Stories from Saturday, May 6, 2006

A children's museum. An observation deck for nighttime sky-watchers. A $10 million hands-on science center. And a youth golf program that does more than teach children to swing a club. These are some of the ideas dreamed up by the latest class of Leadership Cape. But the four groups that made up the class did more than dream them up -- they did the research...

@Summary Statement:By KYLE W. MORRISON For two weeks, the wife of a Cape Girardeau police captain was under constant surveillance, her every move watched and recorded by the Division Probation and Parole. But Marsha Fields wasn't in trouble with the law...

An 18-year-old Notre Dame Regional High School student died Friday when a tractor he was helping remove from a small pond overturned, pinning him underwater. Flags were lowered outside Notre Dame late Friday as school leaders prepared for a prayer vigil to remember Tyler Glaus of Chaffee, who was working at Pioneer Trailer Park when the accident occurred. Glaus was at work because Notre Dame was not in session for an annual golf tournament fund-raiser...

Every spring semester, Central Junior High School music teacher Mike Dumey becomes a man obsessed with a musical. His enthusiasm is infectious. "The first day of school in August the first thing out of the kids' mouths is, 'What is the musical going to be this year?'" Dumey said...

The Central boys track and field team has had to battle injuries to its all-state 400-meter relay team and shuttle in underclassmen to help fill the voids nearly all season. The Tigers have had plenty of success with those replacements. But with the district meet a week away, coach Lawrence Brookins was happy to see the 400 relay team in tact Friday for the SEMO North Conference meet at Central Junior High...

Scott County Central gave up 24 runs in one inning to East Prairie. The Scott County Central baseball team surrendered 24 runs in one inning Friday, as East Prairie broke several existing MSHSAA records in a 24-6 home victory. The Eagles' single-inning output in the second frame exceeded the previous mark of 20 set by Skyline in 2000. East Prairie also sent a record 30 batters to the plate, took a record eight walks and tied the record for hits with 13...

Southeast Missouri State coach Joey Haines could not have asked for much more than what transpired Friday as the Ohio Valley Conference outdoor track and field meet got under way in Cape Girardeau. Although Southeast's men and women both have plenty of work left to do today, the host school at least set itself up to repeat its dual championships from a year ago...

MIAMI -- Some of the lights went out Friday night at Dolphin Stadium, forcing a delay in the fourth inning of the Florida Marlins' game against the St. Louis Cardinals. The power outage didn't last long -- not with Albert Pujols around. Pujols hit his 16th home run to spark a seven-run fifth inning, and the Cardinals beat Florida 7-2 to snap a four-game losing streak, their longest since the 2004 World Series...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Dan Hendricks easily maneuvered his wheelchair outside Barn 42 at Churchill Downs for a final chat on the day before the Kentucky Derby. Since being paralyzed from the waist down in a motocross accident two years ago, the 47-year-old trainer has found it challenging to do his job. But in the same way Hendricks has learned to adapt, he hopes jockey Alex Solis can give his Derby favorite, Brother Derek, a smooth ride in a contentious field of 20 talented 3-year-olds...

WASHINGTON -- It was Damon Jones' turn to hit the winning shot, and it put the Cleveland Cavaliers into the second round of the playoffs for the first time in 13 years. Jones' 17-foot baseline jumper with 4.8 seconds remaining in overtime gave the Cavaliers a 114-113 victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday night, Cleveland's third one-point victory in a series that ended with the visitors celebrating in a pile near midcourt and left the home team stunned into silence...

LONDON -- Stung by an election defeat, Tony Blair shuffled his Cabinet on Friday and replaced Foreign Secretary Jack Straw in an attempt to save his own political future and shore up support to tackle crises in Iran and Iraq. Straw had privately expressed doubts about the Iraq war to his boss and publicly took a different stance on Iran. ...

ABUJA, Nigeria -- Thanks in part to last-minute U.S. diplomacy, two years of Darfur peace talks beset by setbacks and frustration ended with a signing ceremony Friday. Now the hard part: ensuring pledges to stop the fighting and begin rebuilding translate to an end to Darfur's suffering. The key may be a robust U.N. peacekeeping force, which Sudan's government has indicated it is now willing to accept...

WHITWELL, Tenn. -- Students at a rural Tennessee school where a lesson in social tolerance, diversity and stereotypes grew into a children's Holocaust memorial celebrated a cultural exchange with hundreds of Jewish bikers who visited Friday. Jewish bikers?...

ATLANTA -- Billy Payne, who ran the Atlanta Olympics a decade ago, is replacing Hootie Johnson as chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters. Johnson, 75, had served in the role since 1998, most prominently turning back demands that women be allowed to join the club...

OTTAWA -- Chris Drury scored 18 seconds into overtime after Tim Connolly netted his second goal of the night with 10.7 seconds remaining in regulation and the Buffalo Sabres stunned the Ottawa Senators with a 7-6 victory Friday in a wild Eastern Conference semifinal opener...

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Patrick Kennedy said Friday he was entering treatment for addiction to prescription pain medication, a decision made after a highly publicized car crash near the Capitol that the congressman said he cannot recall. Kennedy, D-R.I., said he would seek immediate treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn...

WASHINGTON -- Defending his House-passed immigration bill that sparked street protest by millions of immigrants, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee issued a report Friday showing that several countries are harsher than the United States in their treatment of illegal immigrants and their employers...

WASHINGTON -- CIA director Porter Goss resigned suddenly Friday, nudged out after a turmoil-filled 19 months at the spy agency as it struggled to forge a new identity in an era of intelligence blunders and government overhauls. Goss offered little explanation in a brief appearance with President Bush, a televised address to agency personnel and a written statement...

Several charges were levied this week against a Ware, Ill., man for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl. Andrew J. Trammel, 21, was charged with three counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and one count of aggravated criminal sexual assault for two incidents, according to Union County State's Attorney Allen W. James...

Cape Girardeau...

Cape Girardeau...

The Kohlfeld family long has been synonymous with beer and sports in Southeast Missouri. For decades the company has been heavily involved in sponsoring sports teams and organizations throughout the region. That sponsorship has extended to athletic programs, student organizations and student events at Southeast Missouri State University along with support of the university foundation...

Michelle Wie accomplished something in her ancestral homeland she had failed to do in seven previous tries elsewhere: The American teen made the cut in a men's professional tournament. With huge crowds cheering for the player they cherish as "big sister," the 16-year-old Wie was at 5-under 139 after two rounds, tied for 17th in the Asian Tour's SK Telecom Open at Incheon, South Korea. She shot a 3-under 69 Friday to make the cut by five strokes...

Ezekiel 9 isn't a pretty scene as the prophet envisions God sending out a writer to mark the foreheads of all Jerusalem's men "who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it." Then God dispatches six angels carrying battle-axes to kill all, starting with church leaders, who don't have their foreheads marked. ...

A proposed amendment to allow for a spring softball state tournament was the lone item which failed to pass Friday as the results of the Missouri State High School Activities Association's annual ballot were announced. The amendment, which only needed a majority to pass, was voted down by a vote of 242-122. In all, there were 17 items on the annual ballot...

It has been more than a month since the Southeast Missouri State baseball team captured its one -- and only -- Ohio Valley Conference series win of the season. If the Redhawks are going to make a late push to qualify for the OVC tournament, it is imperative they add some series victories to their resume...

25 years ago: May 6, 1981 The U.S. Census Bureau, heeding the protests of Cape Girardeau city officials who claimed the city was victim of an inaccurate count last spring, took another look at the city and found 43 more people; according to figures received through the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission, the Census Bureau's final 1980 population count for Cape Girardeau stands at 34,361...

April Lynn Yarbro, 38, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, May 4, 2006, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born April 1, 1968, in Sedalia, Mo., daughter of the late Clinton and Bonnie Barks Morgan. Yarbro was of the Baptist faith, a member of Eagles Aerie 3775 and VFW Post 3838 Auxiliary...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Mazie Alee Bryant, 83, of Chaffee died Friday, May 5, 2006, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Chaffee is in charge of arrangements.

John Rockne Wilferth, 40, of Eagle, Colo., died Thursday, May 4, 2006, at his home, following a lengthy illness. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Margaret A. Langstadt, 74, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, May 5, 2006, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born June 29, 1931, at Patton, Mo., daughter of Oscar and Mattie Bollinger. She was married to Foy "Red" Johnson and later to Ralph Langstadt in 1969...

James "Boomer" Cossiboom, 48, of Scott City died Tuesday, May 2, 2006, at Methodist Germantown Hospital in Germantown, Tenn. He was born Sept. 24, 1957, in Cape Girardeau, son of Henry Alonzo and Bessie Arleen Huffman Cossiboom. He and Jane Renee Dunlap were married Dec. 5, 1992...

To the editor: I agree with Bernard Proffer's April 29 letter. A key factor in creating competition in the local phone market was to make it easy for competitors to get into business. New providers in the telephone market -- including cable providers who can bundle voice, long-distance, video and Internet services -- are not held to the same regulatory requirements as incumbent telephone companies. ...

To the editor: I am heartsick that our elected officials in Washington won't do anything to prevent what amounts to a takeover of our western and southern states by illegals of all nationalities. Who would have thought that our state, national and local officials would allow illegal aliens of all nationalities to wave foreign flags and say they want rights? When did foreigners get the right to vote in our elections without being citizens? It makes me sick...

To the editor: I found it telling that in the Wednesday edition there were two letters calling for the spending of more public funds, both of which were from people whose pockets are indirectly lined by the interests that benefit from spending that money...

Tobacco addiction, poor diets, physical inactivity ... the Rev. Cecil Thomas Jr. sees no end to the list of unhealthy choices facing today's youths. That's what prompted Thomas, pastor at Second Missionary Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau, to organize a walk-a-thon to promote physical health and spiritual fitness in young people...

First Baptist will hold an open house at its new church. Even from a mile away, amid the sprawl of houses on Lexington Avenue and Cape Rock Drive, the towering steeple of First Baptist Church can be seen. Alongside the physical visibility of the new church, the congregation of First Baptist hopes to extend its spiritual presence in the community as well...

Local Catholics to honor priest; Today; Sunday; Monday; Friday

Historic treasures; Double the bang; Rewards of hard work; Feet to the fire; Road repair done; More roundabouts; Deal with sewers

An Illinois State Police captain accidentally shot two men while hunting, but criminal charges will not be pursued. When Capt. Scott Rice, 43, of rural Union County near Cobden, Ill., fired his shotgun at a turkey the morning of April 24, the buckshot struck two mushroom hunters nearly 30 yards past the bird, State's Attorney Allen W. James said...

Teachers, coaches and other volunteers know that working with children first requires a criminal background check to ferret out potential abusers. Now, so will the families who host the nearly 30,000 foreign exchange students who arrive in this country each year...

By Donna Shell The recent Southeast Missouri State University production of "Romeo and Juliet" has created quite a stir in Southeast Missouri. As a teacher at one of those schools that canceled attendance for the high school matinee, I feel several issues have not been addressed and should be. ...

Police are making little progress in determining who started a suspicious fire that destroyed one house and severely damaged a second home on South Spanish Street. The fire, which gutted a two-apartment home at 221 S. ...

A Scott County candidate for associate circuit judge was disqualified from the August primary ballot for failing to file a financial disclosure statement, the Missouri Ethics Commission voted Friday. Scott Horman, who is seeking to unseat incumbent David C. Mann in the Democratic primary, was one of nine candidates statewide who missed the deadline for filing the personal financial disclosure statement required by law...

A Cape Girardeau man charged with child endangerment was attacked by a knife-wielding woman upset at him for leaving his 2-year-old daughter home alone. Tiffany N. Wilkins, 25, of 824 Good Hope St., chased the man out into the street with a knife in the 400 block of Bellevue Street around 11:25 p.m. Thursday, according to a probable-cause statement...

A plan to construct college buildings with the profits of a student loan sell-off failed Friday in the Missouri legislature, but Gov. Matt Blunt plans to push ahead with the plan anyway. Southeast Missouri State University president Dr. Ken Dobbins welcomed the governor's move which could provide funding for campus construction projects including $17.2 million for the River Campus arts school. ...

RICHMOND, Va. -- Greg Biffle is trying to turn things around. That doesn't mean he's going to push any harder to get better results. Biffle, second to champion Tony Stewart in last year's Chase for the championship, posted a lap at 127.395 mph Friday, winning the pole for the Crown Royal 400 at Richmond International Raceway and giving his team a needed boost...

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The Army warned an anti-war group of former U.S. Military Academy cadets called West Point Graduates Against the War to stop using the words "West Point" in its name, saying they are trademarked. The group, open to West Point graduates, spouses and children, claims about 50 members...

SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal appeals court on Friday sidestepped whether it was unconstitutional under federal and state law to deny gays and lesbians the right to marry, leaving the issue to state courts to decide. ...

The Bloomfield Road project has progressed to phase II ahead of schedule, say Cape Girardeau city engineers. The final phase of the widening and resurfacing project begins Monday and will force residents of nearby subdivisions to divert 2.9 miles to reach Route K via Benton Hill Road and 5.3 miles to reach Wal-Mart...

NUKU'ALOFA, Tonga -- A pair of aftershocks rattled the South Pacific island nation of Tonga on Friday but caused no damage or injuries, a day after a large quake exposed alarming cracks in a tsunami warning system. A magnitude 6.0 and a magnitude 5.4 aftershock hit the same region of Tonga, the U.S. Geological Survey reported, but there was no sign of any damage in the capital and no tsunami warnings were issued...