Stories from Saturday, June 18, 2005

Eleven construction companies are expected to be involved in the performing arts campus project. Southeast Missouri State University's will create an arts school on its River Campus, but the project itself is creating construction jobs for local contractors...

Southeast Missouri State University's new business innovation center is on target to open July 1, armed with its first startup venture and a mission to provide a "nurturing and fertile" environment for small business. The first new business to take up residence in the former First Baptist Church education building on Broadway -- transformed thanks to a $1 million renovation project -- will be a pharmaceutical business, said executive director Dennis Roedemeier, though he declined to name it...

Mayors of Cape, Jackson say they've reached an informal agreement on the project. Negotiations on an interchange for East Main Street and Interstate 55 took an optimistic step Friday. Jackson Mayor Paul Sander said the city councils in Cape Girardeau and Jackson would receive proposals soon, meaning officials have come to an informal agreement that would allow the project to be handed over to the Missouri Department of Transportation for final engineering and construction...

Defending champion Retief Goosen shared the lead with Olin Browne and Jason Gore. PINEHURST, N.C. -- One by one, Pinehurst No. 2 picked off anyone who tried to get hold of this U.S. Open. Phil Mickelson tumbled out of contention with a 41 on his first nine holes. Tiger Woods was so angry he scuffed up a green with his putter. David Toms was alone in the lead until he dropped five shots in two holes, falling 16 spots down the leaderboard faster that he could say Donald Ross...

The Cardinals pitcher won his first game in three weeks in a 6-4 victory over Tampa Bay. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Despite two costly mistakes, Mark Mulder remained perfect at Tropicana Field. The St. Louis left-hander allowed three runs over seven innings Friday night, helping the Cardinals beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 6-4 for his first win in more than three weeks...

OMAHA, Neb. -- Joba Chamberlain allowed just five hits in seven innings and Ryan Wehrle hit a two-run single, rallying Nebraska to its first College World Series victory, 5-3 over Arizona State on Friday night. The Cornhuskers (57-13) enjoyed the home-field advantage that comes with playing 58 miles away from their Lincoln campus. They were a combined 0-4 in their only other CWS appearances, in 2001 and '02...

Insurance companies are pulling back on rate increases for the first time in years. Melissa Senatore watched helplessly as the insurance premium for family's five vehicles -- including a 2003 Jaguar and her teenage son's 1999 Ford Mustang -- climbed by a few thousand dollars in recent years...

Four significant temblors have state residents considering survival kits, more insurance. LOS ANGELES -- After four significant earthquakes in less than a week, Californians are getting jittery, with some stocking up on water, food, cash and even insurance. But seismologists say clusters of quakes are not unheard of and do not necessarily mean the Big One is coming...

LIBERTY, Mo. -- The family of a 6-year-old who suffered "catastrophic" injuries in a May 9 school bus crash that killed two motorists and injured dozens of children has filed a civil lawsuit against the school district, the bus driver and six companies involved in some way with the bus...

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Budget talks among the European Union's 25 nations deadlocked Friday over how much each should pay into EU coffers and how the money should be spent, diplomats said. Failure to agree on the 2007-13 annual budgets of $120 billion would deepen the sense of crisis touched off by the rejection by France and the Netherlands of the proposed EU constitution and reinforce impressions the process of European integration has lost direction...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The U.S. military launched a major combat operation Friday as 1,000 Marines and Iraqi soldiers fanned out to track down insurgents and foreign fighters in a volatile western province straddling Syria. Operation Spear began before dawn in Anbar province, the military said. ...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Bank of America Corp.'s $3 billion purchase of a stake in the China Construction Bank drew a mixed reaction Friday as a bold step into a growing market but one that could also be a risky venture that could lead to big losses. Bank of America will spend $3 billion for a 9 percent stake of the bank...

NEW YORK -- Former Tyco International CEO Dennis Kozlowski and a subordinate were convicted Friday of looting more than $600 million from their company to pay for lavish parties, fancy art and an opulent Manhattan apartment that featured a $6,000 shower curtain...

MIAMI -- Former Miami Herald reporter and editor Gene Miller, who won two Pulitzer Prizes for stories that led to the release of four people wrongly convicted of murder, died Friday at his home. He was 76. Miller had suffered from cancer, his family told the Herald for a story posted on its Web site. He worked at the Herald for 48 years, retiring in 2001...

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. -- Leaders of the Reformed Church in America suspended a New Jersey minister Friday night, ruling that he violated the denomination's teachings by officiating at his lesbian daughter's wedding. A majority of delegates voted to suspend the Rev. Norman Kansfield from the ministry until he changes his views to fall in line with church doctrine. They also stripped him of his standing as a professor of theology in the RCA...

Under federal law, credit card holders are liable for no more than $50 of unauthorized charges. NEW YORK -- A security breach of customer information at a credit card transaction company could expose to fraud up to 40 million cardholders of multiple brands, MasterCard International Inc. said Friday...

ORLANDO, Fla. - If state inspectors who regulate Florida's thrill rides want to look into why a 4-year-old boy died this week after going on "Mission: Space" at Walt Disney World, they are going to need permission from the theme park. Disney World and the state's other big theme parks are exempt from most Florida laws governing carnival and amusement park rides...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Thursday: * At 5:30 p.m., an electrical short at 236 S. Broadview St. * At 7:16 p.m., a carbon monoxide alarm at 1820 Lacey St. * At 7:32 p.m., emergency medical service in the 500 block of Candis Street...

WASHINGTON -- American cattle are eating chicken litter, cattle blood and restaurant leftovers that could help transmit mad cow disease -- a gap in the U.S. defense that the Bush administration promised to close nearly 18 months ago. The Food and Drug Administration promised to tighten feed rules shortly after the first case of mad cow disease was confirmed in the U.S., in a Washington state cow in December 2003...

Cape Girardeau...

A Jackson teenager has been charged with misdemeanor property damage in connection with an incident reported Sunday at the Jackson City Park. The Cape Girardeau County prosecutor's office issued a summons Friday for 18-year-old Charlotte L. Brady, alleging that Brady spray-painted obscenities on buildings and playground equipment in the park. A trial date has not yet been set...

The River City Players are trying to turn the River City Yacht Club into a seedy little smoke-filled cabaret. They want it to be a place that hums with the allure of showbiz glitz and hedonistic abandon. They want to make it a place where the audience is part of the show...

WASHINGTON -- The top trade officials from the United States and the European Union said Friday they were willing to resume talks aimed at resolving a dispute over government subsidies to the world's two biggest airplane manufacturers, Airbus and Boeing Co...

PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- Lorena Ochoa just loves the rain. The budding Mexican star, who grew up in rainy Guadalajara, had a 3-under 69 on Friday to surge past Becky Morgan and into the second-round lead at the Rochester LPGA. Ochoa, who began the day three shots behind Morgan, finished her round in a steady rain and was at 8-under 136...

The Associated Press ST. LOUIS -- Former U.S. attorney general John Ashcroft urged reauthorization of the Patriot Act, saying the country deserves a law that will "allow us to continue to fight terror and disrupt terror." Ashcroft called for the act's reauthorization at a Missouri Republican Party fund raiser Thursday night in St. Louis. It was his first appearance at a major Missouri political event in four years...

Beginning July 1, anyone in Missouri applying for a new driver's license, nondriver license or permit or anyone renewing a license must provide proof of "lawful presence," the legal claim to be in the U.S. One of the following must be presented: a U.S. birth certificate issued by the state or local government, a valid U.S. passport, a certificate of citizenship, a certificate of naturalization, or a certificate of birth abroad...

It's always Father's Day in Heaven! Its citizens understand what we often forget -- that we have a father who deserves adulation and celebration because he blesses us day after blessed day. Clouds that drop rain to provide life-giving moisture, cattle munching contentedly on green-growing hillside pastures, bees buzzing blooms in the pollination process, parent birds hauling worms to their nestlings, chlorophyll and sunlight, moonlight and rest, lightning and rainbows speak of the power, regeneration, and generous goodness of our loving father. ...

To the editor: The U.S. House voted May 24 to allow government funding for embryo stem-cell research. U.S. Rep. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania believes 110 million Americans are suffering because the government doesn't fund this research. He said, "Life does not begin in a laboratory dish."...

Southern Baptists are taking steps to repair their past relationships. NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- It might seem odd for a black to join a faith that once supported slavery, but black pastors of the Southern Baptist Convention say much has changed since the issue split Baptists in America nearly 200 years ago...

Don't believe it; Weirdest law; Religious thinking; Politically correct; Chinese oil; What's happening?; Fall from power; Church-state issue; Total ban; Teen behavior; Parental control; Terminally stupid; Stem-cell reasoning

To the editor: I would like to express my concern over the article about the alleged rape by the cab driver. Given the circumstances, I think it is grossly unfair to print the suspect's name and address while not identifying the alleged victim. Our society is supposed to assume innocence until guilt is proven. As a woman, I firmly believe in victim's rights in cases of rape, but I also believe in certain cases (such as this one) the suspect also has certain rights...

To the editor: I am fed up with the irresponsible actions of our Republican legislators, both state and federal. First our Republican-dominated state legislature enacts concealed-carry over the veto of our governor, and then the national Republicans allow the assault-weapons ban to expire. ...

To the editor: Regarding your June 11 editorial, "Methamphetamine," you say, "In other words, no easy answers, no slogans and no prospects for quick returns." I disagree. As the repeal of alcohol prohibition proved, the best way to reduce the harm inflicted by illegal drugs is to legalize those drugs...

Baseball...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Aaron Esselman Rapert, 79, of Sikeston died Thursday, June 16, 2005, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born Feb. 21, 1926, in Maynard, Ark., son of Raymon and Jewell Rapert. He and Marie Jewell Bailey were married Dec. 11, 1947. She died May 8, 2000...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Polly Nora Schuerenberg, 64, of Sikeston died Wednesday, June 15, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Feb. 10, 1941, at Charter Oak, Mo., daughter of William L. and Nora Colson McWaters. She first married Curtis T. Wilson. She later married William L. Schuerenberg...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Woodrow J. Gagnepain, 88, of Perryville died Thursday, June 16, 2005, at his home. He was born Dec. 2, 1916, in Perry County, Mo., son of Emmet and Mary Cissell Gagnepain. He and Velda Miget were married Jan. 4, 1943. Gagnepain retired from International Shoe Co. He was a member of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, Holy Name Society, and 3rd Degree member of Knights of Columbus Council 1263. He was a 1935 graduate of St. Vincent de Paul High School...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Edwin M. Slesak Sr., 92, of Perryville died Thursday, June 16, 2005, at his home. He was born May 25, 1913, in Milwaukee, Wis., son of Frank and Anna Ruske Slesak. He first married Wilma Koenig, who died in January 1992. He and Hilda Steffens Brueckner were married Aug. 15, 1992...

BENTON, Mo. -- Andrea Burford loved Walt Disney movies, sleeping late and making papier-mache in her high school art class. Her older sister, Audrey Burford, said Andrea also had a very positive outlook, despite suffering from Down's syndrome and pulmonary hypertension, the disorder that finally took her life...

Ethel Shaw, 92, died Tuesday, June 14, 2005, at the Lutheran home. She was born Aug. 15, 1912, in St. Francois County, Mo., daughter of Carl and Ada Cook Thomasson. She married Glen J. Shaw, who died in 1999. Shaw was formerly of Farmington, Mo., and a member of Memorial United Methodist Church...

25 years ago: June 18, 1980 Cape Girardeau attorney William S. Rader was overwhelmingly chosen by the county Democratic committeemen last night to succeed Jerry S. Estes as Division III associate circuit judge; his name will now be recommended to Gov. Joseph P. Teasdale for appointment to succeed Estes, who has announced his resignation...

Morgan, Miles win Dalhousie horse race Bill Morgan and Harold Miles topped the Turnberry flight and won the horse race in Dalhousie Golf Club's Gentleman's Invitational, which was played June 10 and 11. Thirty-six teams participated in the event, which recognized winners in six flights...

Inez R. Bell, 85, of Cape Girar-deau died Friday, June 17, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Dreyer; Dirnberger; Nash; Byrum; Clifton; Schatte

Louis Houck, one of Cape Girardeau's great catalysts of progress, seemed like a nice-enough guy Friday night as he stood near his headstone in Old Lorimier Cemetery. Apparently the 80 years of lying in a grave hasn't hurt him that much. "You're welcome to walk around here and look at where my bones are," Houck told visitors to his grave Friday night. Actually, it was Richard Withers, who was playing Houck in a rather congenial manner...

ORANJESTAD, Aruba -- A fourth person has been detained in Aruba in the case of missing Alabama teen Natalee Holloway, authorities announced Friday. The person was identified by the attorney general's office only as a 26-year-old with the initials S.G.C. Also in custody are 17-year-old Joran van der Sloot, the son of a justice official on Aruba, and his two friends, Surinamese brothers Deepak Kalpoe, 21, and Satish Kalpoe, 18...

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Michael Jackson's prosecutors said Friday they still believe the pop star could be a danger to children, despite his acquittal on charges of molesting a boy two years ago. Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon and his two lead deputies in the case said in an interview with The Associated Press that they believed the jury set too high a bar for evidence...

AUSTIN, Texas -- Gov. Rick Perry signed into law Friday a new life-without-parole sentencing option for Texas juries in capital murder cases. Texas juries have been able to sentence capital murder convicts to either death or life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years. The new law will take away the option of parole. The Legislature approved the change in the session that ended May 30. The law takes effect Sept. 1...

** First Baptist Church calls new senior pastor First Baptist Church has announced the Rev. Mike Shupert as its new senior pastor. For the past five years, Shupert has served in various roles at the church, including education minister and as interim pastor for the congregation. ...

Jim Matthews dresses for Sunday in his favorite cowboy boots and denim jeans. He's not concerned about a suit jacket and tie or wearing his "Sunday best" because everyone else he greets at the Cape County Cowboy Church will be dressed like they're headed for a horseback ride...

Plaza Tire posted a 16-11 victory. It was anything but a masterpiece, but the Plaza Tire Capahas continued their undefeated season Friday night. Despite committing a season-high -- by far -- seven errors, the Capahas banged out 17 hits and held off the St. Louis Printers 16-11 in a wild contest at Capaha Field...

The Lauries have been experiencing heavy financial losses. ST. LOUIS -- The owners of the St. Louis Blues announced their plans to sell the franchise on Friday, citing tens of millions of dollars in losses. Wal-Mart heirs Bill and Nancy Laurie decided to sell the NHL franchise because of heavy financial losses and concerns about the future after a lockout canceled the entire 2004-05 season...

The Cape Girardeau Ford and Sons American Legion team inched closer to .500 with a 14-3 eight-inning rout of Metropolis on the road Friday night. Mike Taylor went 5-for-5 with two doubles, a home run and four RBIs to lead Cape's (7-8) 17-hit attack. Ty Craft, Scott Brueckner, Sean Bard, Kent Deason and Lance Young had two hits apiece. Craft and Bard each hit home runs, with Bard adding three RBIs. Deason scored four times...

Southeast Missouri State's Ohio Valley Conference football game at Samford, originally scheduled for Oct. 1, has been moved to Thursday, Sept. 29, and will be televised nationally by ESPNU. The kickoff in Birmingham, Ala., will be at 6:30 p.m. ESPNU plans to televise approximately 75 football games this season, including some key matchups from top Division I-A conferences. The Southeast at Samford Division I-AA game will be the only contest involving OVC teams...

Bill Cofield was hired to make the Rubbermaid facility in Jackson more efficient and restructure the plant's operating procedures. It wasn't an easy task, but a new business philosophy was taking root under the directive of David Lumley, president of Rubbermaid Home Products, a division of Atlanta-based Newell Rubbermaid Inc. The global marketer of consumer and commercial products with 2004 sales of $6.6 billion was ready to get rid of waste...

Whether it's under a canopy of shade trees in Arena Park or an afternoon open-air bazaar at the Plaza Galleria parking lot, farmers markets have returned for the summer with their bounty of early spring crops and the promise of sweet corn and melons in mid-summer...

The first of three students participating in a new rural medicine program will arrive this month at the Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. The hospital is working with the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine's track program in rural medicine to boost interest in the medical specialty...

Gov. Matt Blunt and big business are celebrating the results of their collusion with the lobbyists and the legislature. By initiating more protection and more favors for big business, they say Missouri will be better. No doubt it will be for them. For the other 5 million people in the state, that rosy picture from their camera has a negative behind it. ...

Business licenses recorded at the Cape Girardeau Collector's Office during the month of May...

Commercial building permits recorded at the Cape Girardeau Division of Inspection Services Office during May...

Bankruptcies filed through May for the Southeastern Division of the Eastern District of Missouri's U.S. Bankruptcy Court are listed below with their corresponding case number...

People need lawyers for a variety of reasons: personal injury lawsuits, estate planning, taxation, workers' compensation, criminal defense, bankruptcy, divorce and just general litigation. The top law firm in the region -- Limbaugh, Russell, Payne & Howard in Cape Girardeau, with 12 lawyers on staff, even handles cases relating to entertainment law...

The bookshelves behind her desk are still empty but the surface looks well-used, as Marybeth William begins to settle into her new office and role as executive director of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce. A month since starting the position, Williams has had little time to make her office reflect her gregarious and energetic personality. A few plants and a picture sit atop the table and desk corner, but the office doesn't have a "lived-in" feel yet...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Vehicles exiting Interstate 55 and heading east into Perryville confront a lot of new commercial activity. The same holds true for vehicles exiting the interstate and heading west. But in this case, west is not best -- east is. "Most of the recent commercial activity is along Highway 51, which is also called Perryville Boulevard and sometimes the Bypass," said Larry Tucker, executive director of the Perry County Industrial Development Authority. ...

Cape Girardeau County tax liens and lien discharges recorded at the office of Janet Robert, Cape Girardeau County recorder of deeds...