Stories from Monday, January 15, 2007

NEWTONIA, Mo. (AP) -- Rep. Roy Blunt is again seeking congressional approval of a plan to study whether two Civil War battlefields in Newton County should become part of the National Park Service. The U.S. House approved the plan last month, but the Senate did not consider it in the final days of its last session...

As rain fell from the sky, hundreds of Cardinals fans lined up across the parking lot at the Osage Community Centre on Sunday. At the front of the line was 13-year-old Kyle Best and his parents, Bob and Gail. The Cape Girardeau family were the first to arrive at the Osage Centre as the annual Cardinals Caravan made its stop in Cape Girardeau...

DELTA -- When the Delta Board of Aldermen met for a regular meeting Aug. 7, there were two vacancies, and only one of the two remaining members was present, along with Mayor Carol Collins. Despite lacking a quorum to do any business, the minutes of the meeting show that two residents, Dale Hobeck and Brenda Hargrave, were sworn in as replacement aldermen, and business proceeded as usual. ...

Get ready for a week of frigid temperatures. Meteorologists with the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky., predict the week's high temperatures will only reach the low-to-mid-30s with a chance of wintery weather later today. David Humphrey, a meteorologist with the weather service, said the wintery mix of sleet and possibly snow shouldn't accumulate but the area can expect cold temperatures...

In all, there are 24 political subdivisions that will hold candidate elections in Cape Girardeau County April 3. The elections range from seats on local fire protection district boards to town councils. The only countywide election is for two seats on the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center Board of Trustees. Incumbent Roland Sander was the only candidate as of late last week. Diane Howard is the other incumbent...

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s ability to communicate the civil rights message is a major part of his legacy. Here is the speech he made while accepting the Nobel Prize for Peace on Dec. 10, 1964, in Oslo, Norway. I accept the Nobel Prize for Peace at a moment when 22 million Negroes of the United States of America are engaged in a creative battle to end the long night of racial injustice. ...

Local events celebrating the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. began last week, continue this week and conclude next week. Organizers have assured that everyone who wants to honor King will have the opportunity. On today's observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. ...

Uniforms are good; Computer foe; Time to do something; Beach memories; Proper signal; Improper ceremony; Eroding rights; Time to go; Low ratings; Out of bounds; Lots of impact; Safer mailboxes

Oran, Mo., postmaster Mrs. Sandy Harvey has been named "officer in charge" at the Cape Girardeau Post Office while the Postal Service seeks a replacement for postmaster Wilver W. Wessel, who retired last week. Boatmen's Bancshares Inc. of St. Louis, a bank holding company, and Farmers and Merchants Bank, the only home-owned bank remaining in Cape Girardeau, announce an agreement in principle has been reached providing for the acquisition of Farmers and Merchants by Boatmen's...

To the editor:President Bush has announced he will escalate the war in Iraq by sending more troops into the civil war. The president's plan ignores the American people who voted for change in November and who continue to demand we bring our troops home...

To the editor:Linda Sanders fails to understand that her dear Democratic Party has vowed to stay the course in Iraq. Democrats are not seriously proposing a reduction in force, a reduction in war funding or an immediate withdrawal. Democrats have spent the better part of three years criticizing the president for his supposed failed Iraq policy, yet they can't offer up any alternative solution. ...

ANNA, Ill. --Velma Ruth Parker Menees, 76, of Anna died Saturday, Jan. 13, 2007, at her home east of Anna. She was born May 21, 1930, in Anna, daughter of Arna and Emma Dunn Parker. She and Walter J. Menees were married Sept. 25, 1947, in Piggott, Ark...

Ruthe Matthews Roberts, 90, of Jackson passed away Saturday, Jan. 13, 2007, at her home. She was born Sept. 11, 1916, in Eva, Tenn., daughter of the late Robert and Vernona Wright Clark. She and Loyd Matthews were married on Feb. 7, 1944. He passed away March 21, 1977. She and Maple Roberts were married Sept. 12, 1981. He passed away May 19, 2001...

ADVANCE, Mo., -- Wanda Sue Bollinger, 71, of Advance died Saturday, Jan. 13, 2007, at her home. She was born June 7, 1935, in Hector, Ark., daughter of Arthur and Gertrude Hill. She and Billy Bollinger were married July 10, 1957, in St. Louis. He died Nov. 9, 1995...

ANNA, Ill. -- Herb Coles, 87, of Anna died Sunday, Jan. 14, 2007, at Memorial Hospital in Carbondale, Ill. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Crain Funeral Home in Anna.

n At 12:16 a.m., emergency medical service in the 600 block of Sycamore Street. n At 8:50 a.m., emergency medical service in the 2800 block of Cape LaCroix Road. n At 9:13 a.m., emergency medical service in the 300 block of North Sprigg Street. n At 10:38 a.m., fire alarm at 2825 Bloomfield Road...

Cape Girardeau: DWIs; Arrests; Assault; Summons; Theft; Miscellaneous

The St. Louis Cardinals ended a 24-year drought in October, when the franchise captured its 10th World Series title and first since 1982. Cardinals players Adam Wainwright, Tyler Johnson, Chris Duncan and John Rodriguez were at the Osage Community Centre in Cape Girardeau on Sunday to discuss the championship and sign autographs as part of the annual Cardinals Caravan...

KIRKWOOD, Mo. -- For more than four years, Shawn Hornbeck seemed to have had every chance to escape, left alone for hours to ride his bike, play video games and walk past missing-child posters showing his own age-progressed image. But mental health experts say this troubling case is hardly so simple, and that Hornbeck was likely kept mentally shackled by terror and domination from the man accused of kidnapping him, 41-year-old Michael Devlin...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Symphony is getting some scathing reviews at the Missouri Capitol, but not because of its musical performances. It's the symphony's court performance that has the governor, legislators and other arts groups irate...

Obama: Word of bid for president coming soon CHICAGO -- Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., said Sunday that he'll announce a decision about whether to launch a presidential bid "fairly soon." Speaking from Chicago on CBS' "Face the Nation," Obama wouldn't say much else about a presidential campaign, saying only he's still debating whether to run. ...

CHICAGO -- Preliminary autopsy results indicate two people killed at a suburban fast-food restaurant died of multiple wounds from a sharp instrument, Kankakee County Coroner Robert Gessner said Sunday. Pam Branka, a 46-year-old mother of one, and Paul Jones, 50, the manager of a Burger King in Momence, were found dead Saturday...

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- Fire ravaged an apartment building, killing at least seven people, including a child, and authorities said Sunday that they feared the death count could grow. The fire broke out in the 64-unit, five-story building late Saturday. Firefighters discovered two bodies and a child on the building's top floor while fighting the blaze, and crews found four more bodies Sunday morning on that floor, fire chief Greg Fuller said. The child died on the way to a hospital...

ATLANTA -- The oldest daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King combined her love of acting with her passion for social justice as she reminded those remembering her parents Sunday that America has not yet attained peace and racial equality...

ATLANTA -- The words of Martin Luther King Jr. are as inspiring today for Shirley Franklin as they were when she saw him deliver his "I Have A Dream" speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 1963. That helps make it especially important to Franklin, Atlanta's first female mayor, that his papers be returned to the city where he spent most of his life...

COVINGTON, La. -- Glen and Rebekah Markham are a bit taken aback by the worldwide publicity surrounding their child, scheduled to arrive by Caesarean section Tuesday. News outlets from as far away as Singapore are enthralled with the story of officers using flat-bottomed boats to rescue the child's frozen embryo from a sweltering hospital in the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina...

WASHINGTON -- The five-day workweek, an idea alien to congressional culture in recent years, is about to make a comeback. "We are going to work longer hours, we are going to work full weeks, we are going to have votes on Mondays and Fridays," new Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., advised his colleagues at the opening of the new session Jan. 4...

WASHINGTON -- Vice President Dick Cheney said Sunday the Pentagon and CIA are not violating people's rights by examining the banking and credit records of hundreds of Americans and others suspected of terrorism or espionage in the United States. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, the new chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said his panel will be the judge of that...

GREENVILLE, N.C. -- Police increased their patrols of churches across the city Sunday after fires broke out at two Baptist churches during the night and a break-in was discovered at a third -- all within an hour. "We're going to be highly visible at our churches," Greenville Police Chief William Anderson said Sunday...

LONDON -- Defense Secretary Robert Gates praised Britain's contributions to the U.S.-led military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan as he embarked Sunday on his second overseas trip since taking over at the Pentagon last month. Gates met with Prime Minister Tony Blair and later with Des Browne, the British defense secretary, to discuss President Bush's new approach in Iraq and Britain's plan to withdraw troops from southern Iraq...

CAIRO, Egypt -- The boys' deaths -- scattered in the United States, in Yemen, in Turkey and elsewhere in seemingly isolated horror -- had one thing in common: They hanged themselves after watching televised images of Saddam Hussein's execution. Officials and relatives say the children appeared to be mimicking the former dictator's Dec. 30 hanging, shown both on a sanitized Iraqi government tape and explicit clandestine videos that popped up on Web sites and some TV channels...

WASHINGTON -- Digging in for confrontation, President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney say they will not budge from sending more U.S. troops to Iraq no matter how much Congress opposes it. "I fully understand they could try to stop me," Bush said of the Democrat-run Congress. "But I've made my decision, and we're going forward."...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- A camper who became stranded nearly five weeks ago in a national forest because she could not cross a swollen river was rescued Sunday, more than two weeks after the search for her was called off. A New Mexico National Guard crew waded across the icy Gila River to rescue a dehydrated and weak Carolyn Dorn of South Carolina, who entered the Gila National Forest alone Dec. 6 for a two-week camping trip...

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- President Bush's top diplomat tried to assure Palestinians on Sunday she has heard their demands for a stronger U.S. hand to guide peace efforts with Israel. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, however, offered no new plans and gave few clues to how she views recent initiatives proposed by others...

CAIRO, Egypt -- Moderate Arab governments plan to tell Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice they will help Washington stabilize Iraq if the United States takes more active steps to revive a broad peace initiative between Israel and its neighbors, Arab officials and media said Sunday...

High-definition DVD enthusiasts agonizing over choosing between two formats geared toward high-definition TVs -- HD DVD and Blu-ray -- may find relief with new products geared toward working with both formats. Both HD DVD and Blu-ray have been struggling to dominate the high-definition marketplace, competing to become the DVD format of choice by offering high-resolution video to match the HDTV sets people are buying...

Center offers free tax preparation KARNAK, Ill. -- The Center for Economic Progress will offer free tax preparation Feb. 4 for low-income families and individuals. Families with incomes of less than $40,000 and individuals with incomes less than $15,000 qualify for the program. ...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton ate breakfast with soldiers from New York and Indiana at the main U.S. base in Afghanistan on Sunday before meeting with the top American general in Afghanistan and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, officials said...

Bangladesh leader takes reins; thousands arrested DHAKA, Bangladesh -- Bangladesh's new interim leader consolidated his power Sunday by taking over the two agencies that control the army, police and paramilitary security forces. The move by acting leader Fakhruddin Ahmed to take control of the Interior Ministry and Election Commission came days after the president declared a state of emergency in an attempt to quell weeks of deadly unrest over upcoming elections. ...

MOGADISHU, Somalia -- An African Union delegation was in Somalia's capital Sunday to discuss the deployment of peacekeepers here, as the government struggled to disarm Mogadishu residents reluctant to give up their guns after years of fending for themselves amid chaos...

The New McKendree United Methodist Men will hold a dinner from 4 to 7 p.m. Jan. 27 at New McKendree Celebration Center across from South Elementary School. The meal includes cole slaw, baked beans, spiral potatoes, dessert and drink. Children under 5 eat free...

ATLANTA -- Dora McDonald, secretary for Martin Luther King Jr., died just days before the national holiday that honors her former boss. She was 81. McDonald died Saturday of complications from cancer at Emory Crawford Long Hospital, hospital spokesman Lance Skelly said Sunday...

Neighborhood group sets planning meeting An open meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Christ Episcopal Church, 101 N. Fountain St., Cape Girardeau. Discussion on the planning of the landlord and tenant relation town hall forum is on the agenda and is an opportunity for neighbors to meet and share ideas and concerns. Everyone is invited. Call 651-4567 for more information...

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Chargers gave Tom Brady one chance too many, and that's exactly what the three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback needed. Brady and the New England Patriots shocked league MVP LaDainian Tomlinson and the Chargers on Sunday, winning 24-21 to move within one win of their fourth Super Bowl trip in six seasons...

CHICAGO -- Two swings of the foot by Robbie Gould were all the Chicago Bears needed to offset any shortcomings in Rex Grossman's arm. And the Chicago Bears got their first playoff win since 1995, moving them one step from the Super Bowl. Gould, working construction 16 months ago, cleared a path for the Bears with his strong leg Sunday, kicking a 49-yard field goal in overtime for a 27-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. ...

HONOLULU -- Clemson's Reggie Merriweather scored on a 1-yard run with 44 seconds left, and Tigers teammate Will Proctor completed a 2-point conversion pass to Tennessee's Bret Smith to help the Aina beat the Kai 18-10 in the Hula Bowl on Sunday night...

NEW YORK -- A huge international study has identified a gene that apparently can raise the risk of developing the most common form of Alzheimer's disease, a discovery that may help scientists develop new treatments. Scientists analyzed DNA from more than 6,000 people from a variety of ethnic groups and found evidence implicating certain versions of the gene, called SORL1...

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty said Sunday the team will continue to discuss filling out the rotation with free agent Jeff Weaver, the former castoff who pitched the World Series clincher last fall. Jocketty added that if he didn't sign Weaver, who won three games in the postseason after going 8-14 with a 5.76 ERA in the regular season, he wouldn't seek to add any other pitching before spring training...

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues filled the Scottrade Center on Saturday by filling the spectators. The Blues gave free food to the 17,868 fans in attendance during their 6-5 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. Spectators chose a main dish of a hot dog or chicken fingers, a snack such as popcorn, peanuts or potato chips, and a soft drink. Each time they went for food, they could get four main dishes, four snacks and four soft drinks...

The state-ranked Scott County Central boys basketball team has earned the top seed in the Scott-Mississippi Conference Tournament and will receive a first-round bye when play begins today at Scott County. The host Braves are 10-4 following a loss to Charleston on Friday. Scott County is ranked No. 5 in Class 1. Kelly topped the Braves in the conference finals last season...

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Roger Federer made it look difficult for a change, starting his bid for a 10th Grand Slam championship and successful Australian Open title defense by dropping serve three times in the first set. But the top-ranked Federer rebounded quickly after Bjorn Phau took a 5-3 lead, winning the next nine games -- conceding only six points in the second set...

The Southeast Missouri State gymnastics team opened the season in riveting fashion Saturday, posting a winning team score of 193.700 in a three-team meet with Illinois-Chicago and Centenary at Houck Field House. The Redhawks' score surpassed any score Southeast put up last year, a year in which the Redhawks qualified for the NCAA Regionals. Centenary was second with 188.275 and Illinois-Chicago had a 187.900...

NEW YORK -- Forward Bill Guerin of the St. Louis Blues was selected as a reserve for the Wesnter Conference team for the NHL All-Star Game. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Jan. 24 in Dallas. The six starters in each conference were chosen by fan balloting, and the additions were made by the NHL's hockey operations department after consultation with general managers...

The Saxony Lutheran boys basketball team could not defend its Chester (Ill.) Invitational Tournament title, falling to Marissa (Ill.) late Saturday 61-47 at Chester, Ill. Alex Jauch led the Crusaders (12-2) with 13 points, Bret Steffens had 12 and Ben Courtois added 11. Only five Saxony players scored...

HONOLULU -- Paul Goydos staged an unlikely rally 11 weeks ago just to keep his PGA Tour card. Sunday was even sweeter, with three birdies in the final four holes at the Sony Open for his first victory in 11 years. Goydos closed with a 3-under 67 and made birdie on the last hole when his 25-foot chip banged into the pin and settled within tap-in range. Charles Howell III and Luke Donald tied for second, a stroke back...

Verdetta Seabaugh of Marble Hill, Mo., celebrated her 100th birthday Jan. 6 at Marble Hill United Methodist Church with her children, David Hahn, Gary Hahn and Carol Angle; their families; grandchildren; great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren and about 200 guests. ...

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright lived out a boyhood dream in October as he recorded the final out for St. Louis' 10th World Series championship. Less than three months following the championship, Wainwright already is being tentatively penciled into the Cardinals' 2007 starting rotation. ...

WASHINGTON -- As lawmakers begin work on a new multibillion-dollar farm bill, they are at odds with President Bush over whether big changes really are needed. The two sides are far apart. Just how far, farmers saw for themselves during the American Farm Bureau Federation's recent meeting in Salt Lake City...

As retirement neared, Illinois hand surgeon David Conner knew exactly what he wanted to do once he put away his scalpel for good: hit the bottle. And the barrel. And the vineyard. The 65-year-old Conner parlayed a mind for chemistry, thick wallet and sprawling acreage into his Kickapoo Creek Winery near Peoria, joining a growing number of winemakers in a state better known for Abe Lincoln, corn and coal...

DALLAS -- A pizza chain has been hit with death threats and hate mail after offering to accept Mexican pesos, becoming another flashpoint in the nation's debate over immigrants. "This is the United States of America, not the United States of Mexico," one e-mail read...

LOS ANGELES -- Amateur astronomer William Bianco doesn't huddle over a backyard telescope to hunt for undiscovered planets. He logs onto his computer. Bianco, who was mesmerized by the intricacies of the universe as a young boy, is part of a growing online community that sifts through mountains of data collected by professional scientists in search of other worlds...

Edward Jones official named regional leader; Cape native named to 40 Under 40 list; Cape Girardeau doctor completes certification; Pursley chiropractic practice begins; Duct cleaner finishes course in Texas ; Union recognizes 60-year member; Jewelry company honors representative