Stories from January 2006

All right, I'll admit it. I didn't give the Notre Dame boys basketball team much of a chance at the title entering the 61st annual Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament. But I was not alone. The Bulldogs were seeded just fifth, which is not generally conducive to winning it all. Nobody around the area seemed to be talking much about Notre Dame being a prime contender...

PATCHOGUE, N.Y. -- A 37-year-old man was charged with child endangerment after one of two toddlers he was baby-sitting was found drunk, authorities said. Suffolk County sheriff's deputies investigating a family court case peered through the window of a Patchogue home Tuesday and saw Juan Reyes passed out with the children wandering around the house...

NEW ORLEANS -- In the first hours of every New Year, the nation's seafaring officers take up an endearing naval tradition: writing wordplay, doggerel and poetry in their log entries. Each new year, officers get down to business and try to find ways to pull a ship's location, ammunition, engine status and speed into a poem that flows with rhyme and wit...

PALU, Indonesia -- Suspected Islamic militants set off a powerful bomb packed with nails Saturday at a busy market frequented by Christians, killing eight people and wounding 45 as they bought pork for New Year's Eve celebrations. The blast occurred in Palu on Sulawesi Island, which has been plagued in recent years by religious violence and terrorism by Islamic extremists...

GULFPORT, Miss. -- Puppies are popping up everywhere amid the rubble left by Hurricane Katrina. Animal welfare workers are seeing the tip of what they fear will be a big boom in dog births in parts of Louisiana and Mississippi hammered by the storm...

RICHMOND, Va. -- Ann Meng was at work when she saw a man who made her blood run cold. It was him. The man who had broken into her home and raped her. There was no question in her mind. She called the police and later picked him out of several lineups. Julius Ruffin was convicted of the attack in Norfolk in 1982 and sentenced to five life terms in prison...

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- ABC affiliate KQTV will continue to be available over St. Joseph Cablevision after both sides reached an agreement Friday on a three-year retransmission contract. The agreement, whose details weren't disclosed, averted a blockout of the station on the cable system. The old agreement was set to expire Dec. 31...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- It took five years and a contested decision from the U.S. Supreme Court, but Doug McDaniel finally has his captive audience. "Most people, when you start talking about eminent domain, get glassy-eyed and don't think that it could ever happen to them," he said...

ST. LOUIS -- There was a miracle of sorts on a recent night at the Oak Bend Branch of the St. Louis County Library. Nine children, 10 dogs and two cats were together in a room. There was no shouting or running, little barking or hissing. Just the sound of children reading aloud...

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- During four decades, Glenn Poshard has risen through the ranks at Southern Illinois University -- recipient of three degrees, adjunct professor, vice chancellor and head of the board of trustees. Now the former five-term Democratic congressman and one-time Illinois gubernatorial candidate is taking on the school's biggest role -- and challenges -- as president of the 35,000-student, two-campus university...

IRVING, Texas -- Before kickoff against the St. Louis Rams tonight, the Dallas Cowboys will know whether they are playing for a playoff spot or merely the pride of finishing 10-6 a year after going 6-10. The Cowboys insist they'll give their best effort regardless of what's at stake...

WASHINGTON -- Medicare's prescription drug coverage rolls out Sunday, a benefit being hailed as the most significant advance in the program's 40-year history. Most senior citizens should see their medicine become more affordable because of the new coverage. Still, not everyone will save, and Medicare's 42 million beneficiaries have been patient, if not hesitant, about enrolling in a private plan...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Route C in Cape Girardeau County will be closed on Wednesday while Missouri Department of Transportation crews replace a drainage pipe beneath the roadway. The section between Route 61 and the intersection of Route C and Route CC near Pocahontas will be marked off and closed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, contact MoDOT's Customer Service Center at 1-888-ASK-MODOT...

London subway workers stage New Year's Eve strike; Chinese president vows that country will open up; Five German hostages have been freed in Yemen

Judge grants John Hinckley overnight visits ; Fla. teen leaves Baghdad for home after journey; Tennessee uses shame to stop drunken driving

Improve their health. Become computer literate. Upgrade road quality. Several politicians and one football coach will take a crack at following through with New Year's resolutions. Cape Girardeau County Presiding Commissioner Gerald W. Jones wants to catch up with the 21st century and learn how to use a computer. ...

Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt and leaders in both houses of the state legislature are making heating-bill relief one of their top priorities in the upcoming legislative session. When the session begins Wednesday, legislators will immediately take action on reinstituting the Utilicare Fund -- a fund to help low-income Missouri residents pay for winter heating costs -- through passing a supplemental appropriations bill for $6.1 million...

Cape Girardeau...

Cape Girardeau...

The start of a new year is a time for reflection and a time for making plans. For many of us, New Year's Day is the first day to test all those ambitious resolutions we made. As today's editorial cartoon suggests, resolutions should be realistic -- but not so low as not to be challenging...

Headache, poor sense of well-being, sensitivity to light and sound, diarrhea, loss of appetite, trembling, nausea, fatigue, decreased heart rate and blood pressure, dehydration, lack of concentration, anxiety, difficulty sleeping, weakness. The list of symptoms for a hangover is longer than that for the average cancer...

The lasting image of the 2005 Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament may be of the champion Notre Dame Bulldogs, but eventually the tournament will likely go down as the year of the blowout. A last-second shot by Jackson's Drue McNeely in the championship game --won by Notre Dame, 74-65--put the total of single-digit scoring margins to three for the tournament in 26 games...

With Southeast Missouri State struggling so much in Ohio Valley Conference road games so far, it becomes even more important for the Redhawks to make noise at home. And, considering that Southeast's early-season conference schedule is road-heavy, that places added emphasis on Monday's televised matchup with Eastern Kentucky at the Show Me Center...

If Southeast Missouri State wasn't in such a mediocre position in the Ohio Valley Conference right now, the sole focus against Eastern Kentucky on Monday would likely be on revenge. But coach B.J. Smith believes the struggling Redhawks need to get their own house in order more than they need redemption at this point...

Not mandatory; Starting salary; More jobs; Areas for playing; Location, location; No more crime; Bad conscience; Unfair taxation; Canine assistance

Antoinette C. Cantoni, 67, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Dec. 30, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born on June 12, 1938, in St. Louis, Mo., to Anthony and Carmellia Mercurio Bellistri. Antoinette was married to Philip T. Cantoni on April 15, 1961; he survives. ...

DONGOLA, Ill. -- Lola K. Miller, 88, of Dongola died Saturday, Dec. 31, 2005, at her home. She was born Nov. 8, 1917, at Elco, Ill., daughter of Ernest Paul and Mary A. Guild Mowery. She and Don R. Miller were married March 23, 1940. He died Dec. 9, 1988...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Dallena Ruth, 81, of Jonesboro died Friday, Dec. 20, 2005, at City Care Center in Anna, Ill. Friends may call after 10 a.m. Saturday at Crain Funeral Home in Anna. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home.

Mary Hunt, 103, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Dec. 31, 2005 at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Dec. 12, 1902, in Reynoldsville, Ill., daughter of Amon and Serena Bell Brown Goss. She and Elton Hunt were married April 30, 1929, at Cape Girardeau. He died Feb. 26, 1999...

Eula Louise Jones, 83, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Dec. 30, 2005, at her home. She was born May 24, 1922, at Oak Ridge, daughter of John Pearl and Annie Dora Engelmann Ates. She and Raymond M. Jones Jr. were married Aug. 1, 1942, at Cape Girardeau. He died April 6, 1994...

Lauren McMorries and Shawn Franklin Smee were married June 4, 2005, at Central Baptist Church in Jonesboro, Ark. Jerry Muckensturm performed the ceremony. Pianist was Becky McKee, organist was Ellen Philpot, and soloist was Megan Osborn, all of Jonesboro...

Sara Dawn Atkins and Mark Steven Lueder were married May 14, 2005, at Jackson City Park. The Rev. Douglas McClellan performed the ceremony. Vocalist was Ginny Hahn of Chaffee, Mo. The bride is the daughter of Jack and Bernice Atkins of Chaffee, Mo. The groom is the son of Arthur Lueder Jr. of Cape Girardeau, and the late Marion Lueder...

Ashley Ann Miller and Matthew Theodore Diebold were married Oct. 1, 2005, at Immaculate Conception Church in Jackson. The Rev. J. Friedel performed the ceremony. Pianist was Kendra Anderson of Jackson. The bride is the daughter of Brian and Lisa Burger of Jackson, and the late Douglas Miller of Scott City. The groom is the son of Gary and Diana Diebold of Jackson...

Erica Elizabeth Crane and Kyle Mason Thompson were married June 11, 2005, at St. John's United Church of Christ in St. Charles, Mo. The Rev. Ric Zuch performed the ceremony. Music was provided by pianist Heather Clagett of Indianapolis, Ind.; Elegant Ensembles of St. Louis; and soloist was Sarah Allrich of St. Charles...

Ken Hosea and Elaine Hosea of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Kristen Hosea, to Daniel Deck. He is the son of James and Linda Rapp of Jackson. Hosea is a graduate of Jackson High School and Stage One the Hair School. She is a cosmetologist at Style Stop Lifestyles in Jackson...

Dr. J. Russell and Susie Felker of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Shannon Jane Felker, to Timothy Francis Morgan, both of Wiley Ford, W.Va. He is the son of Stephen and Norma Morgan of Rush, N.Y. Felker received a bachelor of arts degree in theater from Ohio Wesleyan University. She is employed at the YMCA youth center and is a substitute teacher in Maryland. She is pursuing a teaching certificate...

Jerry and Nancy Stone of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Stephanie Anne Stone, to Kent Roger Zimmerman. He is the son of Roger and Joyce Zimmerman of Shiloh, Ill. Stone is a 1986 graduate of Central High School. She received a bachelor's degree in psychology from Southeast Missouri State University in 1991, and a master's degree in counseling from Webster University in 1999. ...

Kevin and Judi Collins of Tallahassee, Fla., formerly of Olive Branch and Tamms, Ill., announce the engagement of their son, Brandon Wade Collins, to Heather Anthony. She is the daughter of Jim and Susie Anthony of Atlanta, Ga. Anthony is a graduate of Florida State University. She is employed by Bureau Veritas, Berryman and Henigar...

Mr. and Mrs. James Sanford of Scott City will celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary Wednesday. Sanford and Laura Humphrey were married Jan. 4, 1936, in Jackson. The couple has a daughter, Betty Rosenquist of Scott City; four grandchildren, Deaonna (Paul) Dale of Salem, Mo., Ed Ressel Jr. of Kelso, Mo., Deborah (Rick) Tittle of Sikeston, Mo., James Ressel of Cape Girardeau; and five great-grandchildren, Ian, Isaac and Eric Dale, Amber and Sean Dannenmueller...

Thurston; Holliman; Wondel; Goin; Ramsey; Johnson; Flessner; Allen; Bryeans; Self; Armes; Baudendistel

25 years ago: Jan. 1, 1981 The petition drive aimed at placing a home-rule charter proposal before Cape Girardeau voters is being termed highly successful by officials of the Chamber of Commerce, which is sponsoring the signature campaign; several thousand signatures have been obtained so far on the charter petitions, far in excess of the number required to place the proposal on the ballot in April...

Multiplier needed WHATEVER THE reason for Notre Dame's success this season in boys basketball, I think it justifies using the multiplier in the MSHSAA classifications. Public schools are at a disadvantage of not being able to have students from outside their geographic boundaries...

High School Miscellaneous n Central tabs new AD: Darrick Smith left his post as athletic director at Central after two years and was replaced by Central assistant principal and former girls basketball coach Mark Ruark. Basketball n State champs: New Salem Baptist Academy of Marble Hill swept the 2004-05 boys and girls Class 1A championships in the Missouri Christian Schools Athletic Association...

2005 was another year of championships and change in Southeast Missouri athletics. The staff at the Southeast Missourian selected the top 10 stories of the year and a handful of other highlights (see Page 4B). The runaway winner was Miles Smith, Southeast Missouri State's sprinter who ran to prominence on the international level:...

WASHINGTON -- Before the next big hurricane's winds howl ashore, Homeland Security officials want an emergency communications network operating, emergency medical facilities treating patients, and teams dispatched to search for victims at the likely ground zero...

At a recent Red Cross event, Saundra Blankenship showed off the pin she'd received for serving as a Red Cross volunteer with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. The small, nondescript pin symbolized more than recognition for this 41-year-old woman who once was diagnosed with cancer and dealt with her brother's drowning...

NEW YORK-- It's certainly not the first time that the West has borrowed Eastern styles, but a number of the fashion and beauty looks that credit the new film "Memoirs of a Geisha" as inspiration are quite literal in their translation. Banana Republic, in conjunction with Sony Pictures, launched a line of kimono-style, sash-tie tops and dresses. ...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Bombings and shootings killed at least 20 people across Iraq on the final day of the year Saturday, while U.S. troops shivered in the cold during a performance by an "American Idol" singer as part of New Year's Eve celebrations. The U.S. military also reported the death of an American soldier from wounds, bringing its death toll in Iraq for 2005 near last year's record level...

SYDNEY, Australia -- A pulsing heart of red lights shone from Sydney's Harbor Bridge early today as tens of thousands watched fireworks ushering in the new year. Revelers around the world began partying, visited places of worship and gathered with family to welcome 2006...

DULUTH, Minn. -- Scott Cameron never imagined his modest memorial to American troops in Iraq would transform a quiet street here into the latest front of the nation's tense debate about the war in Iraq. His sign tallying the war's dead and wounded rests feet from the local Army recruiting office, and Cameron's refusal to take it down despite Army requests has drawn national attention. The fuss is giving the Vietnam veteran a chance to air a view he wishes he'd expressed long ago...

Just like every year, 2005 had its share of riveting, important news stories, events like Hurricane Katrina that hold our attention for days, weeks, months. Then there are those other stories you find yourself drawn to: the ones that might not really matter, but they're just so deliciously weird you can't turn away...

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- A British aid worker and her parents were whisked out of Gaza early Saturday after being released by Palestinian gunmen who abducted them two days earlier. Elsewhere, dozens of armed men demanding jobs briefly seized several government offices in a central Gaza town, underscoring the spiraling chaos that has plagued the coastal strip since Israel's pullout...

WASHINGTON -- A third of people suffering serious depression recover with the first antidepressant they try, and well-educated white women are most likely to benefit, according to initial results of an eagerly awaited study on the controversial drugs...

Over the past several months, thousands of homeowners in Missouri and Illinois got a disturbing letter in the mail. The letter was from Safeco, their insurance provider, and it read: "Thank you for insuring your home with Safeco. We appreciate your business and the trust you place in us. We are writing to inform you that Earthquake Coverage will no longer be available for your home when your policy comes up for renewal."...

Down to the final out and facing one of the best closers in the major leagues, the St. Louis Cardinals' season was all but over. Not so fast. That adversity turned out to be the signature moment in the stellar career of Albert Pujols, the catalyst for the team's second straight 100-victory season. His memorable blast off Brad Lidge shocked into total silence a Houston Astros crowd ready to celebrate, keeping the Cardinals alive in the NL Championship Series at least for one more game...

Cape Girardeau's first train rolled into town in the early morning hours of New Year's Day 125 years ago to much fanfare -- boisterous bands, cheering crowds and a huge celebration. At least that's the way Louis Houck, the man who had the railroad built, told the story for years...

HE SAID: As I approach 30, I think more about big-picture issues. Smaller moments take on bigger meaning. I wonder if I say certain things or act certain ways because it's imbedded in my psychology since I was a child. Why do I believe in God? Why am I always trying to please people?...

Bill Eddleman hopes to catch a glimpse of a bird that has mystified researchers for nearly 60 years. The Southeast Missouri State University biology professor will spend the remainder of his Christmas break searching for the ivory-billed woodpecker in southeast Arkansas...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Some legislators denounced waste, fraud and abuse last year as they repealed a Medicaid health-care program for the working disabled. Now it appears lawmakers are poised to re-enact a trimmed-down version of that program in 2006 -- an acknowledgment, essentially, that last year's cuts went too far...

Many consumers will remember 2005 as the year of the $3 gallon of gas. But on the business scene, home prices also skyrocketed, the airlines faltered and problems facing the auto industry steadily worsened. There was also new bankruptcy laws, the surprisingly resilient economy and scores of troubled companies defaulting on their pension promises. And while the stock market indexes barely budged, there was a scurry of business activity from January to December in the greater Cape Girardeau area...

Forcing reporters to reveal confidential sources in court would be more difficult under proposals that will be considered by the Missouri Legislature. Lawyers are increasingly using subpoenas to demand unpublished material and the names of confidential sources, said Jean Maneke, attorney for the Missouri Press Association. Now the association has enlisted the help of two lawmakers, one from each party, to push a bill commonly known as a shield law...

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues finally got off to a strong start at home. The Blues scored three times in the first period Monday night and beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-1. Mike Sillinger, who had two goals and assist for the Blues, said this was the way things used to go all the time at the Savvis Center...

ST. LOUIS -- Now that Mike Martz has medical clearance to return to coaching, he'll need to find a team. Martz was fired as coach of the St. Louis Rams on Monday after a 6-10 season in which he missed the final 11 games because of a heart ailment. That illness did not stop him from repeated clashes with the front office, the major reason for his dismissal with a year left on his contract...

Yakima (Wash.) Herald-Republic Whether it's helping a family displaced by a home fire or dispatching aid to those devastated by hurricanes in the Gulf Coast -- the American Red Cross is there. That's why the American public cannot be sidetracked by the negative publicity generated with the resignation earlier this month of the organization's president, Marsha Evans -- the second change at the top in three years...

(Peoria, Ill.) Journal Star Since the term "intelligent design" entered the lexicon, its meaning and educational merits have been extensively debated. No one has summed up the matter better than U.S. District Judge John E. Jones, ruling this week in a landmark Pennsylvania schools case...

Break out the parmesan: Olive Garden will open on March 6 at 3259 William St. in Cape Girardeau, according to a company spokeswoman. Olive Garden is a much-requested restaurant in this area. I have received more queries about this restaurant than any other in my tenure as business editor...

TALLMANSVILLE, W.Va. -- After waiting almost 12 agonizing hours for dangerous gases to clear, rescuers Monday entered a coal mine where an explosion had trapped 13 miners underground. The condition of the miners was not immediately known. Four co-workers tried to reach them but were stopped by a wall of debris, and the blast knocked out the mine's communication equipment, preventing authorities from contacting the miners...

LOS ANGELES -- "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" snatched the box office crown from "King Kong" during another fierce four-day holiday battle for the top spot. Less than $2 million separated "Kong" and "Narnia" each of the past two weekends...

ST. LOUIS -- Those unseasonably warm winter days always seem to come with a price. So it was as New Year's Day's 60-degree warmth was followed early Monday by severe storms -- and perhaps a tornado or two. No one was hurt, but a few mobile homes were rolled over, trees knocked down, and strong hail pelted parts of the St. Louis area...

EQUALITY, Ill. -- No major damage was reported after a minor earthquake shook areas around this small town in Southern Illinois on Monday. The quake struck at 3:48 p.m. and registered magnitude 3.6, according to Rafael Abreu, a geologist at the National Earthquake Information Center in Denver. It was centered near Equality, which is about 120 miles southeast of St. Louis...

IRVING, Texas -- When the Dallas Cowboys extended their season to the final weekend, coach Bill Parcells praised his club for showing "a little spunk." It was gone by the time they lined up for that last game without a chance of making the playoffs...

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Troy Smith found a measure of redemption and Notre Dame found itself a bowl loser again in a Fiesta matchup brimming with big plays by the Buckeyes. Suspended from last year's Alamo Bowl for taking $500 from a booster, Smith hooked up on a pair of long touchdown passes and fourth-ranked Ohio State beat the No. 5 Irish 34-20 Monday night, sending them to their eighth straight bowl loss...

With a masterful offensive performance and a surprisingly stingy defense, the Wisconsin Badgers gave coach Barry Alvarez a proper send-off. Brian Calhoun rushed for 213 yards, John Stocco passed for 301 and Brandon Williams had 173 yards receiving, lifting the No. 21 Badgers to a 24-10 victory over No. 7 Auburn in the Capital One Bowl on Monday...

Jackson native accepts job with UMC Brent J. Lewis of Jackson has recently became the assistant director of ticket operations in the department of intercollegiate athletics at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Lewis is the son of Howard and Ellen Lewis of Jackson. ...

Even without an increase, there have been complaints about the Cape Girardeau Public Library's out-of-district fees for a long time. But a good case could be made that fees aren't the real issue. The problem isn't the amount so much as it is the logic. Most residents of Cape Girardeau assume they are within the library's service area and already pay taxes to support the popular services offered on Clark Street...

No sidewalks; Welcome relief; Tremendous column; Driving responsibility; Postal appreciation; Extra trash; Sidewalk issues; Teaching a lesson; Differing consultants; Deteriorating Broadway; Disgruntled interview; End the silly debate; Talking during movies; Right side of history; Help when needed

Jerome "Jerry" Hinkebein, 87, of Jackson, passed away Sunday, Jan. 1, 2006, at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Nov. 4, 1918, in Laflin, Mo., son of M.G. and Bernadina Steinnard Hinkebein. He and Marie Stause were married Oct. 16, 1948, in Glennon, Mo...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Joseph J. "Joe" Bollinger, 87, died Sunday, Jan. 1, 2006, at St. Ambrose church in Chaffee during 9 a.m. Mass. He was born Jan. 18, 1918, in Benton, Mo., the son of the late Victor and Clementine (Hahn) Bollinger. He married Phyllis E. O'Donnell on March 25,1940, in Cape Girardeau, who survives...

Ivan Kenneth Klughart, 86, died Monday, Jan. 2, 2006, at Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born March 26, 1919, at Illmo, Mo., son of John J. and Rosa Mae Jackson Klughart. He and Irene Marie Springer were married Feb. 9, 1947, in Illmo...

Melburne Francis "Bud" Hedge, 70, of East Prairie died Sunday, Jan. 1, 2006, at East Prairie Nursing Center. He was born May 11, 1935, in Mississippi County to George and Hattie L. Moore Hedge. He and Matilda Ann "Tillie" Poley were married Dec. 2, 1954...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Hansel J. Zahner, 86, of Perryville died at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau Sunday, Jan. 1, 2006. He was born April 5, 1919, in Perryville, son of Howard I. and Elsie Whistler Zahner. He was retired from International Shoe and Meyer Bus Lines...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Albert I. Seiler, 84, of Sikeston, died Saturday, Dec. 31, 2005, at his residence. He was born Sept. 26, 1921, in Oran, Mo., son of Herman and Mary Snyder Seiler. He and Margaret Schoen were married Nov. 22, 1944, in New Hamburg, Mo...

Scyvillia Regina Buell, 78, of Oran, Mo., died Sunday, Jan. 1, 2006, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Jan. 20, 1927, at Oran, daughter of Ferdinand and Louise Wiedefeld Brucker. She and Leroy Buell were married Jan. 27, 1945, and died Dec. 3, 1980...

Joyce S. Rubel, 66, of Scott City, died Sunday, Jan. 1, 2006, at Saint Francis Medical Center. She was born Sept. 2, 1939, in St. Louis, daughter of Silas Jefferson and Amy Nora Hasty Statler. She married Roy "Bob" Rubel May 24, 1963, in Zalma, Mo. He died Nov. 30, 1996...

Melvin H. Lichtenegger, 86, of Jackson died Saturday, Dec. 31, 2005, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at the Cracraft-Miller Funeral Home in Jackson.

John Herman Whitcher Jr., 53, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Jan. 2, 2006, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. A memorial service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Lorberg Memorial Funeral Chapel. Lorberg Memorial Funeral Chapel in charge of arrangements...

Velma Knupp Snell, 91, of Cape Girardeau, died Saturday Dec. 31, 2005, at Heartland Care and Rehab in Cape Girardeau. She was born June 20, 1914, in Anna Ill. She married Owen Snell. He died Sept. 26, 1998. She was preceded in death by her parents. A graveside service will be held at 10 a.m., Wednesday at the Anna City Cemetery...

25 years ago: Jan. 3, 1981 The effect of drought conditions in the upper Mississippi and Ohio river valleys during the last half of 1980 has become evident in the lower Mississippi River valley in the form of extremely low river stages; however, a spokesman for the Coast Guard in Paducah, Ky., says that although low water levels from St. Louis south have slowed barge traffic, no part of the river has been closed for any long periods of time...

There is not much in doubt about the outcome of tonight's basketball game at the Show Me Center. When the Harlem Globetrotters are involved, they usually win. The Globetrotters take on the New York Nationals, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. Tickets are available at the box office...

A child dies of a severe staph infection and his family is discovered living in squalor. A mother overmedicates her child. Police respond to a disturbance and discover sexual abuse and children living in a home piled with garbage. All of those cases -- and more like them -- are part of the daily stream of work handled by the Missouri Children's Division, the courts, prosecutors and police...

Jackson Board of Aldermen agenda 7:30 p.m., today City Hall, 101 Court Public Hearings Hearing to consider the voluntary annexation petition for 0.82 acres of property along Hillcrest Drive, as submitted by Seabaugh Construction Co. Action Items...

WASHINGTON -- Working to further define its mission, the Homeland Security Department is seeking a major shift in competitive bidding for federal grants, directing money to cities that face a wide range of threats -- not just those from terrorists. The change, outlined in departmental documents sent to state and local officials, addresses both the destruction and lack of preparedness seen during Hurricane Katrina. ...

Bush: Domestic spying program is 'limited' WASHINGTON -- President Bush is standing firmly behind his domestic spying program, saying his decision to let the intelligence community listen in on phone calls Americans have with suspected terrorists is lawful and does not result in widespread domestic eavesdropping. ...

NEW YORK -- This wasn't the way the inflation story was supposed to go in 2005. With oil and other commodity costs soaring, fears of prices surging out of control were on the mind of everyone from the Federal Reserve to business leaders to consumers...

Fish and chicken fry featured at Leopold...

Bohnert completes basic training at Lackland base; National Guardsman finishes combat training

Women in Agriculture group to meet Thursday The Scott County Women in Agriculture will meet Thursday at 7 p.m. at the USDA Office on Highway 77 in Benton. Joe Burton, Scott County Emergency Management director, will speak to the group about emergency preparedness. All women are invited to attend. The group's goal is to educate others about agriculture and to provide an atomosphere of fun, fellowship and support. For membership information, contact Kay Dover at the USDA Center at (573) 545-9027...

MOSCOW -- Russian natural gas monopoly OAO Gazprom promised Monday to boost the amount of gas it ships to European customers through Ukraine, claiming that country was stealing gas intended for the winter-bound continent. The state-controlled company halted deliveries to Ukraine on Sunday because Kiev had refused to meet its demands for a fourfold price increase. ...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraq's main Sunni Arab group made an unprecedented trip north to see the Kurds and agreed Monday for the first time on broad outlines for a coalition government -- possibly opening a way out of the political turmoil that has gripped the country since disputed elections...

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Green Bay fired coach Mike Sherman on Monday, a day after the Packers finished their worst season in 15 years. "At the end of the day I felt like we needed to go in a different direction," Packers general manager Ted Thompson said at a news conference...

Jackson junior Andrea Barnes scored 13 points off the bench to help the visiting Indians win 48-43 over Poplar Bluff in a battle of girls basketball district rivals. Barnes hit a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help Jackson erase a 31-30 deficit heading into the final period...

Southeast Missouri State might not have been in an absolute must-win situation Monday night -- but the Redhawks were about as close as possible. "This was as close to a must-win game in the conference as we could have had," Southeast coach Gary Garner said. "Playing at home, we really needed it."...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- It wasn't pretty, but Missouri finally got a blowout. Despite committing 22 turnovers, the Tigers beat Louisiana-Monroe 73-44 on Monday night, Missouri's biggest margin of the season and seventh-straight win at home. Thomas Gardner, the Big 12's leading scorer, led the Tigers with 18 points. Kevin Young finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds, while Leo Lyons scored a career-high 12 points and Marshall Brown added 10...

Eastern Kentucky won the 3-point battle Monday night -- but Southeast Missouri State hit the long-range shots that counted the most. The result was an exciting and much-needed 84-78 victory for the Redhawks at the Show Me Center. "We needed to win this game," senior center Tatiana Conceico said...

A fresh-faced baby greeted the new year at Southeast Missouri Hospital on Sunday, stopping short a New Year's Eve party he was attending about 21 hours earlier. The first baby born at Saint Francis Medical Center waited until the next day to make her own special appearance...

Area girls small school high school basketball teams will kick off the new year at Delta, as the annual Delta New Year's Tournament begins today. The host Bobcats (6-1) are the top seed and will play No. 8 Puxico in the opening game at 4 p.m. Oran is the second seed, followed by Greenville and St. Vincent. Chaffee, Woodland, Meadow Heights and Puxico round out the eight seeds...

An accident involving an armored vehicle and a PT Cruiser shut down northbound lanes of Interstate 55 for approximately two hours Tuesday morning. According to the Cape Girardeau Police Department, the armored vehicle, owned by PSI Armored, Inc., was traveling southbound on I-55 when it crossed the median into the northbound lane...

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Watch out: The New England Patriots look like champions again, and that should send a chill through the rest of the NFL. Tom Brady, Willie McGinest and the Patriots set an NFL record with their 10th straight postseason victory by beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 28-3 on Saturday night...

TAMPA, Fla. -- Joe Gibbs' teams always had a knack for peaking at the right time, and these Washington Redskins are no different. With the Hall of Fame coach back in the playoffs for the first time in 13 years, the Redskins -- at least on defense -- looked like a Super Bowl contender again in beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17-10 in the NFC wild-card round Saturday...

The Central boys basketball team had more than a week off after dropping two straight games at the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament. After the first half on Saturday at the Tiger Shootout, the Tigers looked like the layoff had taken a toll on them, as they fell behind Parkway South 31-22 at halftime...

MURRAY, Ky. -- There was no three-peat for Southeast Missouri State at the Regional Special Events Center. The Redhawks, who had stunningly won on Murray State's home court twice last season -- including in the first round of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament -- could not make it three in a row Saturday night...

MURRAY, Ky. -- Southeast Missouri State finally put together the kind of defensive performance coach B.J. Smith had been looking for. And once the Redhawks' offense caught up, they were able to enjoy one of their few comfortable victories of the season...

JEFFERSON CITY, MO. -- With voters across Missouri likely to consider a proposed constitutional amendment soon, the debate over embryonic stem-cell research is emerging as one of the top statewide political issues in 2006. Just don't expect much of that conversation to occur in the state Capitol...

A steering committee will help map future improvements for the Cape Girardeau public schools by developing a new comprehensive plan covering everything from curriculum to school buildings. The committee, organized by the school district administration, is scheduled to hold its first meeting Tuesday...

Problems with the victim's testimony forced Cape Girardeau County prosecutors to drop a case against a landlord accused of turning up the heat on a tenant. Fred Barnard, 62, of 243 County Road 438 was scheduled for trial Thursday in Perry County. The case fell apart when the tenant, Sonda Owens, was brought in for a sworn deposition, Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle said...

The Scott City Council was to vote on placing a 5 percent telecommunications tax on the April 4 ballot Tuesday night. But that vote was postponed due to questions about the tax's implementation. Scott City government has expressed interest in implementing a new business license tax on telecommunication service, which would take effect July 1. On that date, other municipalities will be able to start taxing cellular service providers along with existing taxes on land-line service providers...

Despite a change in Southeast Missouri State University's involvement with the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Breakfast, the event will continue. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Citywide Celebration Committee has decided to continue the breakfast despite the fact that it will no longer be hosted by the university. This year the university decided to forgo the annual breakfast, now in its 21st year, to host a dinner later in the month when more university students could attend...

Defendants of various crack cocaine and marijuana cases moved forward on Tuesday in the Cape Girardeau County courthouse in Jackson. Appearing for hearings on three cases, Brent Johnson, 20, of 1836 Good Hope St., was sentenced to prison in two crack-cocaine cases, while Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle dismissed charges from a property damage case. Circuit Judge William Syler sentenced Johnson to 10 years...

ST. LOUIS -- Mike Martz is eager to coach again, especially after missing the last 11 games of the season with a heart ailment. He's still coming to grips with not coaching the St. Louis Rams anymore, he told The Associated Press in an interview Tuesday...

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Anticipated all season, set up with matching blowouts and relentlessly hyped for the last month, the Rose Bowl everyone's been waiting for is finally here. No. 1 USC against No. 2 Texas, with their perfect records, potent offenses, glittery stars, rich tradition and eye-popping pageantry -- playing for the national championship in Pasadena tonight...

By Robert W. Dillon True believers -- and I am mostly talking about right-wing Christians, even though they do not hold a monopoly on such things -- build intellectual straw houses that cannot stand up to the powerful wind of our growing knowledge of the universe and its workings...

NEW YORK -- By second period, the teacher is already maniacally waving his arms in the air. But Bobby Corrigan isn't trying to get anyone's attention -- his students are already captivated by the creepy curriculum. He is demonstrating how rats have whisker-like hairs all over their bodies that enable them to sense and avoid some traps...

Manufacturing growth slows in December NEW YORK -- Manufacturing grew at a surprisingly slower pace in December, a month after construction spending jumped due to a pickup in highway and school building as well as projects that may be tied to recovery efforts in states hurt by 2005's deadly hurricanes. A private industry group which surveyed business executives said manufacturing slowed in December as prices for fuel and raw materials fell...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Supreme Court has set a Feb. 1 execution date for a man who pleaded guilty to killing a Kansas City teenager more than 15 years ago. Michael Taylor, 38, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, forcible rape, armed criminal action and kidnapping for the March 1989 killing of Ann Harrison...

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Former Ohio State football star Maurice Clarett appeared in court in handcuffs and jail-issue clothing Tuesday when a judge set bond at $50,000 on charges that he robbed two people with a gun in an alley behind a bar. Clarett, who helped the Buckeyes win the national championship in 2002, did not enter a plea and did not speak in court. His next hearing is Jan. 12...

MIAMI -- Penn State kicker Kevin Kelly avenged an earlier miss when he connected on a field goal in the third overtime period Tuesday night as the Nittany Lions defeated Florida State 26-23 in the Orange Bowl. Kelly missed a 29-yard field goal wide left with 35 seconds left in regulation, and the Nittany Lions went into overtime tied at 16...

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- The Oakland Raiders fired coach Norv Turner on Tuesday following consecutive losing seasons in which the team managed only one victory in its division. The 53-year-old Turner, who had a year remaining on his contract worth about $1.75 million, had known his job was in jeopardy for the last two months after struggling to get the most out of star receiver Randy Moss and an offense that also included quarterback Kerry Collins, receiver Jerry Porter and running back LaMont Jordan...

Public hearings Held a hearing to consider the voluntary annexation petition for 0.82 acres of property along Hillcrest Drive, as submitted by Seabaugh Construction Co. Action items Authorized the mayor to sign depository agreements with US Bank, First Midwest Bank, Bank of Missouri and Bank of America...

Rally today focuses pledge legislation U.S. Sen. Jim Talent will hold a rally in support of the Pledge of Allegiance at the Cape Girardeau VFW 3838 Post at 9:30 a.m. today. Talent is sponsoring legislation that would remove the issue of the pledge's constitutionality from federal courts...

Actors who can sing have an advantage. Actors who can sing and dance might be Broadway bound. As construction of the River Campus School for the Visual and Performing Arts progresses, Southeast Missouri State University has added a musical theater option to its bachelor of fine arts in performing arts degree. ...

One of the priorities of the Missouri State High School Activities Association is to promote sportsmanship among its member schools. Jackson has taken that priority to heart, creating the Pride of the Tribe award this year to acknowledge sportsmanship in opposing teams. At the conclusion of every sports season, each Indians varsity athletic team picks an opponent using the criteria of sportsmanship among its players, fans and coaches...

College; Football

To the editor: I am thankful there are still citizens who feel it is their duty to help a stranger in need. I am referring to the incident at the Wal-Mart in Jackson on the night of Dec. 20. A man grabbed a purse from another shopper's cart and ran. ...

To the editor: The majority of the Medicaid Reform Commission is committed to protecting our most vulnerable citizens in Missouri. We want to give our parents and grandparents, the disabled and the poor preventative and personalized health care using 21st century technology...

Thanks a million; Access to information; Better post office; Keep them rolling; Trash in street; No influence; Constructive vocabulary; Last story on Cairo; Comparing spending; Parental responsibility; Cheers for walkers; Money for government; Legal justification; Preserving Medicaid

John Frank Venegoni, 92, died Friday, Dec. 30, 2005. Beloved husband of the late Bernice Meyer Venegoni; beloved father of Lee Ann (Charlie) Kickham, Donna (George) Renick, Diane Venegoni; special friend of Mary Jo Kraus; dear grandfather of Kelli (Tim) Prade, Dan (Amy) Kickham, Steve (Vickie) Renick, Nicki (Chris) Thomson, Mike and Chrissy Renick...

Melvin H. Lichtenegger entered heaven at 5:15 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31, 2005. He was the son of August T. and O'Tille Meyr Lichtenegger, born Jan. 12, 1918, in Dutchtown. Melvin graduated from Trinity Lutheran School and Central High School in Cape Girardeau, where he played the drums and violin...

Spencer Lyon, 62, of Piedmont, Mo., passed away Saturday, Dec. 31, 2005, at his residence, after a yearlong battle with cancer. Mr. Lyon, son of Edna "Jewby" Lyon nee Mills and the late Richard Henry Lyon was born Sept. 17, 1943, in Evansville, Ind...

John Herman Witcher Jr., 53, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Jan. 2, 2006, at Saint Francis Medical Center. He was born Aug. 13, 1952, in Cape Girardeau, son of John Herman and Jewell Reid Witcher. Witcher was a deckhand with Ingram Barge Line and was a driver with American Redball Truck Line...

CAIRO, Ill. -- James R. "Jim" Wissinger, 78, of Cairo died Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2006, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Barkett Funeral Home in Cairo is in charge of arrangements.

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Clara Jo "Mickie" Jones, 70, of Sikeston died Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2006, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Sept. 10, 1935, at Sikeston to Malcolm and E. LaRue Heath Monan. She and Glen Jones were married in 1956 at Corinth, Miss, and he died on March 31, 1985...

White; Schumer-Franz

25 years ago: Jan. 4, 1981 Elaine "Tommie" Davis, a Cape Girardeau businesswoman for many years and a longtime supporter of the arts, died yesterday at age 69; Davis established The Co-Op at 40 N. Main St. 47 years ago, and the business remains at its original location...

Blake, Sharon and their three children live in a stunning, century-old Victorian home. They have spent countless hours restoring the house to its original glory: They redid the living room, updated the dining room and refurbished all of the children's rooms...

This Saturday, Brandy Bridges and Jimmy Storck will tie the knot. I have had the pleasure of watching Brandy grow up and now have become acquainted with Jimmy, and I know they are a perfect match. With every upcoming wedding, there are always bridal showers to attend and there is good food served to the attending guests. Last week I attended such a party and the food was good. I thought it would be fun to pass those recipes on to you, possibly to use at your next shower or get-together...

WASHINGTON -- Jack Abramoff, the lobbyist who spawned a congressional corruption scandal, pleaded guilty Tuesday to three felonies and pledged to cooperate in a criminal probe edging closer to former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. "I plead guilty, your honor," Abramoff said in flat, unemotional tones, accepting a plea bargain that said he had provided lavish trips, golf outings, meals and more to public officials "in exchange for a series of official acts."...

An accident involving an armored vehicle and a PT Cruiser shut down northbound lanes of Interstate 55 near the Kingshigway exit for approximately two hours Tuesday morning. According to the Cape Girardeau Police Department, the armored vehicle, owned by PSI Armored Inc., was traveling southbound on I-55 when it crossed the median into the northbound lane, striking the PT Cruiser head-on. The accident occurred around 10 a.m...

WASHINGTON -- Federal Reserve policy-makers differed last month on how much higher interest rates would need to rise to keep the economy and inflation on an even keel, but most believed the end of the nearly two-year rate-hike campaign probably wasn't far off...

Cape Girardeau...

TALLMANSVILLE, W.Va. -- Rescue crews found one body late Tuesday in a West Virginia mine where 13 miners were trapped after an explosion, but they held out hope that the others were still alive, even as precious time continued to slip away. The unidentified body was found about 700 feet from a mine car, and it appeared the employee was working on a beltline, which brings coal out of the mine, said Ben Hatfield, chief executive officer for the mine's owner, International Coal Group Inc...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released Monday by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWIs Santiago Pedro Gabriel, 28, 103 N. Clark Ave., Apt. 307, was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident...

Herbert Lang hasn't tasted defeat in seven years as a professional basketball player. That's one of the many positives of being a member of the Harlem Globetrotters. Lang and his teammates handed the New York Nationals yet another defeat Tuesday night at the Show Me Center. This time, the score was 66-43, as the Nationals never recovered from a 15-0 deficit to start the game...

DOVER, Pa. -- The Dover school board on Tuesday rescinded its policy of presenting "intelligent design" as an alternative to evolution in high school biology classes, two weeks after a federal judge found the concept was religious and not scientific...

The top seeds all advanced on Tuesday in the opening round of the Delta New Year's Girls Basketball Tournament at Delta High School. Delta, the top seed, will play No. 4 St. Vincent at 7 tonight in a semifinal. Second-seeded Oran will play No. 3 Greenville at 8:30 p.m. in the other semifinal...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Quin Snyder has spent the pre-Big 12 portion of this season trying to figure out which of his bench players will earn the most playing time. "If certain guys step forward and assert themselves, I think you'll see a more steady rotation, but until that happens I'm going to keep trying to find who's playing well on a given night and who's got there head in the right place," Snyder said...

There was apparently a good reason why Murray State men's basketball coach Mick Cronin picked Samford to win the Ohio Valley Conference championship. The Bulldogs first validated Cronin's belief in them by beating the OVC preseason favorite Racers 61-50 on Dec. 21 in Birmingham, Ala...

The Notre Dame Bulldogs proved their upset victory over the Charleston Bluejays last week in the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament was no fluke. Notre Dame backed up its semifinal victory -- en route to the tournament championship --by defeating visiting Charleston 65-60 in a SEMO Conference game Tuesday...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- More protections for property owners. Tougher penalties for child sex offenders. The restoration of regular Medicaid coverage for the working disabled. Those are some the most likely results of the 2006 legislative session that begins today -- a session lacking some of the luster of last year's yet perhaps posing just as much of a challenge for the Republican-led legislature and GOP Gov. Matt Blunt...

ST. LOUIS -- One of the most popular New Year's resolutions is to quit smoking, but for many, those good intentions fade quickly. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis are testing a method they hope will boost smokers' commitment to quit: telephone counseling...

ST. LOUIS -- For sale: One snake. Albino. Has two heads. Asking $150,000 or best offer. The World Aquarium in St. Louis has been home to We, a one-of-a-kind two-headed albino rat snake, since 1999. President Leonard Sonnenschein has decided to sell the reptile, and bidding on eBay will start at $150,000...

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."...

HealthPoint Plaza proved to be so popular Southeast Missouri Hospital already plans an expansion, officials said Wednesday. The rehabilitation and fitness center at 2126 Independence St. in Cape Girardeau will grow by 30 percent if the Southeast Hospital Board of Trustees approves the plans. Opened in September 2004, the fitness center portion of the project has already met its five-year membership goals, Southeast president James Wente said...

Don't ask Wendy's to hold the tomatoes. It will be done for you. Tomato lovers need to make a special request for their favorite item on their hamburgers at the chain's restaurants, and they may not find tomatoes in some local salad bars. According to Florida Tomato Committee spokeswoman Samantha Winters, tomato production is currently a little low but it's not anything unusual for this time of year...

Exactly 10 months after an experimental surgery that aimed to alleviate a spinal injury, Cape Girardeau native David Landewee said that he has made progress beyond his doctor's expectations. "The progress I've had since I got back has been slow and steady," said Landewee, 42, who lives in Kansas City, Mo. "It's basically been working its way down."...

Most people would cringe at the idea of having a miniature zoo in the confines of their home. Craig Ancell of Scott City relishes it. "I've just always loved animals, ever since I was a little kid," Ancell says as he stands in his kitchen, where his roughly 3-1/2-foot long American alligator Rex (full name Rockin' Rex Shattner) lives in a cage/water pool of Ancell's construction...

Filmmakers haven't shot a single frame in Cape Girardeau for the movie "Killshot," but they are already expecting to stay longer than originally planned. Most members of the production team working to turn Elmore Leonard's novel into a motion picture haven't arrived in town, production supervisor Scott Knollenberg of St. Louis said Wednesday. But those who have arrived are busy, he said...

Cairo, Ill. -- The city council will have a special meeting today but it's unlikely that enough members will attend to conduct business. Two of the four members who last month announced a boycott of council meetings said they will not attend today's meeting, called by Mayor Paul Farris to consider a grant to repair sewer lines...

Jackson's municipal elections in April will have at least one race for a Board of Aldermen seat. Thomas P. Gleeson III has filed for a two-year term in Ward 4 against incumbent Joe Baker. This will be Gleeson's fourth time running for an aldermen position in the 30 years he has lived in Jackson. The last time he ran was in 1986...

TALLMANSVILLE, W.Va. -- High on a tree-shaded hill beside the Sago Baptist Church, the moss-covered inscription on a weathered tombstone reads: "Sometime we will understand." There is so much the people of this central Appalachian coal community are waiting to understand: How an explosion two miles into a mountain had trapped 13 of their men and how someone could tell them that 12 of the miners had somehow survived the blast...

TALLMANSVILLE, W.Va. -- The miners relied on their training and trusted their safety equipment. But it wasn't enough. Trapped by heavy smoke that blocked their escape routes, most of the 13 miners caught in an explosion did just as they were trained, retreating deeper into the mine and hanging a curtain-like barrier to keep out toxic gases while they waited for rescue, officials said Wednesday...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A suicide bomber struck a funeral for a Shiite politician's nephew Wednesday, killing at least 32 mourners, wounding dozens and splattering tombstones with blood -- part of a surge of violence as Iraqi leaders try to form a coalition government...

JERUSALEM -- Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a massive, life-threatening stroke Wednesday and underwent lengthy surgery to drain blood from his brain after falling ill at his ranch. Powers were transferred to his deputy, Ehud Olmert. Doctors placed Sharon on a respirator and were trying to save his life only hours before the hard-charging, overweight, 77-year-old Israeli leader had been scheduled to undergo a procedure to seal a hole in his heart that contributed to a mild stroke on Dec. ...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff knows the armor protecting troops and their vehicles in Iraq isn't perfect, but he says it's getting better as the military learns to adapt to a clever insurgency. "The fact of the matter is that you can protect people to a certain extent, but you always come up with a bigger bomb," Gen. Peter Pace said. "We just need to continually hone our skills ... so that we don't set a pattern that the enemy can exploit."...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A rural Missouri telephone company whose former president was convicted of a scheme that involved a New York crime family has agreed to pay a $1 million penalty. The fine against Peculiar-based Cass County Telephone Co. is thought to be the largest ever levied by the Missouri Public Service Commission. In seeking the penalty, the agency alleged the phone company's former president, Kenneth Matzdorff, lied when he denied wrongdoing in an April 2004 commission hearing...

ST. LOUIS -- Brian Sparks was not a famous musician, but he claimed he was and convinced guitar dealers around the country to send him guitars and equipment. On Tuesday, Sparks, 42, of the St. Louis suburb Florissant, admitted in federal court here that he had bilked businesses out of about $18,000 worth of guitars and equipment by posing as Grammy-winning guitarist Eric Johnson. Sparks pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported...

CHICAGO -- Mayor Richard Daley said Wednesday a bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics could be a statewide effort involving sporting venues in cities such as Champaign-Urbana, or a regional bid with Wisconsin and Indiana. Daley first talked about the possibility of Chicago bidding for the Olympics last July, and last month he said luring a second NFL franchise to the city would make it more worthwhile to build a domed stadium that could also be a component of an Olympics bid...

ST. LOUIS -- Vernon Fiddler scored the go-ahead goal and had the first two-goal game of his career, helping the Nashville Predators end a four-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night. Steve Sullivan scored his team-leading 18th goal and Paul Kariya got his 13th and added an assist for the Predators, who totaled seven goals during their slump and got shut out Tuesday night at Colorado...

Herman Edwards is close to becoming the next Chiefs coach. Kansas City and the Jets discussed a compensation package for Edwards on Wednesday, a person close to the situation said. Another person familiar with the negotiations said the talks were almost completed...

WASHINGTON -- Orders to U.S. factories posted the biggest gain in three months in November, but the strength was concentrated in a surge in demand for commercial aircraft. The Commerce Department reported Wednesday that orders to factories rose by 2.5 percent in November to a record-high of $407.7 billion. It was the best percentage gain since a 2.9 percent rise in August and followed a 1.7 percent October increase...

January's Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce First Friday Coffee will take place Friday morning at the Show Me Center. Doors open at 7 a.m. and the program begins at 7:40 a.m. This month's speaker will be Jim Watkins, a local Community Emergency Response Team volunteer, who will speak on "Your Role in a Community Emergency."...

A recent $20,000 donation made by East Perry Lumber Co. toward the purchase of a much-needed new E-One fire truck from Banner Fire Equipment will help Frohna, Altenburg and surrounding rural areas in the event of fire. East Perry Lumber Co. CEO Stan Petzoldt said, "The volunteer firemen of FAFD [Frohna Altenburg Fire Department] put many hours of training in on their own time and could possibly be putting their lives on the line every time a call goes out. ...

The desire to help others is never more apparent than when others -- sometimes complete strangers -- are thrust into dire need. Take the Jerry Toops family of Lesterville, Mo. When the Toops home was obliterated by tons of water from last month's Taum Sauk reservoir failure, the Lesterville community rallied to give aid and comfort to the family, whose three children had to be hospitalized...

To the editor: The Scott City Fire Department would like to thank the following people for their donations that made another successful Christmas season: Employees and management of Blair Packaging, Mr. and Mrs. Theon Schlosser, Barbara Harrison and Scott City Kiwanis Club. We handed out 67 food baskets this year...

To the editor: I am a former building inspector in Southeast and Southwest Missouri. This is what is going on in Southwest Missouri on sidewalks: Waste of money and materials and used in places they should not be used or just fill the landfills in the county...

To the editor: President Bush has committed numerous impeachable offenses. In an article entitled "Bush on the Constitution" (http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_7779.shtml), award-winning author Doug Thompson reports: "GOP leaders told Bush that his hard-core push to renew the more onerous provisions of the act could further alienate conservatives still mad at the president from his botched attempt to nominate White House counsel Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court...

Paying teachers; Credit card info; Jackson sidewalks; Changing old habits

IDALIA, Mo. -- Randy Lynn Gregory, 48, of Idalia passed away Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2006, at his home. He was born Oct. 22, 1957, in Modesto, Calif., son of Kenneth and Vivian Bowman Gregory. He and Donna Spencer were married March 16, 1996, in Sikeston, Mo...

Christine L. Ashley, 51, of Grants, N.M., died Thursday, Dec. 29, 2005, at her home. She was born April 13, 1954, in Japan, while her father was serving in the military. She was the daughter of William and Anna Marie Parks Ayers. She married H. Vincent Ashley. He survives...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Lillie Belle Ratledge Bess, 90, of Advance passed away Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2006. She was born July 7, 1915, at Delta, daughter of William Henry and Lydia Ulrich Ratledge. She and Virgil Bess were married Jan. 2, 1932. He preceded her in death Jan. 11, 1969...

CAIRO, Ill. -- James R. "Jimmy" Wissinger, 78, of Cairo passed away Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2006, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Nov. 2,1927, in Cairo, son of Lloyd "Pete" and Stella Mae Brimm. He and Ann Dyas were married Dec. 16, 1948...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Erma Jean Moss, 67, of Cairo died Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2006, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Heavenly Gates Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

ANNA, Ill. -- Dorothy Minnie Augusta Budell, 91, of Anna died Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2006, at her home. She was born March 11, 1914, in Chicago, daughter of Carl Martin and Catharine J. Albertine Dick Budelsky. Budell retired as regional supervisor with Prudential Insurance Co. in Chicago. She was currently supervisor of the food pantry at Bethany Village in Anna...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Lee Stotler, 64, of Marble Hill died Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2006, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born July 16, 1941, in Bonne Terre, Mo., son of Wilford and Blanche Campbell Stotler. He and Ann Akens were married Aug. 19, 1972, in Oklahoma. He and Carole Windecker were married June 27, 1986, in Jonesboro, Ill...

ANNA, Ill. -- Thelma May Thomas, 90, of Anna died Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2006, at City Care Center. She was born June 6, 1915, in Pickle, Ark., daughter of Charles and Dora Bailey Garrison. She married Bacel Thomas, who preceded her in death. Thomas lived most of her life in Salem, Ill. She was a waitress and cook 17 years at Austin's Restaurant...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Dallena Ruth, 81, of Jonesboro died Friday, Dec. 30, 2005, at City Care Center in Anna, Ill. She was born Oct. 28, 1924, daughter of Ben and Eva Hancock Williams. She married Andrew "Andy" Ruth, who died Dec. 18, 1979. Ruth retired as a licensed practical nurse from Choate Mental Health...

Amelia Essner, 84, of New Hamburg, Mo., died Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2006, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Amick-Bur- nett Funeral Chapel in Scott City.

25 years ago: Jan. 5, 1981 Tenth District U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson announces he has introduced constitutional amendments prohibiting abortion and forced busing of schoolchildren, and has co-sponsored an amendment requiring a balanced federal budget. The new Allenville bridge opens for traffic, following a dedication ceremony by Allenville area residents; the one-lane bridge over the Diversion Channel was completed before Christmas, but the opening was delayed until the steel superstructure of the concrete deck bridge could be painted; the span cost approximately $180,000 and was built by Rickard Construction Co. ...

Roley; Jensen; Warren; Cabaniss

PASADENA, Calif. -- Vince Young and Texas are second no more to Southern California and its Heisman Trophy twins, Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart. With the national championship down to a final play, Young scrambled for an 8-yard touchdown on fourth down with 19 seconds left and the No. 2 Longhorns stunned the top-ranked Trojans 41-38 in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday night...

Jan. 5, 2006 Dear Leslie, Strangers have invaded my gym. Only a few people looked familiar this morning. Strangers roam every gym at the beginning of the year. They are there keeping the promise made to themselves or perhaps others New Year's Eve to lose weight, become fit and, as one self-help guru puts it, become the-best-version-of-yourself...

U.S. Sen. Jim Talent says no one should be allowed to challenge the constitutionality of the Pledge of Allegiance in federal court. The Missouri senator is sponsoring legislation that would bar federal judges from taking up that issue. "If you can't stand up for the Pledge of Allegiance and the flag, I don't know what you can stand up for," Talent said Wednesday during a stop at the Cape Girardeau VFW post at 1049 N. Kingshighway...

ST. LOUIS -- Gov. Matt Blunt, St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley and Hazelwood Mayor T.R. Carr will travel to Detroit Thursday to try and persuade Ford Motor Co. to keep open a plant in Hazelwood, representatives of Blunt and Dooley said Wednesday...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A man apparently looking for free lunch was arrested for allegedly assaulting a pizza delivery man. Police say Virgil Dennis ordered three pies from Pizza Hut at lunchtime Tuesday and gave the address of a vacant apartment downstairs from his own. When the driver arrived, authorities say 22-year-old Dennis pressed a knife against the delivery man's neck and demanded the pizzas...

By Rich Lowry Our superb economy is hidden in plain view, mostly ignored by a media that prefer to accentuate the negative and a Democratic Party that is loath to admit that anything could possibly be right in George Bush's America. It wasn't too long ago that the Democrats were comparing President Bush to the alleged mastermind of the Great Depression. ...

NEW YORK -- "12 Alive." "MIRACLE IN THE MINE." "They're Alive!" Those were just a few of the newspaper headlines that greeted Americans on their doorsteps Wednesday morning. Joyful, dramatic -- and of course, flat-out wrong. As the painful truth emerged that all but one of the West Virginia miners was dead, news organizations were forced to ask themselves: Had they gone too far in reporting the original, much happier ending?...

Cape Girardeau...

Cape Girardeau...

Mrs. Mary Lou Penhale, 56, of Grovetown, Ga., formerly of Oran, Mo., died Tuesday morning at her home. The funeral will be held Friday at Elliott Sons Funeral Home in Martinez, Ga.

The Missouri Department of Revenue, in cooperation with the Southeast Missouri Area Agency on Aging will conduct training for volunteers who help seniors complete tax credit forms. Eligibility criteria for the Circuit Breaker program, which offers eligible individuals a rebate for property tax or rent paid, include meeting income requirements, being 65 or older or 100 percent disabled and being a Missouri resident for the entire filing year...

Flag display at Cape Girardeau library The first 13 U.S. flags will be displayed in the Hirsch Community Room during the first weeks of January at the Cape Girardeau Public Library, courtesy of the Allen Laws Oliver Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution and the Painters Local 1292. ...

Chevrolet beats Ford for first time in 19 years DETROIT -- Chevrolet was the best-selling brand in the U.S. market in 2005, outpacing Ford for the first time in 19 years, General Motors Corp. said Wednesday. But that was where the good news ended for GM and other U.S. ...

College women's basketball Missouri upsets No. 4 Baylor COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Latoya Bond scored 21 points and Missouri beat No. 4 Baylor 64-61 Wednesday night, ending the defending champion Bears' 30-game winning streak. Tiffany Brooks blocked Jordan Davis' 3-point attempt with 6 seconds left, helping the Tigers (11-2) extend their winning streak to 10 games and get their first victory against a top-10 team since the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament in 2001...

As soon as my column extolling the benefits of omega-3s hit the front porches, Dr. Tim Rodgers galloped into my e-mail inbox on his self-proclaimed "high horse." He took exception to the whole notion of unregulated supplements being touted as beneficial...

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court agreed Wednesday to let the military transfer accused "enemy combatant" and former Chicago gang member Jose Padilla to Miami to face criminal charges in at least a temporary victory for the Bush administration. The justices overruled a lower court, which had attempted to block the transfer as part of a rebuke to the White House...

As frustrated as Southeast Missouri State coach B.J. Smith has been by the way the Redhawks have played much of the season, he realizes the Ohio Valley Conference schedule is a marathon and not a sprint. So, even though the Redhawks have already lost as many OVC regular-season games as they did all of last year, they still have their sights squarely on the title...

Among Tuesday night's three games that included rematches of Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament games, only Advance took the opportunity to reverse a decision. The Hornets beat host Kelly 63-60 on Tuesday, reversing the score by which they lost in overtime in the fifth-place game Friday...

Whatever problems Eastern Illinois might have had adjusting to a new coach and battling a brutal early schedule, the Panthers seem to have righted the ship. After losing its first seven games to start the Mike Miller era in Charleston, Ill., EIU (2-8, 1-3 Ohio Valley Conference) has won two of its last three heading into tonight's 7:35 matchup with visiting Southeast Missouri State (5-7, 2-4)...

Southeast Missouri State football coach Tony Samuel announced six coaches who will join his staff for the 2006 season. The university also announced that Damon Bradford, who was one of two holdovers from coach Tim Billings' staff, has resigned as defensive coordinator to accept a position at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tenn...

The top-seeded Delta girls basketball team coasted into the finals of its New Year's tournament. Getting to Saturday's final was expected. The ease of the Bobcats' semifinal win against St. Vincent -- 64-26 -- was somewhat surprising. And their opponent in the final will be the No. 3 seed, Greenville...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Republican legislative leaders encouraged colleagues Wednesday to set aside potential election-year spats to enact new health-care programs and property protections as they opened their 2006 session. The House and Senate convened for business a little after noon Wednesday on a largely ceremonial day reserved for laying out legislative priorities. ...

It's a social disaster everyone dreads -- knocking someone over with your breath. Bad breath, medically called halitosis, can result from poor oral hygiene habits and may be a sign of other health problems, according to WebMD. Bad breath can also be made worse by the types of foods you eat and other unhealthy lifestyle habits...

CAIRO, Ill. -- The deadlock gripping city government continued Thursday when only one of six council members attended a special meeting called by Mayor Paul Farris. When the meeting dissolved, unable to conduct business for lack of attendance, Farris announced a petition drive to ask a federal judge to declare that boycotting council members have abandoned their posts...

Companies that made significant changes in their operations in the past year are invited to be included in the business timeline to be published in the Southeast Missourian's 2006 Progress edition. The Progress edition will be published Feb. 19 and Feb. 26...

BENTON, Mo. -- Commerce Mayor Bill Bailey isn't surprised to learn that Scott County's residents chose his town's unobstructed view of the Mississippi River as the county's most beautiful scenery. "I think the community and the people here all have known that as long as they've been here," said Bailey. "It's one of the reasons we like it here so much."...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- State government is taking in more money than expected, meaning elected officials will have an estimated $245 million more than was budgeted to either spend or save in the next six months. Gov. Matt Blunt and legislative budget leaders announced the revised revenue figures Thursday, declaring the better-than-expected financial books the result of economic improvements they helped to spur with their policies...

Caruthersville, Mo. -- Ralph Clayton, 71, a retired general manager of the Caruthersville Democrat Argus, died Wednesday at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Clayton spent 29 years in the newspaper business with the Democrat, its sister papers and the Southeast Missouri Press Association. He was president of the Missouri Press Foundation from 1989 to 1994. For the last 11 years, he has run the family business, Pemiscot Office Supply, in his hometown of Caruthersville...

DETROIT -- The struggling St. Louis Blues were the perfect opponent for Manny Legace. Playing for the first time in more than a month, Legace needed to make only 15 saves for his third shutout of the season, and the Detroit Red Wings beat St. Louis 3-0 Thursday night...

NEW YORK -- Shaun Alexander set an NFL record for touchdowns, led the league in rushing and ran away with The Associated Press Most Valuable Player award Thursday. And with free agency on the horizon, the Seattle running back could parlay his sensational year into unprecedented riches...

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- The lone survivor of a coal mine explosion that killed 12 others has been moved to a hospital in Pittsburgh to undergo oxygen treatment, West Virginia University hospital officials said Thursday. Randal McCloy Jr. was in a coma and appeared to have suffered brain damage, according to a doctor. He was transferred to Allegheny General Hospital, said Bill Case, a spokesman for WVU's Ruby Memorial Hospital...

LOS ANGELES -- Jon Stewart has been tapped to host this year's Oscars, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced Thursday. The Academy Awards show's producer said Stewart has many of the qualities of previous masters of ceremonies...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Suicide bombers infiltrated a line of police recruits and a crowd of Shiite pilgrims Thursday as insurgents killed 125 civilians and five U.S. soldiers, escalating attacks while political factions worked to forge a coalition government...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Starting in May, Missourians will have a wider array of tax-free investment choices for their college savings accounts as a result of a new state contract. The deal announced Thursday by State Treasurer Sarah Steelman also will give college savers the option of enrolling in product loyalty programs, which would add corporate money to their savings accounts any time they buy certain products...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Dee Brown scored a career-high 34 points and No. 6 Illinois held No. 7 Michigan State nearly 33 points below its average to win their Big Ten-opening showdown 60-50 on Thursday night. The Illini (15-0) extended their home winning streak to 30 games, matching No. 8 Gonzaga for the longest current run in the country...

It is all but impossible to imagine the range of emotions that swept through the anxious West Virginia families in Tallmansville who were waiting for news of 13 coal miners trapped underground after an explosion. These families were no strangers to mine mishaps, and they understood full well that the longer they waited, the less likely they would ever see their loved ones alive. But they kept waiting for a miracle...

The Central girls basketball team fell behind 12-2 against Poplar Bluff and dropped a 48-33 SEMO Conference game at home on Thursday. The Tigers tightened the gap to 16-11 after one quarter and trailed 25-17 at the half. Poplar Bluff (5-7) outscored Central 14-7 in the third to pull away...

Colleges...

Booming businesses; That's no excuse; Leave it one way; Beautiful service; Private pay, not taxes; Each street one way; Pretty displays; True love; Spreading his name; Detour concerns; Comparing cities; Based on faith

Jeffrey Francis Farris, 44, of Hazelwood, Mo., passed away Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2006, at Lake St. Louis, Mo. He was born Nov. 6, 1961, in St. Louis, son of Daniel and Jewel Ackman Farris. He and Sharon Defelice were married in November of 1987. Farris was of the Baptist faith. He was employed by Ford Motor Co...

ORAN, Mo. -- Mary Lou Penhale, 56, of Grovetown, Ga., entered into rest Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2006, at her home. A native of Oran, she was the daughter of M.O. "Dick" and Mary Buell Davis. She had resided in the Tampa, Fla., area many years before moving to Grovetown in 2004. While in Florida she was the assistant to the director of the State Mental Health Care Division, and had been a group home mother...

NEW HAMBURG, Mo. -- Amelia T. Essner, 84, of New Hamburg passed away Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2006, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was the beloved wife of the late Cyrill A. Essner, who preceded her in death in 1976. Amelia, daughter of Frank and Mary Bles Kieffer, was born March 24, 1921, in Kelso, Mo. ...

Ralph E. Clayton, 71, of Caruthersville died Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2006, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau, after a sudden illness. Born Oct. 17, 1934, in Caruthersville, he was the son of Dorothy Louise Meek and W.E. "Bill" Clayton. Funeral Mass is set for 11 a.m. today at Sacred Heart Church in Caruthersville. The Rev. Randy Tochtrop will officiate. Burial will be in Little Prairie Cemetery...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Willis H. Reynolds, 79, of Jonesboro died Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2006, at Union County Hospital. He was born March 2, 1926, in Jonesboro, son of Edward Harrison and Rosa Mae Coats Reynolds. He and Mildred Massey were married Sept. 3, 1964, in Jonesboro. She died April 21, 1992...

LEOPOLD, Mo. -- Randy Leo Broshuis, 50, of Leopold died Thursday, Jan. 5, 2006, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born March 6, 1955, at Lutesville, Mo., son of Leo Garrett and Agnes Louise Jansen Broshuis. He and Tina Myers were married May 7, 1977, at Lutesville...

Thelma L. Kortmeyer, 84, died Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2006, at Brentmore Oak Tree Retirement Community in St. Peters, Mo. She was born Feb. 18, 1921, in Sterling, Colo., daughter of Elmer Snedeker and Anna Cochron. Kortmeyer was formerly of Cape Girardeau...

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. -- Jessalean Ray, 63, of Berkley, Ky., died Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2006, at her home. She was born Oct. 22, 1942, in East Prairie, daughter of Jesse and May Magdalene Fobar Priest. She and Bobby Ray were married Oct. 12, 1957. Ray lived in Berkley the past several years, and owned and operated the Flower Basket Flower Shop in Bardwell, Ky., before retiring. She was a member of Berkley Baptist Church...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Joseph A. Hotop, 73, of St. Louis died Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2005, at his home. He was born in Perry County, son of Alphonse and Rose Webster Hotop. He and Irene Eftink were married July 20, 1957, at Oran, Mo. Hotop was a 1950 graduate of Perryville High School. He retired from Lindbergh School District as grounds foreman in 1991...

Hazel Marie Williams, 89, of Jackson died Thursday, Jan. 5, 2006, at Monticello House. She was born July 2, 1916, at Millersville, daughter of James Shelton and Daisy Cowan Godwin. She first married Milford Seabaugh. She and Rawls Williams were married Sept. 9, 1974. He died Jan. 6, 1976...

Elliott; Laster; Sebaugh; Koeller

25 years ago: Jan. 6, 1981 The first winter storm of the season brushes an icy glaze on the area, shutting down schools just one day after resumption of classes and causing traffic snarls as workers set out for their jobs; sleet begins falling around 5 a.m. in Cape Girardeau, followed by intermittent light snow...

'BloodRayne'; 'Casanova'; 'Glory Road'; 'Grandma's Boy'; 'Hostel'; 'Munich'; Still in theaters; 'Cheaper by the Dozen 2'; 'Chicken Little'; 'The Chronicles of Narnia'; 'The Family Stone'; 'Fun with Dick and Jane'; 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'; 'King Kong'; 'Memoirs of a Geisha'; 'The Ringer'; 'Rumor Has It'; 'Syriana'; 'Walk the Line'; 'Wolf Creek'; 'Yours, Mine and Ours'

Three men have embarked on a 10-month journey to change their lives. Each has come to Teen Challenge hoping to put his old life of struggling with powerful drug and alcohol addictions behind him. They are placing their new lives in the hands of God...

Steven Limbaugh III's plane landed in Los Angeles on Dec. 7 carrying a passenger that was riding high. Limbaugh had just returned from a six-day trip to Russia, where the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra had recorded a 25-minute composition of his own making. The composer in him was feeling great, but the rock musician in him was worried...

The Community Caring Council of Cape Girardeau has received a grant of $78,950 from the Missouri Foundation for Health. The Caring Council, located on Broadway, is one of 49 organizations statewide to receive such an award. This year's awards totaled $5.8 million and will be distributed to organizations in 80 counties throughout Missouri...

CENTRALIA, Ill. -- Any time he hears of a mining disaster, like the West Virginia explosion this week that left a dozen miners dead, 77-year-old Bill Niepoetter cringes because such tragedies hit mighty close to home. It has been nearly 60 years since the Centralia No. 5 mine in Southern Illinois blew up, killing his father, three other relatives and 107 other men. Images of that day still haunt Niepoetter...

The 1900 block of Independence Street will be partially closed for construction all day Friday. Eastbound traffic will be diverted and westbound traffic will be asked to drive slowly and avoid construction crews. The shutdown along the stretch of Independence near South Plaza Way is for scheduled maintenance on the street's sewer lines...

The Cape Girardeau Board of Education will meet Monday to inform prospective school board candidates about the duties of board members. The informational meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the board office, 301 N. Clark Ave...

MANTECA, Calif. -- A married couple who got a dog sitter for their puppies but left the man's young children home alone while they vacationed in Las Vegas were arrested Wednesday, police said. Jacob Calero, 39, and Michelle De La Vega, 32, were taken into custody as they arrived home on a flight to Oakland. They had left town Friday to celebrate the new year, authorities said...

Sen. Clinton '00 campaign group fined over gala WASHINGTON -- A campaign fund-raising group for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has agreed to a $35,000 fine for underreporting thousands of dollars spent on a lavish Hollywood fund-raiser in 2000, the man who bankrolled the event said. ...

TALLMANSVILLE, W.Va. -- Some of the 12 coal miners who died in the Sago Mine disaster left farewell notes assuring their loved ones that their final hours trapped underground were not spent in agony, a relative said Thursday. "The notes said they weren't suffering, they were just going to sleep," said Peggy Cohen, who had been called to a temporary morgue at a school to identify the body of her father, 59-year-old machine operator Fred Ware Jr...

Cape Girardeau...

Cape Girardeau...

An armed robbery reportedly occurred early Thursday morning at a convenience store in Fruitland, Mo. According to the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department, an unidentified gunman wearing a ski mask entered Rhodes 101 at 5040 U.S. 61 and demanded money. He fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of money. No one was injured...

To the editor: A couple days after Thanksgiving I was moving from Florida back home to South Dakota. My tire went flat, and I was stranded in the middle of nowhere. I called AAA, but I didn't actually know where I was. I found out later I was about six miles south of Perryville, Mo., but since I couldn't tell AAA exactly where I was they couldn't help me...

To the editor: It doesn't take long for news to be put on the back burner when current events arise, but that is progress, and you can't stop it. Memories of previous years, however, remain special and never fade. I wonder if the composer of "Thanks for the Memories" had that in mind when he wrote the lyrics...

To the editor: The National Democratic Party is a pessimistic bunch. In fairness, if I only read liberal-owned newspapers or only watched CBS news, I'd probably be just like them. I'd think Christianity and the religious right were too influential in the Bush administration and downplay the fight to replace "Merry Christmas" with "Happy holidays." I'd think nothing positive occurs in Iraq and curse the soldiers and Marines who return home and say otherwise. ...

Rescuers recover 15th victim from German rink BAD REICHENHALL, Germany -- Rescue workers early Thursday recovered the body of the last person known to be missing in the wreckage of a collapsed ice rink, raising the number killed to 15. Fire official Rudi Zeif said the body was that of a 40-year-old woman unaccounted for since the rink's roof collapsed Monday during a public skating session. ...

Cape Girardeau woman enters guilty plea A Cape Girardeau woman pleaded guilty on Thursday to lesser charges for scratching the face of one police officer and attempting to bite another. Associate Circuit Judge Gary Kamp sentenced Marsha V. Hinson, 41, of 45 S. ...

JERUSALEM -- Prime Minister Ariel Sharon could be sedated for up to three days as doctors fight to keep him alive after emergency brain surgery for his massive stroke, a hospital official said Thursday. Dr. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, director general of Hadassah Hospital, said Sharon would remain in deep sedation and on a respirator for at least two and possibly three days to allow him to "recover from severe trauma." The treatment would decrease pressure in Sharon's skull, and after the sedation period, doctors hope to gradually awaken him, Mor-Yosef said.. ...

MECCA, Saudi Arabia -- With spotlights, cameras and microphones, rescuers searched for survivors of an eight-story building collapse that killed at least 20 people Thursday, the latest tragedy to mar the annual gathering of millions of Muslims in Islam's holiest city...

LOS ANGELES -- This could be the year gay-themed films dominate Hollywood's awards season. The cowboys-in-love drama "Brokeback Mountain," a potential Academy Award front-runner, led nominees Thursday for film prizes from actors and directors unions, including performers Heath Ledger, Michelle Williams and Jake Gyllenhaal and filmmaker Ang Lee...

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- The Texas Longhorns' drive to the national championship depended on Vince Young. So does their future. It won't necessarily be a pass or run that makes the difference. Instead, it'll come down to a personal decision he makes with his family...

Southeast Missourian Sixty-five youth soccer teams will take part in the 12th annual Saint Francis Indoor Invitational soccer tournament, which begins today and concludes Sunday. The tournament features recreation level boys and girls soccer teams from ages 8 to 18. The divisions through under-13 play a 7-on-7 format while the older teams play 6-on-6...

ST. LOUIS -- A St. Louis Rams' physician said the illnesses suffered recently by the team's former interim coach Joe Vitt, ex-coach Mike Martz and broadcaster Jack Snow are "all wildly different" than the drug-resistant staph infections a medical journal documented in Rams players last year...

Thank goodness Suzuki's Grand Vitara sport utility vehicle moved closer to the mainstream for the 2006 model year. The Grand Vitara's odd, cladding-sided styling is gone, replaced by a more substantial and pleasing look and modern, unibody construction. The small interior is gone, too; the 2006 Grand Vitara is a full 11.5 inches longer than its predecessor and it's a bit wider...

I'm sorry if I've snapped at anyone this week, but I'm experiencing fudge rage. Medical science doesn't have a lot to say about this condition, so I guess it's up to me to spread the word. You've experienced sugar highs? Caffeine rushes? MSG sweats? These are all well-documented in medical journals. But no one bothers much with fudge and its nasty side effects...

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Coach Gary Garner has said all along he believed Southeast Missouri State was a much better shooting team than its 40 percent season average indicated. For one game at least, the Redhawks proved Garner right -- and it couldn't have come at a better time...

Three stars (out of four) Johnny Knoxville, starring in "The Ringer," portrays an unhappy office worker who had always been told he would never make it as anything special in his life. Needing money to help a friend, he schemes with his uncle to fix the Special Olympics so the long-time winner would lose...

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- The frustrations for the Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team continued to mount Thursday night. "Frustrating. I'd say that's the key word," Southeast coach B.J. Smith said following the Redhawks' 70-61 loss at Eastern Illinois...

Three Rivers Community College won't offer nursing classes in Cape Girardeau because the college and Saint Francis Medical Center can't agree on a contract. The issue centered on Three Rivers' refusal to enter into a partnership with Southeast Missouri State University to teach the nursing and general education courses, college and hospital officials said...

Throughout the centuries artists have known their work can make a powerful statement, politically and socially. Cape Girardeau physician and sculptor Dr. Zenon Duda is no different. Tonight Duda will unveil a massive 15-by-45-foot sculpture installation called "Requiem for the Pawns of War" in Buckner Brewing Co.'s Riverview Room...

Stand-up comedy comes to Pocahontas this month; Arts Council seeks entries for 'Art for the Health of It'; Independent author to have book signing...

KAPALUA, Hawaii -- Olin Browne waited six years before getting back to the winners-only Mercedes Championships, and played Thursday as if he doesn't want to wait that long again. Browne was the only player to break 70 in blustery conditions at Kapalua and finished with a 4-under 69 to take a one-shot lead over Vijay Singh as the PGA Tour season began without some of its biggest stars...

Dear Tom and Ray: I have two routes I can take to work, both along interstate highways. The more crowded, direct route is 20 miles and takes me 40 minutes because of stop-and-go traffic. My average speed is only 30 mph if I take the shorter route, but I'm on the brakes a lot. ...

In the first week of the nationwide switch-over to Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage, local pharmacies are reporting chaos and confusion from seniors unsure about their new plans. "It's a nightmare," said Gene Brockett, manager of Jones Drug Store. "Yesterday we spent 30 man-hours -- I counted it up -- between eight employees on the phone, waiting on hold from insurance companies and faxing doctors insurance information."...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Friday's special meeting called by the four boycotting members of the Cairo City Council didn't last long -- only about five minutes. Mayor Paul Farris didn't even stay that long, not wanting to preside over what he called an illegal meeting...

The keynote speaker for the first Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce First Friday Coffee of 2006 addressed a subject not often discussed at business meetings -- disaster preparedness. Jim Watkins, a volunteer with the local Community Emergency Response Team, told those in attendance at the event that disaster preparedness is key for both individual, businesses and communities...

State Rep. Scott Lipke, R-Jackson, was named the 2005 Missouri Sheriff's Association "Legislator of the Year" during a ceremony in Springfield. Lipke's work in the State House of Representatives this past year was highlighted by his co-sponsorship of house-bill 441. The bill is new, tougher legislation designed to make it more difficult for Pseudo ephedrine to reach the hands of those who would use it to make methamphetamines...

The recent compromise worked out by the Scott and Mississippi county commissions over who would pay for medical costs incurred by Scott County residents housed in the Mississippi County Jail underscores the fact that the state has a lousy system for determining who is responsible for prisoners costs...

STAMFORD, Conn. -- A man who disappeared from his honeymoon cruise last summer argued in the ship's bar with his wife, who kicked him in the groin hours before he vanished, two witnesses said Friday. The witnesses told The Associated Press the FBI has interviewed them about the July 5 disappearance of George Allen Smith IV of Greenwich...

LAS VEGAS -- It was supposed to be the grand unveiling of a new generation in home entertainment when Kevin Collins of Microsoft Corp. popped an HD DVD disc into a Toshiba production model and hit "play." Nothing happened. Despite a few minutes of embarrassed fiddling, the disc never played and the press conference, held Wednesday night during this year's Consumer Electronics Show, continued...

NEW ORLEANS -- The paddlewheeler on which they had planned to take a Mississippi River excursion was being used to house Hurricane Katrina relief workers. But Phoenix residents Barbara Levy and Skip Hanson still had French Quarter antique stores and restaurants to enjoy...

LOS ANGELES -- Lou Rawls, the velvet-voiced singer and longtime community activist who started as a choir boy and went on to record such classic tunes as "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine," died Friday of cancer. He was 72. Rawls died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was hospitalized last month for treatment of lung and brain cancer, said his publicist, Paul Shefrin. His wife, Nina, was at his bedside when he died...

OZARK, Mo. -- Andy and Susanne Daniel run a property surveying business from their house in the Ozarks just half an hour from Springfield, the state's third largest city. But when they turn to the Internet for crucial data, they might as well be hundreds of miles away from the high-speed connections that urban dwellers take for granted...

NEW YORK -- Motorola Inc. will soon begin selling Web-enabled cell phones that feature easy access to Google's search engine by clicking on a button on the phone's keypad. The Schaumburg, Ill.-based company said in a statement late Thursday it will integrate a Google icon onto certain Internet-optimized handsets that will be distributed starting in the first quarter this year...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A spree of bloodshed that killed nearly 200 people in two days, including 11 U.S. troops, threatened to provoke a backlash from Shiite militias. Iraq's largest religious group rallied thousands Friday against what it claimed was American backing for some Sunni Arab politicians they say have supported insurgents...

MECCA, Saudi Arabia -- Hundreds of men using cranes, hand tools and blow torches pulled bodies from the rubble of a four-story building that collapsed in Islam's holiest city, and authorities said Friday the death toll reached at least 76. The Saudi Interior Ministry also said Thursday's collapse injured 62. The nationalities of the victims were not released...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Matt Blunt is proposing to boost funding for state colleges and universities by 2 percent next year, STLtoday.com, the Web site of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, reported Friday. Blunt said the state can afford an increase for higher education after five lean years because more people are working and tax receipts have picked up...

TAMPA, Fla. -- Jon Jansen has tried his best to forget the last time the Washington Redskins visited Tampa Bay for a playoff game. But just as he and his teammates haven't been able to erase the memory of a disappointing 1-point loss to the Buccaneers earlier this season, six years hasn't changed the offensive tackle's recollection of how the team's most recent postseason trip ended...

NEW YORK -- Brian Urlacher, the latest leader of the Monsters of the Midway, won The Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year award Friday. The Chicago Bears' star middle linebacker and the face of a ferocious defense that allowed the fewest points in the league this season, Urlacher adds the honor to his 2000 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Herman Edwards stopped by the Jets' facility for a short time Friday to collect a few items before going on his way. Now the Jets join a crowded group searching for a head coach. The Chiefs and Jets finally agreed to compensation Friday, leaving Edwards free to negotiate with Kansas City to replace longtime mentor Dick Vermeil. The Jets, in turn, will receive a surprisingly low fourth-round pick from Kansas City...

RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia Tech quarterback Marcus Vick was dismissed from the team Friday, the result of numerous legal transgressions and his unsportsmanlike conduct in the Gator Bowl. University president Charles Steger announced the dismissal on the same day that coach Frank Beamer met with Vick and his mother in their Hampton Roads home, the school said in a statement. Beamer informed them of the decision during the meeting...

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots have a big edge in postseason experience over Jacksonville, winning three Super Bowls since the Jaguars last reached the playoffs. The Patriots will also be playing at home with some cold temperatures forecast for tonight's wild-card playoff game. And, of course, there's Tom Brady at quarterback, Bill Belichick as coach and oddsmakers making them huge favorites...

Millions in Africa 'on brink of starvation,' U.N. says; Microsoft shuts down blog for Chinese officials

Cape Girardeau...

Cape Girardeau...

CAIRO, Egypt -- Al-Qaida's No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahri, said in a videotape aired Friday that the United States' decision to withdraw some troops from Iraq represented "the victory of Islam" and called on Muslims to attack oil sites. Al-Zawahri, wearing a white turban and gray robe and seated next to an automatic rifle, waved his finger for emphasis as he spoke in the two-minute excerpt aired by Al-Jazeera...

Tears of gratitude trickled as retired Army Gen. John G. Waggener Sr. met Army National Guard Spc. Joe Fields -- the man who brought him back from a heart attack almost two weeks ago. At the National Guard Armory on Friday, Waggener presented a heartfelt thank-you letter to Fields, whose voice choked as he read it...

BOSTON -- IBM's freeze of its otherwise healthy U.S. pension plan will reverberate through industry not only because it illustrates the erosion of traditional benefit packages, but also because it sharpens the focus on 401(k) plans as a source of retirement security...

A new Catholic charity agency being considered by the Springfield-Cape Girardeau Diocese could mean services such as foster care, low-income housing and immigrant services for Southeast Missouri. The diocese is currently conducting a study examining the possibility of such an agency, which Catholic diocese throughout the country operate via Catholic Charities USA, the membership association of one of the nation's largest social service networks...

Jackson ministerial alliance holds week of prayer; Study group at Centenary will examine the major religions

Have you treated someone a particular way because of where he worked, his age, race, gender, social status or financial state? I'm sure I've committed this injustice many times. But I've since learned stereotyping is judgmental, unfair and deceptive. A recent talkwith a representative from a prestigious book company opened my eyes and changed my perspective...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Scott City's 66-43 victory against Chaffee in a Scott-Mississippi Conference boys basketball Friday night could be seen as a battle of teams moving in two different directions. The Rams improved to 8-4 with their sixth straight win, while the Red Devils fell to 3-7...

Baseball...

To the editor: State Sen. Charlie Shields talks a good story regarding Medicaid reform, insisting that the Medicaid Reform Commission he chaired will propel Missouri's poor and disabled into the 21st century. The commission did explore several important issues, including wellness programs, smoking cessation and the growing problem of obesity. However, the greatest threats to Medicaid solvency were not addressed...

Recycle the trash; Downtown suggestions; Cover the unexpected; Thanks for purse; Best carrier; Identity issues

FESTUS, Mo. -- Thomas "Ben" Chapman, 84, of Festus died Friday, Jan. 6, 2006, at St. Louis University Medical Center. He was born May 17, 1921, at Advance, Mo., son of George and Mella Chapman. Chapman was retired from American Can Co. in St. Louis, where he was a forklift operator...

25 years ago: Jan. 7, 1981 A decision at last night's city council study session not to accept additional liquor-by-the-drink or package-liquor applications may put a crimp in plans for the Famous Barr department store here; the firm submits an application today for a liquor-by-the-drink license...

Area public schools don't have specific dress code policies for cultural attire that may have dealt with the incident that occurred when Nathan Warmack wore a Scottish kilt to the Jackson High School Silver Arrow Dance in November. Principal Rick McClard asked Warmack to change from his clan kilt into pants. In response, thousands of people have signed an Internet petition calling on the Jackson schools to change their dress codes...

The death of an Anna, Ill., man is being investigated as a homicide after his body was found on Wednesday inside a burning vehicle in Pulaski County, Ill. An autopsy identified the body as Trea Hannah, 23, who was reported missing and was last seen on Dec. ...

NEW ORLEANS -- Hugh Thompson Jr., a former Army helicopter pilot honored for rescuing Vietnamese civilians from his fellow GIs during the My Lai massacre, died early Friday. He was 62. Thompson, whose role in the 1968 massacre did not become widely known until decades later, died at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Alexandria, hospital spokesman Jay DeWorth said...

NEW YORK -- A panel of federal appeals judges on Friday upheld Martha Stewart's 2004 conviction for lying to investigators about selling stock just before the price took a dive. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan judges ruled that none of the grounds upon which Stewart and a former stockbroker challenged their convictions provided a basis to overturn the jury's verdict. ...

ST. LOUIS -- Walls of the Taum Sauk reservoir had been slowly sinking for decades before the mountaintop dam burst last month, according to federal safety inspection documents. By 1997, some stretches of the Southeast Missouri reservoir had sunk as much as 1.6 feet and could have settled more since then, according to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission documents obtained by the Associated Press...

DOGUBAYAZIT, Turkey -- The mother wailed as the white shroud bearing the body of her 11-year-old daughter was lowered into a simple grave Friday, her third child to die in less than a week from bird flu. An imam in a surgical mask and rubber gloves read prayers...

The Central boys swimming team won five individual events and one relay in a 107-79 road dual loss to St. Louis University High School on Friday. Kris Metje and Peyton Waggener led the Tigers with two wins apiece. Metje was first in the 200-yard freestyle (1:55.03) and 500 free (5:11.75). Waggener won the 200 individual medley (2:12.25) and 100 breast (1:05.78)...

amilo Jose Vergara has spent the last three decades taking his camera to some of the poorest neighborhoods in the country, documenting places few outsiders ever visit. Over the years, he noticed that urban areas emptied by blight were filling up with storefront churches. The pastors were cab drivers and retired steel and transit workers with little or no formal religious training, yet they took on an important role in their communities...

Southeast Missouri State senior guard Tiffanne Ryan still believes the Redhawks will have a strong season and challenge for the Ohio Valley Conference championship. But Ryan also knows the Redhawks can't wait much longer before they start getting their act together...

After what happened last year, Southeast Missouri State's Redhawks know host Murray State will be gunning for them tonight. But, rejuvenated by their first two-game winning streak of the season, the Redhawks say bring it on. "They'll be looking to get us back, but we're ready," senior guard Roy Booker said following the Redhawks' first Ohio Valley Conference road victory this season, Thursday's 72-60 triumph at Eastern Illinois. "I feel like this game might have got us over the hump."...

To the editor: In response to recent letters on the Patriot Act, I have a question: If you did not like an article in the Constitution, would you throw out the entire Constitution? Of course not. Let's be reasonable. This has nothing to do with a political party, so let's keep that out. This has everything to do with our freedom and security...

Eva Lucille Leazenby, 84, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Jan. 6, 2006, at her home. Lorberg Memorial Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

James L. Pettigrew, 77, of Cape Girardeau, died Friday, Jan. 6, 2006, at Missouri Veterans Home. Lorberg Memorial Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

MORLEY, Mo. -- Pauline Reinbott, 93, of Morley died Thursday, Jan. 5, 2006, at Chaffee Nursing Center in Chaffee, Mo. She was born June 11, 1912, in Maynard, Ark., daughter of H.A. and Lofa Evans Casey. She and Harold Reinbott were married March 10, 1998. He died May 24, 2003...

FROHNA, Mo. -- Earl J. Duvall, 85, of Frohna died Friday, Jan. 6, 2006, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born March 23, 1920, in St. Louis, son of Joseph and Mabel Kapeller Duvall. He and Melva D. Kreyling were married June 7, 1947...

ANNA, Ill. -- Betty Jones, 77, of Anna died Friday, Jan. 6, 2006, at her home. Friends may call from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday and on Monday until the time of funeral at Lutz and Rendleman Funeral Home in Anna. The funeral will be at 2 p.m. Monday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Al Campbell officiating. Burial will be in McGinnis Cemetery near Anna...

Construction crews will descend on Jackson High School by summer as work begins to renovate and expand the campus. Fueled by a $19.8 million bond issue approved by voters in August, the project will modernize an aging high school campus and put most of it under one roof...

NEW YORK -- Four Seasons hotels in Chicago and Hawaii, and inns in Vermont, Mississippi and on the California coast, were the top-scoring places to stay in the United States in the annual "Gold List" survey published by Conde Nast Traveler. The magazine's January issue lists hundreds of properties around the world, using a survey of 28,000 readers who rated hotels and resorts for design, location, rooms, activities, service and food...

ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- The first surprise was when three sisters discovered they were pregnant and due around the same time. But the bigger surprise came last week when their babies were born on three consecutive days at the same hospital in this St. Louis suburb. The sisters live in Warrenton, about 40 miles away...

NEW YORK -- Italy and fashion go together. So do athletes and high-performance gear. What does that mean for team uniforms at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Turin? It means sleeker and more subtle styles than the fleece pieces that dominated the U.S. team wardrobe at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City. The popular USA beret, however, returns...

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- A firehouse in Little Rock that closed down in 1960 is being turned into a hostel geared to international travelers. The city approved leasing the old fire station near MacArthur Park and the city's downtown area to Arkansas Hostelling Inc., a nonprofit group formed by John and Linda Fordyce...

DECATUR, Ill. -- Why spend cash on a trip to Italy when you can drive to Niles, Ill., home to a half-scale replica of the Tower of Pisa? Or plan a day trip to Gays, Ill., home of the state's only two-story outhouse? Sure, a trip to the top of the Sears Tower is fun and a visit to the new Abraham Lincoln library in Springfield, Ill., can be an educational treat. ...

LOS ANGELES -- Comets have long lit up the sky and the imaginations of scientists. Now these icy bodies from the beginnings of the solar system are finally ready for their close-up. Six months after NASA scientists first peeked inside one comet from afar, they're bringing pieces of another to Earth for study under the microscope...

PHILIPPI, W.Va. -- In the darkness of the Sago Mine, one of 12 trapped coal miners scrawled a timeline detailing how he and some of the other men were alive but losing air at least 10 hours after an underground explosion, his daughter said Saturday...

URBANA, Ill. -- Government and industry spent millions of dollars last winter to prepare farmers for soybean rust, a fungus that could cost them thousands of dollars to control. But while the disease was found in southern states for a second straight year, it never reached the Midwest...

DETROIT -- Despite General Motors Corp.'s problems in its home market, the automaker's worldwide sales were at their highest level in 27 years in 2005 thanks to growth in Asia and Latin America, GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner said. "Getting outside of the U.S. market we had a good year, on balance, around the world," Wagoner said in a transcript of remarks released Saturday by GM...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Gunmen kidnapped a female American journalist and killed her Iraqi translator Saturday in western Baghdad, an Interior Ministry official said. Maj. Falah Mohamadawi said the translator told police before he died that the abduction took place when he and the journalist were heading to meet Adnan al-Dulaimi, head of the Sunni Arab Iraqi Accordance Front, in the Adel section of the city...

Lovie Smith is in the company of Hall of Famers. Smith was hired to resurrect the proud Chicago Bears franchise once coached by George Halas and Mike Ditka. He did such a strong job in 2005 that he was chosen The Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year on Saturday...

CINCINNATI -- For nine excruciating years, offensive tackle Willie Anderson went home in January, fired up the grill, watched the NFL playoffs and fantasized about getting there someday. Turns out, fantasy is nothing like reality. The Cincinnati Bengals are back in the playoffs for the first time in 15 years, feeling wholly out of place. Not even the weather is following the script -- above-average temperatures leading up to the first-round game today against Pittsburgh...

KAPALUA, Hawaii -- Whether they change the greens or change the calendar, it doesn't seem to matter to Stuart Appleby. Whenever he gets to Kapalua for the Mercedes Championships, he looks unstoppable. On another blustery day that severely tested the 28-man field of last year's PGA Tour winners, Appleby was steady as ever Saturday and birdied three of his last six holes for a 3-under 70 and a two-shot lead over U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell...

Coming off one of their worst shooting performances under coach Steve Alford, Iowa rebounded Saturday to beat previously unbeaten and No. 6 Illinois 63-48, snapping the Illini's 15-game winning streak. The Hawkeyes (12-4, 1-1 Big Ten) did just enough on offense. Jeff Horner had 16 points and helped Iowa take command in the second half, when the Hawkeyes scored 40 points on 53 percent shooting and 18-of-21 from the free throw line...

WASHINGTON -- In deference to an ailing ally, the Bush administration is saying little publicly about how it intends to fan flickering Mideast peace hopes if Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon remains incapacitated or does not survive. Privately, American officials are gathering their thoughts and making some tentative moves despite uncertainty about who would succeed the 77-year-old prime minister...

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Tom DeLay, the defiant face of a conservative revolution in Congress, stepped down as House majority leader on Saturday under pressure from Republicans staggered by an election-year corruption scandal. "During my time in Congress, I have always acted in an ethical manner within the rules of our body and the laws of our land," the Texas lawmaker told fellow Republicans in a letter informing them of his decision...

WASHINGTON -- A luxury skybox for sports fans in Congress. A dinner party that raises thousands of dollars for a political candidate. Helpful suggestions on how the guest of honor might phrase a letter to the president or a Cabinet secretary. Alone and even in modest combinations, all are examples of business as usual in Washington's billion-dollar world of government, lobbying and campaign finance...

GREAT FALLS, Mont. -- A cow that escaped a slaughterhouse dodged vehicles, ran in front of a train, braved the icy Missouri River and took three tranquilizer darts before being recaptured six hours later. News of the heifer's adventures prompted a number of people to offer to buy the animal...

DETROIT -- A warning that consumers shouldn't use a heat gun that produces temperatures of 1,000 degrees as a hairdryer has won an anti-lawsuit group's award for the wackiest label of the year. The Wacky Warning Label Contest, in its ninth year, is conducted by Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch as part of an effort to show the effects of lawsuits on warning labels...

Kage Road between Hopper Road and Valley View Lane will be closed next week for repairs. The closure will be daily Monday through Friday from the hours of 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The Cape Girardeau Stormwater Division will be installing a culvert pipe in a ditch along Kage Road in order to combat an erosion problem...

Roadside bomb in Afghan city kills passer-by; Britain closes Jordan embassy due to danger; Australian police: More than one shark attacked

Cape Girardeau...

Every legislative session has its shares of surprises and disappointments, but some things are as predictable as death and taxes. For example, this being an election year, look for proposals in the Missouri Legislature, which opened last week, to appeal to voters: more school funding, stricter guidelines for eminent domain and restoring some of the funding cut from Medicaid last year...

Delta pulled away from Greenville to win the championship game Saturday at its New Year's tournament. The Bobcats (9-1) used a 19-4 scoring spree in the third period en route to a 63-41 victory. "We switched defenses more in the second half," Delta coach Randy White said. "Our kids playing hard. We're starting to see the floor a little better."...

George B. Schweer, 75, of Jackson passed away Saturday, Jan.7, 2006, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born Oct. 7, 1930, in the Byrd's Creek Community, son of the late Otto and Mollie McBryde Schweer. He and Ruth Noland were married Feb. 22, 1951, in Old Appleton...

Thomas K. O'Loughlin Sr. of Jackson died peacefully at his home surrounded by his family in the early morning hours of Jan. 7, 2006. His life was framed by his love and affection for Aggie, his wife of 65 years, his children, grandchildren and aviation...

FREDERICKTOWN, Mo. -- Virginia Lee Moore, 87, of Fredericktown died Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2005, at Stockoff Nursing Home. She was born Aug. 13, 1918, at Zion, Mo., daughter of Francis Lauren and Ada Alice Elders Whitener. She and Clarence Gilford Moore were married March 4, 1939, at Fredericktown. He preceded her in death...

DEXTER, Mo.-- Hilda Smyth, 75 of Dexter died Friday, Jan. 6, 2006, at her home. She was born Nov. 10, 1930, at Essex, Mo. She and Alvin Smyth were married Sept. 10, 1949, at Dexter. Smyth was a member of First Baptist Church in Dexter. Survivors include her husband; three daughters, Vicki Waldrup of Dexter, Beverly Good of Cookeville, Tenn., Susan Richmond of Cape Girardeau; a sister, Nelda Douglas of Dexter; and seven grandchildren...

James L. Pettigrew, 77, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Jan. 6, 2006, at Missouri Veterans Home. He was born Feb. 20, 1928, at Portageville, Mo., son of U.G. and Elsie Marie James Pettigrew. He and Janet M. Reiker were married July 13, 1957, at St. Mary's Cathedral. She died Feb. 23, 1995...

LEOPOLD, Mo. -- David Frederick Keller, 64, of Leopold died Friday, Jan. 6, 2006, at his home. Arrangements are incomplete at Hutchings Funeral Chapel in Marble Hill, Mo.

ANNA, Ill. -- Betty Ann Jones, 77, of Anna died Friday, Jan. 6, 2006, at her home. She was born Nov. 1, 1928, at Lick Creek, Ill., daughter of Lafayette Carroll and Ruth Stout Rich. She and Leonard Lowell Jones were married July 9, 1947, in Osceola, Ark.; he died Nov. 19, 1989...

25 years ago: Jan. 8, 1981 The recently formed Cape Girardeau Redevelopment Corporation finalizes its version of an urban redevelopment ordinance for the city which corporation officials hope will be acted upon by the city council at its next meeting; the 20-page ordinance outlines the steps necessary for redevelopment to take place in Cape Girardeau...

Assisting on success ANY CHANCE of bringing back Kevin Emerick to coach the Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team? They sure were doing better when he was on board. Thanks for the memories THANKS TO the Southeast Missourian and all the sponsors for a great Christmas basketball tourniment. ...

SEDGEWICKVILLE, Mo. -- William Jennings Morgan, 85, of Sedgewickville died Friday, Jan. 6, 2006, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born Aug. 4, 1920, at Portageville, Mo., son of William and Grace Elizabeth Sawyers Morgan. He and Mary Helen Leist were married Jan. 20, 1950, at Piggott, Ark...

ST. LOUIS -- AmerenUE officials are awaiting state approval of a plan to treat murky waters with chemicals after a mountaintop dam burst last month. The company has proposed using chemicals in the lower Taum Sauk reservoir that will cause small floating particles of clay to bind together and drop to the bottom of the reservoir, said Mike Menne, vice president of environmental safety and health at Ameren...

The Southeast Missourian won five awards, including first place for Best Coverage of Local Business and Economic News, in the 2005 Editorial Contest sponsored by the Suburban Newspapers of America. The newspaper's business section was edited by Scott Moyers...

MARIONVILLE, Mo. -- A lot of things were said about cattle rustling in Bob Herndon's garage, but it was a lawman's remarks that drove home just how bad the problem is in the Ozarks. Eighty-seven thefts. Twenty-nine counties. Almost a half-million dollars in stolen property...

White ceramic tiles were laid out on a table in the center of Westfield West Park on Saturday to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri. For a $5 donation, children could make handprints in colorful paint on the tiles, which will be permanently displayed in the hallway leading to the new family lounge at the Steve and Barry's wing. New larger restrooms will accompany the 700-square-foot family lounge, opening this spring...

Volunteers needed for Jackson's Project Charlie Volunteers are needed to help facilitate Jackson's Project Charlie program. The program is designed for elementary school children to teach them the dangers of drug use. It also raises awareness of peer pressure and promotes the development of self-esteem. ...

NEW ORLEANS -- A judge blocked the eviction Saturday of about 100 people from a New Orleans hotel, the Maison St. Charles, which had ordered tenants displaced by Hurricane Katrina to move out to make room for new guests. ...

HALLAM, Neb. -- The Tighe family had long ago written off Harley the cat as dead. He was 8 years old when he went missing. He was declawed. And he disappeared in the May 22, 2004, tornado. And even if he had survived the storm, which claimed the Tighe home, he wasn't a very nice cat, Sue Tighe said. She didn't think he'd find anyone willing to take care of him...

A look at two Republicans who may seek the House majority leader post: Roy Blunt of Missouri: Low key and affable in public, Blunt presents a marked contrast to the hard-driving DeLay, whom Blunt succeeded as House Republican whip in 2003 and now may seek to ascend to the second-ranking post of majority leader. ...

JERUSALEM -- Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's chances of surviving his severe stroke are high, but his ability to think and reason have been damaged, one of his surgeons said Saturday. The 77-year-old Israeli leader remained in critical condition, though his vital signs were stable and a brain scan Saturday showed a slight reduction in swelling...

JERUSALEM -- Ehud Olmert's immediate test as Israel's acting prime minister -- and a harbinger of his stand on Mideast peacemaking -- will be whether he will allow Palestinians to vote in Jerusalem in their upcoming parliamentary elections. A "no" could derail balloting scheduled for Jan. ...

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- The Brazilian commander of U.N. peacekeepers in Haiti was found dead on the balcony of his hotel room Saturday in an apparent suicide, authorities said, a blow to the 9,000-strong force and efforts to restore democracy in Haiti...

BEIJI, Iraq -- U.S. soldiers in the field were not all supportive of a Pentagon study that found improved body armor saves lives, with some troops arguing Saturday that more armor would hinder combat effectiveness. The unreleased study examined 93 fatal wounds to Marines from the start of the Iraq war. It concluded 74 of them were bullet or shrapnel wounds to shoulders or torso areas unprotected by traditional ceramic armor plating...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraq's fractious political groups could form a coalition government within weeks, the country's president said Saturday, as U.S. officials have increased post-election contacts with disaffected Sunni Arabs linked to the insurgency...

Not even Saturday night's loss at Murray State could detract from what was a very good week for the Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team. When the week began, the Redhawks knew if they didn't start getting their act together somewhat, they might find themselves buried in the Ohio Valley Conference race before the midway point of the season...

TROY, N.Y. -- The crowd whoops and claps. Referees in striped shirts watch over young robot-makers who anxiously track their Lego creations zipping and turning on tabletops. Teams of 9- though 14-year-olds with monikers like the Rambots and the Seymour Cyberteks have entered their robots in a regional "FIRST Lego League" competition held at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute...

As farmers look to 2006 they can see a continued decline in the profitability of their operations. Rising energy costs are expected to severely affect farming in the coming year, even more than they have in previous years. The price of diesel and gasoline to power tractors, combines, trucks and irrigation systems continues to rise compared to this time last year, as does the natural gas required to make nitrogen-based fertilizer...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- This is Jimmy McKinney's final Big 12 season, and against Oklahoma State he played as if there were no tomorrow. The often erratic senior guard had a career-best 23 points and Thomas Gardner also had 23, both getting big baskets in the closing minutes of Missouri's 69-61 victory over Oklahoma State in a conference opener on Saturday night...

This time of year, a slice of Key lime pie is the next best thing to a trip to the Florida Keys. Okay, maybe not the next best thing, but good eating anyway. But don't start your gustatory journey at the supermarket. Supermarkets sell mostly Persian limes, which lack the unique and potent aroma of genuine Key limes...

NEW ORLEANS -- The National Urban League and likely other civil rights groups would oppose any New Orleans rebuilding plan that would do away with neighborhoods most heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina, the league's president said Saturday. In an interview before a speech, Marc Morial, a former mayor of the city, said he was concerned about suggestions that officials focus on rebuilding the least damaged neighborhoods and that some devastated areas could be turned into marshland or open space...

2005 was a record year for the number of companies fined because they lacked proper workers' compensation insurance. In a year-end report, Attorney General Jay Nixon's office said that 262 companies were fined a total of $755,000. That figure is up from $557,000 paid by 148 businesses in 2004...

Think your dog's tendency to chase its own tail is cute? How about the way your cat constantly licks its stomach area? Behaviors that were once considered stereotypical in pets -- anything from digging in the backyard to aggression -- are now treated as compulsions...

GENEVA -- Teenage siblings who died of bird flu in Turkey were the first humans outside East Asia to succumb to the deadly H5N1 strain that has apparently been spread by migratory birds, the U.N. health agency said Saturday. A British laboratory confirmed Saturday that the 15-year-old girl and her 14-year-old brother were infected with the virus, said Maria Cheng, spokeswoman for the World Health Organization. Testing is continuing on an 11-year-old sister who died Friday...

SHE SAID: Last year, I started an alphabetical list of medical professionals who have files with my name on them. From allergist to cardiologist to dermatologist to neurologist to ophthalmologist to radiologist ... and so on. If I can come up with a Z and a Q, I'll have a full set. Unfortunately, my regular doctor hasn't found a reason to refer me to a zoologist yet, and I'm not sure if any field of science/medicine begins with Q...

Holly Michelle Doza and Joseph Thomas Ruggeri were united in marriage Nov. 26, 2005, at Concordia Lutheran Church in Maplewood, Mo. The Rev. Lew Ensor performed the ceremony. Readers were Matthew Younghouse and Joan Morgan of Cape Girardeau. Organist was Russ Henkaus of St. Louis, and soloist was Meagan Edmonds of Cape Girardeau...

Jennifer Walton Germany and Andrew Robert Ostrenga were married May 21, 2005, at Madison United Methodist Church in Madison, Miss. The Revs. Kelly Pope and Kent Bowlds performed the ceremony. Organist was Jason Derrick of Jackson, Miss. Parents of the couple are Mr. and Mrs. Lowery Q. Germany of Ridgeland, Miss., and Mr. and Mrs. William Ostrenga of Cape Girardeau...

Ashley Brianne Porch and Carmon William Thomas Jackson exchanged vows Sept. 10, 2005, at Francine's Gardens in Cape Girardeau. The Rev. Randy Morse performed the ceremony. Vocalists were Tyler Schwettman of Scott City, cousin of the bride; Missy Lindner of Kalamazoo, Mich., and Dave Lindner of Scotts, Mich...

Sarah C. James and Justin S. Graham were married Dec. 27, 2005, at Cape County Park. The Rev. Suzzane Wilkerson performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of David and Lori James and Debbie James, all of Jackson. The groom is the son of Steve Graham and Tammy Curtis of Cape Girardeau...

Fred and Kathy Grabel of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Kristen Elaine Grabel, to Matthew Todd Jeans, both of O'Fallon, Mo. He is the son of James and Elizabeth Jeans of St. Albans, Mo. Grabel is a 1998 graduate of Central High School. ...

James and Yvonne Wills of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Jamie Nicole Wills, to Michael Alan Keller of Scott City. He is the son of Roger and Carolyn Keller of Fruitland. Wills is a 2003 graduate of Jackson High School, and is attending the Sikeston Nursing Program. She is employed at Saint Francis Medical Center...

Larry and Marian McCord of St. Louis announce the engagement of their daughter, Jessica McCord, to Timothy Robert, both of St. Louis. He is the son of Richard and Linda Robert of Cape Girardeau. McCord is a 2000 graduate of Oakville High School in St. Louis. She received a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla in 2004. She is an estimation engineer at Nooter-Eriksen in Fenton, Mo...

Jeffery and Beverly Riley of Benton, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Audrey Riley, to David Wayne McCrite. He is the son of Joann McCrite of Cape Girardeau, and the late Elvis McCrite. Riley received a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Southeast Missouri State University, and is pursuing a master's in business administration from William Woods University. She is employed by Missouri Department of Transportation...

Dr. Timothy and Donna Miller of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Kimberly Dawn Miller, to Jonathan David Parks II. He is the son of Jonathan and Ruth Parks of Jackson. Miller is a 2002 graduate of Jackson High School. She received a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Southeast Missouri State University in 2005. She is a fifth grade teacher with Jackson School District...

Keith and Faye Myer of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Ashley Myer, to Scott Lane. He is the son of Russell Lane and Susan Lane of Jackson. Myer is a 2002 graduate of Jackson High School. She received a bachelor's degree in business administration from Southeast Missouri State University in 2005. She is an internal auditor with Express Scripts in St. Louis...

Mr. and Mrs. Gib Urhahn of Jackson celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Nov. 12, 2005, with a reception at Francine's Gardens in Cape Girardeau. Hosts were their sons and daughters-in-law, Greg and Susan Urhahn of Jackson and Brad and Leslee Urhahn of Bentonville, Ark...

Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Williams of Jackson celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with a brunch Dec. 18, 2005, at the Marquette. Williams and Mildred Seabaugh were married Dec. 22, 1945, at Sedgewickville Lutheran Church. Their children and spouses are Gaye and Len Swan and Kirk and Mary Beth Williams, all of Jackson...

I read with interest the Dec. 29 letter to the editor from John Cook. In his letter, Cook concludes by asking what standards we hold President George W. Bush to "when he wiretaps Americans without a search warrant." President Bush acted lawfully. ...

Growing corn; No one pulling the reins; Less is better; Eating in classrooms; Comparing costs; Early campaign; Proud supporter

LESTERVILLE, Mo. -- Where the Black River narrows at the geological features that give Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park its name, a multitude of signs remain of the 1 billion gallons of water that spilled Dec. 14 from a nearby reservoir. Riverbanks denuded of trees, 175 feet of railing missing from a boardwalk and debris left on hillsides 50 feet above the narrowest spot on the river all speak to the power of 5 million tons of water. ...

A Doniphan, Mo., man died early Sunday morning when the vehicle he was driving ran off the road and overturned. Phillip Holland, 20, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident in Ripley County. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Holland was driving on Highway 21, 11 miles north of Doniphan. ...

Sikeston motorist killed in single-vehicle accident Southeast Missourian A Sikeston, Mo., man died late Saturday night when the vehicle he was driving overturned in New Madrid County. James Robinson, 54, received fatal injuries from the accident that occurred after he failed to negotiate a turn on Route D in Lilbourn, Mo. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Robinson's vehicle ran off the right side of the roadway, overturned and he was ejected...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- When Qasim Al-Ganzawy and his brother Satar were fleeing for their lives from Saddam Hussein, they did not have much time to think about the future. In 1991 the two brothers fled the brutal attacks unleashed by the Iraqi dictator to quell a Kurdish uprising in northern Iraq. They feared for their lives and they mourned the family members they had lost in the attacks which largely targeted civilians in their hometown of Kirkouk...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Some call it the scarlet letter of the modern day: registered sex offender. More than 11,000 men and women in Missouri carry the label above their names, addresses and photographs on a publicly accessible Web site. But do they all deserve to be there?...

Jackson wrestlers Sean Gant and Ben McMillian are trying to make the most of their senior seasons. Gant and McMillan have come as close as possible to qualifying for the state tournament but have yet to step on the mat at the University of Missouri...

CINCINNATI -- Carson Palmer stood his ground and held the ball an extra second, waiting for rookie Chris Henry to run past a defender and get open. That one second changed everything. Steelers nose tackle Kimo von Oelhoffen dived at Palmer on his first pass Sunday, hitting Palmer at the knee and knocking the Pro Bowl quarterback out of the game with a torn ligament...

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The Carolina Panthers' defense played like coach John Fox was in the New York huddle, spying on his former team. The Giants had no such insight into the Panthers, allowing Steve Smith and DeShaun Foster to beat them at their own game in their own place...

AUSTIN, Texas -- Vince Young is headed to the NFL. The quarterback who led Texas to its first national championship in 36 years announced Sunday he would make himself eligible for the NFL draft. "I thank God for the opportunity to be in this position," Young said at a news conference. "Hard work has paid off a whole lot."...

KAPALUA, Hawaii -- Stuart Appleby had to go an extra hole to make it three in a row Sunday at the Mercedes Championships, making a birdie on the par-5 18th to force a playoff against Vijay Singh, then winning on the same hole with a bunker shot that nearly went in...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter went down in northern Iraq, killing all 12 Americans believed to be aboard in the deadliest crash in nearly a year, while five U.S. Marines died in weekend attacks, the military said Sunday. The latest deaths followed an especially bloody week in which about 200 Iraqis and a dozen U.S. ...

25 years ago: Jan. 9, 1981 Petitions sufficient in number to assure an election in April on proceeding toward a charter form of government for Cape Girardeau are submitted to the chamber of commerce; the total number of signatures obtained is close to 400; the minimum needed was 295...

AGUILAR, Colo. -- The wildfire danger that has been menacing the parched southern plains spread to Arkansas and Colorado on Sunday, where wind-whipped blazes destroyed at least nine homes and forced hundreds of people to evacuate, authorities said. Fires in southern Colorado destroyed five homes, burned at least 6,000 acres and forced several residents to evacuate homes in Huerfano and Las Animas counties, not far from the New Mexico line...

PHILIPPI, W.Va. -- The funerals began early -- they had to. There were just so many in West Virginia's coal mining towns this Sunday. And after the agonizing heartbreak that played out on television as families learned that 12 miners they thought were alive in the Sago Mine had actually died, the funerals were, for the most part, a private affair...

The (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan CARBONDALE, Ill. -- At least it's not cougars this time. Dr. Clay Nielsen, an ecologist with Southern Illinois University Carbondale's Cooperative Wildlife Research Lab, says there have been a number of confirmed reports about a strange critter not typically associated with Southern Illinois -- the armadillo...

WASHINGTON -- Head restraints in several sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks poorly protected test dummies from neck injuries in a simulated rear crash at 20 mph, the insurance industry reported Sunday. Only six of the 44 SUVs but not one of the 15 pickups tested earned top scores for their seat and head restraints...

WASHINGTON -- The percentage of physicians who accept new Medicare patients has increased over the past fours years despite a slight drop in physicians' reimbursement rates, a study shows. The findings suggests that doctors would not quit seeing Medicare patients if Congress had gone ahead with a proposed 4.4 cut in reimbursement rates in 2006, one of the authors said...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- It looks like Mike Marshall won't have an opponent after all in his bid for another term as Sikeston's mayor. Sikeston City Clerk Carroll Couch said he received an e-mail from Wayne Morgan Wednesday advising Morgan has withdrawn from the race. ...

Cape Girardeau...

Cape Girardeau...

Cape Girardeau...

A foundation associated with former St. Louis Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog has contributed $25,000 to Jackson to help build a first-class baseball field in Brookside Park. Herzog also has pledged another $25,000 to the project, estimated to cost more than $200,000...

Some great people; Mixed signals; Simple solution; Get the facts straight; Protecting us; Movie freedom; Main Street options; Alternating directions; Walk for your life; Nursing care; Public employment

Marilynne Anne Toll, 74, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Jan. 7, 2006, at the Chateau Girardeau Health Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born on March 13, 1931, in Oklahoma City, Okla., daughter of Neal and Jewel Stumpf Baker. Marilynne attended Stephens College in Columbia, Mo. and Southeast Missouri State University where she obtained a Bachelor of science degree in home economics and a Masters degree in guidance and counseling...

Douglass Lloyd Block, 41, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Jan. 7, 2006, at his residence in Cape Girardeau. He was born on March 24, 1964, in Muscatine, Iowa, son of Lloyd H. and Jill F. Feagan Block. He and Margo Thien were married on March 11, 1995, in Cape Girardeau...

Fredericktown, Mo. -- Virginia 'Tinny" Mercier died January 8, 2006, at the age of 92 years in Fredericktown. Virginia Hough Mercier was born Dec. 17, 1913, to Riley and Alma Hough. She moved to Fredericktown as an infant and lived there her entire life...

Jewell T. Gettings, 89, died on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2006, at her daughter's home in Cape Girardeau. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at the Lorberg Memorial Funeral Chapel in Cape Girardeau.

Nada E. Bradford, 97, of Cape Girardeau, died Sunday, Jan. 8, 2006, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Funeral arrangements are incomplete with Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

Anna Wiethop, 81, of Cape Girardeau, died Sunday, Jan. 8, 2006 at her residence in Cape Girardeau. Funeral arrangements are incomplete with Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

COBDEN, Ill. -- Carole J. May, 72, of Cobden, died Sunday, Jan. 8, 2006, at the Union County Hospital. She was born Aug. 18, 1933, in Jonesboro, daughter of Bon and Ellen Disney Harrison. She and William May were married on Aug. 19, 1950, in Jonesboro. He preceded her in death...

Wanda Matlock, 79, of Cape Girardeau, died Sunday, Jan. 8, 2006, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Funeral arrangements are incomplete with Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

Imogene 'Jean' Ross, 94, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Jan. 8, 2006, at Chateau Girardeau Health Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Oct. 30, 1911, in Blodgett, Mo., daughter of the late Joseph F. and Myra Tisdel Mackley. She and Oral C. Ross were married on March, 13, 1926, in Jackson. He preceded her in death in 1968...

The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch Afghanistan is an interesting incubator for democracy, perhaps more of a challenge than Iraq, which gets more of the world's attention. In the past three decades, the nation has suffered wars, military takeovers, Soviet occupation and a repressive Taliban regime that backed international terrorism. .....

A popular dance video game tests the coordination of players who score points by performing the right moves. Dance Dance Revolution is played on a computerized pad with points awarded for dancing on squares that coordinate with the arrows on the TV screen. It's a good way to get exercise, but coordination is the key word when considering game mastery...

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran said Sunday that inspectors from the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency would remove seals from some nuclear facilities by Monday, opening the way for Tehran to resume research on fuel production. The development heightened concerns in the West that Iran was moving toward building atomic weapons...

ANKARA, Turkey -- The man who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981 will be released from prison this week after a court decided he had completed his sentence for the attack on the pontiff and other crimes -- a ruling that took the Vatican by surprise. Mehmet Ali Agca was extradited to Turkey in 2000 after serving almost 20 years in Italy for shooting and wounding the pope in St. Peter's Square in Rome. His motive for shooting John Paul in the abdomen on May 13, 1981, remains unclear...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- President Hamid Karzai said Sunday that a few hundred Taliban fighters have reconciled with the government and suggested militant leader Mullah Omar should "get in touch" if he wanted to talk peace. In the context of escalating violence, including suicide attacks, the remarks by Karzai in an interview with The Associated Press were seen as a significant softening of the government's previous policy of not negotiating with top leaders of the hard-line militia...

MINA, Saudi Arabia -- More than 2 million Muslims raised their hands to heaven and chanted in unison Sunday as they hiked through a desert valley to the outskirts of Mecca in preparation for Islam's annual sacred pilgrimage. The journey through the eight-mile-long valley puts the pilgrims from around the globe in place for the start of hajj rituals today. The march takes Muslims along the steps of the prophet Muhammad, who gave his last sermon on Mount Arafat in 632...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Missouri, picked in the preseason to finish 10th in the Big 12, is out to prove its detractors wrong. Beating the defending national champions, as the Tigers did with a 64-61 victory over No. 4 Baylor in their conference opener, goes a long way toward making their case...

The Penzel Construction Co. received an award on Tuesday for the work they completed for the First Presbyterian Church of Cape Girardeau. The annual award was presented by the National Association of Church Design Builders, a professional association of firms that bridges communication and resources between churches and construction contractors. ...

n Name: Tracy Haggerty...

Cape man completes army vehicle training...

When Betty Griffith, a Southeast Missouri State University International Center host parent, found out that Hitomi Sato's parents were coming from Japan to attend her graduation, she planned a tour for them. Her main objective was to take the Satos to Interesting and informative sights that would familarize the couple with the American life their daughter had come to know...

NEW YORK -- Yields on some long-term U.S. Treasury securities have fallen below those on short-term ones for the first time in five years, triggering alarm bells about what that may mean for the economy. But don't expect a quick answer. If history is any guide, the phenomenon known as the inversion of the yield curve doesn't bode well for what's ahead. When the return on 10-year Treasury notes slid lower than those on two-year notes in the past, it often was a precursor to a recession...

Cape Girardeau karate business relocates Tracy's Kenpo Karate Studios in Cape Girardeau has relocated to 1131 N. Kingshighway, Suite 2C, in the King's Center mall. The former location was 240 S. Plaza Way. The owner is Roger Arpin. Denny's real estate sold, but restaurant staying...

Cape Girardeau physician elected to advisory board Dr. Elizabeth J. Horton, a specialist in the neurological diseases of children, has been elected secretary of the Professional Advisory Board for the Epilepsy Foundation of America, St. Louis Region. ...

The number of spring softball teams in Missouri continues to dwindle, leaving Southeast Missouri one of the few regions of the state with as many spring teams as fall teams. Conference and tournament championships have been the ultimate goal for spring softball teams -- there is no state tournament for spring softball -- but that could change if a proposal to add a spring softball tournament gains steam at the Missouri State High School Activities Association regional meetings...

The Missouri Department of Conservation is hosting four public meetings in January to discuss turkey management and proposed changes in deer hunting regulations. State wildlife biologists will make presentations on antler restrictions and turkey season details. Meetings will be 7 to 9 p.m. on the following dates at these locations:...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department is seeking individuals who are interested in attending the annual Citizen's Police Academy, which will familiarize participants with the department's daily activities and services through presentations by various department officers...

City Hall, 401 Independence St. Study Session at 5 p.m. Consent Ordinances (Second and third readings) An ordinance to place stop signs on Park Place Drive at its intersection with Bloomfield Road. An ordinance approving the record plat of Forest Hills Estates Third Addition...

State lawmakers return to their jobs this month, grappling with finding ways to protect property rights, stem the influx of illegal immigrants and prepare for emergencies, with Hurricane Katrina still fresh on their minds. Looming behind all their actions will be thoughts of elections this fall...

ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- The first surprise was when three Warrenton sisters discovered they were pregnant and due around the same time. But the bigger surprise came last week when their babies -- Sophia, Jack and Kara -- were born on three consecutive days at the same hospital in the St. Louis suburb of St. Charles...

WASHINGTON -- In a race framed by scandal, Republican Reps. Roy Blunt and John Boehner pledged action on a reform agenda Sunday as they launched competing campaigns to succeed Tom DeLay as House majority leader. "We've had a tough run recently, some of it of our own making," Boehner, R-Ohio, wrote fellow Republicans, whose decade-long hold on power will be challenged by Democrats next fall...

RICHMOND, Va. -- Investigators are looking into whether two men arrested for the robbery and killings of seven people in their Richmond homes were involved in similar crimes elsewhere, a police spokeswoman said Sunday. Ray Joseph Dandridge and Ricky Gray, both 28, were captured Saturday in Philadelphia on charges stemming from the killings of members of two families, including two children, who were discovered bound with tape. The home of one family was set on fire and the other was ransacked...

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration has illegally stopped making public detailed tax enforcement data, which has been used to show which kinds of taxpayers get the most and toughest audits, a noted tax researcher says. Syracuse University Professor Susan B. Long said in papers filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle late last week that since Nov. 1, 2004, the Internal Revenue Service has violated a 1976 court order requiring the release of the data...

WASHINGTON -- The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said Sunday he has asked Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to testify publicly on the legality of warantless eavesdropping on telephone conversations between suspected terrorists and people in the United States...

JERUSALEM -- A scan of Ariel Sharon's brain on Sunday showed improvement, but doctors decided to wait another day to start bringing the Israeli leader out of his medically induced coma, an important step in determining how much damage he suffered from a massive stroke...

TRAPPE, Md. -- If you're a suburban cowboy hankering to raise a herd and short on ranch land, mini cattle may be for you. New breeds of pint-sized heifers and bulls are making it easier for small farmers to raise cattle for milk, meat or just fun. Bill Bryan, who operates a 50-acre spread on Maryland's Eastern Shore, sold seven calves last year...

These days Cape Girardeau residents can do just about anything without leaving their cars. The 2.6-mile stretch of Kingshighway between Bloomfield and Mount Auburn roads has 11 drive-through restaurants, seven drive-through ATMs, seven drive-through convenience stores and two drive-through pharmacies...

SYDNEY, Australia -- Justine Henin-Hardenne beat Martina Hingis 6-3, 6-3 Monday in the first round at the Sydney International, giving the former No. 1 player a dose of reality in her comeback. Henin-Hardenne, the French Open champion who had not played since October because of a right hamstring strain, had too much power for Hingis...

Final results (Top 2 finishers) Boys Under 9: 1. Cobras, 2. LK Wood Under 10: 1. Sikeston Storm, 2. Jackson United Under 12: 1. SMSC Lightning, 2. SMSC Code Blue Under 14: 1. Hoffman Soccer Team, 2. Classic United 92 Under 17: 1. Noon Optimist Terror, 2. Empire...

The Kelly girls basketball team lost to Sikeston for the third time this season on Thursday. But the Hawks played much better in a 62-58 loss than it did in its last meetings with the Bulldogs. The Hawks (5-4) had lost 70-34 to Sikeston in the Twin Rivers Tournament just before the holiday break. They had lost 70-58 to Sikeston at the Chaffee tournament earlier this year...

Cardinals Caravan set for Jan. 15 stop The Cardinals Caravan will stop at the Osage Community Centre in Cape Girardeau on Sunday. Current Cardinals players Yadier Molina, Randy Flores and Aaron Miles and former player and now broadcaster Al Hrabosky will take part in the program...

Winter youth activities at the Cape Public Library include: From 10 to 10:30 a.m. on Mondays, Jan. 23 to Feb. 20, toddler time for ages 18 to 35 months will include stories, activities and fun for toddlers and their parent or caregiver. From 10 to 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Jan. 24 to Feb. 22, story time with a take-home activity available for ages 3 to 5...

Scott County EMA training announced National Weather Service Paducah meteorologist James Packett will conduct SKYWARN spotter training from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Feb. 16 at the Scott County Emergency Management Agency Training Center (former 911 building) at 22842 U.S. 61, Oran. Basic and advanced certification will be held the same evening. Certificates will be issued upon successful completion of the course. Call (573) 545-9113 for more information...

MAIDAN, Pakistan -- The snow is waist-deep, food stocks are dangerously low and villagers say the cold has been killing their children since a devastating earthquake three months ago. But most Pakistanis in the remote northwestern village of Maidan won't be leaving for warmer lowland camps. They have no land deeds and fear moving could cost them their homes...

Twenty-eight streets in Jackson will have potholes filled and other concrete repairs made in the upcoming year. The available $150,000 to make the repairs comes after a lawsuit was settled between Cape Girardeau County and the city of Jackson regarding the allotment of the county road and bridge taxes. Both sides officially ended the 3-year tax battle last March...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- In 1964, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart penned one of the most famed legal phrases in America. "I know it when I see it," he said. Stewart was referring to what qualifies as hard-core pornography -- something susceptible to government-imposed restrictions on free speech...

When Rick Honaker was growing up in coal country, his grandmother would dispatch him to the backyard, pail in hand, to scoop up the shiny, black rocks that fed her stove. It was the only fuel in a home that had long sent its men to the mines. Now, a generation later, the only time Honaker's own children have ever seen a lump of coal is when he brings one home. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Matt Blunt plans to propose a 4 percent pay hike for most state employees to take effect later this year. The governor told the News Tribune here that the budget plan he will unveil Wednesday night in his State of the State address includes $93.6 million to increase wages of state workers...

WASHINGTON -- Senate Democrats on Sunday promised a drawn-out confirmation and perhaps a filibuster for Samuel Alito if the Supreme Court nominee evades or refuses to answer their questions on abortion, presidential war powers and other issues at this week's confirmation hearings...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- David and Danyel Anderson delighted Honduran children in 2005 by giving them a variety of Dollar Store toys from Springfield. But the barefoot youths did not ask the Peace Corps volunteers to bring more balls and bracelets when they return to the tiny village of Campamento Dos. They asked whether the Americans could bring some footwear...

ATHENS, Greece -- A powerful earthquake shook Greece on Sunday and was felt as far away as the Middle East and Italy. Minor damage was reported in southern Greece, and authorities on the island of Crete said three people were slightly injured. No tsunami warnings were issued...

Mary Burton has been named to lead the Southeast Missouri Hospital Foundation. Burton, who is currently the executive director of the American Red Cross Southeast Missouri Chapter, will succeed J. Charles Stotz, who is retiring after 17 years on the job...

A man accused of reckless homicide in the June 2004 deaths of five people and two unborn children on Interstate 57 is unfit to stand trial, Union County, Ill., assistant state's attorney Brian Trambley announced Monday. A hearing into whether Jason King could be ready within a year was underway Monday and should be finished today, Trambley said in a prepared statement...

Agencies that assist low-income households with paying for heating bills have seen a significant increase in the number of families seeking help. In fact the Salvation Army has received 50 percent more calls from people needing assistance this year compared to last. But most of the Salvation Army's funds to pay for energy bills are usually depleted as soon as they become available...

Some people are willing to sacrifice for true love. Take Jim Curtin, for example. The Philadelphia man auctioned off hundreds of items of his Elvis Presley memorabilia collection over the weekend. He did so after his girlfriend issued an ultimatum: Leave the Elvis clothes or I'll leave you...

Missouri is one of 18 states that provide no special privilege for information gathered by news reporters. Now a shield law has been proposed that appears to have some momentum, with state Sen. Jason Crowell of Cape Girardeau sponsoring such a bill in this year's legislative session. House Speaker Rod Jetton of Marble Hill, Mo., has endorsed the idea...

To the editor: As friends of Greg and Lisa Sparkman for over 20 years, we are confused about his incarceration. Our federal judicial system has taken away a strong family, business and community leader for reasons I cannot fathom. Greg faces a minimum sentence of 15 years for a supposed 5-year-old arson case that had no apparent motive and no benefit to him, all based on the testimony of a convicted methamphetamine manufacturer who was released early for testifying against Greg...

To the editor: There is good news for the people of Missouri. You can still sign up for the new Medicare prescription drug plan. With the new program, Medicare beneficiaries will save an average of $1,300 a year on prescription drugs. Some of those who have already signed up tell us they will realize even greater savings...

Illinois State Police investigators have received a "good response" from a call for the public to help in the investigation of a death in rural Pulaski County, police spokesman Dale Poole said Monday. Trae Hannah, 23, of Anna, Ill., was found Jan. 4 in a burned out car. The events leading up to the discovery of the charred remains of Hannah and his 1993 Mercury Tracer are being investigated as a homicide, Poole said...

ST. LOUIS -- Jack Snow, a wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams for 11 seasons and a Rams broadcaster for several years, died Monday night, the team has confirmed. Snow, 62, had been hospitalized on and off for the past two months with a staph infection. His family was with him when he died at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, said Duane Lewis, a team spokesman...

Baylor guard Aaron Bruce has watched games on television, aching to play in one. About the only benefit of his team not playing any nonconference games was being able to go home to Australia for Christmas. After three months of practice and watching everybody else play, the Bears finally get to start their season...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Seventeen years after he was an intern with the Kansas City Chiefs, Herman Edwards is their head coach. "I finally found my way back. You never plan on something like this until it happens," Edwards said Monday at a packed news conference. "Fate has me back here. It's good to be back home."...

A Cape Girardeau father in a child endangerment case involving a roach-infested home was granted probation on Monday in order to financially support his children. At his sentencing on Monday, Denver M. Brooks 24, who now lives on South Sprigg Street, said that he and his wife, Melanie R. Brooks, have separated and that she has taken custody of their children and moved to Chaffee, Mo...

Notre Dame's girls basketball team outscored visiting Farmington 23-13 in the second half to pull away for a 47-35 win on Monday. The Bulldogs improved to 5-7, including 1-2 against Farmington. "I think more than anything we took care of the ball a little better," Notre Dame coach Jerry Grim said of the difference in Monday's meeting...

Two straight games of shooting better than 50 percent from the field and limiting their turnovers has given Southeast Missouri State's Redhawks reason for optimism regarding the rest of the season. "It's very encouraging to shoot as well as we have the last two games," Southeast coach Gary Garner said during his weekly media conference Monday. "Keeping our turnovers down and shooting the ball a little better definitely gives us a lot better chance to be successful."...

BUCKHANNON, W.Va. -- As the investigation into the Sago Mine disaster took shape Monday, the best hope for firsthand details about the explosion and its aftermath lay in critical condition, fighting a fever. Doctors treating sole survivor Randal McCloy Jr. declined to speculate on the extent of any brain damage the 26-year-old suffered in the tragedy that killed 12 fellow coal miners...

HOUSTON -- Andrea Yates pleaded innocent by reason of insanity in the drowning deaths of her children Monday as she made her first court appearance since her 2002 capital murder convictions were overturned. State District Judge Belinda Hill set a March 20 trial date...

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a Kansas City pharmacist's appeal of his 30-year sentence for diluting chemotherapy medications. Robert Courtney was sentenced in 2002 after pleading guilty to diluting drugs for seriously ill patients and keeping the money for himself. Prosecutors have said 4,200 patients and about 98,000 prescriptions were affected by the scheme...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The second of two brothers who pleaded guilty last year to bilking millions of dollars from the federal government by inflating expenses at a telephone company was sentenced Monday to four years and nine months in federal prison...

DENVER -- Rookie Marek Svatos had his second three-goal game and David Aebischer stopped 27 shots to help the Colorado Avalanche win their fifth straight game, 6-1 over the St. Louis Blues on Monday night. Svatos has five goals in three games, 25 for the season and four multiple goal games. He also had a hat trick Oct. 10 against Calgary...

San Diego's Antonio Gates was the only unanimous choice to The Associated Press 2005 All-Pro team featuring four players each from conference leaders Indianapolis and Seattle. The Chargers' brilliant tight end drew all 50 votes in balloting by a nationwide panel of sports writers and broadcasters who cover the NFL. Gates also made the team last year, with 32 1/2 votes...

WASHINGTON -- The federal judges who were bypassed when the Bush administration ordered warrantless wiretaps in the United States received a secret briefing Monday on details of the surveillance. Separately, a former FBI director and other lawyers questioned whether the surveillance is legal...

HONORS LISTS; Bragg earns spot on president's list at FHU; Advance student named to TRCC dean's list; Butler named to dean's list at Centenary College; Mizzou announces fall semester dean's list; GRADUATIONS, HONORS; Green finishes master's degree at Mizzou; Jackson student receives honors from Southeast; Felter earns masters degree at UNL; Extra Credit; LeGrand is Alma Schrader teacher of the month