Stories from Saturday, May 21, 2005

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's public higher education institutions are mired in mediocrity and need structural changes to help them achieve excellence, a gubernatorial commission exploring ways to reorganize state government was told Friday. Crosby Kemper III of Kansas City said none of the taxpayer-funded universities in Missouri has a national reputation, although some individual programs at those schools are held in high regard. ...

It took police 22 minutes to nab a suspect who has since been charged with robbing the Bank of Missouri Friday morning, but they had advance warning. Around 9:26 a.m., the Missouri State Highway Patrol received a telephone call alerting them to a bank robbery about to occur, first in the area of Commerce Bank at Lexington Avenue and Cape LaCroix Road, then later in general at Lexington, North Kingshighway and Route W...

Having a yard sale isn't easy, especially when the sale has the possibility of being hit by hundreds or even thousands of people in a day. But that hasn't stopped the Jackson Historical Association from participating in the 100-Mile Yard Sale. Pricing items, setting up tables and staying outside from 6 a.m. until almost dark is all part of the process, said Barbara Lohr, a member of the association. But in the end the sale is worth the effort...

The numbers on the wall only begin to tell the story of the past 10 months. Starting with 1, they stretch across Becky Wachter's classroom, around a corner, across a door and over two storage cabinets, ending with a yellow star over 175. It's 175 days since Randa Norman first entered the colorful kindergarten classroom at South Elementary in Jackson with pink nail polish on her finger tips and tears streaming down her face...

Five historic sites in Cape Girardeau moved a step closer Friday to being listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation approved the nominations during the second day of its two-day meeting in Cape Girardeau...

Kenny Perry is having vision problems that make it difficult for him to read greens or see clearly from long distances and shady spots. Yet, Perry is so comfortable playing at the Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas, that he's still in the lead by three strokes with a tournament-record score after two rounds...

DALLAS -- With Steve Nash leading the way, there's simply no stopping the Phoenix Suns' offense. Not in a game and, perhaps, not in the playoffs. Nash helped erase a 16-point, third-quarter deficit, forced overtime on a 3-pointer with 5.7 seconds left, then made the 3 that put the Suns ahead for good in a 130-126 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night that puts Phoenix in the Western Conference finals...

Ruling on United Airlines deferred until May 31; Merger would make airline nation's No. 6

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Mark Mulder beats Kansas City even on his bad nights. The St. Louis left-hander walked a season-high five Friday and twice allowed the Royals to load the bases with none out. But thanks to John Mabry's grand slam and RBI double, the Cardinals defeated their cross-state rivals 7-6, pushing Mulder's career record against Kansas City to 9-1...

Three charged in Poplar Bluff killing; Man cut by prop after being thrown from boat; Jury deliberates case of student's killing; Stoddard Co. 911 wins unexpected grant money ; Initial search finds no brake problems on bus; KC suburb hopes levee protects economic future

CONCORD, N.C. -- It's been a long, frustrating year since Matt Kenseth last raced his way into Victory Lane. The consistency he used to win a NASCAR championship has been replaced by a steady stream of disappointing finishes. As he attempts to defend his title tonight in the Nextel All-Star Challenge, Kenseth has never felt farther off the pace. He has just one top-10 finish this season and is 21st in the points standings...

CLAYTON, Mo. -- St. Louis Rams defensive end Leonard Little -- acquitted last month of felony drunken driving -- plans to appeal a related misdemeanor speeding conviction and the resulting sentence of two years of probation. Little's attorneys notified authorities this week of their plan to appeal, including the probation requirement that Little not consume alcohol, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Friday...

BRANSON, Mo. -- A tribute to Vietnam veterans planned for next month has gained a billionaire backer and nationally known event planners, with President Bush and troops in Iraq making appearances via satellites. "Welcome Home: America's Tribute to Vietnam Veterans" is scheduled for June 13 to 19 to mark the 30th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War...

BEIJING -- China on Friday announced new tariffs that it hopes will hold down surging textile exports, trying to avert a trade war with the United States and Europe after Washington imposed import quotas. Beijing took the step despite accusing Washington of treating China unfairly and saying earlier U.S. and European market barriers were to blame for the surge in Chinese textile imports after a worldwide quota system expired on Jan. 1...

Judge spurns media effort for access in BTK case; N.M. Capitol evacuated because of package; Mass. repeals law that bans Indians from Boston; Police switch suspects in Indiana girl's death; Jackson defense may rest early next week; Carrier USS America sent to bottom of Atlantic

TOLEDO, Ohio -- In the late 1990s, Ohio came up with a novel way to invest money from its workers' compensation fund: It bought $50 million worth of rare coins. The state made a mint. But the investment has also yielded a scandal. At least 121 coins worth an estimated $400,000 are missing. ...

The Saxony sophomore placed second in the event at the Class 1 state track meet. Southeast Missourian Saxony Lutheran sophomore Brandon Etzold finished second in the 1,600-meter run Friday at the MSHSAA Class 1 track meet at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Mo...

Cuban dissidents open opposition gathering ; Israel may retaliate if militants not reined in; Minister of Russian Dagestan region killed; Female Afghan TV host shot dead in Kabul

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items Friday. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests * Paul Edward Miller, 47, 626 S. Benton St., was arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Thursday: * At 1:40 p.m., emergency medical service in the 2800 block of Cape La Croix Road. * At 5:48 p.m., illegal burn at 240 Marlin St. * At 6:19 p.m., emergency medical service in the 1400 block of Rose Street...

LIXVILLE, Mo. -- Florence Alice Jaco, 91, passed away Wednesday, May 18, 2005, at St. Anthony's Medical Center in St. Louis County. She was born June 6, 1913, at Lixville, daughter of John R. and Rosa Harrell Conrad. She married Max Jaco, who died in 1943...

All the answers; Propaganda machine; No kidding?; Efficient and disastrous; Cheers for Oak Ridge; Bold action; Plant a memorial; Great pop concert; Peace and quiet; Loud mufflers; Right about workers; Official whitewash; Summer work; Salute to parents; Jefferson City errors

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Frieda A. Long, 89, of Marble Hill died Thursday, May 19, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born June 23, 1915, at Patton, Mo., daughter of Miles O. and Ruth A. Long Lincoln. She and Oscar Bollinger were married Oct. 13, 1940. He died Jan. 5, 1974. She and Medford Long were married April 2, 1976. He died March 7, 1985...

To the editor: I'm writing about your thoughtful May 7 editorial: "Pseudoephedrine." Keeping the ingredients of meth behind the counter of licensed pharmacies is certainly a lot better solution than the previous non-solution of building more and bigger prisons...

To the editor: Congratulations to Steven Bender for his excellent story and photo (in The Best Years magazine) of the old Trinity Lutheran Church at Egypt Mills. Many of my friends -- Kessels, Dunns, Rakoffs, Heises -- are buried there. The first funeral I attended was there in honor of Mr. Steinhof, who lived in a large house just in front of the Iona School...

To the editor: It is the height of hypocrisy for the Bush administration to attack Newsweek magazine. Newsweek at least reported information it believed to be true, not information it desired to be true. The White House spent all of 2002 and much of 2003 making false statements about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. ...

Metcalf; Koeberl; Vardeman; Logsdon; Vance; Healey; Gloth; Gihring; Staniszewski; Blattel; Clifton; Cameron

Baseball...

25 years ago: May 21, 1980 ST. LOUIS -- The Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents, meeting outside Cape Girardeau for the first time since 1956, approves the appointment of Dr. Leslie H. Cochran, presently vice provost for academic administration at Central Michigan University, as the new dean of academic services at Southeast...

Central sophomore Hannah Kinder qualified for the finals in two events at the MSHSAA girls swimming and diving meet Friday at the St. Peters Rec-Plex in St. Peters, Mo. Kinder qualified in the 50-yard freestyle by posting the sixth-best preliminary time. She finished in 24.93 seconds, about one-tenth of a second off her seed time and nearly a full second behind the 23.99 preliminary time posted by freshman Tarin Corwin of Blue Springs...

To the editor: Thank you for the story regarding the national accreditation of Southeast Missouri State University's mass communication program. I would like to clarify the lead paragraph in the story. One might get the impression from "Since 1987 ... ...

Sometimes up the road from me I see a couple of pot-bellied pigs that are house pets. Call it a lack of compassion, but I can't picture myself hugging hogs. We raised pigs when I was a kid. Bristles, feeding slop to greedy oinkers, boars that were mean, sows that sometimes accidentally crushed their babies, and stinky, muddy pigpens are what I remember about swine...

News that the Naval Reserve Center in Cape Girardeau is targeted for closure under a Pentagon plan announced last week is unwelcome, but Missouri fared better than many states. If approved, the closings and consolidations would cost the state about 4,000 civilian and military jobs...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Lisa Gay Shaw, 43, of Sikeston died Thursday, May 19, 2005, at her home. She was born April 25, 1962, in Portage, Wis., daughter of John Robert and Donna Jean Kleist Shaw. Shaw had worked at Burger King in Sikeston and was a member of Wesley United Methodist Church...

BALTIMORE -- Even though he's won the Kentucky Derby, a question still lingers for Giacomo: Was his Derby win at 50-1 odds a fluke or a first step on the way to the Triple Crown? The answer comes in today's Preakness Stakes, when Giacomo takes on 13 rivals in what shapes up as a wide-open race...

WASHINGTON -- Senate Republicans set the stage for a showdown Tuesday over the filibusters blocking several of President Bush's judicial nominees, a historic vote that could determine whether an out-of-power party can stop a president from placing like-minded jurists on the nation's highest courts...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Just a few years ago, Michigan State University scientist Jose Cibelli was considered the leading expert on cloning human embryos to treat and study disease. Now, there's no debate that the cloning king is Hwang Woo-suk of Seoul National University...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Some Iraqis said the photos were just the latest in a series of insults to Arabs and Muslims. Others said the humiliation is just what the imprisoned 68-year-old former dictator deserved. Two tabloids owned by Rupert Murdoch published revealing photographs on Friday of Saddam Hussein, including one showing him naked except for his white underwear...

Jake Kluesner and Mike Devault topped a field of 15 teams to win the Southeast Missouri Horseshoes Association event Sunday at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Oran. Ron LeGrand and John Vandeven placed second; Perry Seyes and Jacob Vandeven were third...

Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim, Mo., recently added two stained glass windows in the narthex of the church. The windows were gifts from the Tuschhoff family. The design of one window is centered on a dove; this window is given in memory of Hilbert Tuschhoff by his wife, Aileen, and daughter, Donna. ...

ANDIJAN, Uzbekistan -- Defying growing calls Friday for an international inquiry into the bloody suppression of anti-government riots, President Islam Karimov's regime rounded up suspected participants in the unrest, which human rights activists say killed hundreds...

Southeast Missouri State continued to close in on an Ohio Valley Conference tournament berth -- but the Redhawks still have one final hurdle to clear. The Redhawks swept a doubleheader from stubborn Tennessee-Martin Friday afternoon, 6-4 in the nine-inning opener and 4-2 in the seven-inning nightcap...

The idea of playing Division I basketball and being able to stay close to home was enough for Jackson senior all-state guard Jack Puisis to make the decision to join the Southeast Missouri State basketball team next season as a walk-on. Puisis, a 6-foot-2 guard, averaged 21.1 points per game while leading Class 5 Jackson to a 23-4 record this past season. Puisis shot 47 percent from 3-point range and 81 percent from the free-throw line...

Research by the Barna Group suggests that 45 percent of American adults attend church during a typical weekend. And if that's so, it might explain the current church construction boom in Cape Girardeau and Jackson. Five congregations are in the midst of major projects designed to add space for ministries, make better use of existing structures and create a more comfortable atmosphere for worship...