Stories from Thursday, January 25, 2007

For Cape Girardeau residents the future should mean new stores, restaurants and a bigger, more modern city. At a town planning workshop staged by the outside consulting firm Arcturis, 54 residents came armed with their best ideas for a new and improved hometown. The event at the Osage Community Centre was part of a yearlong process to revise the city's comprehensive plan...

An Ironton, Mo., couple quietly claimed a $3.7 million Missouri Lotto prize this week, nearly a month after winning the money. Jimmie and Marylin Lovelace presented the winning ticket for the Dec. 23 lotto drawing at the St. Louis lottery office Monday, lottery spokeswoman Susan Goedde said. Lottery security officials verified the ticket Wednesday afternoon, she said...

Jan. 25, 2007 Dear Julie, If the head of the American cultural body is New York City and San Francisco the heart, the Midwest is its solar plexus. Art originates in the midsection. It flows out from there, like a river. In the chakra system, the second chakra is the seat of sexual and creative energy, the place where wonder is experienced. The third chakra, nearer the solar plexus, controls our ability to connect and belong. It's all about emotions...

A Missouri agency is giving $11 million to provide the human papillomavirus vaccine to 30,000 girls and women in 84 counties across the state. Locally, Cross Trails Medical Center ordered 300 doses of the vaccine likely to be administered at its three area clinics beginning next week. Cross Trails clinics are in Cape Girardeau, Marble Hill and Advance...

Doesn't make sense; Financial wisdom; Driving issues; Reasons to oppose; Academic emphasis; Fighting terrorists; Shameful comment; Wonderful uniforms; Restoring old homes; Test all recipients; Doing what's right; Not at my expense

The Cape Girardeau post office has stopped asking postal patrons in some parts of the city to relocate their mailboxes. In some cases, postal patrons with mailboxes on their porches had been asked to put up curbside mailboxes. The reason, they were told, was to make it easier for carriers...

Calling it "practical and foresighted," the Cape Girardeau County Court approves the approximately $5.8 million 1982 budget following a morning public hearing; the budget is up about $1 million over last year. A number of residents of the Sherwood-Briarwood area, where storm water backed into basements through drains last Friday, have sent a letter outlining the problem to city, state and national officials; 15 couples signed the letter...

To the editor:The Iraq war is a disaster, with the worst yet to come. One could cite the cost in lives, U.S. isolation, growing numbers of wannabe terrorists, our compromised military and, especially, the increased threat to the world's largest oil reserves. But there are also less obvious losses...

A fatal traffic accident Jan. 3 involving an all-terrain vehicle was a reminder that riders should operate the popular recreational vehicles with care, law enforcement officials say. Kevin A. Poppen, 30, of McClure, Ill., was killed in Alexander County, Ill., near the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge. Poppen, driving an ATV, failed to stop at an intersection and struck the right front tire of a passing tractor-trailer, state police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene...

Man still critical after dog attack New Year's Day A Dunklin County man who was attacked by his pit bull on New Year's Day remains in critical condition at a hospital here, a spokesman said Monday. Keith Allen Sawyers, 54, of County Road 701, was mauled at his residence, according to a statement released by Dunklin County Sheriff Bob Holder. ...

Notre Dame Regional High School will hold a placement exam for the class of 2011 at 8:15 a.m. Saturday at the school. All interested eighth-graders should report to the high school by 8 a.m. They should bring two No. 2 pencils and a calculator, school officials said...

9 a.m. today County Administration Building 1 Barton Square, Jackson Routine business n Erroneous assessments n Juvenile car log report for December n Juvenile detention report for December Action items n Assessor's appraisal services contract Discussion items...

BENTON, Mo. -- Scott County commissioners will likely pass a budget today that will feature little change from recent years, commissioners said Wednesday. The three-member commission will hold a public meeting at 11 a.m. today for public review and comment before voting on the budget...

The Cape Girardeau Regional Airport announced it reduced its weekday flight schedule to three roundtrip flights beginning Wednesday. A second, altered schedule will go into effect Monday, keeping the same number of flights. The schedule is as follows:Effective now...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Perry County voters will decide April 3 whether to approve a three-eighths-cent sales tax to pay for expansion and repairs at the county jail. County commissioners voted Monday to put the tax, which will last five years, on the ballot. The tax will raise about $850,000 annually, Commissioner Patrick Naeger said, The project is anticipated to cost $3.5 million, Naeger said, and any excess will be reserved to cover unexpected costs as the project proceeds...

At 4 p.m., representatives from planning firm Arcturis met with the Cape Girardeau Planning and Zoning Commission and the city council. The discussion ranged widely, but a consistent theme was a citywide need for green space implemented in a way that does not scare off developers...

Legislation in the Missouri House would require the state's public colleges to report annually on specific steps taken to ensure and promote intellectual diversity and academic freedom. The bill's sponsor, state Rep. Jane Cunningham, R-Chesterfield, Mo., said she filed House Bill 213 partly in response to a case last year involving a former student at Missouri State University...

ST. LOUIS -- Detectives investigating accused kidnapper Michael Devlin have shown photographs of a teenage boy to the family of Charles "Arlin" Henderson, asking if the pictures resemble the then-11-year-old who disappeared in 1991, Arlin's relatives said Wednesday...

ANNA, Ill. -- Dennis Boyd, 82, of Anna died at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2007, at the Illinois Veterans Home in Anna. He was born Nov. 5, 1924, in Anna, son of Frederick and Margaret Angell Boyd. He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Henry; and a sister, Ruth...

Mary E. Parmer, 86, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2007, at Fountainbleau Lodge. Lorberg Memorial Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

CAIRO, Ill. -- Margaret E. Karcher, 91, of Scottsdale, Ariz., died Saturday, Jan. 20, 2007, in Scottsdale. She was born June 17, 1915, in Cairo, daughter of James Roy and Elizabeth Thomas Hill. She married Ed Karcher, who preceded her in death. Karcher was a member of St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Cairo...

Virginia Rose Sloan, 89, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2007, at Chateau Girardeau Health Center. She was born March 24, 1917, in Van Buren, Mo., daughter of George D. and Nancy "Hattie" Horner Sloan. Sloan was a member of First Christian Church...

Arrests; Southeast Missouri State University: Theft; Arrests

n At 7:46 p.m., emergency medical service in the 500 block of Cape Meadow Circle. n At 12:53 a.m., alarm sounding at 3010 Keystone Drive. n At 7:34 a.m., motor vehicle extrication at Bloomfield Road. n At 8:26 a.m., box alarm in the 1200 block of Meadowbrook Drive...

Dixon; Smolak; Bagby; Chandler; Beattie; Hutson

Southeast Missourian Two people were taken to Southeast Missouri Hospital on Wednesday after a two-car collision on County Road 205, one mile south of Cape Girardeau, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Chastity N. Hood, 27, of Zalma, Mo., was northbound on County Road 205 at about 7:40 a.m. ...

NEW YORK -- Wall Street bounded higher Wednesday, lifting the Nasdaq composite index well over 1 percent after profit reports from Yahoo Inc. and Sun Microsystems Inc. restored investors' confidence in the tech sector. The Dow Jones industrials logged fresh trading and closing highs...

Netflix profit beats expectations SAN FRANCISCO -- Netflix Inc.'s fourth-quarter profit surpassed analyst expectations as 654,000 more subscribers signed up for its online DVD rental service, but the customer growth lagged Blockbuster Inc.'s -- a development that underscores the intensifying competition between the rivals. ...

Microsoft Corp. landed in the Wikipedia doghouse this week after it offered to pay a blogger to change technical articles on the community-produced Web encyclopedia site. While Wikipedia is known as the encyclopedia that anyone can tweak, founder Jimmy Wales and his cadre of volunteer editors, writers and moderators have blocked public-relations firms, campaign workers and anyone else perceived as having a conflict of interest from posting fluff or slanting entries. ...

ELKHART, Ind. -- A man accused of abducting his ex-girlfriend and their four children allowed her to call her family during the ordeal, and she used a code word to let relatives know she was in danger, police said. The ex-boyfriend, Jerry White, is accused of bursting into Kimberly Walker's home Saturday, shooting one man and kidnapping Walker and the children, ages 16 months to 9 years old. ...

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Casinos here are a breath away from partitioning their floors into smoking and nonsmoking areas, after a compromise of an earlier proposal to snuff cigarettes passed an initial vote Wednesday. If the plan passes the city council, a quarter of each casino's gaming floor would be designated smoking areas. ...

NEW ORLEANS -- Gov. Kathleen Blanco angrily criticized President Bush on Wednesday for not mentioning 2005's destructive hurricanes in his State of the Union speech, and said Louisiana is being shortchanged in federal recovery funding for political reasons. ...

NEW ORLEANS -- Wanted: Idealistic teachers looking for a Peace Corps-style adventure in a city in distress. Some of New Orleans' most desperate, run-down schools are beset with a severe shortage of teachers, and they are struggling mightily to attract candidates by appealing to their sense of adventure and desire to make a difference. Education officials are even offering to help new teachers find housing...

A landmark legal settlement with State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. promises to jump-start the rebuilding process for thousands of Mississippi homeowners devastated by Hurricane Katrina, but critics warn the deal could hurt many of Mississippi's Gulf Coast residents...

WASHINGTON -- Budget estimates released Wednesday showed some improvement in the deficit but gave little solace to Democrats struggling to match President Bush's promise to balance the budget. The new forecast from the Congressional Budget Office put the deficit for the current budget year reaching about $200 billion after factoring in Iraq war costs. Last year's deficit was $248 billion...

WASHINGTON -- Republic of Georgia authorities, aided by the CIA, set up a sting operation last summer that led to the arrest of Russian man who tried to sell a small amount of nuclear-bomb grade uranium in a plastic bag in his jacket pocket, U.S. and Georgian officials said...

MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- The military calls its new weapon an "active denial system," but that's an understatement. It's a ray gun that shoots a beam that makes people feel as if they are about to catch fire. Apart from causing that terrifying sensation, the technology is supposed to be harmless -- a non-lethal way to get enemies to drop their weapons...

MIAMI -- Former dictator Manuel Antonio Noriega hopes to immediately board a plane for Panama when he is released from prison on Sept. 9, and he plans to fight his conviction back home in the slayings of two political opponents, his attorney said. Noriega's eight-year rule over Panama ended after the United States invaded the county on Dec. 20, 1989, to force him from power...

WASHINGTON -- In a calculated snub of President Bush, the Democratic-controlled Senate Foreign Relations Committee dismissed plans for a troop buildup in Iraq on Wednesday as "not in the national interest" of the United States. "The president has made his decision," Vice President Dick Cheney fired back, a response that made it clear the administration would go ahead anyway. "We need to get the job done."...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush's troop buildup in Iraq and the demands of the four-year-old war are causing concern at the Pentagon that the conflict could hamper the military's response to domestic crises. The head of the National Guard said Wednesday his troops lack the necessary equipment and that will hurt their ability to respond to natural or manmade disasters at home...

WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon has decided to extend the combat tour of 3,200 soldiers from a 10th Mountain Division brigade in Afghanistan for four months in hopes of quelling the violence. The decision comes a week after Defense Secretary Robert Gates met with commanders in Afghanistan and heard a request for more troops...

WASHINGTON -- A Senate committee on Wednesday approved the nomination of Army Lt. Gen. David Petraeus to command American forces in Iraq, replacing Gen. George Casey. The Senate Armed Services Committee sent the nomination to the full Senate, which is expected to approve the nomination today, including promoting Petraeus to four-star rank for the top military post in Iraq...

HERZLIYA, Israel -- Prime Minister Ehud Olmert devoted one of his most important policy speeches of the year Wednesday to a single topic -- Iran -- saying Israel will respond to a nuclear threat "with all the means at our disposal." Addressing an annual security conference in this seaside city, he said the international community has no choice but to act forcefully against Iran and its president, Mahmoud Ahmedinajad, who has repeatedly called for Israel's destruction. ...

ATHENS, Greece -- A Greek militant group has claimed responsibility for a rocket attack on the U.S. Embassy in Athens earlier this month, blaming American policy in Iraq and the Middle East for the strike. The far-left group Revolutionary Struggle issued a statement to the weekly Pontiki newspaper, its publisher Dimitris Benekos said Wednesday. ...

ROME -- More than 2,000 people throughout Italy -- most of them foreign -- are accused of human trafficking following an investigation that uncovered minors and adults forced into prostitution and working in sweatshops, police said Wednesday. The four-month investigation uncovered hundreds of trafficking rings, some of them as small as three or four people, said chief superintendent Chiara Giacomantonio. ...

PARIS -- The United States will offer nearly $770 million to help the fragile democratic government in Lebanon, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday, a tripling of U.S. aid announced a day after deadly protests in Beirut underscored the country's deep political and sectarian divisions. The donation, which must be approved by Congress, would include $220 million in military aid for the beleaguered Western-backed government of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora...

WASHINGTON -- The United States launched an airstrike in Somalia against suspected terrorist targets -- the second such attack this month, defense officials said Wednesday. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the action was carried out in secret, provided few details about the strike by an Air Force AC-130 gunship earlier this week and were uncertain whether the intended target was killed...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- U.S. and Iraqi troops battled Sunni insurgents hiding in high-rise buildings on Haifa Street in the heart of Baghdad Wednesday, with snipers on roofs taking aim at gunmen in open windows as Apache attack helicopters hovered overhead...

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iranian officials said Wednesday that they have taken delivery of advanced Russian air defense missile systems -- weapons intended, according to one Russian news agency, to defend Tehran's major nuclear facilities. Announcement of the delivery of the Tor-M1 mobile missile launchers came as Iran launched three days of military maneuvers, its first since the U.N. Security Council approved sanctions against Iran on Dec. 23...

TOKYO -- Square and loud, SpongeBob wasn't supposed to have much chance for success in Japan, a nation famous for its love of more cuddly characters like Hello Kitty and Pikachu. But the perky, bucktoothed American cartoon is proving the skeptics wrong. "SpongeBob SquarePants" attracts nearly 1.9 million Japanese households to his TV show daily and is raking in a growing share of the $5 billion in annual retail sales for Nickelodeon, the Viacom Inc. unit behind the show...

Jerry Grim has recorded 433 wins, led his teams to five state championship games, won one title and is a member of Notre Dame's Hall of Fame. For all of his success and accolades in 25 years at the helm of Notre Dame's girls basketball team, Grim is happy to deflect the credit...

MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Southeast Missouri State acting head coach John Ishee knew his team faced a tough battle even if senior center Lachelle Lyles had been available Wednesday. That's why Ishee would not use Lyles' absence as an excuse after the Redhawks fell out of second place in the Ohio Valley Conference with a 68-58 loss at Morehead State...

West Park Lanes Submitted Jan. 22. MEN High games: Phil Franklin 279, Mike Ireland 268, Bob James 259, Rich Davis 256, Mike Berry 254, Keith Brown 253, Tom James 250, Mike Sample 249, Zel Evans 249. Rick Beine 248, Chuck Bertrand 247, Albert Zoellner 246, Earl James 246, Larry Angle 246, Mike Edgar 246, Sam Isaacs 246, Dennis W. ...

Jan. 20 results Trinity School Gals 18, I.C. Eagles 8 Trinity -- Raegan Wieser 12, Tess Daniel 4, Kelsey Pettet 2; Eagles -- Renee Peters 6, Megan Smith 2. Jackson Shock 14, St. Mary Blue 6 Jackson -- Rachel Crites 6, Kayla Keith 4; St. Mary -- Madeleine Arnzen 2, Jordon Nelson 2, Ali Janet 2...

Friedheim stretched its lead in the Cape-Perry Lutheran Laymen's League of Dartball to seven games with a three-game sweep of Shawneetown in Week 12. Second-place New Wells was 1-2 against Altenburg Trinity and slipped into a tie with Crosstown...

I'm saying it out loud. This is the year that I will lose those pesky 10 pounds (OK, so it's now 15) that I have been ranting and raving about ever since middle-age took control of my middle. When you see me five months from now, I will look like I did when I left Missouri in 1970 (but with a few more wrinkles and without the luxurious shag haircut)...

Alex Swan knows how blood can save lives. The 11-year-old's own life was saved after he received a blood transfusion three years ago after being hit by a vehicle while riding his bicycle. "I lost a lot of blood," said Swan, a fifth-grade student at Central Middle School. "Blood is medicine -- it's important for people to donate it."...

Health symposium for women scheduled Saint Francis Medical Center will present its inaugural Women's Health Symposium from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday. The latest prevention and treatment information on breast cancer, gynecologic health and heart disease will be presented by physicians during breakout sessions throughout the event. ...

Activities planned for Relay for Life LEOPOLD, Mo. -- Sponsored by St. Isidore Council 5898, the sixth annual Relay for Life dinner and dance will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Feb. 3 at Leopold Knights of Columbus Hall. Fried chicken, chicken and dumplings, corn, green beans, mashed potatoes, coleslaw and assorted desserts are available at a discounted price for children 6 to 12 years old. The dance, with music by River City Sound System, will be held from 8 to 11 p.m...

An announcement of a three-year $210,000 pledge to help with construction of a proposed addition to Emergency Services was made at the recent Southeast Missouri Hospital Auxiliary winter luncheon. The expansion, pending approval by the hospital's board of trustees, will add 3,000 square feet to the area...

n Patrons are reminded that the Winter Reading Program, open to all, will award prizes at the end of January after book logs are turned in. n Storytimes for February are at 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. Thursdays. On Feb. 1, the theme is "Heart Month;" Feb. 8, "Valentine's Day;" Feb. 15, "President's Day;" Feb. 22, "Multi-Cultural Day."...

A centennial celebration for Kenneth Carter is planned from 2 to 4 p.m. Feb. 21 at the Health Center Activities Center Room at Chateau Girardeau, 3120 Independence St. Birthday cake will be served. Born Feb. 21, 1907, in St. Louis, Carter attended Ashland Grade School and Yeatman High School. ...

Army National Guard Pvt. Sarah A. Haizlip recently graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. She is the daughter of Tim Shell of Marble Hill, Mo., and Dawn Shell of Marthasville, Mo. Haizlip is a 2006 graduate of Washington High School, Washington, Mo...

BOULDER, Colo. -- Matt Lawrence knew better than to think Colorado would simply mail in a performance with Buffaloes coach Ricardo Patton stepping down at the end of the season. Lawrence and the Missouri Tigers went through a similar situation last year with Quin Snyder -- who resigned midway through the season -- and said a coach on his way out makes a team play that much harder...

NEW YORK -- The NFL is going deeper into the wallets of players who get caught using steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. After four months of negotiations, the league and union announced Wednesday more extensive testing for performance-enhancing drugs and the addition of the blood-boosting substance EPO to its list of banned substances...

MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Southeast Missouri State coach Scott Edgar has liked the resiliency of his team all season. There was plenty for Edgar to appreciate Wednesday night as the Redhawks pulled out a 61-59 win at Morehead State. Junior center Mike Rembert -- who was expected to have his minutes limited by a foot injury -- scored on a layup after an offensive rebound with 1.4 seconds remaining to break a 59-59 tie...

ST. LOUIS -- Want a new outfit or maybe a nice evening out? Thanks to current gas prices in Missouri, with regular unleaded selling around $1.93 a gallon on Wednesday, consumers have a little extra wiggle room in their budgets, if the lower prices last...

Scott County Women in Agriculture meets; Annual Bowl-A-Thon raises funds for MDA; Olive Garden kicks off annual Pasta for Pennies; Missouri contestants sought for pageants; <B>[--] From staff reports

SIKESTON, Mo. -- The Missouri Department of Transportation maintenance crews will be making concrete repairs on the northbound lanes of Interstate 55 in Cape Girardeau County. The repairs will be made one mile north of Route K at mile marker 97. Weather permitting, traffic will be reduced to one lane from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. today...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Matt Blunt promised improved health care for all Missourians on Wednesday while proposing to replace Missouri's health-care plan for the poor with "an entirely new system" unlike anything else in the United States. Two years after reducing benefits for hundreds of thousands Medicaid recipients, Blunt anchored his State of the State address with a pledge to increase the quality of health care for the roughly 825,000 still covered by the renamed "MO HealthNet."...

DALLAS -- Young standouts Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin will have to wait to dominate an All-Star game. This night belonged to one of the NHL's old stars. Colorado's Joe Sakic, making is 12th All-Star appearance, had four assists to lead the Western Conference to 12-9 victory Wednesday night...

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Unseeded and ranked No. 81, Serena Williams made it back to a Grand Slam final with a 7-6 (5), 6-4 win over Nicole Vaidisova at the Australian Open earlier today. Williams, who has won two of her seven majors at Melbourne Park, is only one win away from an improbable title...

Starting Monday morning, Broadway will be closed to traffic from West End Boulevard to Perry Avenue for about 50 days. The closure is the first phase of a two-phase program to widen Broadway by 12 feet and add turn lanes at its intersection with Clark Avenue...

BELL CITY, Mo. -- The case that resulted from the wrongful residency claim of 10 students in the Bell City School District seems to have run its course. Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon's office confirmed Wednesday it will not pursue the complaint against superintendent Rhonda Niemczyk and the Bell City School Board...

The Southeast Missouri State softball team was picked for fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll, which was voted on by the league's coaches and released Wednesday by the conference. Tennessee Tech, the defending OVC champions for both the regular-season and tournament, was picked by eight of the league's 10 head coaches to repeat. The Eagles topped the poll, followed by Eastern Kentucky and Jacksonville State...

Scott County will ask voters to keep its current law enforcement sales tax this April. County Presiding Commissioner Jamie Burger said the commission has placed a question on the April 3 ballot that will ask voters to extend the current half-cent sales tax for law enforcement that is set to expire in September 2008. The extension would not be time-limited, said Burger...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The House on Wednesday rejected a proposal to increase the pay of judges and other elected officials. House members voted 118-37 in favor of a measure that would veto a raise of $1,200 plus 4 percent for judges and elected officials. The raise was recommended by a state salary commission and takes effect automatically if two-thirds of the House and Senate don't reject it by Feb. 1...