Stories from Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Construction was supposed to begin this year with a possible completion as early as 2006. Stalled negotiations for Jackson's proposed East Main Street Interstate 55 interchange received a nudge in the right direction Monday night thanks to the Missouri Department of Transporation...

The Cape Girardeau Municipal Band will have a concert Wednesday evening at the Capaha Park Band Shell as part of its summer series "Concert in the Park." The music begins at 8 p.m., under the direction of conductor Ronald Nall. Special entertainment also will be provided by Eric Scott and Trudy Lee. ...

A 27-year-old man fell off a tractor and was run over by its rear wheels last Thursday afternoon near Pocahontas. The man was working on a sewer project June 9 at the Old Saw Mill just north of Pocahontas on Route C. Officials from the Fruitland Fire District said the man sustained moderate injuries from the accident, but they did not know his status at this time. He was transported by Arch Helicopter Services to a local hospital...

A communications tower north of the Broadway and Henderson Avenue intersection is being relocated as part of the project to create an entrance to Southeast Missouri State University. The university plans to build a new tower on campus behind International House, just northeast of Houck Field, and then tear down the antenna on Broadway after construction is complete, said Keith Kimmel, construction project manager for the university's facilities management department. ...

Like much of the nation, Southeast Missouri had mixed feelings about the Michael Jackson case, and nearly everyone had some sort of opinion. Some were appalled at the not-guilty verdict, while others were happy for Jackson. Others were indifferent to the outcome or were just glad that the trial and its media frenzy are over...

State legislators from Southeast Missouri will meet for a forum at the University of Missouri Extension Center in Jackson on June 28 to discuss the issue of higher education in the state. Topics will include a report of the most recent legislative session's impact on higher education and information about how institutions can benefit from state assets, according to information released by the University of Missouri Extension. ...

While the spotlight on the disease has waned, a handful of new HIV/AIDS cases continues to appear each year in Southeast Missouri. Fifteen new cases were reported in a 20-county region in Southeast Missouri in 2003 -- the latest year for which data is available -- according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services...

SANTA MARIA, Calif. -- The drumbeat of verdicts jolted the deathly still courtroom -- not guilty, not guilty, not guilty. Fourteen times the court clerk read the words. Revealing no emotion, Michael Jackson sat motionless at the defense table for five of the most important minutes of his dizzying life as the threat of nearly 20 years behind bars was finally lifted...

A judge set the trial of Charles Faverty for Sept. 13. She had been drinking that night, she admits that. She doesn't remember much. She admits that, too. But the 48-year-old Cape Girardeau woman says she knows "without a doubt" that she didn't give her cabdriver -- Charles A. Faverty -- permission to have sex with her last August in the back seat of what was supposed to be her safe ride home...

Robert Harris is growing vegetables for the needy on an empty flood-buyout lot. Robert Harris and his mother, Bernice, of Cape Girardeau just want to do something nice for their neighbors. The city of Cape Girardeau and area master gardeners are helping them do that this summer...

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The Detroit Pistons are renowned for their resiliency. If the defending champions don't rally from a 2-0 deficit against San Antonio in the NBA Finals, however, they might be as well known for their whining. The Pistons complained incessantly about the officiating during the Spurs' 97-76 victory Sunday night in Game 2, just as they have at times during the regular season and playoffs...

The Oran graduate and former coach will lead the Sikeston girls team. Fred Johnson will return to coaching this winter when he takes the reins of the Sikeston High School girls basketball team. Johnson, an Oran graduate who led Sikeston's boys team to the final four in 1995, resurfaces for his fourth high school coaching stint...

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals' strategy of negotiating with potential draft picks before selecting them continued to pay off Monday, when the team announced 15 more players had signed contracts. Among the signings were Wilfrido Pujols, the 17-year-old cousin of star first baseman Albert Pujols, and A.J. ...

CHICAGO -- The U.S. Conference of Mayors unanimously passed a resolution Monday requiring their cities to try to meet or surpass emissions standards set by the Kyoto Protocol, the international global-warming treaty ratified earlier this year without the United States...

Insurgents launch more attacks in Iraq, killing at least 14. BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The tribunal that will put Saddam Hussein on trial released a video Monday showing the 68-year-old former dictator -- looking drawn and tired but dressed in a pinstriped suit -- being questioned about the killings of at least 50 Iraqis in a Shiite town...

Top court ruling means more drug research WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court gave drug companies more freedom to develop new disease-fighting therapies, ruling Monday that rival firms' patents do not bar them from starting research on competing medications. ...

NEW YORK -- While embattled Morgan Stanley chairman and chief executive Philip J. Purcell plans to leave Morgan Stanley by early next year, he still has a lengthy and difficult agenda to complete: halting a stream of high-level resignations, reversing a new earnings disappointment and silencing the criticism that led to his own departure...

TORONTO -- Larry Walker might retire after this season, citing age and injuries. The 38-year-old Canadian entered the St. Louis Cardinals' game at Toronto on Monday night hitting just .249 with five homers and 23 RBIs. "A lot of people say you know when your time is up. ...

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- Dana Quigley won the rain-shortened Bayer Advantage Classic, holing an 11-foot birdie putt on the only hole he played Monday to beat hometown favorite Tom Watson and Gil Morgan in a playoff. Watson had a chance to win in regulation, but left a long birdie putt hanging on the lip of the cup on his final hole, bringing a groan from the big gallery. He played 12 holes Monday, finishing off a 6-under 66 to join Quigley and Morgan at 11-under 133...

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court warned prosecutors on Monday to use care in striking minorities from juries, siding with black murder suspects in Texas and California who contended their juries had been unfairly stacked with whites. Justice Clarence Thomas, the only black member of the high court, voted against both suspects, including the Texas inmate whose death sentence was overturned...

ST. LOUIS -- Police are investigating a head-on collision that killed two people and injured two others over the weekend in St. Louis. Two men were killed Sunday when a speeding, wrong-way car rammed their pickup head-on. The car's driver was trying to get away from St. Louis police, authorities said...

After Southeast Missouri State University closed the doors of its higher educational centers to Three Rivers Community College last February, Three Rivers has announced that it will open six new centers, including one in Sikeston and another in Bernie. ...

Two tie in club's Friday couples play Two foursomes tied for first place Friday night in the Cape Girardeau Country Club Friday Night Couples. The team of Ron Livorsi, Robyn Young and Roger and Deb Mealy tied with Steve and Lisa Bjelich and Bill (Sr.) and Janet White...

Quake rattles Chile; 8 dead, damage reported; ElBaradei reappointed as chief of U.N. agency

Ronald R. Tiefenbrunn, 70, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, June 11, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center. He was born Dec. 31, 1934, in Arnold, Mo., son of Raymond and Pauline Poepper Tiefenbrunn. Tiefenbrunn was an administrator at St. Thomas-Aquinas, Mercy and Rosary high schools in St. Louis. He moved to Cape Girardeau in June 1977. After retiring he worked at Elias Ace Hardware in Cape Girardeau...

Turning blue; University fees; No need to rush; Planned obsolescence

The legal battle over nearly $670,000 in state grants that were made a few years ago to Planned Parenthood isn't over yet. But the latest ruling by a circuit court judge maintains that the money must be repaid, since there is a prohibition on giving state money to abortion providers or their affiliates. A ruling last month by Ray County Circuit Judge Werner Moentmann is likely to be appealed, say Planned Parenthood officials...

Montie L. Montgomery, 69, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, June 13, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center. He was born July 17, 1935, at Neelys Landing, son of George L. and Mary Louise Bowerman Montgomery. He and Lawanna J. Poe were married in 1956 in Hernando, Miss...

John Patterson "Jack" Hume Sr., 74, of Jackson was granted God's mercy as he met his Lord, face to face, Saturday, June 11, 2005, following a battle with cancer. He was born Aug. 20, 1930, in Florissant, Mo., son of Edward and Margaret Patterson Hume. He and Mary E. Burnett were married Aug. 15, 1959, in Florissant. She went home to be with the Lord Oct. 21, 2003...

Ellis to attend Boys State at CMSU; Jackson students attend leadership conference; Local student chosen for National Dean's List; Brock gets first place in ethics competition; Kelley chosen to attend Boys State at CMSU; Central junior to attend program at Vanderbilt; Students graduate from college with honors ; Local students receive college scholarships

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Rebecca Lynn "Becky" Dukes, 48, of Sikeston died Monday, June 13, 2005, at her home. She was born Sept. 1, 1956, in Sikeston, daughter of Donald Ceifus and Mary Ellen Parks Crone. Dukes had been an insurance and bank secretary. She was a member of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Dorothy Mae Lewis Pratt, 87, of Cairo died Monday, June 13, 2005, at her home. Arrangements are incomplete at Heavenly Gates Funeral Home in Cairo.

To the editor: If we are forbidden to discriminate because of gender, why is Carl Grant charged with a hate crime for slugging a homosexual who propositioned him? Is this different from a woman doing the same a man who propositioned her? Would she be charged with a hate crime? Would it be considered a hate crime if a man was slugged by a radical feminist? The Constitution guarantees equal protection under the law. How far we have fallen...

25 years ago: June 14, 1980 Eugene Coombs, who has been chief deputy of the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department since Sheriff James J. Below resigned June 6, will be appointed interim sheriff Monday by the county court; Coombs will serve until the end of the year...

ANNA, Ill. -- Sgt. Brian Romines, 20, of Simpson, formerly of Anna, died Monday, June 6, 2005, near Baghdad, Iraq, as the result of a roadside bomb blast. He was born Oct. 26, 1984, son of Clyde Randall and Melinda Clary Romines. Romines was a graduate of Anna Junior High School and Vienna High School. He joined the Army National Guard in October 2002, and was deployed in November 2004. He was a member of the VFW in Herrin, Ill...

THEBES, Ill. -- Charles E. Mathis, 61, of Thebes and formerly of Vienna, Ill., died Monday, June 13, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Bailey Funeral Home in Vienna.

Goninan; Link; Williams; Mueller; Greene

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- A World War II-era cargo plane crashed and burned Monday in the middle of a street in a residential neighborhood, authorities said. All three people on board survived. Two people on the ground were also hurt, one seriously. The DC-3 cargo flight crashed about three miles east of Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport shortly after takeoff, said Greg Martin, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman...

Robert J. Grey Jr. On June 14, 1777, our nation's flag was officially adopted. Now, 228 years later, Congress is considering a bill that would undermine much of what the Stars and Stripes represents: our nation's most cherished ideals and principles...

Baby boomers like me grew up in a relatively equal society. In the 1960s America was a place in which very few people were extremely wealthy, many blue-collar workers earned wages that placed them comfortably in the middle class, and working families could expect steadily rising living standards and a reasonable degree of economic security...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Sunday: * At 7: 49 p.m., emergency medical service at 40 S. Sprigg St. * At 8:04 p.m., an illegal burn on Old Sprigg Street. Firefighters responded to the following calls on Monday: * At 10:01 a.m., a fire alarm at 2100 William St...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items Monday. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests * Robert Steve Garrett, 54, 203 Franks Lane, was arrested on an O'Fallon, Mo., police warrant for failure to appear in court on charges of no insurance, improper registration and driving while suspended...

WASHINGTON -- The Senate on Monday acknowledged its own failure to stand against the lynching of thousands of black people, a practice that continued well into the 20th century. "It's important that we are honest with ourselves and that we tell the truth about what happened," Sen. ...

TORONTO -- Roy Halladay feels he is pitching as well as he did in 2003, when he won the American League Cy Young Award. The statistics show he is better. Halladay pitched a five-hitter for his major league-leading fifth complete game, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-1 on Monday night...

ROME -- In a victory for the Vatican, Italian voters shunned a referendum that would have eliminated bans on egg and sperm donation, freezing embryos and other widely used methods by couples wanting to have children. Pope Benedict XVI had endorsed a call by Italian bishops for a boycott of the vote, held Sunday and Monday. The four ballot measures drew 25.9 percent of eligible voters, roughly half the required turnout of 50 percent plus one for the results to be binding on Parliament...

Jacob Donze got Perryville off to a big start, but Michael Taylor helped Cape Girardeau Ford and Sons finish strong. Impressive performances by those two American Legion pitchers were major parts of an entertaining doubleheader Monday night at Capaha Field. Perryville won the opener 3-0 and Cape rallied to take the nightcap 7-5...

Pitcher Tyler Beussink delivered a complete game three-hit performance to lead the Jackson American Legion baseball team in a 6-1 road victory against Calvert City (Ky.) Beussink struck out eight batters and walked five in nine innings. He also added two hits...

I recently returned from a weeklong venture in Cancun, Mexico where, as the television ads there put it, "the people are beautiful and the fun is non-stop." What they really should have said is, "Cancun, Mexico: the most humid place on the planet and where room 109 at the Caribbean Village isn't air conditioned."...

PHILADELPHIA -- In what could be a first in the United States, the Philadelphia school system will soon require that all high school students take a year of African and African-American studies. Leaders of the school district, where two-thirds of students are black, hope the course will not only keep those students interested in their academic work but also give others a more accurate view of history...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Sometime last year, elevator workers at two hospitals drained hydraulic fluid into empty soap containers and capped them without changing the labels. Not long afterward, medical staff complained that some of their surgical tools felt slick. But it was not until January that nearly 4,000 patients learned that for two months their surgeons had unknowingly used instruments washed in the slippery fluid instead of soap...

DETROIT -- Darice Ray doesn't usually choke up when describing to young people the day a man shot the eyeballs out of her head. But the emotion of the memory sneaked up on her recently at Finney High School in Detroit. Ray was giving the talk just as she had countless times before. But this time, she found herself fighting through tears...

Editor's note: This Mark Bliss column was originally published Jan. 26, 2003. We've been in a deep freeze this week. It's been so cold that my kids haven't complained about wearing coats. Our dog, Cassie, is the only member of our family who doesn't seem to mind. She likes running across the snowy, frozen ground. She's constantly barking to go outside. I realize she has her natural fur coat, but at this rate she'll be wanting to grow up to be a sled dog...