Stories from Wednesday, June 14, 2006

The Cape Girardeau school board wants the district's administrators to look at the possibility of having year-round school. Board members asked that the idea be investigated as part of a new, five-year comprehensive plan. A steering committee reviewed the strategic plan with the school board and school administrators for three hours Tuesday night...

CAIRO, Ill. -- During a confrontation between Mayor Paul Farris and Councilman Joseph Thurston on Tuesday, Farris sought police help to eject his antagonist, but none were on hand. Officers usually attend the meetings in uniform, providing security by checking for weapons at the door. Police had left the meeting on a call just prior to the dispute between Farris and Thurston, who is councilman-at-large and elected in a citywide vote...

Melissa Mackey's escapade with Karen Daugherty's adult son was a hot topic around the Vision House for a couple of weeks. But there were a few bright moments as well. A few of the women were emerging from dark shells, including a polite middle-aged woman known as "Miss Helen." The bashful alcoholic was beginning to flash smiles and signs of her true self...

Beginning teachers in the Jackson School District this fall will earn $30,000 under a salary plan approved by the school board Tuesday night. New teachers will make nearly $5,000 more than starting teachers in the Cape Girardeau School District. Teacher salaries will increase by 5 percent under the new salary schedule, said superintendent Dr. Ron Anderson. The percentage increase includes the step raises that are tied to years of experience and educational training...

The 19th Annual Charles L. Hutson Auction is set to take place at 7 p.m. Saturday at Buckner Brewing Co. For the second year running, proceeds from the auction will benefit Old Town Cape. First held in 1988, the auction benefited the Downtown Merchants Association for 17 years until its merger with Old Town Cape...

MIAMI -- Hours before the biggest game of his life and the most important in this city's hoop history, Dwyane Wade, brimming with confidence and South Beach coolness, gave his take on the NBA finals. "It's not over," he said. Not if he says so. Wade scored 42 points and orchestrated a furious fourth-quarter Miami comeback that reached its crescendo on Gary Payton's jumper with 9.3 seconds left as the Heat escaped with a 98-96 win over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 3 on Tuesday night...

Saturday is the deadline for nominating someone for the 2006 Spirit of America Award. The award presented by the Southeast Missourian newspaper honors a community member who personifies the character and ideals of America. Any organization -- civic clubs, church groups, veterans organizations, Scout troops, sports leagues, school groups, auxiliaries and others -- can nominate someone for the award. ...

Several thousands of dollars were stolen through forgery from an 83-year-old man's checking account over a three-month period. The Cape Girardeau man's son discovered inconsistencies in his father's account and reported it to authorities on Monday, police spokesman Jason Selzer said...

A Cape Girardeau man pleaded innocent Monday to the charge he sold crack cocaine to an undercover officer in 2003. Evan D. Johnson, 22, of 419 S. Sprigg St., entered his not guilty plea to felony drug trafficking during an appearance before Circuit Court Judge Benjamin Lewis. ...

A diamond ring was reported stolen to the police after its owner left it at a Cape Girardeau tanning salon. A woman went into the Sun and Tan Tanning Salon, 421 Broadway, around 9 a.m. Saturday. After her visit, she realized she left two rings in a salon room, and only one was later found, according to police officer Daryl Ferris...

Two women reported to Cape Girardeau police they were raped while asleep, one from last weekend and one from more than six years ago. The most recent alleged attack occurred around 6:30 a.m. Saturday on the city's northwest side, according to police spokesman Jason Selzer...

Gnat-straining; Thanks for basset; Not enough time; New political faces; Mainstream progress; Por favor; It's not working

In 1874 a movement was born on Lake Chautauqua in upstate New York. The goal was to promote learning, recreation and relaxation for people who might not have the opportunities afforded in large cities. Chautauqua fulfilled a need, and many states and regions copied the original. Lecturers like William Jennings Bryan and Carrie Nation toured on the Chautauqua circuit...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Ruth M. Johnson, 85, of Cairo died Tuesday, June 13, 2006, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Barkett Funeral Home in Cairo is in charge of arrangements.

College; Hockey

To the editor: Thank you so much to Matt Sanders for the informative and heartfelt article about plans of the Stars and Stripes Museum and Library Association in Bloomfield, Mo., to honor Vietnam veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange. Human pain and suffering, whether it be physical, emotional or spiritual, needs to be acknowledged before there is any hope of healing. ...

To the editor: You know why Joe Sullivan's weekly column in the Missourian is a favorite of many? It's a winner. That's why. What you don't know is you may get the same surprise as I had one day. Noticeable recently is the desire to imitate a voice or sound. Both take practice to gain perfection. "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" that appears weekly on television has made the practice quite popular...

To the editor: I just read Ann Coulter's new book, "Godless." She makes some excellent and valid points about liberals and their new state religion, liberalism, which is a pseudonym for licentiousness (my analogy, not Coulter's). Unlike her critics, Coulter gives facts, dates, names, historical instances and examples in her book, which can be investigated for truth. ...

Bonnie Lucille Lipke, 91, of Jackson passed away Saturday, June 10, 2006, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born July 21, 1914, in Aurora, Ill., daughter of Charles and Laura Duke Talley. She and LeRoy C. Lipke were married May 2, 1934, in Aurora. He passed away June 4, 1983...

HONG KONG -- The survival of the human race depends on its ability to find new homes elsewhere in the universe because of an increasing risk that a disaster will destroy Earth, world-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking said Tuesday. Humans could have a permanent base on the moon in 20 years and a colony on Mars in the next 40 years, the British scientist told a news conference...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraq's new prime minister promised "no mercy" for terrorists Tuesday on the eve of a security crackdown involving 75,000 troops, road closures and a curfew. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said that Iraq was "determined to succeed, and we have to defeat terrorists and defeat all the hardships."...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- President Bush told Iraq's new leader in a surprise visit on Tuesday that the fate of his war-scarred country was in Iraq's own hands. Bush was pressed in turn not to withdraw U.S. troops too quickly. "There's a worry almost to a person that we will leave before they are capable of defending themselves," Bush said as he flew back to the United States after his lightning long-distance trip to meet with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Carolina Hurricanes seem to have everything going their way at the Stanley Cup finals. They've got a hot goaltender. They've got a commanding lead in the series. They've got a chance to hoist the cup at home tonight with one more win in front of their rabid fans...

MAMARONECK, N.Y. -- One of Tiger Woods' greatest thrills was winning on Father's Day. It was a tradition in the Woods' household when he was young. The son would play 18 holes with his father at Navy Golf Course in Long Beach, Calif., then they would go home to watch the conclusion of the U.S. Open...

PITTSBURGH -- Chris Carpenter gave the same much-needed lift to the St. Louis rotation that Scott Rolen is providing to a Cardinals batting order that is sorely missing star Albert Pujols. Carpenter held the Pirates to three hits and struck out a career-high 13 in seven shutout innings in his best start since April, and Rolen had four hits to lead St. Louis past Pittsburgh 2-1 Tuesday night...

CAIRO, Egypt -- The new leader of al-Qaida in Iraq vowed to avenge the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and threatened horrific attacks "in the coming days," according to a Web statement Tuesday -- the first from the new terrorist leader. "Don't be overcome with joy about killing our sheik Abu Musab, God bless his soul, because he has left lions behind him," it said...

DeMyers; Held; Russell; Tarble; Geringer; Welker; Sturm

American Legion 158; New Salem UMW; Kage FCE; Town & Country FCE

25 years ago: June 14, 1981 As of January 1982, First National Bank of Cape Girardeau will change its name to Centerre Bank; the change was approved by the board of directors of First Union Bancoporation in St. Louis and of the local bank, subject to the approval of bank shareholders and regulatory agencies...

Thomas Dean "T.D." Williams, 48, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, June 12, 2006, at his home. He was born Nov. 4, 1957, in Durango, Colo., son of Lorenz "Red" and Grace Colgate Williams. Williams was a 1976 graduate of Central High School, where he participated in football, basketball and baseball. ...

BELL CITY, Mo. -- Harvey E. Kelso, 94, of Bell City died Monday, June 12, 2006, at Crowley Ridge Care Center in Dexter, Mo. He was born Sept. 8, 1911, at Arab, Mo., son of Elijah and Laura Adcock. He and Mary Ruth Proffer were married April 1, 1935, at Bloomfield, Mo...

HERRIN, Ill. -- Della Johnson, 82, of Herrin died Monday, June 12, 2006, at the home of a son in Herrin. She was born July 1, 1923, at Villa Ridge, Ill., daughter of Fred and Marie Bergfeld Turner. She and Sam E. Johnson were married Dec. 31, 1939. He died June 18, 2002...

ORAN, Mo. -- Leon William Diebold, 93, of Oran died Monday, June 12, 2006, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born June 15, 1912, at New Hamburg, Mo., son of Charley and Theresa Lieble Diebold. He and Marcella S. Stubenrauch were married Dec. 29, 1932. She died Jan. 7, 1998...

ANNA, Ill. -- Ruby C. Ligon, 93, of Anna died Sunday, June 11, 2006, at her home. She was born May 16, 1913, in Cobden, Ill., daughter of Charles and Carrie Batson Jungers. She and John Earl Ligon were married June 7, 1931. He died Sept. 25, 2002. Ligon had worked at International Shoe Co., owned and managed Anna Hotel in the 1960s, and gave piano lessons many years. She was a member of First Christian Church...

TAMMS, Ill. -- Mary Sue Thornton, 77, of Tamms died Monday, June 12, 2006, at Jonesboro Health Care. She was born Oct. 5, 1928, in Paris, Tenn., daughter of Willie J. and Macy Pearl Ownby Abernathy. She married James Thornton March 27, 1948. Thornton was a member of Tamms United Methodist Church and was pianist for more than 40 years...

ANNA, Ill. -- Frances Jane Brown, 96, of Anna died Sunday, June 11, 2006, at Union County Hospital. She was born Oct. 10, 1909, in Lawton, Okla., daughter of Clinton Oliver and Ora Anderson Clark. She and Robert West Brown were married in 1929. He died in 1992...

MOUNDS, Ill. -- Jack C. Taylor, 80, of Avondale, La., formerly of Mounds, died Wednesday, May 3, 2006, at his home. He was born Aug. 4, 1926, in Keokuk, Iowa, son of J. Curtis and Fern McNeill Taylor. He married Frances Rust. Taylor was a math teacher several years with Mounds Township School District, and retired as an engineer with Union Carbide...

Chester G. Matthews, 78, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, June 13, 2006, at Saint Francis Medical Center. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Three buses delivered Tuesday to the Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority will soon be on the streets making driver-training runs and making residents aware of the new route, authority director Jeff Brune said. "We want to put them on the route, start getting them visible and show how they will be operating," Brune said...

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Patrick Kennedy pleaded guilty Tuesday to driving under the influence of prescription drugs and was sentenced to undergo court-ordered drug treatment and a year's probation. Kennedy, D-R.I., also was ordered to pay at least $350 in connection with his middle-of-the-night car crash last month near the Capitol...

Electricity restored to U.S. mission in Cuba HAVANA -- Electricity was restored Tuesday to the U.S. mission in Cuba after Washington accused Fidel Castro's government of deliberately cutting off the building's power and Havana angrily denied it. U.S. ...

WASHINGTON -- Top White House aide Karl Rove has been told by prosecutors he won't be charged with any crimes in the investigation into the leak of a CIA officer's identity, his lawyer said Tuesday, lifting a heavy burden from one of President Bush's most trusted advisers...

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Taiwanese lawmakers agreed Tuesday to hold hearings on a possible recall of President Chen Shui-bian, whose family members have been plagued by corruption allegations that have sparked calls for him to resign. The legislature's move further deepened the political crisis for the leader of one of Asia's youngest democracies. It marked the first time the Taiwanese have tried to formally recall their leader...

WASHINGTON -- True love waits for no one -- except maybe the Homeland Security Department. Red tape has put wedding bells on hold for about 10,000 U.S. citizens seeking visas for their foreign brides and grooms as the department works on new paperwork for their applications...

Cape Girardeau...

Cape Girardeau...

WASHINGTON -- Consumers, battered by surging gasoline prices and rising interest rates, cut back sharply on their spending in May, providing further evidence suggesting the economy is slowing. It is still an open question whether the slowdown is coming soon enough to keep inflation under control...

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is starting special reviews of the financial operations of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The two government-sponsored companies, both of which have been roiled by accounting scandals in recent years, already have been under pressure from lawmakers and regulators who want their combined multitrillion-dollar mortgage holdings to be reduced. ...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A doctor and a consumer group have sued KFC in an effort to stop the chicken chain from cooking with high-fat partially hydrogenated oil. Dr. Arthur Hoyte, a retired physician from Rockville, Md., and the Center for Science in the Public Interest, want a judge to order Kentucky Fried Chicken to use other types of cooking oils or make sure customers know about trans fat content immediately before they make a purchase...

Southeast Booster Club Blitz Day coming up The Southeast Missouri State Booster Club will kick off its 2006-2007 fund drive with Thursday's annual Blitz Day. Volunteers will fan out around the community, visiting local businesses in order to renew booster memberships, sign up new boosters and sell season tickets...

Here at the Missourian, we're fielding a softball team. We thought we'd fit neatly into the lowest skill level of the Shawnee Sports Complex co-ed league, but now we're having our doubts. If this were a movie, we might be described as a rag tag bunch of lovable misfits. Kind of like the Bad News Bears only not so cute...

CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. -- The first tropical storm of the hurricane season was less than advertised Tuesday, bringing rain, gusty winds and some thigh-high street flooding to Florida's Gulf Coast without blowing up into the hurricane forecasters feared...

Class 4 First Team Pitchers: Jeff Rydman, senior, Oak Park; Josh Syberg, senior, Vianney; Josh Malin, senior, Hazelwood Central; Pat Doyle, senior, Oakville; Blake Wixson, senior, Hillcrest; Brad LaBruyere, jr., Central. Catchers: Matt Dahms, junior, Oak Park; Jason Hagerty, senior, Vianney; Casey Jones, senior, Oakville...

Three Plaza Tire Capahas pitchers held the Riverdogs to two hits while striking out 13 in a 9-0 victory in Charleston, Mo., on Tuesday. Jason Chavez tossed seven scoreless innings for the win. Chavez struck out nine, allowed two hits and did not walk a batter...

Cape Girardeau has contracted with Lappe Cement Finishing to widen Mount Auburn Road from William Street to Bloomfield Road. Two lanes of the road will stay open throughout the construction period which is set to begin in early July. Engineering officials hope to have the project completed by Thanksgiving...

Cape Girardeau's American Legion team took advantage of two errors on one play in the top of the 10th inning to edge host Sikeston 7-5 on Tuesday in a District 14 game. Eric Ennis started the 10th with a single, and eventually made his way to third with two outs. Ty Craft was walked, and Ennis came around to score when Craft stole second and the throw went into the outfield. Craft was able to score when a throw to third also got away...

Oran's run into the Class 1 baseball final four helped the Eagles land three players on the Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters all-state team. Sophomore catcher Caleb Seyer was one of four area players to earn first-team honors in Class 1. Seyer hit .438 this season with 56 runs scored, 24 RBIs and five home runs...

BERLIN -- Brazil, France and South Korea picked up just about where they left off four years ago. The defending champion Brazilians won their record eighth straight World Cup match Tuesday night, getting a 44th-minute goal from Kaka to shake off a pesky Croatia 1-0 in Group F...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Scott County American Legion coach Tom Dirnberger didn't approach Tuesday's showdown with Dunklin County like a showdown. Dirnberger gave first-year pitcher Alex Orr a chance to bond with his teammates while going up against the defending District 14 regular-season champion...

I took a cruise to Alaska recently in search of moose and to my delight I encountered plenty of my favorite species: chocolate mousse. That's because sailing with us on board Holland America's M.S. Ryndam was the internationally famed chocolatier Jacques Torres who, in the ship's culinary arts center (a fully equipped ocean-going kitchen with theater seating), demonstrated how to make mousse and other fabulous chocolate concoctions...

Rotary International is a service organization that truly puts the well-being of humankind first. Rotary has been an important part of this community for many years, and for my family as well. My father-in-law, Jerry, has even been called "Mr. Rotary," and I do agree, he certainly deserves that title...

Ah, transition. What can we say about that magical, ill-defined phenomenon that hasn't been said before. Of course, transition is everywhere. Pres. Bush just got a new press secretary (care of Fox News, what a surprise) and a new CIA director (care of the military, what a surprise). The seasons just changed from spring to summer, as I found out over the Memorial Day weekend when I risked quelching the grill flames with my sweat...

Hank Greenly stands at the corner of first base, ready to tag out any runner that crosses his path. The active 69-year-old wears a dusty blue T-shirt that says Sandy Creek Baptist Church and two black-and-gray knee braces that keep his legs working properly...

Congratulations! You've graduated. You don't know how, you're not sure why, but you've done it. After four (or six, or eight) years of college and all the strain that comes with it -- the parties, the studying, the parties while you should be studying, the sleepless stretches during finals, the professors who are convinced the only method of accumulating knowledge is via Powerpoint presentation -- you're finally done, and ready to jump into the real world. What now?...

Community; sports; recreation; arts; theater; music...

Summertime is a joyous time. The Beach Boys immortalized it, Husker Du celebrated it, and now businessmen profit off it, or at least their wallets are fattened by the many packaged tours that roll across the country annually. But if your budget's anything like mine, the cash available for entertainment expenditures often runs a bit thin. So I took the liberty of singling out four events this summer that are worth some portion of your time. Thank me later...

The younger sister of Shelby Lynne returns with her fifth studio album. Although viewed mostly as a country act, Moorer's last album "The Duel" was a derivation from the Nashville norm. In other words, it kind of rocked a little bit. It will be interesting to see exactly where Moorer will take her sound next as she tries to "get somewhere."...

Now that our first run with "Soundscan" is coming to an end, we're back to business as usual -- making music videos. In May we teamed up with Sikeston rap representatives Durty Mo Posse a.k.a. DMP. Using Cape Girardeau as a backdrop, we filmed their first full length music video. Thanks to the help of some friendly local business owners and the cooperation of the city police, we produced some excellent footage...

Remember that show, "The Odd Couple," about those two guys who live together, and one is a total slob and one is a neat freak? If you do, you are probably chuckling at the zany situations the two found themselves in, by just being opposite. When one is tidy and the other is messy, it's hilarious, right?...

Like old rockers? Like DVDs? Then June and July are your months, my friend. Over the next two months a one-two punch including two live concert DVDs from two of the biggest names in music hits the shelves, giving you hours to get lost in the tunes. The joy begins June 13, when Young's live concert disc "Heart of Gold" is available. The country folk rocker filmed this DVD over two steamy nights at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium in 2005. Special guests include greats like Emmylou Harris...

Once in a while, a movie comes along that makes a viewer realize just how good his or her life is. "City of God," a highly acclaimed Brazilian film that chronicles the lives of several people living in Rio De Janeiro's slums, is such a movie. Director Fernando Meirelles, who was nominated for a Best Director Oscar for his work (a rarity considering "City of God" isn't an American film), crafts an unflinching, visually stunning story full of sex, drugs and brutal violence that some people call normal life.. ...

City Life (PC, $49.99) - In this slightly Sims-esque game, you build a modern-day sprawling metropolis up from the ground and then run it, hopefully not back DOWN into the ground. It's got a couple of fun touches and bits of added realism that give it enough personality to make it worth trying out. ...

Ah, the Internet. Lightning fast communication with the rest of the world and limitless supply of information, right? Yes ... but what if President Bush didn't want you to see ALL of that information? Would you feel like your right as an American to privacy in your own home was violated if the Bush administration started scanning everything you do on the Internet?...

"American Idol" just keeps getting bigger and bigger. And this year the SEMO District Fair is hoping two former "Idol" contestants and a blind country legend can help fill the grandstand seats. The fair announced its entertainment line-up in May for the Sept. 9-16 event. Of course, the music kicks off like it always does, with our own local version of "American Idol," the Heartland Idol competition on Sept. 13...

For comic book fans in Cape Girardeau he's the hub of the collector universe. For 10 years his Marvels and Legends shop has catered to those with an interest in the written, and drawn, word and their obsession with good guys and bad guys. Now after a successful go at creating a comic and gaming expo in Cape, he's more high-profile than ever, and he's planning a free comic show on Sept. ...