Stories from May 2005

NEW YORK -- Men are taking a long overdue look in the mirror, and many don't like what they see. How could they have thought that wrinkled pleated chinos and shapeless shirts ever counted as fashion -- or were even attractive? Clothes don't quite make the man, but some men -- especially 20- and 30-somethings -- are realizing they can help, especially in the confidence and self-esteem departments...

NEW YORK -- The hemline could be up, it could be down. The most important thing this season is that your skirt is round. Full skirts, especially bohemian styles in crinkled fabrics, are among spring's top looks -- and they'll probably be even more popular as the weather warms up and women abandon socks, stockings and stiff shoes, such as loafers and pumps...

Left out; Recruiting advice; Bad behavior; Hall criteria; Ready for some baseball; Coverage critique; Correction

25 years ago: May 1, 1980 The Magill Hall addition at Southeast Missouri State University is a step closer to reality after approval by the Missouri Legislature only minutes before the midnight adjournment Wednesday night; the $3.9 million for Magill was the largest appropriation for any state university...

Mr. and Mrs. Olin Johns of Cape Girardeau celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary April 24, 2005, at Monticello House in Jackson. The reception was hosted by the family of Wayne and Margaret McDowell. Johns and Geneva McDaniel were married April 26, 1940...

Henry and Linda Burnette of Cape Girardeau are observing their 40th wedding anniversary today. The couple was married May 1, 1965, at First Church of the Nazarene by the Rev. Fred Hartman. Burnette is the son of the late Henry and Mary Burnette. Mrs. Burnette is the daughter of Calvin and Pauline Melton of St. Louis...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Sadie Nichole Hornbuckle announces the engagement of her parents, Priscilla Nichole Wicker and Christopher Paul Hornbuckle of Chaffee. Wicker is the daughter of Anna Wicker of Chaffee, and the late Fred Wicker. Hornbuckle is the son of Cheryl and Ronnie Pruett of Chaffee and Ted and Karen Hornbuckle of Advance, Mo...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Donald and Florence Steffens of Perryville announce the engagement of their daughter, Amy Elizabeth Steffens, to Ryan Matthew Kutz. He is the son of Ronald and Barbara Kutz of Perryville. Steffens is a 2002 graduate of Perryville High School. She expects to receive a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Concordia University in Seward, Neb., in May 2006...

LEOPOLD, Mo. -- Roger and Sheryl Vandeven of Leopold announce the engagement of their daughter, Gwendolyn Sue Vandeven, to Joseph Adam Long, both of Marble Hill. He is the son of Joyce Long of Marble Hill, and the late J.L. Long. Vandeven is a 2000 graduate of Leopold High School. She received a bachelor's degree in health science from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2004. She is a nuclear medicine technologist at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Jack and Bernice Atkins of Chaffee announce the engagement of their daughter, Sara Dawn Atkins, to Mark Steven Lueder, both of Whitewater. He is the son of Arthur Lueder Jr. of Cape Girardeau, and the late Marion Lueder. Atkins is a 1998 graduate of Chaffee High School. She received a bachelor of science degree in early childhood education from Southeast Missouri State University in 2003. She is employed at Chaffee Head Start...

ZALMA, Mo. -- Bruce and Tina Huffman of Zalma and Keith Campbell of St. Peters, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Erika Campbell, to Tab Slaughter. He is the son of Gary and Marla Slaughter of Wynne, Ark., and Bobby and Vicki Fowler of Hughes Springs, Texas. Campbell is formerly of Oran, Mo...

Joseph and Ruth Rose of Collinsville, Ill., announce the engagement of their daughter, Kelly Jo Rose, to Jonathan Richard Davis, both of Crump. He is the son of Donald Davis of Dyersburg, Tenn., and Terry and Susan Green of Crump. Rose is a 1995 graduate of O'Fallon Township High School in O'Fallon, Ill. She is employed in patient registration at Southeast Missouri Hospital and is a sales associate at K's Merchandise in Cape Girardeau...

Mr. and Mrs. Joe Bishop of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Anna Laura Bishop, to Clayton Lee Blankenship. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Brian Blankenship of Whitewater. Bishop is a 2004 graduate of Jackson High School. She is a pharmacy assistant at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau...

Richard and Belinda Pelikan of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Jacquelyn Elizabeth Pelikan, to Christopher James Morton. He is the son of Lynn and Robyn Morton of Jackson. Pelikan is a 2000 graduate of Jackson High School, and a 2004 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University. She is a special services teacher at Hillsboro Senior High School...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Julie Essner and Jeremy Bey were united in marriage Jan. 8, 2005, at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Kelso, Mo. The Rev. Oliver Clavin performed the ceremony. Parents of the bride are Donald and Clara Essner of Chaffee. The groom is the son of Kurt and Jody Bey of O'Fallon, Mo., and Jeff and Dawn Smith of Cape Girardeau...

Mandy Jo Brunke and Brett Eric Smith were married Sept. 11, 2004, at Deerfield Lodge in Cape Girardeau. Jim Matthews performed the ceremony. Parents of the couple are Tony and Phyllis Brunke and Charlie and Carolyn Smith, all of Jackson. Maid of honor was Jodie Brunke, sister of the bride, and matron of honor was Erica Armbruster, both of Jackson. ...

NEW HAMBURG, Mo. -- Emily Nicole Glastetter and Brian Alan James and Tiffany Jane Glastetter and Nathen Lee King were married in a double ceremony Nov. 27, 2004, at St. Lawrence Catholic Church in New Hamburg. The Rev. Michael J. Glastetter, cousin of the brides, performed the ceremony. Organist was Cheryl Kern and vocalists were Mary Glastetter and Jimmie Simmons...

Judith Fae Sievers, 61, of Oak Ridge died at home Friday, April 29, 2005. She was born Dec. 6, 1943, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Archie Virgil and Tilda Mae Jenkins Hobeck. Sievers worked at the Jackson Hosiery Mill and retired from HWI in Cape Girardeau. She was also a sales representative for Stanley Home Products. She was a member of New Salem United Methodist Church...

ULLIN, Ill. -- Luke Slusher, 22, of Ullin died Thursday, April 28, 2005, near Joppa, Ill., as the result of a motor vehicle accident. He was born May 14, 1982, son of Tony and Katie Slusher. He had worked as a deckhand on CGB Waterfront in Cairo, Ill., and was a graduate of Century High School...

STE GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- Floyd H. Strattman, 81, of Ste. Genevieve died Friday, April 29, 2005 at Riverview Manor Nursing Home in Ste. Genevieve. Strattman was born March 1, 1924, in Decatur, Ill., son of Harry and Katie Warner Strattman. He was the owner/operator of Crown Sales and Service. He was an Army veteran of World War II and a member of the Ste. Genevieve Catholic Church...

Alice Rose Spillman, 77, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, April 29, 2005, at Monticello House in Jackson. She was born Nov. 11, 1927, in Millersville, daughter of Luther Mason and Belvy Nell Niblack Proffer. She was a graduate of Jackson High School and worked in the business office of Southeast Missouri Telephone from 1945 to 1959. She was a member of Grace United Methodist Church, the Cape Girardeau Garden Club and the Cape Girardeau Genealogical Society...

ANNA, Ill. -- Matthew Richard Fouche, 24, of Anna died Thursday, April 28, 2005, in Joppa, Ill., as a result of a motor vehicle accident. He was born Sept. 22, 1980, in Peoria, Ill., son of John Fouche and Sue Ellen Sargent. He was employed with the Waterfront Services Barge Company in Cairo, Ill...

GRAND TOWER, Ill. -- James "Jimmy" Randall Levan, 43, of Grand Tower died Thursday, April 28, 2005, at his home. He was born July 7, 1961, in Murphysboro, Ill., son of William P. and Lillian Dietz Levan. He had been a farmer for most of his life and had worked as a manager of video stores. He was a member of Galilee Baptist Church in Wolf Lake, Ill...

SEDGEWICKVILLE, Mo. -- Gerald C. "Doc" Mayfield, 75, of Sedgewickville died Friday, April 29, 2005, at his home following a lengthy illness. He was born July 13, 1929, at Mayfield, Mo., son of Homer H. and Marie Mayfield. He was retired as the head warehouseman for Atlas Plastic and a farmer. He was a member and deacon of the Little Whitewater Baptist church...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Joseph A. "Joe" Garrett, 67, of Jonesboro died Saturday, April 30, 2005, at Union County Hospital. Arrangement are pending at Hileman Funeral Home in Jonesboro.

Avis I. Simms Fields, 92, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, April 26, 2005, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born May 7, 1912, in Vanduser, Mo., to Elvis and Ella Campbell Blanchard. She first married Cornelius Simms July 12, 1930, at Ancell. He passed away Nov. 20, 1957. She then married Verlie Fields Oct. 27, 1960, at Hammond, Ind. He passed away April 24, 1971...

Robert Henley Clark, 90, of Millersville passed away Friday April 29, 2005, at his home. He was born Oct. 16, 1914, in Eva, Tenn., son of Robert E. and Vernona W. Wright Clark. He and Delsie Wilson were married March 7, 1935, in Benton, Mo. She passed away Oct. 29, 2001...

No free beer; Prosecuting abusers; Bridge to be restored; The Plane Truth; Many won't forget; Dandelion blemish; Graffiti on Broadway; Paying the bills; Smokers, wise up; Rude, rude, rude.; Protected market; Tackle real culprits; Spitting justified; Students want pool; Three issues; Controls, not cuts; Need video cameras; Drink responsibly

To the editor: The media remind us daily of our state's critical money crisis affecting essential services. Yet the House Urban Issues Committee recently voted in favor of Senate Bill 269, a bill that would allocate an additional anticipated $30 million to professional stadiums in both Kansas City and St. Louis along with other special interests...

To the editor: I just read that the Washington Post and ABC News released a new poll claiming that, by a 2-to-1 ratio, the public rejected "easing Senate rules in a way that would make it harder for Democratic senators to prevent final action on Bush's nominees." The headline read, "Filibuster Rule Change Opposed."...

To the editor: I attended a meeting at our public works building in Cape Girardeau dealing with cleanup and chaired by Mike Tripp. We can all be proud of Mike and the manner he is getting our area organized for this task. I was really impressed with the cleanliness and organization of the entire public works facility. It was spotlessly clean and extraordinarily well-organized...

In Southeast Missouri and southern Illinois, May marks the end of the spawning season for largemouth bass. This month, you can still find bass in the spawn through the middle of the month on the lower, clearer, cooler end of the lake near the dam. In the upper, warmer, dirtier end, the bass will be in post-spawn transition...

Southeast Missouri State's 400-meter relay team placed fourth in the final at the Drake Relays on Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa. The team of Jon Jefferson, Miles Smith, Seth Schuster and Chris Poindexter posted a time of 40.66 seconds in the final to qualify for the NCAA regionals. They had won their heat with a time of 40.91 on Friday...

The Jackson girls track and field team outpointed Central 142-138 for the championship in the Poplar Bluff Invitational on Friday night. The Central boys finished fourth behind the Perryville Pirates (whose results were published in Saturday's edition)...

Most homes require an address in order to identify them. But ask anyone about the gorgeous white Victorian-style house with the white picket fence on Highway 34 near Marble Hill, Mo., and anyone who has ever seen it will know exactly which house you're talking about. It's that memorable...

With the arrival of May, the Scott City, Jackson and Cape Girardeau communities are just two months away from the deadline challenge issued by Cape Girardeau's mayor, Jay Knudtson, to be rid of litter. It was an ambitious challenge, but cleanup efforts so far this spring have had a remarkable impact. Can this area truly be litter-free by the day we celebrate our nation's freedom? The simple answer is yes -- if the level of effort demonstrated in recent weeks continues...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released Saturday by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWIs * Christopher Michael Mcleod, 27, 6222 Highway 34, Burfordville, was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated...

Jackson Firefighters responded to the following Friday: * Motor vehicle accident on East Jackson Boulevard. * Emergency medical service on Brown Street. * Citizen assist on East Jefferson Street. Firefighters responded to the following Saturday: * Fuel spill on West Jackson Boulevard...

Colo. court to decide on allowing juror questions; N.J. beach town repeals ban on skimpy swimwear

Iraqi neighbors pledge to boost border security; Pope to give first Sunday blessing from window

A Jackson man was charged Saturday with two counts of the felony sale of a controlled substance within 2,000 feet of a school. Judge Gary Kamp set Craig R. Meyer's bond at $40,000 cash or corporate surety. Meyer faces a penalty, if found guilty, of 10 to 30 years in prison or up to life in prison...

WASHINGTON -- Break out the cigars. The Treasury ducklings are hatching. The brown mallard duck, who was given various nicknames by Treasury employees from "Quacks Reform" to "T-Bill" and "Duck Cheney," and became Washington's newest tourist attraction, began hatching her ducklings Saturday afternoon...

ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- The long and winding road can seem a little shorter when travelers have audiobooks to play in the car during a road trip. Because many fans seek fresh titles after they've finished their latest Patricia Cornwell mystery or David Sedaris recording, businesses have devised ways to swap or rent titles, from reselling them at bookstores in vacation destinations to new Internet rental services...

NEW YORK -- Baseball commissioner Bud Selig asked players to agree to a 50-game suspension for first-time steroid offenders and a lifetime ban for a third violation under what he called a "three strikes and you are out approach" to doping. In a letter sent this week to union head Donald Fehr, Selig proposed a 100-game ban for a second offense. ...

Chris DiMarco found himself in the same position he was in entering the final day of the Masters, sitting atop the leaderboard halfway through the suspended third round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. DiMarco, who overcame a bad Sunday morning performance in the Masters to take Tiger Woods to a playoff, was 4 under through 10 holes in the third round and 12 under overall when play was suspended Saturday because of darkness...

WASHINGTON -- Eleven Missouri farms each received more than $300,000 each in federal farm subsidies last year, according U.S. Department of Agriculture documents. Dale Farming Co. of Ridgeway, Mo., in northwest Missouri, received $547,000 in payments, the most of any farm in the state, records show. The documents were obtained by The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act...

Spring is a time to assess how well your maintenance work held up during the winter and what other maintenance work or repairs must be made. Here's our list of spring home maintenance tasks that will keep your home humming for another season. * Gutters and downspouts: Even if you cleaned them in the fall, a mulch can collect in the gutters that can hasten rust and deterioration and make gutters sluggish during spring showers. ...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Insurgents launched fresh attacks in Baghdad and northern Iraq on Saturday, killing at least 11 Iraqis and wounding more than 40 in a second day of violence aimed at shaking the country's newly formed government. At a meeting of Iraq's neighbors in Turkey, meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned the violence was "not solely the concern of the Iraqis but ours as well."...

VIENNA, Austria -- The United States is warning allies that North Korea may be ready to carry out an underground nuclear test as early as June, diplomats said Saturday. The diplomats told The Associated Press that the information had been apparently gathered in part from satellite imagery. They spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of discussing intelligence information...

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran said Saturday it is likely to resume uranium enrichment-related activities within a week, a process it halted last year to build confidence in talks with European countries and avoid referral to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions...

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador -- Even though he wasn't the first U.S. choice, a Chilean politician who is slated to be the next chief of the Organization of American States is pleasing Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice because of his strong pro-democracy stand...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- It was supposed to be Jennifer Wilbanks' wedding day -- an elaborate affair in suburban Georgia with 600 invited guests, 14 bridesmaids and 14 groomsmen. Instead, the bride-to-be was sobbing into a pay phone outside an Albuquerque 7-Eleven, alone and broke, as she concocted a story about kidnappers and a blue van. She later admitted that pre-wedding jitters led her to leave home without her keys and wallet, creating a mystery that left her family in anguish for days...

WAUKESHA, Wis. -- Girl Scout cookies aren't free. One scout group has filed small-claims lawsuits against people who failed to pay up. Christine Slowinski, communications director for the Girl Scouts' Great Blue Heron Council, said the legal action Thursday came only after several efforts to collect the money from sales of cookies in the annual fund-raising campaign over the past two years...

I hope Southeast Missouri State baseball fans who love to drink a cold one or two while cheering on the Redhawks -- and especially appreciate when they don't have to pick up the tab -- won't be too upset by what I'm about to admit. I think I'm in some way responsible for Southeast officials deciding to cancel the last two scheduled "free beer" days at Capaha Park...

RICHMOND, Ky. -- Southeast Missouri State saw its three-game Ohio Valley Conference winning streak end Saturday at the hands of an Eastern Kentucky squad that pushed its overall victory string to seven. The host Colonels scored a run in the bottom of the 11th inning to beat the Redhawks 3-2 in the first game of a scheduled doubleheader...

Notre Dame's pitching bailed out an anemic offense Saturday in the quarterfinals of the SEMO Conference baseball tournament. Kirk Boeller and Jeremy Brinkmeyer combined for a three-hit shutout, and Notre Dame scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to edge visiting Poplar Bluff 1-0...

Jackson capitalized on Kelly's missed opportunity in the second inning to come away with a 4-0 win in a quarterfinal game of the SEMO Conference baseball tournament Saturday at Kelly. The top-seeded Indians will face No. 4 Notre Dame in a semifinal game at 3 p.m. Monday at Capaha Park. Third-seeded Central will face No. 2 Sikeston in the other semifinal at 5 p.m...

ST. LOUIS -- Ryan Fitzpatrick imagined himself as a Rams quarterback when he was a child putting his hero's poster on his wall. Now, he wears a real St. Louis Rams uniform and aspires to hold the position Jim Everett did. Growing up in Arizona, Fitzpatrick was a fan of the Rams, then located in Los Angeles...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- During debate on the state court system's budget last week, the Senate judiciary chairman said a major restructuring of Missouri's system to ensure judicial resources are allocated more effectively is long overdue. State Sen. Matt Bartle, R-Lee's Summit, said the boundaries of Missouri's 45 judicial circuits and the number of judges assigned to each need to be revised to reflect shifts in population and caseloads...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The father of three girls, ages 2, 3 and 4, is in jail and the children are in temporary emergency foster care after a passer-by found the girls walking along Main Street at around 7:45 p.m. Friday. Henry Smith, 27, of 510 N. Sixth St. in Poplar Bluff, was arrested on suspicion of three counts of endangering the welfare of a child. He is in the Butler County Jail and is scheduled to make his first court appearance Monday. Bond has not yet been set...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Lawmakers are moving swiftly to rewrite the state law criminalizing sexual misconduct involving a child after the Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday declared it unconstitutionally broad. Within two days of the ruling, the Senate Judiciary Committee added a revision of the sexual misconduct statute to an omnibus crime bill sponsored by state Rep. Scott Lipke, R-Cape Girardeau...

A tearful Kristyn Capelli left work early when she got the news: Her birth mother didn't want anything to do with her -- no letters, no phone calls, no reunion. The news devastated the 21-year-old Southeast Missouri State University student from Manchester, Mo., who had dreamed of tracking down her birth parents ever since high school...

The memories of a bonfire explosion, a knife fight and a deadly car accident are at the forefront of Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle's mind at this time of the year. Each of those Southeast Missouri tragedies might have been avoided had teenagers chosen not to drink alcoholic beverages...

Plastic ignited and caused a small fire at the Nordenia plant at Highway 177 and Route J around 10:30 p.m. Friday. Jim Hanks, chief of the East Cape County Fire Department and an employee at Nordenia, said that the fire erupted when some plastic got caught in the rollers of one of the machines. Employees put it out with a fire extinguisher before the fire department arrived, he said...

About 125 volunteers came out Saturday morning to spruce up Jackson parks during the city's annual cleanup. "We work four or five hours and get a T-shirt and nasty hands," said Patsy Johnson, a retired Jackson teacher who participates every year...

Prosecutor Morley Swingle is involved in a case that hangs by a hair. The case is about a Columbia police officer who was allegedly having an affair with a male college student. The student was found dead, his body naked with the exception of his undershorts. The victim's throat was slashed, and the police officer was charged with the murder...

WASHINGTON -- When the fat get even fatter, their risk of death jumps, too, especially if they have an apple-shaped waistline. So concludes a study of 90,000 women in the United States, the first to look closely at the alarming trend of extreme obesity, being at least 90 pounds overweight...

LAKE OKEECHOBEE, Fla. -- Lake Okeechobee was in trouble before last year's hurricanes churned up a thick layer of pollution from the bottom, turning the water the color of day-old coffee. But the worst may be yet to come. "What you're going to find this summer is this lake is going to turn just as green and just as slimy as anything you've seen in a science fiction movie," Mayor J.P. ...

The Missouri State High School Activities Association sets forth citizenship guidelines for athletic participation in high school sports. All athletes are required to sign contracts stating they will uphold these guidelines...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Relatives of Army Reserve Pfc. Lynndie England have accepted her decision to plead guilty to abusing Iraqi detainees at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison, a spokesman said Saturday. "They are secure in the knowledge that she knows what she's doing," said family attorney Roy Hardy. "They're not happy, but at the same time they've accepted it."...

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam -- Communist Vietnam marked the 30th anniversary of the war's end with a colorful parade of floats -- some emblazoned with American business logos -- down the same boulevard where North Vietnamese tanks rolled to victory against a U.S.-backed government...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Warplanes attacked a rebel camp in a Taliban-haunted province of central Afghanistan, killing three civilians including a child as well as four suspected militants, the U.S. military said Saturday. In another sign of instability, protesters in the western city of Herat shouted anti-American slogans and demanded the return of an ousted regional strongman, a day after a woman and her daughter were shot dead in unrest...

CAIRO, Egypt -- Two veiled women shot at a tour bus, and a man -- the brother of one shooter and the fiance of the second -- blew himself up as he leapt off a bridge during a police chase Saturday. All three attackers died and nine people, four of them foreigners, were wounded in an apparent revival of violence against Egypt's vital tourism industry...

Kevin Ballatore didn't expect to take a snap during Southeast Missouri State's final spring scrimmage Saturday night....

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The U.S. Army has cleared American soldiers in the death of an Italian intelligence agent in Iraq and recommended no disciplinary action following an investigation, according to a report released Saturday. The investigation concluded the killing may well have been prevented by better coordination between the Italian government and U.S. forces in Iraq...

ATLANTA -- Raul Mondesi and Dan Kolb have struggled in their first season with the Atlanta Braves. Finally, they did something to help their new team. Mondesi homered leading off the bottom of the ninth inning for a 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, giving Kolb his first win with the Braves...

Gilbert Arenas had 32 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to help the Washington Wizards beat the Chicago Bulls 117-99 on Saturday for the franchise's first playoff victory in 17 years. The win was the first since May 8, 1988, when Washington beat Detroit 106-103 in Game 4 of a first-round series. Of immediate concern for the Wizards is that they cut the Bulls' series lead to 2-1, with Game 4 in Washington on Monday night...

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: Is it true that ArtsCape will be held in Capaha Park and not downtown Cape Girardeau because someone forgot to reserve the appropriate spaces for it?...

No doubt you've seen them. And if you have, you've seen the for-sale signs. I'm talking about a row of houses on Broadway in Cape Girardeau, the ones that sit across the street from McDonald's. There are actually six houses for sale there, and people have been asking me about them for weeks. So when "sale pending" and "sold" popped up on two of them, I made a few calls...

25 years ago: May 2, 1980 As a federal mediator tries to get negotiations started again, members of Operating Engineers Local 513 begin the second day of a strike that has shut down most construction work over the entire eastern half of Missouri, including a number of projects in Cape Girardeau; in a prepared statement, Local 513 president Jack Martorelli says the union was forced to take strike action because of a dispute over classification of mechanics in a proposed contract...

Makenna Maria Stone of Jackson died Thursday, April 28, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born April 28, 2005, daughter of Michael Tony and Heidi Stause Stone. Survivors include her parents of Jackson; maternal grandparents, Norman and Martha Stause of Dexter, Mo.; paternal grandparents, Garry and Paulette Stone of Jackson; paternal great-stepgrandfather, Frank Niswonger, of Jackson; and two sisters, Michala and Mackenzie Stone of Jackson...

Caruthersville, MO. -- BESSIE R. WELCH, 75, OF CARUTHERSVILLE DIED TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2005, AT SOUTHEAST MISSOURI HOSPITAL. SHE WAS BORN JULY 22, 1929, IN CARUTHERSVILLE, DAUGHTER OF JAMES AND MYRTLE DOSTER SIDES. WELCH WAS EMPLOYED BY THE BROWN SHOE CO. AND AS A COOK. SHE WAS A BOY SCOUT LEADER AND A MEMBER OF THE TEMPLE BAPTIST CHURCH, TEACHING SUNDAY SCHOOL...

Ruby J. Clayton, 82, of Jackson died Saturday, April 30, 2005, at her home. She was born April 19, 1923, in Wappapello, Mo., daughter of Chester and Elsie Stout Horn. She and Hubert Clayton were married Dec. 22, 1939, in Perryville, Mo. Clayton was a member of the Crossroads United Methodist Church near Sedgewickville, Mo...

ANNA, Ill. -- Patricia Gertrude Bible, 68, of Anna died Saturday, April 30, 2005, at Union County Hospital in Anna. She was born Sept. 6, 1936, in Chicago, Ill., daughter of John and Clara Hartley McKeown. She and Louis Bible were married in 1954 in Chicago. He died in 1992...

CUSSETA, Ga. -- Billy Joe Coleson, 66, of Cusseta died April 30, 2005, at the Columbus Hospice House. He was born May 13, 1938, in Mounds, Ill., son of Lloyd E. Coleson and Ruby Bell Harp Coleson Rogers. He and Shirley Anglin were married July 20, 1956. She died May 20, 1989. He and Mary Frances Moore were married May 5, 1996...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Lorna L. Fritsche, 80, of Perryville died Saturday, April 30, 2005, at her home. She was born Jan. 13, 1925, in Seventy Six, Mo., daughter of Edwin and Lora Koenig Fritsche. Fritsche was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Euline C. VanDoren, 92, of Perryville died Thursday, April 28, 2005, in Lake City, Fla. She was born Nov. 25, 1912, in Perryville, daughter of August and Amelia Buerck Zoellner. She and Charles VanDoren were married in February 1932 at Perryville. He died Jan. 11, 2001...

Will POWs forgive her?; Frivolous spending; Reform by the people; Smoking, alcohol, sex; Stay on the ground; Room for graduation; Special retirement; We worked hard; New trail for bikers; 2 percent solution; Thanks, recycling crew; History on display; Pools waste water; Leave cameras alone; Time for recall

To the editor: Missouri House Bill 491 has recently cleared committee and will soon be voted upon. The bill is for the creation of the Military and Monument Protection Act. This would put the fate of our state's monuments in the hands of a board appointed by the governor...

To the editor: Republicans say Democrats have no morals because of their stance on abortion and gay rights, among other things. I ask you: Is it moral to take away Medicaid so that the poor and the disabled have no health care and to make the rich richer? Republicans claim to be Christians, yet that is morally wrong even according to the Bible. ...

To the editor: Gov. Matt Blunt recently cut Medicaid eligibility for many Missourians. Many deserving people will lose this life-saving coverage, but there may still be help for citizens -- not from government, but from the Partnership for Prescription Assistance...

To the editor: Everybody knows that oil has gone up to over $50 a barrel. Back when oil was $10 a barrel, Exxon made $2 billion profit, but this quarter Exxon made $20 billion in profit. Back when oil was $10 a barrel, gasoline was 25 cents a gallon. Now it's over $2 a gallon. That's 10 times the amount of profit, and the price of gas has gone up almost 10 times...

College...

Today's child-care centers aren't just providing baby-sitting services for working parents. Some centers develop lessons around a curriculum suited to preschool children, plan activities that will stimulate their minds and senses and spend time teaching youngsters valuable skills...

Accountant joins Buchheit as controller; Area doctor speaks at neurosurgical program; Reagan president of local nurses association; Two from Cape attend radiator seminar; Director of education center wins award

Buchheit holds contractor home show ; Jackson firm wins award from Hewlett-Packard

Cape Girardeau The following items were released Sunday by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI * James Lowell Fox, 26, of 8 N. Henderson Ave., was issued a summons on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and possession of a controlled substance and paraphernalia...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following items on Saturday: * At 8:20 p.m., carbon monoxide alarm at 2328 Lombardo Drive. Firefighters responded to the following items on Sunday: * At 2:25 a.m., emergency medical service at the 700 block of William Street...

7 p.m. today City hall, 401 Independence St. Study session at 5 p.m. Public hearings * A public hearing regarding the filing of an application for funding from the Missouri Transportation Department to assist in funding and operating the city's taxi coupon public transit program...

7 p.m. today city council chambers Action items * A motion to set a public hearing for May 16 to discuss the city's submission of an application for a Community Development Block Grant. * An ordinance authorizing a contractual agreement with the Cape Girardeau Area MAGNET board...

DailyAmerican Republic PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Voters in the city of Piedmont will get another opportunity to decide the hotly contested races for police chief and Ward 1 alderman. Wayne County Circuit Judge William Seay set aside the April 5 election results after hearing testimony Tuesday and ordered a new election for the two positions on May 24...

WASHINGTON -- An association representing more than 36,000 pharmacies is issuing guidelines for possible federal legislation to restrict sales of cold medications containing a substance often used in the illegal manufacture of methamphetamine -- or "speed."...

Dwyane Wade more than filled the void of Shaquille O'Neal's scoreless first half by scoring a postseason career-high 34 points and setting up the big guy for most of his 17 second-half points as the Miami Heat completed a first-round sweep of the New Jersey Nets with a 110-97 road win Sunday...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- There's nothing Yankees boss George Steinbrenner loves more than winning the World Series. Then again, he hasn't won the Kentucky Derby -- yet. That could change with the Boss' Bellamy Road, the record-setting Wood Memorial winner expected to be the early favorite for Saturday's $2 million Derby...

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Jeff Gordon proved again he is NASCAR's new king of restrictor-plate racing. Gordon fought off challenger after challenger Sunday and had to go to overtime to win the Aaron's 499 Nextel Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway. It was Gordon's fourth victory in the last five races at Talladega and Daytona, the only tracks at which NASCAR requires the horsepower-sapping plates to slow the cars...

OLATHE, Kan. -- A Johnson County juror who was dismissed recently after falling asleep during testimony in a murder trial isn't alone: Two others were booted last week for doing the same thing. Experts say everything from boring testimony to a need for a post-lunch nap can make jurors sleepy, a problem that has cropped up in courtrooms across the nation over the years...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Insurgents launched a third straight day of attacks in Iraq on Sunday, including ambushes, car bombs and a drive-by shooting, killing nine Iraqis and wounding more than 20, police said. That raised the death toll from the latest wave of insurgent attacks that began on Friday to at least 79, including six U.S. ...

UNITED NATIONS -- In a world of growing nuclear fears and mistrust, U.S. negotiators come to New York today to urge a global nonproliferation conference to take action on Iran and North Korea. But the Americans and other nuclear powers will face demands themselves. Non-nuclear states last week complained the big powers were moving too slowly toward nuclear disarmament, described as "not an option, but a legal obligation" under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty...

SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea played down the significance of a North Korean missile test the day before, saying it involved a short-range missile without nuclear capabilities and warning against linking the issue to a dispute over the North's atomic ambitions...

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI, embracing a cherished habit of his predecessor, appeared at his apartment's window on St. Peter's Square Sunday for the first time in his papacy to bless tens of thousands of faithful and curious. Looking vigorous and confident, Benedict cut a figure sharply contrasting with John Paul's last time at the studio window on March 30, when the ailing pontiff appeared in silent suffering three days before his death...

HAVANA -- Cuban President Fidel Castro, leader of one of the world's last communist regimes, commemorated May Day on Sunday by demanding the United States expel a Cuban-born militant accused of blowing up a civilian jetliner. Elsewhere in the world, millions of workers staged largely peaceful rallies to press for better conditions or protest government policies...

Southeast lost both ends of a doubleheader on Sunday to Eastern Kentucky and dropped all three games over the weekend RICHMOND, Ky. -- There wasn't much separating Southeast Missouri State and Eastern Kentucky over the weekend -- except that the Colonels swept the three-game series...

St. Vincent is looking to make it 3-for-3 in district titles in boys sports this year when the district golf tournament begins Wednesday at Piney Valley Golf Course in Fort Leonard Wood. The Indians finished second in the Class 2 District 1 tournament last year, but St. Vincent moved down to Class 1 this season. The Indians have not lost a dual meet all year and return four of their top five golfers from last year's squad that finished 16th in the team standings at the state tournament...

Draped in purple and gold Mardi Gras beads and clutching his silver trophy, Tim Petrovic was still in shock. Twelve years after he went broke, gave up golf and went to work making and delivering pizzas, he had his first PGA Tour victory. Petrovic completed the long journey by holing a 4-foot par putt to beat rookie James Driscoll on the first hole of a playoff in the Zurich Classic at Avondale, La...

ATLANTA -- John Smoltz wasn't going to give in to the Cardinals. If he had to keep pitching out of trouble, so be it. Smoltz scattered nine hits and four walks -- both season highs -- for his second straight win, outdueling Jeff Suppan to lead the Atlanta Braves past the Cardinals 2-1 on Sunday...

NEW YORK -- Opera's new Web browser responds to commands you speak into a microphone. It rearranges pages to fit narrower windows. It adds a security bar to help reduce the risk of fraud. All impressive features. But when it comes to the basics, too many Web sites simply don't work well with Opera when compared with rival browsers from Microsoft Corp. and the Mozilla Foundation...

WICHITA, Kan. -- The discovery of mad cow disease in the United States cost the beef industry between $3.2 billion and $4.7 billion in losses last year, according to an economic impact study. The report, commissioned by the Kansas Department of Agriculture, also concluded that voluntary testing for the disease would have provided an economic gain to the beef industry despite the added testing costs...

Christina Kelley wasn't surprised to learn that Westfield Shoppingtown West Park was dropping "Shoppingtown" from its name -- she never knew the word was part of it. "I just say 'the mall,'" said the 22-year-old Southeast Missouri State University student from Ste. Genevieve, Mo...

In an annual rite of spring, members of the 2005 graduating class of Central High School gathered Sunday at La Croix United Methodist Church for the baccalaureate ceremony. Central's principal, Dr. Michael Cowan, gave the welcome after the Cape Central Orchestra ushered the graduates in with "Pomp and Circumstance." The following prayers focused on ending the war on terror and guiding graduates to make a lasting contribution to the world. ...

Teenagers are turning away from more conventional drugs like cocaine and marijuana and looking to the medicine cabinet, a recent study has found. The study, titled "Generation Rx" and conducted by The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, a not-for-profit group, shows that about one in five teens tried prescription painkillers in 2004. That rate of use is higher than that for Ecstasy, cocaine or LSD...

WAUCONDA, Ill. -- When a firefighter carries a pet from a burning home, the rescued animal often isn't out of the woods. Many times the jubilant moment turns to anguish when the dog or cat later dies from smoke inhalation. One problem: Long, mangy snouts make it difficult to fit oxygen masks made for people over dogs' noses...

VIENNA, Ill. -- Bill Fairless says his wife, Kitty, jokes that their Little Cache Vineyard really should be called "Little Cash," but the truth is that the vineyards might be helping to save their family farm. Fairless grows about three acres of grapes that he sells to the Shawnee Winery, a cooperative of 11 grape growers in Southern Illinois and Southeast Missouri. ...

DULUTH, Ga. -- On what was to be her wedding day, Jennifer Wilbanks wore not a white veil but an orange towel over her head to prevent the media from taking her picture. Instead of being led down the aisle by her father, she was led by police to an airplane that flew the runaway bride home...

VIENNA, Ill. -- The Shawnee Winery Cooperative is an experiment in growing grapes and in economic development for Southern Illinois. The cooperative's goal is to help small grape growers find a market for their produce. And it helps area farmers stay afloat financially with support from the state and U.S. Department of Agriculture...

After six months on the job, Paul Dobbins said he's learned that running a mall is like being a contestant on "Jeopardy." n "You have to know a little bit about a lot," said Dobbins, who became general manager of Westfield West Park in September. "A lot of people say their job is different every day, but this one truly is. It's just interacting with so many different types of people inside and outside the organization."...

Mid America Youth Basketball and Southeast Youth Sports Club teamed up for another weekend of basketball in the area on Saturday and Sunday. The event, which featured 73 boys and girls basketball teams from fourth to 12th grade, was played at Saxony Lutheran High School, Jackson High School and Southeast Missouri State University's Student Recreation Center...

It's the little things that are making the biggest difference as Jim Trickey continues to show improvement following an experimental surgery to treat his Lou Gehrig's disease. Trickey, of Cape Girardeau, had surgery last week in Beijing, China, to implant cells into his brain in hopes of regenerating cells damaged by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS...

State Auditor Claire McCaskill is requesting information regarding Perry County government. Every four years, the state auditor's office is required to audit all third- and fourth-class counties. McCaskill said the audit will include all elected offices and will cover policies, procedures, finances, contracts and fulfillment of open meetings requirements...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- With a majority of state representatives opposing a bill that would set aside state tax revenue for professional sports stadiums, House Speaker Rod Jetton said there probably isn't much point in scheduling the measure for chamber debate...

The city of Jackson got a bit more thrifty over the weekend. On Friday, a new Salvation Army thrift store opened on East Jackson Boulevard. Business over the weekend was good, according to Sandra Trapp, a longtime Salvation Army veteran who is helping with the store's operations...

Motorists may see red over a national study that gives low marks to the nation's traffic signals, but officials with the city of Cape Girardeau and the Missouri Department of Transportation say their lights aren't the problem. Outdated and inefficient traffic signals force commuters to sit in traffic congestion, waste gasoline and pollute the air, according to the Institute of Transportation Engineers in Washington, D.C...

The Cape Girardeau City Council wants to appoint a committee to review the city charter, but isn't sure yet who should serve on it or what provisions in the municipal government's rules should be reviewed. For the second meeting in two weeks, council members discussed ways to initiate a charter review...

From a cute drawing of a litter-conscious squirrel to an oil painting depicting a trashy intrusion on a scenic countryside, the community has offered its artistic talents to put some zing in a local campaign to wipe out litter. The Southeast Missourian has received several suggestions from across the region in its effort to come up with a logo, slogan and mascot for the anti-litter effort...

25 years ago: May 3, 1980 CHAFFEE, Mo. -- An antique hearse carrying the casket of legendary Diamond Jim Razor Jr. parades through Chaffee to the accompaniment of three drummers; the hearse is just one of many entries in a parade which officially kicks off the town's summerlong 75th anniversary celebration...

Dittmer; Grieshop; Cotner; Claywell; Schrum; Davis

Addison Elizabeth Steele was stillborn Thursday, March 17, 2005, at St. John's Hospital in Springfield, Ill. Survivors include her parents, Nicholas and Laura Squires Steele of Girard, Ill.; two brothers, Ryan and Brady Steele of the home; maternal grandmother and stepgrandfather, Lori and Paul Newberry of Springfield; paternal grandparents, Ron and Kaye Steele of Girard; maternal great-grandmother, Mary Gorham of Cape Girardeau, and paternal great-grandmother, Betty Schnapp of Waterloo, Ill...

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. -- Woodroe W. Norman, 64, of East Prairie died Sunday, May 1, 2005, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo. He was born Feb. 11, 1941, near East Prairie, son of James Edward and Elsie Marie Burns Norman. He and Willie Bea Moore were married July 1, 1961, at East Prairie...

Awesome performance; Spending priorities; Justice for workers; Hurting his chances; Makes day brighter; Waiting for apology; Better fuel habits; Thanks for checkbook; She made amends; Spending caution; Better than the Fox; Attention to Iraq; Part-time smoke free; Stop the vandalism

To the editor: The United States has an impressive history of investing in the capabilities and respecting the independence of scientists. This legacy has brought us sustained economic progress, science-based public health policy and unequaled scientific leadership within the global community. ...

To the editor: Our Republican Congress has consistently shown it will gladly sacrifice our environment and our nation to benefit corporate donors. The recently passed energy bill promotes energy corporation interests while pretending to help the American public. Once again, legislators duck the real issues and simply pass the bill on to the American taxpayers...

To the editor: I have a sister who's crippled. Her doctor wrote a statement for her to have a support dog. Her landlord's boss will not let a blind person have a seeing-eye dog, much less an aid dog for my sister. By law, no one can be deprived of having what her doctor ordered. This is making it where she is not listening to her doctor. She has a doctor's appointment this week, and her doctor will have a hissy...

Baseball...

Because of marketing, publicity and volume, France is still considered by many Americans to be the home of fine wines. As for wines produced in this country, California is more than likely the state that comes to mind when thinking of vineyards. But wine is produced in many states, including Missouri and Illinois. There are more than 40 wineries in Missouri, including three in this area: River Ridge near Commerce, Tower Rock near Altenburg and Hermann in Brazeau...

Smoking essay contest announces local winners; Saxony artists recognized at recent art shows; Miinch receives two scholarships to Ole Miss; Area student named All-American Scholar; Laxton sisters receive scholarships to Concordia; Advance student named distinguished scholar; Sophomore pilgrimage includes area students; Jackson senior gets scholarship to SEMO; Cummins qualifies for Who's Who honor society

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Sunday: * At 7:11 p.m., emergency medical service at 325 Merriwether. * At 11:42 p.m., emergency medical service at 400 Elm St. Firefighters responded to the following calls Monday: * At 12:20 a.m., emergency medical service at 511 Bellevue St...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released Monday by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI * Susan J. Bevington, 45, 2751 HawthorneRoad, was arrested for driving while intoxicated. Arrests * Logan D. Kirby, 24, of Festus, Mo., was arrested on a Jefferson County warrant for failing to appear for driving while suspended...

Action items * Set a public hearing for May 16 to discuss the city's submission of an application for a Community Development Block Grant. * Authorized a contractual agreement with the Cape Girardeau Area MAGNET board. * Accepted a construction deed from David Mitchell Kinder for the Elwanda Drive sewer project...

Consent ordinances Second and third readings) * Approved the record plat of Rock Creek Meadows Townhouses Phase 3. * Approved the record plat of Orchard Park. * Set an election to extend the half-cent transportation sales tax for another five years...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Local religious leaders are calling Sikeston to pray on Thursday in honor of the 54th annual National Day of Prayer. The National Day of Prayer begins with the Kiwanis Club's prayer breakfast set for 6:30 a.m. at the First Christian Church. The Sikeston Ministerial Alliance is urging residents to meet at noon Thursday at the Sikeston City Hall for a time of prayer. The Tanner Street Church of God is also hosting a community prayer session from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m...

Daily American Republic POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- An ongoing domestic dispute between a Poplar Bluff couple ended Sunday with both dying in an apparent murder-suicide. Gary L. Jones, 37, is believed to have shot his 32-year-old wife, Yolanda Kaye Jones, before later turning the gun on himself inside their residence in the 900 block of Henderson Avenue, according to police reports...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- State budget writers have approved seed money for a new building that would house a biosciences pharmaceutical firm at Northwest Missouri State University. Budget negotiators agreed Monday to appropriate $1.1 million for the project next fiscal year -- the first of what would be 15 similar annual subsidies to help pay off the construction debt...

ST. LOUIS -- Parents of residents at the Bellefontaine Habilitation Center have seen no indication the residential center for the disabled will remain open long-term, but they said Monday that budget funding to keep the site open another year buys time to continue the fight...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Occasional eye exams are in, but not the glasses. Motorized wheelchairs will be covered, but not the batteries to run them. That's the real-life effect for thousands of Missourians under a budget plan agreed to Monday by legislative negotiators that cuts the services available through the state's Medicaid health-care program...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Planting in Missouri fields was delayed over the past week because of damp weather and continued muddy fields, the Missouri Agricultural Statistics Service reported Monday. Farmers had an average of three days suitable for field work last week, the service said. ...

JEFFERSON CITY -- Gov. Matt Blunt has appointed former Jefferson City mayor Duane Schreimann to the Coordinating Board for Higher Education. Blunt's office announced the appointment Monday; it is subject to Senate confirmation. Schreimann practices law at the same firm as Andrew Blunt, the governor's brother. ...

LONDON -- Adolf Hitler was a shaking, graying, weakened man who "sank into himself" in the final days before his suicide on April 30, 1945, according to the first published account of his nurse, who worked in his bunker as Allied forces closed in on Berlin...

Taiwan chief asks China to talk to him, not rival; Palestinians raze illegal homes of officials; Italy offers own view on killing of agent in Iraq

UNITED NATIONS -- Secretary-General Kofi Annan challenged the United States and Russia on Monday to slash their nuclear arsenals irreversibly to just hundreds of warheads, and urged nonweapons states like Iran to give up potential bomb technology in return for international guarantees of nuclear fuel...

BASHGAH, Afghanistan -- A warlord's stockpile of explosives detonated in a remote Afghan village Monday, flattening half a dozen houses and a mosque and killing at least 26 people in what appeared to be the deadliest accident of its kind since the ouster of the Taliban regime...

Florida governor OKs tough child molester bill; Heart patient dies after 2,400-mile bike ride; Psychiatrist: Highway shooter heard voices

FORT HOOD, Texas -- Pfc. Lynndie England, the young woman pictured grinning, giving a thumbs-up and holding a naked Iraqi by a leash in some of the most notorious photos to come out of the Abu Ghraib scandal, pleaded guilty Monday to mistreating prisoners...

DULUTH, Ga. -- The jilted groom whose bride-to-be ran away four days before their wedding still wants to marry fiancee Jennifer Wilbanks, saying, "Haven't we all made mistakes?" "Just because we haven't walked down the aisle, just because we haven't stood in front of 500 people and said our I Do's, my commitment before God to her was the day I bought that ring and put it on her finger, and I'm not backing down from that," John Mason said Monday in an interview with Fox News' Hannity & Colmes show.. ...

Trial by jury is a bedrock of America's judicial system. But now it's being eroded by sleeping jurors. A recent Associated Press story reported that a juror in Johnson County, Kan., was dismissed after falling asleep during testimony in a murder trial...

CINCINNATI -- Jim Edmonds hit a three-run homer off closer Danny Graves, and John Mabry added a two-run shot that completed the biggest ninth-inning comeback in St. Louis Cardinals history Monday night, a 10-9 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Ken Griffey Jr.'s disputed homer -- a drive that hit the top of the wall and bounced back -- helped Cincinnati pull ahead 9-3 after eight innings. The Cardinals then sent 12 batters to the plate and scored seven runs in the ninth...

Twins pitcher Rincon becomes fifth player to test positive for a performance-enhancing substance. The Associated Press NEW YORK -- The baseball players' union told commissioner Bud Selig on Monday that it was willing to talk to him about his call for harsher steroids penalties...

Dirk Nowitzki scored 23 points, and Dallas withstood a late charge by the visiting Houston Rockets to win 103-100 at home and take a 3-2 lead in a series the Mavericks began with two losses. Dallas has two chances to join the 1969 Lakers and 1994 Rockets as the only teams to win a seven-game series after dropping the first two at home. Game 6 in their Western Conference matchup is Thursday night in Houston...

Central junior Blake Driskell won the medalist honors Monday in the Class 4 District 1 golf tournament at Quail Creek in south St. Louis. Driskell, a junior, was the only golfer to break 80, shooting a 78 on the par-72 course. "There were a lot of high scores," Central coach Dick Wadlington said. "It was 38 degrees when they started and windy, and that course is very hard. When Poplar Bluff doesn't have anyone break 80, you know it's hard."...

Stanford is close to home in California, more laid back and seems to offer more of the programs Aman Kumar wants to pursue. But Princeton offers an idyllic campus and would show him a different part of the world. Acceptance letters in hand, thousands of high school students are wrestling this week with final college decisions, due Sunday. ...

LONDON -- In the past four weeks Tony Blair, Michael Howard and Charles Kennedy have schlepped across the United Kingdom campaigning to be Britain's next prime minister. ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- City officials here have rejected a church's proposal for a towering display of crosses, claiming it is a tall advertisement for its denomination. Community United Methodist Church had plans to erect three crosses on its property. The largest is 30 feet tall, with a 13-foot flame at the top. Columbia authorities rejected the plan, saying signs in the area can be only 12 feet high...

FORT CARSON, Colo. -- A Columbia, Mo., soldier was among four soldiers killed when a homemade bomb exploded near their vehicle in Iraq, the Army said Monday. First Lt. William A. Edens, 29, of Columbia, died Thursday in Tal Afar, Iraq, when the bomb detonated near his Stryker military vehicle...

WILMINGTON, N.C. -- A man who ordered a pint of frozen chocolate custard in a dessert shop got a nasty surprise inside -- a piece of severed finger lost by an employee in an accident. Unlike a recent incident at a Wendy's restaurant in California, no questions of truth have been raised about the finger found in a package from Kohl's Frozen Custard...

Through its first two games of the SEMO Conference baseball tournament, Notre Dame picked up two victories on only seven hits and three runs...

ST. LOUIS -- Upgrading horrid special teams has been a priority for the St. Louis Rams since the end of last season. After the team finished last or next-to-last in every category in an 8-8 season, the team's draft day strategy incorporated filling that area of need along with improving depth at various positions...

CHICAGO -- At 24, Jeffrey Berman is in better financial shape than many of his peers. He has no student loans, thanks to his parents, and about $1,200 in credit card debt, which he plans to pay off with his income tax return. He also just started contributing $85 a month to his 401(k) -- an amount he considers paltry, but better than nothing...

Springtime is somewhat upon us. I say somewhat because I'm not sure whether to go outside wearing shorts and sandals or a parka and snow boots. But hey, that's Missouri! What I am sure of, however, is that my skin has the healthy glow of Elmer's glue and that I won't fit in with the tan crowd at all when I go to Cancun in May...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Matt Blunt on Tuesday said he will call the Missouri Legislature into a special legislative session if it fails to produce a new funding system for public schools before its scheduled adjournment on May 13. After passing the Senate with relative ease, legislation to rewrite the formula for distributing state money to local school districts hit a snag in the House Special Committee on Education Funding, which last Thursday voted 14-9 against forwarding the measure to the full House. ...

One group is charged with getting the word out, the other with implementing a plan. Both groups that met Tuesday afternoon share the same goal: informing the public about the need to eradicate litter and then come up with a plan to help them do it. The education and beautification subcommittees -- both part of a larger anti-litter committee that has been spearheading efforts to clean up the area -- met separately Tuesday to start generating ideas...

For the second time in less than three weeks, a fatal crash occurred on Highway 25 just north of Delta. Bryan Helsel, 23, of Chaffee, Mo., was killed in a three-vehicle accident at around 2:40 p.m. Tuesday three miles north of Delta, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The highway was closed to traffic for several hours from just north of Delta to one mile south of Blomeyer...

Motorists could find it a tight squeeze on Broadway early Thursday as work begins to widen a two-block section of the busy Cape Girardeau street and revamp the Henderson Avenue intersection. But city and Southeast Missouri State University officials insist there's enough room to handle the temporary traffic changes...

My 10th anniversary was April 28. It's a miracle any couple makes it, a miracle to be celebrated wildly. You put two people together in the same house, people who have a few things in common but plenty of different methods and ideas. You add everyday stresses -- troubles with the house, a job loss, sickness, in-laws. For some it's worse -- an alcohol problem or an affair...

25 years ago: May 4, 1980 The 25th anniversary of the ordination of the Rev. Raymond Orf is celebrated with a Mass in the evening at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Kelso, Mo., with Bishop Bernard F. Law in attendance; recently, a schoolmate of Orf, the Rev. Joseph E. Gosche, pastor of St. Mary's Cathedral in Cape Girardeau, also observed his 25th anniversary with Masses at St. Mary's and his home parish of Guardian Angel Catholic Church in Oran, Mo...

Cape County FCE; Capaha Scottish Rite Women's Club; Oak Ridge Homemakers FCE; Oak Ridge After-School 4-H; Laureate Alpha Rho; Nancy Hunter NSDAR; 140th National Guard; American Legion Post 158

Evans; Eads

Norman F. Schneider, 89, of Bedford, Texas, died Thursday, April 28, 2005, at Harris HEB Hospital in Bedford. He was born Oct. 22, 1915, at Dutchtown, son of Edward and Rose Ebert Schneider. He and Jeannette Craddock were married Nov. 14, 1942. Schneider was a graduate of Chaffee High School, Southeast Missouri State University and the University of Missouri-Rolla. He retired from Phillips Petroleum...

Gerard Francis Hoffmann, 86, of Dunedin, Fla., died Monday, May 2, 2005, at Manor Care of Dunedin. He was born April 14, 1919, in Brooklyn, N.Y., son of William L. and Elizabeth Delile Hoffmann. He and June Zimmer were married Jan. 2, 1943, at Quonset Point Naval Base, R.I...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Polly Lou Smith, 62, of Sikeston died Monday, May 2, 2005, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. She was born March 6, 1943, in Sikeston, daughter of Louise Gestring. She and Alex Smith Jr. were married June 25, 1960, in Sikeston. He died April 11, 1986...

MORLEY, Mo. -- Harold Abernathy, 82, of Burkesville, Ky., died Sunday, April 17, 2005, at T.J. Samson Community Hospital in Glasgow, Ky. He was born Sept. 15, 1922, at Morley, son of Clarence and Nellie Florence Bryant Abernathy. He married Marion Edmonds...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Joe Garrett, 68, of Jonesboro died Saturday, April 30, 2005, at Union County Hospital. He was born Aug. 13, 1936, in Anna, Ill., son of Otis and Iva Boyer Garrett. He and Martha Isaacs were married Nov. 23, 1965, in Anna. Garrett was a riverboat captain many years...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Dr. Vijaya Kumar Mangunta, 58, of Columbia, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Tuesday, May 3, 2005, at University Hospital in Columbia. Friends may call from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday at Memorial Funeral Home in Columbia with a prayer service at 3 p.m...

Stiff fine for litter; Conservative pose; Remember the malaise?; Smells like pancakes; Loose lips ...; Tear them down; Stay the course; Deadly pools; Costly progress; Political system; Too much government; Crime without DNA; Relay was cut short; Isn't that odd?; Walking and litter

To the editor: The attacks on John Bolton, President Bush's appointee to be U.N. ambassador, remind me of similar attacks during the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. There are always plenty of former employees or associates who will criticize any successful executive...

To the editor: In reply to Dr. Michael Wulfers' letter on using aborted stem cells to help David Landewee and Jim Trickey: I am a Christian. I do not believe in abortions to end an unwanted pregnancy. But these embryos are being aborted as a result of an order by the Chinese government, not by the choice of the mothers. Nor are they aborted for the sole purpose of implanting them into people with terrible afflictions...

To the editor: Proposed House Bill 218 would require any person under 18 applying for a driver's license or permit to be a student with a grade-point average of at least 1.7 on a 4.0 scale. Are we to believe this is solely a matter of public safety? Is the rationale that studious teenagers are better drivers? I would hardly call a grade-point average of 1.75 "studious." Nor would I say those teenagers with grade-point average less than 1.75 cannot be safe drivers...

To the editor: To help in his never-ending search for his socialist Utopia and the perfect nanny state, I have a suggestion for Robert Polack Jr.: Move to Cuba. I hear Fidel Castro is looking for a few good men. I also hear Cuba has the universal health-care system Polack is looking for...

Basketball...

Allison Essner scored in the last minute of the second overtime to lift Notre Dame's girls soccer team to a 1-0 victory over host St. Vincent on Tuesday. Meridith Medlin assisted on the goal. Claudia Brauss made nine saves for the Bulldogs (9-7-2). St. Vincent had shut out district foe Notre Dame in the previous two meetings...

The Jackson connection for Southeast Missouri State's track and field program will continue next year, as two Jackson High School seniors recently signed letters of intent to compete for the Redhawks' women's team. Pole-vaulter Amy West and thrower Rebecca Martin will continue their athletic careers at Southeast. Former Jackson standouts Heather West -- Amy's sister -- and Lindsey Meyr are current Redhawks...

Seldom do teachers expect monetary awards or recognition from the president for their work. Usually they're just happy to see their students succeed. But Russell Grammer, who teaches at Jefferson Elementary in Cape Girardeau, captured someone's attention with his creativity and everyday science lessons for students. He was one of 96 teachers chosen for a Presidential Award for Science Teaching...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Monday: * At 4:58 p.m., illegal burn at Walnut and South Sprigg streets. * At 5:26 p.m., emergency medical service in the 100 block of South Main Street. * At 7:05 p.m., fire alarm at 134 West Park Mall...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released Tuesday by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests * Ronterreal D. Henderson, 26, 511 Albert St., was arrested on suspicion of domestic assault, possession of a controlled substance and resisting arrest...

Southeast names dean of college of education; Cape receives historic preservation award

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Senate on Tuesday sent legislation to the governor that would fix a constitutional flaw in Missouri's concealed weapons law. The bill would specify that local sheriffs can use the $100 fee they may charge applicants for conceal-carry permits to cover their expenses for processing the permits. As currently written, the 2-year-old statute earmarks the fee proceeds for equipment and training...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- The chief of the Marble Hill Fire and Rescue Department has been reappointed by Gov. Matt Blunt to serve on the Missouri Fire Safety Advisory Board. James D. Bollinger, 60, who has served on the board since 1997, will fill a different role this term. He was originally appointed by then-governor Mel Carnahan to serve as the fire investigator on the board. Now he will serve in the fire insurer role. Bollinger has been an insurance agent for 30 years and covers fire losses...

Becky Riney must be doing something right. The veteran teacher of 22 years was chosen not once but twice in the past two months for a teacher-of-the-year award. The first was the Jackson Chamber of Commerce's Educator of the Year Award. Most recently, she was among four local teachers chosen for KFVS12's Heartland's Best Teachers Award...

The Detroit Pistons followed up three lackluster quarters with a dominant fourth, earning the defending NBA champions a spot in the second round. Richard Hamilton scored 10 of his 23 points in the final quarter to lift the Pistons to an 88-78 home victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night in Game 5 of their first-round series. Detroit won the series 4-1 and will play next against Indiana or Boston...

ST. LOUIS -- Last year, the Cardinals became the sixth team in six often tumultuous seasons for Julian Tavarez. And finally, the pitcher most likely to get the bulk of the save opportunities while Jason Isringhausen is on the disabled list appears to have found a home...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The House gave final approval to legislation Tuesday that supporters say should lead to more competition for customers' phone business, but critics fear will result in higher bills. The bill makes it easier and faster for a local dialing area to be declared competitive, freeing telephone companies in those areas from many regulations and price restrictions. The House passed the bill 155-3, sending it to Gov. Matt Blunt. The Senate passed the bill 29-3 a day earlier...

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Questions of academic freedom are simmering at Southern Illinois University after history professors criticized a colleague over his use of an article about black-on-white killings in San Francisco in the 1970s. History professor Jonathan Bean, a self-proclaimed "libertarian conservative," claims he is the victim of public attacks by a history department filled with professors who hold political views opposite his...

ALBANY, Ga. -- The Vidalia onion season, delayed for a couple of weeks by cool spring temperatures, is officially underway with strong demand and predictions of an unusually sweet, mild crop. An advisory panel, consisting of growers, packers, crop specialists and others, decided for the first time to set April 28 as the official start date for the 2005 season because the crop has matured 10 to 14 days later than usual...

smcclanahan We are rapidly approaching the end of another school year. Every day is filled with meetings and activities revolving around school. Both of our children are looking forward to their class field trips and the highlight of the year, which is Play Day. They will have a great last couple of weeks, and I think all of us are ready for summer break...

CHICAGO -- Supermarkets are trying out new computers that make grocery carts more intelligent. They won't take over your trip to the store, but they will help shoppers find lemon cake mix or light bulbs, let them order ahead to avoid the deli line and keep a running tally of the bill...

Southeast Missouri State's baseball team has faced plenty of tough nonconference opponents this season and the reeling Redhawks will take on another one tonight. Evansville, which has already posted 30 victories, pays a visit to Capaha Field for a 6 p.m. first pitch. The Aces, 30-14 overall, are 8-7 in the Missouri Valley Conference, good for a fourth-place tie...

Derek Winans, Jen Cross, Jen Burke and Kim Krieger all distinguished themselves as impressive Southeast Missouri State athletes over the past four years. But those four took just as much, if not more, pride in their classroom work -- and it showed. Tuesday night, they earned the top individual honors during Southeast's annual All Sports Year End Celebration at the Show Me Center. The event was sponsored by Southeast Missouri Hospital...

The Central girls soccer team decided to use a lineup change in an attempt to slow down Jackson's speed and quickness advantage. For the first 15 minutes of Tuesday night's game, the defensive lineup, which featured only one forward, worked as planned. However, once the Indians scored, they continued the onslaught in a 5-0 win...

Leopold's baseball team took a cue from the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday, scoring seven runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game, then scoring a run in the eighth to complete the rally for a 17-16 win over visiting Meadow Heights. Matt Stoverink pitched the eighth inning for the Wildcats, then scored the game-winning run on a wild pitch after getting a one-out double. The wild pitch actually came on the third strike, which would have been the third out, but the throw came home...

CINCINNATI -- Jason Marquis made sure the St. Louis Cardinals wouldn't need another historic comeback. The right-hander gave up only three hits while taking a shutout into the ninth inning on Tuesday night, and the St. Louis Cardinals' depleted bullpen held on for a 4-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds...

As the fourth-grade students filed through the doors of the unfinished Missouri Department of Conservation nature center, there was an unmistakable buzz. "Ohhhs" and "aaahs" filled the air, and that was for the rather adult-looking, sophisticated auditorium...

WASHINGTON -- House and Senate negotiators agreed Tuesday on an $82 billion measure for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and reconstruction, giving President Bush most of what he asked for and pushing the costs of the conflicts beyond $300 billion. Congress had promised to pay only for urgent items, and both versions of the bill passed by the Republican-controlled chambers had a slightly lower cost than the president requested. But the final legislation ended up with the same overall price tag...

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. military may not be able to win any new wars as quickly as planned because the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have strained its manpower and resources, the nation's top military officer told Congress in a classified report...

SAQQARA, Egypt -- A superbly preserved 2,300-year-old mummy bearing a golden mask and covered in brilliantly colored images of gods and goddesses was unveiled Tuesday at Egypt's Saqqara Pyramids complex south of Cairo. The unidentified mummy, from the 30th pharaonic dynasty, was enclosed in a wooden sarcophagus and buried in sand at the bottom of a 20-foot shaft when it was discovered recently by an Egyptian-led archaeological team...

Sometimes it's difficult to wake up. For me, most of the time it's difficult. I'm not what you would consider a morning person. What's worse than Vanessa waking up at 10:30 a.m.? Vanessa rolling out of bed at 6:30 a.m. to get ready for a day at the office...

May 5, 2005 Dear Patty, Ever since becoming somewhat serious about the sport a decade ago, I have been searching for "the secret" of golf. I yearn to divine the technique, the attitude, the understanding, whatever it is that good golfers have and the rest of us don't...

As a deadline approaches that would put the East Main Street Interstate 55 interchange construction off for another year, the negotiating parties continue to tug and pull at each other over property acquisition. Since January, Jackson city officials have said an intergovernmental agreement was only a couple weeks away from becoming official...

BENTON, Mo. -- A sentencing date has been set for Richard Yang, the former co-owner of Yang's Chinese Restaurant in Sikeston who fled the United States after admitting to murdering his wife in 1998 in Sikeston. Yang will appear before Circuit Judge David A. Dolan May 23 at 9 a.m. for a sentencing hearing. Yang pleaded guilty to the charge of second-degree murder in January 2000 before fleeing from the area. He was apprehended by the FBI in April in Mexico...

A jury found a Cape Girardeau man guilty Tuesday of first-degree statutory sodomy. Appearing before Circuit Judge William L. Syler Jr., Wayne D. Windisch, 62, was found guilty of performing a sex act with a 10-year-old boy. The victim testified he had been visiting Windisch in his home in Cape Girardeau when the sex act occurred in the defendant's bedroom on a date between July 4 and Nov. 21 of last year. The boy also testified that Windisch had performed sex acts on him 30 other times...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- With political pressure mounting, a House committee on Wednesday revived an education funding bill it had defeated last week. After making modifications intended to appease urban and suburban lawmakers who helped derail the bill, the committee voted 15-8 to forward it to the full House for further debate. All five Republicans who previously opposed the measure, joined by one Democrat, switched sides to put the bill back on track...

Jennifer Wilbanks is not alone. The story of the runaway bride from Atlanta echoes throughout the experiences of those who work in the field of wedding services. Local photographers, caterers and ministers have seen it all. There was the cold-footed bride who drove to the church but refused to get out of her car for 45 minutes...

Naci en los Estados Unidos pero mis padres me llevaron a Mexico desde que erá muy pequeña. The words, written in bubbly teenage script on notebook paper, are a beginning of sorts for Johanna Sanchez. They were originally penned in Spanish, her native language, but later were translated to English...

Main Street would stay a one-way, southbound street in downtown Cape Girardeau if a city planning committee gets its way. The committee also recommended Wednesday night that Water Street be turned into a one-way southbound road, meaning that there will be two parallel southbound, downtown streets within a block of each other...

Southeast Missouri State University has forged an agreement with a second Chinese university that will allow Chinese students to take two years of course work at the Cape Girardeau school as Southeast seeks to reach out to the developing Asian nation...

Dr. Bonnie Stepenoff, associate professor of history at Southeast Missouri State University, has been appointed to the board of editors of the Missouri Historical Review. Seven members representing colleges and universities in Missouri serve on the board. ...

25 years ago: May 5, 1980 The Cape Girardeau Public Library Board plans to check out of the present library building at Themis and Lorimier in mid-June in preparation for a tentative June 23 opening at the new location on North Clark. Work begins on the installation of a stronger interlock system for elevator doors in the Towers dormitories at Southeast Missouri State University; two recent incidents brought to light the fact that the interlocks that could alleviate a potentially dangerous situation in the dorms hadn't yet been installed.. ...

Seabaugh...

IRONTON, Mo. -- Sada Josephine Upchurch, 90, of Ironton died Tuesday, May 3, 2005, at the Baptist Home in Ironton. She was born Feb. 21, 1915, at Dudley, Mo., daughter of Oscar and Sada Nanney Upchurch. Upchurch lived near Lutesville, Mo., most of her life. She was a member of Glenallen Baptist Church...

Dr. Vijaya Kumar Mangunta, 58, of Columbia, Mo., died Tuesday, May 3, 2005, at University Hospital in Columbia. He was born Sept. 10, 1946, in Nellore, India, son of Venkatramana Reddy and Padmareddy Kuppchhi Mangunta. He and Lakshmi Chada were married April 9, 1972, in Tirupati, India...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Dorothy Evelyn James, 75, of Sikeston died Friday, April 29, 2005, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. She was born May 17, 1929, in Hickman, Ky., daughter of Walter Fisher and Alzadie Haglar Moore. She married Richard James March 11, 1964...

COBDEN, Ill. -- Lucille Sanders, 93, of Cobden died Tuesday, May 3, 2005, at Union County Hospital in Anna, Ill. She was born Oct. 26, 1911, in DuQuoin, Ill., daughter of Guy Fred and Carrie Clutts Wolfe. She and Floyd W. Sanders were married March 14, 1942, in Jackson. He died March 27, 1995...

BIEHLE, Mo. -- Wilbert Clements, 84, of Biehle died Tuesday, May 3, 2005, at Perry County Nursing Home. He was born April 4, 1921, in Bollinger County, Mo., son of Louis H. and Elizabeth Werth Clements. He and Thelma C. "Tooty" Buerck were married May 26, 1951. She died Oct. 6, 1984...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Virginia "Ginny" Bohnert Weber, 87, of Perryville died Wednesday, May 4, 2005, at Perry County Nursing Home. She was born July 8, 1917, in Perry County, Mo., daughter of Fred and Ida Tucker Blessing. She and Edgar Leo Bohnert were married June 1, 1940. He died June 19, 1977. She and Adolph "Jim" Weber were married Aug. 1, 1981. He died April 9, 2001...

Rose Mary Jones, 47, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, May 4, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center. She was born Nov. 27, 1957, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Mary Renn. She married Troy Jones. Jones also lived in Charleston and Wentzville, Mo., moving back to Cape Girardeau in 1998...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Claudine B. Hensley, 88, of Sikeston died Tuesday, May 3, 2005, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. She was born July 12, 1916, in Sikeston, daughter of George W. and Eva Sadler Hensley Sr. Hensley was a stitcher 35 years at International Shoe Co., retiring in 1975. She was a charter member of Fellowship Baptist Church...

ANNA, Ill. -- Vickie L. Bevil, 56, of Anna died Wednesday, May 4, 2005, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. She was born May 16, 1948, in Cairo, Ill., daughter of Carroll and Gladys R. Sharp Thompson. She and Orbie G. Bevil were married in Elco, Ill...

ANNA, Ill. -- Ruth Violet Miller, 89, of Anna died Wednesday, May 4, 2005, at City Care Center. She was born Sept. 11, 1915, in Rockford, Ill., daughter of Dock and Francis Earlywine Neblock. She and Lee A. Medlin were married in August 1936 in Rockford. He died in 1967. She and Clarence Miller were married in 1969 in Anna. He died in 1986...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Dr. Maria Magdalena Lyskowski, 82, of Jefferson City, died Wednesday, May 4, 2005, at her home. She was born Sept. 3, 1922, in Katowice, Poland, daughter of the late Valentine and Maria Magdalena Menszczyzna. She and Dr. Stephan Lyskowski were married in Poland and the couple moved to the United States in 1950. He preceded her in death in 1968...

Prescription waste; Surreptitious funding; Crying toddler on logo; It's not your money; Stop at red lights; Protesting too much; Stolen basketball; Demand truth; Better doughnuts; Time to make peace; SEMO's standards; Chilling climate; Bigger problem; Object lesson; Reducing competition; Prefers football field; Food, not woodpeckers; Doesn't make sense

To the editor: After many years of working with women who are abused by their partners, I consider myself a kind of expert on the subject. I have watched women return to abusive relationships time and again, sometimes taking children back into violent homes. Occasionally these women even end up dead...

To the editor: Is the author of "Execution more costly than life" really convinced that it costs more to execute a person that to feed him for the rest of his life? There is also a moral and spiritual side to this matter. It's a tragedy to lose a family member. However, the government also has the solemn duty to punish an evil-doer according to the severity of his crime...

To the editor: My family and I had the great privilege of attending the opening night of "Annie" put on by Mike Dumey and his cast this past Thursday. I must admit, prior to attending, a part of me may have questioned the amount of attention that this little junior high school production was getting. ...

If bloodlines count for anything, then Whitney Thomas should have quite a track career at Southeast Missouri State. Thomas, a senior hurdler at Hazelwood Central High School in St. Louis County, recently signed a letter of intent to compete for the Redhawks. Her father, Rob Thomas, ranks as one of Southeast's all-time great track athletes...

News about America's obesity problems keeps changing, but one message remains: Exercise is important in warding off disease. Even the new food pyramid guidelines include a recommendation of 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise daily as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle. The pyramid guide at www.mypyramid.gov even offers tips for how to add more physical activity to your day while you add more fruits and vegetables, too...

Many worthwhile projects and organizations have benefited from soliciting donations at the uptown corner of Main and Hope streets in Jackson. But Jackson city manager Jim Roach has concerns and recommends an eventual ban on solicitations. One concern is the safety of the persons doing the soliciting at the busy intersection. ...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released Wednesday by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests * Brian K. Sauceda, 34, 2834 Whitener, No. 4, was arrested on a Scott County warrant for nonsupport. * Joseph Stewart, 23, of McComb, Miss., was arrested on a Camden County warrant for failing to appear...

Fish and chicken supper on Friday in Bell City; Fish fry to be held at Eisleben Lutheran Church

Jump Rope for Heart scheduled for Friday; VFW poppies go on sale to support veterans; Southern Pride Senior Program board meeting; Summer cheer clinic at South Elementary; Groups participate in Friends of the Park Day; Car wash benefits Boys and Girls Club; Elks mobile program provides dental services; Humane Society to hold first annual yard sale; Bike-A-Thon on May 21 to benefit St. Jude's; Bunny Bread employee reunion set for May 22

The Youth United Way recently participated in the 17th Annual National Youth Service Day by leading a service project at the Cape Girardeau Boys and Girls Club. Youth United Way members assisted with the after school program, tutored children, led activities and provided snacks. Youth Service Day is sponsored by Youth Service America, a national not-for-profit resource center committed to growing the youth service movement...

WASHINGTON -- Government-funded researchers tested AIDS drugs on hundreds of foster children over the past two decades, often without providing them a basic protection afforded in federal law and required by some states, an Associated Press review has found...

CHICAGO -- Gilbert Arenas foiled a remarkable comeback by the Chicago Bulls and pushed the Washington Wizards within one victory of the second round of the playoffs. Arenas hit a 14-foot jumper at the buzzer Wednesday night, sending Washington to a dramatic 112-110 victory and a 3-2 series lead...

NEW YORK -- Players from Spanish-speaking countries are getting tripped up by baseball's steroids policy at a disproportionate rate, raising concerns that they don't understand the rules on banned substances -- including over-the-counter supplements bought back home...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Barry Bonds had a third operation on his injured right knee, the latest setback in the slugger's rehabilitation, he said on his Web site Wednesday. Bonds underwent arthroscopic surgery Monday in California as doctors tried to clean out an infection, first draining fluids from his knee, according to a journal entry from Bonds posted on his Web site...

The Big East and Atlantic Coast conferences have ended their lawsuits over school defections with a multimillion dollar agreement. The presidents of Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Rutgers and West Virginia signed off on the agreement, which drops lawsuits between the conferences, their member schools and officers. Commissioners of both leagues also endorsed the deal...

DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Dale Jarrett shrugs his shoulders when he looks at what has become of the old country track he used to visit when his daddy went racing. Gone is the big scoreboard and play structure at Darlington Raceway where Jarrett would climb while his father, Ned, mixed it up with NASCAR stars of the 1960s. Now, rising up around the track's perimeter is a multimillion-dollar lighting system...

WANTED: Charitable someone at least 18 years old itching to take a crack at playing in a professional baseball game, ready to go deep but with deep enough pockets to buy the chance. Glove, shoes and a pen to sign an injury waiver required. Chewing tobacco not included...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- When more than a dozen lawyers were making clandestine loans to a former municipal judge who has admitted having a gambling problem, they also were taking a gamble that could lead to criminal or ethics charges against them, federal prosecutors say...

DULUTH, Ga. -- Townspeople who joined in the three-day search for runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks are getting increasingly peeved that they still have not heard an apology from her. Her attorney said Wilbanks plans to issue a statement today. "She made a big mistake. She needs to come out and face it," said Ron Harris, owner of The Soda Shop in this Atlanta suburb, where most patrons were annoyed Wilbanks has been back in Georgia since Saturday but hasn't said a word about her disappearance...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Customers of Missouri Gas Energy can expect to see an increase in their natural gas bills starting next week. The Missouri Public Service Commission recently approved a request by the company to add a 17-cent monthly surcharge to customers' bills. The surcharge would be used to fund pipeline replacements and/or relocations. Customers can expect to see the surcharge listed on their bill as an "infrastructure system replacement surcharge" or ISRS...

UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. -- Twenty-three elementary school students were taken to a hospital Wednesday morning as a precaution after a car backed into their school bus, the suburban St. Louis school district said. None of the injuries were serious. The bus driver was not injured. The car's driver was taken to a hospital, complaining of minor injuries...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Republican Gov. Matt Blunt's appointee to the state transportation commission survived a grilling Wednesday by the Senate Democratic leader over his role in Blunt's gubernatorial campaign. Mid-Missouri vehicle dealer Mike Kehoe leased his personal tour bus to Blunt's campaign last year, and drove Blunt around the state in it during the final weeks before the November elections. As of last month, the campaign still had not paid for the bus...

IRBIL, Iraq -- Hawra Mohammed had just dropped off his brother outside a police recruiting center when a loud explosion shook this usually peaceful northern Kurdish city. Mohammed raced back and nearly fainted at what he saw: bodies strewn across the blood-slicked street...

JERUSALEM -- Israel on Wednesday froze the planned handover of West Bank towns to the Palestinians, accusing Palestinian security forces of failing to honor commitments to disarm militants in areas already under their control. In the West Bank, two Palestinian youths were shot dead by Israeli soldiers. The developments strained the already tense cease-fire...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Acting on a tip that foreign militants had been spotted, Pakistani commandos attacked two motorcyclists -- one disguised in women's clothing -- on a dusty graveyard near a hilly, rough-and-tumble northern town in the country's farm belt...

The state-ranked Advance baseball team hammered host Puxico 11-0 in five innings on Wednesday. The Hornets scored four runs in the first inning on a grand slam by Jeremy Limbaugh. Daryl Wade improved to 5-0 by allowing just two hits and striking out eight in five innings...

St. Vincent fell short of winning the Class 1 District 1 golf tournament Wednesday at Piney Valley Golf Course in Fort Leonard Wood, but the Indians still have a chance to compete for a team state title. In a fluke of this year's district format, which advances only one team per district to the state tournament, the Indians advanced four golfers in the top 10 and will have enough golfers to score as a team at state...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Nick Zito is ready for a memorable Kentucky Derby. Yankees boss George Steinbrenner could use a good day, too. Bellamy Road, owned by the Boss and trained by Zito, was made the 5-2 favorite for Saturday's Derby based on his most recent runaway victory, a 17 1/2-length romp in the Wood Memorial last month...

CINCINNATI -- Scott Rolen returned from a sore back and hit a two-run homer Wednesday night, sparking the St. Louis Cardinals to a 7-3 victory and three-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds. Mark Mulder's seven shutout innings also helped St. Louis improve the NL's best record to 18-8, the Cardinals' best start since 1948...

Southeast Missouri State's Brian Knippen was named the Ohio Valley Conference's Male Field Athlete of the Year for outdoor track and field on Wednesday, an award coach Joey Haines believes he richly deserved. But Haines came away a bit miffed that his sensational sophomore sprinter, Miles Smith, did not won the OVC Male Track Athlete of the Year in voting by the league's head coaches...

Who has time to get healthy? Or so goes the lament common to the hordes of harried Baby Boomers, enthralled by their ever expanding schedules. Evidently they are not alone. A mere 3 percent of all Americans take the time to actually get healthy; this, according to a major Michigan State University study just published in the Archives of Internal Medicine...

A program called "Webs and Woosies," planned and implemented by 14 Southeast Missouri State University recreation students in a group development class, was recently held for Girl Scouts of Otahki Council on the campus at the Parker Gym. Jackson, Cape Girardeau, Scott City, Marble Hill and other fifth- to eighth-graders of the Girl Scouts of Otahki Council learned team-building activities through communication, trust, listening skills and problem solving. ...

Evansville entered Wednesday night's baseball game at Capaha Field struggling offensively....

Cape Road Runners host youth meet The Cape Road Runners will be hosting a youth track meet 9 a.m. Saturday at Central Junior High with between 250 and 300 athletes expected to participate. The meet will feature athletes ages 4 to 16, including members of the Junior Road Runners Club...

ST. LOUIS -- A principal at a St. Louis charter school is fired for allegedly altering state tests. Cheryl Ray was dismissed yesterday from the St. Louis Charter Academies' south campus. That was just a day after a teacher at the school's north campus was charged with assaulting a third-grade student...

WASHINGTON -- U.S. civilian authorities in Iraq cannot properly account for nearly $100 million that was supposed to have been spent on reconstruction projects in south-central Iraq, government investigators said Wednesday. There are indications of fraud in the use of the $96.6 million, according to a report by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. A separate investigation of possible wrongdoing continues...

LONDON -- Tony Blair looks certain to win today's general election -- but the margin could have deep consequences for Britain's storied "special relationship" with the United States. Boasting stewardship over years of economic good times, Blair may escape serious punishment over the war in Iraq -- but he has taken enough of a battering in the campaign that any future British leader will probably be wary of backing Washington militarily in the face of hostile domestic opinion...

FORT HOOD, Texas -- A military judge Wednesday threw out Pfc. Lynndie England's guilty plea to abusing Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison, saying he was not convinced the Army reservist who appeared in some of the most notorious photos in the scandal knew her actions were wrong at the time. ...

Despite being riddled with injuries, Southeast Missouri State's women will look to continue their Ohio Valley Conference domination this weekend. And the Southeast men will try to finally get over the hump, as the program shoots for a rare sweep during the two-day OVC Outdoor Meet in Clarksville, Tenn. Austin Peay is the host for the event, with action beginning 1 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The chaplain with a pig snout visiting patients in Jefferson City's St. Marys Health Center personifies what many medical professionals and researchers are prescribing for their patients -- a good dose of humor. Medical professionals agree patients' health is no laughing matter, but they are increasingly looking to a growing body of evidence indicating humor's benefits for physical and mental health, as well as patient-caregiver relationships...

A second post office facility could be in Cape Girardeau's future. It would be an addition on the city's west side long sought by city and civic leaders. A temporary west side retail post office could be in operation in Cape Girardeau within a month, postmaster Mike Keefe said Thursday. Keefe said postal officials have all but assured him that a temporary facility will be opened. Several businesses have expressed interest in operating a retail post office, he said...

SHAWNEETOWN, Mo. -- At the Apple Creek conservation area in the extreme northern fringe of Cape Girardeau County, progress is measured not by days or even weeks, but by years and decades. The area where Apple Creek runs alongside river bluffs, flood-plain bottomlands and grassy fields on its way to the Mississippi River is the site of an ongoing battle to restore what centuries of human development have destroyed -- natural habitats...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- An 18-year-old Perryville man was killed in a one-vehicle accident on Route K just south of Interstate 55 in Perry County Thursday night, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The patrol said Michael Berkbuegler was driving his Yamaha motorcycle northbound when he ran off the road, struck a mailbox and overturned. He was pronounced dead at the scene by county coroner Herb Miller...

The mail processing center in Cape Girardeau will be outfitted with high-tech equipment to detect deadly anthrax, part of the postal service's nationwide effort to combat bioterrorism. Postal officials announced Thursday that the equipment will be installed and put into operation at the center at 475 Kell Farm Drive by June 18...

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department will install smoke detectors in high-risk homes this fall as part of a $64,000 federal Homeland Security grant, fire chief Rick Ennis said Thursday. The grant will fund the purchase of 4,800 smoke detectors as well as 4,800 additional batteries that would replace dead batteries in existing smoke detectors, he said...

Less than a week after being robbed for the fifth time since 1998, police say an unhappy customer assaulted a security guard at the Bank of America at Kingshighway and Cape Rock Drive. A short time later, the customer, Richard Andrusejko of Jackson, was stopped by police, where he collapsed and was taken to a local hospital...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Charges of forgery and official misconduct were filed Thursday by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan against the mayor, former city treasurer and city clerk of Cairo. The charges allege the three mishandled city funds after the mayor was sworn into office two years ago...

Bonnie Blechle had been looking for rhubarbs for weeks at area grocery stores, but they didn't have them yet. "When I saw that the farmer's market was open today, I knew they'd be here," said the Jackson resident. "And I knew they'd be fresher anyway. You know when you come here that they've probably been picked that morning."...

BENTON, Mo. -- A husband and wife from Oran, Mo., were being held in the Scott County jail Wednesday evening in connection with a rash of residential burglaries that started in October. Keith D. Chapman, 44, is being charged with possession of a controlled substance, five counts of second-degree burglary, five counts of stealing, possession of burglary tools, unlawful use of a weapon and possession of drug paraphernalia. Bond is set at $150,000...

BENTON, Mo. -- Three people were arrested Sunday night as a result of a drug-related search warrant served in Morley. A narcotics investigation conducted by the Morley Police Department and assisted by the Scott County Sheriff's Department resulted in a search warrant being served at 105 Emerson Lane in Morley...

Editor's note: Joe Sullivan is on vacation. This column was originally published May 8, 1998. My wife and I are to the point that we don't like many wrinkles in our routine, but once in a while we get a jolt or two. If someone asked me to describe my life, I would say that I have been very fortunate and very lucky, but on the whole I consider myself ordinary...

25 years ago: May 6, 1980 With little more than a month before the present Cape Girardeau Public Library building at Lorimier and Themis streets is scheduled to be vacated, the city council has yet to decide what the future use of the building will be...

Lappe; Roumany

Mattie O. Ellis, 77, of Shawnee, Okla., died Wednesday, May 4, 2005, in a Shawnee hospital. She was born July 2, 1927, in Reydon, Okla., daughter of Herbert E. and Lily Hamon Hill. She and Bill D. Ellis were married Sept. 4, 1945, in Denver, Colo. Ellis received a bachelor of science degree from Southeast Missouri State University, and a master's degree from Southeastern State University. She was an elementary teacher 27 years, having taught at May Greene and Washington schools...

Leo "Pete" Poe, 85, of Jackson died Wednesday, May 4, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Feb. 8, 1920, in Jackson, son of Jesse Marvin and Lula Maud Cavaner Poe. He and Marjorie Lorraine Blumer were married Feb. 14, 1941. She died Jan. 12, 1997...

WYATT, Mo. -- Sandra Kay Berry, 50, of Wyatt died Thursday, May 5, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Jan. 1, 1955, at Wyatt, daughter of Jim and Martha M. Housman Coker. She and Paul E. Berry were married Oct. 28, 1998...

RANDLES, Mo. -- Frank "Mike" Dumey, 94, of Randles passed away Wednesday, May 4, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Feb. 8, 1911, at Kelso, Mo., son of Leo and Louise Enderle Dumey. He and Agnes C. Felden were married Sept. 14, 1932, at St. Ambrose Catholic Church in Chaffee, Mo...

Post office location; We did that already; Home of the best; Graduation crowd; How far back?; Deserved tyranny; Very good articles; Don't need spies; Add to the base; Getting too nosy; Thanks for paying; Pat on the back; Caring for others; Support, friendship; Honesty appreciated; Health care expenses

To the Editor: V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day, May 8) is an appropriate time to enlarge Holocaust museums, and to include new Wholecaust museums. It is time to announce new, larger museums that will document the Wholecaust (of which the Holocaust was a part): 62 million killed under the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; 35 million under the Peoples' Republic of China; 21 million under the National Socialist German Workers' Party. ...

To the Editor: Back in 1981, Dr. Jack and Dorothy Miller started a beautification campaign in Bryan/College Station, Texas, that has received wonderful reviews for its accomplishments. I lived in Bryan as the Community Development Coordinator, and Jack was retired from the Veterinarian College at Texas A&M University...

Football...

Every spring, the excitement of proms, house parties and graduation heightens the potential for a tragedy that should worry every school and parent: The death of a student or students caused by drinking and driving. Car crashes involving teen drivers are the leading cause of death for American teens, outstripping murder, cancer, suicide, and heart disease combined. ...

The most positive aspect of the new mural commissioned by Southeast Missouri State University is that it is not a mural at all, since it will be painted on canvas and hung on a wall at the River Campus. This means that eventually, when more aesthetically enlightened views prevail, it may be removed to a location more appropriate to its subject matter: river boats...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released Thursday by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests * Otis D. Rutherford, 18, of Benton, was arrested on a municipal warrant for two instances of failing to appear for assault and failing to appear for prohibited acts...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Wednesday: * At 5:24 p.m., an alarm at 4680 Nash Road. * At 9:12 p.m., a citizen assist at 1800 Brink St. * At 6:46 p.m., a motor vehicle accident at 42210 Route Y. * At 11:13 p.m., a smoke scare at 828 S. West End Blvd...

WASHINGTON -- Russian President Vladimir Putin's uneven record on reform and President Bush's campaign to spread democracy are sorely testing the wary friendship that grew between Russia and the United States out of the hostility of the Cold War. From the U.S. ...

WASHINGTON -- Investigators never located all 80 of the cattle that crossed the Canadian border with a dairy cow that brought the first known case of mad cow disease into the United States. Eighteen months later, the government is proposing a national tracking system that would pinpoint an animal's movements within 48 hours after a disease is discovered...

In the wildest game yet of a series headed to a Game 7, the Celtics overcame the late ejection of Paul Pierce and sent their first-round matchup with the Indiana Pacers back to Boston. Antoine Walker scored 24 points Thursday night, including a go-ahead 3-pointer early in overtime and the clinching basket with a minute to go, in Boston's 92-89 victory...

MIDWAY, Ky. -- The love affair hasn't cooled one bit. A year after he set the nation's heart fluttering, Smarty Jones still possesses the looks, charm and self-assuredness of a champion. A movie is already in the works. And now, on top of all that, he's got ... the life...

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. -- There's a Swede in the lead at the Michelob Ultra Open. No, not THAT one. Trying to become the first LPGA player to win six straight tournaments, Annika Sorenstam instead had one of her worst rounds in recent memory Thursday. She shot a 5-over 76, leaving her nine strokes behind leaders Silvia Cavalleri and Catrin Nilsmark...

WASHINGTON -- Toward the end of the Washington Nationals' first month in their new home, where they've been winning more than losing, someone took a black marker to the white board outside their RFK Stadium clubhouse and scribbled this: "We might not have it all together right now guys but together we can have it all. Let's do it."...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The House tabled a bill Thursday that would have allowed the state park board to decide whether the Confederate flag should again fly over Missouri's historical gravesites. Several lawmakers decried the bill, arguing that the Confederate flag is offensive to many black Americans who associate it with slavery...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Senate gave final approval Thursday to legislation that makes it a felony for inmates to throw spit, urine or other bodily fluids on prison guards. Another provision of the bill allows the state to collect up to $60 a month from those on parole or probation. The state parole board could consider an inmate's ability to pay and allow for lower or no payments...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The state has received about $135 million in federal homeland security money since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and has spent about $49 million of it, Gov. Matt Blunt's office said Thursday. Blunt asked state agencies for an accounting of how that money is being spent in February, saying it was tough to track where the funds had gone...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- A Libyan seized in Pakistan this week was the fourth purported No. 3 leader of al-Qaida killed or captured since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, but the global dragnet has yet to reach up the terror group's hierarchy to the main prizes -- Osama bin Laden and his right-hand man, Ayman al-Zawahri...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraqis seeking jobs with security forces were targeted once again Thursday when a suicide bomber with explosives strapped to his body mingled among hundreds of men and blew himself up in one of four attacks that killed 26 people. The attacks are part of a surge of violence that has killed more than 200 since Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari announced his new government last week with seven positions still undecided...

NEW YORK -- Jittery investors sold stocks lower Thursday as the downgrade of bonds issued by General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. undermined the market's confidence and erased its earlier modest gains. Standard & Poor's decision to lower the automakers' debt ratings dragged down the rest of the market, which was already nervous ahead of the Labor Department's job creation report Friday. ...

NEW YORK -- Two small makeshift grenades exploded early Thursday outside a building housing the British Consulate, just as Britons went to the polls in a national election. The blast caused minor damage and no injuries. Authorities said they had no clear indication the consulate, which shares the building with several other tenants, was a target. The blasts blew out a glass panel at the building's entrance...

WHEELER ARMY AIR FIELD, Hawaii -- An Army helicopter pilot pleaded guilty to negligent homicide on Thursday, admitting he was showing off before his Black Hawk helicopter crashed in Afghanistan last year and killed the crew chief. Chief Warrant Officer 3 Darrin R. Rogers, 37, could be discharged from the Army and get more than five years in prison for his guilty pleas...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Among the flowers and balloons honoring a little girl known for years only as Precious Doe, a handwritten sign announced the news: Her real name was Erica Michelle Marie Green. Just shy of 4 years old, Erica had long been anonymous in death, her headless body abandoned beside a road. But she was not forgotten...

LONDON -- Tony Blair won a historic third term as prime minister Thursday, but exit poll projections indicated his Labour Party suffered a sharply reduced parliamentary majority in apparent punishment for going to war in Iraq. A chastened Blair said, "We will have to respond to that sensibly and wisely."...

Bigger translates to better opportunities when it comes to Saturday's Soap Box Derby in Cape Girardeau. With 17 cars expected in the stock division and 13 entries in the super stock, two winners from the Cape Girardeau Rotary Club's annual local qualifier can qualify for the All-American Soap Box Derby this summer in Akron, Ohio. Ten entries are needed in a classification to qualify. Last year, the event featured 26 boys and girls, but just eight entries in the super stock...

Central's Joanna Taleno won two events and was part of two winning relays to lead the Tigers to the Show-Me Conference girls swimming title Thursday at Poplar Bluff. Central finished with 437 points, and Notre Dame finished second at 366. "We didn't win every event but it took the whole team to win that," Central coach Dayna Powell said...

The Perryville boys track team finished first out of nine teams Thursday in the Jefferson County Conference track and field meet at Festus High School. The Pirates tallied 186 points Jesse Kueker won the 1,600-meter run and was part of both the winning 1,600 relay and 3,200 relay teams...

Brian Giles' 0-for-22 slump is over. So is the San Diego Padres' 11-game losing streak at St. Louis. Giles had four hits and five RBIs Thursday night in San Diego's 8-3 victory over the Cardinals. The Padres won at Busch Stadium for the first time since Aug. 28, 2001, despite hitting into the first triple play in the major leagues this season...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A jury has awarded a $6 million judgment to a former choir director who claimed the Methodist Church didn't protect her from a pastor who allegedly raped her seven years ago. A Greene County jury heard two weeks of testimony before returning their verdict Wednesday to give Teresa Norris $4 million in punitive damages. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Legislature on Thursday gave final approval to a $19.2 billion state operating budget that, despite large core cuts to Medicaid and other programs, would increase overall government spending by $323.6 million. In sending the 13 appropriations bills that make up the state budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 to Republican Gov. ...

GAINESVILLE, Ga. -- Runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks apologized Thursday for disappearing just before her wedding day, and insisted cryptically that her flight was prompted not by cold feet, but by "a host of compelling issues, which seemed out of control." Wilbanks, whose three-day disappearance led to a nationwide search, initially told investigators she had been abducted by a Hispanic male and white woman with a handgun, a story that quickly unraveled. ...

The season for Southeast Missouri State's softball team will basically come down to its final four games -- all at home -- in a span of three days, beginning today. Southeast plays Eastern Illinois at 3 p.m. today in a single contest, then faces Austin Peay in a three-game weekend series. There will be a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday and a 1 p.m. game Sunday...

CINCINNATI -- Just the other day, Ken Griffey Jr. got an unsolicited hitting tip from his youngest child. "My 3-year-old said, 'Daddy, you've got to have a bigger leg kick. You'll hit it farther,"' Griffey said. Precocious Tevin Griffey would like to put the power back into his pop's swing, the one that has launched 503 homers since 1989 but only two so far this year. Something is indeed out of whack, and papa Griffey knows there's only one thing that can fix it...

'CRASH' Starring Sandra Bullock, Brendan Fraser, Don Cheadle and Matt Dillon. Set in Los Angeles shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, this ensemble drama tracks the intersecting lives of a Brentwood housewife and her attorney husband, a Persian store owner, two police detectives who are also lovers, an African-American television director and his wife, a Mexican locksmith, two carjackers, a rookie cop, and a middle-aged Korean couple. ...

After being out of the pop music game for about five years, Michael W. Smith is ready to bring his old flavor back. The Christian contemporary singer/songwriter who hit the scene in 1983 and was a driving force behind building the Christian music industry has returned to his musical roots on his newest hit record, "Healing Rain," and Saturday night Smith plans to bring his re-invigorated, pop-infused music to the Show Me Center stage...

Singer and guitarist Tony Spinner has a simple philosophy about his music -- don't compromise for anyone and always play from the heart. That's why the Cape Girardeau native has, since the early-1990s, thwarted advances from major labels, making albums instead on smaller independent labels like Blues Bureau. That's also why almost 10 years after his last album on that label, Spinner has decided to produce his own album, "Chicks and Guitars," which will go on sale this week...

Grampa Woo yacht coming to Cape Girardeau riverfront Tuesday; 'Sheep Shots' reception opening at Schock Community Arts Center; First Friday opening reception today at Gallery 1.2.5 ; First Friday opening at arts council galleries; Musical lineup announced for ArtsCape festival; Heartland Writers Guild sponsors workshop in Cape Girardeau; Graduating Southeast poets give 'Last Stand' at Barnes & Noble; Chickasaw Nation Dancers appearing at Wickliffe Mounds; First Friday opening at The Artist Studio; Garden Gallery showcases student work

ST. LOUIS -- Taking a marketing feud between the nation's two largest brewers to new heights, Northwest Airlines has tapped Miller Lite to replace top-selling Bud Light on all of its flights worldwide. Eagan, Minn.-based Northwest, the fourth-largest airline, said Miller Lite will be phased in aboard Northwest and Northwest Airlink-operated flights over the next several weeks. ...

I feel really special. This week I've been pampered. Coddled. Swaddled in expensive leather skins, caressed by filtered, air-conditioned breezes, and serenaded by the finest classical orchestrations of human creation. You see, I've been parading around in a pickup truck!...

Heins won the 2004 Spirit of St. Louis Marathon. He is an Assistant Cross Country/Track Coach at Southeast Missouri State University and competed for the University of Cincinnati. There are many reasons people attempt to run a marathon. Some just to finish, others to raise money for a cause and others to try to see just how fast they can cover 26.2 miles on foot. ...

This account is from a member of an elite force in a branch of the military. His experience was a training exercise, closely monitored and administered by the military. His team is serving a tour of duty in an undisclosed foreign land...

Dax is a former University of Nebraska swimmer. Currently, he is a student at Southeast Missouri State University and an avid cyclist...

Smith is the reigning OVC Champion in the 400m. He was Named First Team All-OVC in 2004. At one point this season, Smith had the fastest outdoor 400m time in the nation...

Culetti starred as Sky Masterson in the Southeast production of Guys and Dolls...

It's been almost two years since Fiona Apple completed her third album, "Extraordinary Machine," but there's little chance you've even heard of it. The piano-pop songstress was made famous by heroin chic videos on MTV, as well as her songs like "Shadow Boxer" and "Criminal." "Tidal," the album containing those hits, earned her a Grammy, but she hasn't released new material since 1999's "When the Pawn."...

The A.C. Brase Arena was the site of the first OFF!-n-Rage concert put on by OFF! Magazine and Rage 103.7 FM. Co-sponsored by Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department and Shivelbine's, the OFF-n-Rage Concert drew approximately 200 people. Local bands featured were Battery Kate, Knotted Fear, Elixir, Rock Solid and Roadside Memory. Each band was allowed a 40-minute time slot to play their music, and seemed to take advantage of their opportunity to do what they do best - rock...

Dustin Michael has been striking out with asinine poetry since high school. "I wrote this goofy poem for my 11th-grade girlfriend in a Christmas card. She read it and said it was really cheesy. She broke up with me a week after Christmas." Michael's early diss has been forgotten, now that the poet is featured in a new book, "Asinine Love Poetry." The collection features contributors to the website www.asininepoetry.com, an online journal for all poems silly and hilarious...

This summer promises to offer enough new music from established acts to clog your eardrums and make you go deaf for weeks. But at least the new music should take attention away from all the sunburns, sweat and increased electric bills. Maybe. ** Audioslave: "Out of Exile"...

May 7, Soap Box Derby; The Cape Girardeau Soap Box Derby is one of 150 qualifying local races held across the U.S. and around the world. Drivers, along with their own pit crew, assemble the kit cars and compete in one of two divisions: Stock and Super Stock. Ages 8-17. Kit cars may be ordered by calling Tracey Glenn at 573-335-8556...

The Lorimier Gallery features Arnor Bielvedt, Gallery 100 presents Claus Gray and Freer "Material Soft And Hard" and a mini exhibit by Jan Chamberlain...

Dear Tom and Ray: I'm considering buying a hybrid car, but someone recently told me that because I do a lot of highway driving, I will not get nearly the mileage promised in the ads. The reason I was given is that on the highway, the gasoline portion of the engine is used rather than the electric portion. Is this true?...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- As the self-proclaimed Medicaid Militia gathered on the Missouri Capitol steps on a windy but warm Friday afternoon for a funeral procession marking the "death" of state health-care services for the poor, a leader of the rally walked the group through the basic rules of peaceful protest...

Construction crews will transform Cape Girardeau's Water Street into a scenic one-way road for tourists visiting the colorful floodwall mural, but the initial construction work involves water lines, not aesthetics. Workers with Alliance Water Resources, the company that operates the city's water system, are tearing up the pavement and installing two water lines: a 12-inch line to boost water pressure downtown and a 20-inch pipe...

Missouri Department of Transportation officials have taken another step in the long-range plans to improve Highway 34 between U.S. 60 and Jackson. An engineering and consulting firm hired by MoDOT has wrapped up a draft environmental impact statement on the 85-mile stretch. The report concludes about five years of study...

25 years ago: May 7, 1980 President Jimmy Carter swept all 10 Cape Girardeau County Democratic delegates to the party's district and state convention as the county group held its convention at Jackson last night; of 61 county delegates in attendance, all but one listed Carter as their presidential preference...

Kidd; Stewart; Janzow; Hobbs

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Michael John Berkbuegler, 18, of Perryville died Thursday, May 5, 2005, from injuries received in a motorcycle accident in Perry County. He was born July 8, 1986, in Chester, Ill., son of Ronald and Marilyn K. Baudendistel Berkbuegler...

PUXICO, Mo. -- W.W. "Bill" King, 79, of Puxico died Thursday, May 5, 2005, at Puxico Nursing Center. He was born Dec. 15, 1925, in Clarkton, Mo., son of William G. and Hazel Leona Phelps King. He and Juanita Cookson were married Sept. 3, 1948, in Piggott, Ark...

Abigail Grace Kidd, 2 days, died Thursday, April 21, 2005, and Alexi Christina Kidd, four days, died Saturday, April 23, 2005, at the University of South Alabama Children's and Women's Hospital in Mobile. They are two of the triplets born April 19 at the hospital, daughters of Drs. Huey and Dee Dee Kidd of Millers Ferry, Ala...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Alger K. Stephenson, 88, of Sikeston died Thursday, May 5, 2005, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born May 30, 1916, in Salt Lake City, Utah, son of Reno G. and Gertrude Calhoun Stephenson. He and Loretta Henley were married March 8, 1950, in Washington, D.C...

PAINTON, Mo. -- Donald Ray Wondel Sr., 63, of Painton died Thursday, May 5, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born June 29, 1941, at Painton, son of Emory and Elizabeth Surface Wondel. He and Marvenia King were married Feb. 24, 1968, in Bell City, Mo...

Anita E. Haertling, 85, of Jackson died Thursday, May 5, 2005, at Jackson Manor. McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson is in charge of arrangements.

MOUND CITY, Ill. -- Ada F. Costellia, 94, of Benton, Ky., died Friday, May 6, 2005, at Lourdes Hospital in Paducah, Ky. She was born July 5, 1910, in Salem, Ky., daughter of Arthur and Ila Dickerson Mercer. Costellia moved to Mound City in 1927. Survivors include two daughters, Wilma Thomas of Benton, Patricia Crysler of Fort Meyers, Fla.; a son, Lee Costellia of Lake St. Louis, Mo.; a friend, Leroy Daily; 10 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; and eight great-great-grandchildren...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Billy Ray Oakley, 72, of Sikeston died Thursday, May 5, 2005, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. He was born April 26, 1933, in Hayti, Mo., son of Walter and Allie Ingould Oakley. He and Ruth Weddle were married on Oct. 11, 1952, in St. Louis...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Sophronia McRaven, 82, of Jonesboro died Friday, May 6, 2005, at Memorial Hospital of Carbondale, Ill. Hileman Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

All is forgiven; Social insecurity; Filling time; Cheaper to fly; Paid own way; New day at NBC ; What's going on; Tit for tat; Scoot over ; Live like Christ; God and science; Not fond of Fonda; Cuts necessary; Radar alert; Thanks to Dumey; Bush brothers; Help only deserving; Tobacco politics; Reverse Robin Hood; Waking up; Baccalaureate kudos; Medicaid murder

Baseball...

The first-year Saxony Lutheran baseball team scored four runs unearned runs in the top of the seventh inning to post a 7-6 road victory Friday against Meadow Heights, a district opponent. Meadow Heights (7-8) led 6-3 after six innings but committed three of their four errors in the last inning and blew a seventh-inning lead for the fifth time this season...

John David Pattillo, who coached the Poplar Bluff boys basketball team to the last two Class 5 state championships and a 157-90 record in nine seasons, announced Friday he was resigning his position. "I really want to spend my time with my family," Pattillo told the Daily American Republic...

New pastor named at Cornerstone Church Cornerstone Assembly of God in Cape Girardeau has a new senior pastor. The Rev. Darrell Jones and his wife, Vickie, will begin at the church later this month. Jones has been with the Assemblies of God since 1990. He is currently serving as presbyter of the Van Buren section, and as the president of the Ministerial Alliance in Winona, Mo. He has served as pastor of the Winona Assembly of God since 1996...

"You are God, who took me out of the womb; You made me hope and trust when I was on my mother's breasts. I was cast upon you from my very birth; from my mother's womb you have been my God." (Psalms 22:9,10) "God raised up for them David as king, to whom also he gave testimony and said, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do all my will.'" (Acts 13:22)...

More than 36,000 pharmacies have agreed to help restrict sales of pseudoephedrine products used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. They represent nine major drug retailers, including Target, Walgreens, Wal-Mart and Kmart, that will place pseudoephedrine products behind the pharmacy counter and require that they be sold by a licensed pharmacist or pharmacy personnel...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Thursday: * At 5:29 p.m., emergency medical service at 2200 W. Cape Rock Drive. * At 6:44 p.m., emergency medical service at 300 Kiwanis Drive. * At 7:05 p.m., emergency medical service at 2800 Quince St...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items Friday. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI * Joshua J. Hathaway, 824 Bellevue St., Apt. 1, was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and driving without a valid license...

Explosion rocks Christian port city near Beirut; Hard-liners triumph in Northern Ireland election; Blair's new Cabinet keeps many longtime allies

Sections of Broadway will be closed for several hours after midnight on Tuesday and Wednesday to allow the contractor on the Southeast Missouri Hospital construction project to remove the boom from a large crane and relocate the crane, Cape Girardeau police said...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- A Perry County man was seriously injured in a one-vehicle crash early Friday, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Kevin Zoellner, 25, of Friedheim was driving on Route A, just east of Perry County Road 424, when he failed to negotiate a curve, slid off the road and struck a tree before overturning and coming to rest in a pond. Zoellner was taken to a hospital in Ste. Genevieve, Mo...

Rumsfeld: Fewer base closings than predicted; Man pleads innocent in Florida girl's death; CEO: Microsoft will back gay rights legislation

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- After years of problems, Chaffee Elementary School's battle against a lack of space will end this summer. Construction will begin in June on a new elementary cafeteria/activity center that will include a lobby and space for events such as concerts and kindergarten graduation...

Ste. Gen company faces fine for river pollution; Court orders defrocked priest freed on bond

WASHINGTON -- Yes, Washington, basketball life does exist beyond the first round of the playoffs. For the first time since 1982, the franchise is headed there. Confetti flooded the MCI Center floor Friday night as the Wizards broke a 23-year drought without winning a playoff series by defeating the Chicago Bulls 94-91 behind 19 points from each of their Big Three and a fluke turnover that led to the go-ahead basket...

Sergio Garcia posed over a 9-iron that never reached the green. Vijay Singh felt the wind change in the middle of his swing. Tiger Woods watched a birdie chance disappear off the green and into the water. Blustery wind that swirled from all corners fooled some of the world's best players and turned the Wachovia Championship into a test of patience Friday in Charlotte N.C...

CLAYTON, Mo. -- Rams defensive end Leonard Little was sentenced Friday to two years probation -- and a special condition that he not consume alcohol -- for highway speeding in St. Louis County last year. Little, who police said was driving 78 miles an hour in a 55-mph zone on Interstate 64 in Ladue, was convicted last month of misdemeanor speeding. ...

DARLINGTON, S.C. -- A lot has changed at Darlington Raceway since NASCAR's first paved speedway was opened in 1950. What was the backstretch is now the frontstretch, the signature grandstand roof is gone, the traditional Labor Day Weekend Southern 500 is only a memory and the cars now run under the lights. Even the blacktop racing surface that gave the track one of its nicknames -- The Lady in Black -- has faded to gray...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois junior Dee Brown, the Big Ten player of the year, will submit his name for the upcoming NBA draft but has not signed with an agent, the school announced Friday. The decision to not hire an agent preserves Brown's ability to return to Illinois for his senior season...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Truckers on Missouri roads don't buckle up as much as other drivers, the state Department of Transportation said Friday. The agency said that while Missourians' overall seat belt usage is about 76 percent, a study conducted last fall determined that 59 percent of those driving big trucks across Missouri roads wore seat belts...

CARTHAGE, Mo. -- A plant that turns turkey byproducts into oil has agreed to improve its odor control systems following a lawsuit by state and city officials alleging the odors posed a public nuisance. Attorney General Jay Nixon and Renewable Environmental Solutions said Friday that the company had agreed to improve the emissions-control equipment at its plant as part of a consent order filed in Jasper County Circuit Court...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Insurgent car bombs struck a market and a police bus Friday, killing at least 25 people, and a dozen bodies were uncovered in a garbage dump on the outskirts of Baghdad -- some victims blindfolded and shot execution-style. Also Friday, Iraqi militants holding an Australian engineer hostage issued a 72-hour ultimatum for Australia to start pulling its troops out of Iraq...

NEW YORK -- Police searched on Friday for possible witnesses, including an unidentified jogger and a cyclist, in the investigation of the early morning explosions outside a midtown Manhattan office building that houses the British Consulate. Murky images taken from security cameras showed the female jogger and perhaps two pedestrians passing near the entrance to the building on Thursday shortly before the blasts, police said. ...

BURLINGTON, Vt. -- Vermont, a famously liberal New England state that abolished capital punishment decades ago, is about to see its first death penalty trial in more than 40 years -- a case brought not by Vermont authorities but by federal prosecutors...

BIG FLATS, Wis. -- A fast-moving forest fire destroyed 30 homes and forced dozens to flee as it spread to almost 4,000 acres before being contained overnight, officials said Friday. No major injuries were reported. The fire -- described as the largest wildfire in Wisconsin in 25 years -- swept across nearly 3,900 acres, Big Flats Fire Chief Dick Meyers said. About 125 families were evacuated...

WASHINGTON -- People buying the next generation of digital televisions will be able to record and then watch their favorite shows without any interference from Hollywood. A federal appeals court on Friday threw out government rules requiring built-in, anti-piracy technology to let broadcasters and studios prevent digital shows from being copied and being shown on other TVs, computers and video players...

WASHINGTON -- There's fresh hope for jobseekers that companies will be posting more help-wanted signs. Employers boosted payrolls last month by a brisk 274,000 jobs -- roughly 100,000 more expected. The unemployment rate, meanwhile, held steady at 5.2 percent...

Missouri will join an Amber Alert system using the Internet to spread information more quickly about missing children, and allowing residents to get electronic notices about searches, Gov. Matt Blunt said Friday. Amber Alerts, which are issued when children are believed to have been abducted, are already in use in Missouri. Most people hear them on the radio, television or by reading them on electronic highway signs...

The Central boys track and field team topped the field at the SEMO Conference North Division meet Friday at Sikeston. Central finished with 98 points, followed by Jackson with 65. John Kipper won both the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs for the Tigers, and the foursome of Hykeem Hammonds, Tyler Terry, Anwar Glenn and Allen Walker won both the 800 and 400 relays...

Scott City handed advance a 7-5 defeat ~ Southeast Missourian It took nearly two months and 15 games, but someone finally figured out a way to beat Advance's baseball team. Playing its fourth game in four days, Advance was not able to overcome a thin rotation and costly mistakes, as Scott City was able to collar the Hornets with their first loss of the season in a 7-5 victory at Scott City on Friday...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The day before the Kentucky Derby, everybody was curious about George. That would be George Steinbrenner, the New York Yankees boss and owner of the Derby's 5-2 favorite, Bellamy Road. All eyes will surely be on Steinbrenner today when he takes his place alongside other horsemen at Churchill Downs to watch his strapping colt take on 19 others in the world's most famous race...

ST. LOUIS -- Trevor Hoffman became the third pitcher in major league history to reach 400 saves and Mark Sweeney had a two-run home run and three RBIs in the San Diego Padres' 6-5 victory over the Cardinals on Friday night. San Diego has won five in a row, including two straight in St. Louis for the first time since July 16-17, 1997. The Padres, who on Thursday ended an 11-game losing streak at Busch Stadium, have lost 19 of their last 23 in St. Louis...

A Cape Girardeau teenager was in jail Friday following his arrest on four felony charges and two misdemeanor charges stemming from two separate botched robbery attempts. Cape Girardeau police arrested Karnett Kenneth Redmond, 17, 419 S. Pacific St., after a two-hour chase that started near Sprigg and North streets at around 1 a.m. and ended at around 3:30 a.m. on top of a building at 718 Broadway...

Organizers of Cape Girardeau's Tunes at Twilight are expecting its sixth season to be the best yet, with a more diverse lineup and more public interest than ever. Tunes at Twilight is a summertime event -- minus a short break in July -- that features acoustic music every Friday night at the gazebo at the Common Pleas Courthouse on Lorimier Street...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A rise in overseas sales, due partly to concerns over the safety of beef, and the popularity of diets high in protein and low in carbohydrates have helped fuel big gains in the U.S. pork industry. The top three hog producers -- Smithfield Foods Inc. of Smithfield, Va., Kansas City-based Premium Standard Farms and Shawnee Mission, Kan.-based Seaboard Corp. -- each reported large jumps in sales and profits during 2004...

MUSKOGEE, Okla. -- The tipster who helped crack the case of a beheaded 3-year-old girl went to police with his suspicions nearly a year ago and recently tricked the child's mother into providing a hair sample that he mailed to Kansas City, a community activist said Friday...

QALQILIYA, West Bank -- The Islamic militants of Hamas won nearly a third of the West Bank and Gaza towns up for grabs in local elections, unofficial results said Friday, cementing the group as a significant political force as Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas tries to make peace with Israel...

WEST WENDOVER, Nev. -- A British team's attempt to establish a new speed record for electric-powered vehicles was scrubbed Friday, the second day weather and technical problems foiled efforts. The record attempt was scrapped because of a problem in the drive controller, the unit that controls the vehicle's electric motor, team members said. ...

NEW HAVEN, Conn. Founded by Congregational ministers in the 18th century, Yale University's Battell Chapel was this nation's first college-run church and, as recently as the Vietnam era, a Sunday morning gathering point. These days, however, only a few worshippers sit in the pews under Battell's sweeping Gothic arches, and now Yale is cutting its 248-year-old Congregational roots to try to re-energize the historic church by making services more welcoming...

Today Gospel singing at 7 p.m. at Shiloh Baptist Church in Villa Ridge, Ill., with the Gloryroad Travelers and the Gospel Three. Call (618) 995-2306. Sunday Vincentian Marian Youth Encounter at 6 p.m. at the Shrine Church in Perryville. Monday Cape Girardeau County Christian Women's Club meets at 11 a.m. ...

WASHINGTON -- The biblical name Jacob, the most popular choice for baby boys for the sixth straight year, also tops the first official ranking of names given to twins. Parents like to pair it with Joshua. Even more durable is the name Emily, which for the ninth year in a row claims the top spot among newborn girls, according to the Social Security Administration's tally for 2004, released Friday...

To the Editor: The Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce wishes to express support for Three Rivers Community College and its ongoing efforts to provide quality, affordable education to the citizens of our region. TRCC's commitment to maintaining high standards and reasonable tuition is greatly appreciated by the people the college serves...

WASHINGTON -- New York prosecutor Richard Brown likes to bug criminal suspects. In fact, he uses about as many wiretaps as other prosecutors in the rest of New York state put together. Only one other state -- California -- bugs as much as he does in a single county...

RIGA, Latvia -- President Bush, ignoring Moscow's objections about his trip to former Soviet republics, said Friday that Russia should treat its neighbors with respect and not fear the rise of new democracies along its borders. Bush opened a fast-paced, four-country journey to mark the 60th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany. He planned to meet today with the leaders of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia...

Southeast Missouri State men's basketball coach Gary Garner has concentrated on making the Redhawks more athletic. He believes another step in that direction was taken Friday. Garner announced the signing of the Redhawks' fifth player for next season -- and fourth junior college transfer -- in 6-foot-4 guard Eric Burtin from Iowa Central Community College...

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -- Southeast Missouri State track and field coach Joey Haines could not have imagined a much better start for his teams on the opening day of the Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Championships. Southeast athletes won four of the 12 finals events held Friday and finished high in several others as both the men and women opened up solid leads. Action resumes at 10 a.m. today on the campus of Austin Peay as the meet concludes...

Three Southeast Missouri State freshmen who have been impressive all season were largely responsible for the Redhawks' ending their nine-game losing streak. Elaine Fisher, Megan McDonald and Michelle Summers sparkled as the Redhawks began a crucial four-game homestand to end the regular season with Friday afternoon's quick 3-1 win over Eastern Illinois...

Southeast Missouri State senior third baseman Eric Horstman realizes he and his teammates are probably beginning to sound like broken records -- but they still believe they are such a better team than what they have displayed this year. The Redhawks will get another chance to prove it this weekend when they host surprising Morehead State in a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series. There will be a 1 p.m. doubleheader today and a 1 p.m. contest Sunday...

Making a meal every day for a family can be challenging -- trying to find foods that fit everyone's taste and your budget can be tough. But Mom seems to do it often. And, for the most part, what we've learned about the kitchen and food preparation comes from our mothers. On a day when they're being recognized for all they do, wouldn't it seem fair to share a few stories about what we learned from our mothers about cooking?...

Free falling; Stop the slide; Checking the dates; Defending Puxico

25 years ago: May 8, 1980 A decision on what to do with the old public library building in Courthouse Park after it is abandoned next month has been postponed by the Cape Girardeau City Council, at least until the county court has time to decide whether or not it has a need for the facility...

LeGrand...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Mr. and Mrs. Joseph J. Bollinger of Chaffee celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary with a family gathering March 26, 2005, at the home of a daughter in New Madrid, Mo. Hosts were their children, Brenda Blevins of New Madrid, Dan Bollinger and wife Lynn of Camilla, Ga., and Mary Tripp and husband Don of Cape Girardeau...

MOUNDS, Ill. -- Mr. and Mrs. Wayne L. Steavens of Salem, Ill., announce the engagement of their daughter, Emily Steavens, to Brant Blackburn of Salem, formerly of Cairo, Ill. He is the son of Christine and Mark Garner of Mounds, Ill., and Courtney and Teresa Blackburn of Ullin, Ill...

LEOPOLD, Mo. -- Don and Donna Gowen of Leopold announce the engagement of their daughter, Sarah Jo Gowen, to Chad Bennie Upchurch. He is the son of Robert and Beverly Upchurch of Marble Hill, Mo. Gowen is a 2000 graduate of Leopold High School. She received a bachelor of science degree in sports management from Southeast Missouri State University in 2004. She is an account executive with the Banner Press in Marble Hill...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Brian and Jo Ann Barrett of Marble Hill announce the engagement of their daughter, Bryanna Lynne Barrett, to Dustin Everett Wareing. He is the son of Everett and Twyla Wareing of Thebes, Ill. Barrett is a 2002 graduate of Notre Dame High School. She expects to receive a bachelor of science degree in agribusiness/ equine science from Murray State University in Murray, Ky., in December. She is employed at Famous-Barr...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Dennis and Marilyn Baker of Marble Hill announce the engagement of their daughter, Denise N. Baker, to Casey R. Myers, both of Independence, Mo. He is the son of Robert and Terry Myers of Marble Hill. Baker received an associate degree in interior design from Patricia Stevens College in St. Louis. She is in retail management training with Starbucks Corp. in Lees Summit, Mo...

Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Buchheit of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Sara Marie Buchheit, to Adam Lynn Baker. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Junior Baker of Marble Hill, Mo. Buchheit is a 1999 graduate of Jackson High School. She received a bachelor of science degree in elementary education from Southeast Missouri State University in 2003. She is employed with Perry County School District as a kindergarten teacher at Perryville Elementary School...

Mr. and Mrs. Lowery Q. Germany of Jackson, Miss., announce the engagement of their daughter, Jennifer Walton Germany, to Andrew Robert Ostrenga. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. William J. Ostrenga of Cape Girardeau. Germany is a 2000 graduate of Jackson Preparatory School, and a 2004 graduate of the University of Mississippi where she is pursuing a doctoral degree in pharmacy...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Rick and Bonnie Duncan of Chaffee announce the engagement of their daughter, Cara Elizabeth Duncan, to Andrew Paul Exler. He is the son of Lee and Pam Exler of Cape Girardeau. Duncan is a 1996 graduate of Chaffee High School. She received a master of science degree in physical therapy. She is employed at Horizon Club (Alliance Care) in Deerfield Beach, Fla...

Gene and Michelle Dewrock of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Amy Michelle Dewrock, to Richard Lyle Ogles. He is the son of Jerry and Jane Ogles of Cape Girardeau. Dewrock is a 2002 graduate of Central High School. She expects to receive a bachelor of science degree in accounting from Southeast Missouri State University in December...

Rick and Debi Chastain of Jackson and Dr. Peter Gordon of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Kerrie Michele Gordon, to Christopher David Katz. He is the son of Eve Katz and Gary Katz of Omaha, Neb. Gordon is a 2000 graduate of Jackson High School. She received a bachelor of science degree in sports management from Southwest Baptist University in 2004, and is pursuing a master's degree in special education. She is employed at Citizens Memorial Hospital in Bolivar, Mo...

Rick and Debi Chastain of Jackson and Dr. Peter Gordon of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Johanna Beth Gordon, to Joshua Tyler Brooks. He is the son of the Rev. Gary and Jennie Brooks of Ballwin, Mo. Gordon is a graduate of Jackson High School. She received a bachelor of science degree in therapeutic recreation from Southwest Baptist University. She is program manager with Willows Way Inc. in St. Charles, Mo...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Bethanie Ann Gosche and Taylor Carpenter Dinan were married Aug. 21, 2004, at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in St. Louis. The Revs. Bede Price and Robert Weiss performed the ceremony. Lector was Elizabeth Kohl. Parents of the couple are Mr. and Mrs. Larry C. Gosche of Chaffee and Mr. and Mrs. Edward W. Dinan III of Town and Country, Mo...

Michelle Lynne Eakins and Bryan David Copeland exchanged wedding vows Oct. 30, 2004, at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. The Rev. Byron Copeland, brother of the groom, performed the ceremony. Pianist was Carol Kern of Seymour, Mo., aunt of the bride. Soloist was Danna Miller...

Mary Nistendirk and Michael Durand Smith were married April 2, 2005, at Allenville Baptist Church in Allenville. Phil Thompson performed the ceremony. Parents of the bride are Joe and Shirley Koelzer of Cape Girardeau. The groom is the son of Floyd and Ann Smith of Cape Girardeau...

Karrie Lynn Filer and Stephen Matthew Zschille exchanged wedding vows Feb. 5, 2005, at Emanuel United Church of Christ in Jackson. The Rev. Samuel Roethemeyer performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Bruce and Mary Hager of Frohna, Mo., and the late Brad Filer. The groom is the son of Steve and Kathy Zschille of Sedgewickville, Mo., and Bob and Debi Brown of Jackson...

Donald George Roth, 62, of Scott City died Saturday, May 7, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center. He was born Jan. 5, 1943, in Illmo, son of Ernest Theodore and Anna Marie Walter Roth. He was owner and operator of Roth Hardware Co. in Scott City and an Army veteran. Roth was a member of Eisleben Lutheran Church in Scott City, Kiwanis Club of Scott City, chamber of commerce in Scott City, the American Legion and the Lutheran Laymen's League...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Anita Lucille Colvin, 60, of Marble Hill died Friday, May 6, 2005, at the family home following a lengthy illness. She was born July 7, 1944, at Berkeley, Calif., daughter of Lloyd and Elsie Roberts Rowland. She and James E. Colvin were married Jan. 20, 1961, in San Pablo, Calif...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Sophronia Iona McRaven, 82, of Jonesboro died Friday, May 6, 2005, at Memorial Hospital in Carbondale, Ill. She was born July 30, 1922 in Anna, Ill., daughter of William and Bernice Skelton Harwood. She and Claude McRaven were married in 1940 at Cape Girardeau. He died Sept. 6, 1981...

Mary Joyce Sander, 67, of Millersville died Saturday, May 7, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are pending at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson.

Erma Gregory, 74, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, May 7, 2005, at her home. Arrangements are pending at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home.

Anita E. Haertling, 85, of Jackson passed away Friday, May 5, 2005, at the Jackson Manor Nursing Home. She was born Dec. 13, 1919, in New Wells, daughter of August and Ella Koenig Leimbach. She and Albert H. Haertling were married July 28, 1940. He passed away Aug. 24, 1987...

H. "Roy" Meier, 88, of Jackson passed away Friday, May 6, 2005, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Friends may call at the McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson from 4 to 8 p.m. today. Funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Monday, May 9, at the funeral home, followed by interment in Russell Heights Cemetery. The Rev. David Johnson will officiate...

Editor: Habits, when not controlled, can grow on people, sometimes reaching the serious level. My twin sister as a child sucked her thumb, causing her upper front teeth to protrude. In later years dental work was necessary to correct that. I formed a habit of carrying a doll, and you had better not try to take her away from me...

Editor: To those of you that are going to feel the effects of a balanced budget, both state and federal: The Democrats spent millions last summer and fall telling you how the budget would be balanced, but you would not listen. Did you really think Bush and Blunt would balance the budgets at the expense of the more well-to-do people? Case in point: River Campus. Our state leaders will give them $3.62 million and yet cut Medicaid...

Wildlife biology was born as a science by Aldo Leopold. He was the first one to examine how to manage for wild animals. His keen observations were often made while recreating outdoors. Nothing was beyond his notice. Even small plants caught his attention, causing him to wonder how they fit into the system...

An example of the new ranch-style home, this property at 2658 Mansfield Place i Jackson combines simplicity and style. Visitors can see it during an open house from 1 to 3 p.m. today. It has classic white vinyl combined with eye-catching burgundy shutters and an entry door with a quaint half-moon window. The front porch offers an inviting reception and a peaceful spot for a morning cup of coffee or afternoon lemonade...

Editor: This is hysterical! There are proud liberals! Why would anyone be proud of being a baby-killer? Mr. Polack lives in the past history of the liberal philosophy. Today they do absolutely nothing to help America. They may have fought for the worker but the liberal/conservative philosophies have changed dramatically since the early years of this country. President Bush is trying to fix Social Security. His idea may or may not be the right one, but at least he is trying...

Every year, we dutifully and thankfully acknowledge our mothers. We buy gifts. We select greeting cards that say the nicest things. We become part of the crowd at our favorite restaurant. We make a special day in every way we can. Which is exactly what we ought to be doing today...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Friday: * At 5:29 p.m., emergency medical service in the 2000 block of West Plaza Way. * At 6:02 p.m., emergency medical service in the 1700 block of Bessie Street. * At 5:05 p.m., structure fire at 1 Kiwanis Park...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items Saturday. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI * Kevin W. Fitzgerald, 24, 301 Pecan St., Wyatt, Mo., was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and obstructing traffic...

This week's issue of Parade magazine, found in the today's Southeast Missourian, invites readers to look for places of historical interest in the Southeast Missouri area as part of its "Tell America's Story" Preservation Award Contest, conducted in collaboration with the National Trust for Historic Preservation...

A Burfordville man was seriously injured in an ATV accident just north of Jackson late Friday, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. John Crites, 19, was riding his four-wheeler on County Road 335 around 11 p.m. when he ran off the right side of the roadway, struck a mailbox and overturned. He was taken by private vehicle to Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau...

Rebel bombings kill 11 in Myanmar capital; Plane crash in Australia kills all 15 aboard; Weather delayed rescue of injured Everest climbers

MONDAY -- Chicken strips, macaroni & cheese, apple pie. TUESDAY -- Hamburger, oven fries, cheese, banana. WEDNESDAY -- Chicken and noodles, green beans, apple. THURSDAY -- Pizza, salad, orange. FRIDAY -- Corn dog, corn, grapes.

DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Greg Biffle needed overtime to grab another victory. The Roush Racing driver, who fell behind on a late pit stop, got one last chance when Mark Martin spun, bringing out the 12th caution flag of the NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Darlington Raceway just five laps from the scheduled finish...

Sergio Garcia left a world-class field in his wake Saturday, making eight birdies in his first 15 holes for a 5-under 67 that gave him a six-shot lead in the Wachovia Championship in Charlotte, N.C. Except for a few wayward tee shots, Garcia was nearly flawless. He pulled away with three straight birdies on the back nine and moved to 12-under 204...

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Five former municipal officials have been charged with manslaughter in connection with the December nightclub fire here that claimed 193 lives. Judge Marcelo Lucini handed down the charges Friday against a city official, Fabiana Fiszbin, and four others who oversaw the city's nightclubs at the time of the Dec. 30 fire at the Cromagnon Republic club in downtown Buenos Aires. The charges came after months of investigation...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Two suicide car bombers plowed into a foreign security company convoy in the heart of Baghdad on Saturday, killing at least 22 people -- including two Americans -- in an attack that left a busy traffic circle strewn with burning vehicles, mutilated bodies and bloodied school children...

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Defeated in a battle against Syrian control of his country 15 years ago and sent into exile, Gen. Michel Aoun returned Saturday to a rousing welcome from thousands of supporters in a homeland recently freed of Syrian troops. The former army commander was already emerging as a player in upcoming parliamentary elections...

RIGA, Latvia -- In the days before his trip to Moscow, President Bush urged Russia to face its wartime past, one marked by the oppression of millions of Europeans forced to live under communist rule. It appeared Bush decided to do the same in a speech Saturday, sure to be noticed by Vladimir Putin, the Russian president he sits down with for dinner and discourse tonight...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- About 300 mourners gathered Saturday for a memorial service to remember the little girl once known only as "Precious Doe." "This experience brings us face to face with man's destruction toward man, face to face with evil," said the Rev. Wallace Hartsfield of the Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church. "But life cannot be dismembered, covered up and put in a trash bag. That's why we're here."...

WAYNESVILLE, N.C. -- A pastor who led a charge to kick out nine church members who refused to support President Bush was the talk of the town Saturday in this mountain hamlet, with ousted congregants considering hiring a lawyer. Pastor Chan Chandler greeted people at the door of tiny East Waynesville Baptist Church on Saturday evening and even welcomed them to attend services Sunday morning. But he was not prepared to talk about his mixing of religion and politics...

COLUMBUS, Ga. -- Following hundreds of angry phone calls and e-mails, school officials in this Army base city have reduced a suspension imposed on a student who wouldn't give up his cell phone while talking to his mom -- a sergeant on duty in Iraq...

Southeast Missouri State has long had one of the premier overall track programs in the Ohio Valley Conference -- and the Redhawks have been hands down the most consistently successful athletic program at the university in recent years. But the Redhawks outdid even themselves over the weekend...

Due to the double elimination nature of the soap box derby, an early defeat can sometimes help a contestant later in the event with extra runs down the hill to get comfortable with the car. That was evident Saturday in the Cape Girardeau Rotary Club Soap Box Derby when Austin Martin, of Cape Girardeau, shrugged off a first-round defeat to win the super stock division and Hunter Schuette, of Jackson, rallied from a second-round loss to capture the stock division crown...

Saturday night's concert at the Show Me Center featuring Christian artists Watermark, Selah and Michael W. Smith was billed as just that -- a concert. But "musical worship service" is a better description of the event. Throughout the night many of the 2,366 concert-goers raised their hand to the air and shouted "amen," creating the atmosphere of a lively and spiritual service on a Sunday morning...

Leroy Johnston remembers what he was doing 60 years ago today. He was in a London hospital, unable to walk. He had a bad case of trench foot. He and some other members of his infantry unit had found themselves trapped in an open field that was wet and cold...

Michael Barnard of Jackson may only be 9 years old, but already he talks like an expert in Soap Box Derby racing. "You have to keep your head low and stay in the middle," Michael said. "And you have to find the smoothest and best track." In one particular heat, his philosophy of staying in the middle didn't work so well, as his derby car bumped the curb and slowed him down, letting his opponent, 8-year-old Kayla Thurman of Fruitland, take the race. But the loss didn't ruin his day...

Ambassadors of Cape Girardeau and Bollinger counties greeted the 130 Junior Girl Scouts and adult volunteers from the Greater St. Louis Council who toured the area Saturday. Attractions included the Glenn House, Old St. Vincent's Church, the Red House Interpretive Center, the riverfront murals, shopping on Main Street, free ice cream from Port Cape restaurant and the Bollinger Mill State Historic Site...

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -- Southeast Missouri State coach Joey Haines knew his women would have to overcome a slew of injuries and his men would have to overcome Eastern Illinois' dynasty in order to sweep the Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships...

The Jackson girls soccer team captured the title in its own I-55 Classic by going 3-0 in the six-team event, including a pair of victories Saturday. The Indians (16-2) routed Wentzville Holt 8-0, then slipped past Wildwood Lafayette 1-0 in overtime to wrap up the championship...

ST. LOUIS -- About two weeks ago, Mark Sweeney homered and singled in his first start of the season. On Saturday, Sweeney got his second start and thrived in another tough assignment. Primarily a pinch hitter, Sweeney had the go-ahead hit for the second straight game. This time, he beat Chris Carpenter in the San Diego Padres' 5-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- This was payback. Long shot Giacomo did what his sire, Holy Bull, failed to do by winning the Kentucky Derby on Saturday in the second biggest upset in the 131-year history of America's most famous race. It was sweet revenge. Holy Bull was the favorite in 1994 when a trainer named Nick Zito beat him with a colt named Go for Gin...

Aleada Curry of Cape Girardeau doesn't much care how she spends Mother's Day today. She knows she and her family will go to church. After church, whatever her children decide they want to do to help her celebrate her day is fine with her. Whatever her own mother wants to do is also fine with her...

GEORGETOWN, Texas -- Molly Daniels spent weeks surfing the Internet, gathering information for a bizarre and grisly plot of deception. She learned how to burn a human body beyond recognition. She sought clues on ways to deceive arson investigators, and took meticulous steps to create a new identity for her husband...

As most Ohio Valley Conference doubleheaders have been for Southeast Missouri State this season, Saturday's was again bittersweet. The Redhawks posted a dramatic 8-7 victory in the nine-inning opener, but visiting Morehead State earned a split with a 3-0 triumph in the seven-inning nightcap...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Having already disposed of most of the major issues they set out to address this year, lawmakers decided to pull a Ferris Bueller on Friday and take the day off. Although the legislature usually doesn't meet on Fridays, during the final two weeks of the legislative session it traditionally has in order to ensure it has sufficient time to clear key items on its agenda...

Mack ninth in MARS points standings Joey Mack of Benton, Mo., stands in ninth place after the first six races in the Stacker2 Mid-America Racing Series this season. His best finish in the auto racing series was an 11th-place finish April 23 at the I-30 Speedway in Arkansas...

The Southeast Missouri State softball team has bounced back after a nine-game losing streak to clinch a spot in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. Southeast swept a double-header from visiting Austin Peay Saturday, rolling 5-1 and 4-0 to extend its winning streak to three heading into today's 1 p.m. regular-season finale against the Governors...

Turn on wipers; Power corrupts; Boat ramp needs trash can...

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: With summer here and the barbecue season soon to be in full swing, I have a question about a long-past local BBQ landmark. ...

25 years ago: May 9, 1980 Two Southeast Missouri State University coeds are informed they had become two of 50 women nationwide selected for flight training by the Air Force; Air Force ROTC commander Lt. Col. Ronald Herr receives notice that Sharon Amelon of Jackson and Linda Meyer of St. Louis, Mo., both have been chosen to join the select few females who will take flight training...

Lohmeier...

Vincent F. Williams, 73, formerly of Perryville, Mo., died Friday, May 6, 2005, in Cahokia, Ill. He was born Jan. 27, 1932, in St. Louis, Mo., son of William and Edna Cole Williams. Williams worked in housekeeping at Perry County Memorial Hospital. He was a Marine Corps veteran, serving in the Korean War...

Erma J. Gregory, 74, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, May 7, 2005, at her home. She was born Feb. 19, 1931, at Cape Girardeau, daughter of Clarence and Bertha Harris Snider. She and Wesley Gregory Jr. were married Dec. 13, 1947, at Cape Girardeau. Gregory was a retail salesclerk...

PADUCAH, Ky. -- Norma Jean Adams, 63, of Paducah, formerly of Cairo, Ill., died Saturday, May 7, 2005, at Lourdes Hospital in Paducah. She was born March 10, 1942, in Cairo, daughter of Bob and Anna Hornberger Vowels. Adams was a member of St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Cairo and attended St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Paducah...

Ivan Hobbs, 88, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, May 8, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Theresa Ellen Calvin, 45, of Sikeston died Saturday, May 7, 2005, at her home. She was born March 25, 1960, in Norwalk, Calif., daughter of Everett and Mildred Hinkle Proffer. She and James Calvin were married June 7, 1986, in Sikeston...

ULLIN, Ill. -- Iris Lucille Modglin, 69, of Ullin died Saturday, May 7, 2005, at her home. She was born Apr. 21, 1936, in Pulaski, Ill., daughter of Curtis and Faye Taylor Smith. She and George Modglin were married Sept. 26, 1953, in Ullin. Modglin was a member of First Baptist Church in Ullin...

Anita E. Haertling, 85, of Jackson passed away May 5, 2005, at the Jackson Manor Nursing Home. She was born Dec. 13, 1919, in New Wells, daughter of August and Ella Koenig Leimbach. She and Albert H. Haertling were married July 28, 1940. He passed away Aug. 24, 1987...

Mary Joyce Sander, 67, of Millersville passed away Saturday, May 7, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Sept. 4, 1937, in Winfield, Mo., daughter of Elva and Maude Gallup Turner. She and the Rev. Donald Sander were married March 21, 1953, in Millersville...