Stories from Wednesday, January 10, 2007

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- AmerenUE's Taum Sauk reservoir can be repaired safely and doesn't need to be rebuilt, according to a report from engineers representing the utility's insurers. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch said the report by the Denver-based engineering firm URS Corp. and Houston-based Rimkus Consulting Group was filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in November and made public Monday...

BEAUFORT, Mo. (AP) -- Authorities on Wednesday were pursuing more than 220 leads as in their effort to find 13-year-old Ben Ownby, two days after the boy disappeared and was feared abducted after getting of a school bus near his rural eastern Missouri home...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A federal appeals court in St. Louis will hear legal arguments late Wednesday in a high-profile case that effectively has halted Missouri executions by lethal injection for nearly a year. A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear 30-minute arguments from each side on whether Missouri's execution procedures are constitutional...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri Chief Justice Michael Wolff renewed his push Wednesday for lawmakers to approve pay raises for judges. Delivering the annual State of the Judiciary address before a joint House and Senate, Wolff said a lack of resources is one of the biggest challenges facing Missouri courts and endorsed a plan that would increase salaries by $1,200, plus an additional 4 percent...

Don't worry, Big Mac, we won't bother you. After receiving less than one-quarter of the votes from sports writers Tuesday, the muscle-bound hermit will not be asked to take off his Kleenex box shoes or trim his overgrown nails. Mark McGwire won't have to come out of hiding to take the stage at National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N,Y...

After a rash of recent cancellations by the local carrier, the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport is altering its schedule and cutting out early and late flights. The revised flight schedule will offer an 8:20 a.m. arrival from St. Louis and an 8:40 a.m. departure from Cape Girardeau; a 1:45 p.m. arrival and a 2:10 departure; a 3:30 p.m. arrival and 3:50 p.m. departure; a 5:55 p.m. arrival and a 6:15 p.m. departure...

Events spaced out over nearly two weeks will mark Cape Girardeau's celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy this year. The two major events will occur within a few days of each other: Monday's 22nd annual Memorial Breakfast, sponsored by the Martin Luther King Jr. City Wide Celebration Committee, and Southeast Missouri State University's second Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Dinner on Jan. 17 at the Show Me Center...

CAIRO, Ill. -- In a meeting dominated by discussions of Cairo's deteriorating financial condition, the Cairo City Council unanimously approved Tuesday a resolution ordering Mayor Paul Farris to resume paying four members he has warred with throughout his administration...

Mailbox problem; Hard water; Work harder; Wage inflation; Driving rule; Low expectations; Opening the mail; Postal uniforms; Support the library; Keeping up; Do the test; Virtual solution; Homemade lunches; Arts outing; Official greeter; Great honor; Supporting the arts

To the editor:Excitement rose as I watched with thousands of people the large crystal ball slowly descend and usher the nation into the new year of 2007. What joy. What memories. Times does run out for everything, including life. Recently, the nation lost one of its finest presidents, Gerald Ford, who served with dignity, pride and skill and was loved by many...

Jim and Betty Stricker, who left Cape Girardeau in 1979 as missionaries with the United Mission to Nepal, have returned to here for a brief visit; they shared their experiences recently through a slide presentation at Evangelical United Church of Christ...

To the editor:How long ago was it our governor and legislature were trumpeting their passage of tort reform, which was supposed to limit workers' compensation and malpractice settlements, which, in turn, would lower insurance premiums and allow medical providers to lower their charges?...

Missouri Lottery officials haven't heard from the Ironton, Mo., resident who reportedly discovered he had the winning jackpot ticket sold in Jackson, a spokeswoman said Tuesday. When asked whether the ticketholder had come forward, lottery spokeswoman Susan Goedde expressed surprise that the apparent winner had even checked the ticket...

First-year Southeast Missouri State coach Scott Edgar insists he never lost faith in the Redhawks, even as they were stumbling through the first part of the season and then suffering some excruciating losses. Edgar's faith has been rewarded with three consecutive dominating wins -- all in Ohio Valley Conference play -- capped by Monday night's 96-85 victory at Murray State...

Penny Williams won't be surprised if Sunday's visit by the Cardinals Caravan sets a record for ticket sales for the event. Williams, who helps coordinate the annual visit by Cardinals players for the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department, said about 500 tickets have been sold already...

Toby Carrig, sports editor of the Southeast Missourian since January 2004, is assuming additional duties for oversight of semoball.com, a Web site for Southeast Missouri sports launched in 2006. The change is effective immediately. Carrig will direct sports content for both the Southeast Missourian and its affiliated Web sites. An assistant sports editor is being sought to oversee the day-to-day operations of the Southeast Missourian sports pages...

Southeast Missouri State will be an additional starter down for Saturday's Ohio Valley Conference game at Austin Peay. Per OVC rules, junior center Mike Rembert is suspended for the contest after he received two technical fouls and was ejected from Monday's game at Murray State, which the Redhawks won 96-85 for their third consecutive victory...

AmerenUE took it on the chin last week in a hearing conducted by the Missouri Public Service Commission in Cape Girardeau and Dexter. The hearing was one of a number the PSC held around the state to gauge public reaction to the utility's request for a $360 million annual increase in revenue...

The author of a study on amniotic stem cells urged Congress on Tuesday not to consider his work a substitute for the search for disease-fighting material from embryonic stem cells. "Some may be interpreting my research as a substitute for the need to pursue other forms of regenerative medicine therapies, such as those involving embryonic stem cells. ...

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- The body of soul singer James Brown has yet to be buried as attorneys and his children work to settle issues surrounding his estate, including where he will be laid to rest. For now, his body lies in his gold casket in his home on Beech Island, said Charles Reid, manager of the C.A. Reid Funeral Home in Augusta, Ga., which handled the services...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A Springfield woman has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder after she drove drunk on the wrong side of the road, causing an accident that killed a former Ozarks Technical College instructor. Audrey Jeanette Driscoll, 42, pleaded guilty Monday in Greene County Circuit Court for the July 27 accident that killed Scott Beshears, 55, on U.S. ...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A Sikeston man who received multiple injuries in a Dec. 5 assault has died, and his assailant's charges are expected to be upgraded to first-degree murder. Michael Terry, 49, died shortly before 2 p.m. ...

Southeast Missourian Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle brought his staff back up to full strength this week with the hiring of a new assistant. Michael Mueth, a graduate of the Notre Dame University School of Law, will join Swingle's staff to replace Michael Linsenmeyer, who is on extended leave as a result of illness...

The Citizens Police Academy offered through the Cape Girardeau Police Department won't turn residents into law officers, but it will inform them as to what goes on inside the police department on a daily basis. By taking part in the academy, people will have a better appreciation of police operations, Cpl. ...

Motorists in Cape Girardeau County avoided fatal traffic accidents over the Christmas and New Year's weekend, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Counting periods for the holidays began at 6 p.m. Friday and ended at 11:59 p.m. Monday for each holiday...

BEAUFORT, Mo. -- For hours before 13-year-old William "Ben" Ownby turned up missing, neighbors saw a beat-up white pickup cruising his rural neighborhood. A schoolmate saw what was possibly that same truck speeding away about the time Ben disappeared...

WASHINGTON -- Anti-terror legislation sailed through the House on Tuesday, the first in a string of measures designed to fulfill campaign promises made by Democrats last fall. Patterned on recommendations of the commission that investigated the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the far-reaching measure includes commitments for inspection of all cargo carried aboard passenger aircraft and on ships bound for the United States...

Nothing says good home cooking like packaged foods. Or so goes the message from the latest batch of cookbooks aiming to satisfy Americans' desire to produce more and better meals by spending less and less time in the kitchen. It started with the 30-minute and five-ingredient crazes, which produced streams of cookbooks that relied on the magic of packaged foods to transform a handful of ingredients into dinner...

We are back to school, back to work and trying to get back in a regular routine after a long holiday break. I have to get back in the habit of cooking normal suppers and some quick grab-and-go items as we go from this activity to that activity. These recipes are pretty quick to fix, and some have been lightened up by the use of low-fat products. Give them a try and enjoy them with your family...

7 p.m. today 401 Independence St. Subdivision Plats n Kinder Place, Record Plat. n Lynwood Hills Second South Subdivision, Record Plat. n Rusmar Street Industrial Subdivision, Record Plat. n Regent's Parc, Record Plat. (Ward 5)

n At 4:59 p.m., emergency medical service in the 900 block of South Ranney Avenue. n At 7:15 p.m., emergency medical service in the 700 block of West Rodney Drive. n At 12:29 a.m., alarm sounding at 975 Creek Drive. n At 9:14 a.m., alarm sounding in the 3100 block of Independence Street...

Arrests; Summons; Thefts; Property damage; Theft; Miscellaneous

Powell; Bollinger; Hotop; Jones; Long

DHAKA, Bangladesh -- Thousands of protesters fought riot police in the capital Tuesday, throwing stones, bricks and homemade bombs as a crippling blockade to force the postponement of elections stretched into a third day, witnesses and reports said...

MILAN, Italy -- An attorney for a former CIA station chief accused of involvement in the alleged kidnapping of an Egyptian terror suspect withdrew from the case Tuesday, saying statements by Italian spymasters implicating U.S. agents had undermined her attempts to head off a criminal trial...

MOGADISHU, Somalia -- Attack helicopters strafed suspected al-Qaida fighters in southern Somalia on Tuesday, witnesses said, following two days of airstrikes by U.S. forces -- the first U.S. offensives in the African country since 18 American soldiers were killed here in 1993...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A plane crashed north of Baghdad while trying to land in heavy fog Tuesday on a flight from Turkey, and officials said 34 people died. Most were Turkish construction workers. The cause of the crash near Balad, some 50 miles north of the capital, was not clear. A Turkish Foreign Ministry official said reports indicated the aircraft went down because of bad weather. An Iraqi security official said it wasn't known if the plane was shot down or had mechanical problems...

NEW YORK -- For Jack Bauer, saving America is all in a day's work. But early in this new day on the Fox thriller "24," his calling as the counterterrorist go-to guy has clearly taken its toll. "Tell the president I'm sorry," Bauer sobs into his cell phone just four hours into the current daylong ordeal. "I can't do this anymore."...

Kevin Barner, also known as "Robert Bear Paw," 14, died Dec. 29, 2006, at Providence Alaska Medical Center of sepsis. A funeral will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Willow, Alaska, Community Center. A public viewing will begin at 10 a.m. Burial will be after the service at Wasilla Aurora Cemetery. Father Leroy Clementich will officiate...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Donna Maria Smith Cannon, 62, of Chaffee died Friday, Jan. 5, 2007, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau, following an extended illness. She was born June 20, 1944, in Elkton, Md., daughter of Clyde H. and Cathryn Edwards Smith. She and William "Bill" Cannon were married Jan. 26, 1981...

Trula Mary Schoenebeck, 87, of Jackson died Monday, Jan. 8, 2007, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born July 3, 1919, in Jackson, daughter of Henry H. and Clara Loos Willa. She and Karl W. Schoenebeck were married July 2, 1939. He died Aug. 6, 2003...

TAMMS, Ill. -- Margaret Jordan, 97, of Tamms died Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2007, at Ratliff Care Center in Cape Girardeau. Crain Funeral Home in Tamms is in charge of arrangements.

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Hazel Laverne VanGennip, 70, of Marble Hill died Monday, Jan. 8, 2007, at her home. She was born May 20, 1936, in Glenallen, Mo., daughter of Floyd Kelley and Stella Frances Gregory Christy. She and Robert VanGennip were married June 16, 1956...

Selma Anita McClard, 88, of Orofino, Idaho, died Sunday, Jan. 7, 2007, in Orofino. She was born Jan. 16, 1918, at Egypt Mills, daughter of Edward and Amanda Gerlach. McClard attended Lutheran school in Cape Girardeau. She worked at Southeast Missouri Hospital, Southeast Missouri State University, and did in-home housekeeping after she retired...

Charles W. Proffer, 77, of St. Louis died Monday, Jan. 8, 2007. He was born July 17, 1929, in Cape Girardeau, son of Marvin W. and Alta E. Ludwig Proffer. He married Peggy Gilder. Proffer worked for Kas Potato Chip Co. 34 years. He was a member of St. Paul United Church of Christ...

John Thomas Fleeman, 59, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Jan. 7, 2007, at his home. He was born Jan. 24, 1947, in St. Louis, son of Elzie and Rose Hadlock Fleeman. He and Connie Bohac were married Sept. 28, 1974, in Bloomsdale, Mo. Fleeman served in the U.S. Marine Corps from May 31, 1967, to March 6, 1970...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Lovella Fern Brinkman, 66, of Marble Hill died Monday, Jan. 8, 2007, at her home. She was born July 5, 1940, at Marble Hill, daughter of Troy and Lena Margaret Simmons Atchison. She and Dale Eric Brinkman were married in November 1960 in Alton, Ill. He died in 1972...

ST. LOUIS -- When Mark McGwire retired in 2001, the debate was about whether his Hall of Fame bust would feature a Cardinals or Athletics hat. Judging from his 23.5-percent showing on his first time on the ballot on Tuesday, that all seems pretty trivial now. McGwire's stonewalling before Congress amid accusations of steroid use two years ago have tarnished his accomplishments, leaving him well on the outside...

NEW YORK -- Mark McGwire fell far short in his first try for the Hall of Fame, picked by 23.5 percent of voters while Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. easily gained baseball's highest honor. Tarnished by accusations of steroid use, McGwire appeared on 128 of a record 545 ballots in voting released Tuesday by the Baseball Writers' Association of America...

The Central girls swimming team used a balanced attack -- with five different event winners and two relay wins -- to post a 114-65 victory against St. Vincent on Tuesday afternoon at the Perry Park Center. Betty Buhs, Jessie Baker, Brittany Thomas, Kelly Ennis and Lilli Robinson won individual events. Buhs led the Tigers' 1-2-3 finish in the 200-meter freestyle. Baker led a similar sweep in the 200 individual medley, and Robinson was followed by two Tigers swimmers in the 500 freestyle...

Gosche cardsfirst ace Bill Gosche scored his first hole in one Saturday at Kimbeland Country Club.Gosche, of Jackson, used an eight iron on the par-3, fourth hole from 134 yards out. Kelly Waller, Phil Hager and Bob Wittenborn were witnesses. Annual 5-kilometer runscheduled for Feb. 17...

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Manny Legace and the St. Louis Blues woke up just in time. Legace stopped Frederik Modin in a shootout and the Blues rallied to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 Tuesday night. Modin tried to score on a backhand, but Legace slid in front of the shot to stop it...

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- After rolling to a 12-0 record, mighty Ohio State did what no one else could do this year. The Buckeyes stopped themselves. The result was an unimaginable 41-14 loss to Florida in the BCS championship game on Monday night. Though the Gators played superbly at times, a mix of mental and physical errors helped send Ohio State to its worst defeat since Penn State drubbed the Buckeyes 63-14 on Oct. 29, 1994...

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds had surgery Tuesday to correct a foot ailment that led him to have a daily numbing injection during the postseason. The procedure in Charlotte, N.C., corrected a "hammer toe" condition of the second toe on his left foot. The Cardinals expect the 36-year-old to be ready for opening day...

ST. ANN, Mo. -- Gov. Matt Blunt on Tuesday said he will recommend a $2 million funding increase for Missouri's Parents as Teachers program. Blunt made the announcement during a news conference in the Pattonville School District in suburban St. Louis. He was joined by his wife, Melanie, and their son, Branch, who is almost two...

This fall, several amateur birdwatchers asked me what happened to the goldfinches. They hadn't seen any at their feeders for a while. Now more recently, I have heard reports they are back. So where did they go? The American goldfinch, the yellow streak you often see along ecological edges between open fields and open woods, is a migratory bird that moves south in the winter and north in the summer. This general north-south migration is a response to the seasons...

GULFPORT, Miss. -- A jury heard opening statements Tuesday in one of hundreds of insurance lawsuits filed by policyholders of State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. after Hurricane Katrina, even as the attorney general negotiated a separate potential settlement with the insurer...

The King remembrances begin at 7 p.m. Thursday with the Martin Luther King Jr. City Wide Celebration Committee's fifth annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Extravaganza at the Osage Community Centre. The birthday celebration is held on the Thursday before the King holiday every year to commemorate King's actual birthday. ...

LOS ANGELES -- In a career that spanned more than six decades, Iwao Takamoto assisted in the designs of some of the biggest animated features and television shows, including "Cinderella," "Peter Pan," "Lady and the Tramp" and "The Flintstones."...