Stories from Monday, January 22, 2007

Scott City found a new source of revenue in 2006 that brought more than $100,000 into the city's coffers -- boarding prisoners from the overcrowded Scott County jail. Scott City police chief Don Cobb said the city earned $111,750 toward general revenue through money paid by the county sheriff's department for holding county prisoners in the city jail. ...

There are several ways of looking at the proposal to increase property taxes for an $8.9 million plan to expand and renovate the Cape Girardeau Public Library. One way is to look at the tax in isolation, which means that the portion of the property tax most city residents pay for the library will almost double. Another way is to look at the total property tax bill that will be due in December. The tax measure will stand alone in a special election Feb. 6...

Author Harper Lee has shunned the spotlight for almost 50 years, but a citywide event will encourage readers to delve into her life as they revisit her classic novel. Organizers of the annual United We Read event, sponsored by Central High School, have selected Lee's classic of the Depression-era South "To Kill a Mockingbird" as this year's book for the Feb. 6 event...

General welfare; Safe in Jackson; Notch-year babies; Can't police the world; Winning isn't all; Transit van in Jackson; Good column; Paying too much; No surprise; Replacement troops; Need left-turn signal; You asked for it; Fashion rules

For the second consecutive year the Leopold School District came out on top in the Southeast Missourian's analysis of new data collected by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The DESE report cards for 13 area school districts cover more than 20 indicators that gauge how schools are educating their students...

The owners of three homes in the 2100 block of Sherwood in Cape Girardeau, whose basements are frequently flooded by sewer water during rains, claim the city has failed to expeditiously correct the problem; morning rains again cause flooding in the homes, and homeowners are considering taking legal action against the city...

To the editor:Joe Sullivan's Jan. 19 column, "Joe, the builder," was an interesting work. The only problem with it was the use of the title "architect." Builder homes are created by the builder, and if an actual architect is involved, he is typically working for and controlled by the builder, who is only interested in selling a house. That is not an evil thing, but let's not drag the real architects into the world of the tract-home builder...

Cape Girardeau officials plan to advertise for bids to remove debris from the property at Themis and Ellis streets where an apartment building collapsed almost eight months ago. Little cleanup work has been done at the property since the front parapet of the building fell to the ground May 9, taking out a bay window and a porch with it. The city immediately condemned the structure because the collapse weakened the building's masonry...

Our mother has gone on to her reward in Heaven: Alma Mae Thomure, 88, of Cape Girardeau, died Sunday, Jan. 21, 2007, at Chateau Girardeau Health Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Aug. 15, 1918, in Marquand, the daughter of David N. and Flora V. Jones Simmons. She and Rev. Arnold E. Thomure were married on Nov. 13, 1934, in East Prairie, Mo. He preceded her in death on May 6, 1993...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Eleanor M. Wingerter, 100, passed away on Friday, Jan. 19, 2007, at the Perry County Nursing Home in Perryville. She was born to the late Peter Paul and Anna (Demick) Braun on Aug. 20, 1906, in Evansville, Ill. She and Lenus H. Wingerter were married on June 12, 1929, in Chester, Ill. He preceded her in death on May 22, 1977...

Alma Mouser-Aufdenberg, 83, of Jackson passed away Saturday, Jan. 20, 2007, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born April 17, 1923, in the Tilsit community, the daughter of Alvin M. and Amanda Lange Birk. She and Ray W. Mouser were married Aug. 15, 1943, in Pickett, Ark. He passed away July 29, 1993. She and Harold "Red" Aufdenberg were married Jan. 5, 2002, in Jackson...

Irene M. Hartle, 88, of Jackson died Friday, Jan. 19, 2007, at her home. She was born Jan. 7, 1919, in Jackson, daughter of Marvin B. and Emma Maintz Talley. She and Ernest Hartle were married Aug. 14, 1938. He died March 6, 1990. Hartle was a supervisor for Lowenbaun Manufacturing Co. in Cape Girardeau for 23 years. She was also a supervisor in housekeeping for Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau before retiring in 1985...

Glennon J. Braun, 79, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Jan. 21, 2007, at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Lorberg Memorial Funeral Chapel in Cape Girardeau.

n At 6:23 p.m., emergency medical service in the 900 block of Ranney Street. n At 10:43 p.m., emergency medical service in the 100 block of Vantage Drive. n At 11:04 p.m., alarm sounding at 1000 Towers Circle. n At 11:33 p.m., emergency medical service in the 2500 block of Boutin Drive...

Cape Girardeau: Property damage; Jackson: Arrests; Summonses; Assault; Property damage; Thefts; Miscellaneous

CHICAGO -- Relax, Chicago. Rex Grossman and Da Bears are indeed good enough for this Super Bowl, and they've already made it a historic one. Few teams with such an impressive record have been as questioned, even maligned as the Bears. Yet after romping past the New Orleans Saints 39-14 on Sunday, they are headed to their first NFL title game since the 1985 team overwhelmed the league and shuffled in under Mike Ditka and Jim McMahon...

INDIANAPOLIS -- A comeback, a drive, a legacy. And, yes -- finally -- Peyton Manning gets his Super Bowl trip. So does Tony Dungy. Football's most prolific quarterback put on a show for the ages Sunday, rallying the Indianapolis Colts from 18 points down and driving them 80 yards for the winning score in a wildly entertaining 38-34 victory over the New England Patriots...

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. -- Members of the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood, like other women's religious orders around the nation, are making hard choices as their population ages. The order of aging nuns said it must close a 40-year-old Catholic school in eastern Missouri in June...

MOUNT VERNON, Mo. -- The number of people killed in a winter storm that hit last week has increased to 14, the State Emergency Management Agency said Sunday. Lawrence County initially reported that one person had died of carbon monoxide poisoning. But SEMA learned Saturday that two others also had died. ...

WASHINGTON -- A year after warning America of its addiction to oil, President Bush is expected to renew concerns about energy security in his State of the Union address. But will the rhetoric be followed by action? Up to now, the record has been mixed...

WASHINGTON -- Sworn in just over two weeks ago as the first female speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi wasted no time showing who's boss. The California Democrat rammed six major bills through the House at breakneck speed, stomped out smoking privileges near the House floor, partially sidelined a powerful Democratic committee chairman and decided she liked traditionally Republican office space so much she claimed it for herself...

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Having decided on a ballerina theme for her daughter's sixth birthday party, Michelle West drove all over to find little dancers for the cake. Then she put 50 little beefeater guards around the edges. And she gave it beautiful white icing with peppermint trim...

LOS ANGELES -- A 14-year-old girl was killed by Hispanic gang members who police say were targeting blacks. A 9-year-old girl died after being hit by a stray bullet as gang members exchanged shots near her home. A cop was wounded in a gunbattle with a suspected gangster...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- A Blagojevich administration personnel director, now part of a federal hiring probe, was accused by a subordinate of misconduct and creating a "culture of intimidation." The subordinate told state investigators that Robin Staggers, the deputy director for human resources at the Department of Children and Family Services, hired people without having specific jobs for them, pressured an underling to hire someone and increased the use of interns who didn't have to go through normal employment procedures.. ...

PADUCAH, Ky. -- Searchers are presuming a towboat employee did not survive after the boat he and two others were on Friday night sank in the Ohio River near Paducah. Brent Stringer, director of Emergency Management for Livingston County, said a team of eight to 10 people took boats out into the river around 7 a.m. Sunday to search for the missing man who was a crew member on the towboat. They called off the search about 3:30 p.m. Sunday...

MINNEAPOLIS -- A man crashed through a double-paned window in a hotel Saturday and plummeted 16 floors -- but survived when he was caught by a roof overhang. Joshua S. Hanson, 29, of Blair, Wis., was taken to a hospital. Police and fire officials said he had multiple broken bones and internal injuries...

WASHINGTON -- Democrat Bill Richardson took the first step Sunday toward a bid to become the first Hispanic president, saying the country needs his extensive experience as a governor, cabinet secretary and ambassador. The 59-year-old New Mexico governor announced in a video posted on his Web site that he would set up an exploratory committee that will allow him to begin raising money and assembling his campaign organization...

LODI, N.J. -- The cafeteria lunch line at Columbus Elementary School moves quickly as students grab portions of carrots, celery, apples and oranges. French fries and hamburgers, once cafeteria staples, aren't even offered. "I eat carrots or apples every day," said 10-year-old Alan Espino. He said he didn't notice that the bun holding his all-beef hot dog was whole wheat. Even the pizza available in the cafeteria has whole wheat crust...

ELKHART, Ind. -- Police and federal agents extended their search to Chicago on Sunday for four children and their mother, whose ex-boyfriend authorities say shot a man and kidnapped them in Indiana the day before. Authorities have issued an Amber Alert and said the children and their mother, 31-year-old Kimberly N. Walker, were in extreme danger. Walker and Jerry D. White, 30, the father of the four children, once lived in Chicago, and White has family there, police said...

DENVER -- The latest in a series of winter storms battered Colorado on Sunday, dumping several inches of snow and whipping up strong wind that created whiteout conditions on the state's eastern plains. Accidents caused by blowing snow and icy roads closed southbound Interstate 25 near Fort Collins for two hours Sunday morning. No injuries were reported...

PRINCETON BOROUGH, N.J. -- An article in the annual joke issue of Princeton University's student newspaper has left some readers accusing its staff of racism. The Daily Princetonian issue included a column with a byline that closely resembles the name of Jian Li, an 18-year-old Asian man who filed a civil rights complaint against the university last summer after he was denied admission...

ATHENS, Greece -- A clutch of modern pagans honored Zeus at a 1,800-year-old temple in the heart of Athens on Sunday -- the first known ceremony of its kind held there since the ancient religion was outlawed by the Roman empire in the 4th century. Watched by curious onlookers, some 20 worshippers gathered next to the ruins of the temple for a celebration organized by Ellinais, a year-old Athens-based group that is campaigning to revive old religious practices from the era when Greece was a fount of education and philosophy.. ...

KHARTOUM, Sudan -- Government planes breached a cease-fire by bombing villages in northern Darfur, rebel commanders said Sunday as the United States called on Sudan to let insurgent factions meet to discuss holding joint peace talks with the regime...

Palestinian leaders fail to agree on coalition DAMASCUS, Syria -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the exiled chief of the rival Hamas faction failed Sunday night to resolve their differences over forming a unity government, dashing hopes for a quick end to deadly clashes between their supporters. ...

CARACAS, Venezuela -- President Hugo Chavez told U.S. officials to "Go to hell!" on his weekly radio and TV show Sunday for what he called unacceptable meddling after Washington raised concerns about a measure to grant Venezuela's fiery leftist leader broad lawmaking powers...

LONDON -- Police said Sunday that a Muslim woman officer had refused to shake hands with London's police chief during a graduation ceremony last month due to her religious beliefs, fanning a debate in Britain over the assimilation of Muslims into society. ...

Two local entrepreneurs are using a new building material in their first construction project. Dennis Marchi and Jerry Zimmer of Zim-Mar LLC in Cape Girardeau are building a 2,000-square-foot home with an 1,800-square-foot finished basement in the Whispering Oaks subdivision using insulated concrete forms, the first residential project in Cape Girardeau to do so...

A colorful mural decorates the front of the vacant Surety Building on Broadway, touting "Media Row" on Broadway in Cape Girardeau. The mural, which depicts media organizations in the 300 block of Broadway, was installed in the windows of the structure across from the Southeast Missourian building Thursday...

Stereo One wins USACI world championship Stereo One returned home from the U.S. Audiosound Competition International World Finals with a world championship trophy for the third time in five years. The car sound system was designed, engineered and installed by Stereo One Car Audio Division. ...

TEHRAN, Iran -- Determined not to budge under pressure, Iran announced new tests of short-range missiles Sunday, and hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismissed criticism that the country's economy has been hurt by U.N. sanctions imposed for its suspect nuclear program...

To historians and others pondering Iraq, forecasting a final outcome for that sad land is like finding your way through one of its "shamal" sandstorms. You may not know where you're headed, but you know it's going to be dark. The Middle East historian David Fromkin sees a breakup of the jerry-built nation. Phebe Marr, doyenne of Iraq scholars, sees "distrust and suspicion" too deep to overcome. "Bleak," concludes Baghdad University's Saad al-Hadithi...

The Associated Press The U.S. military Sunday reported six more American troops killed in fighting the day before, raising the toll to 25 in the deadliest day for U.S. forces in Iraq in two years. Four U.S. soldiers and a Marine were killed Saturday during combat in Anbar, the Sunni insurgent stronghold west of Baghdad, the military said. A roadside bomb also struck a security patrol northeast of Baghdad, killing one soldier...

Taliban militants to open own schools KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- The Taliban said it will open its own schools in areas of southern Afghanistan under its control, an apparent effort to win support among local residents and undermine the Western-backed government's efforts to expand education. ...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The household of Lori and Randy Ross is nothing short of a phenomenon. Consider, for starters, that Lori actually can remember her children's names and ages -- all 15 of them. One recent evening, they sat around the table before plates of grilled beef, cheesy hash-brown potatoes and canned green beans as Lori made an impressive round of introductions...

Cape Genealogical Society meets Tuesday; Trivia night Saturday at St. Joseph's; Three-day rummage sale planned at St. Paul

The Optimist Club of Oran, Mo., is sponsoring the Oran vs. Leopold basketball game all-you-can-eat chili and chicken noodle soup supper from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Oran Public School cafeteria. Children age 5 and under eat for free. The menu is chili/chicken noodle soup, dessert and drink. Proceeds from the event will benefit programs for Oran teens...

The Cape Girardeau Public Library will hold the following events in February:n The Adult Winter Reading Club begins Feb. 1. Call 334-5279 or visit the reference desk to register and pick up a registration packet. n Free intermediate Internet training will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 13 in the Hirsch Community Room of the public library. No charge or registration required. Call or sign up at the reference desk...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- When University of Missouri curators meet this week in St. Louis, finding a replacement for departing system President Elson Floyd is certain to top their agenda. Yet the 10 curators, including three new appointees, are also expected to continue their quest for more oversight of campus athletics -- an inquiry that came to the fore nearly a year ago with the departure of former University of Missouri-Columbia men's basketball coach Quin Snyder...

Charley Hoffman rammed in a 4-foot birdie putt to beat John Rollins on the first hole of a playoff in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic on Sunday, wrapping up a wind-swept round that took its toll on most of the players. Winning his first PGA Tour title, the 30-year-old Hoffman birdied No. 17, eagled the 18th in regulation, then birdied the 18th in the playoff...

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Martina Hingis and Kim Clijsters set up their second straight Australian Open quarterfinal showdown with fourth-round victories Monday. Hingis, the Swiss star who swept the 1997-99 titles and reached the finals the next three years before quitting the tour because of nagging foot and ankle problems, weathered an early challenge from China's Li Na before winning 4-6, 6-3, 6-0...

The Southeast Missouri State men won two events at the Southern Illinois Team Classic, a two-day indoor meet that concluded Saturday. The Redhawks' John Berry won the men's long jump with the competition's only jump over 24 feet. Berry traveled 24 feet, 7 3/4 inches...

FRESNO, Calif. -- It took just five nights of bitter cold to ruin nearly $1 billion in citrus and other produce, but some crops thrived in the frigid temperatures. Peaches, cherries, apples and grapes are maturing nicely thanks to the ongoing chill, which helps trees and vines bloom properly to produce quality fruit...

WASHINGTON -- A widely used blood-pressure drug reduced muscle damage in mice with the most common form of muscular dystrophy, researchers report. A team at Johns Hopkins University found the drug losartan seemed to improve muscle regeneration in mice with a rare condition known as Marfan syndrome and in mice with Duchenne muscular dystrophy -- the most common form in children...

ST. LOUIS -- Mark McGwire's poor showing in his first year of Hall of Fame eligibility didn't surprise St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa. "I kind of figured there was going to be a statement made about that situation, so I wasn't surprised, and I didn't really have an opinion," La Russa said. "I like what Tony Gwynn said. You know, this guy belongs in the Hall of Fame and, hopefully, sooner rather than later."...

The Prudential Foundation, an independent not-for-profit grant-making organization funded by Prudential Financial, has given $7,000 in challenge grants to seven not-for-profit organizations in Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Charleston and Perryville. Prudential Financial holds its Global Volunteer Day as a way to involve the company's employees with their communities...

JUAN DOLIO, Dominican Republic -- Add former Dominican baseball star Juan Marichal to the list of Mark McGwire's backers. Marichal said Saturday the embattled slugger deserves to join him in the Hall of Fame, days after McGwire failed to net enough votes to enter on the first ballot...

UNION, Mo. -- The man accused of kidnapping two Missouri boys and holding one of them for four years said life was good for him during that period, a newspaper reported Sunday. Michael Devlin, 41, said his own parents, who live nearby, have not visited him since his arrest earlier this month, The New York Post reported...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Like many senior citizens these days, retired electrician Fred Schoemehl never fully retired. At age 76, after moving from the St. Louis area to the Lake of the Ozarks, Schoemehl was still working at a local marina and yacht club. While on the job May 11, 2001, Schoemehl twisted his knee trying to stand up...

Miskell becomes partner in CPA firm As of Jan. 1, Angela P. Miskell of Jackson has become a partner at J. Baer and Associates Certified Public Accountants firm. Miskell has been with J. Baer and Associates for 15 years and specializes in income tax return preparation as well as payroll and financial statement information...

ST. LOUIS -- If nothing else, the Jackson girls basketball team showed this weekend that they can win games in a variety of ways. Lindsay Poole, Kelci Keith and Andrea Barnes combined for 16 3-pointers in a 70-52 victory over St. Charles in a shootout at Notre Dame on Saturday night...

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Manny Legace wasn't thinking shutout. That didn't stop him from blanking one of the NHL's best teams. Legace saved 31 shots as the St. Louis Blues defeated the San Jose Sharks 1-0 on Saturday night. It was Legace's third shutout of the season and 16th of his career...