Stories from Saturday, May 20, 2006

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. -- The convicted killer of a Cape Girardeau County man was called a "model inmate" by jail guards testifying Friday in the man's sentencing hearing. Justin Brown, 26, of Cape Girardeau, was convicted Thursday in the July 7, 2002, abduction and killing of Ralph Lee Lape Jr., 54...

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- A toxicology report shows the Ste. Genevieve teenager found dead in his car after drowning in Goose Creek Lake had a blood alcohol level of 0.23, nearly three times the legal limit in Missouri. Wade Lurk, 17, was reported missing April 1 after attending a party at the lake. A campsite guard saw Lurk's car leave the development at 5:30 a.m. that day. His 1990 Nissan Stanza was fished out of the lake April 17...

Southeast Missouri State didn't do enough Friday to nail down an Ohio Valley Conference tournament berth. The Redhawks will have one last chance today when the regular season comes to a close. After more than three months of baseball, the fate of both Southeast and Tennessee Tech has come down to today's 1 p.m. contest at Capaha Field that concludes a three-game series...

Saxony Lutheran track coach Larry Cleair had a couple of brief moments of concern Friday in the first day of the Class 1 state track meet, but all's well that ended well. Now, Cleair just had to get through what he expected to be a sleepless night, as the Crusaders take aim at their first state championship in the sport today in Jefferson City...

CLEVELAND -- Once again pushed to the edge of elimination, the Detroit Pistons stepped up like champions. Summoning all their postseason experience and making all the big plays down the stretch, the Pistons beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 84-82 on Friday night to even their series 3-3 and force a decisive Game 7...

BALTIMORE -- Barbaro is finished playing around at his country home in the hills. The unbeaten Kentucky Derby winner jogged early Friday at the tranquil Fair Hill Training Center before he was shipped by van to Pimlico to get back to business. As the colt walked down the ramp into the traditional winner's stall, No. ...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Albert Pujols hit a two-run homer and the St. Louis Cardinals overcame a five-run deficit in a 9-6 victory over the reeling Kansas City Royals on Friday night. Scott Rolen and So Taguchi also drove in two runs in the always-spirited interleague matchup between the team with the best record in the NL and the team with the poorest record in the majors. ...

ST. LOUIS -- Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc., citing consumers' need for variety in beer, said Friday it will pay $82 million to purchase the Rolling Rock beer brand from InBev USA, the U.S. subsidiary of Belgian-Brazilian brewer InBev SA. The deal will allow Rolling Rock brands to be made available to more consumers, St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch said. The company will begin brewing Rolling Rock and Rock Green Light in August. Anheuser-Busch is the nation's largest brewer...

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba -- Prisoners wielding improvised weapons attacked military guards trying to save a detainee pretending to commit suicide at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, the base commander said Friday. Six prisoners were injured. Word of the injuries came as a U.N. panel pressed the United States to close Guantanamo, saying the indefinite detention of terror suspects violates the ban on torture...

ST. LOUIS -- U.S. Bankruptcy Court in St. Louis has given the go-ahead for Pinnacle Entertainment Inc. to purchase the President Casino on the St. Louis riverfront for about $31.5 million, Pinnacle said Friday. The ruling marks another step in a deal to switch ownership of the casino...

Ford Motor Co. prepares for supplier's strike DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co. has made preparations for a strike by auto supplier Delphi Corp., but Ford chairman and chief executive Bill Ford said he's been encouraged by reports of progress in negotiations that could avoid a strike. ...

ATLANTA -- Ted Turner was uncharacteristically understated Friday as he departed Time Warner Inc., the media conglomerate that swallowed his cable network company and slowly sidelined him as a mover and shaker in the businesses that he helped to create...

MINNEAPOLIS -- Taking it one union at a time, Northwest Airlines Corp. has been nailing down the labor concessions it needs to cut costs and emerge from bankruptcy. But big challenges, including soaring fuel costs, still dog the nation's fourth-largest carrier...

LEONARDTOWN, Md. -- Officers in riot gear searched four locked-down schools Friday after a student and his grandmother reported seeing someone put a handgun in a backpack and approach the building. No weapons were found, but some students at the school complex said they feared for their lives during the seven-hour lockdown and kept thinking of the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA began moving Discovery to the launch pad Friday in preparation for its liftoff sometime between July 1 and July 19. It will be the second liftoff of a space shuttle since the Columbia disaster three years ago. Discovery's trek of a little more than 4 miles was expected to take about seven hours aboard a crawler-transporter. The shuttle weighs about 4.5 million pounds...

Summer Bible studies offered; Hanover offers Ascension services; Christ Episcopal to address DaVinci Code; Saturday; Sunday; Monday; Tuesday ; Wednesay; Thursday; Friday

Choosing the right components to form a winning relay team requires much more than simply finding the four fastest runners for a given event. Finding the proper running order, evaluating each runner's particular strengths and establishing smooth handoffs are keys to creating a fast relay squad...

OLMSTED, Ill. -- Noble Evers Pittman, 69, of Olmsted died Thursday, May 18, 2006, at his home. He was born July 29, 1936, son of Noble and Julia Bowles Pittman Sr. Survivors include three sons, David Pittman of Oreana, Ill., Shawn Pittman of Maroa, Ill., Sam Pittman of Scottsdale, Ariz.; four daughters, Debbie Curry and Shelia Infante of Maroa, Cindy Medlock of Mesquite, Texas, Kara Whalen of Decatur, Ill.; a companion, Ester Matlock; three brothers, William Pittman of Hixon, Tenn., James Pittman of Leavenworth, Kan., Robert Pittman of Olmsted; five sisters, Jane Merchant of Lakewood, Colo., Ila Ulrich of London, Ky., Geraldine Battle of Marlboro, Vt., Joyce Taylor of Ormond Beach, Fla., Jo Vaughan of Sacramento, Calif.; 27 grandchildren; and 23 great-grandchildren.. ...

Carolyn Sue Herring, 67, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, May 18, 2006, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Aug. 15, 1938, in Herald, Ill., daughter of Norvin and Ruby Harris Martin. She and Clarence Herring were married June 6, 1966, in Las Vegas, Nev...

Testimony of power; Blimp identified; Marriage protection; Important issues; Privacy or protection; Economic boom; Parking lot speeders; It takes nerve; Fair spending; Humane donations; Can you hear me now?; Exercising domain; Welcome, Bo

To the editor: I wish I could truthfully claim even a little credit -- even somewhat -- for inspiring my deceased friend Jake Wells' 27 paintings of Missouri water mills. However, to do so would be a grievous error. Jake's paintings inspired me to write about his work, first in an article published in Missouri Life magazine (1978) and later in a book titled "Water Mills of the Missouri Ozarks" (1990)...

Baseball...

To the editor: Throughout my many years of working with performers of all ages, I have never experienced such talented seventh- and eighth-graders as I had the privilege of helping at Central Junior High School for their production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat."...

Lois Headrick, 86, of Rome, Ga., died Wednesday, April 19, 2006, at her home. She was born May 13, 1919, in St. Louis, daughter of Thomas C. and Janet All Gundelfinger. She married Flaud Headrick. He and a brother owned and operated a cabinet shop in the area many years. The Headricks lived in Cape Girardeau many years, and she was a longtime member of Centenary United Methodist Church...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Landon Levi Stroup, one day, died Friday, May 19, 2006, at Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis. He was born May 18, 2006, at St. Mary's Hospital in St. Louis, son of Kevin and Crystal Smith Stroup of Marble Hill. Morgan Funeral Home in Advance, Mo., is in charge of arrangements...

Kerry Robinson didn't get to play against the Cardinals -- his former team -- after all. Robinson, a Southeast Missouri State product, had been the Royals' regular center fielder for nearly the past three weeks after being called up from Class AAA Omaha...

25 years ago: May 20, 1981 Officials of the Cape Girardeau and Jackson chambers of commerce say they will await official word from the state Department of Revenue before pursuing any further takeover of state license fee office operations in their respective cities...

Duenne; Burger; Friese

Cheryl Jackson, 33, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, May 18, 2006, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Friends may call at Greater Dimensions Church from noon until 1 p.m. Tuesday. Arrangements are pending with Ford & Sons Funeral Home.

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Hollie Robert "Bob" Cutright Jr., 64, of Chaffee died Thursday, May 18, 2006, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born April 23, 1942, in Cape Girardeau, son of Hollie Robert and Lucille B. Thorn Cutright Sr. He and Nancy Kay Lee were married May 29, 1963...

MORLEY, Mo. -- Ione Love Johnson, 83, of Vienna,Va., died Thursday, May 4, 2006, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. She was born April 14, 1923, at Morley, daughter of Arthur and Amanda Eachus. She and retired Army Colonel Dr. George L. Johnson were married in 1947 at Morley. He died in 1984...

Cameron David Garrison, 20, of Jackson died Thursday, May 18, 2006, in Miner, Mo., from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident. Friends may call from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson. The funeral will follow.

Shirley Black, 69, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, May 18, 2006, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday at McCombs Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Monday at the funeral home.

"What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It's the only thing that there's just too little ofÉNo, not just for some but for everyone." Hal David's 1965 song lyrics express a need that all of us have, and I'd guess Ruth understood that need...

One of them wrote the cross-denominational song "Jesus Loves Me". Another founded the Smithsonian Institute. John Wayne, J. Edgar Hoover and Mark Twain were members. Everything Presbyterian -- that's what local churches are celebrating this week in honor of Presbyterian Heritage Sunday...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The Missouri State University Board of Governors has endorsed a compensation proposal that would replace across-the-board raises for faculty and staff with a merit system. University President Mike Nietzel said the plan would put faculty pay ranges in the hands of college deans and the provost, and staff pay would be based on job evaluations and labor market data...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Myongchee Choi came to the University of Missouri-Columbia ready to conquer the campus. The 36-year-old visiting scholar, an urban planner and local government official from Ansan, South Korea, has studied and practiced English for more than two decades. Once she arrived, Choi quickly realized that textbook English doesn't take you very far in the linguistic melting pot that is mid-Missouri...

ST. LOUIS -- A former American Red Cross worker is accused of stealing identities of three people from a blood donor database. And because she had access to Social Security numbers of more than 1 million people, authorities are concerned there may be other victims...

CONCORD, N.C. -- Kasey Kahne's pit crew lost its title as the best in NASCAR, but bounced back Friday night by putting the driver on the pole for the Nextel All-Star Challenge. Kahne's crew serviced his Dodge in 13 seconds to help put him in the top starting spot for Saturday night's race. His crew was dethroned earlier this week in the Pit Crew Challenge, finishing second in the competition that spotlights NASCAR's unsung heroes...

Rod Pampling spent plenty of time in the sand during the second round of the Colonial. So what was he doing from there? "Making pars," Pampling quipped after his career-best 7-under 63 on Friday in Fort Worth, Texas. And even a couple of birdies. Pampling was 5-for-5 in sand saves, including his last two holes, to get to 10-under 130 and a stroke ahead of first-round leader Stewart Cink (67), Stephen Ames (66) and PGA Tour rookie Charley Hoffman (66)...

Regular reports on the performance of public schools around the nation and across Missouri continue to report dropout rates that are far too high. In the Cape Girardeau School District, the focus of a special committee is on the success of students, and the group is developing recommendations that are expected to have a positive impact down the road...

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Ales Hemsky scored the go-ahead goal in the second period, Dwayne Roloson had 31 saves and an assist, and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Anaheim Mighty Ducks 3-1 Friday night in the opener of the Western Conference finals. Edmonton, which had just one day off between the end of its series against San Jose and the beginning of the best-of-seven conference finals versus Anaheim, still matched the Ducks in energy, speed and checking. ...

Cape Girardeau...

Cape Girardeau...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraq's incoming prime minister failed to reach agreement Friday with political leaders on who will run the key defense and interior ministries but said he will present his Cabinet to parliament anyway with temporary heads in those posts...

ST. LOUIS -- Former British prime minister John Major recalled the dreams and ambitions of an impoverished girl he'd met years ago in Peru as he advised more than 2,500 graduates at Washington University to aim high. Major, in delivering the university's commencement address Friday, told of a child from a "dismal place almost entirely without hope" in a shantytown outside of Lima who said she wanted to be a brain surgeon...

Terry Owens still has the 40-year-old letter somewhere among all of his other military memorabilia. Greetings, it said. Your friends and neighbors have selected you for the Armed Forces of the United States. "It was a draft letter, of course," Owens explained. "I thought at the time I needed to get some new friends and some new neighbors."...

The latest honor bestowed on former state representative Mary Kasten seemed to mean a little more than some of the others. It was, in fact, worth a whole suitcase of honors. Kasten, who represented Cape Girardeau in the Missouri House from 1977 to 1995, brought along a travel bag full of awards recognizing her part in establishing the Community Caring Council when the agency's office was dedicated to her and her late husband, Melvin Kasten...

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- A senior Hamas official on Friday tried to sneak $817,000 into the Gaza Strip in a pouch under his shirt, the first major cash smuggling attempt by an increasingly desperate Hamas government choked by Western sanctions. Palestinian security forces confiscated the money at the Egypt-Gaza border, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas -- Hamas' main political rival -- ordered a criminal inquiry. ...

Chic Hecht, the brother of Cape Girardeau's Marty Hecht, died recently. His funeral was Friday in Las Vegas, where he made his home, owned a women's apparel store and had a political career that included serving as a U.S. senator from Nevada. Contributions in memory of Chic Hecht may be sent to Comprehensive Cancer Center Foundation, 3920 S. Eastern Ave., Suite 202, Las Vegas, Nev. 89119. The tribute below was published in the Las Vegas Review-Journal shortly before Hecht died...

At approximately 11:30 a.m. Friday, a single-engine airplane made a soft landing in a wheat field two miles southwest of Perryville off of Perry County Road 704. The 1946 Ercoupe was piloted by Larry Snyder, 55, of Washington who was uninjured. There were no other passengers on board and the plane was not damaged...

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- Officials of the U.S.-led coalition lauded Afghan security forces Friday for repulsing Taliban militants in fierce fighting, but raised doubts over Afghan claims that a captured man might be a top rebel leader. A 24-hour storm of violence in southern Afghanistan ended Thursday with about 120 people dead and dozens of militants in custody, coalition and Afghan officials said...

To the editor: Last year, Missouri lawmakers in a belt-tightening frenzy made massive cuts to the Medicaid program. They also promised to deal with provider fraud in the 2006 legislative session. This year, lawmakers, realizing they had gone too far with cuts, promised to correct their mistakes by restoring some programs such as Medicaid assistance for the working disabled...

MADRID, Spain -- Scientists said Friday they have confirmed that at least some of Christopher Columbus' remains were buried inside a Spanish cathedral, a discovery that could help end a century-old debate over the explorer's final resting place. DNA samples from 500-year-old bone slivers could contradict the Dominican Republic's competing claim that the explorer was laid to rest in the New World, said Marcial Castro, a Seville-area historian and high school teacher who devised the study that began in 2002.. ...