Stories from Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Thanks. We can't say it enough. No amount of words can express our gratitude over the efforts of countless friends and co-workers who have come to our aid since late last month when Joni was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Our lives changed suddenly only days before the end of the year. My wife's stomach swelled up. She looked pregnant...

A congressional proposal to help small businesses band together to buy insurance would take pressure off taxpayer-supported health-care programs, U.S. Sen Jim Talent said Monday. In a news conference at the JCS Tel-Link offices in Cape Girardeau, Talent promoted his bill to create association health plans. Of the 44 million Americans without health insurance, Talent said, approximately 60 percent own or work for a small business...

HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- Even in this industrial north St. Louis County town, the Ford Motor Co. plant is known simply as "Hazelwood." Hazelwood's identity has been intertwined with the factory since it opened in 1948, said resident Ken McGhee, who owns a funeral home across from the plant...

The U.S. Supreme court denied a petition to appeal the case of Mark A. Gill, who was sentenced to be executed for the 2002 murder of a Cape Girardeau County man. The court's decision to deny Gill's petition was reached Monday, according to Missouri Attorney General spokesman Scott Holste...

A 21-year-old man was sentenced to serve seven years in prison for several crimes, including the robbery of a Jackson church. Jeffrey M. Bridgeman, of Jackson, received the sentence Monday when he pleaded guilty before Circuit Judge Benjamin Lewis to two counts of burglary, and one count each of stealing, forgery and resisting arrest. ...

ST. LOUIS -- At least the St. Louis Blues have somebody's number. Curtis Sanford stopped 34 shots for his third shutout of the season and Mike Sillinger scored for the fifth straight game, helping the Blues end a nine-game losing streak with a 4-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Monday night...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- After 14 coal mining deaths in three weeks, West Virginia lawmakers passed a bill Monday that would require mines to use electronic devices to track trapped miners and stockpile oxygen to keep them alive until help arrives. The W. Va. Senate and House both acted at the urging of Gov. Joe Manchin, who pressed lawmakers to pass the legislation by the end of the day...

MOSCOW -- Russia's main intelligence agency on Monday accused four British diplomats of spying -- using electronic equipment hidden inside a fake rock in a park -- as well as funneling funds to non-governmental organizations. The announcement came a day after state television channel Rossiya broadcast footage purportedly showing four British Embassy staff using electronic equipment concealed in the rock in Moscow to receive intelligence from Russian agents...

Jackson band members to perform at all-state; HONORS LISTS; Eftink named to Ole Miss chancellor's list; Local students named to dean's list at UMR

To the editor: A simmering issue that is beginning to boil over involves the Rev. Fred Phelps' Westboro Baptist Church protests at fallen veterans funerals. Our well-intended Illinois neighbors have seen their elected officials propose laws preventing these protests, as have other states...

WASHINGTON -- Lawyers for a former top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney on Monday made their first request to use classified evidence at his trial, launching a highly secretive court process that could bog down the case. In the filings made under seal in federal court, attorneys for I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby put the judge and prosecutors on notice that they want a jury to hear evidence the government now says is classified...

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Saint Liam, the Breeders' Cup Classic champion, won the Eclipse Award as thoroughbred racing's Horse of the Year on Monday night. Trained by Richard Dutrow Jr., Saint Liam won four of six races in 2005 -- all Grade 1 stakes. He defeated Flower Alley by one length in the BC Classic at Belmont Park in October before retiring with earnings of $4,456,995 for owners William and Suzanne Warren...

DALLAS -- There were only two sheets of ice for hockey in the Dallas area when the NHL first came to town nearly 13 years ago. Few people knew anything about the game. The Dallas Stars changed all that with a winning team and a Stanley Cup title. The city now has 25 rinks...

MADRY, Mo. -- Farmers and property owners in rural Barry County who say burglaries and cattle rustling are on the rise plan to set up a protection association aimed both at deterring thieves and warding off a modern legal peril: liability if they hurt a criminal...

MINNEAPOLIS -- Watching Fred Hoiberg practice, one would never know just how close he came to dying. The swishes come in bunches and the sweat pours down his face after yet another round of sprints. All in a day's work for someone who wants to become the first man to play in the NBA with a pacemaker...

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Dick Jauron will get a second chance to prove himself as a head coach after being hired by the Buffalo Bills on Monday. Jauron's hiring was announced by Bills owner Ralph Wilson and general manager Marv Levy at a news conference...

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- The attorney general's office says a Ste. Genevieve police officer who shot and killed a mentally ill man in November will not be prosecuted. Dennis P. Heberlie III, 47, was killed Nov. 3 at the mobile home near Ste. Genevieve where he lived with his mother...

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- Sprint Nextel Corp. announced Monday that five people have been named to the board of directors that will govern the soon-to-be independent local telephone business. The company, based in Reston, Va., with operational headquarters in Overland Park, expects to spin off local service in the second quarter of 2006. ...

While the Internet continues to grow as the medium of choice for millions of users, the dangers that lie in the dark corners of the World Wide Web are also expanding. For all the good that is derived from online access to the world, there are good reasons to be concerned about the exposure of young Internet users...

Galvin Lloyd Dillingham, 84, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Jan. 22, 2006, at his home. He was born April 14, 1921, at Neelys Landing, son of William Sherman and Floyd Abernathy Dillingham. He and Jewel Clifton were married July 20, 1940, in Cape Girardeau. She died April 27, 2002...

Patsy Ann Pyeatte, 77, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Jan. 22, 2006, at Chateau Girardeau Health Center, following an extended illness. She was born Oct. 12, 1928, in Gentry, Ark., daughter of Winfred O. and Grace Shepherd Walker. She and Jacob "Pete" Pyeatte were married in 1995 in Wisconsin...

Hulda Leona Moore, 90, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Jan. 22, 2006, at the Lutheran Home. She was born Jan. 16, 1916, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Albert and Laura Lueders Maevers. She and Leonard F. Moore were married Nov. 4, 1939, in Cape Girardeau...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Waldemar C. "Wally" Spomer, 86, of Cairo passed away Sunday, Jan. 22, 2006. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Barkett Funeral Home. The service is scheduled at 10 a.m. Friday at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Cairo. Wally is survived by his wife of 63 years, retired Circuit and Appellate Court Judge Dorothy Wilbourn Spomer; son, Appellate Judge Stephen (Debra) Spomer of Cairo, son, retired U.S. ...

Street maintenance; Health care is essential; Musical memories; Still charging; Government control; Price of farmland; Striving for the best; Become a farmer; Farm wife's response; Trains are good; No answer; We need the trains; We need farmers; Beautiful steeple; Funny cartoon

To the editor: The week of Jan. 22-28 has been declared School Board Recognition Week by the Missouri School Boards Association. It is a time for students, parents, school faculty, staff and community members to honor these unpaid volunteers who serve public education on behalf of our community...

To the editor: As president of the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents, I would like to express my appreciation to Gov. Matt Blunt for his support of an increase in higher-education funding. In his recommendations to the state legislature, Governor Blunt is requesting a $17.1 million increase in funding, which equates to approximately $850,000 for Southeast. ...

Basketball; Colleges; Olympics

With no more unbeaten teams left, Connecticut took over the No. 1 spot in The Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN college basketball polls Monday. Two days after Duke, Florida and Pittsburgh lost, the Huskies (16-1) moved from No. 3 to the top of the AP rankings for the sixth time in school history and the first since a one-week run in December 2004. The Blue Devils, Gators and Panthers were the last three undefeated Division I teams...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Mildred J. "Millie" Pannier, 83, of Perryville died Sunday, Jan. 22, 2006, at her home. She was born Jan. 3, 1923, at Malden, Mo., daughter of Leo J. and Bertha M. Pitts Moonier. She and Vincent Edgar "Vince" Pannier were married Aug. 24, 1944. He died Nov. 16, 1985...

25 years ago: Jan. 24, 1981 The 12 months just ended were the busiest ever for the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri, with nearly 5,000 animals brought to the Route W shelter; that represents almost a 60 percent increase over 1979. There has been an increasing swarm of workers at West Park Mall this week following issuance by the city of building permits for 11 more firms starting to set up shop there; this brings to 30 the number of businesses that have taken out building permits and have started construction at leased locations in the mall interior space sandwiched between the two big anchor stores, Famous-Barr Co. ...

Witvoet; Glaus; Selzer; Lemonds; Vandeven

New state laws for obtaining or renewing a driver's license have been confusing for some residents. They haven't been easy for license bureaus to follow either. Several women have found that license bureaus won't accept name changes unless they have a court order as proof. Even state and federal identification, such as Social Security cards, old driver's licenses and voter registration cards haven't been sufficient...

Martin Luther King III is coming to Southeast Missouri State University's Show Me Center for a speaking engagement today, just one week after the federal holiday honoring his father. 2005 was a difficult year for the King family: Coretta Scott King had a debilitating stroke that prevented her from making public appearances, family in-fighting over the future of the King Center for Nonviolent Change in Atlanta divided the King siblings, and a new biography of the slain leader has chipped away at King's sanctified image.. ...

Saturday the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri will take a cue from other organizations' fund-raising activities when it hosts its first ever Trivia Night. The event, a trivia competition between teams of eight, will take place at 7 p.m. at the Cape Senior Center, 921 N. Clark Ave...

"Oyez, oyez, oyez!" That's how Cape Girardeau's town crier Darryl Morgan called Monday's city council meeting to order. Dressed in tights and a tricorn hat, Morgan unfurled a scroll to announce the Feb. 3 re-enactment of the platting of Cape Girardeau which occurred 200 years ago on that day...

A Scott City woman who admitted to stealing more than $1,500 from her employer was sentenced to five years of supervised release for the crime. While Melissa James, 32, admitted to writing out three checks worth $1,583.43 to herself without permission from her employer, prosecutors argue that she was also responsible for a total of $47,806.08 in forged checks...

Consent Ordinances New Ordinances (First Reading) Appointments Other...

CLAYTON, Mo. -- A former stockbroker admitted Monday that he stole more than $69,000 from a client -- the victim's entire life savings. Charles Clark, 47, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty to 20 counts of felony theft, according to STLtoday.com, the Web site for the St. ...

By Debra Mitchell-Braxton The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast was established 20 years ago to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The breakfast celebration began with 25 attendees and has grown significantly over the 20 years. In January 2005, the confirmed reservations for the event were 1,172...

NEW YORK -- A federal judge ruled Monday that the Defense Department must release the identities of hundreds of Guantanamo Bay detainees to The Associated Press. U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff told the government to provide the information in the form of unredacted copies of transcripts and documents related to 558 military hearings in which detainees were permitted to challenge their incarcerations...

Cape Girardeau...

Cape Girardeau...

How long does it take you to solve a Rubik's Cube? Though you probably haven't touched the multicolored puzzle since grade school, Rubik's Cube enthusiasts are helping the obsession-encouraging plastic contraption make a global comeback. Still can't remember? It's a three-dimensional fetish object with rotating tiles that can be scrambled into 43 quintillion combinations...

FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- Not everyone can say he's built a plane. And very few people could say they flew the plane they built before they were even able to get a driver's license. For Fort Scott's Levi Self, now at the ripe age of 16, all these things are true...

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- President Bush pushed back Monday at critics of his once-secret domestic spying effort, saying it should be termed a "terrorist surveillance program" and contending it has the backing of legal experts, key lawmakers and the Supreme Court...

WORCESTER, Mass. -- Joseph Druce saw himself as the man who had to put a stop to pedophilia in the Catholic church. Imprisoned alongside the child-molesting priest John Geoghan, the inmate twice confronted the clergyman about his crimes and listened as Geoghan arrogantly brushed off criticism...

Demonstrators mark Roe v. Wade anniversary; Officer convicted in Iraqi general's death apologizes

WASHINGTON -- One of medicine's greatest triumphs is hitting a snag: Up to 1 million people born with once-lethal heart defects now have grown up, a pioneering generation largely unaware that heart repairs can wear out as they approach middle age. Few even get cardiac checkups, apparently believing they were cured as children -- although a surgical repair isn't a cure. Worse, few cardiologists outside of children's hospitals have any idea how to care for these special hearts...

VIENNA, Austria -- Iran upped the ante Monday in its nuclear standoff, warning that it will immediately begin developing a full-scale uranium enrichment program if it is referred to the U.N. Security Council. The message, delivered by Ali Asghar Soltaniyeh, Iran's senior envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, reflected Tehran's defiance in the face of growing international pressure over its nuclear program. ...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Gunmen wearing uniforms of a Shiite-led security force swept into a Sunni Arab neighborhood in central Baghdad before dawn Monday, killing three men and speeding away with more than 20 others, police and witnesses said. Meanwhile, the U.S. ...

LOS ANGELES -- Wilt Chamberlain's record 100-point game seemed unreachable from the time he accomplished the feat nearly 44 years ago. Perhaps it's not. Maybe Kobe Bryant can do it. "I guess it's possible. I don't know, bro'. It's unthinkable," the Los Angeles Lakers' star said...

The Notre Dame girls basketball team continued its march back to the .500 mark by rallying past visiting Doniphan 57-53 Monday night. Notre Dame outscored Doniphan 25-15 in the fourth quarter as the Bulldogs improved to 8-9. Kristain Burger led the Bulldogs with 21 points, while Meridith Medlin added 17...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A group of House Democrats on Monday urged state budget writers to refuse to make a $90 million Medicaid payment to the federal government, but Republican Gov. Matt Blunt's administration said doing so could jeopardize prescription drug coverage for seniors...

SEATTLE -- The contrasts between the Steelers and the Seahawks make this a fascinating Super Bowl matchup. Add a few subplots, and Pittsburgh vs. Seattle could be one of the best ever. When you think Super Bowl, it's hard not to think of the old Steeler dynasties of Terry Bradshaw, Lynn Swann, and Mean Joe Greene. ...

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Martina Hingis' comeback has gone so smoothly that she's in the Australian Open quarterfinals following three-year layoff. Back on the tour for just three weeks, the three-time Australian Open champion advanced Monday with a 6-1, 7-6 (8) victory over Samantha Stosur and will face second-seeded Kim Clijsters...

Southeast Missouri State women's basketball player Lachelle Lyles has been a major part of the Redhawks' season-high four-game winning streak. On Monday, the Ohio Valley Conference recognized Lyles for her recent strong play off the bench by naming her the league's newcomer of the week...

WASHINGTON -- Millions of BlackBerry users can now turn their attention back to a Richmond, Va., federal court where the fate of the popular wireless e-mail device may be decided. After the Supreme Court chose on Monday not to intervene in the case, the resolution of the long-running battle over patents for the handheld device is up to U.S. District Judge James R. Spencer...

SEATTLE -- Few teams rampage through their schedule the way the Seahawks did this season, only to be confronted by so many doubters during the playoffs. With the way Seattle manhandled the Carolina Panthers in the NFC championship game, the critics should realize one thing: Mike Holmgren's team is for real...

If the season ended today, Southeast Missouri State's men would not qualify for the Ohio Valley Conference tournament. For the Redhawks, their postseason hopes will rest on how well they can take advantage of a favorable home schedule the rest of the way...

WASHINGTON -- In possibly her last day on the bench, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor broke a 4-4 tie Monday as she had so many times before -- and left a host of thorny issues for her successor. Justices are about halfway through a historic term, with a new chief justice and the delayed retirement of its first woman member. The Senate could vote on replacing O'Connor with Samuel Alito as early as this week...

WASHINGTON -- Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito heads into the first vote of his high court candidacy with victory assured today in a Senate committee, but Democratic opponents are still working to dampen his support in the full Senate. The GOP-controlled Judiciary Committee is expected to advance the nomination of Alito -- President Bush's pick to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor -- on the strength of its 10 Republican senators. There are eight Democrats on the panel...

Cape Girardeau, Bollinger and Scott counties all showed improvements in the 2005 Kids Count report analyzing children's health and well-being in all 114 counties in the state and the city of St. Louis. But some Bootheel counties continue to rank near the bottom in the health and welfare of their children. New Madrid, Pemiscot and Dunklin counties rank only ahead of the city of St. Louis, which annually is at the bottom of the rankings...

WASHINGTON -- Federal health advisers voted Monday to recommend over-the-counter sales of a weight-loss pill now sold only with a prescription. GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare still needs final Food and Drug Administration approval before it can sell a nonprescription version of orlistat, a diet pill already marketed in prescription form as Xenical. The FDA approved the prescription version of the fat-blocking pill made by Roche in 1999...

Growing up in the country, you'd think I'd enjoy listening to songs with titles like "My Woman Left Me So I'm Drinkin' a Fifth of Whiskey" or "I Go Huntin' to Forget About My Woman," and you certainly can't forget the award-winning classic "My Woman Morphed into a Deer So I Shot Her."...

In recent years, the four-wheeler has received a less-than-desirable reputation as a reckless, life-endangering machine. In fact, some may go so far as to say anyone who has such a dangerous hobby is just asking for trouble. But DeAnn Lorberg believes racing four-wheelers may be what's keeping her 18-year-old son, Tyler, from getting into trouble. "While friends are out partying, he's either cleaning his four-wheeler or practicing for his next race," she said. "There are a lot of things out there far worse than racing."...