Stories from Sunday, June 25, 2006

DEXTER, Mo. -- Former state senator Jerry Howard summed up the sentiment Saturday night: "We're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore." More than 400 Bootheel Democrats gathered at the Dexter Elks Lodge to hear party leaders give fiery speeches, all sharing one common goal -- wresting power from the Republicans in Washington, D.C., and in Jefferson City...

In the coffee shops, barbershops and beauty parlors, skepticism about county road plans is tempered with a willingness to be convinced to approve a sales-tax increase. At the Route K One Stop, talk about the sales-tax proposal is mostly negative, questioning whether officials can be trusted to keep their promise to spend the extra revenue on roads and more deputies. The same is true among the group who gathers every morning at the Burger King on East Jackson Boulevard...

More than 100 people showed up Saturday afternoon to see Allenville's new lawn-mower racetrack get broken in. The races, which started at 1 p.m., were held in conjunction with the town's annual picnic. The 600-foot track has been in the works for a year and reflects the efforts of many volunteers and donations. ...

Consider this the obligatory "here's-how-the-new-job-is-going" column. We'll get back to the juicy stuff next week. HE SAID: Faithful readers of this column know about Little Red. She's my 1994 Ford Probe. More than 170,000 miles. Runs a little rougher than she used to. If her engine was a speaking voice, she'd sound like Rosanne Barr...

Tired? Stressed out? Need a break but short on funds? For many boomers, the solution is to charge a vacation now and worry about paying for it later. But that desire for instant gratification can threaten financial security in your golden years, says financial planner Diane McCurdy, author of "How Much Is Enough: Balancing Today's Needs With Tomorrow's Retirement Goals."...

The Chautauqua festival closed Saturday night at the Osage Community Centre with an energetic speech by George Washington Carver. Of course, it wasn't actually Carver himself, who died in 1943, but performer Paxton Williams, who portrayed the agricultural legend...

Caleb Daughhetee will be leaving the Scott County American Legion baseball team in the coming days, in the middle of a season when the team hopes to contend for the District 14 championship. Scott County coach Tom Dirnberger couldn't be prouder. Daughhetee on Wednesday will fly to Colorado Springs, Colo., to begin a five-week basic training program leading into his enrollment at the U.S. Air Force Academy...

By Victor Davis Hanson Will President Bush's current unpopularity translate into a Democratic recapture of either the House or Senate this fall -- or a victory in the 2008 presidential election? Probably not. Despite widespread unhappiness with the Republicans, it is hard to envision a majority party run by Howard Dean, John Kerry, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid...

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- A dealer admitted in federal court Thursday he stole nearly 100 rare maps worth about $3 million in a case that sent librarians and investigators scurrying to review collections and recover stolen treasures. E. Forbes Smiley III, 50, of Martha's Vineyard, Mass., pleaded guilty to one count of theft of major artwork in connection with the theft of a map from Yale University...

BALTIMORE -- The main camera on the Hubble Space Telescope, which has revolutionized astronomy with its stunning pictures of the universe, has stopped working, an instrument specialist who works with the camera said Saturday. The Advanced Camera for Surveys, an instrument installed in 2002, went offline Monday, and engineers are still trying to figure out what happened and how to repair it...

MORTON, Ill. -- Bob Gottlieb's best move in chess came 14 years ago when he started collecting chess sets. In the "board room" of his Morton home, the 53-year-old accounting manager at Caterpillar Inc. has on display chess sets from 17 different countries, including the United Kingdom, Pakistan, Kenya, Mexico, Sweden and Russia. ...

Recent deaths: Spelling, Ramsey, Marshall; Ex-cons don't want stigma of sex offender registry

JOPLIN, Mo. -- Three people from Oklahoma died Friday night after their car collided with a tractor-trailer and caught fire, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said. The victims' car crossed the median on Interstate 44 west of Joplin and hit the side of the tractor-trailer, the patrol said. The rig overturned and both vehicles caught fire...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Springfield officials say up to $500,000 in city money may be missing and two municipal court employees are being investigated in the disappearance. Evelyn Honea, assistant city manager, said the $500,000 figure is only a preliminary estimation of money embezzled from funds collected by the court over a 2 1/2-year period...

SONOMA, Calif. -- Kurt Busch is finding his comfort zone at Penske Racing South, and that could be bad news for the rest of NASCAR's Nextel Cup competitors. The 2004 Nextel Cup champion heads into today's Dodge/Save Mart 350 on the road course at Infineon Raceway 16th in the standings and 187 points away from the 10th-place cutoff for the 10-race stock car postseason run...

LEIPZIG, Germany -- It took a blast of brilliance by Maxi Rodriguez to separate Argentina from Mexico in a World Cup classic Saturday night. Argentina moved into the quarterfinals with a 2-1 victory on Rodriguez's goal in the 98th minute of the first extra-time game in the tournament. ...

OMAHA, Neb. -- Chad Flack hit a leadoff triple and rumbled home to score the go-ahead run on a passed ball in the eighth inning, leading North Carolina to a 4-3 victory over Oregon State in the opening game of the College World Series championship round Saturday night...

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The NHL draft turned into a showcase for hockey in Minnesota. Bloomington native Erik Johnson became just the fifth American chosen first overall when the St. Louis Blues selected him Saturday. Fellow Minnesota natives Kyle Okposo and Peter Mueller followed Johnson in the top 10 with Okposo going to the Islanders and Mueller to the Coyotes...

DETROIT -- Jim Leyland insists it's not Motown magic -- just a group of gritty players refusing to give up. Placido Polanco's two-out double in the 10th scored Curtis Granderson from first base and lifted the Detroit Tigers to a 7-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday night, earning their fifth victory when trailing after eight innings...

Iran mum on response to nuclear proposal; Italians vote on massive reform referendum

WASHINGTON -- Wanted: Face time with President Bush or top adviser Karl Rove. Suggested donation: $100,000. The middleman: lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Blunt e-mails that connect money and access in Washington show that prominent Republican activist Grover Norquist facilitated some administration contacts for Abramoff's clients while the lobbyist simultaneously solicited those clients for large donations to Norquist's tax-exempt group...

KECHI, Kan. -- Like the beginnings of his glass artwork, Hutchinson resident Rick Garnett keeps picking up more material along the way. Each piece of glass Garnett builds begins as a shapeless blob of molten glass, with the color and consistency of honey, sitting on the end of a blowpipe...

NEW YORK -- When the collected papers of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. go up for auction next week, don't expect any small-time memorabilia dealers to make bids. With a pre-sale value between $15 million to $30 million and the King family's stipulation that the 10,000 items remain in a single collection, the June 30 sale by Sotheby's auction house is expected to attract academic and civic institutions...

SPRING GROVE, Ill. -- Miles Cole and his wife, Sally Bixby, arrived in Burton Township in November 1838, traveling from New Hampshire in seven weeks in two covered wagons. The Coles became wealthy farmers and their offspring settled in the area, as did other founding families: Stevens, Baker, Pierce, Shotliff, Wagner, Norton and Hatch...

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Israeli troops made their first arrests in Gaza since Israel withdrew from the territory last year. Under the cover of darkness the military arrested two Hamas militants. The army said the militants were planning an imminent large attack against the Jewish state. Israeli ground forces have entered Gaza three times since Israel completed its unilateral withdrawal from the area last September. Saturday marked the first time troops have arrested militants...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The new Iraqi government should have been basking in the glow of a two-week blitz of good news. Violence had eased significantly in the Iraqi capital from a security crackdown that blanketed the chaotic city with 75,000 U.S.-backed Iraqi soldiers. President Bush paid a surprise visit to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in a show of support for the Iraqi government...

NEW MARKET, Va. -- Ponds are pulling a disappearing act in water garden design. True, you're still seeing the standard flowing streams with their splashing waterfalls. But now the streams are flowing nowhere. They're vanishing instead into gravel-covered or fountain-topped reservoirs that until recently would have been ponds...

James and Kathy Lowes of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Jamie N. Lowes, to Rick A. Eftink. He is the son of Rick and Pam Eftink of Oran, Mo. Lowes is a 1999 graduate of Jackson High School. She is a licensed practical nurse at Southeast Missouri Hospital...

Leanne Pierce and Wayne Allan Booth were united in marriage April 11, 2006, in a beach setting on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. The bride is the daughter of Stan and Sue Pierce of Cape Girardeau and Dave and Bonnie Brenning of Troy, Mo. The groom is the son of Rodger and Janet Booth of Martinsburg, Ohio, and Francis Bash of Homer, Ohio...

Merideth C. Kidd and Patrick J. Bond were united in marriage May 20, 2006, at Anna Maria Island, Fla. Nancy Taussig performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Michael and Leslie Kidd of Riverview, Fla. The groom is the son of Doug and Sharon Harris of St. Louis...

Heather Dawn Compass and Kevin Ray Eakins were married Oct. 15, 2005, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Scott City. The Rev. David Coon performed the ceremony. Pianist was Joe Spalding of Scott City, and soloists were Teresa Morrill of Scott City, Paula Yount of Bartlett, Tenn., Renee and Hayley Compass of Scott City...

Dolores Viola Henry, 77, of Scott City died Friday, June 23, 2006, at her home. She was born Aug. 12, 1928, at St. Charles, Mo., daughter of Leo Alfred and Viola Isabelle Bacon Garrett. She and Leonard Homer Henry were married June 9, 1945, at San Antonio, Texas. He died Jan. 11, 1987...

Seairl Frances Fischer, 76, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Friday, June 23, 2006, in Irvington, Ala. She was born Aug. 4, 1929, in Marie, Ark., daughter of Clarence "Slim" and Beulah Smith May. She was raised by foster parents, Lois and Doc Yarbro...

DONGOLA, Ill. -- Fern McIntosh Lingle, 83, of Dongola, died Friday, June 23, 2006, at Union County Hospital in Anna. She was born July 20, 1922, in Dongola, daughter of Clyde and Velma Johnson Schluter. She and Delmas McIntosh were married Oct. 15, 1941. He died Aug. 2, 1991. She and Ralph Lingle were married March 25, 2000...

The Rev. Earl G. Statler, 88, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, June 23, 2006, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born July 7, 1917, in Friedheim, Mo., son of Clyde and Bertha Middleton Statler. He and Edna L. Smith were married June 2, 1948, in Cape Girardeau...

Victor Carl Frentzel, 64, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, June 23, 2006, at his home. Arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

Michelle Leigh Gentry and Eddie Pikey were married May 13, 2006, at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Cape Girardeau. The Rev. Rennie Phillips performed the ceremony. Vocalist was Danetta Held of Cape Girardeau. Parents of the couple are Mike and Donna Gentry of Cape Girardeau, and Tom and Linda Pikey of Scott City...

NEW HAMBURG, Mo. -- St. Lawrence Catholic Church was the setting Nov. 26, 2005, for the wedding of Samantha Jean Kluesner and Joseph Dale Simmons. The Revs. Normand Varone and Ralph Duffner performed the ceremony. Pianist was Angela Klueppel of Benton, Mo. Soloists were Kevin Curry of Kelso, Mo., and Jamina Sanchez of Sikeston, Mo...

Mr. and Mrs. James W. Abernathy of Cape Girardeau celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary with a family luncheon at their home. Abernathy and Mary Margaret Brorein were married June 7, 1941, at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. David Brorein in Parma, Mo...

Harold and Judy Carlyon of Potosi, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Nicole C. Carlyon, to Andrew L. Kaempfer, both of St. Louis. He is the son of Larry and Pat Kaempfer of Cape Girardeau. Carlyon is a 1994 graduate of Northwest High School. She is an underwriter for Creve Coeur Mortgage in St. Louis...

Lauri Swallow and Jon Hammontree exchanged vows May 20, 2006, at Chapel in the Glen in Gatlinburg, Tenn. The Rev. Michael Simpson performed the ceremony. Parents of the bride are Jim and Pat Tilley of Cape Girardeau. The groom is the son of Cecil and Judy Hammontree of East Prairie, Mo...

Angela Dionne East and Jay Michael Pierce exchanged vows April 1, 2006, at Trinity Freewill Baptist Church in Cabool, Mo. The Rev. Jeremy Ferguson performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jarrett East of Cabool. The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Howard Pierce of Cape Girardeau...

Nicole Francetta Spruill and Andrew Lee Tiehes were united in marriage March 18, 2006, at the home of the groom's father and stepmother. The bride is the daughter of Abigail Petitfilo of St. Rose, La. The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Rick Tiehes and Mr. and Mrs. Ken Kiefer, all of Jackson...

Stan and Mary Shepherd of St. Peters, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Erin Elizabeth Shepherd, to Stephen Anthony Drake. He is the son of Carroll and Jane Drake of Sikeston, Mo. Shepherd is a 1999 graduate of Francis Howell High School, and 2004 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University. She is a physical education teacher and coach with Sikeston School District...

Brian and Gayla Cox of Patterson, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Jessica Michelle Cox, to Brent Joseph Aufdenberg. He is the son of Rick and Renee Aufdenberg of Jackson. Cox expects to receive a bachelor's degree in social work from Southeast Missouri State University in 2007...

Nathan and Debbie Stout of Shelton, Wash., Celeste Goff of Cape Girardeau, and Don Goff of Greenville, Mo., announce the engagement of their children, Andrea Kaleiwohiokalani Stout and Brian Robert Goff. Stout is a 2001 graduate of Shelton High School, and is pursuing a degree in counseling at Oregon State University. She is employed with Advanced Chiropractic Rehab in Shelton...

Kathryn Myers of Cape Girardeau announces the engagement of her daughter, Emily Hall, to Brad Booker, both of St. Louis. He is the son of John and Peggy Booker of St. Charles, Mo. Hall is a 1996 graduate of Central High School. She received a bachelor of arts degree in International Affairs/Chinese from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She is self-employed...

Leonard George Seiler, 75, of Oak Ridge died Saturday, June 24, 2006, at his son's residence in Friedheim. He was born Aug. 18, 1930, at Drum, Mo., son of Benard and Mary Brauer Seiler. Leonard was a welder in the Boiler Makers Union Local 27 and a member of St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Glennon, Mo...

Thomas Dennis Hopper, 77, of Scott City died Friday, June 23, 2006, at the Life Care Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Jan. 11, 1929, at Illmo, son of William Benjamin and Bridget O. "Biddie" Dailey Hopper. He married Dorothy Sue Kjer on May 20, 1950, at Piggott, Ark. She preceded him in death on Dec. 3, 1983...

Photographers in war; Take it back; Signs of the times; Kitchen explained; Pricing reality; Thanks, MoDOT; Self-reliance at fault; Oscar for Al?; Principal hiring; Way we were; Dixie Chicks fan; Superiority complex; Flouting our laws; Teachers' complaints; Controversy defused; MoDOT football; Regulating commerce; Noise in the park; Send in bombs; Local action

Willie "Bill" Lufcy, 86, formerly of Wappapello, Mo., passed away Friday, June 23, 2006, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Bill had resided at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau since December 2005. He was born Oct. 7, 1919, son of John and Goldie Fay Cullins Lufcy...

Cape Girardeau...

Cape Girardeau...

Teddy Roosevelt, George Washington Carver, John James Audubon, Populist activist Mary Elizabeth Lease and dining entrepreneur Fred Harvey were in Cape Girardeau last week. Re-enactors for the Missouri Humanities Council Chautauqua provided convincing portrayals...

To the editor: The laughable entry of Tom Harris into the environmental warming fray is a strange choice for publication by the Missourian. Harris' argument that only a few environmental scientists are qualified to judge the validity of Al Gore's position means that a mechanical engineer, such as Harris, has no business writing about the problem. ...

To the editor: Claire McCaskill sounded a lot like John Kerry and John Edwards the other day when she used Vice President Cheney's name to defend her position against the Marriage Protection Amendment. I am assuming she is referring to the vice president's daughter, who is openly gay...

Mr. and Mrs. Gary Ashcraft of Jackson will observe their 40th wedding anniversary with a dinner party today. The celebration will be held at the home of John and Shirley Renaud in Cape Girardeau. Ashcraft and Alma Owens were married June 28, 1966, at the First Church of God in East Prairie, Mo...

Hedge...

25 years ago: June 25, 1981 Frederic A. Groves, a pioneering automobile dealer in Cape Girardeau, founder of the "Ford" Groves Motor Co., and a leading civic figure here for nearly 70 years, dies at Saint Francis Medical Center at age 89; Groves was born in Bonne Terre, Mo., and moved to Cape Girardeau in 1911; he married Allene Wilson in 1921, and she survives, along with a daughter, two granddaughters and a great-grandchild...

Way to go Miles Congratulations to Miles Smith for an extraordinary season representingSoutheast Missouri State University. It is unfortunate his goals will not be fully realized this year due to a hamstring injury, but his hard work will eventually bring him some unbelievable honors...

The Plaza Tire Capahas were defeated by the visiting Fairview Heights (Ill.) Redbirds Saturday afternoon. But officially the Capahas were still able to notch their third consecutive victory. With Fairview Heights having only eight players available for the contest at Capaha Field, Plaza Tire won by forfeit...

The Rev. and Mrs. Elvis Wilson of Valrico, Fla., celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary June 2, 2006. The couple and their children hosted a dinner party at the Featherock Mobile Home Park Community Center in Valrico. Wilson and Mary Lou Benson were married June 2, 1946, in Owensville, Ind., by the Rev. Onis Chapman. Their attendants were Ben and Marcia Thompson...

The Cape Girardeau Ford & Sons American Legion baseball team won Saturday to qualify for today's championship bracket in the Paducah, Ky., tournament. Cape finished pool play with a 2-1 record after beating Shelbyville, Ky., 1-0. That came after Friday's 10-0 loss to Columbia, Tenn...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- After more than a decade of controversy over the subject, a Missouri State University commission has recommended that the school add "sexual orientation" to its nondiscrimination policy. The diversity commission's recommendation is one of many contained in a preliminary report posted on its Web site and released to faculty and staff Friday...

Ellen Dillon attended a monthlong course on peace-building at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va. Mennonites are traditionally pacifists and have a history of being leaders in the field of peaceful thought. Dillon teaches speech and communication courses at Southeast Missouri State University, and this fall she will teach a speech class at the Kennett Area Higher Education Center. She sat down for an interview with Southeast Missourian reporter TJ Greaney about her experience...

LYNN, Mass. -- Much of Don Durkee's 80-year life has been Fluff. His father first began peddling Marshmallow Fluff -- a gooey, spreadable, sticky delight -- door to door in 1920 and later founded a family business to make it. Ever since, New England schoolchildren have grown up on Fluffernutter sandwiches -- peanut butter and a layer of marshmallow on bread...

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Many Asian nations would cheer if the Americans shot down a long-range missile tested by North Korea, but a failure would raise unsettling questions for allies that rely on the U.S. military umbrella. The response to North Korea is being watched by U.S. allies as a barometer of how committed Washington is to protecting them. Some already worry the drawn-out conflict in Iraq may make the United States wary of getting involved in other foreign conflicts...

Winning the Booz Allen Classic, a tournament that might not even exist next year, could be as important to Ben Curtis as winning the British Open. With a five-stroke lead entering today's final round at the TPC at Avenel in Potomac, Md., he has his best chance yet to prove that his 2003 victory as a rookie at Royal St. George's was no fluke...

SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea gave no hint of whether it will fire a long-range missile as widely feared, a New Zealand diplomat who visited Pyongyang said Saturday. A top U.S. defense official expressed confidence the United States could intercept a missile from the North...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- The U.S.-led coalition said Saturday that its troops and Afghan forces had killed more than 80 militants in fighting across southern Afghanistan. In one case, insurgents used civilians as shields to escape. Coalition troops battled more than 40 extremists in a five-hour gunbattle Friday in southern Uruzgan province, the military said in a statement...

The team of Dana Underwood, Claudia Van Oostrom, Flo Johnson and Mary Sue Layton won the twilight golf event at the Cape Girardeau Country Club. E.R. Fischer, Marsha Wagner and Joyce Kuntze placed second. Mary Ellen Bean claimed the medalist honor at the Ladies' Day event at the Cape Girardeau Country Club...

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi security forces arrested 42 suspected terrorists, including four foreign nationals, allegedly involved in earlier attacks across the kingdom, the Interior Ministry said Saturday. On Friday, Saudi security forces killed six suspected al-Qaida members and arrested a seventh following a shootout in the capital, Riyadh. One policeman was killed...

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. -- The driver was sober. The bird he hit may have been under the influence. A California brown pelican flew through the windshield of a motorist on the Pacific Coast Highway in Orange County Thursday, and wildlife officials said the bird was probably intoxicated by domoic acid, which has been found in the ocean in the area, said Lisa Birkle, assistant wildlife director at the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach. ...

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court has had divisive rulings this year on the environment, police power and whistleblowers, and the justices are not even through with their hardest cases. The high court is on a tight deadline to finish before July, when justices begin a three-month break...

NEW YORK -- The sweeping immigration bills in Congress would add many thousands of beds to the patchwork network of detention facilities that hold illegal immigrants and asylum-seekers -- places that critics say are over-costly and under-regulated. Already, activists say, far too many nonthreatening people are held for too long in demoralizing conditions...

Don and Carol Koehler of Cape Girardeau were one of about 15 couples who renewed their wedding vows on the grounds of the Red House Interpretive Center Saturday. The Koehlers will celebrate their 49th wedding anniversary Thursday. The traditional 1806 ceremony was officiated by Louis Lorimier, played by George Dordoni...

Annika Sorenstam has gone from the slam to the slump. She was on the fast track to the Grand Slam last year after winning the first two majors by a combined 11 shots, leading over the final 54 holes in each of them. Her victims were a 45-year-old easing into retirement (Rosie Jones) and a 15-year-old who still had two years left in high school (Michelle Wie)...

WIMBLEDON, England -- It has become a Wimbledon tradition, like bad bounces, overnight queues and occasional sunshine. At 1 p.m. on the tournament's first day, Roger Federer walks onto the Centre Court lawn and begins defending his title. Rarely has there been a better tennis match than Federer and grass. Many players find the slick, speedy surface onerous and capricious; for Federer, it's inviting and inspiring...

It would be hard to imagine a more dramatic turn of events than what transpired in the recently concluded NBA Finals. After the Mavericks won the first two games in Dallas and led the Heat by 13 points with less than seven minutes left in Game 3, many people were talking about a sweep...

WIMBLEDON, England -- Andre Agassi's voice wavered and his eyes welled up. After years of dealing with injuries, after months of contemplation, he finally spoke the words he knew he had to, at the place he knew he had to. Turning what was expected to be a routine pre-Wimbledon news conference into something significant, Agassi announced Saturday he will retire after this year's U.S. ...