Stories from Friday, January 26, 2007

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Mayor Kay Barnes met with Democratic leaders in Congress on Thursday who want her to challenge Republican Rep. Sam Graves in 2008. Barnes met with House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and other Democratic officials while she was in Washington for the U.S. Conference of Mayors winter meetings...

OZARK, Mo. (AP) -- Three deputies were justified in shooting and killing an Ozark man who had refused orders to drop a handgun, the Christian County prosecutor has ruled. Paul E. Lewis, 46, was shot nine times after sheriff's deputies responded to a call Jan. 12 about a despondent man who was threatening to kill himself and others...

Lordy, my wife and I need grandkids. We really do. Otherwise, Miss Kitty is going to bust. She is so spoiled. But what are we supposed to do? We have reached that time in our lives when we should be sharing the wisdom of our years with young parents who, without us, surely would make a mess of everything...

On several measures of well-being, Cape Girardeau County's children are faring worse than they did in 2001, according to the latest Missouri Kids Count report, released Thursday by Citizens for Missouri's Children. The number of Cape Gir?ardeau County children receiving free or reduced price lunches at school, the number born to mothers without high school diplomas and the number involved in child abuse or neglect cases were all up in 2005, the year the new ratings are based on, the child advocacy group reported.. ...

Gov. Matt Blunt visited Cross Trails Medical Center Thursday, the morning after he delivered his State of the State address calling for Medicaid reform. During his visit, Blunt announced he is seeking legislative approval for $1.2 million to expand Cross Trails this year. He said the money reaffirms his support for Federally Qualified Health Centers, like Cross Trails, which serve low-income patients of all ages in need of medical and dental care...

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- At one yard in diameter and red as a new Ford Mustang, the Rafflesia plant makes quite a first impression. It stands out amid the jungles full of dull, green vines where it lives. But the world's largest flower packs a wallop to another sensory organ. It emits an odor similar to decaying meat, helping it attract flies and other insects...

Exercising patience; Relying on DARE; We lack the will; Free meeting rooms; World-class humorist; Buildup not logical; Redeploy the police; Parental influence; Decorating advice; Raise library fees; Lack of upkeep; Bring back fairness

To the editor:We are fortunate to live in Cape Girardeau, a city strong in education, law, medicine, business and a growing emphasis in the visual and performing arts. As well, we owe much to those Cape Girardeans who have worked to help encourage the kind of educational community we enjoy...

Workers' compensation is an employer-funded program that pays benefits to workers who are injured on the job. A recent 4-3 ruling by the Missouri Supreme Court regarding what happens to benefits after a worker dies has employers and business groups up in arms. The remedy lies in the legislature, which needs to change state law...

America's midsize sedans -- the single largest group of cars most popular for work and family chores -- are getting major makeovers, and the Nissan Altima is no exception. A new, fourth-generation auto for 2007, the Altima looks more distinctive than its predecessor, has a new platform and front suspension for improved handling, boasts a dressed-up interior and has achieved an overall, best-for-Altima government safety rating...

A vacant apartment apparently used by squatters burst into flames late Thursday afternoon in Cape Girardeau. The apartment, part of a home converted to three apartments at 419 S. Sprigg St., was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived shortly before 6 p.m. Firefighters at the scene were unsure how the blaze began, battalion chief Mike Ramsey said...

Southeast Missouri State University students would benefit from Gov. Matt Blunt's plan to increase funding for need-based financial aid for college students and to revise the formula for distributing that aid, school president Dr. Ken Dobbins said Thursday...

BENTON, Mo. -- The Scott County Commission passed its 2007 budget 3-0 at a public hearing Thursday morning at the county courthouse in Benton. The state-mandated deadline for passing the budget is Feb. 1, but commissioners got a jump on receiving budget requests from department heads and passed their budget estimates a week before the deadline. ...

Southeast Missourian A Scott City dentist charged with two felony counts of child endangerment will appear in New Madrid County circuit court June 28. Gary L. Riddle appeared in Scott County circuit court Dec. 22, at which time his case was moved to New Madrid County. Scott County Prosecuting Attorney Paul Boyd, still prosecuting the case, could not be reached for comment Thursday about why the change of venue was requested...

Regional members of the Missouri House received their committee assignments this week as lawmakers finished organizing for the 2007 legislative session. Rep. Nathan Cooper, R-Cape Girardeau, serving his second term in the House, was named to seven committees, the most of any lawmaker in the area. ...

The biennial review of property values in Cape Girardeau County is underway. Assessor Jerry Reynolds said Thursday that workers from his office, both employees and contract workers, are fanning out across the county to review the information about real estate to ensure it is up-to-date for reassessment. Every odd-numbered year, counties are required to revise property values to reflect market conditions...

The Southeast Missouri Regional Museum on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University will hold the university's 29th annual High School Art Symposium starting Sunday and running through Feb. 18. An opening reception for the artists at the museum will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday...

Stoddard Co. man gets two 30-year sentences Just days before he was scheduled to appear in court for a jury trial, a Stoddard County man admitted his guilt in the rape and death of his 12-year-old cousin. Steve Chipman, 19, of Acorn Ridge pleaded guilty Monday to reduced charges of second-degree murder and forcible rape in the death of Miranda Dowdy of Poplar Bluff, Mo. ...

Southeast Missourian A warrant was issued Wednesday for a 34-year-old Haywood City, Mo., man charged with felony abuse of a child and felony armed criminal action when he failed to appear in Scott County circuit court Tuesday. The warrant carries a $75,000 bond...

LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. -- In town to push his proposal to expand access to health insurance, President Bush on Thursday praised advanced patient care technology at a local hospital. Bush toured the Lee's Summit campus of the Saint Luke's Health System, which is less than two years old and features an array of high-tech systems that closely track patient care, even from half a state away...

Thursday Routine business n Received and filed erroneous assessments n Received and filed juvenile car log report for December n Received and filed juvenile detention report for December Action items n Approved assessor's appraisal services contract...

Cape Girardeau school board members continue to evaluate the job superintendent Dr. David Scala has done in running the school system. Scala is under contract through June 2008. He received a 2 percent raise last summer, bringing his current salary to $135,150...

ST. LOUIS -- The winner of the largest lottery jackpot ever sold in Missouri -- worth more than a quarter of a billion dollars -- bought the ticket at a suburban St. Louis grocery store, state lottery officials said Thursday. One person matched all six numbers drawn Wednesday -- 9, 19, 29, 42, 53 and the Powerball number 17. The winner of the $254 million prize had not yet come forward. The ticket was sold at the Dierbergs grocery store on Tesson Ferry Road in south St. Louis County...

Marguerite H. Nigra, 95, of Jackson died Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2007, at Jackson Manor. She was born July 6, 1911, in Herrin, Ill., the daughter of Matthew and Elizabeth Turnbull Mortimer. She and James P. Nigra were married Dec. 7, 1932, in Marion, Ill...

Helen Ann Goodman, 83, of Jefferson City, Mo., died Sunday, Jan. 21, 2007, at her residence. She was born July 25, 1923, in St. Louis, the daughter of Joseph Herman and Anna Marcella Keenan Bonskowski. She was married Jan. 5, 1952, in St. Louis, to Billy Leslie Goodman, who survives of the home...

Juanita E. Bruhn, 89, of Cape Girardeau passed away Thursday, Jan. 25, 2007, at Saint Francis Medical Center. She was born Oct. 22, 1917, in Fredericktown, Mo., daughter of George and Bess Mills Baxter. She and the Rev. Herbert Bruhn were married Aug. 1, 1935. He passed away Nov. 28, 2000...

ORAN, Mo. -- Lena C. Bucher, 80, of Oran died Thursday, Jan. 25, 2007, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Jan. 2, 1927, at Kelso, Mo., daughter of Benjamin and Sophia Scherer Compas. She and Herman L. Bucher were married Feb. 11, 1947. He died March 7, 1993...

Mary E. Parmer, 86, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2007, at Fountainbleau Lodge. She was born Nov. 14, 1920, at Fornfelt, daughter of Erskine and Edna Proffer Miller. Parmer had been a pocket seamstress at Ralph Edwards Sportswear, worked at Southeast Missouri Hospital and Cape Furniture Manufacturing...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Dewey A. Hornberger Jr., 83, of Cairo died Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2007, at Monticello House in Jackson. He was born Sept. 14, 1923, in Cairo, son of Dewey and Christine Etz Hornberger. His wife, Betty, died in 1989. Hornberger had owned Hornberger Body Shop. He was a member of St. Patrick's Catholic Church...

ANNA, Ill. -- Carroll E. "Sonny" Barker, 63, of Anna died Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2007, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Jan. 27, 1943, in Anna, son of Archie and Pearl Shepard Barker. He and Esther Mae Tellor were married Jan. 21, 1972, in Jonesboro, Ill...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Charles L. McCulley, 78, of Chaffee died Thursday, Jan. 25, 2007, at the Chaffee Nursing Center. He was born March 4, 1928, at Delta, son of Lawrence McCulley and Lue Surface McCulley. McCulley was employed as a heeler at Florsheim Shoe Co. in Chaffee and served in the Army during the Korean War. He was a member of the First Assembly of God in Chaffee...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Patricia Louise Carroll, 72, of Sikeston, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Saturday, Dec. 16, 2006, at Sikeston Convalescent Center. A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Belk Cemetery in Rockview, Mo., with the Rev. Wayne Kinder officiating...

ORAN, Mo. -- Carmen Diana, 95, of Tucson, Ariz., formerly of Oran, died Monday, Jan. 22, 2007, at his home. He was born March 22, 1912, in Bayer, Pa., son of Andrew J. and Anna C. DeGregary Diana. He and Ella Marie Hamm were married Oct. 25, 1944, in Oran. She died May 17, 2003...

Jackson; Allen; Tate; Barrows; Taylor; Williams; Prost; Maglone

n At 10:15 p.m., alarm sounding at Towers North. n At 9;17 a.m., emergency medical service in the 1200 block of South Sprigg Street. n At. 10:28 a.m., emergency medical service in the 600 block of North Lorimier Street. n At 1:24 p.m., emergency medical service in the 1700 block of Broadway...

Arrests; Arrests

DEARBORN, Mich. -- With big red numbers on its balance sheet that amount to $1,925 for every car and truck it sold last year, one has to wonder if Ford Motor Co. has the money to keep the doors open long enough for its restructuring plan to take hold...

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- University students loyal to Lebanon's government clashed with Hezbollah supporters Thursday, setting cars ablaze and battling with homemade clubs and stones. The melee deepened worries that Lebanon cannot contain the political and sectarian rivalries threatening to push it toward civil war...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The radio station disc jockeys who hosted an on-air water-drinking contest knew drinking too much water quickly could be fatal but dismissed the concerns with juvenile jokes, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed Thursday by the family of a contestant...

WASHINGTON -- Democratic lawmakers challenged credit card executives Thursday over rising late fees and other penalties and marketing practices they portrayed as predatory. The credit card industry and its practices came under scrutiny at a session of the Senate Banking Committee. ...

JERUSALEM -- Moshe Katsav temporarily relinquished his powers as Israel's president Thursday, but defied demands from officials to quit outright and spare the nation more anguish over rape and sexual assault allegations leveled against him. The accusations have sent shock waves even in a country accustomed to seeing its leaders embroiled in scandal...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraq's prime minister insisted Thursday there will be "no safe place in Iraq for terrorists," hours before a suicide car bombing killed at least 26 people in the Shiite neighborhood of Karradah and two rockets slammed into the heavy fortified Green Zone not far from the U.S. Embassy...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Rebuffing months of U.S. pressure, Afghan President Hamid Karzai decided against a Colombia-style program to spray this country's heroin-producing poppies after the Cabinet worried herbicide would hurt legitimate crops, animals and humans, officials said Thursday...

MOSCOW -- Russia responded with silence Thursday after Georgia revealed a foiled effort by a Russian man to sell weapons-grade uranium, an episode that appeared to cast doubt on the nation's ability to halt the black market trade in nuclear materials...

A veteran member of the Cape Girardeau Board of Education has announced her intention to retire from that post; Mary Kasten, who is entering her 20th year as a member of the board, announces she will retire; she has filed as a candidate for the 156th District state legislative seat...

ST. LOUIS -- Andy Murray walked into the St. Louis Blues' interview room Thursday, surveyed the crowd of reporters with a smile, and said "Let's do this every day." Coming out of the All-Star break, the Blues are finally deserving of attention. Under their new coach they're the hottest team in the NHL with 12 wins in their last 16 games. Once mired in last place overall, where they ended up last season, they're lurking eight points out of a playoff spot with plenty of time left...

INDIANAPOLIS -- This Super Bowl is all about family to Maureen and Dan Grossman. Their son, Rex, is the Chicago Bears quarterback, but the family has strong ties to football in Indiana going back to the 1940s. They've held Colts season tickets for 23 years, and Dan Grossman, like his brother Dobby and their father, also named Rex, played football at Indiana University...

INDIANAPOLIS -- Jeramy Devasher was still inside the RCA Dome celebrating the Indianapolis Colts' ticket to the Super Bowl when he launched his own campaign to be part of what he calls "the game of a lifetime." Immediately after the Colts' 38-34 AFC championship win over the New England Patriots, Devasher joined thousands of other Colts fans scrambling to find a way to Miami -- and a ticket for the Feb. 4 game between the Colts and Chicago Bears...

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Rams will not renew the contract of special teams coach Bob Ligashesky, whose units have ranked near the bottom of the NFL. A team spokesman said Thursday that coach Scott Linehan made the decision while scouting at the Senior Bowl. Ligashesky, 44, was with the Rams two seasons and was among three holdovers from the previous coaching staff...

Brandt Snedeker knew the score. He just couldn't believe where he was. The only time Snedeker had ever been 9-under par through nine holes was sitting in front of a monitor playing a Tiger Woods video game. He knew that wasn't the case Thursday in the Buick Invitational because Woods was two groups ahead of him on the North Course at Torrey Pines in San Diego, and well behind him on the scoreboard...

Calif. enacts ban on dry-cleaning chemical SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California regulators on Thursday enacted the nation's first statewide ban on the most common chemical used by dry cleaners, pleasing environmentalists but worrying some small businesses. ...

Southeast Missouri State men's basketball coach Scott Edgar has won the recruiting battle for one of the area's top prospects, as 6-foot-10 Bell City senior Will Bogan verbally committed to the Redhawks on Thursday. "There were a lot of bigger schools in the hunt, but Will really wanted to be part of something special at SEMO, and he really loved the coaching staff," Bell City coach Brian Brandtner said...

I didn't like "Babel" because of the way it was put together. The director went to a lot of trouble to keep you confused. The story is about four different situations that are brought about by a single rifle. Some Moroccan boys were playing with the rifle when they use a tour bus for a target and shoot an American woman (Cate Blanchett), who is on vacation with her husband (Brad Pitt) to forget about the death of one of their children and try to mend the hurt between them. ...

Sara Evans has been honored by the Academy of Country Music as its top female artist, chosen as one of "People" magazine's most beautiful people, gotten her groove on for "Dancing with the Stars," and she's weathering a messy, public divorce. Now she's coming to Cape Girardeau...

SEATTLE -- Jeff Weaver is close to finding a home with the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners are closing in on a deal with the 30-year-old right-hander, a baseball official close to the negotiations said Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the contract had not yet been agreed to...

A state lawmaker wants the legislature to have some authority over the Missouri State High School Activities Association, which she views as an organization that's out of control. "I think they are an organization that has got just too big for their britches," said state Rep. Jane Cunningham, R-Chesterfield, Mo...

Notre Dame's girls basketball team knocked off another area powerhouse Thursday with a 68-40 home rout of Jackson. The Bulldogs beat state-ranked Doniphan on Monday, and on Thursday the Bulldogs outscored Jackson 36-11 in the second half to end the Indians' 11-game winning streak...

New at the theaters: 'Blood and Chocolate'; 'Catch and Release'; 'Epic Movie'; 'Smokin' Aces'; 'Volver'; STILL PLAYING: 'Babel'; 'Charlotte's Web'; 'Dreamgirls'; 'Freedom Writers'; 'Happy Feet'; 'The Hitcher'; 'Night at the Museum'; 'Primeval'; 'The Pursuit of Happyness'; 'The Queen'; 'Rocky Balboa'; 'Stomp the Yard'; 'We are Marshall'

Dear Tom and Ray: We purchased a new 2005 Jeep Liberty for our daughter last year and have faithfully taken it in to the dealership where we bought it for routine maintenance. At the time of the last maintenance checkup (11,784 miles), the repair shop performed rear and front differential service, at a cost of $240. They said it should be performed every 12,000 miles. I've never had routine differential service performed on any car I've ever owned. Is this legitimate?...

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Even top-ranked Roger Federer was stunned by his domination of Andy Roddick. After looking vulnerable in some of his earlier matches, Federer was virtually untouchable as he beat sixth-seeded Roddick 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 Thursday at the Australian Open to reach his seventh consecutive Grand Slam final, tying a record set by Jack Crawford in 1934...

Last weekend I went out on the town for a night of live music and drinks -- by far the best way to spend a weekend night in Cape. I'm a musician and music lover, so maybe I'm biased, but for my money a few hours of loud, live rock music and intoxication beats dinner and a movie any time. This is real, vital entertainment. You can see the people on stage right in front of you, hear the sound of their fingers sliding along the fretboard, even smell their sweat if you want...

John D. Hale and his co-conspirators in the John D. Hale Band (JDHB) have a loud, clear message for the Nashville country music establishment. Unfortunately, that message can't be printed in the pages of this newspaper. But think about Johnny Cash's famous ad flipping the bird to the camera during his 1990s career revival, and you get the picture...