Stories from Saturday, February 11, 2006

For the past two years, Terri Dietiker quietly sought to keep her family going while her husband was sent first to Iraq and then to the Gulf Coast for National Guard duty. Now she's battling cancer and the people trying to help her aren't being quiet. A state representative who's a decorated Vietnam veteran and a woman whose advocacy for the families of soldiers grew into a job as the state veterans ombudsman want to make a lot of noise to get her some help...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- More Union Pacific trains are now running through Chaffee, but not because a contentious track swap between UP and Burlington Northern Santa Fe in the area has been approved. Last March, UP filed with the federal Surface Transportation Board for permission to swap a 23.7-mile stretch of track between Rockview and Sikeston with BNSF. In exchange BNSF would gain some UP track in Colorado...

We have All-America contests for football, for academics, and for beauty, but there is also a contest for cities. For the last 53 years, the National Civic League has selected 10 cities annually out of an average 100 applications for the award. Cape Girardeau was last selected in 1967, but organizers hope this year will mark the city's second trip to the winner's circle...

For one Chaffee resident, the numbers 19, 21, 24, 28 and 29 may have been random at first, but they mean much than that now. Those were the numbers Rodney Austin used to win the Show Me 5 Paydown drawing Feb. 1, scoring him a tax-paid $50,000 from the Missouri Lottery...

He's won more games than anyone in the history of college basketball. Someday, probably sooner rather than later, he'll get his 1,000th career victory. That's exactly 1,000 more wins than Gene Bess ever thought he would have. In the spring of 1969, after suffering a controversial and heartbreaking loss in the finals of the Class M state tournament, then Oran High School coach Bess made a decision...

ROME -- An Italian judge has dismissed an atheist's petition that a small-town priest should stand trial for asserting that Jesus Christ existed, both sides said on Friday. Luigi Cascioli, a 72-year-old retired agronomist, had accused the Rev. Enrico Righi of violating two laws with the assertion, which he called a deceptive fable propagated by the Roman Catholic Church...

BEIJING -- Health authorities in China and Indonesia on Friday each reported a woman killed by a deadly strain of bird flu. Azerbaijan became the latest country to report an outbreak among fowl, and Nigeria said the virus had spread there, too. The spread of bird flu has increased the chance that the virus will mutate and cause disease in humans and a possible pandemic, said Dr. David Nabarro, the U.N. bird flu chief. He said there is no evidence yet of any change in the bird flu virus...

CAIRO, Egypt -- Thousands of worshippers emerging from Friday prayers demonstrated against drawings of the Prophet Muhammad in the Mideast, Asia and Africa, clashing with police in some cities despite religious leaders' attempts to keep marches peaceful...

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Art Shell was hired for his second stint as Raiders coach Friday night, ending Oakland's 5 1/2-week search to replace Norv Turner. Shell, who hasn't been a head coach since the Raiders fired him following the 1994 season, first talked to owner Al Davis about taking the job last week and emerged as the leading candidate after Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt told the team he didn't want the job...

Iran's Khatami: Islamic world ready for change KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- The Islamic world is fed up with violence and extremism in the name of religion and is ready for an era of progressive, democratic Muslim governments, former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami said Friday. ...

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Oklahoma State head basketball coach Eddie Sutton was hospitalized Friday after being injured in an automobile accident, OSU officials said. Sutton was traveling to the Stillwater airport to fly with the team to College Station, Texas, where the Cowboys play Texas A&M on Saturday, said Gary Shutt, director of communications for OSU...

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- As the sun sets over the Missouri River, Roofus sits silently on the apex of a tower, facing the skyline of downtown St. Joseph, a mixture of church steeples and office buildings. Those driving by might not notice him at first, looming high above the street, even though his large, muscular winged form is impressive...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Tony Stewart marked his time off by flipping a sprint car during a race, visiting the White House and battling a winter cold. It was hardly the restful, relaxing offseason he had in mind. Now, a mere two months after winning his second Nextel Cup championship, Stewart heads to Daytona International Speedway to begin his title defense. The 2006 season revs up tonight with the made-for-TV Budweiser Shootout, followed by the Feb. 19 Daytona 500...

CALGARY, Alberta -- Dion Phaneuf scored twice, including the game-winner in overtime, to lead the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Friday night. After St. Louis defenseman Barret Jackman took a hooking penalty 1:37 into the extra period, the Flames controlled the puck and fired six shots at Blues goalie Patrick Lalime before Phaneuf finally got one past him at 2:40 with a hard slapshot inside the near post...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Missouri State University and hotel magnate John Q. Hammons announced plans Friday to build a $60 million, on-campus basketball arena, less than two months after the school eliminated five sports in a cost-saving move. But university president Michael T. Nietzel was quick to say the two are unrelated...

CHICAGO -- Health-club operator Bally Total Fitness Holding Corp. said Friday that it has agreed with two of its largest shareholders to dismiss all pending lawsuits against each other, ending a battle in which the shareholders sought to overhaul the company's management...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Frequent Netflix returners don't get more small-screen bang for their buck. Called "throttling" by critics, the little-known practice means customers of the online DVD rental service who pay the same price for the same service are often treated differently, depending on their rental patterns...

WASHINGTON -- The federal government ran a $21 billion budget surplus last month, the best January showing in four years, as both spending and tax receipts set records for the month. The Treasury Department said the government spent $209 billion last month, a record amount for January and up 7.9 percent from January 2005. Government tax receipts, however, also set a record for the month of $230 billion, up 13.7 percent from January 2005...

The Southeast Missouri State women's tennis team fell to Louisville 7-0 on the road Friday in the season-opener for the Redhawks. The Redhawks did not take more than two games in a single set throughout the match. Bryce Kristal had the closest match in singles, losing the No. 1 singles match 6-1, 6-2 to Robyn White...

WASHINGTON -- Former federal disaster chief Michael Brown testified Friday he notified top White House and Homeland Security officials on the day Hurricane Katrina roared ashore that "we were realizing our worst nightmare" and New Orleans was seriously flooding...

Scott City...

Cape Girardeau...

The Cape Girardeau Public School Foundation started out nearly a decade ago as a means for supplying money to a variety of projects in the school system. Since then the foundation has narrowed its focus to projects deemed innovative in their ability to promote learning...

TAMMS, Ill. -- Joseph Donald Lackey, 69, of Oakville, Mo., formerly of Tamms, died Friday, Feb. 10, 2006, in St. Louis. Crain Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

To the editor: Regarding Southeast Missouri State University's bond sale to finance the River Campus: Thank you, House Speaker Rod Jetton. The underlying question: Was the project prudent and necessary in light of so many other pressing needs like books and journals in the library, higher salaries to attract better-qualified professors and balanced voices in symposiums?...

To the editor: I attended two basketball games at Immanuel Lutheran School in Perryville, Mo. I parked in one of the four handicapped parking spaces. The school had provided hash-marked areas to allow comfortable access. When I attempted to leave, a small car had parked on the hash-marked area. ...

MOUNDS, Ill. -- Willie Bernard Emanuel, 30, of rural Pulaski, Ill., died Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2006, at the Day Star Care Center in Cairo, Ill. Friends may call Sunday from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Massie Funeral Home in Mounds. The funeral will be held Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Bowden Center, Charleston, Mo., with the Rev. Leroy Reed officiating. Interment will be in the Oak Grove Cemetery...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Cecelia Leona Morie, 98, of Chaffee died Thursday, Feb. 9, 2006, at Chaffee Nursing Center. She was born Feb. 27, 1907, at New Hamburg, Mo., daughter of John Benjamin and Magdalena Scherer LeGrand. She and Peter A. Morie were married Oct. 29, 1929. He died Aug. 5, 1997...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Wanda Lucille Murray, 84, of Marble Hill died Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2006, at Elder Care. She was born July 17, 1921, in Wichita, Kan., daughter of Claude Samuel and Myrtle Foster Lambeth. She and Ralph Alvin Murray were married July 15, 1946, in Kansas City, Mo. He died in 1990...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Jerry Lynn Haynes, 64, of Marble Hill died Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2006, at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. He was born May 6, 1941, at Hiram, Mo., son of Edgar Ulus and Maude Kathryn Shetley Haynes. He and Thelma "Sue" Underwood were married June 18, 1960. She died July 5, 2002...

Spend on the kids; Sugar warning; Test for drugs; Spending priorities; County P&Z; Building imagery; Guns in the home; Train speeds; Fix the roads; Competition for boys; Pick up trash first; Classic column

To the editor: This is a plea for a change in dog laws in Cape Girardeau. I have had to endure barking dogs next door for years. Unfortunately, that house has a backyard fenced for dogs and has had three owners since 1998, all with barking dogs. I realize this problem occurs all over town...

Brutal, wily Joab, King David's grizzled veteran commander, observed his army's battering rams as they pounded the walls of Abel-beth-maacah. The walls would soon be breached and the rebel leader Sheba, who'd taken refuge in the city, would be destroyed along with many of the city's inhabitants...

Christopher Ray Droit, 37, of Decatur, Ill., formerly of Jackson, died Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2006, at his home. The funeral will be today in Vienna, Ill. Bailey Funeral Home in Vienna is in charge of arrangements.

Thomas L. McFerron, 56, of Cape Girardeau, died Friday, Feb. 10, 2006, at his residence. Arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home.

Kurtz; Harrison; McCall; Forehand; Stout; Backfisch; Elbrecht; Robins; Gowin; Deckard; Silva; Brown; Wisdom

25 years ago: Feb. 11, 1981 An attorney is expected to prepare a substitute measure for Rep. Marvin E. Proffer's bill to establish circuit court divisions within Cape Girardeau County, while the city of Jackson and others prepare to file a lawsuit in an effort to force county officials to move the circuit clerk and probate offices from Cape Girardeau back to Jackson...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Three Sikeston men were charged and are being held without bond for the shooting death of Larrell C. Taylor. Kena D. Hatcher, 20, Johnnie N. Phiffer, 18, and Thomas M. Elery, 18, were each charged with first-degree murder, assault, and two counts of armed criminal action, according to a news release from Sikeston police...

A 45-year-old mother was charged Friday with assault for striking a 6-year-old girl with her truck while driving drunk. Christine G. Trierweiler, of 6575 County Road 324 in Jackson, was charged with class C second-degree felony assault, two counts of misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child and having no insurance...

WASHINGTON -- Consumers' confidence in the economy and their own financial fortunes climbed to a 16-month high as better prospects for jobs and wages lifted people's spirits. The RBC CASH (Consumer Attitudes and Spending by Household) Index, based on results from the international polling firm Ipsos, showed that confidence clocked in at 96.1 in early February, marking a big improvement from January's 78.2. The new confidence reading was the best since October 2004...

LUXOR, Egypt -- For more than 12 years, an American archaeological team had been excavating a long-known tomb in the Valley of the Kings, the ancient necropolis that had not yielded an intact burial site since the discovery of King Tutankhamun's treasures in 1922...

Sikeston won its sixth straight game with an 88-70 road victory against SEMO Conference rival Central on Friday night. The Bulldogs (15-6, 5-2 SEMO), overcame a nine-point first-quarter deficit. The Tigers (12-10, 2-5 SEMO) led 41-39 at halftime, but the Bulldogs took control in the third quarter and never trailed again...

WASHINGTON -- Legislation to renew the anti-terror Patriot Act was cleared for final congressional passage Friday when House Speaker Dennis Hastert blessed a day-old compromise between the White House and Senate Republicans. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid also indicated he will vote for the bill when it comes to a vote, possibly next week...

WESTMINSTER, Colo. -- About 30 people -- including children -- were on board a bus when it rolled onto its side on a highway in a Denver suburb Friday after an overnight snowstorm. At least some of the passengers were injured. ...

Shutting down Poplar Bluff star Ben Hansbrough is nearly impossible. Notre Dame coach Paul Hale had hoped the Bulldogs could slow down Hansbrough enough to pull off a SEMO Conference win at home on Friday. But Hansbrough posted a career-high 39 points, as the visiting Mules knocked off Notre Dame 78-76...

When he's speaking with children's groups, the Rev. Scott Moon often refers to the Bible as a collection of love stories. "It's basically the story of God's love for people," said Moon, pastor at Grace United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau...

Southeast Missourian The Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team will be the subject of an investigation initiated by the Ohio Valley Conference at the university's request. The university and the conference both released statements about the impending investigation Friday...

RICHMOND, Ky. -- There haven't been many good memories for Southeast Missouri State this season, but one of the best came early in the Ohio Valley Conference schedule. On Jan. 2 in Cape Girardeau, the Redhawks beat defending OVC tournament champion Eastern Kentucky 68-62. They followed that with a win at Eastern Illinois to improve to 3-4 in OVC play...

Mike Weir closed with three birdies at Poppy Hills to finish with a 5-under 67 on Friday, moving into the lead after two rounds at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in Pebble Beach, Calif. Weir finished his first nine holes in even par, but after the turn he moved briskly up the leaderboard as first-round leader Luke Donald sputtered through his round at Pebble Beach...

Notre Dame senior Jameson Kuper was seeded third in his two individual events after preliminaries Friday at the state swimming meet at the St. Peters Rec-Plex in St. Peter's, Mo. Kuper, who was also part of the Bulldogs' two relay teams, was the area's lone finalist. He finished the 200-yard freestyle event in 1 minute, 44.37 seconds and completed the 100 breaststroke in 59.72 seconds...

Homecoming could not have been much sweeter for the Meadow Heights boys basketball team. The Panthers drained a state-record 36 3-pointers in a 131-66 win against visiting Marquand on Friday night. The feat also may have also set a national record. According to information on the National Federation of High Schools and other Web sites, Juniata Valley High School of Alexandria, Pa., set the national record with 34 3s, accomplished in January 2002...

RICHMOND, Ky. -- Southeast Missouri State and Eastern Kentucky have gone in opposite directions since meeting in last year's classic Ohio Valley Conference tournament title game. The Redhawks were denied their first NCAA Division I tournament berth when they lost 84-73 in double-overtime to the Colonels. EKU needed a shot at the buzzer in regulation simply to reach the first extra session...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- One day after saying he planned to finish the season, Missouri coach Quin Snyder resigned Friday, ending a seven-year stint that began with high hopes but ended in disappointment. Men's basketball sports information director Dave Reiter said Snyder announced the move to his team about 2 p.m. CST, before practice...

Eight days of prayer at Westminster Presbyterian; Missions revival at First Baptist in Millersville; Church choral clinic to be held at Grace UMC Feb. 23; Installation service at Second Baptist; Sunday; Thursday; -- From staff reports

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Pope Benedict XVI issued an encyclical letter on love. Popular prejudice thinks a Roman Catholic priest talking about human love is "like a blind man talking about colors," Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes, president of the Vatican's council for charity, told reporters with a humorous touch unusual for Vatican news conferences...

Gov. Matt Blunt voiced concern Friday over House Speaker Rod Jetton's call for three Southeast Missouri State University regents to resign as a condition to garner legislative support for state funding for the River Campus arts school project. "Such forced resignations could undermine the independence of the board and would set a bad precedent," the governor said in a written statement. "It is my hope that the current board and policy makers in Jefferson City can resolve any differences."...

TURIN, Italy -- A dazzled, cheering audience danced on their chairs in the winter cold Friday night and the opening ceremony of the Winter Games became one giant house party. Passion was the show's theme and passion was what poured from the audience, right up to the arrival of the Olympic torch, carried by skiing hero Alberto "La Bomba" Tomba, who ran up the stage steps and handed it off to a succession of Italian medal winners...