Stories from Sunday, May 21, 2006

SHE SAID: The smell started out unobtrusive enough. Just a faint waft that prompted me to sniff the air around the trash can in the kitchen. A few days later, walking through the front door of our house was like taking a bath in the landfill on Highway 25. Gag...

Down a tree-canopied, winding road off Route W, the sight of a large red arena rising up alongside green hills is enough to give passers-by pause. The long-legged Tennessee Walkers dotting the surrounding pastures compel even non-horse people to pull over...

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. -- After three hours and fifteen minutes of deliberation Saturday, a jury decided Justin Brown should serve a life sentence for the murder of a Cape Girardeau County man. Brown, 26, was convicted of first-degree murder earlier this week in the July 7, 2002, abduction and killing of Ralph Lee Lape Jr., 54...

They came for the fishing, but they stayed for the festival. When Tom Booker saw a posting on the Internet saying the band Trout Fishing in America would perform at the ArtsCape festival, he and wife Mary Beth, friends Ilene and Mark Hall and the four children the couples have between them made the trip from St. Louis to Cape Girardeau to visit ArtsCape...

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. -- A jury Saturday spared the life of a man convicted of killing a Cape Girardeau County resident for his money when they opted not to recommend a sentence of death. Justin Brown, 26, of Cape Girardeau, was found guilty Thursday of first-degree murder and kidnapping in the 2002 death of Ralph Lee Lape Jr., 54...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- About 25 people gathered Saturday at Chaffee's city hall quilt turning, where heirloom and modern quilts were peeled from a centrally located bed in the morning and afternoon. Just about every pattern was represented, including orange peel, Jack in the pulpit and boy's fancy...

It has certainly not been a vintage baseball season for Southeast Missouri State. But the Redhawks are still going to the Ohio Valley Conference tournament for the 12th time in as many seasons under coach Mark Hogan. Southeast punched its tourney ticket in resounding fashion Saturday afternoon by crushing Tennessee Tech 21-10 at Capaha Field in the regular-season finale for both squads...

BALTIMORE -- Barbaro was rarin' to go. The unbeaten Kentucky Derby winner gave jockey Edgar Prado every indication he was set for the race of his life. The strapping bay colt was bucking in the starting gate at Pimlico Race Course, and actually broke through early. All seemed well after Prado reined him in and returned to the No. 6 gate for a second start...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Albert Pujols had never faced Kansas City reliever Ambiorix Burgos before Saturday night. It didn't affect the Cardinals slugger. Pujols hit a three-run homer off Burgos in the eighth inning to help St. Louis beat the Royals 4-2 Saturday night...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Saxony Lutheran's 1,600 relay team knew heading into the final race of the Class 1 track and field championship Saturday the team state title was out of reach, but that did not deter the Crusaders from nearly setting a state record...

By JEFF HARRIS We expect our public servants to tell us what they stand for and to meet challenges head on. Before the 2006 legislative session, House Democrats laid out a bold vision with our Moving Missouri Forward plan. We didn't duck the tough issues. Looking to the future, we offered innovative ideas to improve public education, increase health-care access, create good jobs, protect consumers, restore integrity to government, strengthen families and secure our state...

By MARK S. JAMES Once again much of Missouri's news media have either failed to understand the meaning of the recent state auditor's report on Missouri's homeland security efforts or are sensationally misleading Missourians. Last week's headlines dutifully regurgitated claims from the auditor's news release screaming of Missouri's failures in homeland security in the present tense. Most of the egregious shortcomings identified in the report subliminally beg for a housecleaning to occur...

Cape Girardeau...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The pace was as fast as advertised, with each team having its share of rushes and scoring chances. Daniel Briere converted one after some nifty passing to give the Buffalo Sabres the early edge in the Eastern Conference final. Briere's fifth goal of the playoffs put Buffalo in front for good, rookie Ryan Miller made 29 saves, and the Sabres held off the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 Saturday in the opener of the best-of-seven series...

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- This is why Detroit wanted home-court advantage. The Pistons were determined to get it after falling just short of repeating as champions last year in Game 7 at San Antonio. And they did, winning a franchise-record 64 games -- 10 more than they had in each of the previous two years under Larry Brown. That ensured the team would play in familiar surroundings in any Game 7s this postseason after playing in two on the road last year...

A natural hot tub gives you a singular kind of pampering. You get hours of muscle-relaxing heat while seated with strangers on a bed of river gravel. Idaho's vast wilderness holds a wealth of natural beauty -- and a huge network of natural hot springs that have been tapped over the years by enterprising explorers. ...

You've read the book and you're probably thinking of seeing the movie. So, why not combine a vacation in Europe with a personal visit to some of the real landmarks that figure so prominently in "The Da Vinci Code"? A little time on the Web will lead you to guide books and companies that will take you on tours to some or all of the big scenes in the story, but with a little more time you could plan your own tour...

SAN FRANCISCO -- I promised them chocolate, sea lions, Ms. Pac-Man and a prison cell. Fortunately, my family and I were in San Francisco, so delivering on this unusual itinerary was as easy as taking a cable car to Fisherman's Wharf. There we visited the pier where a colony of sea lions lives, played old-fashioned games at Musee Mecanique, and ate chocolate and ice cream at nearby Ghirardelli Square. ...

ALCATRAZ ISLAND, Calif. -- Cold rain falls and clouds obscure the San Francisco waterfront. Light fades from thin slots where prisoners once clamored for a glimpse of the outside world. On a night like this, three men fled the now-shuttered federal prison that inmates called "Hellcatraz." None were ever found, and all were presumed to have died in the cold, shark-infested waters of San Francisco Bay...

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Valerie Stryker, her husband and their three kids watched as Hurricane Frances bore down on Florida and their Walt Disney World vacation in September 2004. The family spent most of those nervous hours in their hotel with drawn shades and storm reports from Disney staff slipped under their door or by voicemail. ...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush urged Congress on Saturday to find a middle ground between mass deportation or instant U.S. citizenship for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants already living in America. Bush's radio message was the third time this week he has spoken out about immigration...

Established landscaping, including white birch, dogwood and Chinese maple trees, on seven private acres of rolling hills and ponds, allows homeowners to enjoy the outdoors without leaving home. This home is only 20 minutes from Cape Girardeau. From the slate and stone front porch to the multi-level back deck with grape arbor, hot tub and nearby firepit that look out onto a scenic backyard, this home offers many relaxing outdoor environments...

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department put out a flaming garage Saturday just in time to save the home next to it. At 3:48 p.m. firefighters responded to calls of a structure fire at 721 Beaudean Lane. When they arrived they found a one-car garage engulfed in flames...

Cape Girardeau...

Perryville junior Brittney Castleberry had a big day at the Class 3 sectional meet in North County on Saturday, setting school records in both the 100 and 300 hurdles to qualify for the state meet in both events. The top four in each event qualify for the Class 3 and 4 state track and field championships which begin Friday in Jefferson City...

For the past two years, Missourians have enjoyed a state sales-tax holiday over one weekend when most families are purchasing school supplies and clothing. During the holiday, the state did not collect sales tax on those items, but not all items were exempt. For the most part, shoppers took advantage of the sales-tax relief in large numbers, as has been the experience in other states with similar tax holidays...

Annika Sorenstam's missed cut streak is finally over. The eight-time LPGA Tour player of the year shot a 4-under 67 Saturday in the second round of the Sybase Classic in New Rochelle, N.Y., a round good enough to have her one stroke behind leader Gloria Park (67) and well above the cut line...

NEW ORLEANS -- Mayor Ray Nagin, whose shoot-from-the-hip style was both praised and scorned after Hurricane Katrina, narrowly won re-election over Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu on Saturday in the race to oversee one of the biggest rebuilding projects in U.S. history...

ST. ROBERT, Mo. -- A nightclub owner in an ongoing battle with the Army -- which briefly banned soldiers from his strip club near Fort Leonard Wood -- claims in a lawsuit that fort officials conspired with the owners of a rival nightclub to steal his confidential security procedures...

CANTON, N.Y. -- A man was charged with burglary and criminal mischief after he allegedly broke into a funeral home and fell asleep in a coffin. Joel Fish, 20, of Queensbury, was arrested after he was discovered at the O'Leary Funeral Home in Canton, 127 miles north of Syracuse...

HOLMES MILL, Ky. -- An explosion in an eastern Kentucky coal mine killed five miners Saturday, Gov. Ernie Fletcher said. A sixth miner was able to walk away from the blast and out of the mine on his own. The blast at the Darby Mine No. 1 in Harlan County occurred between midnight and 1 a.m. ...

LAS VEGAS -- An animal-rights group has filed a federal lawsuit accusing the U.S. Department of Agriculture of improperly withholding information gathered during its investigation into the near-fatal tiger attack on illusionist Roy Horn. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is challenging the USDA's decision to withhold affidavits of the agency's employees and witnesses collected while it investigated alleged violations of the Animal Welfare Act and other laws...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- After five months of often bitter wrangling over Cabinet posts, Iraq's unity government took office Saturday and vowed to fight the insurgency, restore stability and set the stage for the eventual withdrawal of U.S. and other foreign troops...

MARSHALL, Mo. -- They come from Chillicothe, Carrollton, Trenton and other central Missouri towns better known for their hog farms and meat packing plants than as a fertile spawning ground for musical virtuosos. Doctors, lawyers, teachers, housewives, retirees or third-shift workers, they share a singular bond: a commitment to orchestral and symphonic performance that has made Marshall, with just over 12,000 residents, a classical musical Mecca...

MARBLE HILL, Mo.-- Landon Levi Stroup, one day old, 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. Survivors include his parents, Kevin and Crystal Stroup of Marble Hill; a brother, Lane Stroup of Marble Hill; maternal grandparents, Frankie and Cheryl Smith of Marble Hill; paternal grandmother, Vivian Stroup of Bloomfield, Mo...

Cheryl D. Jackson, 33, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, May 18, 2006, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born May 23, 1972, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Ellie and Verida Bell Jackson. Jackson was a certified nurse assistant. She was a graduate of Central High School. Jackson worked at several nursing homes as a CNA. She was a member of New Horizon Baptist Church...

Melissa Ann LaClair and Jason Lee Underwood were united in marriage April 22, 2006, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Jackson. Monsignor Edward Eftink performed the ceremony. Organist was Jerry Ganiel. The bride is the daughter of Mark and Debbie LaClair of Marble Hill, Mo. The groom is the son of David and Nancy Underwood of Jackson...

Cassie Leigh Koch and Aaron Michael Panton exchanged vows April 8, 2006, at La Croix United Methodist Church. The Rev. Ron Watts performed the ceremony. Pianist was Chris Nall, flutist was Kelley Pujol, and vocalists were Jill Watkins and Nall, all of Cape Girardeau...

Anna Laura Bishop and Clayton Lee Blankenship were married Oct. 8, 2005, at La Croix United Methodist Church. Rocky Tallent performed the ceremony. Pianist was Chris Nall of Cape Girardeau and violinist was Ben Goodier of Jackson. Vocalists were Gina Bishop of Laurel, Mont., sister-in-law of the bride, and Drake Douglas of Cape Girardeau...

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...

BENTON, Mo. -- Megan Summer Beggs and Robert William Van Pelt exchanged vows Dec. 3, 2005, at St. Denis Catholic Church. The Rev. Normand Varone performed the ceremony. Organist was Michelle Scherer of Benton. Vocalists were Bruce and Sarah Scherer of Benton, and Tyree Chapman of Chaffee, Mo...

Danielle Nicole Drum and Troy Michael Nussbaum were married Aug. 27, 2005, at Bollinger Mill in Burfordville. The Rev. Gary Hoffstetter performed the ceremony. Pianist was Cheryl Fortner and soloist was Brandon Andrews. Parents of the bride are Rick Drum and Lisa Drum of Jackson. The groom is the son of T.L. and Lisa Nussbaum of Whitewater...

Stephen and Betty Brooks of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Stacey Michelle Brooks, to Andrew Lee Buttry. He is the son of Greg and Tonya Buttry of Jackson. Brooks is a 2005 graduate of Jackson High School. She attended Southeast Missouri State University, and is transferring to the University of Mobile in Mobile, Ala...

Ken and Vickie Westrich of Scott City announce the engagement of their daughter, Sara E. Westrich, to Daniel J. Bellew. He is the son of Dan and Kathy Bellew of Dittmer, Mo. Westrich is a 1999 graduate of Notre Dame High School. She received a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Southeast Missouri State University in 2003. She is an accountant with KPMG LLP in St. Louis...

Gary L. Buchheit of Perryville and Annie M. Buchheit of St. Louis announce the engagement of their daughter, Shannon Elizabeth Buchheit of Perryville, to Cody Jean Walker of Jackson. He is the son of Kevin B. Walker of Patton, Mo., and J. Gail Kocher of Jackson...

Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Schlimpert of Jackson celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary April 19, 2006, with Lawrence and Leona Schlimpert of St. Louis and Edgar and Melba Schlimpert of Concordia, Mo. The brothers and their wives have all been married 60 or more years. Lawrence and Leona were married Nov. 17, 1945. Edgar and Melba were married Jan. 1, 1945...

25 years ago: May 21, 1981 The Jackson R-2 Community Teachers Association yesterday rejected a proposal to increase teacher salaries 5.5 to 8.3 percent next school year, choosing instead to submit its own proposal of a 10 percent across-the-board increase; the teachers decided to contact the Missouri State Teachers Association for assistance in determining availability of funds for salary increases next year...

Drusch medalist in Kimbeland women's play Harriet Drusch captured medalist honors Thursday in the Ladies Golf League at Kimbeland Country Club in Jackson. Vicki Long won the championship flight in the play of the day, while Lillian Schneider topped the A flight and Dorothy Holland was first in the B flight...

Consider the intent To the editor: I wanted to express my sympathy to the Central High School baseball team in regard to the recent ruling to suspend six players and coach Steve Williams for a violation committed in the offseason. Rules are rules, but I truly believe the intent to commit a violation should be taken into consideration as well...

Columnist off base To the editor: As usual, your sports columnist doesn't know what he's talking about. He wrote that everyone was after Steve Williams' job as the Central High School baseball coach because he had a losing season. That's not true. Everyone was after Steve's job for several other issues -- all of which should have gotten him removed -- that were addressed in a petition presented to the school board last year. The board did nothing...

Know the rules CONCERNING THE article on the sports page May 11 about Central's six baseball players and coach being suspended because of an MSHSAA rules violation, the obvious questions weren't addressed: Why didn't coach Steve Williams or athletic director Mark Ruark read the handbook. and why aren't they aware of this rule?...

DEKALB, Ill.-- Lyndle R. "Sparky" Reeves, 72, of DeKalb died Friday, May 19, 2006, at DeKalb County Rehab & Nursing Center. He was born March 31, 1934, in Brunot, Mo., son of Raymond J. and Daisy Randolph Reeves. He and Erma Christine Harris were married April 14, 1953, at Hernando, Miss...

Shirley Bennett Black, 69, of Cape Girardeau passed away Thursday, May 18, 2006, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born Oct. 13, 1936, in Memphis, Tenn., daughter of Judy and Della Shanks Crabb. She and William Bennett Jr. were married Nov. 28, 1952. He died July 21, 1978. She married Duane Black July 24, 1992...

Cameron David Garrison, age 20, of Jackson, passed away Thursday, May 18, 2006, from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident in Miner, Mo. He was born June 7, 1985, in Raleigh, N.C., son of Michael H. and Welta Hastings Garrison. Garrison graduated from Jackson High School in 2003 and had worked at Pizza Pro in Jackson for two years...

C. B. "Browning" Delph, 96, of Jackson passed away Saturday, May 20, 2006, at the home of his grandson, Mitchell, in Jackson. He was born Sept. 6, 1909, in Oak Ridge, Mo., son of Emory and Elizabeth Davenport Delph. He and Marie Noce were married Nov. 7, 1940, in Hillsboro, Mo. She passed away Jan. 17, 2002...

Moment of respect; Awesome concert; No hard work; Arrogant action; Dangerous crossing; Small amount; Too dirty?; Dangerous racing

FULTON, Mo. -- John Horstman got a little workout in a recent fishing trip, when he landed a crappie that broke Missouri's state pole-and-line record and could be an international record. Horstman, 69, and his son, Doug, were on a sort of annual trip April 21. They had permission to fish a private lake in their home area of rural Callaway County, and started fishing around 9 a.m. It was their first time there...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's spring turkey harvest topped 50,000 for the eighth consecutive year, guaranteeing the Show-Me State's reputation as the prime place for turkey hunting. Hunters checked 51,018 turkeys during the season, which began April 24 and ended May 14...

Central sisters Nicole and Roxanne Jackson were able to overcome personal tragedy to help lead the Tigers to four event victories Saturday at a Class 4 sectional track and field meet at Farmington High School. Nicole and Roxanne Jackson's mother passed away on Thursday, just two days before the sectional meet...

ST. PETERS, Mo. -- The rest of the state be warned: 2007 could be the year for Hannah Kinder. At last year's Missouri State High School Activities Association Girls Swimming and Diving Championships, Kinder finished third in both the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyles...

Outside the 316 acres in rural Cape Girardeau County, the world hasn't changed that much. The old temptations and problems are still there, and one trip beyond Teen Challenge's boundaries was enough to remind Ryan Niffin and Harold Catha of that. Niffin, Catha and 18-year-old Elias Kihyet are among the 16 freshman participants in the faith-based drug and alcohol recovery program located off County Road 621 near Cape Girardeau. ...

When the Missouri Legislature adjourned May 12, lawmakers went home without passing a bill to overhaul state job creation efforts. The failure of the bill, which became embroiled in the political tug-of-war that halted almost all action in the Missouri Senate, could mean the state loses a chance to land almost 8,000 jobs, supporters said...

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...

NEW YORK -- Oklahoma, Mississippi and the Mountain states have set the pace in increasing the imprisonment of women, while several Northeastern states are curtailing the practice, according to a new report detailing sharp regional differences in the handling of female offenders...

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- A practical joker got a taste of revenge when friends turned part of his apartment into a human-sized hamster cage, complete with shredded newspaper bedding, a six-foot exercise wheel and a giant water bottle. ...

TEHRAN, Iran -- A draft law moving through parliament encourages Iranians to wear Islamic clothing to protect the country's Muslim identity but does not mention special attire for religious minorities, according to a copy obtained Saturday by The Associated Press...

SEOUL, South Korea -- Four North Koreans overpowered a security guard and scaled the wall of a U.S. consulate in China in hopes of gaining asylum from their impoverished, communist country, South Korean media reported Saturday. The Chosun Ilbo newspaper said the four entered the U.S. consulate in the northeastern city of Shenyang from the neighboring South Korean consulate by climbing a wall separating the two compounds...

No conference title was on the line at Capaha Field Saturday afternoon as Southeast Missouri State and Tennessee Tech played the final game of disappointing regular baseball seasons for each team. But that didn't detract from what was at stake as the Redhawks and Eagles both fought for survival -- in the form of nailing down the sixth and final berth in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament...

WASHINGTON -- More needs to be done to ensure the anonymity of federal air marshals, says a critical new report Congress will look into next week. The draft report, "Plane Clothes: Lack of Anonymity at the Federal Air Marshal Service Compromises Aviation and National Security," cites the service's dress code, which is supposed to prevent marshals from drawing attention to themselves...

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The agonizing wait is over for Barry Bonds. He and the Babe are even at 714. Bonds tied Babe Ruth for second place on the career home run list Saturday, ending a nine-game homerless stretch with a shot into the first deck of the elevated stands in right-center during San Francisco's 4-2, 10-inning victory over the Oakland Athletics...