Stories from Friday, June 17, 2005

ANNA, Ill. -- The mourners of Spc. Brian Romines won't be the only ones present at his funeral Saturday morning. An extremist religious group will be there, as well, preaching a hateful message outside the Anna Heights Baptist Church, location of the service...

Millions of Missouri residents have some sort of assets they probably don't realize they have, and the state government is holding that property for safekeeping until those residents come forward. The Missouri Treasurer's Office recently released lists of unclaimed property owners -- a list that currently contains about 2.2 million names of state residents, living and dead, said Lana Massman, assistant director of the office's unclaimed property division...

After breaking its first-ever million-dollar goal last year, the United Way of Southeast Missouri is doling out the dough. United Way raised $1.069 million in 2004, and the organization is distributing more than $663,000 this year to among 32 charitable organizations in Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Scott City and Perryville. Of these organizations, the American Red Cross received the most money allocated to a single agency, $80,000, for emergency services...

A few weeks ago, Jake Cypret, 16, of Cape Girardeau couldn't have told you what turtle head roses looked like. But on Thursday afternoon, he was busy planting them along the pond out by the new conservation nature center. "They're small pink flowers," Cypret explained. "They attract humming birds, bees and butterflies."...

A Cape Girardeau County jury took less than an hour to find Fred L. Harris Sr. guilty of forcibly raping a 14-year-old girl after allegedly telling her that he was "looking for a wife" and that he wanted to get her pregnant with his twins. The four-man, eight-woman jury found Harris, 53, of Cape Girardeau guilty of forcible rape Thursday at the conclusion of a two-day trial held at the county courthouse in Jackson in front of Circuit Judge Ben Lewis...

The hilltop intersection of Missouri Avenue and Stoddard Street doesn't warrant signs to slow down traffic, Cape Girardeau city officials say, insisting that most motorists aren't speeding through the residential neighborhood. But neighborhood residents still worry that speeding motorists, line-of-sight problems and children at play could lead to a deadly accident...

By Callie Clark Miller From the 3 1/2-foot-tall perspective of a 5-year-old, the side of a school bus is a towering wall of yellow with steps that require a gigantic leap of faith to ascend. On Thursday, 120 pre-kindergarteners did it together at Jackson's Primary Annex, carefully traversing the steps with a helping hand from the student in front of them...

An office of the Missouri Department of Economic Development can't back up its successes, Claire McCaskill says. JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A state agency that assists Missouri companies in securing contracts to export goods to foreign countries can't back up many of its claims of success, a state auditor's report issued Thursday says...

The board is debating how to handle state money invested in the bank, a target of terrorism-related lawsuits. JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The state retirement system board refused Thursday to pull money out of a bank that State Treasurer Sarah Steelman believes has terrorism ties...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The political wrangling of Iraq's infant government can seem futile in the face of relentless violence. But Iraqi lawmakers say politics is their best hope to prevent civil war and send foreign troops home -- and on that front, they claimed a victory Thursday...

Local fans can get a ticket to the past at Cape Girardeau sports exhibit. John Holcomb acknowledges that a lot of sweat went into the new sports exhibit that will be unveiled this weekend at the Cape River Heritage Museum. But the retired Cape Girardeau doctor wouldn't have it any other way...

The duo made for unlikely first-round leaders as Pinehurst allowed just nine players to shoot under par. PINEHURST, N.C. -- Olin Browne strolled to the cup as his 18-foot putt dropped on the toughest hole at Pinehurst No. 2, making it look like just another routine birdie...

ST. LOUIS -- Coming back from elbow surgery that sidelined him for almost two seasons and left him for a time with a rod implant for stabilization gave Cal Eldred a greater appreciation for every pitch he made. Returning from a potentially life-threatening heart illness gave him a greater appreciation for everything outside of baseball...

Detroit claimed Game 4 with a 102-71 pasting of San Antonio. AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Tayshaun Prince looked down upon Manu Ginobili from the right wing, faked him out with a quick move and darted to the basket for a resounding dunk. It was easy, really. Almost too easy...

Revamped Hyundai Sonata has large-car dimensions The first time I heard of a "sonata" was in a music appreciation class. That was in the '60s when the music I appreciated was made with three guitars, a set of drums, and longhaired hippies yelling, "I wanna hold your hand." Today there are Hyundai Sonatas everywhere...

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- It is said that youngsters in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington never forget the misspelled word -- like "trouvaille" or "odylic," to name recent troublemakers -- that knocks them out of the competition. So why not try to set things right as a grown-up?...

ATLANTA -- Runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks has struck a deal for a TV project about her misadventures, irritating some people in her hometown. ReganMedia, which publishes books and produces TV shows and movies, said Thursday that it has acquired all media rights to the stories of Wilbanks and her fiance, John Mason. The New York company did not say whether any money had changed hands...

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- European Union leaders discussed putting their plans for a continental constitution on hold Thursday, seeking time to reassess the bloc's future after French and Dutch voters rejected the charter and cast doubt on Europe's 50-year drive for greater unity...

WIMBLEDON, England -- To get to the Wimbledon final, Andy Roddick may first have to get past the tallest player on the tour, the local favorite and the game's newest darling. Defending champion Roger Federer seems to have an easier path after Thursday's draw. His toughest projected match could come in the semifinals, with possible opponents being 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt or last year's semifinalist Mario Ancic...

PINEHURST, N.C. -- Tiger Woods hit a tree, muffed a pitch, missed eight fairways and seemed always to be pondering a way to get out of his next jam. He knew he wasn't going to win the U.S. Open on Thursday. The way he was spraying the ball around Pinehurst No. 2, his job became finding a way not to lose it...

PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- Becky Morgan shot an 8-under 64 in cool, rainy conditions Thursday to take a three-stroke lead over Lorena Ochoa after the opening round of the Rochester LPGA. Ochoa closed with three straight birdies for a 67, one ahead of Maria Hjorth (68) and two in front of 2003 U.S. Women's Open champion Hilary Lunke (69). Se Ri Pak, Christina Kim, Laura Diaz and Rachel Hetherington were at 2 under...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A 12-year-old boy brought to a fire station by his mother after being injured in a drive-by shooting became Kansas City's 49th homicide victim of the year, as the city runs well ahead of the 2004 pace. The boy was shot Wednesday evening as he stood outside a residence with a group of other people...

MOSCOW -- Prosecutors said Thursday they had solved the murder of U.S journalist Paul Klebnikov, linking his high-profile killing to a former Chechen separatist figure who was the subject of a critical book that he wrote. Some observers remain skeptical about the Chechen connection, saying Klebnikov had delved deep into the still-murky post-Soviet business world in his work as the editor of Forbes magazine's Russian edition...

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts -- Kate Zajdel was among tens of thousands of qualified applicants turned away by U.S. nursing programs last year because there are not enough teachers or space. The dilemma brought the 22-year-old New Yorker to a new international nursing school in the Caribbean country of St. Kitts and Nevis, joining a class of 24...

The Cape Girardeau Post M Travelers Protective Association will hold its first family picnic at 6 p.m. Saturday, June 18 at Cape Girardeau County Park shelter no. 4. Menu includes hamburgers, brats, hot dogs, side dishes and desserts. Games will be available for all age groups. Bert Daume, who became a member of TPA in 1955 will be recognized for 50 years of service...

OMAHA, Neb. -- Tulane is ready to take on the big boys at the College World Series. Three teams from the Big 12, two from the Southeastern Conference and two from the Pacific-10 made it to Omaha, but it's the top-seeded Green Wave from Conference USA who are favored to win their first national championship...

Gators sweep two swimming meets The Gator Swim Team swept Southeast Missouri Swimming Confence meets June 4 at Perryville and June 11 at Jackson. The Gators scored 1,008 points to win at Perryville. The Perryville Piranhas were third with 398 points. Jackson Swim Team was fourth with 384 points...

BENTON, Mo. -- Scott County residents will be receiving letters from the county clerk's office asking for personal information in the county's effort to update its voter registration database. Some of the information requested will be birthdates and Social Security numbers, information which hasn't been asked for in the past but is needed due to new federal and state requirements, said clerk Rita Milam. Social Security numbers and birthdates will be kept confidential by the office...

To the editor; With the passing of SanDee Casey last week, the greater Cape Girardeau area has lost a wonderful advocate for children. She was a devoted employee of the Greater St. Louis Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America and played an important administrative role in the organization of events, activities and fund raising for over 20 years. ...

To the editor: I'm writing about your thoughtful June 11 editorial, "Methamphetamine." Keeping the ingredients of meth behind the counter is certainly a lot better solution than the previous non-solution of building more and bigger prisons. Oklahoma learned the hard way that the so-called "tough on drugs" policies don't work and are expensive. Largely because of their "tough on drugs" policies, Oklahoma became the fourth highest state for incarcerations...

Baseball...

Whenever sightings of courgars are reported in the news media, a barrage of additional reports is unleashed along with claims of seeing mountain lions and panthers too. Are we, indeed, living in a jungle with creatures usually seen only in zoos? Part of the confusion may be the result of what we call big animals when we see then in our neighborhoods or crossing the roads we travel...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Wednesday: * At 5:26 p.m., emergency medical service at Route K and Onyx Lane. * At 10:01 p.m., a still alarm at 2307 Kent Drive. Jackson Firefighters responded to the following calls Tuesday:...

Cape Girardeau...

PARMA, Mo. -- Chlora E. Gilmer, 91, of Parma died Wednesday, June 15, 2005, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo. She was born April 27, 1914, in Formosa, Ark., daughter of Scott and Nettie Jones. She and James Leslie "Jim" Gilmer were married March 25, 1933, in Bragg City, Mo. He died Dec. 30, 1987...

CAIRO, Ill. -- James W. Purchase, 86, of Cairo died Thursday, June 16, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Heavenly Gates Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

ANNA, Ill. -- Doris B. Kovach, 81, of Anna died Wednesday, June 15, 2005, at Rehab and Care Center in Murphysboro, Ill. She was born Oct. 3, 1923, in Anna, daughter of Lester M. and Mabel Atchison Broadway. She and Charles K. Kovach were married July 14, 1946, in Jonesboro, Ill. He died June 24, 2004...

BENTON, Mo. -- Andrea Dawn Burford, 16, of Benton died Thursday, June 16, 2005, at St. Louis Children's Hospital. She was born Feb. 7, 1989, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Paul Edward and Marilyn Ella Brucker Burford. Burford was a junior at Kelly High School and a member of St. Denis Catholic Church...

Legacy wall; Time for comeback; Automotive woes; Two key problems; Resource officers; Fighting back; Wealth and well-being

William Atrell Wheeler, a 34-year resident of Cape Girardeau, died at Heartland Care and Rehab Center. He lost his battle with lung cancer Wednesday, June 15, 2005, at the age of 80. Bill, as he was known to his many friends and family, was born Feb. 12, 1925, son of Jasper Newton and Mabel Eugenia Davis Wheeler of Moro, Ark. He was one of 11 children; five boys and six girls (Nora, Gladys, Jimmy, Roy, Laverne, Irvin, Ira, Jane, Muriel and Elsie)...

OLIVE BRANCH, Ill. -- Ida Prosser, 94, of Olive Branch died Thursday, June 16, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Oct. 17, 1910, at Parma, Mo., daughter of James Sidney and Clara Donohoo Porter. She and Vernon "Doc" Prosser were married Nov. 15, 1930. He died Sept. 28, 1993...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- James K. Young, 83, of Perryville died Tuesday, June 14, 2005, at Scripps Green Hospital in LaJolla, Calif. He was born March 17, 1922, in Perryville, son of Edward C. and Adelheit Palisch Young Sr. He and Marie Tackaberry were married Sept. 2, 1942...

DiStefano; Miller; Rhodes; Keeven

25 years ago: June 17, 1980 Slightly more than three years after it opened its doors, the Southeast Missouri Museum on Water Street will close after this weekend's Riverfest. Construction of an alcohol plant along Highway 61 north of Jackson is apparently at a standstill because the Cape Girardeau County Planning Commission hasn't approved the project; Marvin Schoen of Oak Ridge, president of SCH-AGA, Inc., the company developing the plant, says he received approval for the issuance of $751,500 in bonds from the Industrial Development Authority, but the planning commission never gave its approval so that the bonds could be issued.. ...

Players looking for living mural interpreters; Tunes at Twilight to feature Stephen Taylor; Cape library to show foreign film Tuesday; Dad Fest this weekend at Tower Rock Winery; All's faire at Cape library Renaissance event; River City Players seek 'A Few Good Men'; Archaeological society show coming to Cape

Southeast Missourian Central High School golfer Jack Connell notched a tournament victory Wednesday in the Gateway PGA/Southeast Missouri junior golf event at Hidden Trails Country Club in Dexter, Mo. Connell topped the 14- and 15-year-old boys tour division with an 84, two shots better than Eric Redfearn...

There was a time, before she sang with the Jerry Ford Orchestra, that Pat Blackwell was joined on stage by two other women, forming a trio that became local celebrities. At each performance, Blackwell, Virginia Hill and Virginia Boren would don their homespun sequined evening gowns and sing the songs of the McGuire Sisters to the beat of a jazz combo...

A ceremony dedicating a monument to veterans of the 140th Infantry Regiment of the Missouri Army National Guard will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday at Cape County Park North, near the flagpole. Paying honor and respect to the living and deceased members of the former regiment was foremost in the minds of members of the 140th as early as 1997, when they began meeting every other year for reunions...

Serving on Gov. Matt Blunt's State Government Reform Commission has averaged about one meeting a week over the last 12 weeks. It also is requiring a great deal of reading, which is informative and time- consuming. Some of the better recommendations we will make could be easily implemented by a business or industry but will probably take longer for legislative action...

WASHINGTON -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday it isn't enough for North Korea to return to six-nation disarmament talks but that it should commit to discuss dismantling its nuclear program. "The ball is in the North Koreans' court," Rice said as she prepared to embark on a weeklong trip to the Middle East and Europe...

'Deep Throat' signs deal for book and movie SAN FRANCISCO -- The man who recently revealed himself as "Deep Throat," the key source for the Washington Post during the Watergate investigation, has agreed to a book and movie deal, his publisher and agent confirmed Thursday. ...

SIEM REAP, Cambodia -- Masked gunmen seized dozens of children at an international school in northwestern Cambodia on Thursday, killing a 3-year-old Canadian boy. The attackers stormed the Siem Reap International School, grabbing dozens of youngsters and demanding money, weapons and a vehicle in a six-hour standoff. The gunmen killed the boy when authorities declined to meet all of their demands, Cambodian authorities said...

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- In the history of motorcycles, some images are enduring: Marlon Brando astride his 1950 Triumph Thunderbird in "The Wild One," or Peter Fonda gripping the ape hangers of his stars-and-stripes Harley chopper in "Easy Rider." But who remembers Lucius Copeland and his revolutionary Star steamer?...

'Herbie: Fully Loaded'... Starring Lindsay Lohan, Justin Long, Breckin Meyer, Matt Dillon and Michael Keaton. When Maggie Peyton becomes the new owner of an old Volkswagen Beetle, she discovers the car has a mind of its own. Before long, Maggie is well on her way to taking the old Bug for a spin on the NASCAR circuit...

The local squad roughed up Twin Rivers 12-4. The Jackson American Legion team struggled against left-handed pitching Wednesday night, falling 12-4 to Farmington in the second game of a doubleheader. Jackson had its chance for redemption less than 24 hours later, as Twin Rivers came to Jackson on Thursday for a nine-inning district game. Twin Rivers started lefty Jimmy Cornell, who shined in a complete-game victory against Cape Girardeau last week...

Marriage is a serious proposition. I should know. Forty years ago tomorrow I walked down the aisle and said "I do." Maybe I said "I will" too. My memory of the wedding is a bit fuzzy. I do remember that an airplane, probably from nearby Whiteman Air Force Base, broke the sound barrier just as my new brother-in-law hit the high note in "The Lord's Prayer." It would be hard to forget something like that...

As the lights go down in the River City Yacht Club, eight actors and actresses are waiting anxiously offstage for their turn to go. In the course of the next 90 minutes, each one will be thrust into the glare of the spotlight, going solo in a musical revue with only their own talent and determination -- and a very small budget...

HH (out of four) Though I really wasn't in any hurry to see this movie, I must say my expectations changed while watching it, from "I think I like it," to "I don't think I like it." Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie portray a married couple who have no clue what they each do for a living. Not until their respective jobs as assassins place them in the same place and time do things start moving along with more of the plot...

LOS ANGELES -- The parking's easy and there are no lines at the concession stand: Most Americans would now rather watch films at home than in theaters, according to an AP-AOL poll. At the same time, almost half think movies are getting worse. Hollywood is in the midst of its longest box-office slump in 20 years, and 2005 is shaping up as the worst year for movie attendance in nearly a decade if theater business continues at the same lackluster rate...

WASHINGTON -- The housing market is still booming with construction of new homes rising 0.2 percent in May. Builders rushed to break ground on new projects to meet strong demand fueled by low mortgage rates. ...

Dear Tom and Ray: I have a 1992 Mazda Miata. I'm the original owner and have driven 80,000-plus miles without a repair, if you don't count the electronic antenna getting stuck. I love my Miata. However, out here in Southern California, I figure I am living on borrowed time and will soon get squished by one of the many Hummers, Expeditions and oversized Ford trucks that everyone seems to drive around here (clearly necessary to navigate the daily commute on the freeways!). ...