Stories from Saturday, June 11, 2005

Beginning July 1, those who renew their Missouri driver's licenses will be required to show proof of citizenship or lawful residence before they can do so. Kandi Sailer, manager of the Jackson license bureau, said everyone that wants to apply, or reapply, for a driver's license must recertify that they are in the country legally. ...

Parking lot by bowling alley will be site for homegrown items. The corner of Washington Street and Union Avenue in Jackson was once a hot spot for groceries. For decades, the site had a grocery store operated by Bernard Schaper, a well-liked and respected Jackson businessman who continued the family food business that started out as small, one-room market on Broadway in Cape Girardeau in the early 1900s...

A conservation agent says no reports of mountain lions in the area have been confirmed. There's no doubt in Jeff Timmerman's mind that cougars do live in Southeast Missouri, at least around his home just outside the city limits of Cape Girardeau. He's seen what he believes is a cougar or cougars several times since 1972, when he moved into his house on County Road 205, about an eighth of a mile outside Cape Girardeau...

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. The old Queen Anne-style house that sits next to city hall in Ste. Genevieve has seen better days. The house, long abandoned, is in a horrible state of disrepair -- the vines penetrating the inside of the structure through the windows will attest to that...

Members of a fraternity at Southeast Missouri State University are being questioned in an alleged rape at a hotel. Two Memphis, Tenn., police investigators were in Cape Girardeau Friday asking questions about an alleged rape at a Memphis hotel last April, an inquiry in which members of a Southeast Missouri State University fraternity are being questioned...

Two construction companies have won bids for new road projects in the Cape Girardeau area. Workers could begin construction on a new turn lane on Route K in Cape Girardeau and new lighting at the Interstate 55/Highway 61 interchange as early as next month...

Pujols led the charge as St. Louis won the opener of the interleague series 8-1. ST. LOUIS -- The New York Yankees' latest sloppy loss prompted a tirade from Joe Torre. Torre's first game in St. Louis since being fired as Cardinals manager a decade ago was far from a happy homecoming. The Cardinals began their second straight high-profile interleague series with a strong start from Jason Marquis and a big game from Albert Pujols in an 8-1 victory over the stumbling Yankees on Friday night...

Never shy about making wagers, Laura Davies would have taken any odds that her slim lead early Friday afternoon at the LPGA Championship would not hold up with Annika Sorenstam still on the course. "That's not a joke, that's a fact," Davies said. "She hasn't had a bogey yet this week. She's already at 6 (under par). She's getting on my nerves."...

NEW YORK -- The rematch replaces the Triple Crown try in the Belmont Stakes. For the first time in four years, and for just the third time in nine years, no horse will attempt to sweep the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont and become racing's first Triple Crown champion since Affirmed in 1978...

The Redhawks' sophomore runner has all but clinched All-American honors. SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Barring the unforeseen tonight, Southeast Missouri State sophomore Miles Smith will be able to call himself an All-American. Smith all but clinched All-American honors Friday night, as he advanced to tonight's finals of the 400-meter dash at the NCAA track and field championships...

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- A plan by Holcim to build a huge cement plant on a site 40 miles south of St. Louis might not move forward after delays in gaining permits led to rising costs for energy and building materials, a company spokeswoman said. The $600 million plant was proposed in 2000, to be built on nearly 4,000 acres of land next to the Mississippi River in Ste. Genevieve County...

UnitedHealthcare gives away pill-splitters and provides advice on which drugs can be safely cut in half. Chopping his Lipitor tablets in half gives Randy Schneider of Milwaukee a little thrill. "I kind of chuckle when I do this," said the 41-year-old line worker at a cheese factory. "It's like I'm making good money per minute if you figure it out."...

Springfield News-Leader The methamphetamine epidemic wreaking havoc on our Ozarks and our country has two main components: production and demand. Congress is working to create federal regulations limiting access to cold medicines such as Sudafed and NyQuil that contain pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient in the manufacture of meth. Sen. Jim Talent and Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri are at the lead in creating this legislation...

The (Springfield, Mass.) Republican The landmark 1996 welfare reform act requiring almost all parents to work - including those with children - is due to expire at the end of the month, and legislation before Congress calls for even stiffer work requirements...

TOLEDO, Ohio When Katie Chromik put a silver ring on her finger and promised at church to save sex for marriage, her junior high school friends giggled. l "Some people have made bets on me that I'm not going to make it," she said. "It just makes me more determined."...

The natural resources department will have Jay Nixon's legal expense fund pay the bill. JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The department of natural resources has hired a private attorney to do battle with Attorney General Jay Nixon in a dispute over whether the agency can legally relinquish the state's rights to an old Boonville railroad bridge...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Tests from more than 10,000 deer killed last year in Missouri found no evidence of chronic wasting disease, the state conservation department said Friday. "This is not a guarantee that chronic wasting disease doesn't exist somewhere in Missouri," said Lonnie Hansen, a resource scientist with the department, "but it tells us that the state appears to be CWD free. Now we just need to be vigilant and try to keep it that way."...

WASHINGTON -- The government is checking a possible case of mad cow disease in the United States in an animal previously cleared of being infected, the Agriculture Department said Friday. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said more tests were needed to confirm the disease, but emphasized that the animal did not enter the food supply...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The militants showed no mercy. They blindfolded 18 men, shot them in the head and decapitated three others in what has become a trademark of Iraq's often savage insurgency. The 21 Iraqi bodies were found near a highway that meanders along the Euphrates River and into Syria...

LA PAZ, Bolivia -- Protesters who drove Bolivia's president from office began to leave occupied oil fields Friday and lifted the first of their 100-odd roadblocks as the country's new leader moved into the Government Palace. But demonstrators marched on the capital, La Paz, in a show of strength to make sure the new president respects pledges to call early elections and consider their demands for an end to widespread inequality and poverty...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- One young man cannonballed into the cool blue pool, another applied suntan lotion to his girlfriend's shoulders -- and a third swung his machine gun onto a lawn chair. A pair of Black Hawk helicopters hovered above. They could have passed for college students, but they were U.S. soldiers at Camp Liberty in western Baghdad, seeking a break from the war raging just beyond the blast walls...

PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla. -- A strengthening Tropical Storm Arlene dumped rain on much of Florida as its center moved toward the northern Gulf Coast Friday, stirring memories of last year's devastating hurricane season. Forecasters said Arlene, the Atlantic hurricane season's first named tropical storm, could become a weak hurricane before making landfall in the Deep South late today...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's unemployment rate held steady in May as the state added 5,900 jobs compared to the previous month, the state Economic Development Department said Friday. The seasonally adjusted rate of 5.6 percent was the same as in April, and also the same as it was in May 2004, the department said...

The Cape Giradeau Police Department released the following items Friday. Arrests do not imply guilt....

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Thursday: At 7:56 p.m., emergency medical service at 421 N. Fredrick St. At 9:46 p.m., an illegal burning at Interstate 55, northbound, 94 mile marker. Firefighters responded to the following calls Friday:...

Unlike the mostly homogeneous neighborhoods to be found on Cape Girardeau's north, west and south sides, the city's downtown is home to a diverse group of people who include renters and homeowners, businesses and college students, retirees, single people, families, blacks, whites and Hispanics...

Baseball...

"I may as well quit. I'm not able to do what I used to do." Many feel their contributions to life are over because of chronological age, age discrimination, ill health or failure to keep up with what's current. A great perspective on that attitude jumped at me from its page recently. "Don't give up while you still have something to give." (Cross Connections)...

Musical service at First Baptist Church; Healing lecture to air Sunday on KAPE 1550; Creatures great and small attend English pet service ; Milwaukee Lutherans want gays, lesbians to be ordained

Archdiocese settles abuse claims for $21.2 million; Mine collapse kills one worker in Pennsylvania; Fish researcher wins World Food Prize

A portion of road within the 1200 block of Broadway will be closed Monday as construction workers extend sewer lines across the street. Broadway will be closed between the Henderson and Park Avenue intersections from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, and pending construction progress, the work could continue Tuesday beginning at 9 a.m. The project stems from a collapsed sanitary sewer main found during the city project to widen Broadway. Motorists can use alternate routes to access the downtown area...

A local minister charged with a $10,000 raffle scam is scheduled for a preliminary hearing July 1. The Rev. David J. Butler, director of Shepherd's Cove children's home near Gordonville, was arrested March 31 and has been charged with felony stealing and unlawful merchandising practice...

Constance Thompson, 50, of Cape Girardeau was flown by helicopter to Saint Francis Medical Center after a three-vehicle accident Thursday on Route PP, seven miles east of Kelso. The accident occurred when a car driven by Thomas Miller, 55, of Scott City attempted to make a wide right turn and drove into the path of two motorcycles operated by Constance Thompson and David Thompson. ...

Don't tailgate; Losing customers; Not swaying votes; Don't destroy life; Silence and regret; What about riverboats?; Foundation Leak; Name-calling; Tugging at heartstrings; Won't pay the tax; Floating dock; Flags come and go; More sensible things; Electronic deposit; Keeping the city clean; Courage to resign

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Sue Williams Helton, 51, of Chaffee died Thursday, June 9, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Nov. 15, 1953, at Sikeston, daughter of Dovie Rice Williams. She and Joe Dennis were married Feb. 3, 1973. She and Pete Helton were married March 18, 2000. He died in February 2002...

SanDee Casey, 57, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, June 9, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born June 26, 1947, in Kearney, Neb., daughter of Donald and Betty L. Drake Speck. She and John T. Casey were married June 27, 1964, at St. Patrick's Cathedral in North Platte, Neb...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Leola R. Perry, 87, of Bedford, Texas, died Wednesday, June 8, 2005, at Hearthstone of Bedford Assisted Living. She was born Dec. 8, 1917, in Perry County, Mo., daughter of Anton Joseph and Louise Pingel Hotop. She and Murrel S. Perry were married Dec. 30, 1941. He died April 3, 1989...

To the editor: I agree with the letter writer regarding the recent Supreme Court decision on federal anti-drug policies. Do we reap what we sow? The amusing thing is that the writer blames the conservatives. This is the same court that superseded states' rights on abortion and is still held as the mantra for the liberals. ...

To the editor: A letter in the June issue of The Best Years in the Southeast Missourian entitled "A tribute to a lady" should be read by all of Jean Bell Mosley's fans and friends. A columnist for the Missourian for quite a number of years, Mrs. Mosley's column ended when she died in the summer of 2003. Her writings are missed and would make good material for the Missourian posthumously. She brought kindness and gentleness into the world, something the world could use more of...

Larry Gene Gray, 53, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, June 9, 2005, at Life Care Center. He was born Dec. 5, 1951, in Earle, Ark., son of William and Augusta Ford Gray. He and Alma Jean Ray were married in February 1994. Gray was a self-employed handyman...

STURDIVANT, Mo. -- Eldon "Gene" Bond, 70, of St. Louis died Friday, June 10, 2005, at Christian Northeast Hospital in St. Louis. He was born Oct. 20, 1934, at Sturdivant, son of Harvey and Beulah Tolbert Bond. Bond had been a maintenance worker at Normandy School in St. Louis and also worked at Lindberg Steel...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Colton Erwin Blankenship Jr., 74, died Thursday, June 9, 2005, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born Aug. 29, 1930, at Canalou, Mo., son of Colton Erwin and Cora Edna Helms Blankenship Sr. He and Betty Jean Sims were married July 29, 1956...

BRAZEAU, Mo. -- Fred A. Reinwald, 81, of Brazeau died Thursday, June 9, 2005, at St. Luke's Hospital in Chesterfield, Mo. He was born July 22, 1923, in St. Louis, the son of Fred W. and Mabel Koser Reinwald. He and Kathleen Hinkle were married Dec. 11, 1943...

THEBES, Ill. -- Clyde E. Groves, 85, of Thebes died Friday, June 3, 2005, at his home. He was born Oct. 22, 1919, in McClure, Ill., son of Ephraim and Mary Elizabeth Rhymer Groves. He married Reba Orpha McIntosh, who died Feb. 4, 1947. He and Irlene Genevieve Farley were married in April 1947. She died Nov. 12, 2003...

O'Rear...

25 years ago: June 11, 1980 University officials decide to remove the parking meters that have been in place for the past three years in the 900 block of Normal Avenue, on the Southeast Missouri State University campus. The lack of adequate space in the Jackson High School gymnasium has prompted coaches to recommend construction of a 3,800-square-foot multipurpose addition to help alleviate some of the space shortage...

Fans who attended the Kelso Klassic's opening night of softball on Friday night discussed the sure cure for a summer drought. Just throw Kelso Klassic fastpitch softball tournament on the calendar, one suggested as ominous clouds rolled in from the southwest...

LONDON -- Backed by the United States, Britain pressed the world's economic powerhouses Friday to cancel $15 billion owed by 18 poor nations and free up money to spend on health care, education and infrastructure in those struggling lands. There was support for the plan at talks among finance ministers from the Group of Eight nations, but some reported differences on how to the finance the loan write-offs and said an agreement was unlikely before next month's meeting of G-8 leaders in Scotland.. ...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush and South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun pressed North Korea to rejoin deadlocked talks on its nuclear weapons program on Friday and tried to minimize their own differences over how hard to push the reclusive communist regime...

The Caps used a 10-run rule victory to prepare for today's game against St. Joseph. The Plaza Tire Capahas tuned up for their biggest series of the young season by extending their lopsided all-time advantage against their Cape Girardeau rivals. Plaza Tire again had no trouble with the Riverdogs, rolling to a 10-0 victory Friday night that kicked off a four-game weekend homestand. The contest was stopped in the bottom of the seventh inning by the 10-run rule...

LONG POND, Pa. -- Coming off a sweep of last summer's events at Pocono Raceway, Jimmie Johnson should be the favorite Sunday. But the Nextel Cup points leader has virtually no advantage heading into the Pocono 500. A change in the gearing rule means everybody will be going slower, looking for new way to get around the 2.5-mile triangle...

The Jackson Senior Babe Ruth team lost a pair of extra-inning games Thursday night at New Madrid, dropping its record to 11-3. New Madrid rallied in both games to post victories of 8-7 in eight innings and 3-2 in nine innings. In the opener, New Madrid scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth with the help of a throwing error to overcome Jackson's run in the top of the inning...

BEIJING -- A fire raced through the top three floors of a hotel in southern China, killing 30 people and injuring 15 othersThe fire broke out at noon Friday in Shantou, engulfing the top floors of the four-story hotel, An investigation into the cause was under way...

NEW YORK -- Citigroup Inc., the nation's largest financial services company, will pay $2 billion to settle a class-action lawsuit over its role in helping Enron Corp. orchestrate a massive accounting fraud that led to the energy trader's collapse. ...