietetics from Southeast Missouri State University in 2004, and expects to complete a dietetic internship program at Southeast in May 2005...

Cynthia Inez Ullrich and Cody Robert May exchanged wedding vows Aug. 7, 2004, at Osage Hills Christian Church in Tulsa, Okla. Herschel Lee Martin III performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of William Ullrich and Janice Ullrich of Tulsa. The groom is the son of Kurt and Erin May of Whitewater...

Carrie Jo Laurentius and Robby Brian Baldwin exchanged wedding vows July 17, 2004, at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. The Rev. Derek Swanson performed the ceremony. Organist was Betty Vandeven of Chaffee, Mo., and trumpeter was Drew Kiel of Cape Girardeau...

Heather Ann Spry and Nathan L. Brown were united in marriage Dec. 18, 2004, at Calvary United Pentecostal Church in Jackson. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. Ronnie L. Brown of Jackson, father of the groom; Dr. Frank Mink of Lake Orion, Mich., and the Rev. Randy Campbell of Cincinnati, Ohio...

Amber McCormick and Matthew Gossage were married April 17, 2004, at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Cape Girardeau. The bride is the daughter of Gary and Cynthia McCormick of Cape Girardeau. The groom is the son of Jay and Cindy Sims of Carterville, Ill...

Jill DeAnn Franklin and Nicholas Alexander Labbee exchanged wedding vows Oct. 16, 2004, at St. John's United Church of Christ in Jackson. David Schaffner performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Connie and Scott Mann of Cape Girardeau and Philip and Pam Franklin of Jackson. The groom is the son of Pamela Labbee of DeSoto, Mo., and Roger and Mary Labbee of Mesa, Ariz...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Barbara Ann Brown and Jason Paul Griffith were united in marriage June 5, 2004, on a beach in Panama City, Fla. Lawrence and Diane Brown of Perryville are parents of the bride. The groom is the son of Gordon and Marilyn Griffith of Decatur, Ill...

Wins equal fans; If only. ...; Looking for answers; Officials deserve recognition; Point taken; Bring on the praise

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- John G. Campbell, 68, of Perryville died Friday, Dec. 31, 2004, at Perry County Memorial Hospital in Perryville. He was born Nov. 20, 1936, at St. Mary, Mo., son of Joseph S. and Catherine Primo Campbell. Campbell worked as an elevator operator at MFA Feed Supply...

Laura Ann James, 44, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Dec. 31, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Jan. 22, 1960, at Cape Girardeau, daughter of Theodore Freirson and Bertha James. James worked at Heartland Care and Rehab as a nurse's aid...

Mary Louise Griffith, 93, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, Dec. 30, 2004, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Dec. 3, 1911, at West Frankfort, Ill., daughter of Chauncey Leroy and Pearl Lightner McRaven. She and Louis Griffith were married Aug. 7, 1976, at Cape Girardeau. He died Dec. 27, 1996...

Harry Lee Williams, 84, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Dec. 31, 2004, at his home. He was born July 5, 1920, at Cape Girardeau, son of Ren and Della Robins Williams. He and Iona Sebastian were married on June 21, 1963, at Cape Girardeau. Williams worked for Canedy Signs in Sikeston, Mo., and for General Sign in Cape Girardeau, retiring in 1982. He was a partner in Lost Creek Lodge at Wappapello Lake. He also played on KFVS radio in the early 1940s...

MATTHEWS, Mo. -- Violet R. Wallace, 87, of Matthews, formerly of East Prairie, Mo., died Thursday, Dec. 30, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Jan. 25, 1917, in Hickman, Ky., daughter of James and Janie Tinsley Johnson. She and Miles A. Wallace were married on May 19, 1933. He died on Dec. 20, 1991...

COBDEN, Ill. -- Denny Lee Nobles, 39, of Bastrop, Texas, formerly of Cobden, died Thursday, Dec. 30, 2004, from injuries received in a motorcycle accident in Bastrop. He was born Feb. 28, 1965, in Joliet, Ill., the son of Denny A. and Betty Blessing Nobles...

Carol Page Blanton, 65, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Jan. 1, 2005, at her home. She was born Dec. 25, 1939, in Sikeston, Mo., daughter of Lee and Mary Lucille Brewer Page. She and Harry A. Blanton were married on Feb. 4, 1959, at Sikeston. Blanton worked for Quintiles Pharmaceuticals. In 1957, she graduated Sikeston High School and was the Cayenne of the Red Peppers in 1957. She attended the University of Missouri-Columbia, University of Arkansas, College of Mt. St. Joseph in Cincinnati...

Gilbert "Gib" A. Meyr, 88, of New Wells, Mo., passed away Thursday, Dec. 30, 2004, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Nov. 18, 1916, in New Wells, son of Gustav and Pauline Perr Meyr. He and Florence Hutteger were married April 28, 1940, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells...

Robert B. Goodin, 71, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Dec. 31, 2004, at John Cochran VA Medical Center in St. Louis. He was born May 30, 1933, in Farber, Mo., son of Harry Louis and Daisy Etta Romans Goodin. He and Loretta F. Moore were married on May 26, 1956, at Farber...

Trooper helps stranger; Using costly services; Still shoveling; Future of knowledge; Thanks for delivery; Time for big change

Winter is a perfect time to spruce up your wardrobe From staff reports Winter is here, and it's time to consider updating your wardrobe so you won't miss out on the hottest trends. Here's a look at the top fashion finds for women and men this winter...

Last week's snowstorm in the Cape Girardeau area fulfilled the wishes of all those children dreaming of a white Christmas. It also brought stories of near-heroic efforts -- and a fair share of complaints. The snow came in two batches, which meant the road-clearing efforts after the first wave were all but obliterated by the second wave...

One of the things that makes disaster movies bearable is the notion that viewers go to the climate-controlled safety of a dark theater to witness horrors they believe will never actually occur. So while special effects make the volcanoes, avalanches, floods, earthquakes and towering infernos seem real, they are, in fact, not real at all...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released Friday and Saturday by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWIs * Roy Walter Barnes, 52, of Mounds, Ill., was issued a summons at Siemers and Lambert drives for driving while intoxicated, driving while revoked and failure to stop at a stop sign...

Cape Girardeau firefighters responded to the following calls Thursday: * At 8:29 p.m., a fire alarm at 3026 William St. Cape Girardeau firefighters responded to the following calls Friday: * At 1:14 p.m., a report of an electrical problem at 505 Washington Ave...

Al-Qaida releases video of Iraqi police shooting; Families identify victims of Argentine nightclub fire; Palestinian leader wants to protect militants

WANT TO HELP? The following are among the aid agencies accepting contributions for those affected by the earthquake and tsunamis in Asia. Contact the individual group for information on how to send donations. American Jewish World Service 45 West 36th St...

U.S. troops stretched around the world; Army medics are getting more intensive training; Thousands watch Rose and Mummers parades; FBI questions person in aircraft laser beam probe

One of the great things about the revival of Old World style is that it combines the charm and warmth of antiquity with the conveniences of today. The home at 2516 Carriage Crossing in Cape Girardeau is a perfect example. This stone-and-brick home is set on a hill in Randol Farms subdivision. It has been expertly landscaped with pond, stream and rock formations to give it a peaceful setting and also has an in-ground pool and four-car garage...

EAGLE CAP WILDERNESS, Ore. -- The shovel bites into the earth, propelled by a swift kick from my sturdiest hiking boots. A twist of the handle, and I've dug up a heavy spadeful of earth and random plant life. I carry it a few yards to a dirt-filled trench that, when we arrived, was a beaten-down, unused hiking trail. As a fellow worker plants my "plug," I pause to look through swirling snow at the gray profile of Eagle Cap mountain...

ST. LOUIS -- Four years ago, the St. Louis Rams sneaked into the playoffs in the final game of the season. Now they're back in the same situation, needing some help to advance. But heading into today's finale against the New York Jets, they know it can be done. And if it can be done, after that anything's possible...

MIAMI -- Pete Carroll calls this one the perfect matchup, and in many ways it is: USC vs. Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl for the national title. Preseason favorites to make it to Miami, the Trojans and Sooners were No. 1 and No. 2 in the polls all year. They feature the last two Heisman Trophy winners and about a dozen All-Americans between them...

Just when it looked as though coach Nick Saban would go out a winner at LSU, the Iowa Hawkeyes came up with a miracle finish. Drew Tate threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to Warren Holloway on the final play Saturday, and No. 11 Iowa stunned No. 12 Louisiana State 30-25 in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Fla...

It's a wintertime fantasy of many children to build the perfect snowman. But sometimes conditions don't cooperate: It might be too cold outside or there might not be enough snow. On the pages of children's picture books, however, the snowmen and everything around them seem to be just right...

NEW YORK -- Many parents teach their children that stereotyping is bad. It fuels divisiveness, they'll say. That might be true -- but so might the stereotypes. In "The Perfect Parents Handbook" (St. Martin's Griffin), Jennifer Conklin pokes fun at all the people she sees at the playground. They all fall into one of nine categories: classic, hip, power, sporty, neotraditional, bohemian, Euro, martyr and paranoid...

KIEV, Ukraine -- Viktor Yanukovych vowed to fight on for Ukraine's presidency, despite handing the opposition of this ex-Soviet Republic a begrudging victory by announcing his resignation as prime minister. His opponent, Western-leaning opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko, soundly won last weekend's court-ordered presidential revote, but Yanukovych has refused to concede, vowing to challenge the results in the Supreme Court. ...

BOSTON -- A Kentucky widow, moved by the cries of grief she heard in reports about the tsunami disaster in south Asia, invited her entire town to a New Year's Eve bash to raise money for the victims. In California, a college offered free basketball tickets, with a gift for relief efforts the only price of admission...

NEW YORK -- Revelers from Times Square to downtown Los Angeles welcomed 2005 amid elaborate celebrations that included dazzling fireworks, laser lights and music. Many said they hoped the new year would bring peace to all corners of the world, especially Iraq. Others prayed for tsunami victims in South Asia, saying the tragedy would be on their minds as the new year dawned...

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- There's some unwanted dribbling going on at the Basketball Hall of Fame. City officials say the $109 million dome-shaped building has sprung some leaks since it was built about two years ago. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, along with its parking garage and 18.5-acre site, are owned by the city. The property is rented to the hall in a 99-year lease...

EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- Two Wal-Mart employees have been charged with felony animal cruelty after police said they followed a manager's orders to shoot and kill a stray cat. The men, both assistant managers at the Supercenter, were arrested and released after a court appearance last week. Christopher Anderson, 29, and Jeffrey Hardin, 21, told police the store's manager ordered them to get rid of the animal that was living in a storage trailer behind their store...

PORTLAND, Maine -- Most don't look like harem girls and few midriffs are showing. But they sure seem to be belly dancing. A woman in her late 40s is swiveling her hips with the charisma of a teen pop star. A dozen others ranging from petite teens to middle-aged moms swarm around her, ringing out a rhythmic chorus on their finger cymbals...

You know drinking and driving is bad, but what about drinking and dieting? That all depends on your sense of moderation. A drink now and then probably won't leave you with a holiday belly, but knocking back too many six-packs can do a number on your six-pack abs...

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- From renaming Confederate Boulevard in Arkansas to shrinking "Heart of Dixie" on Alabama's license plate, the South is slowly erasing reminders of its Civil War past for fear of offending tourists and scaring off business. "Business people and tourists don't know what to think about slavery, elitism, the Civil War," says Ted Ownby of the University of Mississippi...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Missouri players are starting to feel this won't be a lost season, after all. After scuffling through an early season that included losses to Davidson, Creighton and Houston in succession, the Tigers appear to be finally putting things together. The last three games, capped by a gritty 63-61 victory over No. 21 Gonzaga on Thursday night, have been by far their best...

The Southeast Missouri State University women struggled at the beginning of both halves Friday night. But the rest of the game with Oakland City University went pretty much as expected, with Southeast rolling to a 74-49 New Year's Eve victory in front of about 150 fans at the Show Me Center...

Southeast Missouri State coach Gary Garner feared a letdown after Wednesday's big win at St. Louis University. And while Southeast might not have been in peak form Saturday night, it didn't show up on the scoreboard during a 95-68 rout of Lincoln University...

PASADENA, Calif. -- A winning kick put the controversy to rest. The Texas Longhorns proved they did indeed belong in the Rose Bowl. Dusty Mangum made a 37-yard field goal as time expired and No. 6 Texas, behind quarterback Vince Young, edged No. 13 Michigan 38-37 Saturday in the first matchup of two of college football's elite programs...

ST. LOUIS -- Pass-happy Mike Martz made this a meaningful final week for the St. Louis Rams by emphasizing the ground game, starting their Monday night victory over the Eagles with 11 straight running plays. That out-of-character, conservative formula allowed a beat-up and maligned offensive line to get into the flow early and also eased the burden on quarterback Marc Bulger, who missed the previous two games with a bruised throwing shoulder. ...

The Southeast Missouri State University basketball teams both will carry two-game winning streaks and plenty of momentum into 2005. The squads figure to need all of that forward push as Ohio Valley Conference play begins because they open their league schedules with tough stretches, including three of the first four games on the road for each team...

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia -- A Sumatran fisherman was discovered barely alive under his beached boat Sunday -- the first survivor found in three days, but with tens of thousands still missing in crushed seaside settlements and in the flotsam washing the shores of the Indian Ocean, rescuers turned full attention to getting food and water to the living...

BENTON, Mo. -- Over the past 13 years, Desert Wells has talked, dreamed in fact, about the day she would graduate from Kelly High School. Then the day came, and there was no pomp and circumstance, no walking across a stage, no tossing of cap in the air. Instead, the 18-year-old cleaned out her locker and left...

Before 1987, when a fire broke out in rural areas or small towns, some volunteer firefighters would jump on a firetruck while others would rush to the fire in their own vehicles and begin pouring water on the fire from the outside. Because of a catastrophe in Bhopal, India, the face of volunteer firefighting has changed. At a time when volunteers in general are encouraged and honored, firefighters prefer to be called by other titles...

smoyers Now where were we? When last we spoke, about a year ago, I was bidding you, Faithful Reader, a fond adieu. I was telling you that I was leaving this fine newspaper to further my education, spend time with my family and basically recharge my dead, defunct batteries...

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Rams coach Mike Martz couldn't care less that his team finished .500. Somehow, they are in the playoffs. The Rams clinched a postseason berth when Jeff Wilkins kicked a 31-yard field goal in overtime to beat the New York Jets 32-29 Sunday. They got a little help earlier in the day when Minnesota lost...

The desire to get something for nothing is an elemental human instinct. However, an antithetical sentiment was celebrated by the words of Benjamin Franklin and other early American patriots. God helps them that help themselves. Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors...

NEW YORK -- If you're having some regrets about how you've been handling your financial life, take heart: You can resolve to make a fresh start in the new year. Financial experts say one of the easiest steps you can take to get yourself on the right track in 2005 is to raise your contribution to your retirement plan. Even if you can't afford to set aside the maximum amount, you should increase it gradually -- perhaps by 1 percent a year -- and aim to max it out over time...

It may be Cape Girardeau's first restaurant with a split personality. "People walk in here with a dazed look at first," said co-owner Ed Radetic. "They're not sure what to do. When people ask me what kind of restaurant this is, I don't know what to say."...

PHILADELPHIA -- More than 100 US Airways executives and other employees volunteered to serve coffee and snacks, sort and move bags and help passengers find their way Sunday at Philadelphia International Airport to try to avoid a repeat of the bankrupt carrier's Christmas weekend debacle...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A year ago, newly elected Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger faced a huge budget deficit, an unfriendly legislature and uncertainty about his administration's direction. Little has changed as the Republican governor prepares to deliver his second State of the State speech Wednesday. ...

CLEVELAND -- Andrew Hudnall stared at his lunch and agonized about whether his doctor might be unhappy with him. The 57-year-old heart patient had just bought a chicken sandwich from McDonald's -- in the food court of the Cleveland Clinic, renowned for its research into heart disease...

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to Congress and an outspoken advocate for women and minorities during seven terms in the House, died Saturday, friends said. She was 80. "She was our Moses that opened the Red Sea for us," Robert E. Williams, president of the NAACP in Flagler County, told The Associated Press late Sunday. He did not have the details of her death...

ABOARD THE USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN -- One of the largest U.S. military relief operations in history helped speed the pace of aid to desperate victims of Asia's tsunami disaster Sunday, delivering critical supplies to haggard survivors in severe need of food and water...

Israel sends tanks into northern Gaza; Details of secretive Sudan cease-fire emerge; Canada confirms second mad cow case

CHICAGO -- The Eastern tiger salamander slipped by two other finalists in balloting for the title of state amphibian, while slow and steady was a winning strategy for the painted turtle in the state reptile race. The winners were chosen by the public in Internet voting, and the legislature still has to approve them as official state symbols. If adopted, they will join a list of 17 other state symbols, from state tree (white oak) to state fossil (Tully monster)...

NEVADA, Mo. -- Keirin Hatch led the way into a room at Nevada Optometric Center crowded with stacks and stacks of fabric and more than 300 quilts. The strips and squares sewn together with care are meant for soldiers from all walks of life who are fulfilling their duties in Iraq...

NEW ORLEANS -- Poor Auburn. A 12-0 record and SEC title would be enough to make the Tigers a front-runner for the national title most years -- or at least cause a spirited debate about who's No. 1. But this isn't most years. While Southern California and Oklahoma prepare for their Orange Bowl matchup that probably will decide an undisputed national title, Auburn can only watch like the envious kid with his nose pressed up against the glass. ...

Seahawks 28, Falcons 26 Matt Hasselbeck threw two touchdown passes and got another TD on a sneak. The Seahawks (9-7) barely avoided another late meltdown. Warrick Dunn was stopped on a 2-point conversion attempt that would have forced overtime after reserve quarterback Matt Schaub threw a 3-yard TD pass to Brian Finneran as time expired...

7 p.m. today, city hall Public Hearings * A public hearing regarding the petition for annexation from Mark Rademaker for a 7.68-acre tract of land on Perryville Road contiguous to the Jaycee Municipal Golf Course. Consent ordinances (Second and third readings)...

This Christmas season, 72 needy children were taken shopping in the 12th annual "Shop with a Hero" program, sponsored by the Trail of Tears Fraternal Order of Police, Missouri Lodge 33; International Association of Firefighters Local 1084 and the Cape Girardeau Wal-Mart Super Center. The children spent $35 each, and 25 individuals participated in the shopping...

* Name: Joe Huskey * Lives in: Marble Hill * Job: Instructor and College of Education advising coordinator at Southeast Missouri State University. * What do you like most about the area? It's small enough to get to know people but large enough for reasonable employment...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Saturday: * At 8:29 p.m., emergency medical service in the 1800 block of Delwin Street. * At 10:47 p.m., a fire at 121 E. Rodney Ave. Firefighters responded to the following calls Sunday:...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released Sunday by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI * Driving while intoxicated, possession of controlled substance and traffic offenses were reported. A subject was taken into custody pending filing of formal charges...

Basketball * LeBron James was fitted with a mask to protect his broken left cheek and might play in the Cleveland Cavaliers' next game even though he only shot during practice Sunday. "I feel a lot better, there's still a little pain, but that's nothing," said James, injured by Houston center Dikembe Mutombo's elbow during a game Wednesday night. ...

25 years ago: Jan. 3, 1980 A snow- and ice-covered Diversion Channel bridge on Interstate 55 south of Cape Girardeau results in two minor traffic accidents in the morning involving seven vehicles, tying up rush-hour traffic in southbound lanes of the interstate for almost two hours...

PADUCAH, Ky. -- Lawrence F. Brust, 85, of Paducah, formerly of Mound City, Ill., died Friday, Dec. 31, 2004, at Western Baptist Hospital in Paducah. He was born July 2, 1919, at Ullin, Ill., son of Fred and Maggie Youngblood Brust. Brust was a civil service employee before he retired. He was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church at Mound City and the National Association of Federal Employees. He was a veteran of World War II and the Korean War...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Sally J. Beckmann, 69, of Sikeston died Friday, Dec. 31, 2004, at her home. She was born June 17, 1935, in Clinton, Ill., daughter of James and Mary Ann Dorrell Tate. She and Albert J. Beckmann were married May 30, 1962, in Peoria, Ill. He died July 22, 1982...

Mary Louise Griffith, 93, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, Dec. 30, 2004, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Dec. 3, 1911, at West Frankfort, Ill., daughter of Chauncey Leroy and Pearl Lightner McRaven. She and Louis Griffith were married Aug. 7, 1976, at Cape Girardeau. He died Dec. 27, 1996...

LOWNDES, Mo. -- Virginia "Ginger" Anschultz, 44, of Lowndes died Saturday, Jan. 1, 2005, at Poplar Bluff Regional Hospital. She was born July 12, 1960, at Advance, Mo., daughter of Everrett Elfrink and Carol Weston. She and Mike Anschultz were married June 17, 2000, at Lowndes...

FLORISSANT, Mo. -- Sheryl Denise Wrozier, 55, went to be with her Lord Friday, Dec. 31, 2004, after fighting a courageous six-year battle with cancer. She was born Jan. 10, 1949, beloved daughter of Leo and Zola Smoak Allstun Sr. She was a beloved wife, sister, mother, grandmother, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, friend to many and children's church leader...

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Carolyn Lane McEwan Thomasson was born Feb. 7, 1944, in Winchester, Ky. and died Saturday afternoon Jan. 1, 2005, in the company of her friends and family. Carolyn was married to Donald Parkin Thomasson and became a widow after 22 years of marriage. She was a loving mother to her daughter, Lane Thomasson of Northhampton, Mass., and to her two stepdaughters, Beth Hellebusch of Lexington, Ky., and Anne Thomasson of St. Louis, Mo...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Mary Ann Edwards, 81, of Advance passed away Saturday, Jan. 1, 2005, at her daughter's home near Advance. She was born Sept. 12, 1923, in Clifton, Tenn., daughter of the late Roy and Virgie Templeton Griffin. She and John W. Edwards were united in marriage Aug. 16, 1945, in Corinth, Miss., and he preceded her in death May 30, 1979...

Thanks for help; How you celebrate; District's phones; Cemetery etiquette; Reeking of alcohol; Preferential parking?; Trash, snowy streets; Clear around mailboxes; Poor road clearing; It's all the same gas; It's his birthday; Can't shovel snow

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Utah looked like a powerhouse that deserved a better final test to its BCS-busting season. The fifth-ranked Utes, behind the cool efficiency of Alex Smith, used their baffling spread offense and an underrated defense to dominate 19th-ranked Pittsburgh 35-7 in the Fiesta Bowl on Saturday night...

Starting next July, the Cape Girardeau School District will have a new superintendent. Dr. David Scala, a seasoned administrator currently serving as an assistant superintendent in Sioux Falls, S.D., has been hired to take the helm of the Cape Girardeau district...

Mary Kay top producers honored; Chaffee man graduates truck driving school; Commissioners group elects new president

Web site to explain environmental policies; Home sales hit best month on record; United States enjoys banner economic year

Parents Without Partners has planned many fun events for the month of January. * 8 to 10 p.m. tonight, an Amigo will be held at Buffalo Hot Wings at the Town Plaza Mall, William Street and Kingshighway, for dinner or snacks. Cost is Dutch. Call 651-0418...

WASHINGTON -- A packed calendar awaits President Bush after his vacation in Texas: filling a gaping hole in his Cabinet, preparing his inaugural and State of the Union speeches, finalizing a new budget, keeping close watch on the upcoming elections in Iraq and promoting his second-term agenda...

NEW YORK -- Peyton Manning set yet another NFL passing record Sunday, finishing the season with a rating of 121.1, more than eight points better than Steve Young's previous mark. Curtis Martin worked overtime to capture the league's rushing title by a yard over Shaun Alexander...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Sam Land gets a second chance to sing after years of keeping quiet. The Jefferson City resident joined the Show Me Showboaters barbershop chorus after regaining much of the hearing he lost due to an illness several years ago. "The music is just so pretty, so great," said Land, who started singing in 1978 in St. Charles...

GRAYSLAKE, Ill. -- When students enter the new Prairie Crossing Charter School on today, they will find classroom floors made of bamboo, coils in the floor warmed by a pumping system that relies on the Earth's underground temperature and classrooms that open to gardens...

KILINOCHCHI, Sri Lanka -- In times of crisis, envy the authoritarians. Veterans of a long guerrilla war, the Tamil rebels who control northern Sri Lanka moved with military precision to help victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami. The speed and efficiency of the massive humanitarian operation showed an administrative capability that underscored the rebels' demand for Tamil independence from the Sinhalese-dominated southern part of Sri Lanka...

KIEV, Ukraine -- Like most Ukrainian university students, Olena Prokhorova can earn a passing grade two ways: by slogging through the books or by paying a $20 bribe. Traffic cops are notoriously on the take, and Ukrainians say they don't give it a second thought when they can bribe their way out of a traffic infraction -- real or not...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Insurgents exposed the vulnerability of Iraq's security forces again Sunday, killing 18 national guardsmen, five police officers and several civilians in separate attacks with elections just weeks away. Prominent Shiite leaders called for unity with Sunni Arabs wanting to delay the vote but insisted it be held despite the violence...

NAVALADY BEACH, Sri Lanka -- As dawn breaks over Sri Lanka's coast, dozens of parents come to the beach where huge waves seized their children a week ago. "They believe their kids are alive and the sea will return them -- one day," UNICEF chief Carol Bellamy said on Sunday, after touring this island country's tsunami-devastated shore...

The tally of foreigners confirmed dead from the quake and tsunamis throughout southern Asia, according to their countries' foreign ministries. Figures also include the most recent available numbers of missing based on the estimates by some government officials and agencies...

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Mourning families on Sunday buried victims of the nightclub fire that killed at least 188 people and injured more than 700, while Buenos Aires' public security chief resigned in the furor following revelations that some of the packed club's emergency exits were locked...

BOSTON -- When scientists wanted to explore what kind of life might exist on Mars, public television's "NOVA" recorded the building and launch of the rovers sent to the planet. Now, a year later, the "NOVA" team is back with "Welcome to Mars," featuring data collected by the robots as they searched for signs that the planet may once have harbored tiny forms of life. The program airs at 7 p.m. Tuesday on PBS...

FRESNO, Calif. -- Scott Peterson's mistress still thinks about him periodically and, in a book to be released this week, wrote, "I sometimes wonder if he thinks about me." The book by Amber Frey, "Witness For the Prosecution of Scott Peterson," is scheduled to be released Tuesday, but was mistakenly sold at a supermarket in the town of Modesto, where Peterson's wife, Laci, disappeared four months before her body was discovered in April 2003 along the San Francisco Bay shoreline...

LOS ANGELES -- Moviegoers embraced the dysfunctional family comedy "Meet the Fockers" for a second straight week as the star-studded sequel earned $42.8 million to retain its No. 1 slot at the weekend box office. The film, which teams Ben Stiller, Robert DeNiro, Barbra Streisand and Dustin Hoffman, has grossed more than $163 million during its 12-day run, according to studio estimates...

NEW YORK -- "Viagra" is out. "Vioxx" is in. That's according to America Online Inc.'s second annual list of top spam terms. And while last year's spam pitched a variety of products, this year's messages were "much more scam and fraud oriented," sent largely by spammers with criminal intent, AOL spokesman Nicholas Graham said...

Area churches are planning their approaches for helping with tsunami relief efforts. Because disaster relief organizations are mostly appealing for cash donations, money is the immediate approach. Within the first week of a disaster "you just don't know what to do," said Mike Shupert, interim pastor of First Baptist Church of Cape Girardeau...

MIAMI -- At 7 years old, Adrian Peterson was lifting weights and practicing football plays with his dad. "I guess that's how I developed a love for the sport," Oklahoma's freshman sensation said. Nelson Peterson started his son on the road to stardom, but wasn't around to see him make it this far. In 1999, the elder Peterson was sent to federal prison in Texarkana, Texas, for laundering money for the sale of drugs...

The Jets, Vikings and Rams made it into the NFL playoffs Sunday. The way they played, they might be out in a week. New York and Minnesota backed in, the Vikings losing seven of their last 10 for the second straight season. The Jets lost 32-29 in overtime at the Rams, and the Vikings lost 21-18 at the Redskins...

NFL teams joined Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova and other sports figures around the world in assisting the disaster relief mission for the tsunami-earthquake catastrophe with a death toll that is expected to reach 150,000. The Baltimore Ravens collected $51,475 from fans at their game against the visiting Miami Dolphins on Sunday, with the team adding another $25,000. ...

Scott City has a new councilman following the council's regular meeting Monday night. Mayor Tim Porch appointed Ron Cummins to fill the seat in Ward 3 left vacant after former councilman Joe McDaniel moved from Scott City. According to Porch, Cummins was appointed because he was the only one to file for the seat in the upcoming municipal election...

Jackson's city parks are sloshing wet, but inside city hall, officials and committees are wringing out plans for 2005. On Wednesday, for example, the Jackson skate park committee will meet to finalize the items that will go out for bid later this month...

Cape Girardeau motorists are warned to expect traffic delays as portions of Broadway will be closed for a time beginning Wednesday morning. Beginning at 7 a.m. Wednesday Kiefner Brothers Construction Co. will begin unloading construction equipment near the intersection of Broadway and Perry Street, near Southeast Missouri Hospital. ...

A psychiatric evaluation was requested Monday for Jeffery Earl Lattimer, 48, of Jackson, who has been in jail since he was arrested for the Nov. 2 robbery of the Horst Pharmacy in Jackson. Attorney Stephen C. Wilson made an appearance in Cape Girardeau County Circuit Court Division I Monday morning during a case review for Lattimer, who had previously been represented by the public defender's office...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A freshman lawmaker from Southeast Missouri is proposing a change to the state constitution that would prevent future governors from reducing approved education spending as a way to keep the overall state budget in balance. State representative-elect Nathan Cooper, R-Cape Girardeau, prefiled the proposed constitutional amendment for consideration in the legislative session that begins Wednesday. Cooper said education funds should be off-limits for midyear cuts...

State revenue won't be as strong as last year, but lieutenant governor-elect Peter Kinder told a group of Rotarians Monday that important issues will still be a top priority in Missouri in 2005, including rewriting the schools foundation formula and vastly improving the state's poor business climate...

Cape Girardeau would benefit from $20.3 million in new and improved roads if voters extend the half-cent transportation sales tax, planning and zoning commission representatives told the city council Monday night. The formal presentation included a list of nine road projects in addition to the paving of existing streets and building and repairing sidewalks over a five-year period, beginning in 2006 and ending in 2010...

Jackson's undefeated girls basketball record came to a crashing halt Monday, thanks to a Poplar Bluff team that could do little wrong and an Indians' squad that struggled all night to get anything going. The Mules limited the Indians to just eight first-half points and rolled to a surprisingly easy 54-26 victory in Jackson...

ST. LOUIS -- Marc Bulger has become the indispensable man in the St. Louis Rams' offense. On Monday, the team acknowledged it by naming him its MVP for the second time in three seasons. "He's just a terrific, outstanding quarterback," coach Mike Martz said. "He's one of the upper echelon quarterbacks in this league."...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Following a national model, the state on Monday relaxed recommendations for flu shots to include all adults age 50 and older and anyone who lives with a person at high-risk of getting the flu. Missouri's influenza season has been mild compared to last year, but health officials still are encouraging people in the expanded eligibility categories to get vaccinated...

November 22, 1963, will forever be a mournful day in history. Losing a great American hero and president, John F. Kennedy, left a serious imprint on many citizens' hearts. President Kennedy's tragic assassination sent a nation into mourning. President Kennedy's death should not be forgotten, but video game creators from the company Traffic have put a new twist on the tragic event by putting the game titled "JFK Reloaded" on the market...

Customers are first; Moyers' assessment; Coyotes are prowling; Busy street not plowed; Middle of the road; Help on slick lot; Too many gifts

"Slow down, Joe!" my mom yelled at my stepdad as he passed out gifts from under the tree. "Give them out one at a time, and don't unwrap them too fast, kids," she barked. I looked over at her as she sat in the dark corner with shadows covering her face while she gave out the orders. She reminded me of a female Hannibal Lecter who had a sick fetish for watching people slowly rip open wrapping paper...

I woke and saw the news again. Once again there were negative antics on the football field. The story was first on ESPN's Sports Center. Joe Horn, of the New Orleans Saints, scored a touchdown and ran over to the goalpost and dug in the padding of the post. ...

Imagine being able to own all your favorite songs without having to pay an average of fifteen dollars for a CD that you just bought for one or two songs. For many music appreciators all over the world this is possible due to technology and the use of downloading music free off the Internet, but in recent years it has become illegal and lawsuits are currently pending against many users. ...

Southeast Missouri musicians will be well-represented at the inaugural activities taking place in Jefferson City on Saturday and Monday. Cape Girardeau's Jerry Ford Orchestra has been chosen as the band for the inaugural ball on Saturday, while Sikeston native and Southeast Missouri State University alumnus Neal Boyd will sing the national anthem at the inauguration on Monday...

Two Cape Girardeau residents were charged Monday with 17 counts of burglary, property destruction and theft in connection with break-ins at five local churches and one law office. A Scott City suspect was arrested in connection with his alleged involvement with the break-in of the law office...

LUBBOCK, Texas -- Benny Montague has raised cattle in West Texas for 35 years and believes he knows what's best for the nation's beef industry. With this weekend's confirmed case of mad cow disease in Canada, Montague and others in the nation's leading beef-producing state said the government is acting too hastily in lifting a ban on importing live cattle from the country. ...

LAS VEGAS -- In a case with broad national implications, the Sierra Club wants to stop the widening of a freeway in fast-growing Las Vegas until the government proves the health of people living nearby won't be harmed by the automobile exhaust. "We think the science is clear," said Jane Feldman, of the Las Vegas chapter of the Sierra Club. "There is a risk of cancer, heart disease and lung disease."...

LOS ANGELES -- Surprise is what makes "24" tick, and there should be plenty of it as Jack Bauer embarks on a fourth season of saving the world from terrorists. Or maybe this time he won't. With Agent Bauer, played by Kiefer Sutherland, you can never be sure...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi simply smiled during the live television show when a man called to praise terrorist mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The Iraqi leader then moved on, offering to find information about a woman's detained son and see why a student didn't get into the graduate program of his choice...

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Thousands of Argentines angered over safety lapses at a nightclub where a fire killed 183 people, many of them teenagers, marched through capital streets Monday holding pictures of the victims and demanding the resignations of key city officials...

BERKELEY, Mo. -- A St. Louis Post-Dispatch photographer was arrested while shooting pictures at a weekend accident scene because he was in the way of emergency workers, police said Monday. But officials at the newspaper said photographer Gabriel B. Tait was simply doing his job...

KIRKLAND, Wash. -- Shaun Alexander apologized Monday to fans -- but not his coach or teammates -- for saying he was "stabbed in the back" by Mike Holmgren's quarterback sneak call that may have cost him a rushing title. "I'm human," Alexander said at team headquarters. "Anybody can, at one time, pop off. I've done it several times. I think in the position I'm in, I need to own up to it."...

WASHINGTON -- Construction spending declined in November by 0.4 percent, the first drop in 10 months, as private builders reined in spending on residential and commercial projects. The latest snapshot of construction activity, released by the Commerce Department on Monday, surprised some economists, who were forecasting a 0.5 percent rise in spending on building projects...

JACKSON BOARD OF ALDERMEN ACTION The Jackson Board of Aldermen took the following action at Monday night's meeting: * Accepted the dedication of sewer easements from Lonnie and Susan Stroder and Gladys Siebert for the Elwanda Drive relief sewer, Reach A project...

CAPE GIRARDEAU CITY COUNCIL ACTION ** Public Hearings * Held a public hearing regarding the petition for annexation from Mark Rademaker for a 7.68-acre tract of land on Perryville Road contiguous to the Jaycee Municipal Golf Course. Consent Ordinances...

Peruvian nationalists seize police station; Abbas pledges refugees will return to Israel homes; Spain's premier derides Basque autonomy plan

Cape Girardeau The following items were released Monday by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests * Kenneth C. Martin, 22, 1938 Delwin, Apt. A, was arrested on suspicion of statutory rape and statutory sodomy. * Ralph L. Smith Sr., 41, 522 S. Sprigg St., was arrested on suspicion of child abuse...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following on Sunday: * At 7:30 p.m., emergency medical service in the 300 block of South Silver Springs Road. Firefighters responded to the following on Monday: * At 1:19 a.m., an electrical smell at 2564 Lisa Drive...

Area students make fall dean's list at MU Local students named to the fall 2004 semester dean's list at the University of Missouri-Columbia were: Benton, Mo. -- Michelle Felter, Brian Hency. Burfordville -- Amanda Birk. Cape Girardeau -- Andrew Arnzen, Kyle Bandermann, Ryan Bandermann, Tamika Barkley, Elizabeth Bishop, Kristen Boos, Hayley Bridges, Michaelyn Burns, Allison Campbell, Sarah Chaudhari, Christopher Cole, Catherine Devaney, Amanda Dirnberger, Merritt Gerlach, Medina Glenn, Amanda Gosche, Stephanie Griffith, Gabriel Gross, Erin Haycraft, Rebecca Hellrich, Stephen Hine, Garrett Holzum, Jonathan Koch, Joshua Lester, Whitney Lynn, Thomas Moon, Douglas Overbey, Cristy Phelps, Whitney Pingel, Adam Prasanphanich, William Ramsey, Edward Roeger, Michal Scienski, Laura Slaten, Julie Underwood, Sarah Unterreiner, Kurt Wells, Warren Williams, Daniel Willingham, Matthew Wulfers, Theresa Yoffie.. ...

Southeast's Jackson honored Southeast Missouri State University's Simone Jackson was named the Ohio Valley Conference newcomer of the week for women's basketball on Monday. Jackson, a junior forward, averaged 9.3 points per game in her first three career starts, including 14 points during a loss to Southwest Missouri State...

Baskeball * The Cleveland Cavaliers were bought Monday for $375 million by the founder of the nation's largest online mortgage company, who acquires a team that has surged from the NBA's depths since the arrival of LeBron James. Dan Gilbert of Detroit, founder of Quicken Loans, will assume ownership of the Cavaliers and operational control of the 20,000-seat Gund Arena once the league's Board of Governors approves the deal...

Wendel; Wallace; Wyatt; Zimmerman; Miller; Voszler; Swinford; Anderson

25 years ago: Jan. 4, 1980 A contract for the improvement of a 1.48-mile section of South Sprigg Street northward from old U.S. 61 was awarded by the city council to Girardeau Contractors Inc. BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- The 104-year-old publication The Bloomfield Vindicator has been sold by Mr. and Mrs. Randy Dale of Richland, Mo., to Jim and Clare Boan, editors and publishers of the newspaper for the past three years...

VILLA RIDGE, Ill. -- Margaret Endicott Wilson, 93, of Villa Ridge died Monday, Jan. 3, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Oct. 30, 1911, at Villa Ridge, daughter of Louis Eugene and Martha Redden Endicott. Wilson was a member of the Villa Ridge Union Church and a member of the church's Ladies Aide...

ORAN, Mo. -- John Secl, 87, of Marion, Iowa, died Saturday, Dec. 25, 2004, at Mercy Medical Center, following a lengthy illness. He was born Feb. 14, 1917, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, son of Vaclav and Frances Sultes Secl. He and Margery B. Kremenak were married May 20, 1945, in Cedar Rapids...

CYPRESS, Ill. -- Curtis Hennesy, 59, of Cypress died Sunday, Jan. 2, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Sept. 11, 1945, in Johnson County, son of William Earl and Edith Grant Hennesy. He and Donna Gore were married Oct. 10, 1964...

ORAN, Mo. -- Tony "Too Tall" Wagoner, 45, of Oran died Sunday, Jan. 2, 2005, at his home. He was born Dec. 13, 1959, in Belleville, Ill., son of James Earl and Patricia Ann Rafalowski Wagoner. He and Erma Lee Johnson were married April 24, 1982. Wagoner was a line technician at Nordenia USA in Jackson. He was a member of First Baptist Church in Oran...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Marjorie J. Akridge Faber, 74, of St. Louis died Thursday, Dec. 16, 2004, in Longmont, Colo. She was born Jan. 23, 1930, at Old Mines, Mo., daughter of Sam and Viola Horton Raymo. She first married Windell Akridge May 26, 1947. He died Jan. 26, 1985. She later married Walter Faber, who died June 6, 2003...

Robert E. Byers, 79, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Dec. 31, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Laverne "Butch" Robbins, 65, of Marble Hill died Monday, Jan. 3, 2005, at her home, following an illness. She was born Aug. 19, 1939, at Alton, Mo., daughter of Waymon and Louise Simpson Barton. She and the Rev. Gene Robbins were married Oct. 15, 1953...

Celestia Grace Ziegler, 86, of Scott City died Sunday, Jan. 2, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Nov. 21, 1918, near Commerce, Mo., daughter of August and Anna Martin LeDure. She and Theodore C. Ziegler were married March 4, 1935, at Jackson. He died March 14, 1992...

Carol Page Blanton, 65, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Jan. 1, 2005, at her home. She was born Dec. 25, 1939, in Sikeston, Mo., daughter of Lee and Mary Lucille Brewer Page. She and Harry A. Blanton were married Feb. 4, 1959, at Sikeston. Mrs. Blanton was director of submissions therapeutic team for Quintiles Pharmaceuticals. ...

Ed H. Hanschen, 89, of Gordonville passed away Monday, Jan. 3, 2005, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Sept. 6, 1915, in Gordonville, son of Martin P. and Clara Eggers Hanschen. He and Evelyn Hitt were married July 2, 1938, in Gordonville. She passed away Aug. 10, 1995...

To the editor: In response to "GOP positioned to press agenda in 2005 session": Lawsuit caps do not reduce medical malpractice insurance rates. The nation's largest medical malpractice insurer, GE Medical Protective, has admitted that medical malpractice caps on damage awards and other limitations on recoveries for injured patients will not lower physicians' premiums...

To the editor: I have been complaining to anybody who will listen about the trash on the roadside and medians of our area for years, but who will listen to a submissive grandma? Start a movement. Surely the service clubs, college groups, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and do-gooders of our county could turn these slobs in and expect legal action. ...

To the editor: The youth group from West Side Church of God in Christ would like to thank the family who returned the Christmas gifts taken by mistake. We kept believing and trusting that whoever took them by mistake would return them. Thank you for your honesty in returning the gifts. It's a great thing to see how good and trusting people can be. Thanks again...

To the editor: In response to "Out of the past": It is nice to see what was going on 100 years ago. Louis Krueger is my grandfather. He died before I was born, so anything I read or find about him is a treasure. Thank you. KATHY TOLSON, Cobden, Ill...

FREDERICKTOWN, Mo. -- Notre Dame outscored Fredericktown in the last three quarters, but a sluggish start got the best of the Bulldogs in a 53-49 road loss Monday night. Fredericktown outscored Notre Dame 19-8 in the first quarter. Amanda Essner led the Bulldogs (3-6) with 13 points. Allison Toole had 12, and Amber Karnes added 10...

In this era of instant communication, we Americans have a sense that we know more about the rest of the world than ever before. But there is nothing like a personal visit to some far-off land to make us understand how little we really know about foreign cultures...

Amid all those televised bowl games, this competition was something different. It had referees and its share of cheering fans. But there was no pigskin in this New Year's weekend contest. In fact, there was no ball of any kind. It was the championship of the Rock-Paper-Scissors game. This was no child's play. There were thousands of dollars at stake...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush enlisted two former presidents for an ambitious private fund-raising drive for victims of the deadly tsunami on Monday, asking Americans to open their wallets to help the millions left homeless, hungry and injured. "The devastation in the region defies comprehension," Bush said as he announced the campaign to be led by his father and Bill Clinton. "I ask every American to contribute as they are able to do so."...

WASHINGTON -- House Republicans suddenly reversed course Monday, deciding to retain a tough standard for lawmaker discipline and reinstating a rule that would force Majority Leader Tom DeLay to step aside if indicted by a Texas grand jury. The surprise dual decisions were made by Speaker Dennis Hastert and by DeLay -- who asked GOP colleagues to undo the extreme act of loyalty they handed him in November. ...

NEW YORK -- Wade Boggs might have to get used to a new routine today: life as a Hall of Famer. The five-time AL batting champion, known for his array of pre- and postgame rituals, is the top newcomer on the Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot, joining holdovers Ryne Sandberg and Bruce Sutter...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- With the Big 12 season getting underway this week, Missouri may have found just the right time to hit its stride. After coming up a few possessions short against No. 1 Illinois on Dec. 22, a game the unranked Tigers lost 70-64, Missouri beat then-No. 12 Gonzaga 63-61 last week. The win against the Bulldogs -- who were coming off a 78-75 victory over then-No. 3 Oklahoma State, the defending Big 12 champion -- was Missouri's third victory in its last four games...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- The U.S. military is taking as few prisoners as possible in its campaign against al-Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan, partly to forestall more complaints about its conduct after at least eight prisoners died in custody, an American commander said Monday...

BANGKOK, Thailand -- Secretary of State Colin Powell sought to reassure Asian leaders on a tour to inspect tsunami damage that the United States is in solidarity in helping the region recover. "The United States will certainly not turn away from those in desperate need," Powell told leaders in Thailand...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Insurgents pressed their bloody campaign to sabotage Iraq's Jan. 30 elections with three car bombs and a roadside attack Monday, one near the prime minister's party headquarters in Baghdad and others targeting Iraqi troops and a U.S. security company...

KARIM RAJIA, Indonesia -- U.S. helicopters rescued dozens of desperate and weak tsunami survivors, including a young girl clutching a stuffed Snoopy dog, as the American military relief operation reached out to remote areas of Indonesia with cartons of food and water on Monday...

Five suspects indicted in Maryland arsons; U.S. airlines have another safe year ; Laser incident with jet may have been a prank; Despite death, musket shoot will continue

MIAMI -- Matt Leinart is an easygoing Californian, who used an NFL-caliber left arm to win a Heisman Trophy for USC this season. Jason White is a tough kid from small-town Oklahoma, who overcame two devastating knee injuries to become a Heisman winner for the Sooners last season...

NEW ORLEANS -- Auburn made an improbable bid to share the national title by hanging on in the Sugar Bowl. Now, all the No. 3 Tigers can do is wait to see if it somehow works out. Jason Campbell threw a touchdown pass, John Vaughn kicked three short field goals and Auburn completed a perfect season with a 16-13 victory over ninth-ranked Virginia Tech on Monday night...

NEW YORK -- Randy Johnson is practically ready to be measured for one tall set of pinstripes. Commissioner Bud Selig gave his blessing Monday to a trade that will send the Big Unit to the Yankees, making a contract extension the last major obstacle to be resolved in the drawn-out Arizona-New York swap...

Bob Irving downed so much water in the Half Ironman competition he made himself sick. During the last phase of the race, he vomited and had to walk most of the 13.1-mile run because his leg muscles cramped up. Irving had read about the dangers of overdrinking but figured it was all a myth. Now, after his bad experience in 1998, he avoids drinking excessively during long workouts...

Military men dressed in camouflage gear and black boots climbed atop train cars at the SEMO Port Authority Tuesday, guiding heavy machinery onto the train and then making sure it was secure. Graders, dump trucks, jeeps, rollers and scoopers, scores of them, were lined up one after another, dripping from the constant, cold January drizzle. ...

Potholes have turned some area roads into bone-jarring obstacle courses in the aftermath of the December snowstorm, prompting city and state road crews to patch pavement this week. "The taxpayer deserves to not have to hit potholes," said Missouri Department of Transportation district engineer Scott Meyer. "But we can't be everywhere at once. That is the problem."...

It's sick, really. A day off used to be about relaxation, getting a little sun, taking in a movie, maybe. Now it's about the house. It's always about the house. And I like it. Take New Year's Eve. Yes, The Other Half and I watched fireworks and kissed at midnight and all that...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released Tuesday by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests * Daniel R. Rainey, 19, 610 Red Bud Circle, Erich C. Montgomery, 20, 3002 Aspen Drive, and Billy R. Fowler, 31, 706 Fourth St., Scott City, were arrested on suspicion of burglary, stealing and property damage...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following items on Monday: * At 4:17 p.m., citizen assist in the 1100 block of Themis Street. * At 10:57 p.m., emergency medical service in the 800 block of William Street. Firefighters responded to the following items on Tuesday:...

Harold Haas, 78, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2005, at his home. Friends may call at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday. A vigil will be held at 4:30. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Vincent de Paul Church. Burial will be in St. Mary's Cemetery...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Charles R. Goode, 81, of St. Louis died Saturday, Jan. 1, 2005, at his home. Goode was born July 30, 1923, in Lawrenceburg, Tenn., son of Archie Elmer and Jessie Kathleen Stutts Goode. He and Lillie Hicks were married Nov. 12, 1994...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Lawrence Robins, 71, of Marble Hill died Sunday, Jan. 2, 2005, at his home. He was born April 29, 1933, at Bessville, Mo., son of William Robert and Anna Loretta Zinn Robins. He and Evelyn Sitze were married July 15, 1955. Robins was employed by AT&T 33 years. He was a member of New Salem Baptist Church, where he served as a deacon, and was a member of Communication Workers of America...

CAIRO, Ill. -- The funeral for Gerami D'Shawn Wright, 10, of Cairo will be held at noon Thursday at Klondike Holy Trinity Church of God in Christ. Burial will be in Green Lawn Memorial Gardens at Villa Ridge, Ill. Friends may call at the church from 10 a.m. until time of service...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Stella Marie Carroll, 81, of Chaffee died Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2005, at her home. She was born Dec. 6, 1923, at Parma, Mo., daughter of Robert Plumber and Cossey Ada Ellis Sanders. She and Albert T. Carroll were married Feb. 5, 1955. He died Aug. 23, 1994...

Betty A. Kaempfer, 77, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Jan. 3, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born Aug. 1, 1927, at Kirksville, Mo., daughter of Travis S. and Flossie Boone Waddill. She and Paul E. Kaempfer were married Dec. 4, 1944, at Kirksville. He died Nov. 17, 2002...

Vincent Daniel Smith, 90, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center. He was born July 27, 1914, in St. Louis, son of Vincent D. and Gladell Drake Smith. He and Dora Lindsey were married June 29, 1941, in St. Louis...

IRONTON, Mo. -- Ruby Alma Huffman, 92, of Ironton died Monday, Jan. 3, 2005, at the Baptist Home. She was born Aug. 2, 1912, at Buckhorn, Mo., daughter of David Franklin and Martha Murray Gipson. She and George Henry Huffman were married May 19, 1934. He preceded her in death...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Beulah B. Orth, 88, of Perryville died Monday, Jan. 3, 2005, at PerryOaks Manor. She was born Nov. 11, 1916, at Yount, Mo., daughter of Peter and Grace Duvall Geile. She and Arthur Orth were married April 16, 1938. He died Nov. 28, 1991...

Robert Carl O'Bryant, 67, of Scott City died Monday, Jan. 3, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Sept. 13, 1937, in Anderson, Ind., son of Robert E. and Doris Nadine Adams O'Bryant. O'Bryant had been a dealer and table manager at casinos in Las Vegas...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Nellie L. Harden, 76, of Sikeston died Monday, Jan. 3, 2005, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. She was born March 13, 1928, at Matthews, Mo., daughter of James Elmer and Nancy Ann Crevosieur Harden. Harden was a waitress 37 years at Lambert's Cafe. She had also worked at the Rustic Rock. She was a member of Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church...

ANNA, Ill. -- Betty M. Taylor, 79, of Anna died Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2005, at Memorial Hospital in Carbondale, Ill. She was born Sept. 11, 1925, in Los Angeles, Calif., daughter of August John and Beulah May Ballard Zilincar. She and John Taylor were married Oct. 27, 1961. He died Oct. 31, 1990...

Amila Ramanayake didn't read about the mountainous tidal waves that stormed the shores of South Asia in the newspaper. The 26-year-old Sri Lanka native and Southeast Missouri State University student didn't see images on a TV screen of hundreds of people -- mostly children -- being tugged kicking and screaming from land out to sea and certain death...

Timothy D. Lincoln probably doesn't realize how close he came to freedom. The 31-year-old Lincoln, serving 10 years in the Farmington Correctional Center for attempted murder, was just a couple of weeks away from being released from prison because of a clerical error...

n Angie Metje couldn't have picked a better character trait word for the month of January. The character traits, one for each month, are chosen at the start of the school year and shared among all of Cape Girardeau's elementary schools. This month's character trait is "compassion" -- the very thing most needed to help those impacted by the tsunamis, Metje told herself...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Key players in the looming legislative effort to overhaul Missouri's system for funding public schools shared ideas Tuesday during an education summit organized by governor-elect Matt Blunt. Blunt, a Republican who takes office Monday, acknowledged the issue will be difficult to tackle given the competing interests that stand to gain or lose from a rewrite of the complex formula for distributing state financial aid to local school districts...

MIAMI -- Matt Leinart and his Southern California teammates played to perfection, leaving no doubt about this national championship. Even better, they don't have to share it. The Heisman Trophy winner threw a record five touchdown passes and USC overwhelmed Oklahoma 55-19 Tuesday night in the Orange Bowl, assuring the Trojans will end the season just as they started: No. 1...

smcclanahan Each year on the Sunday following New Year's Day six couples get together and have a fabulous evening spread over three homes for dinner. This year we started at Dave and Julie Walker's for salmon spread, baked cheese crispies, pastry-wrapped baked olives, cranberry and jalapeno compote over cream cheese on crackers, and a variety of other yummy tidbits...

W hat comes to your mind when you hear the words "chocolate cake?" * What's the first thing you think of when you see the words "heavy cream?" * What do the words "fried eggs" mean to you? A few years ago, professor Paul Rozin of the University of Pennsylvania and his colleagues conducted a battery of cross-cultural surveys of food attitudes and discovered that we Americans answer these questions quite differently from those in other countries. ...

Life expectancy in America today is eight years longer than it was in 1950 and 29 years longer than it was in 1900. That's a lot of progress. And for millions, those extra years of life are more active and healthier than anybody could have imagined. ...

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia -- Haggard and dehydrated survivors of Asia's tsunami catastrophe flooded hospitals in the disaster zone Tuesday, posing a new challenge for the global relief operation. A 5.8-magnitude quake, the latest of numerous aftershocks stemming from the monstrous temblor that spawned the tsunami, rattled India's Andaman Islands early today. There were no immediate reports of further injury or damage in the region, which was hard hit by the killer waves...

Baseball * Baltimore Orioles pitcher Sidney Ponson was released from jail on Tuesday after being held for a week while police investigated allegations he punched a judge on a beach in Aruba. Ponson appeared before a judge on Tuesday and prosecutors said they would not oppose his release as he awaits trial, the daily La Prensa reported. The 28-year-old right-hander faces charges of public violence and simple aggression. No trial date has been set...

Arnsberg 4-H The Arnsberg 4-H Club met Dec. 2 at New Salem United Methodist Church hall in Daisy, Mo. There were 17 members, nine leaders and five guests in attendance. Emily Ruch, president, led the meeting. Shelby Proctor led the pledges. The songs were led by Cody Hahs and Proctor. Jessica Seyer, Linda Light, Proctor and Hahs were recognized as having December birthdays...

25 years ago: Jan. 5, 1980 The Missouri Department of Highways and Transportation, claiming it isn't feasible for the state to maintain it, has proposed tearing down the bridge over Hubble Creek at Highway 25 and Route A at Dutchtown and replacing it with a new bridge...

Proud of volunteers; They earned the walk; Help our victims first; Mailbox in ditch; Not a small town

Toilet suggestion; Better attitude; Misplaced funding; Lights on for safety; A word of praise; No longer conservative; Streets with packed ice; Do it yourself; Recipe for good service; Stop complaining

To the editor: I also am a 1998 graduate of Kelly High School. I feel that the students who got the credits earned the right to walk. Walking across that stage and getting that diploma is something every parent wishes for his or her child. It is one of the greatest accomplishments one makes in life. How is it different for a basketball player to participate when the playoffs go into June, but it's not OK for a student who earned the credits to walk...

To the editor: I find it ridiculous that these early grads at Kelly High School cannot walk in the graduation ceremony. So they opted to end their high school courses early. It is utterly absurd to not allow these early graduates to walk in the ceremony...

To the editor: Graduation is near for many high school students. Even so, not all seniors will have the joy of participating in graduation ceremonies. These are students who graduated at the end of fall semester rather than spring. I know firsthand how this affects people. ...

To the editor: A Speak Out comment said, "Jesus may be your Savior, but he isn't mine." To such a statement the inspired Scriptures would say the words of Christ: "If you believe not that I am he (the promised Savior), you shall die in your sins." Or, "He that believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believes not shall be damned." Anyone who denies these and other scriptural facts is calling Christ a liar -- a pretty serious accusation...

To the editor: In response to "Kelly's December graduates barred from May ceremony": This is a crime to the student body. I'm outraged at the Kelly School District because my fellow seniors aren't allowed to participate in the ceremony with the rest of us. The school board and principal Tom Hulshof should be ashamed of their actions. I think it's a basic right to walk with your class, even if you early out...

The Jackson boys basketball team tuned up for Friday's showdown with defending Class 5 state champ Poplar Bluff by easing past defending Class 1 state champ Bell City 74-58 at home Tuesday night. Ryan Mirly and Jack Puisis each scored 11 points to lead 13 Jackson (13-0)scorers...

Jackson won eight matches by pin in a 57-19 rout of perennial wrestling power Ste. Genevieve at Jackson High School. Cody Rouse remained unbeaten this season with a pin in 41 seconds over Randy Lurk in their 152-pound match. The Indians improved their dual record to 4-0...

A Cape Girardeau family recently experienced a health crisis that few of us can fathom. Hours after learning that their son, Josh Downing, had leukemia, his parents learned that there weren't enough blood platelets available for his treatment. Platelets are the most rare, and thus most valuable, component of the blood. They are used to control bleeding and in treating cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and in patients with blood disorders...

Cape city officials unveil online newsletter Cape Girardeau city officials unveiled the Cape Chronicle on Tuesday, an online newsletter designed to keep the public informed about the municipal government. The publication replaces a newsletter that was mailed to residents with their utility bills. ...

WASHINGTON -- America's factories saw orders go up by a strong 1.2 percent in November, the biggest advance in four months and a sign that the nation's manufacturing sector was gaining momentum as the new year loomed. The increase, released by the Commerce Department on Tuesday, was even better than the 0.8 percent rise some economists had forecast. ...

NEWARK, N.J. -- A British businessman plotted to bring 200 shoulder-fired missiles into the United States, and told a federal informant posing as a terrorist how the weapons could be used to shoot down airplanes, a prosecutor alleged Tuesday. During opening statements at the trial of Hemant Lakhani, federal prosecutor Stuart Rabner detailed how the London businessman was introduced to Mohammad Habib Rehman, who pretended to represent an east African terrorist group. ...

NEWARK, N.J. -- Federal authorities Tuesday used the Patriot Act to charge a man with pointing a laser beam at an airplane overhead and temporarily blinding the pilot and co-pilot. The FBI acknowledged the incident had no connection to terrorism but called David Banach's actions "foolhardy and negligent."...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Jason Conley had 12 points and 10 rebounds for his second straight double-double, and the second of his career, helping Missouri beat American 64-51 on Tuesday night. Thomas Gardner added 14 points and Jason Horton scored all but two of his career-best 12 points in the first half to get the Tigers (8-5) off to a good start in their final game before beginning Big 12 play. Missouri opens at home on Saturday against Iowa State...

NEW YORK -- Wade Boggs was overwhelmingly elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility Tuesday, and Ryne Sandberg made it with just six votes to spare on his third try. Boggs, a five-time American League batting champion for the Boston Red Sox, was selected by 474 of the record 516 voters who are 10-year members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America...

Austin Peay's men rolled through the Ohio Valley Conference's regular season last year with a 16-0 record, and Murray State wasn't far behind at 14-2. But, as the conference schedule tips off this week -- Samford and Jacksonville State squared off Tuesday, while the other nine teams all begin play Thursday -- the league's coaches don't expect anything close to that happening this time around...

Scott County Central interim coach Delane Beckwith said his team ran out of gas en route to a sixth-place finish last week at the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament. With four days of rest, the Braves were ready to roll Tuesday night at home against the tournament's third-place finisher, Scott City...

A new round of winter weather is bearing down on the Midwest, but the bulk of it is likely to miss Southeast Missouri, according to the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky. Steady rain and thunderstorms with temperatures possibly in the 60s are forecast for Southeast Missouri today. The National Weather Service said some flurries or light snow may be seen tonight as cold air rushes in and pushes lows to the mid-30s. No accumulation is expected...

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is focusing on a Social Security proposal that would allow younger workers to invest nearly two-thirds of their payroll taxes in private accounts, with contributions limited to about $1,000 to $1,300 a year, an administration official said Tuesday...

On January 7 the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri will host a First Friday Opening Reception from 5-8 pm for Armenian artist Seryaey Mardrosyan, Bulgarian artist Victor Kantchev and the Visual Arts Cooperative at the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri Galleries in Cape Girardeau...

Going abroad has been full of so many challenges. Things happen to you that force you to grow and change, develop and mature. I remember thinking, rather naively, that going to France would consist mainly of tasting the "exotic": viewing castles, chewing mouthwatering pastries and hearing the romantic French language. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- With a majority more than 80 years in the making, Republicans were set today to kick off a legislative session with high expectations that GOP governor-elect Matt Blunt can finally help turn their pent-up proposals into reality...

Goodin; Swain

by Tom Edwards Find out the definitive answer by taking this short, infallibly objective quiz. Remember: There are no winners or losers, just certain individuals who will invariably be more liked, work less hard, and reach their life's goals sooner, regardless of their idiotic behavior or mental shortcomings, because they reek of sexiness...

By Meri Kidd Some people say, hey, I have a story that would make a great movie. To most, that's as far as it ever gets. A few may develop the story and start to write a script, but soon discover, it's not as easy as it sounds. Then there's the select handful that write the script, gather the cast, shoot the movie and become filmmakers. A group of these people formed in Cape Girardeau about two years ago and made a movie called Dark Garden...

Underberg House Concerts will feature Al and Emily Cantrell to open the 2005 season on January 15 at 7 p.m. The Cantrells are a Nashville-based musical duo featuring Al Cantrell on fiddle, mandolin and harmony vocals while Emily sings lead and plays rhythm guitar. Their music is diverse and includes elements of swing, folk, western, Celtic and blues. Their appearance in Cape will feature material from their newly released album, "The Heart Wants What it Wants."...

Les and Leslie at The Camp for Cape Scene's 1 Year Birthday Bash NOTE: The views expressed by Les and Leslie do not necessarily represent those of Off! Magazine... blah, blah, blah. Don't send us hate mail, we can't read. If you didn't like what we said about your stuff, take another look at your product...

CapeScene Bash - One Year Anniversary 12/03/04 The Bands: The Otto Modest, Squadcar, Catatonic, Knotted Fear H.V.'s Take What better way to celebrate the One Year Anniversary of CapeScene.com than getting together a diverse group of Cape's favorite local bands and playin' Camp's...

Friday, January 07 PuNk YoU FeSt- 2005 with Richard's Nixon, Fists Of Phoenix, Gunderson, Beauty Is The Machine, The Broken Hearts Academy, This Is A Virtue, @ Camps- Cape Girardeau, Mo $5.00 cover must be 18, must have ID Show starts at 7:00 Saturday, January 08...

Rev. Earl Nance, Jr., pastor of the Greater Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis, will be featured as the keynote speaker at Southeast Missouri State University's 20th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast Jan. 17 in the Show Me Center...

The evening of Jan. 17, the celebration continues with the 15th Annual Community Celebration-Gospel Extravaganza, "Lift Every Voice," planned for 7 p.m. at Cape First Church, 254 S. Silver Springs Road in Cape Girardeau. The event, which is sponsored by the Cape Ministerial Alliance, NAACP and the Downtown Council of Churches, will feature guest performer Dr. Fairest Hill...

Jackson police are encouraging insurance offices and other small businesses to increase security after a rash of recent burglaries. Ten Jackson businesses, including five insurance offices, have been burglarized since Dec. 2. The burglars have taken cash but not equipment, police Capt. Bob Bonney said...

People living in Scott City and the surrounding area have a new place to go for their primary health-care needs. High Pointe Healthcare, located at 100 E. Outer Road in Scott City, opened Monday with the goal of providing health services to an area that has been designated as underserved...

Preliminary autopsy reports on a 2-month-old baby who died Tuesday at a Jackson residence show that the child apparently died of natural causes. Cape Girardeau County Coroner John Clifton and Jackson police detective Scott Eakers both confirm that foul play is not suspected in the death of Tate Joseph Werner. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Newly elected House Speaker Rod Jetton on Wednesday called for sweeping changes in chamber operations intended to streamline the legislative process while enhancing the ability of minority Democrats to impact debate. "These changes will create the most bipartisan rules ever adopted by the Missouri House," said Jetton, R-Marble Hill...

Cape Girardeau officials will begin a random check of businesses to make sure they are properly collecting the city's motel and restaurant taxes. The city council on Monday voted to hire the local accounting firm Beussink, Hey, Roe, Seabaugh and Stroder LLC to perform the random checks...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Managers of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra on Wednesday began pulling the plug on the ensemble's concerts as the musicians played on during sidewalk protests -- fallout from the group's first work stoppage in roughly a quarter century...

Wet, stormy weather brought ice and flooding to parts of the state Wednesday. A flood watch was in effect until early this morning for Cape Girardeau County and other parts of Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois. The rain was forecast to end overnight, reported the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky...

LUXOR, Egypt -- A team of researchers briefly removed King Tut's mummy from its tomb Wednesday and laid bare his bones for a CT scan that could solve an enduring mystery: Was it murder or natural causes that killed Egypt's boy pharaoh 3,000 years ago?...

NEW YORK -- Peyton Manning was a runaway winner of The Associated Press 2004 NFL Offensive Player of the Year -- as if there could be any doubt. The Indianapolis Colts' star quarterback had perhaps the greatest passing season in league history. He broke Dan Marino's 20-year-old record with 49 touchdown passes and had a passer rating of an almost unfathomable 121.1, shattering Steve Young's mark of 112.8 set in 1994. ...

Before moving to Cape Girardeau, Joe Gambill had managed as many as four plants at once in seven states. Here he first managed Marquette Cement and later had the flexibility to move over to BioKyowa, where he spent nine years managing a company that produced swine and poultry feed supplements...

Volunteers are recognized every day through President George W. Bush's Daily Point of Light Award. Leah Shrum of Jackson recognizes every day that her volunteer efforts make a difference in riders at the Mississippi Valley Therapeutic Horsemanship program...

Since setting up his practice at Cross Trails Medical Center in Marble Hill, Mo., Dr. Phil Greene has seen pregnant teenagers come and go. He's seen a child who was molested by an HIV-positive father. He's thrown his hands up in frustration at being able to do so little to stop the abuse of that child and a long line of others...

Local Marines part of Fallujah, Iraq, raids Marine Corps Lance Cpls. David Willis, Brandy L. Guerrero, Thomas J. Foote and more than 2,100 Marines and sailors assigned to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit recently joined the 15,000 servicemember sweep of Fallujah, and have since committed to ensuring the security and stability in the cities Kandari and Nasar Wa Salam in Iraq. ...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following items on Tuesday: * At 4:48 p.m., gasoline spill at 353 S. Kingshighway. * At 7:31 p.m., emergency medical service in the 1100 block of Themis Street. * At 2:02 p.m., mutual aid to Bollinger County for a water rescue...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released Wednesday by the cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI * Dustin M. Sprigg, 22, 5540 Timber Lane, Apt. 5, East Lansing, Mich., was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, leaving the scene of an accident and traffic offenses...

A Scott City woman sustained serious injuries in a two-car accident Wednesday on Route Y in Jefferson County. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Joanne Griffin, 54, of Scott City was injured when a 1995 Chevrolet Monte Carlo driven by Gregory Turnbo, 19, of Dittmer, Mo., failed to negotiate a curve and slid across the center line. The right front of his car struck the left front of Griffin's 2002 Jeep Liberty. Both drivers were taken to St. Anthony's Hospital in St. Louis...

A Sedgewickville, Mo., man sustained minor injuries at 10:19 a.m. Wednesday in a two-car mishap on Highway 72 a mile east of Millersville. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Jerry Davis, 38, of Fredericktown, Mo., lost control of his 1999 Oldsmobile on wet pavement and slid into the path of a 1996 Chevrolet driven by Gerald Johnson, 58, of Sedgewickville. Johnson was taken to Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau for treatment...

The magazine racks are filled with advice being shouted out at us about what we should be seen wearing and doing in order to be hanging with the swells. Good enough, but what if we are just trying to avoid looking ridiculous as we get on in years? What should we be doing or not doing?...

Nearly a week's gone by, and the thrill of New Year's resolutions is starting to fade. >> But Margie McClard is celebrating her success. Last January, she vowed to do something about her health and like so many other people joined a fitness center...

Southeast Missouri State University coach Gary Garner knows Austin Peay isn't quite the team that won the past two Ohio Valley Conference regular-season championships, including last year's unprecedented 16-0 league record. But Garner also knows the Governors (2-10) will pose more than a potent challenge for Southeast (5-6) when the squads begin their OVC schedules tonight with a 7:30 p.m. tipoff in Clarksville, Tenn...

Baseball Lessons available: Southern Premier Sports is accepting registrations for individual and team lessons to be offered in January. Registration also is being accepted for baseball hitting and pitching camps Jan. 13 and Jan. 15. Info: Jim, (800) 593-5454 or (618) 435-4314...

Freeman; Styer; Cook; Caldwell; Deimund; Phillips; Burgard; Crowden

Xi Nu Phi; Church Women United; Lamplighters FCE; Zonta Club

ST. LOUIS -- Don King was in town Tuesday to prepare St. Louis for something unusual: a world championship boxing match. "The spirit of St. Louis is alive and kicking," King said. "St. Louis has been resurrected today. We are coming here to demonstrate America at its best."...

25 years ago: Jan. 6, 1980 A Twelfth Night Tree-Burning Service is held in the evening at St. Mark Lutheran Church on Cape La Croix Road; the service is held in celebration of Epiphany, which ends the Christmas season. President Carter's decision to halt delivery of 17 million tons of grain destined for the Soviet Union from the United States has fostered various opinions by area farmers and agriculture officials on the economic well-being of grain farmers in Missouri...

TAMMS, Ill. -- Maxine Powless, 87, of Tamms, died Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2005, at the Day Star Nursing Center in Tamms. Arrangements are incomplete with Crain Funeral Home in Tamms.

Pansy A. Strack, 81, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2005, at the Lutheran Home. She was born Feb. 4, 1923, at Sedgewickville, Mo., daughter of John and Ruby Johnson Barks. She first married Enos Sebaugh March 30, 1940, at Sedgewickville. He died Sept. 26, 1968. She and Edward Strack were married Aug. 14, 1979, in Cape Girardeau...

VANDUSER, Mo. -- Margaret Helen Clare Griffin, 85, of Vanduser died Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2005, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo. She was born Jan. 10, 1919, in Montgomery County, Mo., daughter of John Sallee and Julia See Clare. She and Norman Griffin were married Nov. 9, 1991, in Vanduser. He died Sept. 13, 1995...

John R. Williams, 80, of Gordonville died Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2005, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Feb. 13, 1924, at Crump, son of James F. and Emma Brase Williams. He and Maggie Hanschen were married Sept. 20, 1947. Williams was an engineer with Burlington Northern Railroad, retiring in 1989. He attended Christ Lutheran Church in Gordonville...

Grace G. Clark, 88, of Jackson died Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2005, at Chateau Girardeau Health Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born June 20, 1916, at Commerce, Mo., daughter of Walter and Elsie Sanders Wise. She and Horace Clark were married June 9, 1934, at Benton, Mo...

Rosalie Genevieve "Sally" Sachse, 86, of Jackson died Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2005, at Monticello House. She was born Jan. 3, 1919, at Old Appleton, Mo., daughter of Joe and Ida Ponder Buchheit. She married Dale Sachse, who preceded her in death. Sachse had been a cook at Sunny Hill Restaurant and Saint Francis Medical Center. She was a member of St. Mary's Cathedral...

FROHNA, Mo. -- Tate Joseph Werner, 2 months, of Frohna died Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Oct. 14, 2004, in Cape Girardeau, son of Rodney and Jenny Schnurbusch Werner. Survivors include his parents of Frohna; paternal grandfather, Terry Werner of Frohna; maternal grandparents, Bruce and Debbie Schnurbusch of New Wells, Mo.; maternal great-grandparents, Ray and Lillian Schreiner and Rip and Verda Schnurbusch of Old Appleton, Mo.; and paternal great-grandmother, Lillian Werner of Frohna.. ...

GLENALLEN, Mo. -- James "Zac" Barker, 21, of Norfolk Naval Base, Va., died Monday, Jan. 3, 2005. He was formerly of Glenallen. Liley Funeral Home in Marble Hill, Mo., is in charge of arrangements.

Dora May Werner, 66, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2005 at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born July 13, 1938, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of George and Dora Wolfe Germaine. She had lived in the Cape Girardeau area all her life and graduated from Illmo school in 1956. She worked at the Southeast Missouri Hospital business office for eight years...

Harold G. "Nud" Haas, 78, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2005, at his home. He was born Nov. 18, 1926, in Cape Girardeau, son of Alvin and Alma Vandeven Haas. He and Mary Frances Fuerth were married June 6, 1949, in Cape Girardeau. She died Dec. 17, 1976. He and Janice Thornton Rice were married May 20, 1989, in Cape Girardeau. She died Oct. 25, 1999...

Wonderful job; Deal with it; Traffic problems; Cemetery etiquette

Finding solutions; What's so annoying?; No excuses; Move the snow; Describing teachers; For the average Joe; Thanks for a good time; Skimming the money

To the editor: Before the election, many thoughtful conservatives rejected the Bush candidacy. The American Conservative even endorsed John Kerry hoping that a Kerry victory would bring sanity back to conservatism. It is instructive to read what led the magazine to this judgment: invading a country that posed no threat to the U.S.; granting war profits and concessions to politically favored corporations; financing the war with a deficit that will be passed on to future generations; cutting taxes primarily for the wealthy; developing immigration proposals that would import immigrants to fill any job that no American wants; degrading the image of the United States around the world so we are despised by people who used to be friends; and forcing foreign governments to disdain Washington to their own electorates in order to survive politically. ...

To the editor: Nursing homes have been a topic of interest in the news recently. Improvements continue to take place, both in the number of skilled nurses and assistants. Progress in furnishings has added charm. The kindness that is shown visitors is admirable. The many kinds of entertainment add to the morale of those who reside in the nursing home. The feeling of being together blots out the loneliness often felt by those who live alone...

To the editor: After reading the article on Kelly High School's December graduates being barred from the May ceremony, I had to speak out. Even though I may not live in Missouri, I feel that the school board is penalizing these students for applying themselves and achieving their goal to graduate early. ...

To the editor: I am appalled that Kelly High School is keeping a student from joining her graduating class simply because she worked harder and met her goals sooner than the rest of the class. Yet the kids who made it by on the skin of their teeth get the privilege to walk that stage...

Since coach B.J. Smith took over the Southeast Missouri State University women's program three years ago, the team has played some important games against Austin Peay. But, as Southeast (6-5) heads into today's 5:15 p.m. Ohio Valley Conference opener against Austin Peay (4-7) in Clarksville, Tenn., Smith hesitates to call what has transpired between the two programs a rivalry...

WASHINGTON -- Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle's 26-year political career ended with defeat in the November elections, but he did take home a consolation prize: a pension that in its first year will total $121,233. The 57-year-old South Dakotan can also look forward to receiving about $5 million in pension benefits over his expected lifetime for his service in the House and Senate, according to the National Taxpayers Union...

WASHINGTON -- Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist is back at work part time at the Supreme Court, but there is no word that he is ready to return to the bench. Rehnquist missed about 25 court arguments in November and December while receiving chemotherapy and radiation...

MIAMI -- No team has ever won three straight AP national titles. Few teams have ever been better equipped to do so than Southern California. USC's stunningly easy 55-19 victory over Oklahoma on Tuesday night in the Orange Bowl gave the Trojans a second straight national title -- and set them up to make a run at history next season...

Before practice Wednesday, St. Louis Rams coach Mike Martz said offensive guard Tom Nutten probably wouldn't play in Saturday's playoff game in Seattle after spraining his left knee in the season finale. After practice, even though Nutten was listed as doubtful, the coach was a lot more optimistic. Martz said Nutten would practice today...

Ben Roethlisberger did what John Unitas, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, Brett Favre and every other NFL quarterback never managed by winning The Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year award. The first quarterback to win the honor since its inception in 1957, Roethlisberger did so unanimously, the second straight rookie to get all the votes. The Pittsburgh Steelers' young star received all 48 votes Wednesday from a nationwide panel of writers and broadcasters...

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Workers broke ground Wednesday for four refugee camps on the devastated island of Sumatra, where an estimated 1 million are homeless from last week's deadly tsunami, and pledges of aid -- led by a new donation from Australia -- topped $3 billion...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A car bomb exploded outside a police academy south of Baghdad during a graduation ceremony Wednesday, killing at least 20 people amid a surge in violence ahead of a landmark election. Hours earlier, another car bomb killed two Iraqis in the nation's capital...

ATLANTA -- Delta Air Lines' plan to cut its most expensive fares and ax a Saturday-night stay-over rule for cheaper tickets could be a boon to business travelers. But some rivals balked at the idea and analysts warned the move could reduce the already struggling industry's revenue as much as $3 billion a year if every carrier followed suit...

NEW YORK -- CNN said goodbye to pundit Tucker Carlson on Wednesday, and with him likely the "Crossfire" program that has been the granddaddy of high-volume political debate shows on cable television. CNN will probably fold "Crossfire" into its other programming, perhaps as an occasional segment on the daytime show "Inside Politics," said Jonathan Klein, who was appointed in late November as chief executive of CNN's U.S. network...

As in most TV seasons, the networks' 2004 fall feast was served and largely rejected by viewers. Now the networks are hastily laying out the next course. What's on the menu? "The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Search" (7 p.m. Wednesdays on NBC) aims to whet appetites, at least among the male demo...

SAN FRANCISCO -- An atheist who sued because he did not want his young daughter exposed to the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance has filed another lawsuit -- this time with other parents. Michael Newdow won his case more than two years ago before a federal appeals court, which said it was an unconstitutional blending of church and state for public school students to pledge to God...

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Australia promised $810 million -- the largest government pledge -- to the tsunami relief effort, topping a $674 million German aid package as a crucial donors' conference opened today with world governments focusing on how best to spend the money and get the aid to the neediest...

The Delta girls basketball team advanced to the finals of the Delta New Year's Tournament with a 49-35 victory against Oran on Wednesday. Kaci Menz led the top-seeded Bobcats (7-2) with 18 points. Rachel Ware and Shea Smith scored 10 apiece for Delta...

ST. LOUIS -- A back injury early in training camp has prevented Adam Archuleta from playing his normal, hard-hitting style all season. There's no time to rest yet for the St. Louis Rams' strong safety, who's preparing for a playoff game. "It's a situation where I've had to pretty much grind it out, battle it out," Archuleta said Wednesday. "Really, the only thing that's going to help is rest and rehabilitation...

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Coach Dennis Erickson and general manager Terry Donahue presided over some of the darkest days in the proud history of the San Francisco 49ers, who lost games, good players and incalculable respect in recent years. They insisted they had a plan to restore the franchise to glory, but owner John York decided it's time for a whole new plan...

Motorists who have to fill their gasoline tanks on cold winter days may be tempted to get back in the car after putting the nozzle in the tank, and wait in warmth as the tank fills. But the Cape Girardeau fire department says that is not safe. According to assistant chief Mark Hasheider, it is best to stay outside by the car while pumping gasoline. ...

There is nothing -- nothing -- funny about the loss of hundreds of thousands of human lives in a natural disaster like a tsunami. So don't expect any chuckles today to go along with your corn flakes. Sorry. Like so many of you, I have been astounded by the devastation, death and destitution that one earthquake can cause. And I have been heartened by the response of governments, organizations and individuals who want to help the tsunami victims in southern Asia...

When the announcement was made last summer that then- executive director Catherine Dunlap would be leaving Old Town Cape, the redevelopment organization's leaders said they wanted to bring in a director who could recruit more businesses downtown. That person, 29-year-old Tim Arbeiter, has been on the job one month now and thinks the downtown area is an increasingly attractive location both to businesses looking to locate in Cape Girardeau and to existing businesses...

Two Cape Girardeau men accused of vandalizing and stealing from five local churches and a law office made their first court appearance Thursday. Daniel Richard Rainey, 19, of 610 Red Bud Circle, and Erich C. Montgomery, 20, of 3002 Aspen Drive, Apt. C, both pleaded not guilty to 17 counts each, which included burglary, property destruction and theft. They are accused of vandalizing five area churches and a law office...

The number of new people signing up for jobless benefits shot up last week, highlighting the sometimes uneven nature of the recovery taking place in the labor market. The Labor Department reported Thursday that new applications filed for unemployment insurance jumped by a seasonally adjusted 43,000 to 364,000, the highest level since late September. The over-the-week increase of 43,000 was the most since the end of March 2002...

Freestyle is Ford's idea of a "crossover" vehicle Nothing can be more daunting than planning and executing the annual family road trip adventure, and few things are more important to its success than your choice of vehicle. Have you noticed that lots of vehicles have plenty of room for the family, but no room for their luggage?...

There was a time when the political lines about foreign policy were well drawn. Those on the left felt that American democracy and global capitalism did not necessarily offer the rest of the world a much better alternative than either Soviet-sponsored Communism or third-world thuggery. ...

A Missouri appellate court has upheld a ruling by former judge John P. Heisserer limiting search and seizure procedures. Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle, who appealed Heisserer's ruling from last year, said Thursday that he has not yet read the appellate court's order. But Swingle said he will pursue a further ruling...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Fred Ferrell, a Charleston, Mo., farmer who multiplied a few cattle into a sprawling and diversified agriculture business, was named the next state agriculture director by governor-elect Matt Blunt on Thursday. Ferrell becomes the second Bootheel resident Blunt has picked to lead a state department. The first was Michael Keathley of Bernie, Mo., whom Blunt tabbed last month as commissioner of the Office of Administration...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- State Sen. Jason Crowell was named chairman of the Senate Pensions, Veterans Affairs and General Laws Committee on Thursday, making him the only freshman member of the upper chamber to head a legislative panel this year. Crowell, R-Cape Girardeau, spent the last two years as House majority floor leader, the No. 3 leadership post in the lower chamber. That experience may have helped secure him a chairmanship as a rookie senator...

As Jefferson City gears up for the inaugural activities on Monday, a slate of individuals and groups with ties to Southeast Missouri are readying themselves to take part in the ceremonies. Among the locals who will help usher in the new state government are the Cape Central High School marching band, the Jerry Ford Orchestra, Southeast Missouri State University alumnus and Sikeston native Neal Boyd and the Dexter High School choir...

BEIJING -- Greeted by national television coverage of his first bath, a boy born Thursday was declared China's 1.3 billionth citizen in a blaze of publicity to promote the government's controversial "one child" birth limits. The 8-pound infant was presented with a certificate of his status following his birth at 12:02 a.m. ...

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- With health officials warning that the death toll of more than 140,000 from last month's tsunami could jump sharply without a continual supply of aid, world leaders struggled Thursday to figure out the best way to help victims -- and to prevent such a catastrophe from happening again...

ST. LOUIS -- For years, David Eckstein has dismissed the chatter by those questioning his range as a 5-foot-7, 165-pound shortstop. Little wonder that fielding questions Wednesday about how he'll fit in as Edgar Renteria's successor in baseball-crazy St. Louis didn't faze him a bit...

WASHINGTON -- Microsoft Corp., whose popular Windows software is a frequent target for Internet viruses, is offering a free security program to remove the most dangerous infections from computers. The program, with monthly updates, is a step toward plans by Microsoft to sell full-blown antivirus software later this year...

WASHINGTON -- Attorney General-nominee Alberto Gonzales, under scorching criticism from senators, condemned torture as an interrogation tactic Thursday and promised to prosecute abusers of terror suspects. He also disclosed the White House was looking at trying to change the Geneva Conventions that protect prisoner rights...

Thousands without power after ice storm; Ex-investigator sentenced for role in drug ring

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- During a party on Monday night, a man says a methamphetimine lab exploded at the back of a modular home near Poplar Bluff, catching his shirt on fire and leaving severe burns on his head, face, chest and arms. Ernie L. Adams, 29, of Rombauer waited until Wednesday to seek medical attention because the home's owner told him not to go to the emergency room, according to police reports. ...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released Thursday by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests * David M. Howlett, 52, 210 Mitchell, Marston, Mo., was arrested on a Mississippi County, Ark., warrant for possession of pseudoephedrine with intent...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following item on Wednesday: * At 8:15 p.m., smoke smell at 210 S. Silver Springs Road. Firefighters responded to the following items on Thursday: * At 1:11 a.m., emergency medical service in the 2700 block of Janet Drive...

Austin Peay defeated Southeast for the 11th straight time CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -- All it apparently took to cure Austin Peay's woes was the presence of Southeast Missouri State University. The Governors, who lost four starters from last year's team that won its second straight Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title, limped into Thursday's league opener with a 2-10 record, albeit against a rugged schedule...

The Cardinals Caravan, featuring Cardinals players and staff, will visit the Osage Community Centre on Jan. 16. Cardinals scheduled for the visit are newcomer David Eckstein, Bo Hart, Carmen Cali and Mike Lincoln. Tickets go on sale today at A.C. Brase Arena. Tickets are $3, and children 2 and under free...

Colleges...

Mahoney...

Daily American Republic Charges of first-degree child abuse and felony murder have been levied against the parents of a 2-week-old boy in connection with his death. The baby, Jacob Issac Conk, was born Dec. 12. He died at St. Louis Children's Hospital about 2:45 p.m. Monday...

Three stars (out of four) An oceanographer with fading star quality sets off on a voyage to film what may be his last epic documentary. This unconventional plot serves as the basis for a curiously delightful film. The movie is enjoyable but not easily explained or categorized. ...

'White Noise'...

Elvis Presley birthday celebration tonight; Cache River Basin winery presents murder mystery; Ricky Skaggs, Kentucky Thunder in Carbondale; Arts Council, Southeast Hospital seeking entries; Paducah Symphony performing Jan. 15; Burnin' Daylight to play at Sidewalk Sandwich Co.; Cantrells to appear at Underberg House Concert; V-Day Cape Girardeau to hold auditions Jan. 22

The Visual Arts Cooperative is mobilizing to help with relief efforts in Asia as they hold a special "Save the Children" art sale throughout the month. Several small works and miniatures -- including watercolors, acrylics and digitals -- in a variety of styles will be on sale with all proceeds beyond cost of materials going to tsunami disaster relief efforts. In addition, at least one large painting valued at $175 to $200 will be on sale...

The Statue of Liberty stands tall on the edge of the Grand Canyon, looking over the great rift as a lush waterfall in the foreground tumbles into the depths. In another scene, a space shuttle blasts off through the eye of a great desert arch. These aren't snapshots from some surreal dimension -- they're part of the photographic works of Bulgarian artist Victor Kantchev (now of Cape Girardeau), whose works will be on display along with those of Armenian sculptor and painter Sergaey Martirosyan (now of Glendale, Calif.) at the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri galleries at 32 N. ...

25 years ago: Jan. 7, 1980 LUTESVILLE, Mo. -- Broken combustion chambers in two suspended space heaters at the International Hat Co. here last week resulted in carbon monoxide gas leaks in the factory, causing headaches and eye irritations to some company employees...

Thomas Haywood Stoops, 88, of Scott City died Thursday, Jan. 6, 2005, at Life Care Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born March 26, 1916, in Carrsville, Ky., son of Merit and Verda May Stoops. He and Della Graden were married in 1941 in Cape Girardeau...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Wilene Smith, 77, died Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2005 at her home. She was born Aug. 27, 1927, in Crossville, Tenn., daughter of Franklyn Kelly and Laura Bell Bilbrey Neal. In 1942 she married Guy Wright Smith. He died in January 1991. Survivors include two sons, Ron Smith of Sikeston and Guy Smith of Los Angeles; two daughters, Donna Montoya of Los Angeles and Lorraine Bernal of Sikeston; four sisters, Maggie Weatherford, Cassie Bobo and Kelsey Brown, all of Jackson, Tenn., Opal Hayes of Tennessee; 15 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. ...

Marvin H. Meyr, 83, of Gordonville died Thursday, Jan. 6, 2005, at his home. McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson is in charge of arrangements.

Marie A. Best, 84, of Jackson died Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2005, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson is in charge of arrangements.

TAMMS, Ill. -- Maxine Powless, 86, of Tamms died Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2005, at Daystar Care Center in Cairo, Ill. She was born March 30, 1918, in Mulkeytown, Ill., daughter of James and Rosie Harris Fite. She and Gerald Powless were married June 27, 1942. He died Feb. 7, 1991...

Clarine V. Crader, 87, of Jackson died Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2005, at her home. She was born June 4, 1917, at Mineral Point, Mo., daughter of Ernest and Mattie Huskey West. Crader was formerly of Marble Hill, Mo., and a member of Harmony Congregational Methodist Church...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Ruby L. Duncan, 88, of Chaffee died Thursday, Jan. 6, 2005, at Life Care Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born June 10, 1916, in Russellville, Ark., daughter of James Arthur and Frances Marie Floyd Mason. She and Clyde Duncan were married Dec. 10, 1937. He died May 14, 1997...

Robert Earl Byers, 79, of Chateau Girardeau died Friday, Dec. 31, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born March 5, 1925, in Columbia, Mo., son of Earl Dewey and Eula Ruth Buster Byers. He and Lola Shirleen "Shirl" Dossett were married June 12, 1948, in Lakewood, Ohio. She died June 18, 1998...

There's a way; Volunteer pride; ER is only hope; It would be too wide; Train revelry too noisy; No sale this time; Growth puzzle

To the editor: I live in California, but I recently had occasion to visit the Summers Cemetery, or Cemetery No. 22, in Cape Girardeau County near Jackson. It is said that George Lail and others of the Lail family are buried there. George was captured by the Shawnee Indians at the massacre of Ruddles' Fort in Kentucky. ...

To the editor: I was glad to see the article about the Kelly High School graduates. I could not believe what board president Jim Simmons had to say. Does he even realize what he said? His comment about the ball players is what angered me, saying that senior baseball players who have graduated can still play in the playoffs because "they've done what we expected them to do." It seems to me this young woman has done what was expected by having enough credits to earn a diploma...

To the editor: I believe that it is not fair to prevent any student who has earned enough credits to graduate from walking with her friends on graduation night. I would hope that the people who make these decisions will change their minds. Graduation is an important part of everyone's life, and no one should be deprived of that experience as long as she has the earned credits to do so...

Dexter's accuracy from the free-throw line was too much for Scott City, as the Rams fell 47-38 at home in a girls basketball game Thursday night. Scott City (5-6) trailed 19-5 after the first quarter but cut the deficit to three with less than two minutes left. Dexter made nine of 10 free throws to seal the win and finished 19-for-22 from the line...

On the gut level, the Kelly School District's policy that keeps some seniors from participating in graduation ceremony seems unduly unfair. After all, students who fulfill both the state's and the district's requirements for graduation should be allowed to walk across a stage and receive a diploma even if they chose not to attend classes the final semester of their senior year, right?...

Local farmers are hopeful that the appointment of Fred Ferrell to the state's top agricultural seat will mean good things and better representation for cattlemen and crop producers across Southeast Missouri. "Fred has been a leader for our area here," said Gerald Bryan, an agronomy specialist with the University of Missouri Extension office in Jackson. ...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department has announced that it will conduct a Citizens' Police Academy beginning Feb. 3. The eight-week academy -- held one night per week for two hours -- will cover such topics as patrol, traffic, crime prevention, domestic violence, jail issues and health/nuisance concerns...

LAS CRUCES, N.M. -- New Mexico State coach Lou Henson was hospitalized Thursday with pneumonia, and he won't return to the sideline this weekend in a wheelchair as planned. Henson, 73, stricken in September with viral encephalitis, was scheduled to coach for the first time this season Saturday night against North Texas...

NEW YORK -- Peyton Manning was unstoppable on the field this season, and in the All-Pro voting, too. The record-setting Indianapolis Colts quarterback was a unanimous choice Thursday for The Associated Press 2004 NFL All-Pro Team. Manning received all 48 first-place votes from a nationwide panel of writers and broadcasts who cover pro football, the only player to sweep the voting this year...

ST. LOUIS -- The day the St. Louis Rams make him their feature back can't come soon enough for Steven Jackson. The rookie said Thursday he's shown the last few weeks that he's ready to take over from Marshall Faulk. "I think we're in the stage of passing the torch, that's how I feel," Jackson said. "I think we're in a transitiion of turning the offense over toward me...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Former senator Ken Jacob, whose appointment to the state labor commission created a political firestorm, has left government to become executive director of one of the largest labor unions for state employees. Jacob said Thursday that he resigned as chairman of the Labor and Industrial Relations Commission because Republican governor-elect Matt Blunt had pledged during the campaign to remove Jacob from the position...

ST. LOUIS -- Barring resolution of a contract dispute, St. Louis teachers plan to go on strike Jan. 19, ignoring a state law forbidding a walkout, the teachers' union said Thursday. Negotiators for St. Louis Teachers and School Related Personnel Union Local 420 will continue to meet with school district representatives in an effort to avert the walkout, which would be the fourth in the state's largest school district since 1973...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A roadside bomb killed seven U.S. soldiers in northwest Baghdad and two Marines were killed in western Iraq on Thursday, the deadliest day for American forces since a suicide attack on a U.S. base last month. The bombing came as Iraq extended a state of emergency by 30 days to battle militants whose attacks have surged ahead of this month's elections. The prime minister warned the number of assaults would only rise as voting day draws closer...

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. -- He's a bit hunched over these days, his gait slowed somewhat by his 88 years, most of them spent traveling from one gig to another. But when Lalo Guerrero picks up a guitar and begins to sing -- first in Spanish and then in English -- there's no doubt one is in the presence of the father of Chicano music...

Don't let a funny title like "Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater" fool you -- this latest PlayStation 2 offering from Japanese video game guru Hideo Kojima is serious fun. Whether I was wading through the squishy muck of an alligator-infested swamp or breathlessly lunging through a forest to dodge arrows from an invisible enemy, "Snake Eater" is a varied, addictive game that's equal parts Rambo action and James Bond gadgetry...

FORT HOOD, Texas -- Barring any last-minute plea bargain, an Army reservist pictured in some of the notorious photographs of Iraqi inmates being sexually humiliated at the Abu Ghraib prison will today become the first soldier tried in the scandal. Spc. Charles Graner, 36, is accused of being the ringleader of the abuse. He could get up to 24 1/2 years in a military prison on charges that include conspiracy, assault and committing indecent acts...

FORT HOOD, Texas -- An Army platoon sergeant used unlawful military action when he ordered his troops to force two Iraqi cousins into the Tigris River for violating curfew, a prosecutor said Thursday in closing arguments. Army Sgt. 1st Class Tracy Perkins, who is accused in the drowning death of Zaidoun Fadel Hassoun, 19, is being tried on charges of involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, obstruction of justice and making a false statement...

HOUSTON -- Andrea Yates' murder conviction for drowning her children in the bathtub was overturned by an appeals court Thursday because a psychiatrist for the prosecution gave erroneous testimony that suggested the Texas mother got the idea from an episode of "Law & Order."...

LAS VEGAS -- Ten thousand songs in your pocket. Millions of tunes on the Internet at your fingertips. And books on tape -- they're going down the path of vinyl records. Welcome to the new world of digital audio. Though the first portable MP3 player debuted in 1999, most personal music libraries still consist of piles of CDs, and relatively few people listen to digitally recorded radio talk shows and books...

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -- Forgive Southeast Missouri State women's basketball coach B.J. Smith for being a bit overly excited Thursday night. For the first time since Smith took over the program three years ago, Southeast has beaten Austin Peay, courtesy of a thrilling 59-56 road victory in the Ohio Valley Conference opener for both teams...

Jackson's boys basketball team is undefeated through 13 games this season and is on pace to make a run at the team's top win total of 26 set in 1992. Despite their success, the Indians enter tonight's game against University of North Carolina recruit Tyler Hansbrough and the defending Class 5 state champion Poplar Bluff Mules as heavy underdogs. This will be the first meeting between the teams since Poplar Bluff defeated Jackson in the district finals last season...

ST. LOUIS -- When Jeff Wilkins is using his shoulder pads, the St. Louis Rams know they're in trouble. Their kicker is supposed to be the last line of defense on returns, but all too often they've needed him to save the day. It illustrates the Rams' glaring weakness on special teams entering Saturday's playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks (9-7)...

St. Louis signed free-agent Mark Grudzielanek to a one-year deal. The St. Louis Cardinals have signed free-agent second baseman Mark Grudzielanek to a one-year, $1 million deal, putting in place the final piece of a retooled middle infield for the NL champions...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A Springfield man who had moved to Arkansas to join the National Guard was killed this week in Iraq, Rep. Roy Blunt said Thursday. Jeremy W. McHalffey, 28, was one of three Arkansas National Guardsmen killed Tuesday when their humvee was hit by a roadside bomb in the al-Shaab district of Baghdad. They were with the 2nd Platoon of Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion of Arkansas' 39th Infantry Brigade. They had been roommates at the company's base at Camp Gunslinger...

The parents of a girl who was killed in a 2001 car accident have filed a wrongful death suit against their older daughter, who was driving the car involved in the wreck. Bobby D. and Lula M. McDonald of Cape Girardeau filed a civil petition for wrongful death in Cape Girardeau County Circuit Court against daughter April McDonald, Shelter Insurance Co. of Jefferson City and Patricia Montgomery of Cape Girardeau...

The sandbags can stay in storage, at least for now. But river and weather watchers, especially those around Cairo, Ill., and New Madrid, Mo., are beginning to look with some concern at the rising Mississippi and Ohio rivers. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Memphis District on Friday initiated a phase one "floodfight" along the Mississippi River, meaning personnel have been deployed to the field and will begin monitoring levees, flood walls and pumping stations...

Southeast Missouri State University will train would-be entrepreneurs to start small businesses under a new initiative funded by a $400,000 federal grant from the Missouri Division of Workforce Development. University and state economic development officials announced the grant at a news conference Friday at the University Center...

25 years ago: Jan. 8, 1980 Races for Cape Girardeau County sheriff quickly develop in a flurry of filings for county offices; entering the sheriff's race on the first day of filings is Jackson police Lt. Herman "Bob" Gribler, chief deputy James A. Crites, former county coroner Cecil D. Rhodes and Chester A. McCain...

Eftink; Wasikowski; Liller

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Walter Arthur Hoehn, 90, of Perryville died Friday, Jan. 7, 2005, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. He was born Oct. 24, 1914, at Friedenberg, Mo., son of Alvin G.C. and Alma A.E. Ochs Hoehn. He and Erna Anita Hopfer were married April 12, 1936. She died June 3, 1999...

GLENALLEN, Mo. -- James "Zak" Barker, 21, of Norfolk Naval Base, Va., died Monday, Jan. 3, 2005. He was formerly of Glenallen. He was born Dec. 10, 1983, at Incirlik Air Force Base, Turkey, son of James Sheldon and Robin Elaine Fox Barker. Barker was serving aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, where he was an operations specialist and was training to be a radar operator. He was a member of Bethlehem Baptist Church...

Marie A. Best, 84, of Jackson died Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2005, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born March 4, 1920, at Laflin, Mo., daughter of George F. and Anna Arns Radin. She and Wilbert Best were married Oct. 2, 1940. Best retired as a cook with Jackson School District in 1982. She was a member of Emanuel United Church of Christ and was active in Lydia Kies Circle...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Ruth Laverne Shuffit, 76, of Wilhoit, Ariz., died Saturday, Jan. 1, 2005, at Hospice Family Care in Sun City, Ariz. She was born Jan. 12, 1928, in Sikeston, daughter of Anthony N. and Ora Johnson Miederhoff. She and Ray E. Shuffit were married in 1945. He died June 28, 1998...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Orville S. Rhyne, 56, of Chaffee died Friday Jan. 7, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Dec. 5, 1948, in Seventy-Six, Mo., son of Benjamin Walter and Eva Gertrude Logsdon Rhyne. He was a forklift operator for Formex LP. He was also a past member of the VFW in Scott City and a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- James William "Jim" Wagner, 65, of Sikeston died Thursday, Jan. 6, 2005, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born Sept. 12, 1939, in Walker, Minn., son of Jack and Ann Kepic Wagner. He and Shirley Phillips were married Jan. 28, 1957, in Chaffee, Mo...

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. -- Melvin Lewis Moore, 49, of Chicago died Monday, Jan. 3, 2005, at St. Agnes Nursing Facility in Chicago. He was born March 7, 1955, in Portageville, son of the Rev. Rea and Roberta Morrow Moore. Moore was a graduate of Portageville High School, and had lived in Chicago more than 25 years...

ANNA, Ill. -- Dorothy Y. Williams, 70, of Anna died Friday, Jan. 7, 2005, at her home. She was born July 5, 1934, in Anna, daughter of George and Ruby Brown Lacy. She and Richard Dean Williams were married Dec. 25, 1953, in Anna. Williams retired from First National Bank of Jonesboro. She was a member of First United Methodist Church, past member of Teen Town Board in Anna, and had been active in PTA and other school activities...

MAKANDA, Ill. -- Clarissa Pina Opal Gibson, 82, of Makanda died Thursday, Jan. 6, 2005, at the home of a daughter in Carbondale, Ill. She was born May 27, 1922, in Beefhide, Ky., daughter of William Ode and Nancy D. White Mullins. She and Roy Gibson were married Feb. 18, 1946. He died Sept. 17, 2004...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Charlene Bush, 77, of Jonesboro died Thursday, Jan. 6, 2005, at Union County Hospital. Hileman Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Marvin H. Meyr, 83, of Gordonville passed away Thursday, Jan. 6, 2005, at his home. He was born Dec. 22, 1921, at New Wells, son of Walter and Ida Leimbach Meyr. He and Allene B. Grossheider were married April 12, 1953. She passed away May 24, 2004...

Henry J. Fels, 78, of Cape Girardeau, died Thursday, Jan. 6, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center. He was born Sept. 27, 1926, in Leopold, Mo., son of John Henry and Anna Koesman Fels. He worked for Spartech, the former Atlas Plastics, as a machine operator. While in the Army during World War II, he served in Okinawa and Korea. He was a member of St. Mary's Cathedral of Cape Girardeau and VFW Post 3838...

Wrong message; Not a good plan; Upside-down tree; Changing the image; No need to stop

Make them work; Credits more important; Punishing achievers; What's the harm?; Fix timing of lights; Still on track; Lines hard to see; Train city workers

To the editor: A recent, marginalized news item illustrates a typical problem these days. A report by the Defense Science Board for the Pentagon -- an organization under Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld -- states several findings that contradict Fox News and much of what commonly passes for the truth out here in the red states...

To the editor: President Bush has taken the first steps to dismantle Social Security. I cannot stand by and let him do that without saying my piece. Bush is going to start a campaign on TV that is going to lead you to believe that Social Security will tumble if we don't privatize it, but that is not the case. ...

To the editor: I do not know who was responsible for the damage to the churches, but it is terrible that people have not been raised to care for other people's property. How could anyone be so mad at the church or the people who go to church to be so destructive?...

To the editor: I read a lot of newspapers from around the United States, and the story about Kelly High School's students not being able to walk at graduation with their class just because they finished early is a big joke. It was an honor to walk across the stage with my class. Why should those who finished early not have the same honor? I think the school board should wake up and smell the coffee. Let them all graduate together. Don't make the students regret doing a good thing...

Waylon Richardet scored 19 points to lead the St. Vincent boys basketball team to a 62-43 victory Friday night in the Ste. Genevieve Tournament. The Indians (6-4) won the four-team, round-robin tournament with a 3-0 record. Jacob DeWilde added 17 points, and Danny Rellergert scored 11 for St. Vincent. Alex Armbruster contributed 10 assists...

After playing its first 13 games away from home, the Central boys basketball team heads into its first home game today trying to overcome an even bigger challenge: injuries. Central lost leading scorer Eli Harris to a knee injury Monday in its unsuccessful bid to post an upset at Caruthersville, the No. 5 team in the SEMO Top 15. The next night, 6-foot-6 sophomore Darnell Wilks, the team's second-leading scorer was undercut and suffered a head injury in a win against Perryville...

MBC president attends legislative prayer service; Jackson student places second in poster contest; Souper Bowl collections planned for Feb. 6; Parishes take collection for tsunami victims

I've been thinking about the New Year and how people resolve to make changes in their lives, and I remembered an encouraging statement I heard recently. It was good advice that, if followed, would help a person attain his goals. Each New Year, many vow they will attempt to diet, exercise more, stop smoking or watch their temper, to name a few areas. All sorts of promises are made. Then at the first backslide, they say, "I've blown it, so I might as well give up."...

People around the world are inventing ways to help the millions of people devastated by the Dec. 26 tsunami in southern Asia. More than $3 billion has been pledged so far. Locally, a Cape Girardeau restaurant owner originally from Thailand is donating half the proceeds from last Thursday's dinner business. ...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following items on Thursday: * At 1:11 a.m., emergency medical service in the 2700 block of Janet Drive. * At 2:06 a.m., emergency medical service in the 900 block of Hackberry Street. * At 3:15 a.m., unknown odor at 2525 Boutin Drive...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released Friday by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI * Antoine M. Jones, 23, 10 Comanche St., McClure, Ill., was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, failure to drive on the right half of the road and driving without a license...

Cape Girardeau city engineer Mark Lester has resigned, effective Feb. 18, to start his own engineering firm. Assistant city engineer Melanie Gertis is also leaving to join Lester's firm, city officials said Friday. "I'm looking for greener pastures," Lester said...

Driver hurt in explosion at fuel storage site; Inauguration to be carried on television; HIV-positive man gets 10 years for biting cop

~ Kinder also touched on issues he's been talking about since his election last November, including state revenue. "The state's revenue won't be growing as the same rate as last year," said Kinder, a Republican. "That's the bad news. The good news is it will be growing."...

WASHINGTON -- Rosemary Kennedy, the oldest sister of President John F. Kennedy and the inspiration for the Special Olympics, died Friday. She was 86. Kennedy, the third child of Rose and Joseph Kennedy, was born mentally retarded and underwent a lobotomy when she was 23. She lived most of her life in a Jefferson, Wis., institution, the St. Coletta School for Exceptional Children...

SEATTLE -- It was the game that defined the Seattle Seahawks' season, a collapse of the highest magnitude that has been questioned, dissected and rehashed since mid-October. The most infamous 11 minutes in franchise history? No question. "When all of us are done playing, we'll still remember it as one of the most embarrassing games we've ever played," cornerback Ken Lucas said. "You never forget a game like that."...

ST. LOUIS -- In a marketing game now brewing between Anheuser-Busch and Miller, some question whether the rival beermakers using referees in commercial pitches have lost sight of true sportsmanship. "To some degree, it has become unusually personal," said Hoag Levins, editor and executive producer of Advertising Age magazine's Web site, AdAge.com. "Some of the advertising is really petty."...

WASHINGTON -- Employers hired workers in 2004 at the fastest pace in five years, with overall payrolls rising by 2.2 million. December's job growth was a bit lower than expected, with the unemployment rate holding at 5.4 percent. President Bush called the numbers "very positive," but economists weren't quite so enthusiastic. One said the year went out "like a cow: beefy but docile."...

BOSTON -- The Red Sox have the title. Now they want the ball. Backup first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz caught the ball for the final out of the World Series, ending Boston's 86-year championship drought. He then put the souvenir in a safe deposit box. Only one problem: The Red Sox say the ball should be in their hands...

SEATTLE -- St. Louis coach Mike Martz made the highlight shows when he flamboyantly said the Rams won't hold hands and sing "Kumbaya." Seattle's Shaun Alexander accused his coach of stabbing him in the back. Is this the NFL or a soap opera? "OK, nothing going on this week," Seattle coach Mike Holmgren joked this week as the Seahawks prepared for today's NFL playoff game against the Rams...

PHILADELPHIA, Miss. -- Reputed Ku Klux Klan member Edgar Ray Killen responded loudly with "not guilty" three times Friday as he was arraigned on murder charges in the slayings of three civil rights workers more than 40 years ago. The prosecutor said he was the only person indicted in the case...

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- The memory of last year's game at the Eblen Center is certainly not a good one for Southeast Missouri State University. Southeast and host Tennessee Tech were tied and appeared headed for overtime -- when a touch foul in a non-shooting situation was called on Southeast with just two seconds remaining...

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Southeast Missouri State University's women go from the defending Ohio Valley Conference champion to the preseason favorite as they wrap up a rugged league-opening two-game road trip. After posting a 59-56 victory at Austin Peay Thursday night, Southeast (7-5, 1-0) visits Tennessee Tech (8-4, 1-0) today for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff...

Fans lined up for more than an hour to get into the Jackson High School gymnasium on Friday night to get a seat for the big matchup between two top five Class 5 boys basketball schools. With a capacity crowd of more than 1,100 packed in like sardines, No. 2 Poplar Bluff -- last year's Class 5 state champion -- spoiled the No. 5 Indians' big night with a 77-53 win...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- When term limits purged the House of Representatives of experience two years ago, the Senate still boasted several members whose legislative tenures spanned generations. As of last week, however, the institutional memory of those serving in the Missouri Legislature, with a handful of exceptions, goes back no further than 1999...

John Dodd became a soccer mom Saturday. The Marshall County man fixed his daughter Brianna's hair before her two soccer games at Houck Stadium as part of the 11th annual Saint Francis Indoor Soccer Tournament. "It's her first soccer tournament," he said...

A solid year, but not a stellar one. That's the conventional wisdom of some local business leaders who were asked to make predictions for 2005. They feel bullish on Southeast Missouri but hold reservations on the national front. Locally, there was much optimism that Republican governor-elect Matt Blunt would improve Missouri's abysmal business climate and hope that the legislature would address tort reform...

Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Kester of Jackson celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Dec. 11, 2004, at New Bethel Baptist Church at Fruitland. The couple renewed their vows, with John Rhodes conducting the ceremony. About 90 guests attended the ceremony and dinner...

Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Parcell of Lexington, N.C., observed their 40th wedding anniversary with a family celebration Dec. 24, 2004, at the home of Jane Grojean of Cape Girardeau, sister of Mrs. Parcell. Parcell and JoAnn Cantrell were married Sept. 6, 1964. They are formerly of Cape Girardeau...

Michael and Kathleen Shivelbine of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Elizabeth Shivelbine, to David Winkler, both of Kirkwood, Mo. He is the son of Dr. William and Carol Winkler of Janesville, Wis. Shivelbine is a 1997 graduate of Central High School, and received a bachelor of science degree from Truman State University in 2001. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in biology at St. Louis University...

Robert L. Burrows and Dale E. Burrows of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Brooke Elizabeth Burrows, to Derrick Richard Schlosser. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Schlosser of Scott City. A May 21 wedding is planned at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Kelso, Mo...

Don and Linda Rodgers of Gordonville announce the engagement of their daughter, Jennifer Fay Rodgers, to Kyle Benjamin Maevers of Altenburg, Mo. He is the son of Curtis Maevers of Jackson, and the late Teresa Maevers. Rodgers is a 2001 graduate of Jackson High School, and received an associate's degree of applied science from Metro Business College in 2004. She is employed at Kies Eye Center...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Marvin and Karen Seyer of Chaffee announce the engagement of their daughter, Kerri Michelle Seyer, to Quinton D'Collins Schaefer. He is the son of Marcus and Vickie Schaefer of Benton, Mo. Seyer is a 2001 graduate of Kelly High School at Benton. She is employed in the insurance department at Cape Girardeau Surgical Clinic...

Mike and Carolynn Yates of Ironton, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Wendee Leigh-Marie Yates, to John Louis Hamm. He is the son of George and Della Hamm of Scott City. Yates attended Mineral Area College and is a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University. She is a first grade teacher at Bonne Terre Elementary School in Bonne Terre, Mo...

Kimberley Toshiye Suzuki and Kenneth Lee Schlitt were united in marriage Oct. 9, 2004, at Grace United Methodist Church. The Rev. Scott Moon performed the ceremony. Music was provided by Meagan Edmonds of Cape Girardeau and a quintet string orchestra from Sikeston, Mo...

Christina Kay Raisch and Christopher Ryan McAuley were married Dec. 11, 2004, at Wesley United Methodist Church in Fruitland. The Rev. Kevin Cawley performed the ceremony. Music was provided by Justin Province of Irondale, Mo. The bride is the daughter of John and Kay Raisch of Belgrade, Mo. Edgar and Ellen McAuley of Cape Girardeau are parents of the groom...

Laura Ann Pletcher and Dustin Oliver Cook were married Nov. 20, 2004, at First Church of the Nazarene. The Revs. Robert Aldrich and Jim Cooper performed the ceremony. Organist was Iris McElrath. Richard and Paula Pletcher of Cape Girardeau are parents of the bride. The groom is the son of Allen and Debby Cook of Scott City...

Jill Gosnell and Wes Pangborn exchanged wedding vows Aug. 7, 2004, in an oceanfront setting at Jekyll Island, Ga. The Rev. James Kenney performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Jack and Jody Gosnell of Cape Girardeau. The groom is the son of Larry and Laurie Pangborn of St. Peters, Mo...

Megan Dawn Hill and Freddy Joe Johnson exchanged vows Nov. 13, 2004, at Randles General Baptist Church in Randles, Mo. Vyron Yount performed the ceremony. Parents of the bride are Tom and Belinda Moore of Randles and Greg Hill of Cape Girardeau. The groom is the son of Bill and Debbie Johnson of Delta...

NEW YORK -- A two-week vacation? Ha! "For quite some time, the average leisure trip has been at four nights," said Cathy Keefe, spokeswoman for the Travel Industry of America, which surveys the travel habits of 300,000 households a year. "This shift toward shorter vacations has been happening for the last 20 to 30 years."...

Turn up the radio; Jackson has built a winner; Lessons from the pros; Get fired up; A clean sweep ... again; You call that music?; Excellent analysis; Sleeper team was sleeping; Change on the way?

25 years ago: Jan. 9, 1980 Cape Girardeau County Coroner Harold G. Cobb, who has served as coroner for about eight months, has filed for election as coroner on the Democratic ticket; an unsuccessful candidate for that office in 1972, Cobb was appointed coroner by Gov. Joseph P. Teasdale last year after coroner Cecil D. Stroder resigned; also filing for office on the Democratic ticket is Doris Young, who is seeking the post of public administrator...

FROHNA, Mo. -- Gary and Peggy Scholl of Frohna announce the engagement of their daughter, Kelly Ann Scholl, to Jeremiah Lawrence Kohlfeld. He is the son of Larry and Karen Kohlfeld of Apple Creek, Mo. Scholl is a 1998 graduate of Perryville High School in Perryville, Mo. She received a bachelor of science degree in nursing from Southeast Missouri State University in 2002. She is a registered nurse at Sleep Analysts in Cape Girardeau...

Doris Cobaugh, 71, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Jan. 8, 2005, at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Jan. 26, 1933, at Lake Charles, La., daughter of Frank and Alberta Louise Miller Evans. Cobaugh was a corporal in the Marines during the Korean War, serving as a postal worker. She was employed as a recreational aide for Pine Crest State School in Pineville, La. She moved to Missouri in 1993...

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Inez Sanford, 94, of St. Louis died Friday, Jan. 7, 2005, at Green Park Nursing Home in St. Louis. She was born April 26, 1910, at Kennett, Mo., daughter of Daniel and Eva Hearn Sanford. Sanford moved to St. Louis in 1948, where she worked in Libson Specialty Shop...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Frank "Fergie" Ferguson, 71, of Perryville died Saturday, Jan. 8, 2005, at his home. He was born June 3, 1933, at St. Louis, son of Oscar and Stella Husky Ferguson. He and Brenda Heberlie were married Oct. 5, 1968. He was the owner/operator of Fergie's...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Harriet L. Parker, 93, of Cairo died Saturday, Jan. 8, 2005, at her home. She was born May 31, 1911, in Mounds, Ill., daughter of William and Birdie Murray Parker. Parker was a retired bookkeeper for Banks Grocery Co. in Cairo. She was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church...

Eugene Parsons, 53, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Jan. 8, 2005, at his home. He was born Sept. 15, 1951, at Ridgely, Tenn., son of Elmer and Velma Saulsberry Parsons. He and Martha Dunlap were married June 6, 1980, at Sikeston, Mo. Parsons was the owner of Eugene's Total Care Salon and Spa in Cape Girardeau and a member of Grace United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau. He was a graduate of Shawnee High School in 1972 and the Cape Girardeau School of Beauty Culture in 1976...

Viola Witt Morrison, 89, of Kelso, Mo., died Friday, Jan. 7, 2005, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Aug. 27, 1915, at St. Louis, Mo., the daughter of the late Louis and Helen Loncaric Perhat. She and Stephen B. Witt were married July 17, 1943, at St. Louis. He preceded her in death on Dec. 6, 1980. She later married Lynnwood Morrison on Feb. 26, 1989, at Kelso. He preceded her in death on Jan. 2, 1999...

PARMA, Mo. -- Bob W. Lewis, 78, of Parma died Saturday, Jan. 8, 2005, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born July 8, 1926, in Parma, son of the late Nathaniel and Ida Wilson Lewis. He and Earlene James were married May 27, 1946, in Piggott, Ark. She preceded him in death on Sept. 23, 1980...

Term limits needed; Stop complaining; No need to complain; Not in our area

Help with flat tire; Ungrateful people; Move mail faster; Helping others; It's a money matter; Deeper in debt; It's up to residents; Don't be in a hurry; A pat on the back; Put them to work

To the editor: Article X of the U.S. Constitution says: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." That portion of our foundation document has long been dear to the Republican heart, especially as it applies to attempts to expand the federal government, and as part of their love of strict construction of the Constitution...

To the editor: As a May 2004 graduate of Kelly High School, I chose not to leave in December despite my completion of the required credits. I continued my education with vocational courses and dual-credit classes through Southeast Missouri State University during my eighth semester...

Gun safety and safe shooting classes are being offered for ages 12 through 20 with certified instructors from the National Rifle Association conducting the classes. Registration begins 1 p.m. today at American Legion Post 63 in Cape Girardeau. For information, call 243-4133...

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team will have a chance to make a statement right off the bat this season. The first opponent also happens to be the No. 1 team in the nation in one preseason poll. Southeast will open its season Feb. 11 with the first game of a three-game, three-day series in New Orleans against Tulane, which was listed as the top team this week when Baseball America released its preseason poll...

Another factor that will have to be taken into account regarding school-funding in Missouri is the pledge by Republicans, who control the legislature and the governor's office, to avoid education dollars when withholding of appropriated funds is needed to keep spending within revenue limits...

How Missouri funds public education will be one of the toughest issues in the legislative session that began last week. The current system is broken. But that may be the only point regarding education funding on which there is consensus. Adding pressure to the school-funding situation is a statewide lawsuit brought by dozens of districts who want a judge to force the legislature to act. ...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released Saturday by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI * Derek Joseph Radetic, 19, of 1554 Revlon Drive, received a summons for suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Arrests...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Friday: * At 4:53 p.m., emergency medical service at 700 S. Sprigg St. * At 9:29 p.m., emergency medical service at 1300 Howell St. * At 10:17 p.m., emergency medical service at 3000 William St...

Rescue workers find more bodies in Italy train wreck; Eleven killed in sectarian unrest in Pakistan city; Skirmishes bring end to unofficial truce in Aceh

Cape prepares for street closures if river rises...

A major drug manufacturer is producing a new cold medication that could make the number of methamphetamine crimes shrink and save police some headaches. A new form of Sudafed that does not contain pseudoephedrine is expected to be delivered to retailers across the country sometime in February. Pfizer Inc., which makes Sudafed, says it will market Sudafed PE as an alternative to the regular product...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The title of Gov. Bob Holden's State of the State address one year ago was "Gateway to the Future." As of noon Monday, the administration of Missouri's 53rd chief executive will be relegated to the past. As the only Missouri governor ever defeated for renomination in a party primary election, Holden's four-year term might appear a failure to some. ...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Three people were arrested following a police chase through Scott, Cape Girardeau and Perry counties Friday night. Shortly after 10 p.m., the Miner Police Department began the chase on Interstate 55 after the suspects' vehicle attempted to ram a Miner police car during a traffic stop. The Sikeston Department of Public Safety told Miner police of a possible suspect match to a previous armed robbery...

Ninth victim's body found from S.C. chemical spill; Senator's 2000 campaign finance director indicted

A home in the country is special. It isn't just the bricks and decor that you fall in love with. It's the country setting too. The house at 4577 Route A in Uniontown, Mo., is one of those homes. It's a brick ranch home with a modern, open concept interior, but its one-acre setting with wide open spaces is equally important to its character...

PEARLAND, Texas -- Susan and Steven Manis say it was their fault their daughter was late for school so they shared her punishment -- spending an hour with her in detention. The couple says their 13-year-old daughter, Jessica Dunkley, was being unfairly punished for being late six times in October and November when the family's van wouldn't start...

KETCHIKAN, Alaska -- The term "airborne" took on a new meaning when a woman gave birth high above Southeast Alaska on a floatplane that was evacuating her after her labor began earlier then expected. The baby girl was delivered safely to Jenifer Chinuhuk aboard a Pacific Airways floatplane Sunday. Isabelle Chinuhuk weighed in at 5 pounds, 9 ounces, and was 19 1/4 inches long...

LAKE STEVENS, Wash. -- Someone in the Census Bureau may be watching a little too much MTV. Bevis Lake, a 5.7-acre body of water in a forested area about 25 miles northeast of Seattle, is now appearing in Bureau records with a different name: Butthead Lake...

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court returns Monday with an ailing leader, pressure to rule quickly on the constitutionality of federal prison sentences and a slew of contentious issues to decide, from medical marijuana to Ten Commandment displays. The most immediate concern is the health of Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, 80, who was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in October...

WASHINGTON -- Newt Gingrich is taking steps toward a potential presidential bid in 2008 with a book criticizing President Bush's policies on Iraq and a tour of early campaign states. The former House speaker who led Republicans to power a decade ago said he soon will visit Iowa and New Hampshire to promote his book, try to influence public policy and keep his political options alive...

WILLOUGHBY HILLS, Ohio -- If Fallingwater is Frank Lloyd Wright's greatest work, then a house he designed in this Cleveland suburb is one of his most livable. Owner Paul Penfield has opened up the Louis Penfield House to guests after spending four years restoring it to the iconic architect's original vision. It's one of three Wright houses in the country that allow Wright enthusiasts to spend the night. The other two Wright homes that permit guests are in Wisconsin...

KAPALUA, Hawaii -- Vijay Singh made 15 pars Saturday, not the kind of golf that would seem to keep him atop the leaderboard in the Mercedes Championships. One swing made the difference. With Jonathan Kaye and Ernie Els closing fast, Singh hit a 248-yard approach into 10 feet on the par-5 15th for an eagle that allowed him to shoot a 4-under 69 and keep the lead going into the final round of the season-opening tournament...

ST. LOUIS -- Tony La Russa agreed to a three-year contract extension with the St. Louis Cardinals after taking them to their first World Series in 17 seasons. He also said Saturday that the Cardinals are close to a new contract for general manager Walt Jocketty...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Top-ranked Illinois found itself in an unfamiliar position heading into halftime at Purdue. The Illini were behind. Dee Brown made sure that didn't last long. After not taking a single shot in the first half, Brown scored all 14 of his points in the second half to lead the Illini to a 68-59 victory over Purdue on Saturday...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Missouri coach Quin Snyder dispensed with inspiration during a lengthy second-half drought and told his team it was soft. Shock treatment did the trick for the Tigers, who beat Iowa State 62-59 on Saturday in a Big 12 opener filled with huge momentum swings. Missouri survived a 12 1/2-minute span without a basket by ending the game on a 17-2 run...

INDIANAPOLIS -- Tony Dungy walked off the practice field and acknowledged the challenge. It's not just the playoff atmosphere that has tested his Indianapolis Colts, but also finding a fresh perspective on a tough task -- getting ready for Denver, again...

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Ryan Longwell expects today's showdown between the evenly matched Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers to come down to a last-second field goal. And why not? Both times they played in the regular season, Green Bay won 34-31 on field goals by Longwell as time expired, capping impressive 2-minute drives by Brett Favre...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Secretary of State Matt Blunt touted fax and e-mail balloting as options to make voting more accessible to military members in combat, but a statewide survey shows just a few dozen people used those options in the November election...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A Kansas City woman was sentenced to 10 years in prison for selling crack cocaine out of a day care center at her home. Valeriece D. Ealom, 36, was sentenced Friday, U.S. Attorney Todd P. Graves said. Ealom pleaded guilty in September to participating in a conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of crack cocaine. Some of the cocaine was found in her home while children were there under her care, Graves said...

Here are some passages dubbed "Classic Spock" from the eighth edition of "Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care": n Parenthood is an ideal guilt-generating business, and labor often delivers the first volley. I think this situation has come about in part because of the fantasy that everything has to be perfect for the child to do well. ...

NEW YORK -- Babies born today aren't much different from babies born in 1943, but the world they're born into has seen many changes. That's why the eighth edition of "Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care" (Pocket Books) lists Dr. Robert Needlman's name right along with that of the late Dr. ...

NEW MARKET, Va. -- If Jeffrey Restuccio were to draft a New Year's resolution for gardeners, it would be "garden to exercise and exercise to garden." Restuccio (ress-TOO-she-oh) is a fitness buff who preaches the gospel of aerobic gardening. That means engaging in low intensity, sustained workouts feeding on oxygen for energy. Aerobic exercise builds endurance, burns fat and strengthens the heart and lungs...

NAIROBI, Kenya -- Promiscuity and other risky sexual behavior must change to stop the spread of AIDS in Africa, Secretary of State Colin Powell said Saturday. Young Kenyans, including an 11-year-old girl, had a frank discussion with Powell about promiscuity, resistance to condoms and the cultural expectation that young girls will have sex with much older men...

HEBRON, West Bank -- This weekend's election to replace Yasser Arafat has the potential to usher in the Arab world's first genuine democracy with a peaceful transfer of power that will augur well for the dream of a Palestinian state. The new Palestinian president -- widely expected to be Mahmoud Abbas -- doesn't have an easy job ahead of him...

GRAZ, Austria -- He's Austrian, he bears a striking resemblance to his hero and he's got bulging biceps. Who better to play Arnold Schwarzenegger in a U.S. made-for-TV movie than actor Roland Kickinger? Inspired by the Schwarzenegger film "Conan the Barbarian," Kickinger began bodybuilding in Vienna in the 1980s. Now he's starring as a young Schwarzenegger in "See Arnold Run," a film being made by the cable channel A&E and scheduled to debut at the end of January...

PHILADELPHIA, Miss. -- Wilford Barrett, whose barbershop sits across the street from the county courthouse, thinks the 41-year-old slaying of three civil rights workers should stay where it is: in the past. "It's been so long ago," he said. "I wouldn't mess with it."...

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Southeast Missouri State University coach B.J. Smith conceded that his team had a solid road trip to start Ohio Valley Conference play, but he also realized it could have been so much better. Southeast, which began its OVC schedule Thursday by winning at two-time defending regular-season champion Austin Peay, saw a 17-point lead early in the second half disappear Saturday, as preseason favorite Tennessee Tech posted an 80-78 victory...

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Amadi McKenzie had been averaging five points per contest -- but he had the game of his young college basketball career Saturday night to break Southeast Missouri State University's heart. McKenzie, a Tennessee Tech freshman forward, scored 18 points and had a go-ahead three-point play with 14 second remaining as the Eagles squeezed out a 63-61 home-court victory...

Notre Dame 55, Saxony Lutheran 44 SAXONY LUTHERAN 12 10 14 8 -- 44 NOTRE DAME 18 14 10 13 -- 55 SAXONY LUTHERAN (44) -- TIM LORENZ 15, CASEY PETZOLDT 7, ALEX JAUCH 6, LAUREN LUEDERS 7, TREY MAEVERS 3, GRANT LEHMANN 6. FG 17, FT 8-13, F 16 (3-POINTERS: LUEDERS 1, MAEVERS 1. FOULED OUT: LUEDERS)...

The Jackson wrestling team finished second Saturday at the conclusion of he two-day Marquette Tournament in St. Louis County, while Central had six individual medalist. Liberty High School won the tournament. Blue Springs finished third, followed by Jefferson City and Eureka. Central finished eighth as a team...

Eli Harris and Darnell Wilks have combined for about 18 rebounds a game this season for the Central boys basketball team. With both players lost indefinitely to injuries -- Harris was hurt Monday at Caruthersville and Wilks on Tuesday against Perryville -- the Tigers looked lost on the boards Saturday against De Soto in the 10th annual Tiger Shootout at Central...

The Delta girls basketball team used a suffocating defense to spark a second-half run Saturday against Greenville in the championship game of the Delta New Year's Tournament. The top-seeded Bobcats downed No. 2 Greenville 58-35 with an efficient second-half offense and by holding the Bears to 21 percent shooting...

SAN DIEGO -- Chad Pennington's shoulder held up well enough to throw Marty Schottenheimer and the San Diego Chargers right out of the playoffs. Pennington, bothered for the last five games by a strained rotator cuff, moved New York into range for Doug Brien's 28-yard field goal with 5 seconds left in overtime and the Jets shocked the Chargers 20-17 in a wild-card game Saturday night...

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia -- Rescue workers pulled thousands more rotting corpses from the mud and debris of flattened towns along the Sumatran coast Saturday, two weeks after surging walls of water caused unprecedented destruction on the shores of the Indian Ocean. The death toll in 11 countries passed 150,000...

Personal relationships and stress management 1 SAY NO. It's easy to overextend yourself between church and parent-teacher association commitments, not-for-profit volunteering and family. Take a break, and set priorities. If you're spread too thin, the quality of your work and sanity are likely to decline...

Eight people sit around a table, many of them nursing beers, nervously shuffling chips with their hands or coolly staring down their opponents. Some wear berets, baseball caps or sunglasses to keep others from reading their faces. Each one is trying desperately to fool everyone else...

Area efforts to help victims of last month's tsunamis in Asia range from school drives to Sunday collections at churches. Notre Dame Regional High School students raised $5,600 by allowing students to wear plain clothes instead of uniforms in return for a donation. The money will help a Franciscan orphanage in Sri Lanka that, while undamaged by the tsunami, now houses 3,000 refugees...

Pendegraft Son to Dennis R. and Christy L. Pendegraft Jr. of Nixa, Mo., Saint Francis Medical Center, 3:07 p.m. Monday, Dec. 27, 2004. Name, Noah Bradley. Weight, 2 pounds 14 ounces. Third son. Mrs. Pendegraft is the former Christy Johnson, daughter of Don and Crystal Johnson of Murphysboro, Ill., and Debbie and Rusty Thompson of Evansville, Ill. Pendegraft is the son of Jay and Wilma Rose of Whitewater and Dennis Pendegraft Sr. of Fulton, Mo. He is a welder/fabricator...

NEW YORK -- Ten-hut! When the Military Channel reports for duty Monday at 2000 hours, it will be a boon for armchair generals and fans of corporate warfare, too. The debut comes only five days after another network, the Military History Channel, began operating. Both are targeting much the same audience with a similar programming mix, and are bankrolled by two of the cable TV industry's biggest and most successful players...

Some call it conservative. Some might call it a step back. Fresh off the weekend news that employers hired workers in 2004 at the fastest pace in five years, the new Manpower Employment Outlook Survey suggests that at least the first part of 2005 won't be as sunny...

Rarely a week goes by when Leslie Buck doesn't receive a phone call or letter from someone begging to hire her. Most offer more money and better benefits than she currently receives. It's a temptation that speech language pathologists in Buck's position -- those working in public schools -- face around the country...

Traffic congestion has made the Lexington Avenue/Route W intersection a driver's nightmare and sparked frustration from Cape Girardeau's mayor. "I am at this point sick and tired of defending it to citizens because I can't," Mayor Jay Knudtson said. "I feel it is a terribly cumbersome and confusing interchange that we are asking citizens to navigate through. We need to do something about it."...

As the national holiday bearing his name approaches, Cape Girardeau is gearing up for a series of events to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Even now, nearly 40 years after his death, it's important to remember what King died for, said Debra Mitchell-Braxton, a key organizer for commemoration events...

LAS VEGAS The world's premier consumer electronics show wouldn't be complete without the fanciful and outlandish: A smart oven preserved and cooked meals based on remote commands, while a 102-inch plasma TV -- taller than the 8-foot walls in many homes -- inspired ooohs and aaahs from couch potatoes...

For years, Michelle Eakin sat quietly in the back seat watching the world go by as her husband had most of the fun in the front seat of their Harley. But since Eakin began buying her own motorcycles in 1998, she doesn't take a back seat to any man...

Storms gives Sierra most snowfall in 90 years; Three dead, one missing after tug sinks in Pa.; Railroad car in S.C. still leaking toxic gas; Sailor dead after nuclear submarine runs aground

NEW YORK -- Internal audits sent to the director of the Iraq oil-for-food program uncovered extensive mismanagement of multimillion-dollar deals with contractors and fraudulent paperwork by its employees, according to copies of some of the reports. But because the United Nations had released the 56 audits carried out during the course of the $60 billion program to only a small number of U.N. ...

NEW YORK -- America's feminist leaders and their critics agree on at least one current political fact: These are daunting times for the women's movement as it braces for another term of an administration it desperately wanted to topple. "The next four years are going to be tough, so we must be tougher," National Organization for Women president Kim Gandy recently told supporters. "Our health, our rights, and our democracy are teetering on the brink."...

PASADENA, Calif. -- Two controversial films that defied the odds to earn millions at the box office joined a familiar green ogre to take top honors at the 31st annual People's Choice Awards on Sunday. The Michael Moore film "Fahrenheit 9/11," which took a critical look at President Bush's actions after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, won the favorite movie award, while Mel Gibson's explicit "The Passion of the Christ" won in the favorite drama category...

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba -- The U.S. prison camp for terror suspects is taking on a look of permanence as the mission marks its third year Tuesday, with plans for a new $25 million prison facility, $1.7 million psychiatric wing and a permanent guard force...

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Mahmoud Abbas was elected Palestinian Authority president by a wide margin Sunday, exit polls showed, giving him a decisive mandate to renew peace talks with Israel, rein in militants and try to end more than four years of Mideast bloodshed...

Afghanistan weighing amnesty for drug lords; U.S. pressuring China to crack down on piracy; Eight killed in battle at Iraq checkpoint; At least 13 dead after storm lashes Europe; Sixteen charged with plotting terror in Jordan

ST. LOUIS -- When Jane Kostelc first started visiting families at home and asking about their eating habits, she wondered if she wasn't overstepping: "I felt like it was really none of my business what they ate for breakfast," she said. But it wasn't long before families were pulling cans out of their pantries as she showed them techniques to read food labels, or flipped through their newspapers with her to check what items on sale might improve their dietary choices...

WASHINGTON -- Departing members of President Bush's Cabinet will not have to scour the classifieds to find plum jobs. Secretary of State Colin Powell can revive a lucrative book-writing and public speaking career. Homeland Defense Secretary Tom Ridge and Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson will be highly sought in the corporate world because of their background and connections...

High school senior Abbie Cook recently competed in the Miss Missouri Teen Pageant along with 63 other girls and placed in the top 15 at the event held Dec. 10 through 12 in Kansas City, Mo. The result was a $35,200 scholarship to Lindenwood University, where Cook had planned to attend prior to receiving the scholarship...

US Bank supports New Vision Youth; Time to stock up on Girl Scout cookies; Jackson foundation to hold Winter Showcase; Volunteer training on Missouri tax credit forms; Caring Council meeting to feature guest speaker; Explore past lives at Perryville workshop; Zonta Club of Cape holds trivia night fund raiser; Eighth annual trivia night held in Scott City

* Name: Susan Swartwout...

Navy Seamen David M. Dean and Jonathan S. Huffman recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill. Dean is the son of Carol and Don Dean of Cape Girardeau. He is a 2004 graduate of Central High School. Huffman is the son of Daphene R. and Stephen L. Huffman of Thebes, Ill. He is a 2004 graduate of Egyptian High School of Tamms, Ill. During the eight-week program they completed a variety of training which included classroom study and practical instruction....

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Saturday: * At 5:20 p.m., alarm sounding at 2852 Independence St. * At 5:05 p.m., power pole in the roadway at North Kingshighway and Broadway. * At 8:58 p.m., citizen assist at 1919 Bloomfield St...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI * Driving while intoxicated, failing to dim headlights and failing to stop for a stop sign were reported. A subject was taken into custody pending filing of formal charges...

Baseball...