Stories from Wednesday, January 25, 2006

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- An investigation into $1,000 missing from the Chaffee city court's office was canceled when the funds were located. On Nov. 4, a man was arrested in Chaffee on a Cape Girardeau warrant and posted a $1,000 cash bond to be released, according to Chaffee police chief Jeff Womack...

The struggle over seating a grand jury to investigate money missing from the Mississippi County Jail now includes a judge accused of being too cozy with potential suspects and a prosecutor allegedly unwilling to back up words with actions. In a letter to the Sikeston Standard Democrat newspaper, Judge David Dolan on Tuesday announced he would not decide whether to call a grand jury. Instead, he will leave it up to a special judge...

Editor's note: This is the first in a weekly series of columns by TJ Greaney. A native of St. Louis and graduate of Wesleyan University in Connecticut, he covers city government for the Southeast Missourian...

The terms for nine Cape Girardeau County offices will expire at the end of this year. Elections will take place in November for presiding commissioner, county clerk, recorder of deeds, collector of revenue, auditor, prosecuting attorney, circuit court clerk and two associate judges...

BENTON, Mo. -- Scott County commissioners are continuing a review of budget priorities in preparation for Thursday, when they'll vote on the 2006 financial plan. For the most part, commissioners say the budget has few significant differences from last year's, but there are some new priorities...

Cincinnati Reds broadcaster Steve Stewart credits two people in Cape Girardeau with helping his career back in the early 1990s. One was Robert Floyd, who worked with Stewart at KFVS. The other was a complete stranger, who told Stewart one night in a diner to quit living in the past...

PITTSBURGH -- Penguins star and owner Mario Lemieux, one of hockey's greatest players, retired Tuesday for the second time. Lemieux, a Hall of Famer who won Stanley Cups and scoring titles and then battled through cancer and heart problems in a comeback, announced his decision at a news conference...

ST. LOUIS -- The last of Jim Haslett's six seasons as New Orleans Saints coach was a disaster built upon the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina. Away from that turmoil and the 3-13 record it produced, he'll try to rebuild his career as the St. Louis Rams' defensive coordinator...

By Jeff Harris In recent months, Missouri House Democrats have been discussing our comprehensive Moving Missouri Forward legislative vision with the people of this state. It is a fresh set of ideas that grows jobs, keeps Missourians secure and promotes responsible government...

NEW YORK -- Two small, long-struggling television networks -- UPN and The WB -- will shut down this fall and programming from both will be used to launch a new network aimed mainly at young and minority viewers. The new network will be called The CW -- "C" for CBS Corp. and "W" for Warner Bros. -- each of which will own half of the new entity and contribute programs, assets and executives to the venture...

CLEVELAND -- The Ron Artest trade to Sacramento is off -- for now. The Pacers had reportedly agreed to ship the volatile forward to the Sacramento Kings for Peja Stojakovic, but Indiana coach Rick Carlisle and CEO Donnie Walsh said Tuesday night that no deal was imminent...

WASHINGTON -- A string of pilot errors caused the deadly crash of a commuter airliner in northeast Missouri, and the crew's non-stop joking and expletive-laden banter in the cockpit didn't help, federal investigators said Tuesday. The two-man crew and 11 of 13 passengers aboard Corporate Airlines Flight 5966 were killed in the Oct. 19, 2004, accident -- the deadliest civilian air crash in the nation that year...

Vote advances Alito nomination to full Senate WASHINGTON -- The Judiciary Committee favorably recommended Samuel Alito's Supreme Court nomination to the full Senate on a party-line vote Tuesday, moving the conservative jurist one step closer to joining the high court. ...

Check carefully; No negotiating; Train a comin'; Empty trains; Christian tolerance; Comparing beliefs; Dangerous ground

WASHINGTON -- Stretched by frequent troop rotations to Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army has become a "thin green line" that could snap unless relief comes soon, according to a study for the Pentagon. Andrew Krepinevich, a retired Army officer who wrote the report under a Pentagon contract, concluded that the Army cannot sustain the pace of troop deployments to Iraq long enough to break the back of the insurgency. ...

To the editor: Regarding the Rev. Tom Kiefer's comment that divorce in Catholicism can be confusing ("Evolution of divorce, the local view"), absolute divorce of parties in a Christian marriage is impossible. The church has always held that a "ratified and consummated" marriage between two baptized individuals is indissoluble by any human power or cause, save for death...

To the editor: I would like to share the most wonderful weekend I just had. I was blessed to be able to hear Ravi Zacharias in three services at La Croix United Methodist Church. I wish everyone could have heard the message that our wonderful God had given him to say to all of us. When anyone left those services, I think it would have been impossible not to believe...

To the editor: In response to William Twain's letter: The president can order the monitoring of any phone call as well as the use of video surveillance on anybody for any reason for 72 hours. After 72 hours, he needs a warrant signed by a federal judge. Therefore, what he did was illegal...

Last week, the Jackson Board of Aldermen decided comments for the city's public hearings no longer will be accepted in the form of e-mail. Comments either must be delivered in person or by letter. The city has only received one e-mail comment in its history but passed the ordinance clarifying its policy on public comments because of the supposed difficulty of verifying the authenticity of e-mail...

The three newest members of Notre Dame Regional High School's Hall of Fame each have a state championship on his athletic resume. Bruce Robert, a 1983 graduate, joined 1985 graduate Scott Siebert and 1988 graduate Paul Lynch as this year's Hall inductees. They were recognized Saturday during the Notre Dame Shootout girls basketball event...

To the editor: In response to the story "Recalling Ristine: Wayne Cryts recounts his stand against government in new book": I thought Matt Sanders' article was well-written, and we want to thank him for covering the story. With this being the 25th anniversary of this historic event, we felt like it was time to share the events as it happened behind the scenes. Again, thank you very much for your time and your effort...

Delta High School principal Nate Crowden will take over as superintendent of the small, rural school district starting July 1. Crowden, 48, has worked in the Delta School District for the past 13 years. He's been the high school principal for the past decade...

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 Floy Abernathy Dillingham. He and Jewell Earlene Clifton were married July 20, 1940, in Cape Girardeau. She died April 27, 2002...

GRAND TOWER, Ill. -- Myra L. Davis, 90, of Grand Tower, formerly of Anna, Ill., died Sunday, Jan. 22, 2006, in Union County Hospital in Anna. She was born Feb. 5, 1915, in Union County, daughter of Willis and Bertha King Wilson. She and Henry N. Davis were married June 18, 1932, in Wolf Lake, Ill. He died June 12, 1971...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Emma L. Wirth, 89, of Perryville died Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2006, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Oct. 17, 1916, in Bollinger County, Mo., daughter of George and Clara Bangert Deimund. She first married Henry Loberg in August 1943. She later married Walter Roth, who died in 1976. She then married Sherman Wirth May 29, 1987, who died Aug. 19, 1990...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Ruth A. Hornberger, 81, of Cairo died Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2006, at her home. She was born Feb. 18, 1924, in Emporia, Kan., daughter of Bertie and Bessie Austin Getz. She married William G. Hornberger, who preceded her in death in 1998. Hornberger was an accountant more than 40 years. She was a member of St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Altar Guild and Daughters of Isabella...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Brenda C. Freeland, 52, of Chaffee died Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2006, at her home. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Chaffee is in charge of arrangements.

ZALMA, Mo. -- Norma Louise Killian, 69, of Zalma died Thursday, Jan. 19, 2006, at Forest Park Select Specialty Hospital in St. Louis. She was born July 22, 1936, at Randles, daughter of Edward and Jessie Myers Killian. Survivors include two sons, Max Benfield of Zalma, Mike Benfield of Clifton, Ill.; a daughter, Charlotte Koenig of Marble Hill, Mo.; a brother, Max Killian of Pearland, Texas; two sisters, Myra LaliMundier and Orangie Janusauskas of Kankakee, Ill., 20 grandchildren; and 37 great-grandchildren.. ...

Kenny Foor, 56, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Jan. 21, 2006, at John Cochran VA Medical Center in St. Louis. He was born Jan. 31, 1949, son of Robert Henry and Betty Rose Bailey Foor. He and Nancy Ward were married Nov. 1, 1975, in Aledo, Ill. Foor had been a mechanic and a musician...

Southern Illinois University administrators are weighing a Justice Department proposal that would head off the government's threatened lawsuit over three allegedly discriminatory graduate fellowships, the university system's general counsel said Tuesday...

Florida man gets prison for load of marijuana A truck driver convicted of carrying $2.3 million worth of marijuana in his semi-trailer was sentenced to 80 months in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey handed down the sentence Tuesday to Jose A. ...

DEXTER, Mo. -- Pauline Dowdy, 92, died Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2006, at Missouri Southern Healthcare in Dexter. She was born Dec. 20, 1913, near Dexter, daughter of Bertis Monroe and Mabel Jennings Lawrence. She and Danzil Dowdy were married May 9, 1933, at Bloomfield, Mo. He died April 13, 1982...

Colleges; Olympics

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Walter Dunn, 85, of Advance, died Sunday, Jan. 22, 2006, at his home. He was born June 21, 1920, in Newbern, Tenn., son of Franklin and Maggie Rittenberry Dunn. He and Macie Andrews were married Nov. 9, 1940, in Caruthersville, Mo., and she died Nov. 23, 2005...

Arnsberg 4-H; American Legion Auxiliary; Kage FCE; Fruitland 4-H; Xi Nu Phi; Alpha Mu Master

25 years ago: Jan. 25, 1981 Festival services of celebration are held by the congregation of Trinity Lutheran Church at its temporary worship facilities in Trinity Lutheran School, 55 N. Pacific St.; the services mark the release of 52 American hostages in Iran...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- When he died last year, Chaffee High School graduate Garth Briggs left $1.6 million in his estate to the local school foundation -- the largest single donation in the foundation's seven-year existence. "We are thrilled," said Jean Whitaker, president of the Chaffee Public School Foundation. "It is a dream come true."...

Supporters of Gregory Sparkman invoked the Biblical trials of Job to describe his predicament as he awaits sentencing for federal arson and mail fraud charges. During a rally near the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau, friends and family described Sparkman as a warm-hearted, friendly man devoted to his family, community and church...

Not long ago the Hungarian government banned the sale of paprika marketed by three local companies because it was found to have been adulterated with a South American strain of the spice that might prove dangerous. Subsequently, seven senior members of the three companies were indicted...

I do not watch football, and I certainly do not understand the rules of the game. But this morning our son was talking about who will be playing in the Super Bowl and what players could lead their team to victory. I, on the other hand, know the boys will watch the game, and we will probably have a house full of guests, so I immediately started thinking about the menu for the Super Bowl game. What do you serve your family or guests during the big game?...

Cape Girardeau...

Cape Girardeau...

Attackers rob Italian oil offices in Nigeria; 9 dead LAGOS, Nigeria -- Officials of the Italian oil company Eni SpA said an armed assault on its offices left nine people dead Tuesday in Nigeria's petroleum-rich south, where four foreign oil workers also are being held hostage. ...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Chiefs and the Royals on Tuesday signed agreements that would keep them at their Kansas City stadiums through 2031. The new stadium leases, replacing ones that would have expired in 2015, are contingent on Jackson County voters approving a pair of tax issues that would help pay for millions of dollars in renovations to Arrowhead and Kauffman stadiums, which are owned by the Jackson County Sports Complex Authority and leased to the Chiefs and Royals, respectively...

LONDON -- The 2007 Tour de France will start in London. Mayor Ken Livingstone said Tuesday that Tour organizers had accepted a $2.68 million bid from the British capital to host the start of cycling's showcase race. The event will kick off with an opening ceremony on July 6, 2007, followed by the prologue the next day. The first official stage will take place in London on July 8 before the riders are transported to France...

The Cape Girardeau area will see its first Talbots women's store when a new strip mall completes construction later this year. Park West Centre, 201 S. Mount Auburn Road, is a 18,000-square-foot, $1.2 million construction project headed by the Mid-America Hotels Corp...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Several Democratic and Republican lawmakers on Tuesday outlined legislation intended to prevent unwanted pregnancies by encouraging greater access to emergency contraceptives and family planning services. The proposals would require pharmacies to issue emergency birth control prescriptions such as Plan B, known as the "morning after pill."...

Central boys basketball coach Derek McCord expected a roller-coaster ride this season from a team relying on juniors and sophomores. The Tigers took a wild ride on Tuesday night, but the finish couldn't have been better. Central rallied from eight points down in the closing minutes of regulation and went on to post an 85-79 overtime victory at home against Doniphan, which lost for only the second time this season...

The Central boys swimming team finished first in all but two of the 12 events in a dual meet Tuesday at the Central Municipal Pool en route to a 116-69 win over visiting Notre Dame. Central (4-4) won all three relays, but Notre Dame's second-place 200-yard medley relay team of Jordan Voss, Jameson Kuper, Edward Doyle and Adam Reinagel provided some excitement for the Bulldogs by qualifying for the state meet with a time of 1 minute, 48.76 seconds...

After a tournament full of upsets last year, the top seeds will try to make their way to the championship this time around at the Mississippi Valley Conference Tournament, which begins Monday at Chaffee. For the second straight season, Meadow Heights will have the top seed in the seven-team tournament, while Saxony Lutheran will have the second seed...

DEXTER, Mo. -- After Dexter upset Jackson 55-44 on Monday night, Bearcats senior Natalie Hayes and her teammates had a phone call to make. "We called Rachel Blunt from last year, and we yelled in her voice mail, saying 'We beat Jackson finally' for her," Hayes said, referring to the Southeast Missouri State basketball player who left as Dexter's all-time leading scorer...

Roughly halfway though the Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball season, three teams appear to have separated themselves -- at least a bit -- from the pack. Defending OVC regular-season champion Tennessee Tech leads the way at 9-2, but preseason favorite Murray State and Samford are both on the Eagles' heels at 8-2...

Last week, in its first game without injured guards Drue McNeely and Jake Leet, the Jackson boys basketball team had trouble getting into its offense in a 62-52 loss at SEMO Conference opponent Poplar Bluff. Both players were out once again at home on Tuesday against SEMO Conference foe Sikeston -- McNeely, a senior, will likely miss the rest of the year due to a knee injury -- and through the first half, Jackson's offense again looked anemic...

MELBOURNE, Australia -- It has become an all-too-familiar feeling for Lindsay Davenport. The top-seeded Davenport extended her Grand Slam title drought to six years with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 Australian Open quarterfinal loss to Justine Henin-Hardenne on Tuesday...

SAN FRANCISCO -- International Business Machines Corp. was sued in federal court Tuesday for allegedly not paying overtime to tens of thousands of rank-and-file employees. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court on behalf of three current and former workers, and seeks class-action status to represent computer installers and maintenance workers for IBM throughout the United States...

When Martin Luther King III strode to the podium at the Show Me Center Tuesday night he left his script behind. He warned the audience he was about to give a speech the likes of which they might not be used to. "The only risk in not using a written text is that I come from a family of Baptist ministers," said King. "So I'm going to preach to you here a little bit, and I'm going to try to get us out of here by midnight."...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Mayor Paul Farris ordered police to use metal detectors to screen residents attending Tuesday's City Council meeting, angering council members who refused to submit to the searches. Five uniformed, armed police officers required anyone entering city hall to empty their pockets, submit to screening and remain inside the council chambers...

Returning from their winter break, members of the U.S. House of Representatives have a chance to reconsider a budget bill that will have tremendous consequences for low-income families in Missouri. Little-known provisions of the 774-page bill -- which representatives had only hours to review before they voted on it in December -- could cause hundreds of thousands of low-income working families struggling to stay financially independent to lose their child-care assistance...