Stories from April 2005

I hadn't thought about a pie supper or a cakewalk in a long time. But for the one-room buildings where I learned to read and write -- and, unfortunately, never quite mastered fractions -- fund raisers were essential to the financial survival of country schools...

They conferred quietly with Cape Girardeau city staff and looked over color-coded flood-flood plain maps to see if they no longer would have to pay federal flood insurance. Most property owners who attended the open-house-style meeting Thursday night at the Osage Community Centre departed happy after being assured they would no longer be saddled with paying costly flood insurance and should receive refunds...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Although Gov. Matt Blunt has repeatedly said Missouri must do a substantially better job of rooting out waste, fraud and abuse in Medicaid, he has recommended cutting the budget for the agency responsible for carrying out that task...

The Missouri Department of Conservation will hold an informational meeting Saturday at 9 a.m. at Millersville Elementary School, located on Route B just outside Millersville. Conservation officials will give an overview on management of quail populations and discuss habitat-building initiatives on public and private lands. A question and answer session with the public will follow along with a tour of the Maintz Wildlife Preserve near Millersville...

The final unsponsored floodwall murals have found benefactors just days after an article published in Saturday's Southeast Missourian about the need for sponsors. The Native American panel sponsorship was sold to Ann and Raymond A. Ritter Jr. in honor of John Wescoat, the Hernando DeSoto vignette sponsorship was sold to Cliff and Mary Rudesill, the Mike Fink vignette sponsorship has been sold to the Cape Evening Optimist Club, the Educational Blue-tones vignette sponsorship went to John and Judith Ann Holcomb and the Mississippi River Tales end panel sponsorship was sold to Ken Story for Stacy Story. ...

After being a star of the stage at Southeast Missouri State University for the last five years senior Tim Nicolai is preparing for the bittersweet inevitability of his last performance on the Rose Theatre stage when the curtain falls on the musical "Guys and Dolls" April 10...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Voters in Perryville will decide Tuesday if they want the position of police chief to be appointed rather than elected. Presently police chief Keith Tarrillion is one of fewer than 35 Missouri police chiefs who face election every four years...

The director of the Shepherd's Cove children's home near Gordonville was arrested Thursday in what police are describing as a $10,000 raffle scam in which he promised that the winning ticket holders would get a new car. Instead, authorities say no car was awarded, no raffle proceeds went to the children's home and the Rev. David Butler spent the money himself...

The U.S. government may donate the federal building on Broadway to the Cape Girardeau County government, allowing county offices to relocate from the Common Pleas Courthouse and courthouse annex in a move that could boost security for the county's judicial offices, officials said Thursday...

Neither rain nor snow nor the agonizing crawl of government bureaucracy will keep Millersville residents from getting their post office back. U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson's office announced Thursday that residents in this small Cape Girardeau County community will have their post office up and running again within two weeks...

Terri Schiavo had no way of expressing herself. Her brain was damaged. Her life, in what doctors called a vegetative state, was supported by a feeding tube. She was as powerless as a newborn baby. Yet in the last two weeks this woman, described by doctors as being in a vegetative state, sparked a national conversation about life and death...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- The Illinois state fair is looking for musical and other performing artists to perform for free at this year's fair. Selected artists will be able to showcase their talents on one of the numerous free outdoor stages offered this year throughout the fairgrounds. ...

25 years ago: April 1, 1980 Donald R. Strohmeyer wins a seat on the Cape Girardeau City Council, while incumbent Robert K. Herbst finishes second in municipal balloting, good enough to give the councilman a second three-year term; Loretta Schneider placed third and Curt S. Smith fourth...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- George Thomas Wallis Jr., 83, of Poplar Bluff, died Wednesday, March 30, 2005, at his home in Poplar Bluff. He was born on July 19, 1921, at Keener Springs, Mo., son of the late George and Bertha Mae Gunn Wallis. He and Emma Reed were married Aug. 24, 1941, in St. Louis, and she survives of the home...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Hobert William Lambert Jr., 81, of Cairo, died Thursday, March 31, 2005, at his home in Cairo. Friends may call Monday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Heavenly Gates Funeral Home in Cairo. The funeral will be Monday at 1 p.m. at the funeral home chapel...

Marques L. DuBose, 43, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, March 28, 2005, at Doctors Hospital West in Columbus, Ohio. He was born Aug. 3, 1961, in Youngstown, Ohio, son of William and Barbara Scott DuBose Sr. He and Kim A. Pledger were married Oct. 28, 1993...

MOUND CITY, Ill. -- Julia M. Schmaeng, 94, of Mound City died Thursday, March 31, 2005, at St. Joseph Health Center in St. Charles, Mo. Barkett Funeral Home in Mound City is in charge of arrangements.

ANNA, Ill. -- Emma Mae McMillion, 96, of Anna died Thursday, March 31, 2005, at the Rehab and Care Center of Jackson County in Murphysboro, Ill. She was born Dec. 25, 1908, in Louisville, Ill., daughter of Frank and Lottie Fender Roach. She and Clyde Raymond McMillion were married March 29, 1924, in Anna. He died Sept. 1, 1967...

E. Juanita Preston, 91, of Arnold, Mo., died Wednesday, March 30, 2005, at Woodland Manor Nursing Center in Arnold. She was born July 19, 1913, at Morehouse, Mo., daughter of James and Minnie Lancaster Moore. She and Rodney Truex Preston were married Nov. 27, 1935, at Portageville, Mo. He died Oct. 10, 1977...

ANNA, Ill. -- Herbert H. Winn Jr., 81, of Anna died Wednesday, March 30, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Aug. 8, 1923, in Cobden, Ill., son of Herbert N. and Mayme Lee Hess Winn. He and Anna Mae Cassel were married April 28, 1945, in Jonesboro, Ill...

CROSSTOWN, Mo. -- Ivalene J. Rhyne, 79, of Crosstown died Thursday, March 31, 2005, at her home. She was born June 13, 1925, in Perry County, Mo., daughter of Valle M. and Mary T. Farrar. She and Vernon E. Rhyne were married June 7, 1952. Rhyne was a member of St. James Catholic Church...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Milford Leon Hinkle, 77, of Advance died Thursday, March 31, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Jan. 22, 1928, near Advance, son of Otto and Lola Borders Hinkle. He and Fern Livingston were married March 19, 1950. She died May 12, 1988...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Leola "Lucy" Mezo, 82, of Highland, Ill., formerly of Perryville, died Wednesday, March 30, 2005, in Highland. She was born June 21, 1922, in Jefferson County, Ill., daughter of Marion R. and Nora E. Stockton Taylor. She and Lloyd R. Mezo were married March 20, 1939. He died March 12, 1988...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Mildred Winifred Foeste, 83, of Chaffee died Wednesday, March 30, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born April 23, 1921, in Granite Falls, Wash., daughter of Arthur W. and Fida Marie Wood Howarth. She and James A. "Buck" Foeste were married Nov. 29, 1947. He died Jan. 10, 1992...

Carolyn Linhart, 58, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, March 31, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Marie E. Collins, 62, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, March 31, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born Nov. 29, 1942, in Cleburne County, Ark., daughter of Walter and Edith Eva Foust Gage. She and Jerry L. Collins were married Aug. 20, 1966, at First General Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau...

William M. "Pappy" Holland, 83, of Cape Girardeau passed away Thursday, March 31, 2005, at Missouri Veterans Home. He was born May 11, 1921, at Swinton, Mo., son of Henry Marion and Matta Mae Dellinger Holland. He and Maggie Ruth Masterson were married March 22, 1952, in Piggott, Ark...

Albert Windel Blattel, 79, of Scott City died Wednesday, March 30, 2005, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Nov. 8, 1925, in Ancell, Mo., son of Leo S. and Anna C. Schoen Blattel. Albert graduated from Fornfelt High School in 1943, and received a business administration degree from Southeast Missouri State University in 1949. He was an accountant with Bucher and Associates in Sikeston, Mo., many years...

Smoking issues; Drug-free zone; School rewards; Expect good behavior; Take time to bloom; Ready to move on; Great effort

To the editor: I'm not going to get on a soapbox, but even before this controversy hit the paper, I began to pick up litter on the street where I live. I would encourage others to do the same thing. When we were in Europe, we were impressed with the cleanliness. We were told that there was a very stiff fine for littering, and we would see individuals picking up litter...

To the editor: Critics of privatization have often pointed to Chile and Great Britain, where privatization has been tried and failed. One may argue that this is America and those examples don't apply here. For those of you who follow this line of reasoning, here is a down -home example of privatization: Nebraska...

To the editor: Could our U.S. senators, Kit Bond and Jim Talent, be receiving guidance from an agenda to gradually do away with our national borders and allow unlimited immigration? If not, why did they vote for these very things? How can America as we know it exist without borders? How can we remain secure and in control of our country if Congress does away with our borders? Why is Congress following the anti-American agenda being promoted by the World Trade Organization to removed our borders using so-called free trade as a cover? Why do the United Nations and WTO want to eliminate America's borders and American sovereignty?. ...

To the editor: What is the deal with the Southeast Missourian on the Ward 3 candidates in Cape Girardeau? Every article about Ward 3 always mentions the felony crimes of the two candidates. I'm quite sure these two candidates would like to put their mistakes in the past and move on to more positive things for the city. Nobody is perfect except God. Are all the other candidates so perfect that they don't have any skeletons in their closets?...

The Missouri Department of Conservation's Hunting Skills University program will give local children an opportunity to learn about turkeys on Saturday. The clinic at AppleCreek Range begins at 5:30 a.m. with participants getting a chance to listen to live turkey gobbling. That will be followed by interactive hunting scenarios and setups. After lunch, students can pattern their shotguns and learn to call turkeys...

Basketball...

Kari Koch had 23 points, Jenni Lingor added 20 and Southwest Missouri State rode a barrage of 3-pointers to the Women's NIT championship with a 78-70 victory Thursday night over West Virginia in Springfield, Mo. Southwest Missouri (25-8) from the Missouri Valley Conference used 11 3-pointers to down West Virginia (21-13) from the Big East and set an NCAA season record of 305 from beyond the arc...

There's no better time, it seems, to launch an attack on litter that the warm, sunny days of spring. With winter's cold and gloom behind us, and with spring flowers, shrubs and trees showing off for us everywhere we look, the litter that was so much a part of winter's landscape now sticks out like a sore thumb...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released Thursday by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI * Gilbert S. Parker Jr., 23, of 460 Estate Drive No. 105, was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Arrests...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released Wednesday by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests * Clayton L. Griffith, 20, 17 S. Ellis, was arrested on suspicion of unlawful use of a weapon. * Ashley R. Locklear, 19, 2802 Independence, Apt. 11, was arrested on a Cape Girardeau County warrant for possession of marijuana...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Tuesday: * At 4:14 p.m., an illegal burn at the 200 block of South Spanish Street. * At 4:57 p.m., a gas leak at 300 Siemers Drive. * At 5:17 p.m., emergency medical service at Westfield Shoppingtown West Park...

Nine killed in U.S. military plane crash in Albania; Ethiopia orders expulsion of U.S. election workers; Prince Albert takes over as ruler of Monaco; Rwanda rebel group denounces 1994 genocide; U.S. soldiers accused of smuggling cocaine

WASHINGTON -- The 3 1/2 years since the Sept. 11 attacks have seen the creation of a new Homeland Security Department, a major reorganization of spy agencies and countless condemnations of the way things were done. Yet a $10 million presidential commission says the nation's spies are still missing the mark...

WASHINGTON -- How should you talk to your children about sex? Tell them no sex, says a new government Web site that proclaims "abstinence is the healthiest choice." That's dictating values, say organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union and gay rights groups, and they want the site taken down...

WASHINGTON -- Rates on 30-year mortgages climbed this week to their highest point in eight months, hovering just above the 6 percent mark. In its weekly nationwide survey, mortgage giant Freddie Mac reported Thursday that rates on 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages averaged 6.04 percent, up from 6.01 percent last week...

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Chris Carpenter rounded into opening day form with five solid innings Thursday night, leading the St. Louis Cardinals over the Baltimore Orioles 5-1. Carpenter gave up an unearned run and three hits in five innings in his last appearance before starting St. Louis' opener Tuesday at Houston. He lowered his ERA to 3.38...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Lobbyists helped cover lodging and meals for nine Republican House members who vacationed at a tourist spot in Arkansas during their week off. The House Communications Office provided information on the lawmakers, who included several members of the House leadership, and eight lobbyists. Communications director Todd Abrajano said some lawmakers covered their own costs, but he could not say who, or detail exactly what the total cost was...

UNITED NATIONS -- The U.N. Security Council approved a resolution Thursday to prosecute Sudanese war crimes suspects before the International Criminal Court, after the United States reversed policy and agreed not to veto the document. The United States, which abstained with three other countries, won significant concessions, including ironclad guarantees it sought that Americans working in Sudan would not be handed over to either the ICC or any other nation's courts if they commit crimes in Sudan.. ...

VATICAN CITY -- Pope John Paul II was responding to treatment with antibiotics and his condition appeared to have stabilized after he suddenly developed a high fever brought on by a urinary tract infection, Vatican radio reported early today. The latest health crisis for the 84-year-old pope came one day after he began receiving nutrition through a feeding tube...

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- On the surface, the process looked fair: Zimbabweans lined up peacefully and cast ballots Thursday in a parliamentary election President Robert Mugabe wants to vindicate his nearly 25-year rule. But opposition leaders and independent groups said the poll was stacked in Mugabe's favor. Intimidation was rife, the electoral roll was in shambles and large numbers were unable to cast ballots, they said...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A suicide car bomber blew himself up Thursday near an Islamic shrine, killing five Iraqis in the latest attack on Shiite Muslim pilgrims marking a major religious holiday. The blast in Tuz Khormato, 55 miles south of Kirkuk, killed three civilians, including a child, and two soldiers helping guard the shrine, police reported. Sixteen people were wounded, hospital officials said...

A U.N. official said teams would concentrate their work in other areas. By Chris Brummitt ~ The AssociatedPress GUNUNG SITOLI, Indonesia -- International rescuers abandoned their search today for survivors in the main city of the Indonesian island that bore the brunt of a powerful earthquake four days ago...

NEW YORK -- Stocks sagged Thursday, ending a lackluster quarter in negative range as investors weighed rising U.S. incomes and consumer spending against lofty oil prices, which rose following an investment bank's suggestion that energy was in the early stages of a bull market...

CDC: Students' tobacco use no longer declining ; Fortune cookie yields Powerball winners; Massachusetts House approves stem cell bill; Former security adviser plans guilty plea; Governor of Maine signs gay rights bill

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The nation's first federally funded faith-based mentor program for juvenile offenders is getting started in Florida, Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings announced Thursday. Participation is limited and requires the consent of the youth and his or her parents. Children and volunteer mentors of any faith may sign up, but the administration is Christian-based...

srobertson A popular Japanese family sedan is made in America Here's a puzzle: What's made in America, has been called a "Japanese Buick," and routinely outsells all other mid-size American and imported sedans? It's the Toyota Camry, built in Georgetown, Ky., and available in four different flavors -- the Standard, the LE, the sport-tuned SE and the luxurious XLE, with prices ranging from $18,195 to over $30,000 for a well-optioned XLE...

After leading Bell City to two state titles, Heeb will take over the Scott County Central program. David Heeb is heading back to his alma mater. After winning two Class 1 state championships in five years at Bell City, Heeb on Wednesday signed a contract to become the boys basketball coach at Scott County Central, beginning in the 2005-06 school year...

ST. LOUIS -- About a half-hour outside St. Louis, the Illinois team bus swung off the road and pulled into a bowling alley. For about an hour, the coaches and players indulged in one of their favorite pastimes, bowling a few games, eating pizza and chilling out -- the same thing they do many weekends back in Champaign. Then, after signing some autographs, it was back on the bus...

PINELLAS PARK, Fla. -- She died cradled by her husband, a beloved stuffed tabby under her arm, a bouquet of lilies and roses at her bedside -- after her brother was expelled from her room. In death as in life, no peace surrounded Terri Schiavo. Fifteen years, one month and six days after her heart first stopped, this brain-damaged wife and daughter died in her hospice bed. ...

Southeast Missouri State football coach Tim Billings regards this year's spring practice period as more important than those he has conducted the past few seasons. That's because the Redhawks are coming off a 3-8 campaign, including a 3-5 Ohio Valley Conference record that resulted in a sixth-place tie among nine teams...

Years from now, when Kelly High School senior Kelly Essner looks back on her high school basketball career, she probably will not remember how many points she scored in her final game against Doniphan or how she did in the state quarterfinal game her sophomore season...

A local band is readying itself for a trip to California to record its first full-length record after landing a recording contract with indie label Jetspeed Records Inc. The four-piece alternative group, Flip Top Boxx, has members hailing from Perryville and Cape Girardeau County, but calls Cape Girardeau its home base. The band has played at venues like Metal Fest, Chaos and Our House and has built a strong local following...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Sales of computer software to create living wills are surging amid the high-profile debate over Terri Schiavo, the severely brain-damaged Florida woman who died Thursday. "We've never seen sales like this," said Clark Miller, a spokesman for Nolo.com Inc., the creator of Quicken WillMaker Plus 2005. "The living will has simply become a part of American consciousness in a way it hadn't been before."...

Farmers limit soybean planting, increase cotton; J.C. Penney stocks rise on sale rumor; Flight attendents reject Continental deal; U.S. incomes rise during February; spending is up; Qwest calls in higher bid after MCI accepts offer ; World Bank approves Wolfowitz as new head

The AssociatedPress JERUSALEM -- Israel's Supreme Court agreed Thursday to recognize non-Orthodox conversions to Judaism that are at least partly performed in Israel, giving a limited victory to the Reform and Conservative Jewish movements, which had been marginalized by the religious establishment here...

UNITED NATIONS -- The United States and other U.N. member states have refused to fully cooperate with investigators looking into corruption in the oil-for-food program in Iraq, blocking access to information about politically sensitive actions of Security Council nations, say leaders of the probe...

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Palestinian officials Thursday backed away from a pledge to crack down on gunmen who shot up Mahmoud Abbas' office building, underlining the difficulties authorities face in restoring order in the chaotic West Bank. The Palestinian leader was in the building but unhurt in the gunfire late Wednesday. ...

First team KELLY ESSNER, 5-8, SR., KELLY Essner led the Hawks to 24 wins and a district title in her senior season. A four-year starter, Essner averaged 20 points a game to lead Kelly in scoring. Lauren Lueders, 5-8, jr., Saxony Lutheran Playing for Saxony's boys basketball team, she is considered a Division I recruit. Lueders top performance was a 22-point outing in a first-round district tournament win against Marquand...

The Chaffee baseball bounced back from a 27-0 no-hit loss suffered Wednesday by picking up its first win of the season -- a 14-12 home victory Thursday against previously unbeaten Poplar Bluff. Poplar Bluff (3-1) scored five times in the top of the first, but Chaffee (1-4) roared back with 11 runs in the bottom of the frame...

Cape Girardeau artist Sue Burton Cole doesn't like age-based stereotypes. "People expect people of a certain age to be a certain way," said the 82-year-old Cole. "I don't think, act or paint like an elderly person. Someone once told me, 'You look like an elderly person but you paint like a teenager.'"...

New at the theaters 'BEAUTY SHOP' Starring Queen Latifah, Alicia Silverstone, Andie MacDowell, Alfre Woodard and Mena Suvari. Gina Norris works at a salon in Atlanta, but her boss is just too much. Taking a big chance, Gina buys a run-down salon and opens up a shop of her own, along with her shampoo girl and a team of sassy hairstylists. Rated PG-13 for sexual material, language and brief drug references, running time 105 minutes. (Town Plaza Cinema)...

The state of Missouri Medicaid: Over the past decade, Missouri's Medicaid program has become a national model for its efforts to reduce the uninsured in our state through targeted Medicaid expansions funded through an innovative state-federal partnership. Only 14 states have a higher percentage of their population insured....

Dear Tom and Ray: Here is an odd thing: My brother, who lives in Germany, was shocked when I told him that here in the United States we change oil in a car about every 3,000 miles or three months. He told me that is crazy, crazy, crazy. In Germany, he says, NO ONE changes oil more than once a year, if even that. ...

"Guess Who" is the new comedy starring Ashton Kutcher and Bernie Mac. I give this movie three stars for exceptional performances from all of the actors/actresses and the all-around atmosphere the movie creates, allowing viewers to become immersed into the storyline and connect with the characters...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Kate Alexander takes care each morning in picking out just the right outfit to wear that day. She spends extra time straightening her shoulder-length blonde hair. Then she's ready for school. Kate is only 8 years old. Concerned that her third-grader is too engrossed with TV and magazine images, Jeanne Alexander sought an after-school program that could teach Kate to accept herself and have a healthy body image...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Because of a constitutional change voters approved last year, the Missouri Department of Revenue will no longer be able to retain sufficient revenue it collects from driver and vehicle licensing fees to cover its costs for issuing those licenses, the agency's director told a special commission reviewing the structure of state government on Friday...

While in Iraq for a year, the 1140th Engineer Battalion completed a litany of tasks, from vigorous patrolling to clearing roadside bombs from a main supply route, but Maj. Ed Gargas told a group of Cape Girardeau business leaders Friday what the most significant accomplishment was...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- A Jackson woman who was convicted March 1 of arson, attempted murder and first-degree burglary will spend at least 17 years in prison before becoming eligible for parole. Circuit Judge David Dolan in Mississippi County Circuit Court followed the jury's recommendation on Friday and sentenced Tara McClanahan to 20 years for arson, 10 years for attempted murder and five years for burglary, according to assistant prosecuting attorney Jack Koester. ...

Local officials have vowed to lead a civic effort to rid their cities and the county of litter by July 4. Officials from the cities of Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Scott City and Cape Girardeau County set the deadline at a meeting Friday of the Anti-Litter Campaign Committee...

Three veteran teachers, a rural school administrator and the international programs director for Southeast Missouri State University have been named winners of this year's educator of the year awards by the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce. The winners will be officially recognized during the chamber's annual banquet May 5 at Drury Lodge. The educators will receive the Crystal Apple Award, $500 cash and a commemorative video...

25 years ago: April 2, 1980 A near-perfect spring day and a red-carpet greeting welcomes the Delta Queen and its special passengers to Cape Girardeau; the historic steamer debarks about 170 Stanford University alumni taking part in its "College on the Mississippi River" travel study program for tours of the city's points of interest...

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. -- Dortha Louise Smith, 82, of East Prairie, died Friday April 1, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born March 10, 1923, at New Madrid, Mo., daughter of Riley and Enoma Barker Givens. She and Eugene W. Smith were married Nov. 20, 1937, and he died June 3, 1996...

Douglas L. Koehler, 52, of Jackson died Friday, April 1, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Friends may call Sunday from 4 to 8 p.m. at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson. Funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday at the funeral home.

MOUNDS, Ill. -- Ronnie Tinsley, 55, of Mounds died Friday, April 1, 2005, at his home. Crain Funeral Home in Tamms, Ill., is in charge of arrangements.

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Otis James "Buddy" Rushing, 41, of Decatur, Ind., died Thursday, March 31, 2005, in Chaffee. He was born Dec. 19, 1963, in Cape Girardeau, son of Russell Gene and Judy Ann Keller Rushing. Rushing was a computer software developer in Fort Wayne, Ind...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Jimmie Lee Bogle, 65, of Sikeston died Friday, April 1, 2005, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born Oct. 3, 1939, in Letona, Ark., son of Carlos and Sybil King Bogle. He and Sue Early were married May 16, 1964, at Morehouse, Mo...

LONGTOWN, Mo. -- Norma K. Abernathy, 89, of Granite City, Ill., formerly of Longtown, died Wednesday, March 30, 2005, at St. Sophia Nursing Center in Florissant, Mo. She was born April 14, 1915, at Gideon, Mo., daughter of Cleveland and Maude Jaynes Tidwell. She and Howard Abernathy were married May 26, 1938. He died Aug. 8, 1969...

Carolyn Sue Linhart, 58, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, March 31, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center. She was born Dec. 11, 1946, in East Prairie, Mo., daughter of William David and Pearline Mae Davis Hannah. She and Jerry L. Linhart were married May 29, 1965, in East Prairie. He died July 10, 2001...

Canine souvenirs; Smoking choices; Hidden newspaper; Amazing sight; Fountain donations; No-smoking only; Litter perspective; Loss of control; Road spending; Making up snow days; Pleasant experience; Cut the fat; Wholesome place; Reasonable fines; Flapping mailbox doors

To the editor: I continue to read irate letters from Cape Girardeau residents regarding seniors. I can't believe that someone is complaining about a senior taking 60 seconds to cross an intersection at a crosswalk and then getting into a car and driving off. Can't you take 60 seconds to let someone cross the street? I would hope that someday when this person is a senior that someone will show you the courtesy of being a good citizen...

To the editor: Regarding Terri Schiavo: President Bush wants all Americans protected and honored? Unless they can't afford medical care, are sentenced to death or are somehow connected with terrorism, I suppose. His hypocrisy and shameless pandering to the religious right knows no bounds. ...

To the editor: Terri Foley, fellow board members of the Cape River Heritage Museum wish to congratulate you in achieving the volunteer of the year sward at the Old Town Cape annual dinner. We are proud of you. MARJORIE THOMPSON, President, Cape River Heritage Museum, Cape Girardeau...

I could scarcely wait until my day's activities were over when I could eat my evening meal and relax with my favorite television show. And I had quite a repertoire of them. Each night I shoved my concerns and work behind me, for just a while, and lived in a make-believe world. Then, one evening, my alluring coziness was disturbed by an uninvited insight...

If you want a big dose of enthusiasm to get you going some morning, call Angie Bender, the executive director of the Cape Girardeau Public Schools Foundation. Bender has been working hard to inform the community about the "new" and "reorganized" foundation. Her efforts, along with foundation board members and many financial supporters, have paid off handsomely for 11 teachers who recently found out their applications for classroom grants had been approved...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released Friday by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt: DWIs * Larry C. Cordill, 34, 925 N. West End Blvd., was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and obstructing the flow of traffic...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Thursday: * At 3:03 p.m., medical assist at 4210 Route K. * At 6:22 p.m., medical assist at 216 Hillview St. Firefighters responded to the following calls Friday: * At 1:10 a.m., citizen assist at 1400 S. West End Blvd...

BRANSON, Mo. -- The Southeast Missourian took home one first-place, three second-place and two third-place awards at the annual Missouri APME News Writing Contest. The contest drew 200 entries from 18 newspapers and was judged by newspapers staffs from Nebraska. The awards were presented Friday in Branson at the APME's annual convention...

WASHINGTON -- It's a bumpy road that America's unemployed are traveling. Just a month after hopes were raised of better days for job seekers, companies were stung by higher energy bills, making them more cautious in their hiring. Only 110,000 new jobs, the fewest in eight months, were added nationally in March. Still, that was enough to push the unemployment rate down...

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Bruce Chen finished off a scoreless spring and locked up a spot in the Baltimore Orioles' rotation in the process. Chen pitched five scoreless innings and Luis Matos drove in the winning run with a triple in the ninth inning as the Orioles beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-1 Friday night...

Kevin Brown's fickle back is acting up again for the New York Yankees, just in time for the regular season. Eric Gagne's elbow isn't doing much better. The Los Angeles Dodgers placed their closer on the 15-day disabled list Friday night with a sprained right elbow. Gagne felt soreness in the elbow -- the same one repaired with Tommy John surgery in 1995 -- after Thursday's game...

ST. LOUIS -- They shoot, they score, they pass, they even rebound. If it seems like guards are everywhere whenever Louisville or Illinois play, it's because they are. Luther Head, Deron Williams and Dee Brown are the ones who make the Illini tick. Francisco Garcia, Taquan Dean and Larry O'Bannon do the same for the Cardinals...

ST. LOUIS -- The love of college basketball added a carnival flair to this city Friday, as thousands of hoops fans arrived to celebrate the Final Four. Piano players performed fight songs at the airport, while kids practiced their best shots at nets set up in the convention center...

Zimbabwe's ruling party secures majority; 13 arrested in Madrid bombing investigation; Clerics encourage Iraqis to join security forces; Cholera epidemic threatens Congo region; Quake aid effort shifts from rescue to relief

NEW YORK -- After 25 years, ABC News' "Nightline" is about to learn whether there is life after Ted Koppel. Or is it? The much-honored late-night news program will lose the only anchor it has ever had at the end of the year. Koppel said Thursday he will end his 42-year career when his contract expires in December...

Terri Schiavo's last breath caused barely a pause in the national conversation over life and death that has preoccupied television news networks for the past few weeks. CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC covered the story without interruption on Thursday from the time Schiavo's death became known shortly before 9 a.m. until midafternoon, when their gaze shifted upon news that Pope John Paul II's condition had worsened...

FBI: Explosives found where Terry Nichols lived; Data delay threatens May launch daye for shuttle; Ex-Connecticut governor reports to federal prison; British firm sues for $2.6 million for flu shots; Tribal chairman says he won't resign, defends son

TAMPA, Fla. -- The medical examiner completed the autopsy of Terri Schiavo on Friday, clearing the way for the release of the body to her husband, who plans to cremate her remains and bury the ashes without telling his in-laws when or where. Results of the autopsy may not be released for several weeks, the medical examiner's office said. Husband Michael Schiavo hopes the autopsy will settle questions about her medical condition, but experts differ on whether that will happen...

BALTIMORE -- Frank Perdue, who built one of the world's biggest chicken companies by appearing in TV commercials that seemed to play off his remarkable resemblance to the product he sold, has died at 84. Perdue, who died Thursday at his home in Salisbury, was one of the first CEOs to pitch his own product on television in 1971, turning on the down-home charm as he delivered his famous line, "It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken."...

VATICAN CITY -- Pope John Paul II was near death as dawn approached earlier today, his breathing shallow and his heart and kidneys failing, the Vatican said. Millions of faithful around the world paid homage, many weeping as they knelt with bowed heads, others carrying candles in prayer for the 84-year-old pontiff...

The Associate Press CLAYTON, Mo. -- The St. Louis Rams' defense end Leonard Little was found innocent of drunken driving Friday by a St. Louis County Circuit jury. Jurors ruled that Little, 30, was speeding at the time of his arrest April 24 on Interstate 64 in the St. Louis suburb Ladue. He will be sentenced on that charge May 6...

Kerry Robinson is frustrated but hopeful that things will work out for the best. Robinson, a former Southeast Missouri State baseball star who has spent parts of six seasons in the major leagues, was released on Thursday by the New York Mets despite having an impressive spring...

With 24 scheduled Ohio Valley Conference games remaining, Southeast Missouri State baseball coach Mark Hogan knows it is way too early to panic. But Hogan also realizes it is never too early to right the ship -- and this weekend would be a perfect time...

Jackson's baseball team improved to 3-0 with an 11-2 rout of SEMO Conference foe New Madrid County Central at home Friday. Jason Meystedt had a big game for the Indians, picking up a complete game win to go along with three hits, two home runs and four RBIs. Meystedt allowed five hits, struck out five and walked two on the mound...

Woodworking requires patience, the necessary tools, know-how, and the will to create and shape. The same can be said about dedicated Catholics eager to live a life of service. Paul Summers demonstrates these qualities while he works on his current project, a jewelry box for Jackson's Immaculate Conception Church auction in April. It is just one of the many woodworking projects he volunteers to undertake for churches and organizations in the community...

Today Gloryroad Travelers perform at 7 p.m. at Shiloh Baptist Church in Villa Ridge, Ill. Call (618) 995-2306. Chalk artist Randy Davis will speak at 7 tonight and at 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday at East Cape Baptist Church in East Cape Girardeau, Ill...

As the world awaited word of Pope John Paul's imminent death, many area Catholics spent Friday praying for the pontiff's soul. As word of his kidney failure and labored breathing spread, church doors in Southeast Missouri were open so people could gather to pray. At St. Vincent de Paul Church in Cape Girardeau people gathered for a special evening prayer service...

VAN BUREN, Mo. -- The wife of a suspect in the killing of a state trooper was charged Friday with tampering with evidence in the case, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said. Coree Shockley, 23, of Van Buren, was being held at the Pemiscot County jail on $50,000 bond, said Sgt. Marty Elmore with the patrol. He said he could not provide additional details about the evidence tampering accusation...

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Shannon Smowton's trip to the fair should have ended with happy memories of carnival rides and cute farm animals. Instead, the 5-year-old is clinging to life, her kidneys under attack from the E. coli infection she apparently caught at the fair...

The next pope will face a number of challenges, such as technological advances that conflict with Catholic teaching. Pope John Paul II has named nearly every cardinal who will elect his successor, but that does not mean the next pontiff will be just like him...

WASHINGTON -- Former national security adviser Sandy Berger, who once had unfettered access to the government's most sensitive secrets, pleaded guilty Friday to sneaking classified documents out of the National Archives, then using scissors to cut up some of them...

College * Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun has been elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame, The Associated Press learned Friday. Calhoun was told Thursday that he was elected, according to a source close to the coach who spoke on condition of anonymity. Calhoun was one of 16 finalists for this year's class, which will be formally announced Monday at the Final Four in St. Louis...

Area coaches say lack of experience on big stage shouldn't hurt Weber. An argument about which of the Final Four coaches is the best could go on longer than the Final Four itself. An argument about which coach has the lightest resume wouldn't last long at all...

The Jackson Middle School outdoor classroom was dedicated Saturday in remembrance of Dee Walker, a counselor and former science teacher at the middle school who died in November. A sign supplied by the Missouri Department of Conservation was unveiled by middle school science teacher Jason Bruns. The classroom bears Walker's name and serves as a living memorial with 50 trees and a butterfly garden...

A fire destroyed a rural Millersville couple's home Saturday morning. At 9:10 a.m., the Millersville Fire Department was called to the home of Jack and Peggy Knowlan at 3748 County Road 361. By the time firefighters arrived, the house was engulfed in flames...

Saturday was a day to honor the sacrifices of the past and celebrate the possibilities of the future as the Cape Girardeau VFW post, the largest in the state, held the official dedication of its new building on Kingshighway. About 500 onlookers -- including U.S. ...

While the Cape Girardeau area mobilizes for a campaign against unsightly litter, Southern Illinois is readying the troops, too. The campaign across the river is being led by former U.S. representative Glenn Poshard in conjunction with Shawnee Community College. In a meeting Tuesday at the Shawnee campus, Poshard outlined the need for a beautification effort in the area. The campaign is being coordinated in Alexander, Pulaski, Massac, Union and Johnson counties...

Cape Girardeau city officials expect to hire a new city engineer within the next 10 days who will broaden public-relations efforts so affected property owners and the public know more about plans for street, sewer and water improvements. Mayor Jay Knudtson said the council has made it clear to city manager Doug Leslie -- who was hired by the council -- that it wants department heads who are customer-service oriented. The city manager hires department heads...

Field report; Where's the complex?; Recruit locally; Same state, wrong school; Neglected hall; We stand corrected; Geography lesson

25 years ago: April 3, 1980 Cape Girardeau City Councilman Howard C. Tooke told the rest of the council last night he won't support urban redevelopment in certain areas of the downtown proposed for renewal, if that redevelopment must take place at the expense of designating the area as "blighted."...

LEOPOLD, Mo. -- John and Debby Broshuis of Leopold announce the engagement of their daughter, Tara Suzanne Broshuis, to Andrew William Landewee. He is the son of Glen and Nancy Landewee of Leopold. Broshuis is a 1999 graduate of Leopold High School. She received a bachelor of science degree in health management from Southeast Missouri State University in 2003...

BENTON, Mo. -- Jim and Jane Jordan of Jefferson City, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Jody Christine Jordan, to Matthew Eugene Essner. He is the son of Larry and Betty Essner of Benton. Jordan is a 1997 graduate of Jefferson City High School, and received a bachelor of science degree in finance from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2001. She is the on-premise sales manager for Major Brands in Columbia...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Mark and Marsha Hart of Charleston announce the engagement of their daughter, Katherine Denise Hart, to Ryan Keith Paul Dennis. He is the son of Pete and Carol Dennis of Oran, Mo. Hart is a 1997 graduate of Charleston High School. ...

Dennis Bowen of Riverton, Ill., announces the engagement of his daughter, Michelle Renee Bowen, to Joshua David Hopkins. He is the son of David and Theresa Hopkins of Jackson. Bowen is a 2000 graduate of Riverton High School, and received a bachelor of science degree in education from Culver-Stockton College in 2004...

Gary and Patty Matlock of Gordonville announce the engagement of their daughter, April Matlock, to Charles Meyer, both of Jackson. He is the son of Linda Meyer of Brewer, Mo., and the late Robert Meyer of Frohna, Mo. Matlock is a 2000 graduate of Jackson High School. She received a bachelor of science degree in nursing from Southeast Missouri State University in 2004. She is a registered nurse at Southeast Missouri Hospital...

M.G. and Sandi Cook of Scott City announce the engagement of their daughter, Kelly Jo Cook, to Ronald Harold Watson Jr. He is the son of Ron and Shirley Watson of Kelso, Mo. Cook is a 2003 graduate of Scott City High School, and is attending Murray State University. She is employed at Goody's Family Clothing in Murray...

Duane Floyd of Jackson announces the engagement of his daughter, Angie K. Floyd, to Robert L. "Bob" Crader Jr., both of Cape Girardeau. He is the son of Angie Crader of St. Louis, and the late Robert Crader. Floyd is also the daughter of the late Becky Floyd...

Jim and Jo Ella Finley of Ironton, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Kara Lynne Finley, to Michael Todd Skelton, both of Cape Girardeau. He is the son of Bill and Paula Skelton of Scott City. Finley is a 1987 graduate of Arcadia Valley High School in Ironton. ...

Steve Essner and Kim Essner of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Sarah Ann Essner, to Philip James Fry, both of Lago Vista, Texas. He is the son of Jim and Christine Fry of Kyle, Texas. Essner received a bachelor of arts degree in psychology and a bachelor of science degree in nursing from Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Mo. She is a registered nurse at Meridell Achievement Center in Liberty Hill, Texas...

Mr. and Mrs. Paul Vogel of Scott City and Carol Vogel of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Sarah Rose Vogel, to Donnie Gene Wiley. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jan van der Wel of Scott City and Mr. and Mrs. Mark Essner of Cape Girardeau...

Harold and Lina Stroder of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Angel Nicole Stroder, to Cole Randal Burton. He is the son of Mary Burton of Cape Girardeau and Randy Burton of Belleville, Ill. Stroder is a 1998 graduate of Jackson High School, and received a degree in liberal arts from Southeast Missouri State University in 2004. She is employed in sales with Nextel...

Roger and Linda Suedekum of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Kelly Lynne Suedekum, to Tyson Matthew Suhre. He is the son of Bill and Lynn Suhre of Cape Girardeau. Suedekum is a graduate of Central High School. She received a bachelor of science degree in early childhood education from Southeast Missouri State University, and a master's degree in curriculum and instruction from William Woods University. She is a fourth grade teacher at Alma Schrader School...

Lisa Marie Hoffman and Brian Thomas Mullis were married Aug. 29, 2004, at Sylvandale Guest Ranch in Loveland, Colo. Rick Hoffman, father of the bride, performed the ceremony. Guitarist and soloist was Christopher Hoffman, brother of the bride. Parents of the bride are Rick and Mary Ann Hoffman of Cape Girardeau. The groom is the son of Chalmus and Diane Strickland and Tom and Sally Mullis, all of Huntsville, Ala...

Amanda Lynn Gurley and Adrian Colin Richey exchanged wedding vows Oct. 9, 2004, at the home of her mother and stepfather. Gary Hollis performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Debora and Dennis McMillan and Kenneth and Joanne Gurley, all of Scott City. The groom is the son of Donald and Gabriella Richey of Jackson...

MOUNDS, Ill. -- Ronnie Tinsley, 55, of Mounds died Friday, April 1, 2005, at his home. He was born June 17, 1949, in Union County, Ill., son of William and Hazel Dailey Tinsley. He and Beverly Oakes were married June 17, 1996. Tinsley was a prep operator for Bunge Corp. He was a member of Villa Ridge Union Church and the VFW post in Mounds. He was a U.S. Army veteran, serving two years in Vietnam...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Estalee Galemore Mulcahy, 79, of Sikeston died Friday, April 1, 2005, at her home. She was born July 25, 1925, in Success, Ark., daughter of Lawrence Eugene and Daisy Goodman Galemore. Mulcahy was a member of First Baptist Church for more than 70 years...

FREDERICKTOWN, Mo. -- Junior "Lon" Bishop, 86, of Fredericktown died Friday, April 1, 2005, at Mineral Area Regional Medical Center in Farmington, Mo. He was born April 18, 1918, at Fredericktown, son of Clarence Alvin and Jessie Jane Hafner Bishop. He and Adelaide Mantz were married in 1939. She died Oct. 15, 1991...

WOLF LAKE, Ill. -- Lucille Munz, 92, of Wolf Lake died Friday, April 1, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center. She was born Jan. 31, 1913, at Wolf Lake, daughter of Jesse and Mary Jane Hubbs Rogers. She and Fred Munz were married April 21, 1932, at Cairo...

Ruth V. Wallace, 87, formerly of Oran, Mo., died Saturday, April 2, 2005, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Oran.

Reduced premiums?; No oil cartel; Lots of eating; Worth an award; Bring back spanking; Praiseworthy piece; Economics 101; The old-fashioned way; Open-campus memories; Thankful for blessings; Thanks for lights; Through the cracks; Destroying Medicaid; Caring about kids; Litter and drugs; Example of fraud; Extra cigarette taxes; Cashing in IOUs; Clean your own house

To the editor: Accompanying our rights and freedoms as Americans are responsibilities. As an investment in our country (our present and our future), taxes represent a community responsibility and a patriotic duty. If past taxpayers had not been responsible, we would not have a highway system. ...

The biggest issue facing Missouri legislators, now that they've passed the halfway point of this year's session in Jefferson City, is how to stretch available dollars to meet all the requests for funding. While other bills are competing for attention, most of the legislative focus and most of the public's awareness is focused on how to cram everything into a $19 billion spending limit -- about flat with the current fiscal year's spending...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released Saturday by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI * Nikki L. Russell, 32, 1602 Wilma St., Oran, Mo., was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, driving while revoked, following too close and no seat belt...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following items Friday: * At 4:28 p.m., emergency medical service in the 100 block of Vantage Drive. * At 8:53 p.m., alarm sounding at 975 Greek Drive. * At 11:37 p.m., emergency medical service in the 600 block of South Silver Springs Road...

Search for Zalma man in Texas called off; Prosecutors threaten to send autopsies elsewhere

Palestinian leader fires key security chief; Australian chopper crash in Indonesia kills nine ; N. Korea: Still committed to talks, minus Japan

Terri Schiavo's body cremated after autopsy; Illinois druggists must dispense birth control; Bush appoints panel for base closings; King's legacy remembered on anniversary of shooting

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- With memories of a bitter fight three years ago over taxpayer subsidies for professional sports teams still fresh in the minds of some lawmakers, the Senate last week stripped benefits for the St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Blues from legislation that would earmark state money for the maintenance of sports stadiums...

U.S. Sen. Kit Bond will visit the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce at 10 a.m. Monday to talk with regional leaders about his new position as chairman of the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee. As the newly appointed chairman of the subcommittee, Bond is traveling across the state to talk with local officials and get input from them...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Matt Morris gave up three runs in four innings Saturday as the St. Louis Cardinals beat their new Class-AA farm team, the Springfield Cardinals, 4-3. The game was played in front of 10,409 raucus fans at the new $32 million Hammons Field...

INDIANAPOLIS -- Winning the national championship might be the only thing that could make LSU's Seimone Augustus happier. Augustus, who has led her team to a second straight Final Four, was an overwhelming selection Saturday as The Associated Press player of the year in women's basketball...

DULUTH, Ga. -- Billy Mayfair was 4 under through 13 holes Saturday to take a one-stroke lead in the first round of the rain-delayed BellSouth Classic, shortened to 54 after the stormy conditions wiped out the first two days of play. After originally planning a 36-hole finish Monday to complete 72 holes, PGA Tour official Slugger White said the players will play only a single round Monday. ...

ST. LOUIS -- Recent National League history suggests it's almost impossible to repeat. The last seven years, seven different teams have made it to the World Series. The St. Louis Cardinals aim to end that trend, and they'll be driven. After leading the major leagues with 105 victories and then beating Roger Clemens to advance to the city's first World Series in 17 years, they were unceremoniously swept by the Boston Red Sox...

ST. LOUIS -- Mike Jendusa sat quietly in his wheelchair, gently sobbing as he stared at the statue of Pope John Paul II near the St. Louis Cathedral where the pontiff conducted Mass six years ago. "I believe he's a saint," said Jendusa, 38, wheelchair-bound since birth with spina bifida...

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Even for the war-hardened Lebanese, four explosions in two weeks are too much. Once-vibrant cafes lie empty, shopping malls are virtually deserted and late-night dining has been put on hold. Outside the United Nations offices, workers fill sandbags and erect barriers. ...

NEW YORK -- A remarkable amount of TV news star power has dimmed over the past eight months: Barbara Walters, Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather and, just last week, Ted Koppel. Each has left, or announced a departure from, the jobs that gave them the most stature, reminding television viewers how the business has changed in the years since they became news celebrities...

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- A state lawmaker wants former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani to return the $100,000 fee he received to speak at a tsunami relief fund raiser. Giuliani donated $20,000 from the fee to the event's tsunami relief fund -- twice the amount requested by the benefit's sponsor, the South Carolina Hospital Association, said Thornton Kirby, the group's president...

CHICAGO -- When Kathy Chumachenko left for Europe 14 years ago, she was a young American pursuing a career and adventure overseas. The Chicago native is returning as the first lady of Europe's sixth most populous country, the wife of Ukraine's new president, who survived an apparent assassination attempt by poisoning...

NORTHPORT, Ala. -- Tacky turf, or a green dream? Hal Burleson's yard is getting mixed reviews from the neighbors. Burleson convinced his wife, Margaret, that it would be a good idea to rip out the grass and replace it with artificial turf, the stuff found on football fields. He was tired of all the yard work and allergy flareups...

ROYAL OAK, Mich. -- Wanda and Winky soon will be California-bound. The Detroit Zoo's aging elephants leave as early as Monday for the Performing Animal Welfare Society sanctuary, zoo Director Ron Kagan said Thursday. "We'll try, and if it doesn't work, we'll try Tuesday. And if not, we'll try Wednesday," Kagan said...

Several Southeast Missouri State football players who completed their eligibility in 2004 tried to impress assorted NFL scouts recently as the program conducted what is know as "Pro Day" at Houck Stadium. This event takes place each year at most colleges in the country as scouts tour the nation to work out potential prospects -- some of them well-known but most of them fairly anonymous -- in hopes of gathering as much information as they can on as many players as possible...

While windy conditions did not make it an ideal day for short and middle distance runners, Southeast Missouri State's men had few problems, putting on a dominating performance Saturday at the 24th annual Gatorade Classic at the Abe Stuber Track and Field Complex...

After yet another disheartening loss Saturday, Southeast Missouri State desperately needed a major pick-me-up. The Redhawks received it from a rookie. Joey Evans, a freshman right-hander, pitched a seven-inning shutout to lift Southeast past Jacksonville State 3-0 in the finale of an Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader at Capaha Field...

ST. LOUIS -- The Southeast Missouri State women's soccer team demonstrated their fearsome skills Saturday in an exhibition game at the Savvis Center in St. Louis -- playing a specially selected team of Southeast alumni. The current Redhawks, directed by coach Heather Nelson, breezed through the informal exhibition 6-0...

Saxony Lutheran launched its baseball program Saturday, splitting a doubleheader with Christ Our Savior of Illinois in Perryville. The Crusaders won the opener 4-3 and lost the second game 11-0. Saxony fell behind Christ Our Savior 3-0 in the opener, but the Crusaders scored two runs in the sixth inning and won the game with two runs in the seventh. Kory Mueller, who was 2-for-4, had a double to drive in the winning run...

VATICAN CITY -- At 58, John Paul II was the youngest pope in 125 years. He brought a new vitality to the Vatican, and quickly became the most accessible modern pope, sitting down for meals with factory workers, skiing and wading into crowds to embrace the faithful...

Bethany Hughes thought she found the prom dress of her dreams in a magazine spread. The dress had a long bodice with a halter top, but once Hughes tried it on, she realized it wasn't for her. So the Puxico High School junior had to start her dress search again...

Dressing like a modern prom queen * Update your look. Wear a dress that is to the knee, tea-length or a minidress. The look is modern and will make it easy to dance and enjoy the night. Body-conscious floor-length dresses, though popular on the red carpet, limit movement and your ability to dance...

Gary and Linda Littlepage of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Dana Ann Littlepage, to Matthew Stephen Schonhoff, both of St. Charles, Mo. He is the son of Steve and Beverly Schonhoff of Oak Ridge. Littlepage is a 1999 graduate of Jackson High School. She received a master's degree in occupational therapy from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2004. She is an occupational therapist with EnduraCare at Parklane Care and Rehab in Wentzville, Mo...

Suppose you have a friend whose apple tree bears particularly tasty fruits. You could take a branch from that tree and graft it onto the apple tree in your yard to change part or all of your tree to your friends variety. Whip grafting is an easy way to do this makeover. You could also use whip grafting on many other fruiting and ornamental trees, as long as they are the same kind of plant or very closely related...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Insurgents attacked the Abu Ghraib prison west of Baghdad, injuring 20 U.S. forces and 12 prisoners on Saturday while six people were killed elsewhere in Iraq following a period of declining attacks that had raised hopes the insurgency might be weakening...

Douglas L. Koehler, 52, of Jackson died Friday, April 1, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born Feb. 8, 1953, in Cape Girardeau, son of Charles "Bud" and Gusta Wedekind Koehler. Koehler was a former member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Jackson and a former merchant marine...

VATICAN CITY -- Pope John Paul II, who helped topple communism in Europe and left a deeply conservative stamp on the church that he led for 26 years, died Saturday night in his Vatican apartment, ending a long public struggle against debilitating illness. He was 84...

Being a grunt on the front lines in the war against litter isn't an easy job, nor does it have many fringe benefits. It's an uphill battle that never ends, as areas along highways can be cleaned up one weekend only to be trashed again. Some people, like jail inmates, are forced to do this thankless work. But others, including school groups, sororities and fraternities, churches and civic organizations, choose to pick up cans, food wrappers, cigarette butts...

Southeast Missouri's Catholics joined with 1.2 billion other church members worldwide in mourning the death of Pope John Paul II Saturday. During Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral, parishioners prayed for God's mercy on the pontiff's soul. A special prayer service will be held at 7 p.m. today at the church...

It's good to be back in Cape Girardeau. February and March were busy with industry conferences. This weekend marks the first time this year I've been home two weekends in a row. Traveling really does make one appreciate the amenities of our community...

John R. Stanard of Poplar Bluff is the chairman of the Three Rivers Community College Board of Trustees....

John Tlapek of Cape Girardeau is president of the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents, and Brad Bedell of Sikeston is vice president....

Kite-flying, an un-birthday party and a lunch menu designed by preschoolers. Alisha Strop couldn't think of a better way to celebrate at her Cape Girardeau child-care center during the Week of the Young Child, which begins today. Strop, who is director of Just Kids' Cape Girardeau center, said the seven-day celebration of children ages infant to 5 is recognized nationally but has been given little attention locally in the past...

The home at 3522 Dana in Jackson's Annwood Estates is a pleasant brick-and-vinyl tri-level home with a two-car garage. Its sage-green shutters and large, welcoming front porch give it an immediate feeling of home. Spring perennials add splashes of color to a level and easily maintained yard...

ST. LOUIS -- Roger Powell Jr. darted in from the top of the key, grabbed the rebound from his own missed 3-pointer and screamed as he slammed the ball through the hoop. The Illini's big guys do have some game. With Dee Brown and Deron Williams sputtering, Powell came up with a huge second half to make sure Illinois' special season will last another game...

ST. LOUIS -- Roy Williams has another chance to win that elusive national championship. Maybe he just needed to come home. North Carolina showed off a dizzying display of weapons in the Final Four, blowing out Michigan State in the second half on the way to an 87-71 victory Saturday night that sent the Tar Heels to the title game against top-ranked Illinois...

The next five weeks is the period most bass anglers look forward to all winter. Comfortable air temperatures -- anywhere from 46 to 75 degrees -- will be accompanied by aggressive bass. Expect sustained water temperatures from around 54 degrees at the start of April to around 64 degrees at the end of the month. ...

NEW YORK -- Prom time is prime time for teenagers to splurge on outfits of their dreams. Given that freedom (and possibly a financial contribution from their parents), one might expect high schoolers to attend one of the biggest social events of the year as wannabe hip-hop or rock stars...

LOS ANGELES -- The tanks were loaded with green slime, a live audience of almost 10,000 screaming youngsters was gathering and bets were on about who would get slimed at one of Hollywood's most unusual awards shows -- the 18th annual Kids Choice Awards...

If you have a question, e-mail factorfiction@semissourian.com or call Speak Out (334-5111) and identify your call as a question for "Fact or fiction?" Q: Eating lunch at Scott City Elementary School, I noticed that after lunch unopened milk was being thrown away. It was explained that it was some sort of OPAA! guideline that even food that hadn't been opened had to be thrown away. Is that correct? -- Herline Bowers, Scott City...

25 years ago: April 4, 1980 Circuit Judge Stanley A. Grimm has ordered that a grand jury be impaneled to investigate the county sheriff's office. Ousted Circuit Judge Gerald L. Briggs has made it clear that he intends to ignore State Attorney General John D. Ashcroft's opinion that he cannot enter the race for his former post in the November election...

Ruth Vernetta Wallace, 87, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, April 2, 2005, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born on March 28, 1918, in Lilbourn, Mo., daughter of Oscar and Bessie Lancaster Mize. She and Billie Ira Wallace were married Oct. 1, 1939. He died Dec. 12, 2002...

Henry "Butch" Claude Boley, 62, of Randles died Saturday, April 2, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born June 20, 1942, in Randles, son of Johnnie and Flossie Menz Boley. Boley was a painter for Stockade Buildings Inc. in Morley, Mo. He was a member of Free Trinity Pentecostal Church of Randles...

Donavon Delores Snider, 71, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, April 3, 2005, at the Lutheran Home. She was born Sept. 11, 1933, in Sturgess, S.D., daughter of Earl and Clarrissa Ness Collins. Snider worked as an LPN in area nursing homes. She was also the owner and operator of a porcelain doll hospital. She attended Commerce Baptist Church in Commerce, Mo. She was a graduate of Central High School in Cape Girardeau...

Bill Rice, 63, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, April 3, 2005, at his home. Arrangements are incomplete with McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson.

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Mary E. Britt, 82, of Jonesboro died Saturday, April 2, 2005, at her home. She was born Jan. 27, 1923, in Jonesboro, daughter of Lee and Mary Brown Dover. She and Spillman Britt were married March 29, 1941, in Jackson. He died April 10, 2002...

John Frank "Pete" Kelly, 75, of Jackson died Sunday, April 3, 2005, at his home. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

Earl Charles Younghouse, 77, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, April 3, 2005, at the Chateau Girardeau Health Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Nov. 27, 1927, in Cape Girardeau, son of Earl Charles and Alma Popp Younghouse. He and Mildred Rauh were married April 17, 1949, in Pocahontas, Mo...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Albert James Elfrank of Advance was born Nov. 25, 1919, in Perkins, Mo., and passed away Saturday, April 2, 2005, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau at the age of 85 years. He was the son of the late William and Amanda St. Cin Elfrank...

No classes during tests?; Inmates? No thanks; Parking eyesore; Keep trash in trucks; Excited about sidewalks; Building trust; Support for the future; It's not a minimum; Self-correcting; Clean up after pets; Makes no sense; Photo IDs for voters; Keep up good work; Slap in the face; Seeing too much; Didn't work out; Too rational

Baseball...

ST. LOUIS -- It's been 30 years since the top two teams in The Associated Press poll met in college basketball's national championship game. No matter what happens Monday night when top-ranked Illinois faces North Carolina, it won't affect the sport the way the last 1-2 title matchup did...

Southeast's tennis team suffered its second OVC home loss of the weekend as a tough Eastern Kentucky squad prevailed 6-1 Sunday. The Redhawks (5-12, 2-5) posted their only victory at No. 1 singles as Bryce Kristal defeated Meredith Giles. The players split sets, then decided things in a super tie-breaker since the team outcome had already been determined...

Tales about heroes are usually so incredible that few people think such persons even exist in today's world -- except, maybe, in movies and cartoons. But a Perry County couple encountered a real-life hero recently who saved them from a fire and put himself at risk in the process...

Cape man named manager at Krieger's...

CAPA to hold spring conference April 20...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released Sunday by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests * Tracy Maria Boyd, 40, of 413 S. Ellis St., was arrested on a New Madrid County warrant for fraud. * Beverly Ann Nathaniel, 44, of 28 N. Fountain St., was arrested on a Taney County warrant for forgery...

According to the Cape Girardeau Police Department, Joshua Rideout, 24, of Cape Girardeau, was arrested and charged with four felony counts of child pornography, including two counts of promoting and two counts of possessing. Cape Girardeau officer Paul Zajicek received information that the suspect had child pornography on his computer. ...

Today, 7 p.m. City hall, 401 Independence St. Study session at 5 p.m. Public hearing * A public hearing regarding the request of Robert A. Drury to rezone 2948 Bloomfield Road from R-1, single family residential district, to C-2, general commercial district...

Fish and chicken supper planned in Bell City; Lions Club holds annual pancake jamboree; Fried chicken supper with country store at Altenburg

Cape County Chapter of AARP meets today; Dollmaking workshop offered at the Red House; Benefit for Billy Tedder to be held at Stooges; Senator's listening post slated for Wednesday ; Meeting set for parents of seventh-graders; Old sports memorablilia from the area wanted; Grandparents support group held April 13

Dahms earns bronze star in Afghanistan...

WASHINGTON -- Shirts, pants, underwear and a lot of other clothes made abroad have arrived in the United States by the bulging boatload since Jan. 1, when more than three decades of quotas ended. Consumers are rejoicing over the lower prices. But the domestic textile and apparel industry is complaining about the loss of thousands of jobs from what it contends is unfair competition. It wants the Bush administration to move quickly to limit the soaring number of shipments from China...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Larry Walker and Albert Pujols hit consecutive homers in a five-run fifth inning and four other Cardinals homered in St. Louis' 18-6 victory over Double-A Springfield on Sunday. Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen, Yadier Molina and Hector Luna also homered for St. Louis, which will open the regular season Tuesday night in Houston in a rematch of the Cardinals' seven-game victory last year in the NL championship series...

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- Taking on stylish Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal showed up with the flashier outfit and the game to match -- for two sets, at least. Twice two points from defeat, the top-ranked Federer rallied and won the Nasdaq-100 Open by beating the 18-year-old Nadal 2-6, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5), 6-3, 6-1 Sunday for his fifth title of the year...

DULUTH, Ga. -- Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Ernie Els skipped the BellSouth Classic to focus on the Masters. Not Phil Mickelson. Tuning up for his Masters defense, Mickelson shot a 7-under 65 on Sunday to move within a stroke of leader Scott McCarron with one round to play in the rain-delayed BellSouth Classic...

ST. LOUIS -- The Illinois big men have taken so many digs this year, it's a wonder they don't feel small. They're too puny, and not nearly nasty enough. They're one-dimensional. They're not the game-changing force their guards are. Put the Illini up against a team with a stellar frontcourt, the thinking goes, and they will get pushed aside like dust bunnies...

CHICAGO -- Today's sport utility vehicles barely fit inside the Hotel LaSalle Garage, the first multilevel parking garage ever built in Chicago. The structure, which was constructed to house Model Ts back in 1918, is being razed after a city commission voted not to grant it landmark status. Demolition of the crumbling facade began Friday...

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- The latest draw for visitors in eastern Missouri has a stripe of a different color: The owners of an increasingly popular winery have acquired a tiger habitat and opened a bed-and-breakfast and upscale restaurant on the property...

MATTOON, Ill. -- Jeff Nichols doesn't mind sharing his office space with a few hundred worms. The worms, housed in a dark tub with a secure lid, silently consume food waste while Nichols, manager of custodial services at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center, researches ways for the hospital to continually help the environment through recycling...

ANKARA, Turkey -- Mehmet Ali Agca, the Turkish gunman who seriously wounded the pope during a 1981 assassination attempt, is mourning the pope's death from his Turkish prison cell, his brother said Sunday. Adnan Agca said his brother told him Wednesday in Istanbul's Kartal prison that he hoped the pope lived a bit longer...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The secret votes were read out one by one, the tally kept with black marks on a white board -- a symbol of Iraq's struggle for a transparent democracy and its attempt to reach out to the Sunni Muslim minority for the first speaker of a two-month-old parliament...

DAMASCUS, Syria -- Syria plans to pull all its troops and intelligence agents from Lebanon by April 30, and a U.N. team could be dispatched to verify the withdrawal, a U.N. envoy said Sunday after meeting President Bashar Assad. The full withdrawal will mark the end of Syria's 29-year military presence in Lebanon and will comply with the demands in a U.N. resolution, helping to relieve the international pressure on Damascus...

LOS ANGELES -- "Sin City" proved an irresistible temptation for audiences as the highly stylized comic-book adaptation led the weekend box office with a $28.1 million debut. Opening in second place was Queen Latifah's comedy "Beauty Shop," a spinoff of the "Barbershop" franchise, which took in $13.5 million for the weekend, according to industry estimates Sunday. Since opening Wednesday, "Beauty Shop" had grossed $17.3 million...

Pope John Paul II inspired American Catholics with his globe-trotting, charismatic leadership, perseverance in the face of debilitating illness, and deep spirituality. But his tight grip on church leadership and unwillingness to change some unpopular teachings clashed with the more democratic approach that many of the 65 million U.S. Catholics favor...

Columbia Daily Tribune Give Sen. Jim Talent credit for thinking federal as the best venue for increasing highway funding. ... He wants the government to issue as much as $30 billion in bonds to help states fix transportation systems. The bonds would be bought by individuals and businesses and repaid with federal income tax credits. The money raised would be in addition to the basic federal highway bill, now under negotiation in Congress. .....

St. Joseph News-Press The Bush administration is ready to pull the federal feeding tube on Amtrak. It's about time. Washington created the national rail service in 1970 in hopes of keeping passenger rail service as a viable alternative to the more popular air and auto travel. Amtrak never lived up to even the most modest expectations of advocates...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch A recent study by the Manhattan Institute says that high school graduation rates in Missouri ... aren't improving, and that about one-third of the students who do graduate don't have the course credits to apply to a four-year college. .....

ST. LOUIS -- The best team in the country all season is an underdog today. By now, Illinois is used to it. Even though they've only lost once, have tied the NCAA record for wins and have been ranked No. 1 in the country since December, the Illini (37-1) have had trouble getting their due much of the season...

Top-ranked LSU and perennial power Tennessee fell in the semifinals. The Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS -- Michigan State's climb to national prominence took over Rocky Top. The Spartans rallied from a 16-point deficit in the second half -- tying a Final Four record -- to upset Tennessee 68-64 on Sunday night, setting up a title game with Baylor, another unlikely championship contender...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Tampa Bay outfielder Alex Sanchez was suspended 10 days for violating baseball's new policy on performance-enhancing drugs, the first player publicly identified under the major leagues' tougher rules. The suspension begins Monday when Tampa Bay opens its season against Toronto, the commissioner's office said Sunday...

Southeast Missouri State's late-inning trouble reared its ugly head again Sunday. Jacksonville State scored four runs in the top of the ninth to stun the host Redhawks 8-7 and lift the Gamecocks to an Ohio Valley Conference series victory, after the squads had split Saturday's doubleheader...

The Jackson Board of Aldermen and city officials have found themselves holding a $150,000 pot of money, thanks to a road and bridge tax settlement with Cape Girardeau County. This $150,000 is taxpayer money, funds that have come out of property and real estate taxes from the residents of Jackson. It must go toward road and bridge improvements in the city...

There is no last-minute cramming for the MAP. As local schools and those throughout Missouri begin taking the state's achievement tests this week, educators say the focus is on keeping students calm and confident, not hardcore review of lessons. "Preparation is a yearlong thing. If you haven't prepared for the MAP throughout the year, you can't prepare for it," said Dr. Rita Fisher, assistant superintendent of the Jackson School District...

Law enforcement authorities are looking for a suspect in the armed robbery of a local restaurant. Pizza Inn at 3333 Gordonville Road was robbed at gunpoint at around 11 p.m. Saturday, according to the Cape Girardeau police. The male suspect, described as 5-feet, 11-inches, weighing 200 to 300 pounds and wearing a gray, hooded sweat shirt, displayed a black handgun in the business and demanded money, said officer Josh Smith of the Cape Girardeau police. ...

Finally at rest after years of crippling disease, Pope John Paul II's body lay in state Sunday, his hands clutching a rosary, his pastoral staff under his arm. Millions prayed and wept at services across the globe, as the Vatican prepared for the ritual-filled funeral and conclave that will choose a successor...

NEW YORK -- No longer is search just about finding stuff on the Internet. The battleground has moved to individual PCs as leading search companies develop free tools for cataloguing your computer. The three I tried are all good at finding files -- even ones I thought I had long deleted (whoops!)...

The Sears store on William Street has been a staple of the Town Plaza Shopping Center since it opened. But when the department store relocates to the city's west side later this year, the 43-year-old Sears building may be demolished to make way for a new tenant, according to the St. Charles real estate company that owns the property...

In 10 short columns, there's no way to even scratch the surface of economic knowledge. I'll simply end the series with a discussion of a few popular sentiments that have high emotional worth but make little economic sense. I use some of these sentiments as a teaching device in my undergraduate classes...

ALBANY, N.Y. To somebody peeking into this little room, I'm just a middle-aged guy wearing a polka-dotted blue shower cap with a bundle of wires sticking out the top, relaxing in a recliner while staring at a computer screen. But in my mind's eye, I'm a teenager sitting bolt upright on the black piano bench of my boyhood home, expertly pounding out the stirring opening chords of Chopin's Military Polonaise...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- As the nation comes to grips with how to care for those who can't make their own decisions, Missouri lawmakers are considering a handful of proposals to address end-of-life care. One piece of legislation was introduced Thursday, the day Terri Schiavo died after a long legal battle that ended after a court-ordered removal of her feeding tube. She had left no written instructions in the event she became disabled...

NEW YORK -- It's a Friday evening, traditional kickoff time for the party scene in New York's gay community, but the 75 men packed into a small room at a gay health center aren't in a partying mood. Through a humbling 12-step program modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous, they are battling to kick their addiction to methamphetamine, and in doing so escape an epidemic that is roiling urban gay communities nationwide with disease, despair, embarrassment and anger...

CAIRO, Ill. --The George Drouillard Chapter of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation met recently at Fort Defiance at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, south of Cairo, to dedicate the Peter Geery Memorial Kiosk. The George Drouillard Chapter LCTHF is a joint effort by Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois and western Kentucky Lewis and Clark enthusiasts to keep the story alive in this area...

COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- In the past months, Danes have lived in a true Hans Christian Andersen frenzy which some say has been no fairy tale. As his countrymen celebrate his bicentennial, the image of Andersen, who wrote such classics as "The Emperor's New Clothes" and "The Little Mermaid," can be seen everywhere -- on coins, in post offices, on beer labels, on posters announcing shows celebrating the Dane, on dinnerware and on baby clothes and accessories especially designed for the jubilee...

HOME VALLEY, Wash. -- The engine of an Amtrak train derailed Sunday along the Columbia River, sending at least 26 passengers to hospitals with mostly minor injuries, officials said. The Portland, Ore.-bound train was carrying 115 people when the locomotive's wheels left the track, leaving four passenger cars leaning upright against an embankment in the Columbia River Gorge, about 45 miles east of Portland, Ore., Amtrak spokeswoman Marcie Golgoski said...

WASHINGTON -- A new organization created to defeat President Bush's plans for Social Security intends to open a television ad campaign this week depicting the proposal as the tip of an iceberg that will cut benefits and raise the national debt. Erik Smith, a spokesman for ProtectYourCheck.org, said the group will spend nearly $1 million to show the commercial on cable stations nationally over the next three weeks. ...

PHOENIX -- Volunteers for an effort to patrol the Mexican border reported their first sighting of suspected illegal immigrants, resulting in 18 arrests, authorities said Sunday. Participants in the Minuteman Project spotted the migrants Saturday near Naco as the volunteers were surveying the border to familiarize themselves with area. When agents arrived, they apprehended 18 people, Border Patrol spokesman Andy Adame said...

WASHINGTON -- AirTran, Atlantic Southeast, JetBlue and United improved their service last year, but were the only airlines to do so among the 14 major carriers rated in 2003 and 2004, according to private researchers who relied on government measures...

MOSCOW -- Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev said he will formally step down today, a move that would help pave the way for elections and solidify order in his impoverished Central Asian country less than two weeks after he was forced to flee to Russia amid mass protests...

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- After weeks of hesitation, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has finally made moves to challenge the powerful militant groups sowing chaos across the West Bank. In the end, he was spurred into action by domestic concerns, including an audacious rampage by gunmen through Ramallah and the very real fear of impending electoral defeat, rather than by persistent U.S. and Israeli demands that he crack down on armed groups...

MEXICO CITY -- As cardinals rushed to the Vatican on Sunday to begin the process of selecting a new pope, many back home were asking a pointed question: If most of the world's Roman Catholics live in the developing world, why has every pope been European?...

No surprise, Adrienne Wade spent a portion of her day last week with her ear glued to her tiny, silver cell phone that doubles as a camera to take snapshots of her dog, cat and three birds. Wade may not qualify as a cell-phone junkie but she's close...

Five years ago Erin Oberhaus, 21, was blessed by Pope John Paul II during his visit to St. Louis. This week, she mourns his passing and celebrates his life. Oberhaus said she knew the pope had suffered and was probably ready to greet death. "It's a blessing in disguise." He had been ill so long that he probably welcomed the relief death brought, she said. The 84-year-old pontiff had Parkinson's disease, which is a degenerative nerve disorder that causes tremors...

A Perryville, Mo., man received moderate injuries in a two-vehicle accident on Interstate 55 in Perry County, one mile north of Route B, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. James Polcou, 42, of Perryville was traveling northbound in a 1978 GMC fire truck when he drove into the path of a semi driven by 39-year-old Joseph Sellars of Norwood, Mo...

When the curtain rises on Southeast Missouri State University's production of the classic musical "Guys and Dolls," it's obvious the university's theater department has gone all out. The department says this is the biggest production in its history in terms of people and resources, and it shows...

An early evening fire created a scare at a downtown Cape Girardeau restaurant Monday but was stopped before any serious damage could occur. At around 6:30 p.m., Cape Girardeau firefighters responded to the Buckner Brewing Co after reports of a fire in the kitchen area. The blaze started in the vent above Buckner's grill and caused fire damage in the kitchen exhaust along with minimal smoke damage throughout the building, said assistant fire chief Mark Hasheider...

A new long-term health-care facility cleared a big hurdle Monday when the state issued a certificate of need, declaring that the 30-bed, acute-care hospital is warranted in the Cape Girardeau area. The Missouri Health Facilities Review Committee voted unanimously Monday in Jefferson City to approve a certificate of need for Landmark Hospital of Cape Girardeau, a $5 million facility that is proposed for 3255 Independence St...

Cape Girardeau police are still looking for a suspect in connection with an armed robbery Monday morning, when they say a man in a black hooded sweat shirt armed with a knife demanded money at a local payday loan business. Police Sgt. Rick Schmidt said the suspect -- described as a man about 5 feet 7 inches tall -- entered MoPay at 125 S. Broadview, Suite 2, at about 9:14 a.m. and left with an undisclosed amount of money. The clerk at MoPay declined comment...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Controversial legislation to strip Missouri courts of jurisdiction to hear lawsuits related to education funding garnered surprisingly little attention before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday. State Sen. Matt Bartle, R-Lee's Summit, wants to put a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot that would make education funding decisions the exclusive province of the governor and legislature. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Administrative law judges, who are scattered among dozens of state government agencies, would be consolidated under one roof under legislation a Senate committee considered Monday. State Sen. John Louden, R-Ballwin, said the myriad agencies that employ administrative judges to hear disputes related to executive branch regulations currently have vastly different standards and procedures. ...

The road to better highways and transportation is full of roadblocks, detours and orange barrels. But if the federal transportation bill is authorized this summer, U.S. Sen. Kit Bond said there will be an additional $1 billion in new highway funds for Missouri...

KELSO, Mo. -- Thirteen-year-old Brandon Sandvos was an outdoorsman in the making. He loved to fish, hunt deer with his dad and ride his four-wheeler in Scott County's scenic countryside. The Chaffee teenager drowned Sunday in a private pond near Kelso while trying to retrieve a paddle during a day of fishing with a friend...

The Jackson Board of Aldermen Monday night approved a list of concrete streets it plans to repair with the first year's worth of road and bridge tax revenue from Cape Girardeau County. The streets include: Greensferry, Nellie, Bunker, Lakewood, Bainbridge, Sioux, Pawnee, East Main, West Adams, Normandy Lane, Sue, Rebecca, North, Mulberry, Wedgewood, Old Cape, South Shawnee, Shady, Leming, Broadridge, Oak, Briarwood, Clark, Sycamore, Ridge, Litz, Corinne, Apache, Lee, West Jefferson, East, Greenleaf and Drew.. ...

Cape Girardeau residents would be able to keep up to six dogs or eight cats but would be barred from keeping farm animals inside the city limits under revisions to the pet law presented to the city council Monday night. But council members said they were reluctant to allow pet owners to keep six dogs. The council asked the animal control task force to reconsider that proposal as well as the one dealing with farm animals...

Walking through the front doors of Notre Dame Regional High School, it's clear you're not just entering a place of learning. There's a large wooden cross in the center of the floor and "Bless us, O Lord, and these thy gifts" painted on a wall. Above the doors, a banner proclaims "Knowledge is Power."...

Local authorities are once again on the lookout for the fugitive Billy McGee after a Jeep stolen from Texas was found in Paducah, Ky. McGee, 44, of Blodgett, Mo. -- original police reports indicated he was from Zalma, Mo. -- has led Texas authorities on a manhunt since he and Josh Rogers, 19, allegedly fired at police in Silsbee, Texas, killing several police dogs, on March 25...

Notre Dame's girls soccer team nearly let a 4-0 second-half lead slip away in a 4-3 home victory Monday, as the Bulldogs tagged Jackson with its first loss of the season. Lauren Mehner got the scoring started for the Bulldogs (2-2-1) with a header off a Meridith Medlin corner kick in the first half. Kaitlyn Scheeter made it 2-0 with a goal off another Medlin corner. Medlin assisted on yet another goal, hooking up with Destiny Dirnberger to make it 3-0 at halftime...

He once described his high-school years as a time in which he was "completely absorbed" by a passion for the theater. So it was fitting that Karol Jozef Wojtyla lived a very dramatic life. As a young man, he risked summary execution by leading clandestine acts of cultural resistance to the Nazi occupation of Poland. ...

TOKYO -- Ken Kutaragi, whose name is often paired with "geek" and "genius," seemed to many a logical choice to take Sony Corp.'s helm as it struggles to turn around its stumbling electronics business. He is, after all, known as "Father of the PlayStation" for siring the industry's most popular video game console...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Like many other 11-year-old boys, K.D. Jones loves sports. But at 5 feet, 175 pounds, he found his weight and his asthma an obstacle. His doctor wanted him to lose 50 pounds, and he is hoping a new health study using a video dance game will help him get down to 125 by the end of summer in time to play football...

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Union is not serious enough about negotiations over aircraft subsidies and is leaving Washington with few choices other than taking the dispute to the World Trade Organization, U.S. deputy secretary of state Robert Zoellick said Monday...

Oil prices briefly climbed to record territory above $58 a barrel Monday, as concerns about growing demand and potential supply disruptions once again overshadowed improving crude inventories. "I've been doing this for 22 years and I've never seen anything like this," said oil analyst Ken Miller at Purvin & Gertz in Houston. "I view this as a very unstable situation."...

SAN RAMON, Calif. -- ChevronTexaco Corp., the nation's second largest oil company, is buying smaller rival Unocal Corp. for about $16.4 billion, hoping to further elevate its already surging profits by boosting its oil and natural gas supplies in Asia...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Prisoners at Iraq's largest detention facility protested the transfer of several detainees deemed "unruly" by authorities, throwing rocks and setting tents on fire in a disturbance that injured four guards and 12 detainees, the military said Monday...

WASHINGTON College junior Kyle Taylor is downloading hundreds of songs by No Doubt, Bruce Springsteen and others onto the Compaq laptop in his cramped dormitory room. With a few more clicks of his mouse, Taylor is watching commercial-free "Seinfeld" episodes on his computer. In just minutes, he then downloads the entire movie "A League of Their Own."...

* Recognized John Wyman for allowing the city at one time to use a building on Good Hope Street as a police substation....

As the world mourns the loss of Pope John Paul II, The Southeast Missourian would like to know how our readers feel. What do readers think about Pope John Paul II's death and legacy? How will he be remembered? Why? We are collecting 100-word essays from people who want to comment about the pontiff's impact on their faith, the church and the world...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released Monday by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests * Shawn David Warmack, 21, of Jackson, was arrested on suspicion of unlawful use of a weapon and assault. * A warrant arrest was reported...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following items Sunday: * At 12:15 a.m., emergency medical service in the 700 block of North Middle Street. * At 1:01 a.m., emergency medical service in the 700 block of New Madrid Street. * At 10:29 a.m., emergency medical service in the 600 block of William Street...

Area students receive President's scholarships; President's Plus scholarships awarded ; Area students receive Regents' scholarships; Students receive state leadership awards

During a recent trip to an elementary school for Hi-Step, I was troubled by a conversation I overheard from two fourth-grade girls. Hi-Step is a Jackson High School organization that travels to elementary schools to perform skits, sing and talk to the students. Basically, our main goal is to be a good influence on them...

Editor's note: Erick Harris, a graduate of Central High School in Cape Girardeau, is spending a semester in London for an internship in Parliament and is writing about his experiences. By Erick Harris For the last few months I have had the wonderful experience of living and working in London. However, as I have gotten more accustomed to this new environment, more things have been added to my daily schedule...

Baseball...

Wrong focus; Alive and well; Smokeless dining; Complete ban; Getting the facts; Great pop concert; No pity for smokers; Handling waste; Sick humor; Driving ideas; Patching highways; Post office connection; Ban public smoking; Paying for smokers; Buying votes; Blast at parties; Proper rewards; School differences; Complete the change; Increase the fines

Womer...

25 years ago: April 5, 1980 CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Former Missouri governor Warren E. Hearnes said yesterday he had "never before faced a greater challenge" than that of circuit judge of the 33rd Judicial District of Scott and Mississippi counties; he made the statement following swearing-in ceremonies which were witnessed by an overflow crowd of more than 200 well-wishers and friends in the circuit courtroom here...

John Frank "Pete" Kelly, 75, of Jackson died Sunday, April 3, 2005, at his home. He was born on July 19, 1929, in Lawrenceburg, Tenn., son of Frank and Maude Randall Kelly. He married Judith Kothe on July 28, 1981, at Elko, Nev. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and was a lifetime member of VFW Post 3838 in Cape Girardeau. He was also a member of Cape Eagles Lodge and Jackson Elks Lodge. He had been a truck driver for many years...

Anna Lee Quade, 78, of Burfordville died Monday, April 4, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete with McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson.

ANNA, Ill. -- Mary E. Dixon, 81, of Anna died Sunday, April 3, 2005, at Jonesboro Healthcare Center. She was born March 11, 1924, in Kittery, Maine, daughter of Frank and Florence Tice Mullen. She married Alfred Dixon on Jan. 3, 1947, in Lowell, Maine. He preceded her in death on April 22, 1978...

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Mary Helen Summers, 73, of Fayetteville died Saturday, April 2, 2005, at Washington Regional Medical Center. She was born on June 7, 1931, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Willice J. and Lorraine H. Higginson Pledger. She married the Rev. John D. Summers...

Carl Wallman, 64, of Jackson died Monday, April 4, 2005, at his home. Arrangements are incomplete at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson.

Damie L. Bess, 79, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, April 3, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center. She was born on April 5, 1925, in Canalou, Mo., daughter of Earl and Allie Pritchett Ramsey. She married Earl Bess on March 29, 1949, in Jackson. She was a member of Bethany Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau...

BERTRAND, Mo. -- Funeral for Annie Ruth Dugger, 85, of Bertrand will be held at 10:30 a.m. today at Nunnelee Chapel in Sikeston, Mo., with the Rev. Rodney Davis officiating. Burial will be in Garden of Memories Cemetery in Sikeston. Dugger died Saturday, April 2, 2005, at Bertrand Nursing Facility...

BERTRAND, Mo. -- John Albert Peters Sr., 91, of Bertrand died Sunday April 3, 2005, at Sikeston Convalescent Center. He was born on June 2, 1913, in Pontotoc, Miss., son of John Karl and Virginia Savely Peters. He married Mabel Ann Woods on Oct. 19, 1935...

CARROLLTON, Mo. -- A graveside funeral was held Monday for Virginia L. Sides, 70, of Carrollton. Burial was in Carroll Memory Gardens in Carrollton. She was born on May 27, 1934, in Millersville, daughter of Cornelius and Sara Ellen Welker Hahn. She married Larry Dean Sides on Sept. 17, 1954, in Burfordville. He preceded her in death on Jan. 23, 1999...

Harold L. "Bill" Rice, 63, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday April 3, 2005, at his home. He was born on Feb. 21, 1942, in St. Louis, Mo., son of Bill and Millie Rush Rice. He married Ann Hennen on Aug. 12, 1984, in California. He was a radioman during the Vietnam War, working in communications serving 20 years in the U.S. Navy and retiring in 1988. He then worked 20 years in communications for the civil service in the San Diego area...

Betty Mitchell Hallenbeck Springer, 86, of Cape Girardeau, died Monday, April 4, 2005, at the Chateau Girardeau Health Center. She was born on Nov. 7, 1918, in Meridian, Miss., to Sallie Lewis Hallenbeck Chancellor and Harry Edison Hallenbeck. She and Willis Andrew Springer were married on Aug. 24, 1940, in Puerto Barrios, Honduras. Willis passed away on Dec. 28, 1992...

NEW HAMBURG, Mo. -- Our beloved Brandon David Sandvos, 13, was called to be with his Lord on April 3, 2005, on a beautiful fishing day while doing something that he loved. His love for the outdoors was exhibited every day of his short life. Whether it was deer hunting with his Dad, riding his four-wheeler, fishing with Grandpa or friends or tinkering in the shed with his Dad, Brandon was a true boy in every sense. ...

To the editor: I detest the Speak Out statement about Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. There may very well be partying that goes on there, but that's the case at most 20,000-plus state universities. The Carnegie Foundation lists SIU-C in the "Doctoral-Research Universities -- Extensive" category, the top classification offered by the foundation. ...

To the editor: How much money do Missouri and Illinois profit from the illegals from Mexico and Honduras? Why aren't all seniors 50 and older receiving free medical care with no insurance premiums? The United States can afford the costs. Our federal legislators receive these and many other financial perks on the backs of all workers...

The annual event will take place Friday and Saturday in Poplar Bluff. The third annual B.A. Sports All-Star Extravaganza will take place Friday and Saturday at the Bess Activity Center on the campus of Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff...

A top priority of Gov. Matt Blunt's first months in office will become reality Aug. 28 when Missouri's tort reform legislation, signed in ceremonies in Cape Girardeau and around the state last week, takes effect. The legislation is intended to benefit businesses and doctors by limiting legal awards resulting from lawsuits...

Approval of school bonds in Jackson and Benton, Mo., creation of a water district and elimination of a road district in Scott County, a new government in McClure, Ill., and school board and city council representation across the area are among the choices facing area voters at the polls today...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- A school bus and pump island were damaged in a brief fire at a Chaffee gas station on Monday. According to police chief Jeff Womack, a Head Start bus driver pulled into the Rhodes 101 at Highway 77 and Route A at about 2 p.m. When the driver went inside, the bus rolled into a gas pump, starting a fire. ...

WASHINGTON -- The United States supports expanding NATO to include Ukraine, a former Soviet republic now trying to loosen historic ties to Russia, but membership in the Western alliance is not guaranteed, President Bush said Monday. "There is a way forward in order to become a partner of the United States and other nations in NATO," Bush said during a joint news conference with Viktor Yushchenko, the populist politician whose Orange Revolution forced out Ukraine's pro-Russian government last year.. ...

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court gave bankrupt Americans another layer of financial protection Monday, ruling that creditors cannot seize their Individual Retirement Accounts. The unanimous decision shields a nest egg relied upon by millions of people. The justices said IRAs should join pensions, 401(k)s, Social Security and other benefits tied to age, illness or disability that are afforded protection under federal bankruptcy law...

The Tar Heel became the second in his family to win a national championship. By Keith Parsons The Associate dPress ST. LOUIS -- Sean May no longer needs to carry around that old videotape of his father's national championship game. Now he has one of his own...

DULUTH, Ga. -- Phil Mickelson made a 13-foot birdie putt on the fourth playoff hole Monday to win the BellSouth Classic over Rich Beem and give the defending Masters champion momentum heading to Augusta. Mickelson, Jose Maria Olazabal, Beem, Brandt Jobe and Arjun Atwal tied at 8-under 208 after the final round in the rain-shortened 54-hole tournament to set up the five-man playoff...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Some Missourians wanting to renew their driver's license may find their local license office has closed. Several license offices run by appointees of former Gov. Bob Holden have shut their doors without giving the state's Department of Revenue the required 30-day notice, said department spokeswoman Maura Browning. The closures come as Gov. Matt Blunt appoints new individuals to run the license offices...

Saudi forces kill seven militants in shootout; Kyrgyz president signs agreement to resign; Austria's ex-right-wing leader creates new party; Israeli settlers agree to discuss withdrawal

VATICAN CITY -- I was on a plane, unshaven, bedraggled, wearing a creased safari jacket still damp from a monsoon in the Seychelles. So I thought I should apologize to Pope John Paul II before joining him for dinner, duly explaining that these were my "working clothes."...

Falling silent, whispering the rosary and clasping their hands, tens of thousands of pilgrims paid their final respects to Pope John Paul II on Monday after his body was carried on a crimson platform to St. Peter's Basilica. Incense wafted through the church where he will be laid to rest Friday in an ancient grotto holding the remains of popes through the ages, immediately after a funeral to be attended under heavy security by President Bush and dozens of other world leaders...

ST. LOUIS -- Charter Communications Inc. -- the nation's third-largest cable television provider -- said Monday it has promoted its executive vice president of operations and customer care to chief operating officer. Michael Lovett, 43, succeeds Maggie Bellville, who left the company in September after serving as COO since David Barford's December 2002 firing in connection with an accounting scandal...

NEW YORK -- The Los Angeles Times and The Wall Street Journal captured two Pulitzer Prizes apiece Monday, with the Times winning the public service award for exposing racial injustice at an inner-city hospital and the Journal cited for its incisive stories about the plight of cancer survivors...

Store openings are big-time entertainment in Cape Girardeau. Even a so-called "soft" opening gets the shoppers excited. That's the way it was Sunday when Cape Girardeau's newest department store opened. My family had to go gawk at the merchandise. So did several of our friends...

HOUSTON -- Following an improbable World Series sweep by the Boston Red Sox, the St. Louis Cardinals quickly went from NL champions to historical footnote. That feeble finish overshadowed a season in which St. Louis won a major league-best 105 games and rallied to beat the Houston Astros in a classic seven-game NL championship series...

ST. LOUIS -- Of course, there was no way it was going to be easy. North Carolina did it, though, and now it's time to stop asking Roy Williams that doggone question. Sean May had 26 points and the Tar Heels didn't allow a basket over the final, excruciating 2 1/2 minutes Monday night to defeat Illinois 75-70, a win that finally gave Williams the national championship that was missing from his otherwise stellar 17-year career...

Southeast Missouri State will face teams having completely different kinds of seasons over the next two days as the reeling Redhawks take a mid-week break from Ohio Valley Conference play. Today at 3 p.m., the Redhawks (9-16) visit St. Louis University (4-20). Then Wednesday at 6 p.m., the University of Missouri (23-5), ranked 23rd in the latest Baseball America Top 25 poll, comes to Capaha Field for Bluff City Beer Night as free food and beverages will be available...

Derek James ~ Standard Democrat SIKESTON -- The Sikeston Bulldogs may not have the dominant pitching and the big name sluggers that they've had the past few years, but that hasn't changed their winning ways. Despite the graduation of five starters, including All-American Blake DeWitt and two Division I signees, the Bulldogs have now raced out to a 4-0 start after Monday's 7-2 win against Notre Dame at VFW Stadium...

SEATTLE -- Seattle's Damian Moss and Ryan Christianson were among 38 players suspended Monday for violating baseball's minor league steroids policy, a group that included eight players from the Mariners' organization. "We're obviously very disappointed and not happy about it at all," Seattle general manager Bill Bavasi said after the Mariners beat Minnesota 5-1. "On the other side of the coin, we're like everybody else. We want this cleaned up."...

INDIANAPOLIS -- Steffanie Blackmon saw a challenge at Baylor and jumped at it. Kristin Haynie was told she could win championships at Michigan State and believed it. Each took a chance at a struggling program with the goal of making a difference. Just look where they are now: Tonight, one of them will leave the RCA Dome as part of a national championship team...

Educators with a combined 85-plus years of experience were chosen for the 2005 Jackson Chamber of Commerce's Educators of the Year award. David Gross, Sharlett Eftink, Becky Riney and Nancy Seyer will be honored for their work in education at a banquet April 21 in Jackson...

PADUCAH, Ky. -- Billy McGee, who led police on an 11-day manhunt after shooting at a Texas police officer and killing several search dogs, was apprehended Tuesday morning in a Paducah homeless shelter. "We got a tip from somebody that overheard him say that he was going there," said Terry Long, chief deputy sheriff of the McCracken County Sheriff's Department in Paducah...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Several school board and city board races were decided Tuesday with all four school boards in the county receiving new members. Jo Ann Shrum was the lone incumbent to be defeated for the Woodland School Board. She will be replaced by Joanna Marie Shetley. School boards in Leopold, Meadow Heights and Zalma also voted in new members. All of the city board races were uncontested...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Perryville voters shot down a proposal that would allow the police chief to be appointed rather than elected. The final vote was 557 to 284, with 66.23 percent voting Tuesday against the measure being pushed by city administrator Bill Lewis...

McCLURE, Ill. -- Voters in McClure elected their first mayor Tuesday, choosing Cheryle Brenda Dillon, who last year led the fight to incorporate the more-than-century-old town as a village. "I am very pleased," said Dillon, who shouted for joy at the Alexander County Courthouse in Cairo after the election results were posted...

Two faces will change on the Cape Girardeau School Board while the Jackson and Scott City boards will remain the same after Tuesday's election. Incumbents Sharon Mueller and Steve Trautwein both were re-elected to the Cape Girardeau board for three-year terms along with newcomer Tom Reinagel. Elected to a one-year term was Charles Bertrand...

Candidates in Delta, Oak Ridge picked for boards It may not have been the race that grabbed the most headlines, but the Delta School Board race ended up being perhaps the most evenly matched race in the area Tuesday night. Seven candidates were running for three spots. ...

The pay is lousy. You're subject to public scorn, fair or not. And then there's the time -- the Monday night meetings, the daytime meetings and the constant telephone calls at all times of day. Yet, after six terms as mayor and a city political resume that dates back to 1986, Jackson Mayor Paul Sander will come back for more...

Cape Girardeau voters elected write-in candidate Debra Tracy and former city councilwoman Loretta Schneider to the city council Tuesday, filling two seats that had been vacant for over three months. Tracy and Schneider are scheduled to be sworn in Thursday at city hall...

The Jackson police are on a first-name basis with many of the city's drug users now. And police chief James Humphreys plans to keep it that way. Over the past six weeks, Jackson police have arrested 43 people on drug charges. That may not sound like a lot, but it is for Jackson, a town of roughly 12,000 people that prides itself on low crime, good schools and numerous churches...

Battery Kate, Elixir, Knotted Fear, Rock Solid, Roadside Memory, and Essence of Lojic will perform Friday, April 8 as part of the OFF!-n-Rage Concert. OFF! Magazine and Rage 103.7, in collaboration with Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation and Shivelbine's, present this first of its kind concert at the A.C. Brase Arena Building. The concert starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are three dollars at the door...

OFF! sat down with Missouri State Senator Jason Crowell. A graduate of Southeast Missouri State and the University of Missouri School of Law, Crowell was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 2000 and re-elected in 2002. In 2004, Crowell was elected to represent Southeast Missouri's 27th Senate District, a position vacated by current Lt. Governor Peter Kinder...

HOUSTON -- With one swing by Jim Edmonds, the St. Louis Cardinals finally took a lead. From there, the Cardinals had little trouble remembering how to win again. "That got rid of all the tension," Reggie Sanders said after the Cardinals beat the Houston Astros 7-3 Tuesday night in a season-opening rematch of the 2004 NL championship series. "It relaxed us."...

25 years ago: April 6, 1980 The Rev. Gerald Bethards, pastor of the Cobden, Boaz and Villa Ridge Congregational churches, is guest speaker at the 44th annual Bald Knob Easter sunrise service. PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- The home of Evelyn Swan on Shelby Street on the south edge of Perryville explodes in the morning, injuring five people, three of them critically; a lighted match near a gas stove is a possible cause of the blast; the injured are Swan; her granddaughter, Deborah Cox; Swan's mother, Bernice Kiefer; Anna Cox and Floyd Cox.. ...

Holder; Rose

UNIONTOWN, Mo. -- Edgar Leo Balsman, 81, of Uniontown died Monday, April 4, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Feb. 20, 1924, in Perry County, Mo., son of Leo Andrew and Gertrude Caroline Unterreiner Balsman Sr. He and Corrine Anne Blechle were married Aug. 16, 1947. She died May 10, 1994...

Allen Scott Harrell, 90, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, March 22, 2005, at the Lutheran Home. He was born Nov. 19, 1914, in Dallas, Texas, son of Allen and Nellie Osborne Harrell. He and Edna M. Strickland were married June 16, 1936, in Kechi, Kan. She died Feb. 12, 2002...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Wanda L. Schultz, 74, of Perryville died Sunday, April 3, 2005, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. She was born Oct. 22, 1930, in Green County, Ark., daughter of Nelson W. and Lillie Mofield Austin Sr. She and Richard Schultz were married Nov. 30, 1963...

Anna Lee Quade, 78, of Burfordville died Monday, April 4, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born March 2, 1927, in Oak Ridge, daughter of Oscar and Anna Hahs Schweer. She and Cleman Quade were married Aug. 24, 1945, in Jackson. He died Nov. 5, 1997...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Anna Mae Riggins, 85, of Poplar Bluff died Sunday, April 3, 2005, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. She was born Oct. 21, 1919, in Poplar Bluff, daughter of John and Edith Potillo Sisney. She and Roy V. Riggins were married Dec. 5, 1942, in Poplar Bluff. He died Dec. 21, 2004...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Sybil Bernice Weakley, 85, of Charleston died Monday, April 4, 2005, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo. She was born June 7, 1919, in Black Oak, Ark., daughter of Almath Witt and Bertha Simpkins Hodge. She and James A. Weakley were married Jan. 6, 1934. He died March 23, 1980...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Stanley Brown, 80, of Chaffee died Tuesday, April 5, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Amick-Burnett Funeral Home in Chaffee.

MOUND CITY, Ill. -- Julia M. Schmaeng, 94, of Mound City died Thursday, March 31, 2005, at St. Joseph Health Center in St. Charles, Mo. She was born Nov. 18, 1910, in Mound City, daughter of Andrew and May Sedwell DeVore. She married Albert Schmaeng, who died in 1978...

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Mary Helen Summers, 73, of Fayetteville died Saturday, April 2, 2005, at Washington Regional Medical Center. She was born June 7, 1931, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Willice Jasper and Mabel Lorene Higgason Pledger. She married the Rev. John David Summers Dec. 22, 1956, in Cape Girardeau...

Carl Ray Wallman, 64, of Jackson died Monday, April 4, 2005, at his home. He was born July 24, 1940, on the old Southard Farm near Pocahontas, son of Carl and Ora Emma Bollinger Wallman. He was one of five children. He was confirmed into the Lutheran Church. He and Evelyn Crader were married Oct. 11, 1963. They lived in Pocahontas before moving to Jackson. They had three children...

Leo Frank Wulfers, 83, passed away Monday, April 4, 2005, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau, after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. He was born Jan. 3, 1922, in Cape Girardeau, son of Otto J. and Leona T. Haas Wulfers. He and Lawana Lee Foreman were married in 1948. She died Nov. 25, 2004...

Proud of SIU; Thanks for sidewalks; Dining discrimination; Statewide ban; School funding; Dawdling drivers; Expensive knowledge; Danforth's assessment; Public works questions; Better than Cairo; Food-stamp abuse; Lexington traffic; Someone has to work; MAP test schedule

To the editor: David Limbaugh's column this past weekend makes it clear that, along with Congress and the president, he still doesn't get it when it comes to the Schiavo tragedy and public opinion. Earth to Limbaugh: It was about the Constitution...

To the editor: It isn't easy to stop smoking. I know, because I smoked at one time. In early days, cigarettes sold for 10 cents a pack. Only a few brands were filtered. At one time cigarettes were so scarce people rolled their own. I did that on occasion...

To the editor: I am a 53-year-old quadriplegic, one of many severely disabled Missourians deemed Medicaid ineligible if the House passes Senate Bill 539. With the help of in-home personal care provided by Medicaid, I was able to leave the dehumanizing confinement of a Missouri nursing home. For the past five years I have lived in my own apartment with a dignity and quality of life unmatched by any institution...

Boxing...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Southeast Missouri State golf team tied for third among 16 teams at the Belmont Invitational, a two-day event that concluded Tuesday. The Redhawks had a 54-hole total of 866 to tie with fellow Ohio Valley Conference member Morehead State. Missouri (824) was first, followed by OVC member Tennessee Tech (859)...

The Southeast Missouri State softball team will play host to one of the nation's hottest squads today when Southern Illinois visits for a 3 p.m. doubleheader. SIU (28-8, 8-1 Missouri Valley Conference) has won 11 straight games, and 22 of its last 23, as the Salukis are ranked 24th in this week's ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25...

The Jackson baseball team remained undefeated by breaking open a one-run game with a nine-run seventh inning en route to an 11-3 victory at Chaffee. Jackson (6-0) recorded six of its eight hits in the seventh inning. Joel Penrod notched the win, allowing four hits in 5 2/3 innings. He walked four and struck out four. Kyle Brown finished up for his second save...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Two Perry County school board incumbents were re-elected to their posts Tuesday night while a third was ousted to make room for a new face. Incumbents G. Scott Cooper and Jeff Weibrecht will each retain their seats on the school board. ...

Drive the back roads of Southeast Missouri and you're apt to see rolling hills, farmland and wonderful scenery. But driving those roads could put you at risk. More than half the state's fatality accidents occur on two-lane roadways, not the well-traveled interstates criss-cross the Show Me State...

It didn't take much for Jane Rader DeBoe to go from "I don't want to be on TV" to "That'll get me on TV!" DeBoe, a native of Cape Girardeau and now a noted interior designer in Boca Raton, Fla., will be featured Thursday on HGTV's "Designer's Challenge."...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items on Tuesday. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI * Jennifer L. Hashley, of Jackson, was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following call Monday: * At 6:29 p.m., a box alarm at 132 N. Main St. Firefighters responded to the following calls Tuesday: * At 5:31 a.m., emergency medical service at 306 N. Middle St. * At 5:51 a.m., emergency medical service at 814 N. West End Blvd...

The makeup of the Scott City Council will largely remain intact following Tuesday's municipal election. In a race with seven seats up for election, five of them contested, all the incumbents but one were re-elected. In the Ward 2 race for a one-year unexpired term, Jim McCarty defeated incumbent John Crail 36 to 16. McCarty is the owner of Soups and Sweets and a relative newcomer to the city in which most council candidates have lived for decades...

BENTON, Mo. -- Scott County will hold two more Saturday tire roundups in April for county residents. Residents may drop off passenger car tires from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. April 16 and 23 at the county road and bridge department shed in Benton. The county needs another 400 tires to arrange a pickup...

As the NCAA National Basketball Tournament was underway, my husband was on pins and needles as North Carolina played for the national title. He has been a big UNC fan for many years and in fact we attended a game there while on our honeymoon 15 years ago. ...

WASHINGTON -- Education Secretary Margaret Spellings plans to fundamentally change enforcement of the No Child Left Behind law, giving preferential treatment to states that prove they're serious about raising achievement, Bush administration officials say...

WASHINGTON -- High oil and natural gas prices have put energy markets under a degree of strain that hasn't been seen in a generation, Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan said Tuesday, but he warned policy-makers against interfering with market forces he hoped would eventually stabilize prices...

WASHINGTON -- Drug manufacturers, under fire from consumer advocacy groups for opposing legislation to reduce prescription costs, announced Tuesday they would spend about $30 million through June to develop and promote a program that would help poor Americans gain access to the medicines they need...

HOUSTON -- Rick Ankiel was placed on unconditional release waivers by the St. Louis Cardinals, who are waiting to find out whether he will be claimed by another team. Ankiel, who was on the Cardinals' opening-day roster Sunday, was out of options. He has a $400,000 salary, and the Cardinals have said they hope to have him in their minor league system if he is not claimed by another team...

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Vijay Singh's car pulled up in front of the clubhouse at Augusta National, and he knew the routine from there. He climbed the green-carpeted stairs to the Masters champions locker room, a place he has occupied the last five years. A view from the top is most appropriate for Singh at this Masters...

ST. LOUIS -- One by one, Illinois crossed off the goals it had set months earlier. A No. 1 ranking. The Big Ten regular-season and conference titles. A top seed in the NCAA tournament. A spot in the Final Four. But the only thing the Illini couldn't accomplish was the one goal they really wanted, what they said out loud after every practice: a national championship...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Republicans apparently claimed two legislative seats formerly held by Democrats on Tuesday, while a Democrat has won a seat previously held by a Republican, according to final, unofficial election results from the Missouri secretary of state's office...

BLACKWELL, Mo. -- A new suspect has been charged in the killing of a longtime eastern Missouri grade school principal, authorities said Tuesday. Meanwhile, charges were dropped against two of three men previously charged in Lloyd Agers' death. Agers' remains were found March 21 in his home in the eastern Missouri town of Blackwell, after a fire that destroyed the house. Authorities originally thought the fire was accidental, but an autopsy revealed that Agers, 60, had been shot...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- House budget writers on Tuesday restored money for Amtrak passenger train service and Alzheimer's research -- two items targeted for elimination in earlier budget proposals. The House budget plan would fund the passenger trains, which make eight stops between Kansas City and St. Louis, with about $6.2 million, roughly the same amount Amtrak received for the current fiscal year...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Some Missouri prisoners have been spitting on guards, and state legislators are trying to stop them with the threat of more time behind bars. The House gave initial approval Tuesday to legislation making it a felony for an inmate to expose a prison employee, visitor or another inmate to bodily fluids such as saliva, blood, urine, feces or semen...

ROME -- A Polish college student hitchhiked for 54 hours, bouncing in the back of a lumber truck and a tractor-trailer rig hauling chocolates. A disabled German retiree rode through the night on a spine-twisting red-eye train. Their journeys ended Tuesday at a makeshift tent city hastily erected on a wind-swept field on the outskirts of Rome. ...

VATICAN CITY -- Responding to Pope John Paul II's request, the Vatican will depart from centuries-old tradition by ringing bells in addition to sending up white smoke to signal the election of his successor. Before he died Saturday at age 84, John Paul also made his wish known "to be buried in the ground" and not placed in an above-ground tomb, Archbishop Piero Marini said Tuesday. ...

ROGERS, Ark. -- Wal-Mart is "good for America" and the barrage of criticism against the company is an effort to protect the status quo in retailing, president and CEO Lee Scott said Tuesday in a sharp attack on community activists, organized labor and retail rivals...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Al Gore has a plan for luring the Internet generation back to television: make it more participatory by having viewers contribute their own video. The former vice president and longtime Internet champion joined investors Monday to announce the creation of Current, a cable TV channel that will target younger viewers with a blend of news, culture and viewer-produced video...

NEW YORK -- CBS' strong Thursday night lineup and the NCAA men's basketball tournament helped the network dominate the prime-time ratings competition last week. Led by "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," all three of CBS's Thursday programs were among the six most-watched programs of the week, according to Nielsen Media Research. Three of NBC's programs that night were in reruns...

NEW YORK -- Peter Jennings, who revealed he has lung cancer Tuesday, plans to continue on "World News Tonight" as much as he can after beginning chemotherapy next week. Jennings, ABC's chief anchorman since 1983, planned to be at his desk Tuesday -- a day after getting his diagnosis...

There's a vibrant Latin flair to this chicken dish, a touch of Cuban style. Allow a little time for marinating the chicken in a typical "mojo," the highly seasoned but low-fat citrus marinade, and savor the resulting rich taste and aroma. The recipe is among several developed by Steve Petusevsky for the April issue of Health magazine. The chicken is accompanied, if you wish, by a coconut-rice side dish. The rice gets a golden glow from turmeric and a flavor twist from the coconut...

TOPEKA, Kan. -- Voters in Kansas overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment Tuesday banning same-sex couples from marrying or entering into civil unions. With more than half of precincts reporting, 298,647 votes, or 70 percent, were cast in favor of a constitutional amendment, with 128,366, or 30 percent, opposed...

NEW YORK -- A deliveryman who vanished after taking Chinese food to a Bronx high-rise apartment building was found alive Tuesday after apparently spending more than three days trapped in an elevator that had become stuck between floors. Ming Kuang Chen, 35, had been the subject of a widespread search after he failed to return to his restaurant Friday night with $200 in receipts, prompting speculation that he was the victim of armed bandits or some other urban horror...

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Connecticut is preparing a lawsuit to challenge President Bush's No Child Left Behind education law, and become the first state to challenge the federal mandate in court. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said Tuesday the federal lawsuit will contend the law illegally and unconstitutionally requires states and communities to spend millions more than the federal government provides for test development and school reform programs...

For me, baseball is the cool nip of spring games flowing into the moist heat of summer. Football is leaves changing and team logo sweatshirts. Basketball is snow on the ground outside but plenty of heat inside. In short, sports are inextricably linked with Missouri weather...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- One last rally. One more chance for Illinois fans to show the team their appreciation for 37 victories and countless highlights this season. So they turned out an estimated 20,000-strong, nearly filling one side of Memorial Stadium Tuesday to welcome their Illini home from St. Louis. Never mind that Illinois lost its last game, falling 75-70 to North Carolina in the national championship game Monday night...

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Baylor Lady Bears simply wanted to be a shining light for a university that needed something to applaud. One dazzling national championship ought to do. Sophia Young's 26 points, Emily Niemann's precise 3-point shooting and the brilliant, energetic play of Baylor's backcourt carried Baylor to an 84-62 victory over Michigan State on Tuesday night for the school's first NCAA title by a women's team...

Southeast escaped a ninth-inning jam and went on to defeat St. Louis University 3-2. Southeast Missourian ST. LOUIS -- Southeast Missouri State's Freddy Lopez picked a perfect time for his first extra-base hit of the year. Lopez delivered a two-run double in the top of the 10th inning to break a tie and send the Redhawks to a 3-2 victory against host St. Louis University on Tuesday...

It would have been hard to imagine Central sophomore pitcher Brad LaBruyere could have pitched much better than he did against Jackson in a 13-strikeout, 1-0 loss March 29. A week later, LaBruyere did just that, throwing a no-hitter in a 2-0 home victory against Notre Dame on Tuesday...

Umpires meeting set for Thursday The SEMO Umpires Association will meet 7 p.m. Thursday at Kohlfeld Distributing's meeting rooms. The meeting will cover baseball and softball part 2 tests and other association business. For information, contact Paul Friga at (573) 270-0476...

A comment, often made by gardeners, is that they want to plant something different in their landscape. They are tired of the standard fare of boxwoods, yews, spirea and crimson pygmy barberries. With this in mind I am listing several "different" plants that you might consider planting in your landscape...

Students in the Kelly School District will get their new high school, but those in Jackson will live with the current facilities for now. Both Kelly and Jackson school districts have had previous bond issues for new high schools fail, but 69 percent of the Kelly district voters approved the school's $3.5 million plan Tuesday...

A road district will remain intact and a new water district will be formed after Scott County voters cast their ballots Tuesday. According to unofficial results from Scott County Clerk Rita Milam, voters have chosen to keep the Illmo Special Road District serving the extreme northeast section of the county near Scott City and approved the formation of Rural Water District No. 4...

ST. LOUIS -- When J.B. Richman tells other contractors he recycles thermostats containing mercury switches, they often respond with indifference or jokes. "When I tell them what I do, they look at me like I'm a silly old man," said Richman, who runs J.B. Richman HVACR in St. Louis...

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. passport: It may get tougher to return home without it. Starting in 2008, Americans traveling from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, the Caribbean and Panama will be required to show their passports to re-enter the United States under regulations proposed Tuesday by the Bush administration...

ST. LOUIS -- A tax preparer filed false returns for clients that cost the government an estimated $6.5 million, the Justice Department said Tuesday. The civil complaint said Ella Mae Peterson -- employed at an H&R Block Tax Services office from 1984 to 2004 -- allegedly prepared false or fraudulent returns...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Missouri Catholics won't have an official delegation at the funeral of Pope John Paul II, as had been expected. The five bishops from the state had intended to attend the funeral but found that travel arrangements couldn't be made. Bishop John J. Leibrecht of the Springfield-Cape Girardeau Diocese had anticipated attending the service but couldn't make the necessary arrangements in time for the service...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Ousted dictator Saddam Hussein will be able to watch from his Baghdad jail cell as Iraq's newly elected parliament chooses a new president today, the next step in building Iraq's first democratically elected government in 50 years, Iraqi officials said...

NEW YORK -- Though income and education gaps between black and white Americans have narrowed significantly, black households still have barely one-tenth the net worth of white households, according to a new National Urban League report. Middle class blacks' tenuous hold on prosperity reflects racial discrimination in housing and other wealth-building arenas -- both historically and now -- and suggests that today's civil rights battles are largely economic, said Marc H. ...

I am an ordained Protestant of the Reformed, or Dutch Calvinist, persuasion. My experience with Catholics, specifically Polish Catholics, began in the neighborhood in which I was raised. Most on my block were either Dutch Reformed or Polish Catholics. ...

CEDAR CREEK, Mo. -- The bodies of two men who drowned in Taney County after being thrown into the water from a fishing boat were recovered Monday afternoon from Bull Shoals Lake in southwest Missouri. The Missouri State Water Patrol said the men disappeared Saturday afternoon near the mouth of Bee Creek. ...

It is the question all single men (even some single women) fear. You are romantically involved with someone (but not really). You're having a casual conversation (but not completely). And then the query is posed: "Are we dating, or are we just hooking up?" Ouch...

The Department of Music at Southeast Missouri State University will present the Southeast Guitar Ensemble in concert April 18 on the University campus. The program will take place at 8 p.m. in the Lutheran Chapel, located at the corner of Pacific and College Hill. The concert is open to the public and is free...

Cape Girardeau's River City Players Community Theatre will be presenting the beloved classic comedy, Harvey April 8, 9, and 13-16 at the River City Yacht Club at Port Cape Girardeau Restaurant. A famous play by Mary Chase, Harvey is well-known for its movie version starring Jimmy Stewart. ...

A few weeks ago I was lying in bed in a hotel room in Galveston, Texas , falling asleep to my XM satellite radio, when I decided to spend some time on the '40s station. I was looking for the oldest music I could find. Weird, I know. But, I've become obsessed with time lately, constantly crunching the numbers to get some sense of where I stand in the continuum. ...

Some of the area's best musicians will gather for 3 days of live music April 28-30 at The Camp. The 2nd Annual Rites Of Spring Music Festival features 16 bands, including Rock Solid, Elixir, Inkognito, Fused, Fists of Phoenix, Minds Above, Lost Possum, Catatonic, Nova Lunacy, and In The Clear...

The Department of Theatre and Dance at Southeast Missouri State University and the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri will present "Coyote Tales," an original production written, performed, and produced by the Dallas Children's Theater, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. April 20 in Academic Auditorium...

Melding bebop, jazz, reggae, country and rock, the Tiffany Christopher Band is one band you must see. Performing with spirit, con brio and a positive vibe, the group mixes electric and acoustic with some jazz thrown in on vocals and Tiffany Christopher's knack for playing polyrhythms -- a pillar of jazz -- on her guitar. One can see that the band is having a good time on stage. Because of that, you have a good time with this band...

I arrived home March 24. My family and some media met me at the airport in Kansas City. Today is April 5. I knew the results from the OEG (olfactory ensheathing glia) cell transplant I received in China would be much more effective after I arrived home...

It wasn't quite a school record, but the combination of the state's highest-profile university as an opponent, Bluff City Beer providing free food and beverages, and rain staying away made for a huge crowd at Capaha Field on Wednesday. And the announced 2,732 fans in attendance -- based on an estimation by Southeast Missouri State officials, since admission is free and no tickets are distributed -- were rewarded with a win by the home team...

Cape Girardeau couple Jeffrey and Wendy Street will never trust a stranger with their 4-month-old child, Chloe, again after their baby-sitter allegedly beat the baby Friday night. The baby-sitter, Karen Byrum, 43, has been charged with felony child abuse after the couple discovered bruises on the abdomen, buttocks and legs of the child...

CAIRO, Ill. -- A Cairo teenager was in jail Wednesday night after allegedly setting fire to several houses and vehicles in the city, said Cairo police officials. The police department said Pristine Henderson, 19, was being held in custody after allegedly setting fire to five homes and two vehicles at about 4 p.m. Wednesday. She is being charged with attempted arson and criminal trespassing...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Sometimes the presence or absence of a single word can drastically alter a piece of legislation's impact. During a two-hour hearing Tuesday on a bill to revise Missouri's telecommunications regulations, nearly the entire discussion focused on whether the word "existing" should be dropped from the 26-page measure...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Every drop of gasoline sold in Missouri would be required to contain at least 10 percent ethanol as of 2007 under legislation the House Agriculture Policy Committee heard this week. Supporters say mandating fuel blended with ethanol statewide would lead to lower prices at the pump, expand a market for corn farmers and create jobs with the construction of additional ethanol production facilities in the state, all while increasing the use of cleaner-burning fuel...

For the first time ever, women will outnumber men on the seven-member Cape Girardeau City Council thanks to victories Tuesday by two women candidates, including one who was propelled into office by a well-organized write-in campaign. The city council will include four women and three men. Voters elected former councilwoman Loretta Schneider in Ward 4 and write-in candidate Debra Tracy in Ward 3. They join two other women on the council -- Evelyn Boardman and Marcia Ritter...

EAST CAPE GIRARDEAU, Ill. -- Joe Aden, who has served as East Cape Girardeau's mayor since 1977, was re-elected by voters in Tuesday's election. The outcome was never in doubt as he ran unopposed. Aden has served on the village board since 1975 when the town was incorporated. East Cape Girardeau has a population of 450...

As Missouri's attorney general stood at the podium at the Big Cedar Lodge conference center preparing to speak, ignoring the huge moose head over his shoulder became an impossibility. He stopped speaking, started and stopped again...

25 years ago: April 7, 1980 A three-member board of commissioners appointed by the Cape Girardeau Circuit Court has recommended to the court that the city of Cape Girardeau pay more than $14,000 to two property owners on West Cape Rock Drive for damage to the property caused by grade changes along the city right of way...

Wilson; DeBrock; Bollinger; Bruhn; Burger; Rister; Melson; Boyd

GLENALLEN, Mo. -- Harold Chronister, 72, of Glenallen died Tuesday, April 5, 2005, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. He was born March 4, 1933, at Glenallen, son of Buford and Emma Jane Burns Cobb. Chronister retired as an office equipment repairman, and was a member of Glenallen United Methodist Church...

SEDALIA, Mo. -- Lester L. Leaton, 76, of Sedalia died Tuesday, April 5, 2005, at the University of Missouri Hospital in Columbia. He was born Oct. 6, 1928, in Longwood, Mo., son of Samuel Earl and Mildred White Leaton. He married Charlotte Norton Aug. 11,1950. She died May 31, 1995. He then married Ilene Homan Wolf in Sedalia...

Jack D. Craft, 70, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, April 5, 2005, at his home. He was born June 12, 1934, in Cape Girardeau, son of Seth R. and Mary A. Eaker Craft. He and Betty Macke were married Feb. 6, 1960, in Cape Girardeau. Craft was a salesman in the automotive industry and retired from Jim Wilson Co. He was a member of VFW Post 3838, American Legion Post 63 and Eagles Aerie...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Gary Russell McDowell, 58, of Marble Hill died Tuesday, April 5, 2005, at Elder Care. He was born Aug. 14, 1946, in San Francisco, Calif., son of Jack Francis and Margaret Ann Burkett McDowell. McDowell was a mechanic 32 years with the U.S. Postal Service, retiring in 2001. He was a member of Orange County Temple in Orange County, Calif...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Troy E. "Spike" Seabaugh, 80, of Perryville died Tuesday, April 5, 2005, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. He was born Feb. 21, 1925, at Sedgewickville, Mo., son of Lester and Bessie Propst Seabaugh. He and Lindola M. Richardet were married Dec. 26, 1964, in Perryville...

Mary A. Myer, 83, of Cape Girardeau, formerly of Benton, Mo., died Wednesday, April 6, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born Jan. 15, 1922, at Kelso, Mo., daughter of Lawrence Henry and Ella Pobst Weissmueller. She and Dewitte A. Myer were married July 31, 1947, in Cape Girardeau...

Franchon White, 90, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, April 5, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center. She was born Feb. 16, 1915, in Jonesboro, Ark., daughter of E.E. and Theresa O'Hare Palsgrove Sr. She and Robert Fulton White were married Feb. 12, 1938, in Cape Girardeau. He died Oct. 31, 1987...

Post office action; Teachers' raises; Why not both?; Keep track of money; Something in return; Noise pollution; Who's paying?; Send the message; Who's next?

To the editor: It's hard to believe that an important issue like the future of our kids' education actually requires a higher percentage for passage then that of the future leader of our country. On Tuesday the Jackson School District bond issue received a 55 percent yes vote and still went down in defeat...

To the editor: Your articles on littering haven't mentioned once a form of littering that many consider to be the most offensive of all, because it's so obtrusive you can't ignore it, and because it does irreparable damage to our beautiful state. I'm talking about litter on a stick, or billboards. You cannot approach Cape Girardeau from any direction without these huge monstrosities marring the landscape...

To the editor: I commend Gov. Matt Blunt for signing into law reforms to Missouri's workers' compensation system. As a Missouri employer, I can tell you firsthand the system is broken. Senate Bill 1 takes important steps to bring balance back to the system...

MERRIAM, Kan. -- If a robot enters your room the next time you're in the hospital, and it starts asking you questions, don't panic. It may be a state-of-the-art RP-6 model like the one currently making the rounds at Shawnee Mission Medical Center. Named REMi by the hospital's doctors and staff, the 5-foot-4 robot is equipped with a flat-screen computer monitor, two-way video feed, a microphone and a speaker...

The long, low building in Scott City first housed Wetterau Inc.'s food distribution center in the early 1960s. A few years after merging with Wetterau in the mid-1990s, wholesale food distribution giant Supervalu moved its operations from Scott City to St. Louis, leaving the 260,000-square-foot building empty and in some ways a symbol of Scott City's unused potential...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items on Tuesday. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWIs * Jennifer L. Hashley, 21, of Jackson, was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. * Jerry W. Arnold, 843 N. Main, was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Wednesday: * At 5:24 p.m., responded to report of gas odor at 300 Kiwanis Drive. * At 6:27 p.m., emergency medical service at 2800 block of Whitener. * At 7:07 a.m., emergency medical service at 22 N. Park Ave...

Laura Wibbenmeyer, a 20-year-old broadcast meteorology major at the University of Missouri, has been studying at the University of Reading in England since January. She is a Ste. Genevieve native, went to a Catholic school and has maintained her faith since being out on her own. She plans to return home on April 12...

At the Monday night meeting at the Scott City Council the council passed several minor revisions to update the city's code book and scheduled a public hearing from a residence at 212 Lincoln St. for planning and zoning issues for April 18. In other city business, the council also agreed to purchase a columbium from Liley Monuments for the city cemetery and it was announced that bulky item cleanup was ongoing this week with the public works department...

The Jackson Elks Lodge will be doing a litter pickup along Highway D in Jackson near the lodge this Saturday at 9 a.m. The pickup is part of the lodge's commitment to the Adopt-A-Highway program.

Humane Society adoptions double at open house; Scott County Women in Agriculture meet today; Salvation Army Men's Club will hold auction; Illinois train club to hold model railroad show, sale; River Heritage Quilters hold trunk show Monday; Spring home and garden tour in Charleston; Jackson chamber holds golf tourney, showcase; Noon Optimists sponsor Safety City classes; Old Town Cape to hold fund-raising auction; Eckankar religion presents workshop; Upcoming Beginning Experience weekend

Cape senior center to hold family-style dinner...

The Senate passed legislation Wednesday that would dedicate millions of dollars for professional sports facilities around the state. The legislation, which was sent to the House on a 21-11 vote, changes the way the state's tax on out-of-state athletes and entertainers is distributed...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Two months after elections, Iraq's new government finally began to take shape Wednesday as lawmakers elected as president a Kurdish leader who promised to represent all ethnic and religious groups in a session broadcast across the country -- and shown to Saddam Hussein in his jail cell...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- A U.S. military helicopter returning from a mission smashed into the southern Afghan desert Wednesday, killing at least 16 people in the deadliest military crash since the fall of the Taliban in late 2001. An Afghan official said most of the dead appeared to be Americans...

CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- Human activities such as hunting and logging have driven nearly one quarter of the world's primate species to the brink of extinction, according to a new report. Without concerted action, great apes such as the Sumatran orangutan of Indonesia and the Eastern gorilla of central Africa are at risk of disappearing, according to the report to be released today by the World Conservation Union, the International Primatological Society and Conservation International...

JERUSALEM -- A detailed evacuation plan for the Gaza Strip presented to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Wednesday includes wide security perimeters and covers details like removing settlers' pets and Jewish cemeteries, according to a senior Israeli official. ...

MONACO -- The famed Monte Carlo casino was closed, its spinning roulette wheels at rest as Monaco mourned the death Wednesday of Europe's longest-reigning monarch, Prince Rainier III, who worked to overcome this tiny principality's reputation as "a sunny place for shady people."...

Conn. Senate approves landmark civil unions bill; Space shuttle delayed by crack in insulation; White supremacist sentenced to 40 years

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff lauded federal and state efforts in the nation's largest-ever anti-terrorism drill Wednesday, saying agencies were communicating "efficiently and promptly" in response to a pair of mock disasters...

LOS ANGELES -- The call came several times from the stage: Will all the celebrity clients Johnnie Cochran Jr. represented please rise. O.J. Simpson, Michael Jackson, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and others in the star-studded audience stood up, and an overflow crowd at the 5,000-seat West Angeles Cathedral applauded...

LOS ANGELES -- Ever see an ornithologist moonwalk? Kimberly Bostwick, curator of birds and mammals at Cornell University's Museum of Vertebrates, glides backward, Michael Jackson style, to illustrate the courting moves of the manakin, a small golden-headed bird...

BERKELEY, Calif. -- Wine shipped by California wineries to U.S. markets increased by 3 percent in 2004, which experts attributed to a recovering economy and increased wine consumption. Overall, California wineries shipped 428 million gallons of wine to U.S. markets in 2004, according to the Gomberg-Fredrikson report compiled by wine analyst Jon Fredrikson...

WASHINGTON -- Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan urged Congress on Wednesday to restrict the multibillion-dollar holdings of the mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, warning that their huge debt could imperil U.S. financial markets. His admonition lent support to an effort in Congress to tighten controls on the two government-sponsored companies following their accounting scandals. ...

VATICAN CITY -- After electronic highway signs and cell phone text messages failed to stanch the flow of pilgrims, police stepped in Wednesday to turn back mourners hoping to join the 24-hour line to view the body of Pope John Paul II, on a day that brought almost 1 million people to the Vatican...

Oak Ridge became the second area high school to fill its boys basketball coaching vacancy when it recently hired Jackson assistant John Martin as its new head coach. The Bluejays are coming off a 10-14 season which included a runner-up finish in the Mississippi Valley Conference tournament. Oak Ridge enjoyed a six-game winning streak midway through the season and finished with a loss to Oran in the first round of the Class 1 District 2 tournament...

Tara Boldt wanted to repeat, while Katie Bloom wanted to shed her alternate status. Mission accomplished on both counts for the two Southeast Missouri State gymnasts who qualified in the all-around for Saturday night's NCAA Division I South Central Regional in Lincoln, Neb...

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Tiger Woods is still the main attraction at the Masters. After all, Woods' accomplishmets at Augusta National include shattering scoring records as a 21-year-old and claiming three green jackets by the time he was 26. But he no longer is the main event...

Notre Dame improved to 5-1 with an eight-stroke victory against Sikeston in a dual meet Wednesday at Bent Creek Golf Course in Jackson. Notre Dame finished with a score of 166; Sikeston had 174. Clayton Eftink led the Bulldogs with a 4-over-par 40, while Will Lindman shot a 41, Tyler Menz shot a 42 and Brandon Holzum shot a 43...

If the price of gas has ever been higher than $2.12 in Cape Girardeau -- as it was in several gas stations Wednesday -- many people can't recall when. "It's as high as I can remember," said Rebecca Galloway of Cape Girardeau as she fueled up her 1995 minivan. "Last week it was $2.05, this week it's $2.12. That's only three days later."...

WASHINGTON -- There is food, and then there is superfood. Salmon, trout and albacore tuna may reduce the risk of heart disease. So may olive oil, almonds, walnuts, Cheerios and Boca Burgers. These foods, which go beyond basic nutrition and help fight disease or make you healthier, are what shoppers increasingly want...

To show support for those in need in the Cape Girardeau community, student groups will be sleeping outside in boxes overnight. The event, held from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Saturday and Sunday at Southeast Missouri State University Academic Terraces, is sponsored by the Group Housing staff and Group Area Council in the Office of Residence Life. Monetary donations distributed to Habitat for Humanity and the Salvation Army will be collected before the event...

Last week at the United Way of Southeast Missouri's annual meeting and awards ceremony, the Community Caring Council received a special recognition award for our shared vision and commitment to the Cape Girardeau community. The council genuinely appreciates this recognition, as it serves to underscore what has been an evolving, productive relationship with the United Way...

WASHINGTON -- Someone born next year who goes on to earn what the government considers a high-wage income could see his Social Security check replaced by the personal investment account President Bush has proposed, a congressional study says. Democrats said Wednesday that the study, which they commissioned from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, was troublesome because it illustrated how the accounts -- invested in the stock market -- might eventually eliminate Social Security's guaranteed checks.. ...

Southeast Missouri State's Redhawks have been in desperate need of a signature win that might jump-start their season....

Today Blood pressure screening at Cape Senior Center from 10 to 11:15 a.m., conducted by Southeast Missouri Hospital's Generations Family Resource Center. Call 651-5825. Preparation for Childbirth Class 1 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the South Healing Arts Room on the first floor of the Healing Arts Center. This is a first of four sessions. For information, call (877) 231-BABY...

WASHINGTON -- It's a nightmare that scientists say could happen. Terrorists penetrate a nuclear power plant but ignore the concrete-protected reactor. They're really after the pool of water containing hundreds of used fuel rods. Explosive charges lead to an uncontrollable fire, sending radiation into the air...

Southern Illinois, ranked 24th in the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball college rankings, swept a doubleheader from Southeast Missouri State on Wednesday in Cape Girardeau. But it wasn't easy. After Southern Illinois (30-8) scored three runs in the first inning of the opening game en route to a 4-1 victory, the Salukis scratched for a single run to win 1-0 in the nightcap...

HOUSTON -- Andy Pettitte felt better than he had in a long time, going all the way back to his final game with the New York Yankees almost 18 months ago. He pitched like it, too. Pettitte allowed only a solo homer to Reggie Sanders in a six-inning season debut, and Mike Lamb's two-run triple in the bottom of the eighth sent the Houston Astros to a 4-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday...

Rick Ankiel signed a minor league contract Wednesday with the St. Louis Cardinals and will work on his conversion from a pitcher to an outfielder. Removed from the major league roster Monday, Ankiel cleared unconditional release waivers Wednesday, then re-signed later in the day. The Cardinals plan to send him to their Class AA farm team in Springfield, Mo...

A person may believe his drinking is under control, but alcohol could be ruining his health. For most adults who drink in moderation, alcohol causes few problems. Nearly three adults in 10 are "risky drinkers," according to information provided for today's National Alcohol Screening Day, promoted by Screening for Mental Health Inc. ...

I always remember my father as a fearless man. This was especially so when it came to anything having to do with horses. The last time we rode together was when we were trying out two young colts that he had raised on his farm. He was offering them to me -- a gift of my Missouri heritage to bring back to California. Taking a gallop around the farm was an activity that had occupied many hours of our shared history...

The phone rang Thursday morning. On the other end was a Lovely Lady -- I could tell she was lovely by the way she stated her case. Folks who call the editor usually have a complaint. And folks who are complaining tend to be on the -- How should I put this? -- grumpy side...

The U.S. Postal Service has purchased the Cape Girardeau post office building it vacated a year ago and plans to move back in by September once the building is renovated. The Postal Service plans to replace the roof and the electrical and lighting systems in the 18,000-square-foot building at 320 N. Frederick St. before reopening it as a post office, postmaster Mike Keefe said Thursday...

In between shuffling from clothing to jewelry and back to clothes again, Jessica James was pleasantly surprised on her first trip to Kohl's Thursday, the grand opening day for Cape Girardeau's newest big-name department store. "It's better than I thought," said the Jackson resident, who was shopping for her three children. "I thought it'd be smaller. They also have a lot more variety. This one seems to have good sales, and I really like the way the store's set up."...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Two Bootheel Republicans broke with their party and Gov. Matt Blunt on Thursday to oppose a Medicaid overhaul bill that authorizes the elimination or reduction of health-care services for many low-income Missourians. After two days of debate in which Democrats branded the proposal as "cruel" and "immoral," the GOP-led House of Representatives passed it 89-69. ...

ST. LOUIS -- Mark Mulder pitches the third game of the season for the Cardinals tonight, and it'll be every bit as big of an occasion as opening day. The 17-game winner, the team's biggest offseason acquisition, gets to pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies amid the pomp and circumstance of the home opener...

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Opening Day at the Masters brought some familiar sights Thursday-- first the rain, then the names atop the leaderboard that included defending champion Phil Mickelson and world No. 1 Vijay Singh. But don't get the idea this was just another typical day at Augusta National...

NEW YORK -- Baseball's big-money boom pushed the average salary to a record $2.6 million on opening day, and the New York Yankees' payroll of just under $200 million topped five teams combined. Following a rare drop from 2003 to 2004, the average climbed 5.9 percent to $2.63 million, according to a study by The Associated Press...

Hannah Kinder is the kind of person Central girls swimming coach Dayna Powell likes having on the team. "She's a great teammate," Powell said. "She's concerned about others on the team. She's very unassuming and encouraging to others." It doesn't hurt that Kinder also has the kind of talent which may lead to some all-state honors in this, her sophomore season...

srobertson Chevy Cobalt ready to battle imports If you are one of those car shoppers browsing in the "high value" market (translation: inexpensive), and you can't stand the thought of buying anything but American, I've got a car for you. It's brand new, it has most of the gee-whiz engineering gizmos, it's very well built, and it flies Old Glory with pride. ...

LAUREL, Del. -- A man wearing a bulletproof vest killed two people and wounded four others Thursday during a shooting rampage in Maryland and Delaware before police arrested him, authorities said. Police said the suspect also carjacked a vehicle, shot and killed a dog and rammed a SUV into a chain-link fence and over a utility meter during the crime spree. ...

PAINTSVILLE, Ky. -- A surplus of diet food for the overweight has been a boon for the hungry in Appalachia. Once hot and trendy, low-carb Atkins diet foods that never got sold are being shipped to food banks. Since September, 14 truckloads of Atkins nutritional bars, shakes and breakfast mixes have been sent to charities that hand out free food...

DETROIT -- A federal court ruled Thursday in favor of U.S.-German automaker DaimlerChrysler AG in a high-profile securities lawsuit that pitted billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian against the company. Kerkorian sued DaimlerChrysler for more than $1 billion, claiming DaimlerBenz engineered a takeover of Chrysler Corp. in 1998, then cheated him out of an acquisition fee...

NEW YORK -- The nation's retailers struggled with mixed sales in March as cold weather kept many shoppers indoors, but analysts said consumers' willingness to spend nonetheless appeared robust. As stores released their sales figures Thursday, heavyweights Wal-Mart Stores Inc. ...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraqis have been waiting for weeks, but nearly everyone missed the big event Thursday: the naming of the man who will lead the country's first democratically elected government in a half century. Jalal Talabani, a prominent Kurd just sworn in as interim president, had been expected to announce at the end of his inauguration speech that the President's Council selected Shiite Arab leader Ibrahim al-Jaafari to be prime minister...

UNITED NATIONS -- The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Thursday to authorize an international investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The resolution -- co-sponsored by the United States, France and Britain -- urged the independent commission to complete its work in three months but gave Secretary-General Kofi Annan authority to extend its mandate for another three months if necessary...

ST. LOUIS -- Anheuser-Busch on Wednesday launched another flavor in its Bacardi Silver lineup, hoping the watermelon-tinged brew will give a warm-weather boost to a company with suddenly sluggish sales. Bacardi Silver Watermelon is the latest flavored malt beverage, or "malternative," in the Bacardi Silver line introduced three years ago. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The House Budget Committee signed off Thursday night on a roughly $19 billion budget plan that would boost school spending while cutting some health-care services for the fiscal year that begins in July. Highlights of the legislation include $4.8 billion for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, a roughly $76 million increase from the 2005 budget. ...

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals have already sold a franchise-record 2.7 million tickets for the final season at Busch Stadium, and that demand has prompted the NL champions to redesign tickets aimed at avoiding fraud. Missouri attorney general Jay Nixon joined team president Mark Lamping at a news conference Thursday, a day before the home opener. Nixon said there were several "issues" involving ticket scalpers at the World Series...

ST. LOUIS -- In a career filled with firsts, St. Louis Cardinals star Albert Pujols made room for another on Thursday. Pujols, the only player in major league history to hit .300 with 30 home runs, 100 RBIs and 100 runs in each of his first four seasons, now graces the cover of a Wheaties box with his power-stroke follow-through...

WASHINGTON -- There's pump shock at every corner gas station, with prices well over $2 a gallon and still rising. And the government says you had better get used to it. The Energy Department projects high gasoline prices and $50-plus crude oil at least through next year as producers struggle to keep up with demand...

WASHINGTON -- Doctors are bracing for a flood of confused patients wondering what painkillers are safe, now that the government is ordering scarier warning labels on popular prescription brands. At issue: whether anti-inflammatory medicines called NSAIDs -- the backbone of U.S. pain treatment -- raise the risk heart attacks and strokes, particularly when taken at high doses or for long periods of time...

WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department projects high gasoline prices and $50-plus crude oil at least through next year as producers struggle to keep up with demand. The department said Thursday it expects gasoline prices to average $2.35 a gallon nationwide in May, the dawn of the summer driving season. Motorists paid an average of $2.22 a gallon last week, 44 cents more than a year ago...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items on Thursday. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI <li> Carl J. Cummings, 21, 2830 Whitener, Apt. 4, was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Arrests <li> Kittrel E. Braselman, 42, 507 S. Ellis St., was arrested on a Perry County warrant for failing to appear on a seat belt violation...

With this morning's funeral for Pope John Paul II, another chapter in religious history has ended. Now the attention of the Roman Catholic church turns to the 117 cardinals who are eligible to vote in the conclave, which begins April 18, to elect the successor to St. Peter, the church's first pope...

Zalma will have a new basketball coach for 2005-06, while Bell City still is searching for the replacement for coach and athletic director David Heeb. Zalma named Ryan Harmon, the junior varsity and junior high basketball coach who is completing his first year at the school, as the replacement for Dwyght Ford...

Notre Dame's Will Lindman was the medalist with a 2-over-par 37 in a three-team meet Thursday with Jackson and Central at Kimbeland Country Club. Central won the meet with a 160, followed by Jackson (167) and Notre Dame (174). Central's Blake Driskell was the only other golfer to break 40, finishing with a 39 on a wet and windy day...

To the editor: On the Jackson School District bond issue: It seems to me that the district should work on building a new school away from the old rundown school. It would be best if all the schools were in the same area so buses would not be running in circles. It seems like a lot of money to spend on that old building...

To the editor: It's now been shown that the polls that were widely reported in the mainstream media leading up to Terri Schiavo's death were biased polls with leading questions. Why aren't we hearing about that? The latest unbiased polling from Zogby shows the nation clearly supporting Terri and her parents and wanting to protect the lives of other disabled patients. ...