Stories from Tuesday, January 23, 2007

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Commuters who travel along Interstate 64 in the St. Louis area beware: Your three-year odyssey of orange cones, closed ramps and lane changes is about to begin. Gateway Constructors, the team hired by the Missouri Department of Transportation to rebuild 10 miles of the busy interstate, on Monday announced more details about its construction schedule for 2007. Overall, the project is expected to cost $535 million...

Cape Girardeau wants its children to be healthier, and leaders say walking to school is a good start. To make certain the morning walk is a safe one, the city council hopes to use federal dollars to install flashing signs warning drivers to slow down in school zones...

Winter hasn't gone Bailey's way. Our 11-year-old daughter loves snow. But she's barely seen a flake this year. Early last week, weather forecasters talked about a winter storm that might dump snow on Southeast Missouri. But by week's end, the area had received only rain...

DELTA, Mo. -- A convicted felon resigned Monday from the Delta Board of Aldermen and withdrew as a candidate on the April ballot after questions surfaced about his qualifications to serve. A second incumbent alderman seeking re-election was barred from the ballot for failure to pay property taxes...

Gov. Matt Blunt wants to spend an extra $3.6 million in the next state budget to better educate Missouri students about math and science. Blunt plans to outline his budget during his State of the State speech Wednesday night. During stops in Cape Girardeau, Kansas City, St. Joseph and St. Louis Monday, he touted the need for more spending on math and science programs...

Heavy rains deluged Southeast Missouri yesterday, closing countless roads and flooding basements and city streets; about have a dozen Butler County families were forced to flee their homes south of Poplar Bluff, Mo., last night because of high water along Cane and Pike creeks...

To the editor:State Rep. Scott Lipke of Jackson recently lost his position as chairman of the House Committee on Crime Prevention and Public Safety. House Speaker Rod Jetton from Marble Hill refused to reappoint Lipke, although he was urged to do so by many. This is Jetton's decision, and it is a bad one...

Didn't work; Rankings are news; For children; What's best; Thanks, Cardinals; Lipke qualified; Bridge matters; Sending troops; Truancy case; Coffee bar closed; Thanks for wallet; Uniforms work; Quick to judge; Blame Fruitland; A coincidence?

Two large fuel-producing plants are looking at Alexander County in Illinois and its biggest city, Cairo, as potential locations for operations that would, if successful, create thousands of jobs in the economically starved area. If ever there was a time for city and county leaders to work together, it is while these plans are being made...

By Matt Asher In light of the recent article on area school report cards by Mark Bliss, I felt compelled to write on behalf of the Bell City School District's teachers and students. We have recently been maligned in the Southeast Missourian over various issues related to our school and our students. ...

Bright-eyed Sophia opens and closes her tiny fingers, grasping for a chain of plastic letters dangling from her mother's hand. Sitting nearby on the floor, parent educator Stephanie Ellinger carefully watches the movements of the 4-month-old girl and advises the mother, Kathy Koester of Cape Girardeau, on playtime activities that encourage development of motor skills...

A small group of people in Cape Girardeau huddled together in biting cold Monday to pray on the 34th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision making abortion legal. A larger group filled four buses that left St. Vincent de Paul Church Saturday to go to Monday's pro-life rally in Washington, D.C. Those who could not go along gathered instead at the Cemetery of the Innocents on Mount Auburn Road near Highway 74 to show their support...

Cape Girardeau Central Junior High School music teacher Mike Dumey and his students will perform a program Saturday night to raise money for the school's 15th annual spring musical. The program is called "Showstoppers Tonight" and will take place at the old Central Junior High School gymnasium. ...

The Cape Girardeau School District will seek help from a broker in an effort to sell the aging Schultz School. The school board decided in closed session Monday night to seek proposals from real estate brokers as the first step to hiring a real estate firm, superintendent Dr. David Scala said...

An Illinois man will begin pretrial proceedings Feb. 28 before Alexander County Circuit Judge William J. Thurston after a Dec. 19 court hearing. David D. Hull, 45, of Thebes, Ill., is charged with two felony counts of driving a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and two felony counts of aggravated driving a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol...

Monday Action Items Power and light committee n Approved the semiannual financial statement ending Dec. 31. n Approved an ordinance accepting the dedication of a sanitary sewer easement deed from the Dale A. and Donna K. Lane Trust, regarding the Ridgewoods Subdivision sanitary sewer district project...

A story in Monday's edition stated a residential project undertaken by Zim-Mar, LLC was the first house in Cape Girardeau to use integrated concrete forms in construction. It is the first house in Cape Girardeau using Logix brand integrated concrete forms. Other residences have been built in the city using different ICF products. The correct spelling of the Logix distributor is Goedecke Construction Equipment & Supplies. The Southeast Missourian regrets the error...

Monday Routine business n Received and filed Horrell Bridge payroll records and final closeout documents. n Received notice of hazardous materials emergency preparation funding. n Approved 2007 ambulance contract. n Received and filed letter regarding Spills of National Significance exercise...

n Held a public hearing regarding the necessity to extend city water services to White Oaks Subdivision. n Held a public hearing to consider vacating the city's interest in a utility easement in Lot Z at Whispering Oaks Subdivision. n Authorized the acquisition of property for water system improvements...

Glennon J. Braun, 79, of Missouri Veterans Home died Sunday, Jan. 21, 2007, in Cape Girardeau. He was born March 31, 1927, at St. Mary, Mo., son of Lawrence H. and Agnes Burgert Braun. He and Pauline Layton were married Jan. 31, 1950, in Sikeston, Mo...

Paul Conklin, 82, of Jackson died Monday, Jan. 22, 2007, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born July 14, 1924, in Sigourney, Iowa, son of Rollie and Blanch Broomback Conklin. He and Kathleen Heisdorffer were married Jan. 9, 1948, in Sigourney...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Senior Master Sergeant James Keith Williams, 71, of Bloomfield died Sunday, Jan. 20, 2007, at his home. He was born Aug. 19, 1935, at Delta, son of Archie and Lona Parmenter Williams. Williams was a graduate of Bloomfield High School. He served in the U.S. Air Force 33 years, retiring in 1995. He moved back to Bloomfield seven years ago...

ANNA, Ill. -- Martha Baldwin, 92, of Anna died Sunday, Jan. 20, 2007, at Union County Hospital. She was born April 15, 1914, in Elco, Ill., daughter of John and Lucy Sharp Sims. She and Rollie Baldwin were married May 7, 1936. He died July 5, 1979. Baldwin worked many years at the state hospital in Manteno, Ill...

Joyce Ellen Kowal, 68, of Canton, Ill., died Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2007, at her home. She was born April 4, 1938, at Oran, Mo., daughter of Herschel and Maggie Belle Warner Fisher. She was adopted by Theodore and Elsie Fisher and grew up in Cape Girardeau...

Harold Eugene Crowden, 58, of Scott City died Monday, Jan. 22, 2007, at his home. He was born Jan. 15, 1949, in Chaffee, Mo., son of William "Dub" and Iva Fern Lynn Crowden. He and Mary Clark were married Dec. 11, 1976, at Chaffee. Crowden served two tours with the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He was awarded a Purple Heart...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Edna L. Pritchard, 86, of Cairo died Saturday, Jan. 20, 2007, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Friends may call from noon to service time Thursday at Massie Funeral Home in Mounds, Ill. The funeral will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Judith Ann Clutts, 58, of Cairo died Sunday, Jan. 21, 2007, at Daystar Care Center. She was born Feb. 7, 1948, in Cairo, daughter of Carl J. and Phyllis Howard Clutts. Clutts was a retired telephone operator. She was a member of the Church of the Redeemer Episcopal Church and VFW Auxiliary...

Henrietta Elizabeth Roth, 93, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Jan. 22, 2007, at the Fountainbleau Lodge in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

Turley; Boswell; Crooks; Dunn; Murphy; Jansen; Kershaw

n At 5:18 p.m., medical assist in the 3000 block of William Street. n At 7 p.m., medical assist in the 2800 block of Independence Street. n At 10:32 p.m., motor vehicle accident at Good Hope and Pacific streets. n At 4:21 a.m., smoke in building at 4753 Nash Road...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n A subject is in custody pending filing of formal charges. n Tina G. Bickings, 41, of 1922 Bloomfield Road, was arrested on suspicion of stealing, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia...

Southeast Missouri State's hopes of finishing in the top four in the Ohio Valley Conference were dealt a setback with Saturday's 87-80 home loss to Tennessee Tech. But, with nine OVC games remaining, the Redhawks are certainly still in the hunt. The Redhawks (7-13, 5-6) dipped into eighth place in the 11-team OVC with Saturday's defeat, although they are just 1 1/2 games out of third place in the scrambled league standings...

Southeast Missouri State sophomore guard Sonya Daugherty has been one of the Ohio Valley Conference's top players over the past few weeks. On Monday, Daugherty was rewarded for her recent strong performances by being named the OVC co-player of the week...

City requests more input on skate park issue Parents and children attended a Cassville city council meeting last week following up on an August presentation to the council for a skate park. Jim Morris of Monett, Mo., who has helped build other skateboarding ramps for parks, also attended the meeting at the request of those lobbying for a local skate park. ...

Bobby Lowell Robins, 70, of Cape Girardeau passed away Sunday, Jan. 21, 2007, at the University of Arkansas Medical Center in Little Rock. Bobby was born April 6, 1936, in Jesup, Ark., to James Lowell and Mollie Faye Robins. He was united in marriage to Patricia Joy Gould Sept. 10, 1960, in Grenada, Miss...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush will tell Americans tonight he has important plans for health care, education and other kitchen table topics that have little to do with Iraq. Yet if the state of the union is strong, so is the nation's skepticism that he can deliver...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Charles Blackmar, a former chief justice who spent nearly 10 years on the Missouri Supreme Court, has died. Blackmar died Friday night in Clearwater, Fla., of congestive heart failure, the state Supreme Court said Monday. He was 84...

The PlayStation 3 may lack a wide selection of titles, but there's a next-generation racing game make and model to suit every personality. Whether you dream of drifting, freak over Formula One or just really want off-road action, PS3's racing titles will surely satisfy every speeder's fancy. ...

Central High School seniors Emma Porter, Carson Bahn and Lauren Tobin start their school day at 5:45 a.m. Some days it's even earlier, such as when the teens have a meeting before the first bell rings at 7:30 a.m. The days can be long, especially when Tobin, the vice president of the school's student senate, has to meet after school, or when Porter has to baby-sit later in the day. ...

WASHINGTON -- Democratic lawmakers who stray too far from the party line could find themselves facing primary opponents financed by unions, trial lawyers and political activists eager to put the new congressional majority to the test. After two weeks of near perfect unity, congressional Democrats now move into more divisive territory that will test party discipline on such issues as the war in Iraq, worker rights and health care...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A suicide bomber crashed his car into a central Baghdad market crowded with Shiites just seconds after another car bomb tore through the stalls where vendors were hawking DVDs and used clothing, leaving 88 dead Monday in the bloodiest attack in two months...

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran conducted missile tests Monday as its leadership stepped up warnings of a possible military confrontation with the United States. In another show of defiance, Tehran said Monday it had barred 38 United Nations nuclear inspectors from entering the country, apparently in retaliation for a U.N. Security Council resolution last month imposing limited sanctions on Iran...

VIENNA, Austria -- Glaciers will all but disappear from the Alps by 2050, scientists warned Monday, basing their bleak outlook on mounting evidence of slow but steady melting of the continental ice sheets. In western Austria's Alpine province of Tyrol, glaciers have been shrinking by about 3 percent a year, said Roland Psenner of the University of Innsbruck's Institute for Ecology...

LOS ANGELES -- At least someone was happy Sharon Stone reprised her notorious femme-fatale role with "Basic Instinct 2." The box-office bomb received seven nominations Monday for the Razzie Awards that mock the bottom of Hollywood's barrel, among them worst picture and worst actress of the year...

PHOENIX -- A rare snowstorm that surprised Arizona with more than a foot of snow in parts left the state Monday, giving children as far south as Tucson a chance to play in the snow. One of the strongest of this winter, Sunday's storm came as part of a wave of storms that brought snow, ice and strong winds to the Plains region, and also to the Southwest...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- NASCAR placed more emphasis on winning, widened the Chase for the championship field to 12 drivers and created a postseason seeding system under a series of adjustments announced Monday. Starting this season, victories during the 26-race "regular season" now will be worth 185 points -- an increase of five points. Assuming the winning driver also picks up other bonuses during the race, a victory now can be worth as much as 25 points more than second place...

IRVING, Texas -- Bill Parcells retired from coaching Monday, leaving the Dallas Cowboys after four years without a playoff win and just two weeks after a stinging wild-card loss to Seattle. During a 19-year career that also included coaching the New York Giants, New England Patriots and New York Jets, Parcells made it to three Super Bowls, winning twice with the Giants...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Some local governments are challenging Missouri's new minimum wage law in court, claiming its overtime changes could cost police and fire departments millions of dollars. The lawsuit seeks to exempt cities, fire districts and other local governments from paying the wage and overtime rates of the new law, which kicked in Jan. 1 after winning overwhelming voter approval last fall...

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Yeah, Lovie Smith celebrated all right. In his own way -- just like he's coached the Chicago Bears. "Me going out and doing the town? I don't know if I know how to do that," Smith said Monday, the day after the Bears earned their first trip to the Super Bowl in 21 years and sent a city already in a tizzy into a two-week party...

CHICAGO -- High blood pressure is controlled better in the United States than in five Western European countries, a study found, and researchers credit American doctors' more aggressive prescribing of drugs. The researchers pointed proudly to the findings, saying that the U.S. strategy of prescribing more pills earlier probably saves money overall by preventing heart attacks and strokes...

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Serena Williams advanced to the semifinals of the Australian Open, overcoming a sluggish start Tuesday and a back-and-forth third set to beat Shahar Peer 3-6, 6-2, 8-6. Williams has now won five consecutive matches for the first time since she won the last of her seven Grand Slam singles title here two years ago...

The Saxony Lutheran boys basketball team improved to 14-3 Monday night with a 75-42 rout of host Oak Ridge. Alex Jauch led the Crusaders with 25 points. Clay Obergoenner added 11 points, while Austin Kwikkel pulled down 12 rebounds. Garret Light paced Oak Ridge with 16 points and Dustin Owens added 10...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- In a deal that'll net each school at least an extra $1 million, the Kansas-Missouri football game is coming to Kansas City. For the next two seasons, the two old rivals will each move their home game to Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs. When played on campus in Lawrence, Kan., and Columbia, Mo., the game would net about $1 million, but only for the home team...

ST. LOUIS -- Michael Devlin, who has already pleaded not guilty in the kidnapping of Ben Ownby, will enter the same plea in connection with Shawn Hornbeck's abduction, Devlin's lawyer said Monday. Attorney Michael Kielty said he expects Devlin to be arraigned Friday on charges of kidnapping and armed criminal action in the Hornbeck case. ...

The Jackson girls basketball team began the season by losing three of its first four games, with all the defeats coming against some of the top teams in the St. Louis area. But ever since then it's been smooth sailing for the Indians, who held off visiting Dexter 58-53 Monday night for their 11th straight win...

School News Cape Girardeau plansenrollment, screening The Cape Girardeau School District will hold kindergarten enrollment and screening for all children who will be attending kindergarten for the 2007 to 2008 school year. To be eligible, children must turn 5 on or before July 31. ...

NEW YORK -- Pfizer Inc., struggling with fierce competition from makers of generic drugs, announced Monday it will cut 10,000 jobs and close at least five facilities as part of an effort to slash its annual costs by up to $2 billion by the end of next year...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- House Democrats on Monday proposed expanding the state's DNA database to include people arrested but not yet convicted of felonies and sex crimes. Rep. John Burnett said testing before convictions would help law enforcement close cases by giving them more to work with sooner. Samples taken from suspects who are not eventually convicted would be removed from the database...