Stories from Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Street improvements include one-way traffic and new panels that explain floodwall murals. City crews put the finishing touches on Water Street renovations Tuesday as motorists drove by on the one-way, southbound street, which has become a focus of tourism along Cape Girardeau's riverfront...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Despite widespread rumors to the contrary, Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronnie White on Tuesday said he has no immediate plans to step down from the bench, although he is interested in pursuing another career at some point...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A one-vehicle accident claimed the life of a Poplar Bluff teenager Tuesday afternoon, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The patrol said the accident occurred when 15-year-old Heather Wartenbe was thrown from a car she was driving on Butler County Road 565, seven miles east of Poplar Bluff...

GLENALLEN, Mo. -- A Glenallen man is jail in facing felony charges after an armed standoff Monday with the Bollinger County Sheriff's Department. The incident occurred around 2 p.m., when the sheriff's department received a report of a suicidal man who had barricaded himself in his house on Route ZZ. ...

Jackson School District ended this year with $1.58 million more in fund balances than was originally budgeted, leaving room for the purchase of new buses, technology upgrades and additional teachers in next year's budget. The Jackson School Board approved a $30 million budget for 2005-2006 at a meeting Tuesday night...

KENNETT, Mo. -- The Bootheel Drug Task Force, in conjunction with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, stopped a potential homicide Monday with a joint operation, landing a Kennett resident in jail. During an ongoing investigation, agents with the task force said they received information that a suspect, Lee Armstrong, was attempting to purchase an assault rifle and pistol with crack cocaine for a homicide he was planning...

A planned public forum on higher education turned into a protest against state health-care cuts after a group of demonstrators unexpectedly showed up Tuesday evening at the University of Missouri Extension Center in Jackson. State Sen. Jason Crowell and state Reps. ...

A family has been left homeless after their house caught fire Tuesday in a residential neighborhood in Scott City. Firefighters responded at 1:19 p.m. to the fire on the corner of East Third Street and Mar Elm Boulevard. The house was owned by Roger Noel, who lived there with his wife, two daughters and some grandchildren. No one was home at the time the fire started, and no injuries were reported, authorities said...

In one scene, a mother slips a pair of pants over her head, attracting stares from others in a laundromat. In another, a dad reads aloud from billboards. Both illustrate everyday learning experiences for children -- the focus of a new public engagement campaign sponsored by the United Way, the Ad Council and Civitas...

A street-widening project, slated to last into August, slows consumer traffic for some business owners. Autumn Demopoulos looks outside the windows of her Cape Girardeau restaurant with an uneasy eye. Just beyond the borders of California Juice Club, her Greek-styled eatery, is a two-block row of orange cones and bulky barriers. She sees disturbed dirt. She sees burly men in hard hats and tolerates growling earth movers...

Don't you hate those overly eager beavers at work? You invite them to lunch and they say, "Oh, no! I'm too busy for lunch! I don't know how YOU find the time." Or you're packing up at quitting time, and they're monitoring your departure. "Leaving already?" they say. "OK, well, have a good night. I've still got a few hours left."...

TORONTO -- Canada's House of Commons passed landmark legislation Tuesday to legalize gay marriage, granting same-sex couples legal rights equal to those in traditional unions between a man and a woman. The bill passed as expected, despite opposition from Conservatives and religious leaders. The legislation drafted by Prime Minister Paul Martin's minority Liberal Party government was also expected to easily pass the Senate and become federal law by the end of July...

A Farmington, Mo., woman accused in baby's death had a previous child abuse conviction. FARMINGTON, Mo. -- A woman accused in the death of a baby had a previous conviction for child abuse, court records show. Rebecca Gail Siliven, 26, of Farmington, was scheduled to face arraignment Tuesday on a charge of felony abuse of a child resulting in death. She allegedly kicked 8-month-old EmmaLee Westhoff in the head last week while watching the child at her home...

Venus Williams sets up a meeting with defending champ Maria Sharapova. WIMBLEDON, England -- The record book shows her Wimbledon showdown with Maria Sharapova will be Venus Williams' first major semifinal in two years. There's no official accounting of how long it's been since Williams has shown unbridled joy on the court...

NEW YORK -- It sure was a g'day for Andrew Bogut. And not a bad night for the NCAA champions from North Carolina. Bogut, a 7-foot center from Australia, was chosen No. 1 Tuesday night in the NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, becoming the first player in five years with U.S. college experience to be drafted No. 1 overall...

The Cardinals edged the Reds 2-1 for Mulder's second win of the month. ST. LOUIS -- Mark Mulder ended a mostly terrible month on a positive note. Mulder worked into the seventh inning to put a string of poor starts behind him, and Reggie Sanders backed him with a two-run homer that helped the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 2-1 Tuesday night...

High school coaches may not like the kind of music student-athletes listen to these days, but sometimes they have to listen, if only to make sure a stream of profane or offensive lyrics is not coming over the speakers. All the coaches said they try to police any music played on a stereo that can be heard by the entire team or others in the building...

Regarding recent articles about the new Missouri House of Representatives printing contract: When the speaker of the House and the House Steering Committee interviewed me last December to be the next chairman of the Administration and Accounts Committee, I made it very clear that, if selected, I would work to reorganize the House of Representatives and make it a much more efficient and cost-effective operation. ...

La Repubblica (Rome) The two European members who were against the war in Iraq -- Germany and France -- call for a "European counterbalance" to the United States. Nevertheless, the White House ... knows that there is nothing to gain from a divided Europe...

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia issued a new list of 36 wanted terror suspects Tuesday, many of them young fighters apparently recruited by al-Qaida-linked militants. In a statement that accompanied the list, the Interior Ministry offered rewards of $267,000 for information leading to the arrest of a suspect. The reward would be raised to $1.3 million if more than one is arrested and to $1.8 million if a terror act is foiled as a result of the information...

PARIS -- France beat out Japan on Tuesday in the race to host a $13 billion experimental nuclear fusion reactor that scientists hope will produce a clean, safe and endless energy resource and help phase out polluting fossil fuels. The United States, the European Union, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea chose Cadarache, in the southern region of Provence, during talks in Moscow. Japan reportedly backed down after agreeing to a bigger role in research and operations...

NEW YORK -- Wall Street roared back Tuesday, propelling the Dow Jones industrials up 114 points as crude oil prices plunged more than $2 and consumer confidence surged to a three-year high. Investors bought up stocks as crude oil, which had closed above $60 per barrel Monday for the first time, fell to $58 amid profit-taking following the recent runup in prices. Light crude settled at $58.20, down $2.34, on the New York Mercantile Exchange...

Now's the season for fresh fruit desserts and treats, whether you're planning a holiday festivity, are expecting guests, or are just heading for a shady corner of the garden. Fruit is a simple but welcome addition to menus for al fresco meals, cookout spreads and porch refreshers -- and any informal in-between times. ...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- HealthSouth Corp. founder Richard Scrushy walked away a free man Tuesday after a jury cleared him of all charges in a stunning setback for federal prosecutors who sought to add his name to a list of CEOs convicted of fraud. Scrushy was the first of the high-profile chief executives to escape conviction since a wave of corporate scandals and indictments followed Enron Corp.'s collapse almost four years ago...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Danica Patrick's face is everywhere these days. And for that, the Indy Racing League's popular rookie from Roscoe, Ill., makes no apologies. The important thing, Patrick said Tuesday during the IRL's weekly teleconference, is to succeed on the track -- not to worry about talk that she's exploiting her looks to gain marketing opportunities...

Women's golf never had it this good. The story lines were so compelling going into the final round of the U.S. Women's Open that it became must-see TV. There was a distinctive buzz among the 30,000 lucky souls scrambling for a view on a sunny day at Cherry Hills in Colorado...

The Cardinals will play a night game at San Francisco on July 10 before the All-Star break. ST. LOUIS -- Tony La Russa is miffed that ESPN moved the St. Louis Cardinals' last game before the All-Star break in San Francisco to a night game. La Russa was so disgruntled Tuesday that he implied he hopes the home run derby Monday night on ESPN is a dud...

A Chaffee, Mo., man arrested in November for wielding a sword in the Cape Girardeau Wal-Mart store has pleaded guilty and been sentenced for five years probation. Richard A. Taylor, 57, pleaded guilty Tuesday to unlawful use of a weapon and resisting arrest in New Madrid County before Circuit Judge Fred Copeland. ...

WASHINGTON -- The Senate approved an energy bill Tuesday that was more favorable to conservation, wind farms and ethanol and less kind to oil and gas producers than legislation passed by the House. Whether the sharp differences can be resolved may depend on how much pressure President Bush can bring to bear. The president urged the lawmakers to resolve their differences quickly and send him a bill before August...

A Cape Girardeau man was sentenced Tuesday in federal court on charges of possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute. Brian L. Cayce, 37, was sentenced to 50 months on one felony count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. He appeared before U.S. ...

The Missouri Youth Service Conservation Corps created in 2000 bears some similarity to the Civilian Conservation Corps that provided so many jobless Americans with meaningful work during the 1930s. Besides a job, the CCC restored a sense of pride to people who had lost so much...

To the editor: July 1 is the one-year anniversary of Missouri's beer keg registration law. Missouri is one of 23 states that requires every keg sold to carry an identification number and information on the purchaser. This common-sense law helps reduce underage drinking by holding adults accountable for kegs that fall into minors' hands...

PBS funding; Wrong target; Support the artists; Party support; Investment concerns; Declining quality; Singing same tune; Spending question

To the editor: For recipients making over $686 a month there will be no more crutches, canes or walkers. They can get wheelchairs, but no batteries to power them. Many are losing prescription drug benefits. Hundreds living happily with assisted living are to be forced into nursing homes...

GLENALLEN, Mo. -- Bertha Gertrude Barker, 95, of Glenallen died Sunday, June 26, 2005, at her home. She was born July 3, 1909, in Monette, Ark., daughter of Robert Clinton and Edna Davis Goad. She and James Elbert Barker were married Jan. 8, 1928. He died Jan. 24, 1998...

TAMMS, Ill. -- Mary Lou McCrite of Sheffield, Ala., died Monday, June 27, 2005, at her home. She was the daughter of Luther and Edmona Austin. She married Paul McCrite. McCrite operated Austin Manor Bed and Breakfast of Sheffield, and was a real estate agent with Cypress Realty in Florence, Ala. She was a member of Woodmont Baptist Church in Florence, and its Parker and Pirkle Sunday school class...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Edna Jeanetta Brown, 81, of Port Orange, Fla., died Sunday, June 26, 2005, at Terrace Nursing Care Center in Daytona Beach, Fla. She was born Sept. 13, 1923, at Wyatt, Mo., son of Lawrence and Mary Etta Baker. She and Vernon Edward Brown were married in 1937. He died in 1984...

Virginia S. Hinman, 85, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, June 28, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center. Lorberg Memorial Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

St. Mary CCW; Progressive Club; Capaha Scottish Rite Women's Club; Sedgewickville UMW

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Ryan Allen Carr was stillborn on Tuesday, June 28, 2005, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. He was the infant son of Philip and Amy Evans Carr of Sikeston. Survivors include his parents; two sisters, Katlyn Carr and Kylie Carr of Sikeston; paternal grandfather and stepgrandmother, Jackie and Lease Carr of Blytheville, Ark.; paternal grandmother, Becky Carr of Sikeston; maternal grandparents, Terry and Donna Evans of Sikeston; paternal great-grandmothers, Smynthelee Hildebrand and Noralee Carr, both of Kennett, Mo.; and maternal great-grandmother, Lucille West of Sikeston.. ...

25 years ago: June 29, 1980 The Montgomery Drive-in Theater at Blomeyer, Mo., south of Cape Girardeau on Highway 25, which has been closed since 1974, reopened last week, giving shows Friday and Saturday evenings; this schedule will continue through the summer, says owner Bernice Montgomery of Chaffee, Mo...

Wild berries are ripening across America and the race is on among man and animals, birds and insects, to see who will get theirs first. Blackberries are the largest and most recognizable of the wild fruits. They are easy pickings from thickets along quiet roadsides, from shrubs in sunny meadows, growing across mountain faces and paralleling seashores from Texas to British Columbia...

A Cape Girardeau man is receiving statewide recognition because of his inspirational battle with an incurable disease. Jim Trickey is the 2005 recipient of the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Personal Achievement Award for Missouri. The 41-year-old was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, in 2002. The disorder causes muscles to weaken, and eventually leads to paralysis...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Woodrow Wilson Evens, 88, of Durand, Mich., died Saturday, June 25, 2005, at Durand Convalescent Center. He was born Feb. 17, 1917, in Copemish, Mich., son of William Robert Mott and Emma Johnson Evens. He and Emma Cowgur were married Feb. 14, 1975, in Sikeston, Mo. She died June 11, 2000...

Robert "Bob" Price, 76, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, June 28, 2005, at Barnes West County Hospital in St. Louis. McCombs Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau is in charge of arrangements.

Vernon E. Mouser, 78, of Jackson passed away Tuesday, June 28, 2005, at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. He was born Nov. 2, 1926, in Millersville, son of Willie D. and Reda Runnels Mouser. He and Vernalee Klaus were married Dec. 21, 1946, at Perryville, Mo...

One of the two northbound lanes on South Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau will be closed to traffic temporarily beginning today because of construction of the new Silver Springs Road intersection, the Missouri Department of Transportation said. The lane will be closed through July 15 in the work zone near Interstate 55, MoDOT officials said...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Monday: * At 5:21 p.m., an illegal burn at 27 S. Pind Wood Lane. * At 6:36 p.m., emergency medical service in the 1100 block of Ranney Avenue. * At 6:45 p.m., emergency medical service in the 1100 block of Emily Court...

Cape Girardeau...

Teen's mother distraught as Aruba suspect freed ORANJESTAD, Aruba -- Natalee Holloway's mother said Tuesday she was devastated by the release of an Aruba judicial official in the case of her missing daughter because she was convinced he was hiding information. Aruban police released Paul van der Sloot on Sunday after a judge ruled there was insufficient cause to continue holding him. He was arrested Thursday. Van der Sloot's 17-year-old son, Joran, is one of three young men still in custody...

WASHINGTON -- U.S. astronauts will blast back into space in a matter of weeks, the head of NASA said Tuesday, despite a new, critical report questioning the safety of this exploration. The optimistic assessment from NASA administrator Michael Griffin came after a task force review said Monday that the agency failed to meet key safety recommendations that came about as a result of the Columbia tragedy. ...

WASHINGTON -- The Labor Department is providing more than $28 million to 35 states, the District of Columbia and Guam to help civilian workers affected by a restructuring of military bases. The Pentagon has proposed shutting 33 large bases and scores of smaller ones to save $48 billion over 20 years. An independent commission reviewing the proposal is expected to send a final report to the president and Congress this fall...

RICHARDSON, Texas -- Deloitte Consulting LLC estimates that the horse industry contributes $39 billion to the U.S. economy. That covers everything from the cost of saddles and salt blocks for backyard ponies to the earnings of millionaire jockeys and trainers. When indirect costs are included -- the money spent at grocery stores, car dealers and dry cleaners by people who work in the business -- the economic impact is $102 billion...

Josh Crowell has seen Louden Swain wrestle in the big match a few times. Swain was the central character -- played by Matthew Modine -- in the 1985 film "Vision Quest," a movie that married a high school sport to a piece of music like no other before or since...

The event begins Saturday and ends July 23. PARIS -- Lance Armstrong is ready to make a prediction for the last race of his career. "This year, the Tour will be won in the mountains," he said. Armstrong is aiming for his seventh straight Tour de France crown, and he has scouted all the crucial climbs that await in the grueling, three-week trek...

Our family had St. Louis Cardinals baseball tickets last weekend, and the temperature was stifling hot. We sat there feeling like we were baking in the hot summer sun and yet having a great time in spite of blistering temperatures. Being packed in Busch Stadium at times I felt like we were cooking in a bowl. I decided I would share a few cool summer salad recipes with you. I hope it adds a cool flair to your family menu as you enjoy these main dish salads...

The Jackson American Legion junior team swept two games from Dunklin County and allowed a total of four hits on the night. Austin Neal pitched a one-hitter and struck out 11 in seven innings to lead Jackson in a 4-0 victory in the opener. Matt Lang had a double to lead a balanced attack...

Man is it dry! How dry is it? It's as dry as......! You fill in the blank. All I know is that most gardeners are spending a lot of time at the end of a garden hose. So that probably tells you how dry it is...