Stories from January 2007

HAZELWOOD, Mo. (AP) -- A St. Louis County toddler is safe after being left alone in a pickup that was briefly stolen. "It was really lucky the way things turned out," Hazelwood Police Sgt. Ronald Livingston said. "It could have been totally different."...

Marijuana and methamphetamine use among teenagers has declined in the past five years, but the rise in prescription drug use among teens is a growing concern. According to a University of Michigan study, teen drug use has declined 23 percent since 2001, with reductions in the use of nearly every drug except the prescription drug OxyContin, which saw a 30 percent increase in use during the last year...

ZALMA, Mo. -- Charged with second-degree felony burglary, two Zalma men have Jan. 11 court dates before Circuit Judge Benjamin Lewis. The burglary charge carries a maximum 15-year prison term. Curtis W. Wallace, 17, and Nickolas J. Jackson, 20, are accused of stealing about 600 pounds of copper wire from a storage shed in Zalma in October...

It's a proud tradition that only a brave few are willing to uphold. Diving into the water on New Year's Day with the Advance Penguin Club is not for the faint of heart. "Ladies and gentleman, circumstances of stupidity have brought us once again to the banks of the mighty Castor River," intoned founding club member Derek Jackson to the 12 shivering souls gathered there...

Charging bull; Exempt medications; Dangerous talking; New decorations; Too much exposure; Wage impact; Share the success; Thanks for headlight; A decent man; Best wishes

For three Cape Girardeau firefighters, the war in Iraq is more than daily news reports. It is a call to duty that everyone in the armed forces pledges to fulfill. Firefighter Sam Welker has already spent some time in Iraq. Fire marshal Mike Morgan has been to the Middle East twice, in 1991 and again in 2003...

CAIRO, Ill. -- The National Weather Service plans to close is Cairo weather station by the end of April; the continuing resolution approved by Congress in December directs the weather service to shut down the office here and 17 others nationwide to save money...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- A two-alarm fire reported shortly after 9:20 p.m. New Year's Eve caused heavy damage to an unoccupied private residence on Route A just outside of Chaffee. Just after the first alarm was dispatched, a Scott County sherif's deputy arrived on the scene and reported heavy fire on the north end with a 20 to 25 mph gusting wind driving the fire through the building. Chaffee, NBC and Delta fire departments responded to the alarm...

Authorities are searching for an Illinois man suspected in the stabbing and shooting of two people at a McClure, Ill., nightclub on New Year's Eve. Tyler Jay Baine, 37, of Anna, Ill., is believed to be at large in the Cape Girardeau area. According to the Alexander County, Ill., Sheriff's Department, one person was stabbed and another shot at about 4 a.m. Sunday at the Hush Puppy Saloon in McClure. Both victims are reported in stable condition, though one is still hospitalized...

Albert P. Atkins, 83, of Jackson died Sunday, Dec. 31, 2006, at the Monticello House in Jackson. He was born Feb. 26, 1923, in Oberlin, Ohio, son of Zigmond and Julia Ragoni Atkins. He married Lorretta J. Pisanello July 12, 1958, at the St. Josephs Catholic Church in Alliance, Ohio...

Thelma Renshaw, 75, of Thebes, Ill., died Saturday, Dec. 30, 2006, at Life Care Center in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Crain Funeral Home in Tamms.

Mabel J. Probst, 82, formerly of Jackson died Sunday, Dec. 31, 2006, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Sept. 13, 1924, in Greenfield, Tenn., daughter of Arley and Lottie M. McMeans Blaylock. Probst worked several years at the former Jackson Boarding Home and Jackson Residential Care...

Steven P. Dain, 60, of Olive Branch, Ill., died Monday, Jan. 1, 2007, at his home. Funeral arrangements are incomplete with Jones Funeral Home of Tamms, Ill.

Linda L. Tucker, 54, of Perryville, Mo., died Sunday, Dec. 31, 2006, at the Perry County Nursing home. She was born Feb. 2, 1952, in St. Louis, daughter of Francis J. and Delphia (Mangels) Tucker. Tucker was a member of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Silver Lake, Mo., River Hills Eagles Lodge 4043, Elk's Lodge 2701 and AmVets Post 94, all in Perryville...

Sue Anne Rademaker, 60, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Dec. 31, 2006, at her home. Arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

Lucille M. Trickey of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Dec. 30, 2006, at the Lutheran Home. She was born Feb. 25, 1913, in Whitewater, Mo., daughter of Shelby Strong and Cora Spradling Strong. She and Hugh Trickey were married Nov. 19, 1937, in Cape Girardeau. He died Aug. 2, 1963...

Bernice R. Steck, 81, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Dec. 31, 2006, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Jan. 10, 1925, in Jackson, the daughter of Alpha and Minnie (Rasche) Willer. She and Charles W. Steck were married on July 14, 1955, at the Evangelical church in Jackson...

Floyd S. Clippard, 88, of Oak Ridge, passed away Sunday, Dec. 31, 2006, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Sept. 24, 1918, in Oak Ridge, son of Alphonso "Dick" and Irene J. Samuel Clippard. He was a 1936 graduate of Oak Ridge High School and a U.S. Army veteran of World War II...

Arrests; Summonses; Thefts; Assaults; Property damage; Miscellaneous

Cape Girardeau firefighters responded to the following calls Saturday:n At 6:32 p.m., a river rescue on the Mississippi River. n At 11:27 p.m., emergency medical service in the 700 block of William Street. Cape Girardeau firefighters responded to the following calls Sunday:...

There will still be more than half of the Ohio Valley Conference schedule remaining after the next two weeks. But Southeast Missouri State acting head coach John Ishee believes the Redhawks' upcoming four games during that period could go a long way toward defining their season...

The bad news for Southeast Missouri State is that the team has lost six straight games. The good news for the Redhawks is that they still have plenty of time to make their way up the Ohio Valley Conference standings. But the Redhawks know they need to break into the win column again sooner rather than later -- or risk the possibility of being buried in the OVC race before the halfway point...

ST. LOUIS -- A St. Louis-area nurse who cared for Saddam Hussein after his capture recalled a different side of the man than what is usually portrayed. This Saddam -- the Iraqi leader who was executed Saturday for human rights crimes -- wrote poetry, told of reading his children bedtime stories and fed birds crusts of bread saved from his meal...

CHICAGO -- Putting in long, grueling hours of couch-potato training just to win a TV sports-viewing marathon is simply not feasible or safe, according to Jason Pisarik, who should know. "My wife would kill me if I did," the Lombard, Ill., accountant said Monday from a recliner chair in front of a 15-foot screen tuned to college football bowl game after bowl game...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Scientists have genetically engineered a dozen cows to be free from the proteins that cause mad cow disease, a breakthrough that may make the animals immune to the brain-wasting disease. An international team of researchers from the United States and Japan reported Sunday that they had "knocked out" the gene responsible for making the proteins, called prions. ...

DENVER -- Pilots in a dozen planes flew over parts of Colorado and Kansas on Monday to look for snowbound travelers following a blizzard that dumped nearly 3 feet of snow and piled some of it in drifts 15 feet high. As the aircraft soared above the frozen landscape, utility crews struggled to restore electrical service to tens of thousands of homes and businesses that lost power...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- For most people, it's back to work today after a holiday weekend with family and friends. And for many, a new study shows, it will be under a bad boss. Nearly two of five bosses don't keep their word and more than a fourth badmouth those they supervise to co-workers, the Florida State University study shows...

LOS ANGELES -- Ben Stiller's playful "Night at the Museum" was the top box office draw for the second consecutive weekend with $37.8 million, a 24 percent jump over its debut the previous week, according to studio estimates released Sunday. Uplifting movies dominated the Top 10 for the holiday weekend, a busy period at turnstiles...

NEW YORK -- The big ball is not all that drops in Times Square on New Year's Eve. As revelers headed home early Monday, the first day of 2007, work crews moved in to sweep up the remnants of 2006. Their mission: picking up 3.5 tons of confetti (a record-setting amount), as well as sandwich bags, food wrappers and other debris from the big bash...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Enraged crowds protested the hanging of Saddam Hussein across Iraq's Sunni heartland Monday, as a mob in Samara broke the locks off a bomb-damaged Shiite shrine and marched through carrying a mock coffin and photo of the dictator. The demonstration in the Golden Dome, shattered in a bombing by Sunni extremists 10 months ago, suggests that many Sunni Arabs may now more actively support the small number of Sunni militants fighting the country's Shiite-dominated government. ...

WASHINGTON -- Smokers are being forced out of bars and nightclubs in the District of Columbia beginning today, and some businesses are worried about losing dollars to Virginia, which has strong ties to tobacco. "A lot of people are just going to drive closer to home [in Virginia]," said Jody Taylor, manager of the Black Rooster Pub in downtown Washington. ...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush bowed his head in silence on Monday before the flag-draped casket of Gerald R. Ford, joining thousands of mourners who paid their respects to the man who guided the nation after the tumultuous Watergate years. Silence fell under the Capitol dome when the president and his wife, Laura, walked toward the casket, illuminated by spotlights and guarded at each corner by members of a military honor guard. ...

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Rescuers found the smoldering wreckage today of an Indonesian jetliner that went missing during a storm. Officials said 90 people were killed but 12 survived in the country's second disaster in days. Monday's crash followed on the heels of the sinking of a passenger ferry late Friday in Indonesia's Java Sea that left 400 people dead or missing. ...

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Violence erupted in the Gaza Strip on Monday, with warring Palestinian factions firing at each other and kidnapping rivals, and gunmen abducting a foreign news photographer. The clashes in the Jebaliya refugee camp near Gaza City broke a weeklong pause in the violent confrontation between the Islamic Hamas, which controls the government, and moderate President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah. ...

More than 10,000 lights illuminated the Healing Garden at Saint Francis Medical Center as the names of loved ones, honored and remembered, were read aloud during the Luminaries for Life service Dec. 19. The Rev. Patrick Ike Nwokoye, Catholic campus minister for Southeast Missouri State University, and the Rev. ...

Cape area church women group meets The Cape Girardeau Area Church Women United met at Maple United Methodist Church for the December meeting and held its annual celebration of Jesus's birthday and cookie exchange. White gifts were brought for donation to Birthright and to women at the Cape Girardeau County jail. ...

Army National Guard Pvt. Kevin W. Milner has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. Milner is the son of Lowell Milner of Marquand, Mo., and brother of Bridget Couch of Ironton, Mo. He is a 2006 graduate of Arcadia Valley High School, Ironton...

ST. LOUIS -- Looking back over the last year's business headlines, it's clear that utility Ameren Corp. got more publicity than it wanted. Ameren started the year still recovering from the December 2005 collapse of its Taum Sauk reservoir in southeast Missouri. Then the company grabbed national headlines in July when two windstorms knocked out power to more than 600,000 customers. In November, history seemed to repeat itself. An ice storm knocked out power to more than 500,000 customers...

DENVER -- Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was killed early Monday when his white stretch Hummer was sprayed by bullets after a nightclub dispute following a New Year's Eve party. Police have no motive and no indication the 24-year-old player was targeted in the drive-by shooting of the limousine. The burst of violence occurred hours after the Broncos were eliminated from playoff contention...

Packers 26, Bears 7 Brett Favre, 37, passed for 285 yards in what he said could be his finale. "If this is my last game, I want to remember it," Favre said, his voice cracking and tears streaming from his eyes. "I love this game. What a great way to go out against a great football team. I couldn't ask for a better way to get out."...

Dennis Green couldn't get the Arizona Cardinals into contention. Jim Mora couldn't keep the Atlanta Falcons in contention. Both are now unemployed. Less than 24 hours after their teams concluded losing campaigns, the Cardinals canned Green and the Falcons fired Mora. Both were in their third years on the job...

LUBBOCK, Texas -- Bob Knight won 880 games doing things his way. And he sure celebrated it his way. Long appreciated for his strategy and long questioned for his methods, Knight added the crowning achievement to his Hall of Fame career by becoming the leader in Division I men's basketball victories when Texas Tech beat New Mexico 70-68 on Monday...

MINNEAPOLIS -- Steven Jackson and the St. Louis Rams surged into the new year. The Minnesota Vikings looked like they quit a little early. Officially eliminated from the playoff chase the night before, the Rams romped past the Vikings 41-21 on Sunday behind a career-high four touchdowns and 142 yards rushing from Jackson...

CHICAGO -- Taking such popular heartburn drugs as Nexium, Prevacid or Prilosec for a year or more can raise the risk of a broken hip markedly in people over 50, a large study in Britain found. The study raises questions about the safety of some of the most widely used and heavily promoted prescription drugs on the market, taken by millions of people...

MADISON, Wis. -- Batteries that can be recharged rather than tossed when the juice runs out are supposed to be more convenient for consumers. But for Wren Wright, they lose their power too quickly and unpredictably, sometimes leaving the shutterbug with no power for his digital camera...

PASADENA, Calif. -- There were no Heismans or national titles up for grabs in this one for Southern California. It was hard to tell, though, given the way Dwayne Jarrett, John David Booty and that suffocating USC defense played. Jarrett, the sensational USC receiver, caught 11 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns to help the eighth-ranked Trojans finish their season with a statement Monday in a 32-18 Rose Bowl romp over Michigan...

Linda Bohnsack once felt somewhat alone in the Cape Girardeau gallery business when she opened the Garden Gallery, at 833 Broadway, more than three years ago. All that has changed, she said. Today, Bohnsack collaborates with eight other downtown galleries and the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri through the Around Town Group effort, which with the help of the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau, promotes the visual arts industry within the city...

SINGAPORE -- A few seconds of undersea quaking was all it took to cause massive telecommunications disruptions throughout tech-savvy Asia, where Internet services slowed or stopped, phone lines went dead and financial transactions ground to a halt. Analysts and industry insiders said the service disruption -- caused by the rupture of two undersea data transmission cables in the Dec. ...

WASHINGTON -- Meat and milk from cloned animals may not appear in supermarkets for years despite being deemed by the government as safe to eat. But don't be surprised if "clone-free" labels appear sooner. Ben & Jerry's, for one, wants consumers to know that its ice cream comes from regular cows and not clones. The Ben & Jerry's label already says its farmers don't use bovine growth hormone...

The area's first recorded newborn of 2007 came into the world at 12:52 a.m. Monday at Southeast Missouri Hospital. "Everybody kept saying I was going to have the New Year's baby, but I didn't believe them because I wasn't due until Jan. 10," said the proud mother, Lakita Deberry, a senior at Central High School in Cape Girardeau...

CAIRO, Ill. -- The National Weather Service plans to close its Cairo weather station by the end of April; the continuing resolution approved by Congress in December directs the weather service to shut down the office here and 17 others nationwide to save money...

AmerenUE's biggest electricity customers have had their say on the utility's request for a rate increase. Now it is the public's turn. At 5:30 p.m. Thursday, the Missouri Public Service Commission will hold simultaneous public hearings in Cape Girardeau and Dexter, Mo., on Ameren's request to charge customers a total of $360.7 million more annually for electricity. ...

A Cape Girardeau man who used another man's prosthetic leg to attack him will spend the next six months in Cape Girardeau County Jail after pleading guilty Tuesday to misdemeanor assault. Alexander S. Harris, 1204 Bloomfield St., attacked a disabled man in the parking lot of the victim's apartment building complex at 921 Hackberry St. in the early hours of Sept. 3...

CAIRO, Ill. -- An Anna, Ill., man is in custody, charged with felony aggravated battery with a firearm and felony aggravated battery Tuesday, said Alexander County Sheriff's Capt. Arnold Burris. Tyler Jay Baine, 37, is accused of stabbing one man and shooting another at about 4 a.m. Sunday in the Hush Puppy Saloon in McClure, Ill...

For us average Joes, it's the perfect time to kick bad habits, do a few push-ups and shoot for the stars. For elected officials, there is a much greater opportunity. The 110th Congress, which convenes Thursday, was elected to bring change. During the November election there was a powerful national sentiment that the 109th batch was a rival for ineptitude with Harry Truman's famous "do-nothing Congress" of 1948...

Below minimum; CATS on buses?; Menu selections; A great time; Enjoy the column; Miss the sparkle; Cooking pralines; Parking problem; Shining star; Good dog walkers; Unfriendly parking; Instant gratification; Legal power grab; Weakening rights; No big bills; Phone intruders; Covered with mud; Flag etiquette; Christmas thanks; Thanks for phone; Special recognition; Slow pace

Rodney Miller was the dean of Missouri county clerks when he retired from Cape Girardeau County government service last week. For 28 years he supervised county elections and handled county business with widely admired professionalism. A former football player, high school and college coach and longtime official for area prep games, Miller was the go-to guy when the county commission needed advice about insurance coverage, tax questions or any of the myriad issues that confront a county...

To the editor:It's heartbreaking to me that in the age of economic growth, Cape Girardeau has yet to step up. I'm a native of Cape yet choose to live elsewhere to survive financially. I would love to reside in Cape and be closer to my family. However, there are no jobs to keep residents afloat and offer viable wages. ...

To the editor:All of this finger-pointing, blaming and name-calling is so typical coming from most of the right-wing Republicans in this area. To claim that Democrats and liberals are to blame for the animosity in politics is absurd. To claim that Jane Fonda and the young Clintons of the 1960s are to blame for the conditions we live in today are so senseless. This should show everyone how closed-minded and illogical these people really are...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- The Missouri Department of Transportation will hold two safety seminars this month, one for motor carriers and the other for farmers. Both sessions will be held at the MoDOT regional office in Sikeston, officials said. On Jan. 23, MoDOT will update motor carriers on the latest commercial vehicle safety regulations and federal hazardous materials rules. ...

Charges have been filed against a Cape Girardeau man after his disappearance Nov. 16 as a witness in October shootings involving five men. Xavier J. Norwood, 19, also known as Robert Norwood, is being sought for his participation in two of the incidents...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Joyce James is a familiar face at the Bollinger County Library, always ready with a book suggestion for patrons. And although she has no formal training as a librarian, James is such a vital staff member that she's been named Missouri's Outstanding Library Employee for 2006...

The Missouri Department of Revenue will eliminate more than a third of its auditing staff positions in its Cape Girardeau fiscal services division office by February, an agency spokeswoman said Tuesday. Agency officials plan to eliminate five of the current 13 auditing jobs in the local office at 3102 Blattner Drive...

A 26-year-old Cape Girardeau woman is in custody after reportedly stabbing her boyfriend in the chest Friday. Beverly D. Haley, of 735 William St., Apt. 7, is in Cape Girardeau County Jail on a $50,000 cash-only bond, charged with first-degree domestic assault. The charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years if convicted...

Southeast Missourian A woman and a girl were injured in a one-car accident on Cape Rock Drive Tuesday evening. Cape Girardeau Fire Battalion Chief Bob Kembel said the driver of the vehicle reportedly struck a utility pole near Lexington Avenue and overturned in the road about 6:09 p.m...

Sue Anne Rademaker, 60, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Dec. 31, 2006, at her home. She was born Feb. 5, 1946, in Sparta, Tenn., daughter of Willie Carson and Peggy Anne Herndon Brown. She and Tim Rademaker were married Aug. 24, 1968, in Strongsville, Ohio...

OLIVE BRANCH, Ill. -- Steven P. Dain, 60, of Olive Branch died Monday, Jan. 1, 2007, at his home, following an extended illness. He was born Sept. 12, 1946, in Cairo, Ill., son of Albert E. and Sue LeSar Dain. Mr. Dain retired from Cairo High School where he was a teacher and guidance counselor 31 years. ...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Leon Lauck, 65, formerly of Chaffee, died Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2006, at Lourdes Hospital in Paducah, Ky. Announcement courtesy of Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Chaffee.

MURPHYSBORO, Ill. -- The Rev. Cletes Eugene Miller, 84, of Marion, Ill., formerly of Carbondale, Ill., and Murphysboro, died Monday, Jan. 1, 2007, at Parkway Manor in Marion. He was born June 17, 1922, at Thebes, Ill., son of Eugene and Alma Webb Miller. He was married Oct. 28, 1939, to Ethel Sams...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Helen Marie Crump, 81, of Chaffee died Monday, Jan. 1, 2007, at her home. She was born June 25, 1925, at Chaffee, daughter of Fred and Coletta Regina Compas Lux. Crump was a retired supervisor for the Thorngate LTD in Chaffee. She was a volunteer for the nursing home ombudsman for the Southeast Missouri area. She was a member of St. Ambrose Catholic Church and Daughters of St. Ambrose...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Terry Ray Hampton, 55, of Perryville died Sunday, Dec. 31, 2006, at his home. He was born July 4, 1951, in Sikeston, Mo., son of Joe M. and Emma Berniece Franks Hampton. Hampton was a meat cutter several years at Stan's Food Mart. He lived in Sikeston most of his life. He was a former member of Concordia Lutheran Church and recently became a member of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Perryville...

Humphrey Denny Davis, 79, of Fayette, Mo., died Saturday, Dec. 30, 2006, at Cooper County Memorial Hospital in Boonville, Mo. Davis was a reporter at the Southeast Missourian from 1951 to 1954. He was born May 8, 1927, in Fayette, son of Lionel Winchester and Sarah Elizabeth Denny Davis. He and Barbara Ellen Hartsgrove were married June 6, 1954...

THEBES, Ill. -- Thelma Aileen Renshaw, 75, of Thebes died Saturday, Dec. 30, 2006, at Life Care Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born April 23, 1931, in Gale, Ill., daughter of Alma Adams. Renshaw graduated from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and Edwardsville with a master's degree in library science. She had been a teacher and librarian more than 30 years. She was a member of American Association of Librarians and member of Latter-Day Saints...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Charleen M. Stevens, 46, of Perryville died Monday, Jan. 1, 2007, at her home. She was born Oct. 11, 1960, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of James and Lillian Moonier Schmidt. Stevens was employed in housekeeping. Survivors include two sons, Westley Barnett and Josh Stevens of Perryville; two sisters, Joyce Favier of High Ridge, Mo.; Sharon Brown of Perryville; two brothers, Gerald and Paul Schmidt of Perryville...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Lindell Joy Myers Sr., 71, of Marble Hill died Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2007, at his home. He was born Dec. 26, 1935, son of Walter and Eva Jordan Myers. He and Hester Francis were married in November 1953. She died in June 1981. He later married Christene Hill April 17, 1982...

Todd E. Sides, 26, of Jackson died Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2007, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born March 22, 1980, in Cape Girardeau, son of Terry L. and Cheryl Penny Sides. He was a 1998 graduate of Jackson High School and had been employed at the T. Wayne Lewis Family Dentistry in Jackson since his graduation...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Charles F. "Jake" Richardet, 78, of Alsip, Ill., formerly of Perryville, died Sunday, Dec. 24, 2006, at his home. He was born Feb. 29, 1928, at Perryville, son of Lester and Florence Layton Richardet. Richardet first married Mary Lou Enlow. He later married Betty Lois Cox, who died Sept. 26, 1974. He then married Ida Lucenti...

n At 7:24 a.m., medical assist at 3100 Mimosa Drive. n At 10:10 a.m., alarm sounding at 2825 Bloomfield Rd. n At 11:45 a.m., citizen assist in the 400 block of South Benton Street. n At 3:36 p.m., box alarm at 518 S. Benton St. n Emergency medical service at Bainbridge Road...

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

The Scott City Council expressed frustration with Union Pacific Railroad at its regular council meeting Monday night over late notice of blocked intersections in the city. Council members say the railroad didn't notify them in enough time that crossings at Oak and Rose Con streets would be blocked...

In the year just ended, the city of Cape Girardeau issued 377 building permits for an aggregate cost of $10,439,514; major projects completed during the year included the Marquette Cement Mfg. Co.'s new plant and West Park Mall. John T. Hedden, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Hedden of Cape Girardeau, has been recommended by Sen. John C. Danforth as a finalist in competition for appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point for the class beginning in the summer of 1982...

With the ushering in of a new year, I have to stop and count my many blessings -- which add up to far more than I deserve. Among those many gifts I have been given are members of my precious family. As my nieces become adults I have a different relationship with them, and it's so much fun. My niece Christa has been trying new recipes occasionally and she has one that is a real keeper. Add this recipe to your files for this new year...

HADLEY, Mass. -- Her eyes wide, 5-year-old Naomi Burisov licks the frosting off her cupcake and settles into her favorite part of cooking class: Eating. "Mmm, I like the chocolate," she says as she sits with 12 aproned children and their parents at a sold-out kids cooking class offered by her local Whole Foods grocer. "I love making all the stuff."...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- A man hunting for American Indian artifacts with his sons along a gravel bar on the Missouri River has uncovered an ancient fishhook that is making collectors envious. "The first thing I thought is, 'I hope this isn't metal,'" said Eric Henley, who found the hook last month near McBaine...

In an ambitious move, the world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart, is seeking to make 2007 a year of increased energy efficiency by pushing the sales of environmentally friendly light bulbs. Wal-Mart hopes to sell 100 million 13-watt, compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs in the coming year. This increase by the sales giant would increase the total sales of the bulbs in the United States by 50 percent, according to industry statistics cited by the New York Times...

SEATTLE -- Starbucks Corp. is cutting trans fats from the doughnuts, muffins and other treats in half of its U.S. stores and plans to eventually drop the artery-clogging fats from company-operated coffeehouses across the country. The world's largest specialty coffee retailer has been working to eliminate trans fats from its food menu for about two years, spokesman Brandon Borrman said Tuesday...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush, facing a Democratic-controlled Congress for the first time, is urging lawmakers to work with his administration and warning that "political statements" in the form of legislation would result in a stalemate. "Together, we have a chance to serve the American people by solving the complex problems that many don't expect us to tackle, let alone solve, in the partisan environment of today's Washington," Bush wrote in a guest column for The Wall Street Journal posted on the newspaper's Web site Tuesday night.. ...

REMBANG, Indonesia -- Fishing boats rescued dozens of survivors from the sea Tuesday, four days after a ferry went down in a storm off Indonesia. But 400 other people remained missing. Strong winds and poor visibility prevented aircraft from joining the search Tuesday, but ships patrolled the waters off the Java coast in the area where the ferry sank before midnight Friday...

MOGADISHU, Somalia -- For hundreds of young men, the promise of a brighter future and the Somali government's victory over a fundamentalist Islamic movement were symbolized by a flickering blue screen in a dusty Mogadishu movie theater. "This is freedom and entertainment," Ahmed Abdi Ali said Tuesday as an Indian movie about a torrid love triangle played -- the kind of film that was banned by the Muslim militants. "The Islamic courts are gone."...

MAKASSAR, Indonesia -- Relatives waiting for news about a missing jetliner broke down in tears Tuesday after learning that senior Indonesian officials erroneously reported the Boeing 737's charred wreckage had been found and that a dozen people may have survived...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraq's prime minister ordered an investigation Tuesday into Saddam Hussein's execution to try to uncover who taunted the former dictator in the last minutes of his life, and who leaked inflammatory footage taken by camera phone of the hanging...

HENLEY-ON-KLIP, South Africa -- Oprah Winfrey headed a celebrity lineup that included Tina Turner and Spike Lee at the opening Tuesday of the talk show queen's new leadership academy for poor South African girls. The true stars, though, were Sade and Megan, whose father killed their mother and then himself; Zodwa, whose mother died of AIDS, and some 150 other girls who Winfrey said had a "light so bright" that it shone through their deprivation and helped their dreams come true...

DETROIT -- Two people were found stabbed to death Tuesday morning at a sports bar owned by Detroit Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios, authorities said. Police arrested a former employee, according to news reports. The victims were a man and woman who both worked for Cheli's Chili Bar, officials said. They were found shortly after 9 a.m. on the restaurant's second floor, said police spokeswoman Yvette Walker...

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Boise State Broncos left their resort hotel Tuesday to make room for the Florida Gators, who arrived to prepare for next week's BCS title game against Ohio State. But the ninth-ranked Broncos remained the talk of college football on the day after their exhilarating 43-42 overtime victory over No. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri government isn't spending enough to ensure public school children get a proper education, about half of the state's school districts argue in a trial beginning Wednesday. The trial comes nearly three years after the lawsuit was filed and follows a similar court battle that ended in 1993, when Cole County Circuit Judge Byron Kinder ruled the state's plan for funding public schools was unconstitutional. ...

For Christmas, my mom bought me a 15-piece pot and pan set. I'm still not sure if she gave the set to me as a joke after I acknowledged I didn't know the difference between a sauce pan and a skillet, or if she wants me to improve my cooking skills. Either way, I haven't used them yet -- don't worry Mom, I will!...

BOSTON -- In a suspense-filled final day of the legislative session, Massachusetts lawmakers kept alive a proposed constitutional amendment Tuesday that would put a stop to gay marriage in the only state that allows same-sex couples to wed. The vote came after weeks of mounting legal and political pressure on legislators from both sides in the debate...

WASHINGTON -- The hours spent sitting in doctors' waiting rooms, in line for the CT scan, watching chemotherapy drip into veins: Battling cancer steals a lot of time -- at least $2.3 billion worth in the first year of treatment alone. So says the first study to try to put a price tag to the time that people spend being treated for 11 of the most common cancers...

ST. LOUIS -- Andy Murray's start as coach of the St. Louis Blues has been a big success. Except when he's facing the Chicago Blackhawks. Nikolai Khabibulin made 38 saves and the Blackhawks erased a third-period deficit with a three-goal flurry in a 4-1 victory Tuesday night. Last month, they spoiled Murray's debut in St. Louis with three third-period goals in a 3-2 victory...

WHITTINGTON, Ill. -- The latest perspectives on critical crop production issues for corn, soybean and wheat growers will be discussed at the Southern Illinois Crop Management Conference Jan. 30 and 31 at the Rend Lake Resort and Conference Center, Whittington, Ill...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Education, health care and taxes -- the big three of domestic issues -- all will be on the agenda as Missouri lawmakers convene today for their annual session. Republican Gov. Matt Blunt and legislative leaders want to cut taxes -- the question is which ones, and by how much -- as one way to deal with an expected revenue surplus...

DEXTER, Mo. -- Jerry Bagby is typical of the oil men who are prospecting for a fortune in the Midwestern biofuels boom. He's convinced there's oil in these hills -- and he's found a well that no one else is using. Bagby and a longtime friend have cobbled together $5 million to build a new biodiesel plant on the lonely croplands outside this Stoddard County town. ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Mike Anderson's defense-first system is making a believer of Stefhon Hannah. The junior college transfer, in his first year with the Tigers, added five steals to his NCAA-leading average Tuesday as Missouri beat Mississippi State 83-75. He also scored a career-high 27 points to go with five rebounds and five assists for the Tigers (11-2)...

DENVER -- National Guard helicopters dropped emergency food bundles and bales of hay for people and livestock trapped by snowdrifts as high as rooftops Tuesday after back-to-back blizzards paralyzed the Plains. At least a dozen deaths were blamed on a weekend storm that knocked out electricity to tens of thousand of people in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma and left herds of cattle without food or water. ...

MIAMI -- For much of the Orange Bowl, the high-powered Louisville Cardinals were stalled in neutral. They blew a field goal, lost two fumbles and dropped a potential touchdown pass. But despite the rash of mistakes, there was no stopping the Cardinals from their first major-bowl victory in 15 years...

RICHMOND, Ky. -- As a point guard, Tarina Nixon usually isn't in a position to grab many offensive rebounds -- especially not directly underneath the opposing team's basket. But, by her own admission, Nixon was in the right place at the right time Tuesday in the late stages of a tight Ohio Valley Conference contest...

RICHMOND, Ky. -- This time, Southeast Missouri State made sure it would not experience another heart-breaking Ohio Valley Conference defeat. And thanks to a monster second half, the Redhawks kicked their six-game losing streak to the curb in a big way...

Woodland and Oran rolled to easy victories Tuesday night in the first round of the Delta New Years Tournament. Woodland built a 16-point by halftime and defeated Chaffee 62-49, while Oran also led by 16 points by halftime as it posted a 55-17 victory over Meadow Heights...

Chaffee's field of mayoral candidates has expanded to four with less than two weeks left in the filing period for the April municipal election. The most recent candidate to enter the race is Ron Davis, a general contractor with 15 to 20 years of experience in Chafee's city government as a councilman. Davis, a Chaffee resident for about 40 years, said he thinks the city government should be run similar to a business, providing service as efficiently as possible to its customers, city residents...

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The nation remembered Gerald R. Ford on Tuesday for what he didn't have -- pretensions, a scheming agenda, a great golf game -- as much as for the small-town authenticity he brought to the presidency. In an elaborate national funeral service in Washington and then more simply at his final homecoming in Grand Rapids, the 38th president was celebrated for treating politics as a calling rather than blood sport...

Please, bow your heads for a moment of silence for 2006. It was a good year, it was a bad year, it was a year of "truthiness." It was a year that saw the situation in Iraq worsen, the death of James Brown, the formation of the Raconteurs and a Democratic election win. An odd year, right?...

Meet Liesl Schoenberger, violinist, fiddler and on-and-off member of the famous Mike Renick Band. If you've seen Liesl jamming with Mike and crew, then you know just how good she is. Liesl is far from your typical musician. Some have said she's a prodigy on the violin, others have called her a "wunderkind." Since she was a child Liesl has spent a large chunk of her life studying and playing the violin, a path that has led her to learn with the likes of Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas and Edgar Meyer at Carnegie Hall.. ...

Hello Friends, my name is Ilene and I am your new columnist. I hope you enjoy the below material. Does anyone remember "Archie" comic books? If not, I don't know where you've been for the past seven decades, but I won't hold that against you. I grew up borderline obsessed with the slick little paperbacks and even met one of the illustrators for "Archie." I also met Marie from "Sesame Street," but that is another story...

JANUARY 6 Contra Dance: Want to learn how to dance the old-school way? The Cape Girardeau Friends of Traditional Music and Dance will host its Contra Dance at Christ Episcopal Church from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. The dance is taught and called to live music, and no experience is necessary. The event is open to the public...

Local radio, through no fault of its own, was already being phased out by the illegal music pirates who could just as easily make hundreds of burnt albums of their favorite artists than wait for said artists to be played on any station. But now the Whithers Broadcastings and River Radios of the world have more to worry about, and some of the blame rests squarely on their own shoulders...

Was I envious -- nay, jealous of the fall 2006 graduates of Southeast Missouri State University? I suppose that I was. I could have given my time in college a little longer; OK ... community college. Just the same, there's a ton of stuff I missed out on: Lively debate, socializing, networking, etc. ...

Party Nate and Shiv Schiwitz can melt your face in three different genre's of music. The notorious pair, while unassuming and goofy-looking on first glance, are actually the driving force behind three of Cape Girardeau's top bands: Squadcar, a punk-metal project with tracks like "I Hate Jackson" and "Will You Help Me Move;" Pizzasauras Rex, the most serious of the three, is more pop-rock than anything; and the world-famous Rock Solid, the 80s metal, in-your-face, shredder-fest these guys are most famous for.. ...

REPUBLIC, Mo. (AP) -- Three workers escaped safely when fire broke out in an empty, 1.5 million-gallon gasoline storage tank where they were doing maintenance. The workers were using cutting torches Wednesday and accidentally ignited a small pocket of unleaded gasoline that had been unnoticed...

The new federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau is scheduled to open by April 1, several months later than originally anticipated. But the General Services Administration, which oversees construction and operation of federal buildings, says the project hasn't been delayed by weather or construction material issues...

Cape Girardeau will send out paychecks on Friday to part-time workers, many of whom will continue to receive pay below Missouri's new $6.50 minimum wage. Officials at city hall acknowledged Wednesday that widespread public disapproval is making the decision not to raise pay difficult to stand by. ...

Jan. 4, 2007 Dear Julie, DC and I went to Columbia, Mo., last weekend. Columbia is filled with ghosts for me. Thirty years ago I was finishing school there, had just parted with a girlfriend of five years and was wondering where life might lead. I felt sad and unsure and kind of desperate...

The list of candidates for city offices in Cairo, Ill., could be shortened Friday when a panel of officials hears evidence of whether some contenders don't meet the qualifications set out in state law. When filing closed last month, 10 candidates for mayor and 26 candidates for city council seats had declared their interest and brought petitions bearing at least 16 nominating signatures to city offices. ...

For almost seven years, Brian Miller labored without pay as volunteer coordinator of Cape Girardeau County's office of disaster planning and operations; but as of the start of this year, Miller is a full-time salaried director of disaster planning and director of communications for the county...

The Altenburg residents knew when their hometown boy flew in the sky overhead. Air Force Capt. Ray Littge flew his airplane as low as he could, knocking shingles off the roofs of Perry County residents. Last week, Ralph Littge recalled stories of his brother at the Lutheran Heritage Center and Museum, where a memorial hangs from the wall honoring Ray Littge -- Missouri's top-ranking fighter pilot of World War II...

A Cape Girardeau couple won $50,000 in a Missouri Lottery scratch-off game last week but the area is still waiting to discover the identity of a big lotto prize winner who bought a ticket in Jackson. Eddie Claar, a mechanic with Elrink Transportation, bought the winning "Crossword" ticket at U Kwick Stop, 1700 Broadway, on Dec. 26. Claar told lottery officials he had stopped to purchase cigarettes when he decided to also buy a single scratch-off ticket...

Larry Ferrell, assistant federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of Missouri, and David Briggs, a history instructor at Southeast Missouri State University, will be featured Sunday on Southeast Public Radio's "Going Public" program. Briggs will discuss his experiences in the Vietnam War and how it felt to return home after his combat duty had ended. Ferrell will talk about his duty in Iraq and the role he played in the trial of Saddam Hussein...

Todd E. Sides, 26, of Jackson passed away Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2007, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Todd was born March 22, 1980, in Cape Girardeau, son of Terry L. and Cheryl Penny Sides. He was a 1998 graduate of Jackson High School, and had been employed at the T. Wayne Lewis Family Dentistry in Jackson since his graduation...

Getting help; Music for charity; Late information; What you're worth; Bikes in alley; Interpreting laws; Stingy city; Thanks for help; Swift execution; Closed post offices; Second-worst roads; Medication caution; Be self-reliant; Reason to rejoice

A great deal has changed since Mike Keefe spent his first day on the job with the U.S. Postal Service in 1971. He retired at the end of 2006 as Cape Girardeau's postmaster, a job he had held for 20 years. Throughout his career, Keefe was known for his efforts to provide the best service possible...

To the editor:As a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, I thank God that I was able to have many professors who were not narrow-minded and dared to teach us to think out of the box. These are the teachers who train minds who can lead nations and create inventions for the common good. I think the names Lenin, Marx and Himmler used against the university teachers is inappropriate at best...

9 a.m. today County Administration Building 1 Barton Square, Jackson Routine business n Erroneous assessments. n Juvenile detention report. n Nordenia USA 2006 payment in lieu of taxes received. Action items n None at this time. Discussion items and appointments...

Maxine Montgomery, 90, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2007, at the Chateau Girardeau. She was born July 16, 1916, in Fruitland, Mo., daughter of Guy and Eutha Hansel. She married Henry Montgomery in Cape Girardeau on March 10, 1949. He preceded her in death...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Mary Lucy "Geraldine" Rasco, 78, of Greenville, Ill., died Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2007, at Greenville Regional Hospital. She was born Oct. 27, 1928, at Menfro, Mo., daughter of James and Mary L. Colin Hager. Rasco had been a preschool teacher, cook and dishwasher. She was a member of Southern Baptist Church in Greenville. She was formerly of Perryville...

THEBES, Ill. -- Tina M. Sissom, 42, of Thebes died Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2007, at her home. Crain Funeral Home in Tamms, Ill., is in charge of arrangements.

CAIRO, Ill. -- Leroy Jones Jr., 60, of Cairo died Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2007, at Daystar Care Center. He was born Nov. 14, 1946, in Cairo, son of Leeroy and Lovie Jones Sr. Jones was a graduate of Sumner High School. He had been a print press operator in East Prairie, Mo., and had worked at Burkart and Cairo police department...

n At 6:09 p.m., motor vehicle accident in the 1500 block of West Cape Rock Drive. n At 6:39 p.m., emergency medical service in the 600 block of Locust Street. n At 7:20 p.m., emergency medical service in the 500 block of South Sprigg Street. n At 12:52 a.m., emergency medical service in the 700 block of North Sprigg Street...

James Gihring, 63, of New Wells died Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2007, at his home. McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson is in charge of arrangements.

Oran's defense adjusted in the second half to St. Vincent's backdoor cuts and held off a late third-quarter rally to secure a spot in the Delta New Year's Tournament championship with a 57-49 victory on Wednesday at Delta. The third-seeded Eagles will face host Delta at 4 p.m. on Saturday in the finals. Delta, the top seed, routed No. 4 Woodland 72-44 in the other semifinal Wednesday...

Southeast Missouri State's surging women's basketball team is just a few days away from what it hopes will be a first-place Ohio Valley Conference showdown. But the Redhawks know they can't begin to think about that until they confront their next obstacle -- today's game with Eastern Illinois...

For the first time in a month, Southeast Missouri State's players and coaches were able to exhibit unbridled jubilation after a game. That's what a win will do for a basketball team -- especially an Ohio Valley Conference road victory for a squad that had endured a six-game losing streak...

Talley; Wheeler; Dobbs

Cape Friends of Traditional Music and Dance will offer contra dance from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday at Christ Episcopal Church 101 N. Fountain St. in Cape Girardeau. Lessons will be given monthly. All moves are taught and the dances walked through. Everyone is welcome. No partner, costume or experience are necessary. For more information, call John or Kathy Coffman at 334-4706; Judy Bradley at 334-5289 or John Boyd at 335-7315...

Big River Telephone, Schnucks, The Salvation Army, Mix 96.5, B 97.9 and Soft Rock 104.7 teamed together for another Holiday Turkey Drive. The drive is designed to help families in need during the holidays. ...

The fifth annual East Prairie Valentine Beauty Pageants will be held at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 4 in the high school auditorium in East Prairie, Mo. Age divisions for girls and boys are: 0-5 months, 6-11 months, 12-23 months, 24-35 months, 3-4 years. ...

Riverside Regional Library wants to help people keep a New Year's resolution to read more. Patrons can pick up a log book at any of the Riverside library locations. Choose any number of books you want to read during the 2007 Winter Reading Program. ...

The Southeast Missouri Long Term Care Ombudsman Program is currently seeking volunteers to serve residents of nursing homes and residential care facilities. The ombudsmen provide support and assistance with any problems or complaints. ...

After working for 50 of his 66 years, Butch Boyd says he is going to "enjoy being bored." Boyd spent the last 10 and a half years as director of security for Southeast Missouri Hospital. Before that he spent 27 years with the Cape Girardeau Police Department, the last eight of those years as chief of police...

Each year, Eagles Aerie 3775 of Cape Girardeau donates food baskets to 135 families. "It's a day we all look forward to each year," says Gene Martin, co-chairman of the Christmas basket program. "Everyone wants to be sure and arrange their schedule to be here to help."...

Doctors hope a new vaccine will be the first step in eliminating cervical cancer. The vaccine, Gardasil, was approved in June by the Food and Drug Administration for girls and women, ages 9 to 26. The vaccine prevents infection from some strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted disease that can cause genital warts and cervical cancer...

Physician appointed to medical board The American College of Medical Practice Executives named Dr. Sarah J. Holt, administrator of Cape Girardeau Surgical Clinic Inc., as ACMPE board chairwoman for 2007. Holt was appointed during the Medical Group Management Association's 2006 annual conference in Las Vegas. ...

This past year was a rough one by most pundits' accounts. But at least there were more winners than losers on the healthspan front. In the winning column, there is now a vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV), which can prevent cervical cancer. In the losing column is AIDS. Now 25 years old, AIDS is still an epidemic -- as of last year, there were 40 million people living with AIDS, which is double the number from 1995, and there is no vaccination in sight...

CHICAGO -- Crocuses are pushing out of the ground in New Jersey. Ice fishing tournaments in Minnesota are being canceled for lack of ice. And golfers are hitting the links in Chicago in January. Much of the Midwest and the East Coast are going through a remarkably warm winter, with temperatures running 10 and 20 degrees higher than normal in many places...

WASHINGTON -- Congressional Democrats stepped hungrily to the brink of power Wednesday, promising immediate action to limit the influence of lobbyists and constant prodding of the Bush administration to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq. President Bush pushed back against the political opposition as he contemplated divided government for the first time since entering the White House. ...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraqi authorities reported the arrests Wednesday of two guards and an official who supervised Saddam Hussein's hanging and said the guard force was infiltrated by outsiders who taunted the former leader and shot the video showing his body dangling at the end of a rope...

MADRID, Spain -- Rescue workers discovered a body Wednesday in the rubble of a parking garage destroyed by a weekend car bombing at Madrid's airport, confirming the first fatality blamed on the Basque separatist group ETA in more than three years. Though ETA has not claimed responsibility for the attack, a caller who warned authorities before the explosion said he represented the group. ...

NEW YORK -- Barbara Walters is back from vacation -- and she's standing by Rosie O'Donnell in her bitter battle of words with Donald Trump. Walters, creator of ABC's "The View," said Wednesday on the daytime chat show that she never told Trump she didn't want O'Donnell on the show, as he has claimed. "Nothing could be further from the truth," she said...

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama is ready for "new era" of football, and is certain Nick Saban can return the Crimson Tide to college football's elite. The Tide lured Saban from the Miami Dolphins on Wednesday, ending five weeks of denials and two days of deliberation. Saban accepted the Alabama coaching job and abandoned his attempt to rebuild the NFL's Dolphins after only two seasons...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Mario Lemieux and other members of the Pittsburgh Penguins' ownership group were meeting with Kansas City officials and representatives of the Sprint Center on Wednesday. Michael Roth, a spokesman for Los Angeles-based Anschutz Entertainment Group, which will operate the arena, issued a statement Wednesday afternoon confirming that "meetings are scheduled with the ownership group of the Pittsburgh Penguins and our organization."...

India orders probe into serial killings NEW DELHI -- The Indian government on Wednesday ordered an inquiry into how local authorities responded to the disappearances of 17 women and children from impoverished backgrounds who were found dismembered in an affluent New Delhi suburb last week. ...

NEW YORK -- Vince Young looks as if he'll make the NFL his personal playground, too. The dynamic quarterback for the Tennessee Titans won The Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year Award on Wednesday. He did it in the same fashion he turned around the Titans' season -- running away from the rest of the field...

Gov. Matt Blunt is calling for sprinkler systems in all long-term care facilities in Missouri as recommended by the Departments of Health and Senior Services and Mental Health. Blunt requested the report of existing fire safety and related protective oversight regulations and recommendations for improvements in the wake of 11 deaths resulting from a fire at the Anderson Guest House Residential Care Facility, a group home for the elderly and mentally ill in Anderson, Mo...

The Perryville boys basketball team lost its 16-point halftime lead but pulled away for a 68-64 overtime win at Kelly on Wednesday night. The Pirates made 14 of 16 free throws in the extra session. Michael Fritsche led the Pirates (6-5) with 22 points, Rick Dunn added 20 and Tyler Bauwens scored 18...

MIAMI -- Miami Heat coach Pat Riley will take an indefinite leave of absence because of ongoing hip and knee problems, and top assistant Ron Rothstein will fill his spot on an interim basis. The 61-year-old Riley disclosed his plans Wednesday, two days before he'll undergo surgery to remove floating chips in his right knee. He was not with the team Wednesday when it hosted the Clippers...

NEW ORLEANS -- JaMarcus Russell thoroughly outplayed Brady Quinn and made a compelling case that the mammoth quarterback's next pass should come in the NFL. As for Notre Dame, it was a familiar meltdown at bowl time. The Sugar Bowl returned to New Orleans with a Cajun-style party put on by No. 4 LSU, which dominated college football's most storied program in a 41-14 rout Wednesday night at the Superdome...

DETROIT -- Whirlpool Corp. said Wednesday that it had sold a number of properties belonging to Maytag Corp., including most of its former rival's headquarters complex in Newton, Iowa. Whirlpool in a news release said it also had sold former Maytag manufacturing sites in Galesburg and Herrin, Ill.; Searcy, Ark.; Ranson, W.Va.; and Florence, S.C. ...

Fitness Plus Mastersswim to top finishes The Masters Swimmers at Fitness Plus took home several individual and team honors last month at the Missouri Valley/St. Louis Area Masters Championship Meet, hosted by the University of Missouri-Columbia. Fitness Plus Masters swimmers Brigitte Kinnamon, Karl Larson, Jeff Harms and Skip Wrape, all of Cape Girardeau, competed against more than 60 swimmers from Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska...

POLEWALI, Indonesia -- Rescuers scoured the ocean for a missing jetliner on Wednesday, one day after senior Indonesian officials erroneously said the Boeing 737's charred wreckage had been found in a remote mountainous area, and that a dozen people may have survived...

WASHINGTON -- Construction activity showed further weakness as spending on homes dropped for a record eighth consecutive month. The Commerce Department reported Wednesday that building activity edged down 0.2 percent in November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.18 trillion. That followed declines of 0.3 percent in October and 0.8 percent in September...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's 94th General Assembly convened Wednesday with a pledge to tackle health care and education problems and an eagerness among some to divvy out an expected budget surplus. What figures to be a lengthy and weighty 2007 session kicked off with lawmakers taking group oaths in the House and Senate. ...

Members of the Thomas W. Kelly school district's Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) organization recently participated in a community service project for the Ronald McDonald House in St. Louis. The Ronald McDonald House is a "home away from home" for families of seriously ill children who have come to St. ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- Fraternities and sororities at the University of Missouri-Columbia must install sprinkler systems in their houses by 2012 under a new city ordinance. The Columbia City Council voted Tuesday to require the Greek houses to install sprinklers by Dec. 31, 2012. The mandate resembles enhanced fire codes in other college towns across the country, including Lawrence, Kan., home to the University of Kansas...

Heavy fog in southeast Missouri and northeast Arkansas was hindering the search Friday for a small plane missing for about a day. Two people from Barr Air Patrol LLC of Mesquite, Texas, were on board the Cessna 182R that was scheduled to land at 1 p.m. Thursday at Batesville, Ark., Regional Airport. It failed to show up, and the last contact was earlier Thursday when the plane was over Ripley County, Mo...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- At first, it looked like Rita Oberhart-Servais was killed during a burglary at her south St. Louis home. Now, authorities believe the 57-year-old woman's own son and his fiancee hired a friend to kill her. Money was the suspected motive...

I like to think I'm not superstitious. But I am. Just like you. My childhood Sunday school teacher, Miss Cynthia, and others tried their best to convince me that young boys armed with the shield of faith should shun superstitions. But I was a backslider from the start. I wouldn't walk under ladders. I tried to avoid 13 of anything. I knocked on wood. If I spilled salt, I tasted it to see if it might be sugar...

If the first paycheck of the new year appears smaller, it is time to check how much has been deducted for health insurance premiums. Many changes in health plans take effect Jan. 1. As employers battle to control costs the most common response is to increase employees' deductibles and copayments. Despite those changes, most employers are still paying higher premiums, which are passed on to employees who add dependent family members to their coverage at work...

Cape Girardeau Central High School graduates less than 60 percent of its black students, according to the latest school district report card from the state's education agency. Of the black freshmen who entered the high school four years earlier, 59.3 percent graduated last spring, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said. The 2006 state average was 75.9 percent...

AmerenUE took a verbal pounding over service issues and its request to impose dramatically higher electric rates Thursday night during a public hearing conducted by the Missouri Public Service Commission. While business leaders from Cape Girardeau and Dexter detailed the damage higher rates would cause their bottom lines, civic leaders and members of the public focused on poor response to outages and other service issues. ...

U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., officially took office Thursday after a swearing-in ceremony in Washington, D.C. During an afternoon conference call from the Capitol, she told reporters she is anxious to get to work and predicts a flurry of activity in the first months the 110th Congress is in session...

Media suggestions; Lock up medicine; Pay as you go; City pay raises; Bad decision; Enough whining; Message to skinflints; Bulbs aren't better; Pay up, city

That no ex post facto law, nor law impairing the obligation of contracts, or retrospective in its operation, or making any irrevocable grant of special privileges or immunities, can be enacted. -- Missouri Constitution, Article I, Section 13....

To the editor:We are a small group of neighbors, homeowners, taxpayers and voters of Jackson. We want our neighborhood safe and free of the fear of danger and crime. The streets, homes and yards are mostly well-kept by their owners. We want our property to keep its market value. ...

To the editor:Some letter writers and others express frustration and disappointment that religion does not play a larger role in our government. These critics overlook the fact that our Founders and their ancestors who arrived in the 17th and 18th centuries and established the first great experiment in democracy came here to escape the civil and religious tyranny in their native European countries. ...

Sonya Daugherty was disappointed that she missed Southeast Missouri State's last two games because of an illness. The Redhawks welcomed her back with open arms Thursday night at the Show Me Center. Although Daugherty is not among Southeast's top players statistically, the sophomore guard has been a valuable performer off the bench, with a few starts thrown in...

An early schedule filled with lopsided victories had the Saxony Lutheran boys basketball team off to a 8-1 start but with questions surrounding its ability to win the close one. The Crusaders proved their mettle at home Thursday, securing a 58-55 win against Oran in a game that saw eight fourth-quarter lead changes...

Work is substantially finished on the new Jackson Public Safety building, with project architect predicting all construction will be completed by Jan. 15, more than six months after it was originally scheduled for completion. The East Cape County Fire District, just north of Cape Girardeau, will be adding a 750-gallon-per-minute pumper truck to its firefighting arsenal, if the Cape Girardeau City Council approves a request from the district to part with the seldom-used vehicle...

Murder suspect pleads not guilty A 28-year-old Puxico, Mo., woman charged with second-degree murder in connection with the drug overdose that killed her husband pleaded not guilty Dec. 20. Amy Graves was charged with murder after toxicology results showed that her husband, Charles P. ...

ST. LOUIS -- It has taken an oversized effort to deliver and care for the quintuplets already known as the "Ferrill Five." Born to parents Pete and Jenny Ferrill of Danville, Ill., on Dec. 21, each weighed a little over 3 pounds. All are doing well, though the babies are expected to stay in a neonatal intensive care unit at St. Louis Children's Hospital for several more weeks...

Rich Payne, executive director of the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center, will discuss the center's expansion project at today's First Friday Coffee. The program, hosted by the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, begins at 7:40 a.m. at the Show Me Center. Prior to the program, a continental breakfast will be available starting at 7 a.m., chamber officials said...

BENTON, Mo. -- Today marks the deadline for Scott County's 2007 budget requests to be turned in for review by the county commission. Scott County government departments are not required to have their requests in until Jan. 15, said County Clerk Rita Milam, but county commissioners Dennis Ziegenhorn and Jamie Burger have asked for departments to submit requests early to get a jump on the process of creating the new budget...

The Perry County Sheriff's Department has charged two St. Louis men with burglary and theft related to three residential burglaries. Adrian L. Miller, 44, is charged with felony burglary, theft/stealing and misdemeanor property damage. He is being held in Ste. Genevieve County Jail on a $10,000 cash bond...

A McClure, Ill., man died in a two-vehicle accident in Alexander County, Ill., about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday near the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge. Kevin A. Poppen, 30, was northbound on Levee Road driving an all-terrain vehicle when he failed to stop at the Highway 146 intersection, according to Illinois State Highway Patrol officials...

BENTON, Mo. -- An observant Scott County Sheriff's deputy on routine patrol arrested an Oran, Mo., man wanted on a drug-related charge and discovered a methamphetamine lab in the process. Deputy Scott Skinner was on patrol serving civil process Tuesday when he spotted James W. Hendrix, 59, driving a vehicle, Sheriff Rick Walter said Wednesday. Hendrix was wanted on a Scott County warrant for attempt to manufacture a controlled substance,...

A Scott City dentist charged with two felony counts of child endangerment will have his case heard in New Madrid County. Gary L. Riddle appeared in Scott County circuit court Dec. 22, at which time his case was moved to New Madrid County circuit court...

Routine business n Received and filed juvenile detention report. n Received and filed notice of Nordenia USA's $63,831 2006 payment in lieu of taxes. Discussion items and appointments n Approved hiring of Amanda Pratt at county archive center. n Approved adding County Clerk Kara Clark as signatory on county checks and removing former clerk Rodney Miller...

CHICAGO -- In a case fraught with ethical questions, the parents of a severely mentally and physically disabled child have stunted her growth to keep their little "pillow angel" a manageable and more portable size. The bedridden 9-year-old girl had her uterus and breast tissue removed at a Seattle hospital and received large doses of hormones to halt her growth. She is now 4 feet 5 inches; her parents say she would otherwise probably reach a normal 5 feet 6 inches...

WASHINGTON -- In a day of ceremony and historic change, Rep. Nancy Pelosi became the nation's first female House speaker on Thursday as Democrats eagerly took control of Congress for the final two years of President Bush's term. "The Democrats are back," rejoiced Pelosi, and she immediately set the rank-and-file to work passing tougher ethics rules...

WASHINGTON -- With President Bush expected to order a short-term increase of U.S. troops in Iraq, the White House said that Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki agreed Thursday on the need to have enough military might to calm violence-wracked Baghdad. ...

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Royal Caribbean Cruises has agreed to pay more than $1 million to the estate of a Connecticut man who vanished from his honeymoon cruise in the Mediterranean, according settlement papers to be filed Thursday. George Allen Smith IV disappeared after a night of heavy drinking aboard Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas as it sailed between Greece and Turkey on July 5, 2005. ...

COVENTRY, R.I. -- Rhode Island officials canceled school Thursday for more than 20,000 students while health experts search for any connection between a suspected case of meningitis and a second-grader's encephalitis death two weeks ago. "Given the parents' concerns and our concerns, we felt that out of abundance of caution we would keep schools closed for the next two days," Dr. ...

MOGADISHU, Somalia -- Somali government troops backed by Ethiopian soldiers battled about 600 Islamic militiamen Thursday on the southern tip of this Horn of Africa nation, and U.S. Navy forces prevented the militants from fleeing by sea, authorities said. A U.S. diplomat said she hoped peacekeepers from the region could be in place by month's end in Somalia, where the Council of Islamic Courts militias were driven from the capital of Mogadishu and much of the south last week...

BAGHDAD, Iraq _ The Interior Ministry acknowledged Thursday that an Iraqi police officer whose existence had been denied by the Iraqis and the U.S. military is in fact an active member of the force, and said he now faces arrest for speaking to the media...

n At 6:14 p.m., box alarm at 442 S. Spring Ave. n At 6:34 p.m., emergency medical service at the Missouri/Illinois River Bridge. n At 7:34 p.m., emergency medical service in the 500 block of North Kingshighway. n At 10:43 p.m., emergency medical service in the 900 block of Rodney Vista Boulevard...

Cape Girardeau: Arrests; Summonses; DWI; Thefts; Property damage; Assaults; Miscellaneous; Jackson: Arrest; Thefts; Summons; Property damage; Miscellaneous

Vandeven; Hahs; Koyle; Petzoldt

Thelma Jane "Tellie" Kingsbury, 90, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2007, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born Dec. 5, 1916, in Zalma, Mo., daughter of Marvin B. and Mae Back Moore. She and Clark E. Ervin were married in 1939 at Bonne Terre, Mo. He died in 1973. She later married Delbert Kingsbury Nov. 22, 1984, in Adrian, Mo. He died Aug. 6, 1996...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Ruth Charlene "Cricket" Warren Merrick entered into eternal rest at 7:14 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2007, at Shawnee Mission Medical Center in Shawnee, Kan. A devoted wife and mother, Cricket and her family were active in the First Baptist Church of Charleston and more recently, the First Baptist Church in Jefferson City, Mo...

Sue Anne Rademaker, 60, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Dec. 31, 2006, at her home. She was born Feb. 5, 1946, in Sparta, Tenn., daughter of Willie Carson and Peggy Anne Herndon Brown. She and Tim Rademaker were married Aug. 24, 1968, in Strongsville, Ohio...

THEBES, Ill. -- Tina M. Hale Sissom, 42, of Thebes died Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2007, at her home. She was born Feb. 11, 1964, in Chicago Heights, daughter of Robert Monroe and Kathe Matz Hale. She married James B. Sissom March 28, 1998. Mrs. Sissom was employed by Kagmo Electric Motor Co. She was a member of Apostolic Lighthouse United Pentecostal Church and Thebes Women's Club...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Linda Sue Ramsey, 63, of Sikeston died Thursday, Jan. 4, 2007, at her home. She was born Nov. 8, 1943, near Bertrand, Mo., daughter of Jim and Carrie Carlyle Western. She and James E. Ramsey were married June 13, 1961, at Bertrand. Ramsey was a 1961 graduate of Sikeston High School. She had worked at McMullin Mini-Mart near Sikeston...

ZALMA, Mo. -- Wanda Juanita Schrader, 90, of West Linn, Ore., died Sunday, Dec. 31, 2006, at Just Like Home in West Linn. She was born July 30, 1916, at Zalma, daughter of William and Rhoda Sitz Pape. She and Clarence Schrader were married Aug. 22, 1942, in St. Louis. He died March 1, 1970...

BELL CITY, Mo. -- Mary E. Welker, 79, of Bell City died Monday, Jan. 1, 2007, at her home. She was born Feb. 5, 1927, at Avert, Mo., daughter of William B. and Eartie Hammond Henson. She and William A. "Bill" Welker were married April 29, 1967, at Oran, Mo...

ALTENBURG, Mo. -- James E. Gihring, 63, of Altenburg died Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2007, at his home. He was born Sept. 8, 1943, in St. Louis, son of Arnold and Marie Schroeder Gihring. He and Doris Koenig Petzoldt were married July 12, 1975. Gihring served in the U.S. Navy from 1967 to 1972...

McCLURE, Ill. -- Kevin Arnold Poppen, 30, of McClure died Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2007, in an automobile accident in East Cape Girardeau, Ill. He was born Nov. 26, 1976, in Chester, Ill., son of Alfred and Linda Foeste Poppen. He and Lisa Dibenedetto were married Nov. 28, 1998, in Bremen, Ill...

Dorothy Lou Juden Baker, 86, of Oxford, Kan., died Thursday, Jan. 4, 2007, at William Newton Memorial Hospital in Winfield, Kan. The funeral will be at 5 p.m. Saturday at Rindt-Erdman Funeral Home in Arkansas City, Kan. Norman Reeves will officiate...

Don't be surprised if you mistake the new-generation Hyundai Elantra sedan for a Toyota. It's easy to do, now that the Elantra is restyled with an upscale look and a back end, in particular, that seems to have come from a Toyota designer, not a stylist for South Korea's Hyundai...

LOS ANGELES -- A federal judge prohibited O.J. Simpson from using money he may have received from a canceled book deal and TV interview in which he reportedly told a hypothetical tale of how he would have killed his ex-wife and her friend Ron Goldman...

NEW YORK -- Randy Johnson is headed back to the Arizona Diamondbacks after two unfulfilling years with the New York Yankees that began with a nasty sidewalk confrontation and ended with a messy playoff loss. The Yankees reached a tentative agreement with Arizona on Thursday to trade Johnson to Arizona for reliever Luis Vizcaino and three minor leaguers, a move that allows the Big Unit's agents to get him a contract extension...

ST. LOUIS -- Ten games into his rookie season as an NFL head coach, Scott Linehan gave himself a makeover. The St. Louis Rams finished the year on a roll after Linehan, following a dispiriting 15-0 loss at Carolina, handed over play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Greg Olson and became the man in charge...

NEW YORK -- One rotator cuff injury often is enough to ruin a premier athlete's career. Chad Pennington overcame two in two years to win The Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year award. The New York Jets had become too accustomed to seeing Pennington leave the field with a damaged right shoulder. After the 2004 season and again midway through 2005, he underwent surgery to repair his right rotator cuff...

PITTSBURGH -- With Bill Cowher showing no signs of returning next season, the Pittsburgh Steelers will hold an afternoon news conference Friday and likely will begin searching for a new coach immediately afterward. Cowher, the Steelers' coach for 15 seasons and one of the NFL's best-known figures, met with team owner Dan Rooney and president Art Rooney II on Tuesday and asked for a few days to weigh his future plans. ...

KAPALUA, Hawaii -- Convinced that he has figured out his flaws, determined not to let another opportunity on Maui slip away, Vijay Singh survived the raging trade wind at Kapalua to make six birdies for a 4-under 69 Thursday at the Mercedes-Benz Championship, leaving him in a five-way tie for the lead as the PGA Tour season began in strenuous conditions...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Pittsburgh Penguins could play rent-free and be equal managing partners in the new Sprint Center if they move to Kansas City, under an offer unveiled Thursday by the arena's operating group. Tim Leiweke, president of Anschutz Entertainment Group, said the Penguins would not have to buy into the management agreement. The $276 million Sprint Center is scheduled to open in October...

NEW YORK -- Spell this year's NFL MVP: L.T. Record-setting LaDainian Tomlinson of the San Diego Chargers ran away with The Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player award Thursday the way he eluded defenders in leading his team to the AFC's best record (14-2) and a favorite's role for the Super Bowl...

ST. LOUIS -- Kevin Curtis says he'll let his agent worry about a contract for next season. Until a few days ago, that's a phrase the St. Louis Rams' No. 3 wide receiver couldn't utter. Curtis, who can become an unrestricted free agent, dumped his agent before the season and played the entire schedule without representation...

After Southeast Missouri State rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit to win at Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday, being down by one point at the intermission Thursday night must have seemed like nothing. "We felt pretty good at halftime. We had a lot of confidence," freshman point guard Roderick Pearson said. "I think we're starting to become a second-half team."...

ST. LOUIS -- Lee Stempniak and Dennis Wideman scored goals to lead the St. Louis Blues to a 2-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night. St. Louis has not given up a goal in the first period since Andy Murray became coach 12 games ago. The streak matches the NHL record which was set in 1974 by the Los Angeles Kings. The Blues ended the Kings streak that season by scoring a first period goal in the 13th game...

Members of the world champion St. Louis Cardinals will be in town Jan. 14 for the annual Cardinals Caravan, but no one is sure quite yet which players will be attending. Penny Williams of the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department said the Cardinals have not informed her as to which players will be appearing at the Osage Community Centre later this month. ...

New program debuts on KRCU Saturday; Ticket sales start Monday for The Wiggles; Paducah Printmakers show at Harwell Museum; -- From staff reports

The Jackson girls basketball team started fast in its showdown with Doniphan, building a 17-point lead after one period en route to a 63-54 victory at home. "We got a good jump, and we could have put them away," Jackson coach Sam Sides said. "We tried to go inside early and often. In the second half, we just couldn't finish and their defensive intensity picked up...

Robert Friedrich does not subscribe to the adage of those who can't, teach. He does both. "I always tell the kids I practice what I preach," said Friedrich, who's been an art teacher for 11 years at Cape Girardeau's Central High School. As he walks into Gallery 1.2.5 Wednesday afternoon, Friedrich looks more like a doer than a teacher, more the starving artist than the scholar. ...

New at the theaters: 'Children of Men'; 'Code Name: The Cleaner'; 'Freedom Writers'; 'Happily N'Ever After'; STILL PLAYING: 'Black Christmas'; 'Blood Diamond'; 'Casino Royale'; 'Charlotte's Web'; 'Eragon'; 'The Good Shepherd'; 'Happy Feet'; 'The Holiday'; 'The Nativity Story'; 'Night at the Museum'; 'The Pursuit of Happyness'; 'Rocky Balboa'; 'We are Marshall'

The Arts Council of Southeast Missouri has seen many artists and styles pass through its galleries, but none like the art that visitors will see starting tonight. This form of art -- called "paper mosaic" -- is unique to one man, Russell Irwin. Tonight 20 of Irwin's pieces will be on display, including two new pieces that have never been seen before...

A little more than a year ago, I encountered a group of Cape Girardeau artists that really gave me hope for the future of the local art scene -- the Modest Living Artists. It was November 2005, and I had recently run into what I thought was the area's only contemporary visual arts group, Integrated Counterbalance. ...

Dear Tom and Ray: I'm a soldier in Iraq, and I have a problem with what I suspect is vapor lock on a 2005 Polaris Rover all-terrain vehicle. Frequently (although usually occurring during the hot parts of the day and after driving two to four miles), the Rover stalls. ...

WASHINGTON -- Now that you've indulged in all those holiday goodies and made that New Year's resolution to shed some pounds, the government says don't count on a diet pill to help. The Federal Trade Commission said Thursday it was fining the marketers of four weight-loss drugs a collective $25 million for false advertising claims. Despite that, the pills -- Xenadrine EFX, CortiSlim, One-A-Day WeightSmart and TrimSpa -- will remain on store shelves...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A former high school football coach in the eastern Missouri town Washington was sentenced Friday to nearly four years in prison for possessing child pornography. Carl Hagedorn, 49, of Washington, will also be on supervised release for life after serving his sentence, U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway said...

A 23-year-old Cape Girardeau man has been charged with murdering his 55-year-old father, Charles E. Mosley. Police say Clayton R. Mosley bludgeoned his father to death with a hammer in their home at 1854 Martin Court at about 3 a.m. Friday. Clayton Mosley is charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action. ...

THEBES, Ill. -- John Kennedy was named the third mayor of Thebes since 2005 at a special meeting of the village's board of trustees. Kennedy was chosen by a unanimous vote of the board Dec. 26 to replace Bill McHughs, who stepped aside after about six months in the post. McHughs was selected by the board to replace Scott Bomar, who resigned in July after winning his job in the April 2005 election...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Three city council candidates with felony convictions were removed from the Feb. 27 primary ballot Friday, but two mayoral candidates, one of whom also has a felony record, survived challenges. The rejected candidates for city council vowed to fight in court to be reinstated in time for the primary. ...

Calling it a "no win situation," a majority of the Cape Girardeau City Council concurred yesterday it would be futile to take any steps to block the opening of a birth-control clinic offering abortion services here; Life-Boat Crusaders, a group opposing the clinic, hopes to persuade the council to enact restrictive regulations that would prevent the clinic from opening...

Give the raises; Shameful stand; Social Security help; Pay up, city; Community payback; Thanks for lights; High-end solution; Postal uniforms; Helping veterans; Punching the clock; Pick and choose; Not to Mexico; Logical decline; Greedy owners; Quality of life

Martin Priggel spent most of his working career as a farmer. That background served him well when he switched to government. As presiding commissioner of Scott County for the past eight years, Priggel was known for his decency and diplomacy. Under his leadership the county took on a number of problems that had been lingering...

Paul Davidson has many fond memories of the old building at 505 Second St. East in the Illmo section of Scott City. For decades the building served as home to the city's chapter of the Masons, of which Davidson was a member. The 84-year-old Scott City man remembers a building of solid construction where the Masons and the women of the Order of the Eastern Star met on alternating weeks -- a building that was rumored to have begun as a saloon and brothel at the genesis of Illmo's settlement around 1900.. ...

A continued emphasis on local teams and increased sponsorship money are the combination Central athletic director Mark Ruark hopes will keep the Tiger Shootout running for years to come. In recent years, the school has lost money on the one-day, four-game event. The event's main sponsors this year, The Bank of Missouri and River Radio, should be able to help subsidize the cost of the tournament...

Roderick Pearson says he has never lacked for confidence on a basketball court. But even Pearson admits to being just a bit surprised at how well he has performed since being thrust into the role of Southeast Missouri State's starting point guard. The numbers Pearson has put up over the past several weeks would be impressive for an older player, even a senior...

The Notre Dame girls basketball team led St. Joseph's Academy for one half Friday night but could not finish the job against the perennial state power. St. Joseph's of Frontenac, Mo., outscored the Bulldogs 40-22 in the second half for a 63-46 victory...

Cape Girardeau: Arrests; Summons; Thefts; Miscellaneous; Arrests; Jackson: Theft; Property damage; Miscellaneous

n At 3:04 p.m., emergency medical service at Doctors' Park. n At 3:08 p.m., fire alarm at Saint Francis Medical Center. n At 3:55 p.m., carbon monoxide detector sounding. n At 6:09 p.m., emergency medical service in the 100 block of South Mount Auburn Road...

Fritsche; Borgfield; Thompson; Jones; Phillips; Smith; Drum; Helm; Shoemake; Pingel; Jackson; Spinks; Eldridge; Bradley; Olivas; DePree; Hamm; Stroup

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Donna Maria Cannon, 62, of Chaffee died Friday, Jan. 5, 2007, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Chaffee is in charge of arrangements.

DONGOLA, Ill. -- Carol D. Casper, 65, of Dongola died Thursday, Jan. 4, 2007, at Union County Hospital in Anna, Ill. She was born Nov. 28, 1941, in Perks, Ill., daughter of Forrest and Henrietta Casper Churchill. She and Roy Casper were married Aug. 30, 1958. He died April 6, 2003...

Margaret Clara "Margie" Seyer, 81, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, Jan. 4, 2007, at her home. Visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home. Parish prayers will be at 7 p.m. Funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Mary's Cathedral...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Tharon Lee Kennedy, 52, of Chaffee died Thursday, Jan. 4, 2007, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born July 11, 1954, at Chaffee, son of John Lee and Patsy Lou Taylor Kennedy. Kennedy was a member of First Baptist Church...

Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center's WorkKeys assessment program has helped to ensure that entry level workers have the basic math, reading and comprehension skills needed for most jobs, center director Rich Payne said Friday. The career center has helped pilot the program in Missouri in which students can obtain career readiness certificates from the Missouri Division of Workforce Development showing that they have mastered the skills after going through a two-week assessment program, he said. ...

Fire on Big Bend Road damages garage Cape Girardeau firefighters responded to a garage fire at 1338 Big Bend Road at about 11 p.m. Thursday. The garage was a 16-by-25-foot unattached single-car garage with about 30 percent of the interior involved, according to a news release issued by the fire department Friday. The report said the structure sustained moderate damage with extensive damage to its contents. The fire is still under investigation, and its cause is undetermined at this time...

WASHINGTON -- Resurgent House Democrats voted Friday, their second day back in control, to block future tax cuts or benefit increases from being financed with dollars that swell the national deficit. Republicans protested the change would imperil GOP-sponsored tax cuts that expire in four years. The new rule also could make it more difficult for the Democrats to fulfill campaign promises to cut student loan rates and extend tax cuts for the middle class...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush nominated an intelligence veteran, former National Security Agency director Mike McConnell, to be the country's second national intelligence director. In a reshuffling of his national security team, Bush also chose his former top spymaster, John Negroponte, to be deputy secretary of state...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraqi forces backed by U.S. troops will begin a neighborhood-by-neighborhood assault on militants in the capital this weekend as a first step in the new White House strategy to contain Sunni insurgents and Shiite death squads, key advisers to the prime minister said Friday...

By DAVID STRINGER The Associated Press LONDON -- In horsehair wigs of tight, white curls, Britain's judges and lawyers have stalked oak-paneled courtrooms since the 17th century. But the head of the judiciary is considering scrapping the historical uniform...

Gasoline prices expected to dip soon NEW YORK -- U.S. drivers could start seeing lower prices at the pump as early as this weekend, thanks to the cascading price of crude oil and a seasonal dip in gasoline, analysts say. A gallon of regular unleaded gasoline costs an average of $2.325 across the country, according to the AAA. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The state's largest opponent of embryonic stem-cell research is urging lawmakers to oppose Gov. Matt Blunt's plan to use student loan agency proceeds for university construction projects because of fears the buildings could house such research...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- State revenue through the first half of Missouri's fiscal year was up 4.4 percent compared with the same period the previous year, the state Office of Administration said Friday. Net general revenue increased from $3.43 billion last year to $3.58 billion for the 2007 fiscal year, which ends June 30. Revenue for December alone increased 1 percent, from $646.9 million to $653.6 million...

The wreckage of a small plane was found Friday in a wooded area near Batesville, Ark., a day after the plane was reported missing. Both passengers on board died. The plane, a Cessna 182 operated by Barr Air Patrol LLC of Mesquite, Texas, was found about 1 p.m. a mile and a half east of the Batesville airport, said Richard Griffin of the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management. Names of the victims have not been released...

DULUTH, Ga. -- For years, Lisa Ann Taylor's neighbors suspected something was going on behind the doors of her white-columned, million-dollar mansion in one of suburban Atlanta's most exclusive neighborhoods. Scantily clad women were seen posing for photos in the driveway. Cars and trucks came and went at all hours. And there were loud parties...

NEW YORK -- With a bushel full of records and an MVP award already in his 2006 collection, LaDainian Tomlinson added The Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year to his resume Friday. Could there have been any doubt after L.T. made everything look EZ in sparking the San Diego Chargers to the NFL's best record (14-2)?...

PITTSBURGH -- Bill Cowher resigned as the Pittsburgh Steelers' coach Friday, stepping aside to spend more time with his family one year after winning the Super Bowl title he had chased since 1992. The 49-year-old Cowher left with one year left on his contract following an 8-8 season that was a disappointment, especially after last season: The Steelers became the first team to win three playoff games on the road and then win the Super Bowl as a sixth-seeded AFC team...

Paul says to "Think upon whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, gracious, on any excellence, and on anything worthy of praise." He infers that "the God of peace will then be with us." Philippians 4:8-9. As I watched the news recently I was both awestruck and encouraged by an incident exemplifying Paul's advice...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- As far as Missouri guard Stefhon Hannah is concerned, a little humility may be a good thing. The Tigers started the season 9-0 under new coach Mike Anderson. Competition wasn't exactly top-notch, and all nine games were at home. Hannah believes the team became overconfident, lackadaisical in practice. Reality set in with consecutive losses at Purdue and to Illinois in St. Louis...

Adam Wainwright, who recorded the final out in all three of the St. Louis Cardinals' postseason series last October, is expected to be among the players appearing in Cape Girardeau on Jan. 14 at the annual Cardinals Caravan. Wainwright, outfielder Chris Duncan, pitcher Tyler Johnson and outfielder John Rodriguez are the players scheduled to make stops in Memphis and Dyersburg, Tenn.; and Cape Girardeau next weekend. ...

Life might be easier if it came with an instruction book. Christa Miller, of Cape Girardeau, has written a devotional book that points readers in the right direction for coping with life's struggles. "Treasures of Godly Wisdom" identifies struggles people face on a daily basis, and leads them to verses in the Bible that address those challenges and help uplift the reader...

They might be a sideshow, but the dirtbike and four-wheeler drivers still got a rush at the Show Me Center. The indoor four-wheeler and dirt bike races were new to the Show Me Center Monster Truck Winternationals show held Friday and Saturday. The event drew 2,070 people Friday...

IRONTON, Mo. -- An Ironton man may be the one who holds a Missouri Lotto ticket worth $3.7 million. Someone purchased the winning ticket at the Jackson BP gas station before the Dec. 23 Lotto drawing. Justin Holder, a manager at the Town and Country supermarket in Ironton, said Saturday a local man came in the store Wednesday to check the numbers on the ticket, and it was in fact the winning ticket. Holder did not have the man's name but said he was a resident of Ironton...

McCLURE, Ill. -- A stabbing and shooting incident at the Hush Puppy Saloon in McClure in the early hours of New Year's Eve didn't deter customers from returning to the popular nightclub, said owner Jamie Thompson. Thompson cited the unusual circumstances surrounding the incident and the club's visible security as the reasons people weren't afraid to return...

Chaffee hasn't had a female mayor since the 1970s, when Sally Wehmeyer held the town's top elected post. After the April election, Chaffee could have a female mayor again. Two of the four candidates who have filed to run for mayor in Chaffee are women -- Hope Huey and Loretta Mohorc...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Joe and Cindy Cobb of Chaffee announce the engagement of their daughter, Mary Ann Cobb, to Jason D. Keller. He is the son of Larry and Deanna Keller of Jackson. Cobb is a 2000 graduate of Oran High School in Oran, Mo. She is pursuing a bachelor's degree in education at Southeast Missouri State University. She is office manager at D&L Pest Control in Cape Girardeau...

An early-morning blaze turns a Cape Girardeau business into what Fire Chief Charles Mills terms "a ball of fire," leaving two men injured and a substantial portion of the facility destroyed; origin of the fire at Mid-South Steel Products Co., 1500 Riverview Dr., has not been determined...

Lacie Rae Wyatt and James David Griffaw were married July 15, 2006, at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Kelso, Mo. The Rev. Oliver Clavin performed the ceremony. Music was by Hope Essner and Renee Reinagel of Kelso. The bride is the daughter of John and Karla Wyatt of Scott City. The groom is the son of Roy and Debbie Griffaw of Jackson and Pam and John Myers of Cape Girardeau...

Alexis Brittany Nussbaum and Robert Michael Arnzen were married June 17, 2006, at Zion Lutheran Church. The Rev. Wayne Schwiesow performed the ceremony. Organist was Pat Palisch and flutist was Jacqueline Heath, both of Jackson. The bride is the daughter of Truman "T.L." and Lisa Nussbaum of Whitewater. The groom is the son of Robert and Terry Arnzen of Leopold, Mo...

Holly Black and Robert Phillips exchanged vows Oct. 7, 2006, at Cape Bible Chapel in Cape Girardeau. The ceremony was performed by the fathers of the couple. Musicians were Ralph and Judy Sharp and Debbie Young, all of Jackson; Jay Moore, David Stagner and Kevin Alexander, all of Cape Girardeau. Soloists were Wendy Petzoldt and Debbie Leoni of Jackson, and Penny McCord of Lawrenceville, Ga., sister of the groom...

Andrea Lynn Benton and Jeffrey Allen Lawrence were united in marriage Oct. 14, 2006, at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in Nashville, Tenn. Ralph Griggs performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Timothy and Joy Benton of Cape Girardeau. The groom is the son of Terry and Michelle Lawrence of Brentwood, Tenn...

Stefanie Renee Seavey and Jonathan Winn Martin were united in marriage Nov. 4, 2006, at Memorial Baptist Church in Jefferson City, Mo. Ken Lumley performed the ceremony. Recorded music was played. Parents of the couple are Mr. and Mrs. Tom Seavey of Olathe, Kan., and Dr. and Mrs. Richard Martin of Cape Girardeau...

STURDIVANT, Mo. -- Amy Ikerman and Michael Nilsen were married Dec. 5, 2006, in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Ambrose Hind performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Terri Hubbert of Sturdivant and Larry Ikerman of Chaffee, Mo. The groom is the son of Gerald and Judith Nilsen of Sturdivant...

For the past three years, Americans have followed the lives of five women on the ABC television show "Desperate Housewives." The show's drama and mystery unfold in a suburban neighborhood along the fictitious Wisteria Lane. We decided to take a look at the neighbors who live on Cape Girardeau's Wisteria Drive -- to find out if there's any mystery and drama in this suburban neighborhood...

When Cape Girardeau officials recently announced that their interpretation of last year's overwhelming approval of Missouri's minimum wage meant city workers making less than $6.50 an hour wouldn't be getting any increase in pay, the public responded quickly...

The issue of the city's interpretation of whether it falls under Missouri's new minimum-wage law is one thing. The law itself is another. In short, it is a bad law, not because it raises the pay of some hourly workers, but because of provisions in the law that automatically increase the state's minimum wage based on annual cost-of-living reviews...

To the editor:Once again Chad Craft's creative imagination has the better of his common sense. The significance of the two Senate independents agreeing to caucus with the Democrats and provide that party control of the Senate seems to have escaped him. The Democratic position clearly reflects the majority view (51-49) in that body...

To the editor:In response to the story "Crowell seeks Bill of Rights change": The Missouri Legislature needs to be extremely cautious about state Sen. Jason Crowell's proposal to change the Missouri Constitution so that sex offenders convicted before January 1995 would have to register. While well-intentioned, the measure could have dramatic consequences that need to be carefully evaluated...

Southeast Missourian Police were looking Saturday night for a man who robbed a Cape Girardeau Dollar General Store. Cape Girardeau police responded to a call of an armed robbery at 8:15 p.m. at the Dollar General at 64 N. Plaza Way. Police say a man used a handgun to intimidate two female employees and force them into the rear of the store, where he bound them. The suspect then left with an undetermined amount of money...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Two forces kept Cheryl Mouser of Marble Hill from undergoing a double root canal before Christmas. The first: The 21-year-old Medicaid patient lives in a rural area with little dental care. The second: For the last two years Medicaid in Missouri has not covered dental care for most adult patients...

NEW ORLEANS -- Michigan State horticulture professor Art Cameron couldn't believe what he saw when he visited New Orleans last summer. He was shocked to find much of the city still in ruins a year after Hurricane Katrina and he wanted to help. He and Tom Fernandez, an associate professor of horticulture and faculty adviser for the Michigan State Horticulture Club, organized and raised funds for 46 people from the school to travel to New Orleans during the school's winter break to help clean up City Park.. ...

ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands -- An aviary has opened at Coral World Ocean Park in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The new attraction is called Lorikeet Garden. It's a 1,600-square-foot walkthrough aviary with 20 birds, including 17 brilliantly colored lorikeet parrots. Guests may buy a cup of nectar to feed the birds, which are known for being people-friendly...

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. -- January is a slow month in many national recreation areas, but it's a great time to visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park during its annual Wilderness Wildlife Week, scheduled for Jan. 13-21. The event is sponsored by the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism, and includes an array of nature photography classes, wildlife seminars, cultural history programs, hikes, excursions, children's programs and musical events...

TIJUANA, Mexico -- Federal and state police manned checkpoints within city limits as local police suspended their patrols because soldiers sent to crack down on drug gangs and corruption seized most of their guns on suspicion they aided traffickers...

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador -- Riots erupted in a maximum-security prison in western El Salvador, leaving at least 20 inmates dead, officials said Saturday. The first wave of rioting was sparked late Friday at the prison in Apanteos, 40 miles west of San Salvador, when a jailed gang member got into an argument with a guard as inmates were going into their cells to go to sleep, authorities said...

n At 6:36 p.m., emergency medical service in the unit block of Pindwood Lane. n At 8:14 p.m., emergency medical service in the 3200 block of William Street. n At 8:40 p.m., a still alarm at South Sprigg Street and Highway 74. n At 9:11 p.m., emergency medical service in the 200 block of South Hanover Street...

Arrests

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Mully E. Strong, 77, of Marble Hill died Friday, Jan. 5, 2007, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born March 23, 1929, in Scopus, Mo., son of Louie and Annie Elizabeth Sutherland Strong. He and Ernestine Douglas were united in marriage Jan. 10, 1953, in Piggott, Ark...

Margaret "Margie" Seyer, 81, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, Jan. 4, 2007, at her home. She was born Feb. 25, 1925, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Ray and Clara Glaus Stehr. She and Marcus "Pickle" Seyer were married Sept. 30, 1947, at St. Mary Catholic Church in Cape Girardeau. He died Sept. 3, 2004...

COMMERCE, Mo. -- Clyde E. Reed, 94, of Commerce died Friday, Jan. 5, 2007, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City.

TAMMS, Ill. -- Ethel Honey, 81, of Tamms died Saturday, Jan. 6, 2007, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born July 10, 1925, daughter of Harley and Pansy McKee McCrite. She and Gerald Honey were married March 26, 1949. He died Jan. 20, 1999...

GIDEON, Mo. -- Charles "Chuck" Wayne White, 67, of Gideon died Friday, Jan. 5, 2007, at his home. He was born on Feb. 17, 1939, at Fredericktown, Mo., son of the late Charles and Cecelia Harris White. White served in the U.S. Army in the Korean War...

7:30 p.m. Monday Jackson City Hall 101 Court St. Jackson Action Items Power and light committee n Consider changing the Board of Aldermen regular meeting from Feb. 19 to Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in observance of the President's Day holiday. n Consider confirming the extension of the contractual agreement with the Cape Girardeau Area Magnet for a period of one year, ending Dec. 31...

9 a.m. Monday County Administration Building 1 Barton Square, Jackson Routine business n December Archive Center report. n Letter from Missouri Department of Transportation regarding signs for unincorporated town of Millersville. n Nordenia USA verification to auditors regarding notes payable...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Snowzilla may be a smash hit with shutterbugs, but the towering snowman has detractors closer to home. Some neighbors of the two-story snowman say they're fed up with the hordes of gawkers clogging their street. "When you get 20 people out there in their cars, now the whole street comes to a stop and nobody can get through," said Anthony Bahler, who can see Snowzilla from his front window. "They just stand out there, in the middle of road, talking about a snowman."...

WAUSAU, Wis. -- Who is that mysterious, elegant man? And why is he sitting on a dead horse? Such are some of the questions sparked by a black-and-white photograph taken in Sheboygan, Wis., between 1876 and 1884 that has led to nationwide curiosity, speculation and jokes...

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. City Wide Celebration Committee has a slate of events planned for Jan. 11 to 15 to celebrate King's memory. The first event, the fifth annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Extravaganza will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Osage Community Centre. Area performers will provide musical and oratorical tributes to King on his 78th birthday...

WASHINGTON -- In this new era of divided government, the congressional hearing room is where the executive and legislative branches will clash. Over the next few weeks, Senate Democrats plan to hold at least 11 hearings just on Iraq. In the House, one of the Democrats' most dogged investigators is waiting to spring his committee on a different mission -- suspected government fraud...

WASHINGTON -- U.S. criminal investigators found no evidence to support the claim of Marines charged in the deaths of unarmed Iraqi civilians that five were shot after trying to flee the scene of a roadside bombing that killed one Marine, a senior defense official said Saturday...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- In the opening battle of a major drive to tame the violent capital, the Iraqi army reported it killed 30 militants Saturday in a firefight in a Sunni insurgent stronghold just north of the heavily fortified Green Zone. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, speaking only hours earlier at a ceremony marking the 85th anniversary of the Iraqi army, announced his intention for the open-ended attempt to crush the militant fighters who have left Baghdad in the grip of sectarian violence...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- City officials have no plans to plug an expanding sinkhole near a Sequiota Cave outside of Springfield -- at least for now. "From the park's point of view, we want to see its impact on Sequiota Cave and figure out what's best for the community," said Bob Belote, assistant director of the Springfield-Greene County parks system. "We'll want to observe it for a while and maybe see what else we've got out there."...

ST. LOUIS -- Priscilla Garrett, 50 years old and blind since birth, has had her handicap parking place restored and received an apology from the mayor for the treatment she received from city hall. Garrett relies on relatives to drive her to work at the downtown courthouse, where she is a clerk, and to appointments and errands. Having a reserved parking space on the street in front of her home lets her walk a short, familiar route to a waiting car without crossing the street...

CHICAGO -- A man has been charged with trying to extort $1.5 million from Oprah Winfrey by threatening to release recorded telephone conversations he claimed would hurt her reputation, according to the FBI and published reports. Keifer Bonvillain, 36, targeted a person identified only as "a public figure and the owner of a Chicago-based company," according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. ...

NEW ORLEANS -- With at least eight slayings in the city in the first week of the new year, officials are considering a curfew to help stem the violence, the police superintendent said Saturday. "It's something we're just sort of talking about, to see if that will make a difference," police superintendent Warren Riley said...

DENVER -- A huge avalanche knocked two cars off a mountain pass Saturday on the main highway to one of the state's largest ski areas, shortly after crowds headed through on the way to the lifts, authorities said. Eight people were rescued from the buried vehicles and all were taken to area hospitals, said state Patrolman Eric Wynn. Details of their conditions were not available...

NEW YORK -- After tripling over the past 15 years, the number of foreign children adopted by Americans dropped sharply in 2006, the result of multiple factors which have jolted adoption advocates and prompted many would-be adoptive parents to reconsider their options...

NEW YORK -- Daniel Santos became an instant hero in 1996 when he jumped 130 feet off a bridge into the Hudson River to rescue a young woman trying to commit suicide. Then came the national TV interviews, the fan mail from strangers, the offers to do commercials, the free trip to Disney World...

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Barb Hikade and her teenage daughter had to arrive about an hour early Saturday to be first in line when the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum reopened for the first time since the former president's death last month. Hikade and daughter, Michelle, stood with about 100 people when the doors opened at 9 a.m., and then the duo made a beeline for the lobby's gift shop, where they picked out more than 40 Ford campaign buttons...

HONOLULU -- Shortly after arriving in the islands to head U.S. forces in the Pacific, Adm. William Fallon asked a former world surfing champion for lessons on riding the waves. "I was awfully impressed that a man that's in his 60s, as I am, would have the wisdom and the youthful spirit to take up surfing," said surfer Fred Hemmings, who also is a state senator...

The Notre Dame defense has been torched at times this season, allowing 65 or more points six times. Of the nine boys basketball teams Notre Dame had held below 65 points, five were Class 3 or lower. The Class 4 Bulldogs had allowed 83 points in two of their previous three games, both losses...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Jason Arnott scored a power-play goal and assisted on another in the Nashville Predators' 3-2 victory against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night. Nashville beat St. Louis for the 13th straight time, including fifth this season. The previous three games went into overtime and two were decided by shootouts...

TORONTO -- Kevin Lovell's 33-yard, fourth-quarter field goal lifted Cincinnati to a 27-24 victory over Western Michigan on Saturday in the International Bowl -- the first college bowl played in Canada and first outside the United States since 1937...

What a difference a week has made for the Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team. The Redhawks took the court at Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday night mired in a six-game losing streak, which included four straight Ohio Valley Conference defeats -- three by a total of seven points...

DEARBORN, Mich. -- CD players in automobiles could go the way of eight-track tapes with in-dash systems like one Ford Motor Co. and Microsoft Corp. are jointly producing to link cars with cell phones and personal music players. The "Sync" system being unveiled today at the North American International Auto Show connects popular iPods and all other digital music players -- including Microsoft's nascent Zune -- to in-dash software through a USB port. ...

ST. LOUIS -- In an sport utility vehicle crammed with high-tech gear, Dan Donovan and Ben Woodley trolled last week through a new and virtually treeless subdivision in Troy, Ill, outside St. Louis. A green arrow on a dashboard monitor connected to a roof-mounted Global Positioning System satellite tracked their progress as Donovan called out addresses: "Corner right, 536. Corner left, 535."...

Oran gave favored Delta quite a battle in Saturday's championship game of the Delta New Year's Tournament. But Kaci Menz made sure the undefeated Bobcats would not fall victim to an upset. Menz, a senior guard, scored 24 points and answered virtually every Oran run as the top-seeded Bobcats slipped past the third-seeded Eagles 43-40...

State Sen. Jason Crowell is making another attempt to restrict the use of cameras to record traffic violations at red lights. In this year's version of the bill, Crowell, R-Cape Girardeau, would impose strict controls to prevent vendors pushing cities to use the cameras from earning their fees based on the number of tickets issued. At the beginning of last year's session, Crowell introduced a bill to ban the cameras, but said at the time that he really wanted to curb perceived abuses...

Missouri teenagers will need twice as many hours of behind-the-wheel instruction, including at least 10 hours of nighttime driving, under provisions of a new state law that took effect on Jan. 1. The latest requirements are part of legislation enacted by the legislature last year...

If warming trends across the country continue, trees like the sugar maple and American beech might not survive in Southeast Missouri. A new hardiness zone map, released by the National Arbor Day Foundation, is "consistent with the consensus of climate scientists that global warming is underway," the foundation says, and it is affecting the country's trees and shrubs...

The Cape Girardeau Women's Center, Inc., a controversial gynecological office which will offer contraceptive and abortion services, is tentatively scheduled to open here within a month; Dr. Bolivar Escobedo says the clinic will be located at 891 N. Kingshighway...

City's arrogance; We are Americans; Parking ticket; Paying for raises; Wage discrimination; Recorded annoyance; Safe runner; Taking advantage; Representing children

By Sara Lampe It is a shame that Attorney General Jay Nixon had to sue the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority in order to force compliance with the state Open Meetings Law. But Nixon's actions were appropriate and appear to have taught the MOHELA board an important lesson about governing: We do it in the open in Missouri...

Beginning in August, Missouri students will have the opportunity to begin taking online classes through the Missouri Virtual Instructional Program. MoVIP will offer classes to public, private and homeschooled students alike. Certified teachers will guide students through the courses, which will be taught with the use of streaming audio and video, e-mail, chat rooms, digital portfolios and computer bulletin boards...

To the editor:The recent letter from John Clippard was intriguing and, in my view, a feeble attempt to rewrite history. The Vietnam War is a legitimate subject for debate, but not the actions and behavior of the Clintons and Fonda. What they did was caused thousands of U.S. military personnel to be tortured and killed. Their attitude then and now is despicable, and their acts were treason...

To the editor:In 2003, when he was secretary of state, now-governor Matt Blunt wrote a widely published article entitled "Promises made should be promises kept." In part, the article said: "When the legislature created the Out of State Athletes and Entertainers Income Tax in 1998, the law said the proceeds would be divided among five programs, including public libraries. ...

To the editor:I have had it with the editors of the Southeast Missourian. Every few weeks, they allow Joe Martin to pollute our local paper with nonsense. His published comments invariably consist of allegations regarding some lurking Leftist evil in our midst. Never does he explain why any of these Leftists are so bad. He just calls them names -- Nazis or commies usually -- and somehow sees that as a rational argument on which to base his allegations...

Only a few days last December made it feel as if winter weather reached the area. No measurable snowfall occurred and the low temperatures dropped to below 20 degrees only four times last month. There were several days in December when the temperatures reach the mid-60s...

401 Independence St. 7 p.m. Monday Study session at 5 p.m. Invocation by the Rev. Wes Wright of Mount Auburn Christian Church. Public hearings n A public hearing to consider the request of the Rhema Word Breakthrough International Ministries for a special-use permit to operate a day care and preschool at an existing church at 750 N. Mount Auburn Road, located in an R-1, single family residential district...

Samuel Brooks Johnson, 84, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Jan. 7, 2007, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Feb. 15, 1922, in Cape Girardeau, son of James Y. and Ella Burns Johnson. He and Bessie Hopper were married July 25, 1946, in Cape Girardeau...

John Fleeman, 59, of Cape Girardeau, died Sunday, Jan. 7, 2007, at his home in Cape Girardeau. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

Ronald L. Obermann Sr., 58, of Jackson died Sunday, Jan. 7, 2007, at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Cracraft-Miller Funeral Home in Jackson.

Henry H. Ashworth, 77, of Cordova, Tenn., formerly of Olive Branch, Ill., died Sunday, Jan. 7, 2007, at his home in Cordova. Funeral arrangements are incomplete with Crain Funeral Home in Tamms, Ill.

Minferd C. Rhodes, 78, of Wood River, Ill., formerly of Marble Hill, Mo., died Friday, Jan. 5, 2007, at the VIP Manor Nursing Home in Wood River. He was born Feb. 7, 1928, near Glen Allen, son of Van Bren and Mattie Upchurch Rhodes. Rhodes delivered mail from the depot in Glen Allen to the post office. ...

Scott Edgar undoubtedly will experience plenty of emotions tonight when he coaches a basketball game in Murray, Ky., for the first time since 1995. But Edgar won't let that get in the way of trying to beat the school where he made his mark as a head coach...

They are by far the two hottest women's basketball teams in the Ohio Valley Conference. One squad features the top scorer in the league and the other side boasts the nation's No. 1 rebounder. It's probably only fitting, then, that Southeast Missouri State and Murray State square off today in a first-place OVC showdown, with the tipoff set for 5:15 p.m. in Murray, Ky...

Clyde Edward Reed Sr., 94, formerly of Scott City and Commerce, died Friday, Jan. 5, 2007, at the Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Oct. 20, 1912, in Lithium, Mo., the son of William Arthur and Nora Peel Reed. He and Eva Mae Bradshaw Moore were married on Nov. 9, 1936, and she preceded him in death on March 18, 1960. He then married Frances Helena Coble Norton in December 1963...

Southeast Missouri State will play at Murray State tonight without its most experienced player and one of the Ohio Valley Conference's top 3-point shooters. According to Southeast coach Scott Edgar, senior guard Terrick Willoughby did not accompany the Redhawks to Murray, Ky., on Sunday after he started experiencing symptoms consistent with mononucleosis on Saturday...

DECATUR, Ill. -- How about this for a reality TV show: Violent, colorful and unpredictable characters fighting for their share of the spoils, each likely to fly off the handle at the drop of a sunflower seed. The lavish production also features some real cute chicks and is both plotless and scriptless and yet endlessly fascinating, with no reruns or commercial breaks. ...

ST. LOUIS -- For immigrants like Sadiyo Maalim, it's the details that matter in building a new life. A native of Somalia, Maalim struggled to find a job when she moved from her homeland to St. Louis. Even filling out basic applications was tough. Maalim said she didn't even know what a ZIP code was when she arrived...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- After years of scrutiny and criticism -- and promises to do better -- the Kansas City Port Authority continues to have financial management problems, according to recent audits. The audits found that the Port Authority, which controls millions of city dollars as it helps oversee riverfront development, has hired firms without bids, contracts or written agreements and borrowed more than $1 million to cover a cash shortfall...

ARROW ROCK, Mo. -- Residents of Arrow Rock are concerned that a proposed hog farm will drive away the tourists the town depends on for its survival. Dennis and Chrissy Gessling want to expand a current hog operation five miles from town to include two new buildings that would each house 2,400 hogs for a wean-to-finish operation. The Gesslings already raise 3,800 young female pigs on the 110-acre farm...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- The Illinois House voted Sunday to block a sharp increase in electric rates, despite accusations the legislation is "a hoax" on Illinois consumers. Although the House voted 71-29 to freeze rates, the Senate is unlikely to consider the measure. It has already passed legislation to allow the higher rates but to phase them in over three years...

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Pluto is finally getting some respect -- not from astronomers, but from wordsmiths. "Plutoed" was chosen 2006's Word of the Year by the American Dialect Society at its annual meeting Friday. To "pluto" is "to demote or devalue someone or something," much like what happened to the former planet last year when the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union decided Pluto didn't meet its definition of a planet...

n At 4:35 p.m., emergency medical service in the unit block of South Kingshighway. n At 5:17 p.m., emergency medical service in the 500 block of North Sprigg Street. n At 5:41 p.m., emergency medical service in the 3000 block of Lakewood Drive. n At 6:26 p.m., emergency medical service in the 3000 block of Patriot Drive...

DWI; Arrests; Summonses; Thefts; Property damage; Miscellaneous

WARSAW, Poland -- Warsaw's new archbishop abruptly resigned Sunday over revelations that he cooperated with Poland's communist-era secret police, stunning worshippers by sadly yielding the archbishop's throne just minutes before he was to be formally installed. ...

KHARTOUM, Sudan -- New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson got a bleak assessment Sunday of the deteriorating situation in Darfur, but expressed optimism for a breakthrough with the Sudanese president he has been able to work with in the past. President Omar al-Bashir has refused to allow U.N. ...

LONDON -- Treasury chief Gordon Brown, expected to succeed Tony Blair as prime minister by September, suggested Sunday that he will pursue an Iraq policy that is more independent of Washington than the current government. Brown acknowledged that mistakes were made in the aftermath of the invasion and promised to be "very frank" with President Bush. ...

MARSA ALAM, Egypt -- Rescuers searched Sunday for three foreign scuba divers and their Egyptian guide who got lost while exploring a coral reef in the Red Sea, while a fifth member of the group reached a village after swimming for hours. The diver who swam to safety, a Russian, said there had been sharks in the area. ...

LONDON -- A British newspaper reported Sunday that Israeli pilots were training to strike targets in Iran with low-yield nuclear weapons, but Israel swiftly denied the report and analysts expressed doubts about its reliability. Citing unidentified Israeli military sources, The Sunday Times said the proposals drawn up in Israel involved using so-called "bunker-buster" nuclear weapons to attack nuclear facilities at three sites south of the Iranian capital...

WASHINGTON -- Democrats now running Congress will not give President Bush a blank check to wage war in Iraq, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday, suggesting they could deny him the money should he call for additional troops. Yet Pelosi's second-in-command and a Senate leader on foreign affairs questioned the wisdom and legality of using the power of the purse to thwart the White House as Bush prepared to announce his revised war strategy this week -- perhaps on Wednesday...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Two of Saddam Hussein's co-defendants were taken from their cells and told they were going to be hanged on the same day the former dictator was executed, their lawyer said Sunday. But the two condemned men still await death as Iraqi officials decide how to avoid the kind of outcry that followed Saddam's hanging Dec. 30...

MIAMI -- Three legal immigrants in a cargo truck were detained at the Port of Miami on Sunday after a routine inspection raised concerns, but police say the incident may have stemmed in part from a language barrier. The port's cargo area was shut down Sunday as the Miami-Dade bomb squad X-rayed the truck and scanned it for radioactive materials. Nothing unusual was found, officials said...

When people have to leave their pets, they have an alternative besides kennels, relatives or friends. For Cape Girardeau pet owner Jane Courter, hiring a professional pet sitter was the ideal solution to caring for her 5-year-old border collie-lab mix, Eddie, when she couldn't be with him...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Even standing still, the new Ozarks Food Harvest Mobile Food Pantry appears to be flying to its destination, filled with healthy food for hungry people. The converted beverage trailer announces its identity with lettering that practically jumps off the truck, the brown letters speeding across the side...

Sands graduates from basic military training Air Force Airman 1st Class Francis E. Sands graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio. Sands earned distinction as an honor graduate. He is the son of Charley Sands of Unity, Ill., and brother of Randolph Sands of Tamms, Ill. The airman is a 2003 graduate of Egyptian High School, Tamms...

Planning meeting set for JHS class of 1977 Alumni interested in helping plan the 30th reunion of Jackson High School's class of 1977 are invited to a meeting at 7 p.m. Jan. 15 at the high school's old "A" building. Call Denise at 243-8047 for more information...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- American Indians believed that catching a glimpse of a white deer was the first step toward prosperity and good luck. If that legend holds true, things could be looking up for Justin Viessman. The Columbia resident recently spotted a white deer while eating dinner with his mother at her home in the Georgetown subdivision and captured some images of the creature...

LOS ANGELES -- Museum crowds are strong at movie theaters. Ben Stiller's "Night at the Museum" took in $24 million to stay on top at the box office for a third-straight weekend, fending off a soft crop of newcomers during the post-holiday lull. "Night at the Museum," from 20th Century Fox, raised its three-week domestic total to $164.1 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. ...

PHILADELPHIA -- The snap was there, the hold was good and the kick was perfect. David Akers hit a 38-yard field goal with no time remaining to give the Philadelphia Eagles a 23-20 victory over the New York Giants in a wild-card playoff game Sunday. A day after Dallas lost to Seattle when quarterback Tony Romo fumbled the hold on what could have been a go-ahead field goal, the Eagles executed the seemingly routine play that has cost teams important games in recent weeks...

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Playing in a bowl is no longer reward enough for some college football players:~ While the payout for the BCS Championship is $17 million, the players will only receive a handful of gifts. Some Buckeyes and Gators want a cut of the millions being generated by the championship game...

MOBILE, Ala. -- Damion Fletcher ran for two touchdowns and Southern Miss scored 21 points in the second quarter en route to a 28-7 victory over Ohio on Sunday night in the GMAC Bowl, spoiling the Bobcats' return to the postseason. The Golden Eagles (9-5) thoroughly dominated after a scoreless first quarter for their third consecutive postseason win...

About 80 of the 100 Cape Central Marching Tigers and 40 parents spent three days of their winter break at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Central High School assistant band director Josh Lamar said that although the trip is difficult to raise money for, it is an incentive for band members...

KAPALUA, Hawaii -- The new era in golf brought out the old version of Vijay Singh. Coming off his least productive season in five years, the 43-year-old Singh delivered a strong statement Sunday that he's still around by closing with a 3-under 70 for a two-shot victory over Adam Scott in the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship...

LOS ANGELES -- Foul play probably was not a factor in the death of Southern California kicker Mario Danelo, whose body was found about 120 feet down a rocky cliff, police said Sunday. "It was fairly apparent that this was either an accident or suicide," said Lt. Paul Vernon...

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The teacher had the upper hand in this game -- and so did Tom Brady, his quarterback. Brady capped long scoring drives with short touchdown passes to Daniel Graham and Kevin Faulk, and Asante Samuel sealed it with a 36-yard interception return for a score with 4:54 left in the game as Bill Belichick's three-time Super Bowl champions beat the New York Jets 37-16 on Sunday...

ATLANTA -- Louisville coach Bobby Petrino agreed Sunday to become the new coach of the Atlanta Falcons, moving to the NFL less than a week after Jim Mora's firing. Kenny Klein, the sports information director at Louisville, said Petrino was leaving for Atlanta after guiding the Cardinals to a 12-1 season, capped off by a 24-13 victory over Wake Forest on Tuesday night in the Orange Bowl...

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Ohio State Buckeyes haven't been spending hours a day playing video games, watching football on TV and devouring chips and salsa. They're saving that for later next week. One would get the impression the Buckeyes have been lolling around their dorm rooms to hear all the talk about the Buckeyes' 50-day "layoff" between beating rival Michigan 42-39 on Nov. 18 and tonight's BCS national title game against Florida...

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- A new era of college football begins tonight with No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Florida playing a game that's grown too big to be called a bowl. A week after New Year's Day, after all the bowls have been played, the Buckeyes and Gators meet in the first BCS national championship game...

Scientists reported Sunday they had found a plentiful source of stem cells in the fluid that cushions babies in the womb and produced a variety of tissue types from these cells -- sidestepping the controversy over destroying embryos for research. Researchers at Wake Forest University and Harvard University reported the stem cells they drew from amniotic fluid donated by pregnant women hold much the same promise as embryonic stem cells. ...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Technophiles are eagerly waiting to learn whether the king of digital music can colonize an entirely new category of consumer electronics. Steve Jobs, chief executive of Apple Computer Inc., is expected to launch at least one revolutionary product Tuesday at the Macworld Conference & Expo in San Francisco. Speculation has focused mainly on an Apple-branded cellular phone and a set-top box that allows people to send video from their computers to their televisions...

SALT LAKE CITY -- From corn fields to Wall Street, enthusiasm for ethanol is at an all-time high. But not everyone is enthusiastic. Demand for the corn-based fuel is driving up the cost of feed corn, making it more expensive to feed cows, chickens and pigs...

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. -- Whenever Joan Aycock brings her children to a fast-food restaurant, she lets them spend time in the play area. And when they come out, so does the hand sanitizer. "We have skin issues, things we are sensitive to -- dirt and germs. We want to get them off as soon as possible," the Fayetteville mother said while helping her sons Wesley, 7, and Andrew, 9, with hand sanitizer packets offered at a Chick-fil-A restaurant...

Area man named Optometrist of the Year The Missouri Optometric Association has named Cape Girardeau optometrist Kyle Brost the 2006 Optometrist of the Year. Brost and his wife, Chris, own Brost & Associates Family Eye Care. The practice has offices in Cape Girardeau, Perryville, Fredericktown and Charleston. ...

Rust Communications, owner of the Southeast Missourian, has acquired The Concordia, a weekly newspaper in Concordia, Mo., as of the first of the year. Shelly Arth, publisher of the Marshall (Mo.) Democrat-News, another Rust newspaper, is the new publisher of the Concordia weekly. The Concordia was purchased from Gary and Judy Beissenherz, who will continue to work there for the next few months. Rust Communications publishes more than 50 community newspapers in eight states...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The attorney general's office wants the teaching license revoked for a former priest and teacher accused of sexual misconduct. James Beine has a lifetime certificate to teach English and Latin in seventh to 12th grades, and a lifetime counseling certificate...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- It's been four years since Bill Crites, 37, of Chaffee looked at his muddy back yard and thought it would make a nice place to raise crustaceans. Four long years since his friends thought he'd gone a little crazy. But now, with an annual harvest of 2,200 pounds of Pacific white shrimp, which he sells to private customers and out of his newly opened convenience store, Crites believes he's found a good way to supplement his income...

BEAUFORT, Mo. (AP) -- Searchers fanned out in wooded areas around this eastern Missouri town again Tuesday, a day after a 13-year-old boy disappeared. Authorities said William "Ben" Owenby was last seen around 4:15 p.m. Monday getting off a school bus with a friend. The Franklin County Sheriff's Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol said he is considered "endangered," and may have been kidnapped...

ST. ANN, Mo. (AP) -- Gov. Matt Blunt said Tuesday he is not looking to be a running mate with Republican Governor Mitt Romney if the Massachusetts governor decides to pursue the presidency in 2008. Blunt's statement was in response to a reporter's question during an unrelated news conference in this St. Louis suburb. He said he and Romney are good friends only, and that the only office he might pursue in 2008 is that of governor...

Moms and dads keep their own calendar when it comes to family life. They track their children's development by more than birthdays. Driver training is one of those signposts. Our teenage daughter, Becca, has been begging me to give her a driving lesson...

On Thursday morning, Cape Girardeau County emergency operations manager David Hitt will head to Jefferson City on a mission to pick up 200 cases of food he hopes will never have to be used. The surplus military field rations, known as Meals Ready to Eat -- MREs -- would be used in emergencies that make food deliveries difficult or impossible, Hitt said...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- One of the two surviving victims of a fatal police-chase crash in September has filed a civil lawsuit against the city of Chaffee. The suit was filed Dec. 21 by Cape Girardeau attorney David Remley on behalf of Betina M. Ott of Chaffee, Remley confirmed Monday...

To win extra support from the city of Jackson, the Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority will have to provide guarantees of low prices and better service, members of the Board of Aldermen said Monday night. During a board work session, several members expressed frustration with the transit authority and echoed complaints they have heard from constituents. The transit authority is asking Jackson to increase its annual support to $20,000 from the previous level of $6,000...

"There will be no wavering. We will move forward and implement the increases and then have some continued budget discussion," Mayor Jay Knudtson said. "It becomes an expense that we've got to absorb, and we will." The city previously had claimed itself exempt from the new minimum wage law passed by state voters last year...

You have to pay; Comply with the law; Jobs at stake; Top priorities; Parents not involved; Race not a factor

By Bill Springer This mess we've gotten into in Iraq has made me nostalgic. I know, many old folks say that things in their past were better, and usually they are applying the old saw about hindsight being 20/20. I was born on the cusp of the baby boom in 1944 and began school in 1950 just when Truman went to Korea...

The findings of a University of Michigan study of drug use among teenagers had good news. And bad news. The good news was the finding that the use by teens of illegal drugs like marijuana, methamphetamine and cocaine has declined in the past five years. The bad news is the growing use of prescription drugs -- prescribed by doctors or obtained in other ways -- by youths...

The new pediatric intensive care unit at Southeast Missouri Hospital will be unveiled tomorrow during dedication and open house ceremonies; the unit includes four beds and an isolation room. Restaurant and lounge space in the old Idan-Ha Hotel building at Broadway and Fountain, formerly occupied by Figaro's, has been leased by Ed Radetic Jr., who plans to open a seafood restaurant there; the lounge in the basement area will also be reopened...

To the editor:The 32nd Circuit Foster Parent Association would like to thank everyone who contributed to making this a wonderful Christmas for the foster children in Perry, Cape and Bollinger counties. In Cape Girardeau: Toni's Flower House, Ford & Sons Funeral Homes, Coad Toyota Mitsubishi, Fred' Discount, Wal-Mart, St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church...

Monday Routine business n Received and filed December Archive Center report. n Received and filed letter from Missouri Department of Transportation agreeing to placement of signs for unincorporated town of Millersville. n Received and filed Nordenia USA verification to auditors regarding notes payable...

Southeast Missourian Cape Girardeau County is seeking applicants for two openings on the County Mental Health Board. During its Monday meeting, the Cape Girardeau County Commission filled one of the three vacancies on the board by appointing Bonnie Chaudoir. That leaves two vacancies to fill on the board that meets quarterly, said Donna Oldham, assistant to the commission...

The threat of a major earthquake in the New Madrid seismic zone will be the focus of public events next month in Cape Girardeau, St. Louis and New Madrid. Organized by the State Emergency Management Agency, the activities will include seminars, field trips and classroom instruction for teachers and a town-hall meeting in New Madrid. The various programs will be held from Feb. 1 through 11...

Monday Action Items Power and light committee n Approved changing the Board of Aldermen regular meeting from Feb. 19 to Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in observance of the President's Day holiday. n Approved extending of the contractual agreement with the Cape Girardeau Area Magnet for a period of one year, ending Dec. 31...

Ronald Lee Obermann Sr., 58, of Jackson died Sunday, Jan. 7, 2007, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. He was born July 25, 1948, in Cape Girardeau, son of Arthur Lee and Betty Ann Fuhrmann Obermann. He and Janice L. Welter were married March 20, 1971...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Agnes Z. Dobbs, 99, of Chaffee died Monday, Jan. 8, 2007, at her home. She was born Dec. 25, 1907, at Puxico, Mo., daughter of Henry Warren and Cora Lee Hodge Shrum. She and John F. Dobbs were married March 23, 1935. He died Feb. 8, 1982...

Josh Hilsgen, 17, of Olive Branch, Miss., died Saturday, Jan. 6, 2007, in Southaven, Miss. He was a student at Olive Branch High School. Survivors include his mother and stepfather, Jodie and Ricky Latham of Cape Girardeau; his father, Mark Hilsgen of Olive Branch; two brothers, Chad Hilsgen of Southaven, Chris Latham of Wickliffe, Ky.; and two sisters, Jessy Hilsgen of Olive Branch and Emilie Latham of Wickliffe...

OLIVE BRANCH, Ill. -- Henry H. Ashworth, 77, of Cordova, Tenn., formerly of Olive Branch, died Sunday, Jan. 7, 2007, at his home. He was born Sept. 12, 1929, in Wickliffe, Ky., son of Mark Hanna and Ruth Myrtle Haws Ashworth. He and Lela Turner were married Jan. 9, 1966...

MOUND CITY, Ill. -- Connie Ann Acree Whitson, 47, of Jacksonville, N.C., died Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2007, at her home. She was born Feb. 18, 1959, in Washington, Ga., daughter of Fred Jones and Lula Acree. Acree was a 1977 graduate of Meridian High School in Mounds, Ill...

Jack L. Sheppard, 87, of Cape Girardeau, formerly of Fremont, Calif., died Sunday, Jan. 7, 2007, at Saint Francis Medical Center. He was born April 19, 1919, in Concord, Ore., son of William T. and Cloe Dilley Sheppard. He and Jewel McDaniels were married March 31, 1945, in California. She died Feb. 5, 1998...

OLD APPLETON, Mo. -- Rene L. Dellamano, 79, of Old Appleton died Saturday, Jan. 6, 2007, at Anderson Hospital in Maryville, Ill. She was born July 3, 1927, in DuQuoin, Ill., daughter of Harry E. and Viola Claunch Jones. She married Arthur I. "Art" Dellamano, who preceded her in death...

Charles Elroy Seaman Sr., 90, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Jan. 7, 2007, at Ratliff Care Center. He was born June 14, 1916, in Mount Vernon, Ill., son of Claud and Grace Bennett Seaman. He married Betty Jennings, who died in 1978. Seaman served in the Coast Guard from July 18, 1942, to Jan. ...

Charles Evin Mosley, 55, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Jan. 5, 2007. He was born Aug. 15, 1951, at Vanduser, Mo., son of Edgar and Sadie Mosley. He married Betty Johnson. Mosley was a master carpenter, employed with Carpenters Union 1770. Survivors include his wife; three sons, Charles II, Brandon and Clayton Mosley; his parents; siblings, Mary Scott, James Mosley, Mindi Lewis, Bret Estes, Lucy Primm, Marcellus Mosley and Joseph Mosley; and two grandchildren...

To the editor:In response to the story "Crowell seeks Bill of Rights change": The Missouri Legislature needs to be extremely cautious about state Sen. Jason Crowell's proposal to change the Missouri Constitution so that sex offenders convicted before January 1995 would have to register. While well-intentioned, the measure could have dramatic consequences that need to be carefully evaluated...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Several people who obtained commercial driver's licenses from a southern Missouri trucking school gave false home addresses in Missouri, and state officials acknowledge they currently have no way to stop the practice. An analysis by The Kansas City Star found numerous examples of multiple drivers, all licensed through the South Central Career Center Truck Driver Training School in West Plains, claiming to live at the same Missouri addresses...

YORBA LINDA, Calif. -- The meeting between two of the most improbable cultural icons of the 1970s lasted all of 30 minutes, but it has fascinated the nation for years. A photo of a cloaked and bejeweled Elvis Presley solemnly shaking hands with a grim-faced President Nixon remains the No. 1 requested document from the National Archives, nearly four decades after the secret meeting took place Dec. 21, 1970...

MALIBU, Calif. -- A wildfire fanned by Santa Ana winds destroyed eight seaside mansions and damaged five others Monday as it spread over more than 20 acres in this celebrity enclave, authorities said. Flames boiled furiously out of the skeletons of multimillion-dollar beach homes for about two hours until there was little left to burn. No injuries were reported, fire officials said...

Cape Girardeau n At 6:39 p.m., emergency medical service in the 2600 block of Janet Drive. n At 9:49 p.m., alarm sounding in the 2000 block of Woodland Hills. n At 4:28 a.m., emergency medical service in the unit block of South Sprigg Street. n At 8:01 a.m., alarm sounding at 741 S. Sprigg St...

Bottoms; McKay; Triplett; Welker; Gordon; Schilling; Anderson

WASHINGTON -- President Bush pushed for renewal of the No Child Left Behind education law Monday in a meeting with congressional leaders but was noncommittal on their request for more money to help schools meet the law's requirements. "In our discussions today, we've all agreed to work together to address some of the major concerns that some people have on this piece of legislation, without weakening the essence of the bill," Bush said following the White House meeting with Democratic and Republican lawmakers.. ...

BEVERLY, Ohio -- An explosion at a coal-burning power plant killed a worker delivering pressurized hydrogen and injured nine others Monday, authorities said. Officials weren't sure what caused the blast outside the Muskingum River Plant, said Vikki Michalski, a spokeswoman for American Electric Power...

NEW ORLEANS -- Nine people have been slain in New Orleans in the first eight days of the new year, deepening the sense of despair over the slow pace of the city's recovery and leaving police and civic leaders grasping for ways to stop the bloodshed...

CAIRO, Egypt -- Another leaked video from Saddam Hussein's execution carried fresh adulation Monday of the fallen dictator, who in death has become a martyr and hero of Arab nationalism for some in the Middle East. Saddam's stature has grown since his execution -- when he answered insults and taunts with disdain -- overshadowing the memories in much of the Arab world of the massacres and other atrocities committed by his regime...

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. military launched a strike Monday against several suspected members of al-Qaida in Somalia, CBS News reported Monday. The targets, CBS reported, included the senior al-Qaida leader in East Africa and an al-Qaida operative wanted for his involvement in the 1998 bombings of the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. ...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush will address the nation at 8 p.m. today about his new approach for the war in Iraq, the White House said. Bush is expected to announce an increase of up to 20,000 additional U.S. troops. Bush's decisions, more than two months in the making, already are drawing criticism from new Democratic leaders in Congress who say it is time to begin ending the war, not to send in more U.S. ...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday proposed extending health coverage to nearly all of California's 6.5 million uninsured residents, promising to spread the cost among businesses, individuals, hospitals, insurers and the government. Schwarzenegger said his plan will save $10 billion a year by cutting costs and redirecting money already in the health care system...

NEW YORK -- A natural gas-like odor hung over much of Manhattan and parts of New Jersey Monday. The smell seemed to be gone by early afternoon. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said there was no indication the air was unsafe. "It may just be an unpleasant smell," he said. The city's major utility company reported it found no gas leaks...

NEW YORK -- The marriage of two men in Massachusetts is not recognized by the state, but an agreement the couple made for one to pay the other $780,000 if they split is valid and legally enforceable, a judge has ruled. The ruling, published Monday, came in the separation of lawyer David Gonzalez and real estate investor Steven Green...

NEW YORK -- Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. will fall short of becoming the first unanimous Hall of Fame picks, and Mark McGwire doesn't figure to be anywhere close to the necessary 75 percent when 2007 voting is released today. Paul Ladewski of the Daily Southtown in suburban Chicago wrote in a column Monday that he submitted a blank ballot because of doubts he had over performance-enhancing drugs in baseball...

PHOENIX -- Randy Johnson took his physical Monday, and the Arizona Diamondbacks scheduled a news conference for today as their deal to reacquire the Big Unit from the New York Yankees neared completion. Not that he needs an introduction. The Big Unit's best years were in Arizona, where he was 103-49 in six seasons and won four Cy Young Awards before going to the Yankees in a trade he sought in 2005...

FOXBOROUGH, Mass -- When Tom Brady was overlooked in this year's Pro Bowl voting, his reaction demonstrated exactly what he is all about. "There's only one bowl I'm interested in, and it's not the Pro Bowl," he said. After Sunday's win over the New York Jets, the New England Patriots' star quarterback is two wins away from getting back to that Bowl for the fourth time. ...

KIRKLAND, Wash. -- Seattle Seahawks leading receiver Darrell Jackson is unlikely to play in Sunday's NFC divisional playoff game at Chicago. Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said Monday on his KIRO radio show in Seattle that Jackson worsened a turf toe ligament strain on his left foot during Saturday's win against Dallas...

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indianapolis Colts have not lowered their expectations. They still envision a Super Bowl title next month. Yet the Colts, burdened by a sieve of a run defense and an unimpressive final seven games of the regular season, entered the playoffs as more of an outsider than a championship contender. Judging by their performance in their postseason opener, that might be a very good thing for Peyton Manning and his team...

San Diego running back LaDainian Tomlinson, Miami defensive end Jason Taylor and Denver cornerback Champ Bailey capped superb seasons by unanimously making The Associated Press NFL All-Pro team announced Monday. In all, the Chargers had the most All-Pros with five: Tomlinson, tight end Antonio Gates, fullback Lorenzo Neal, defensive tackle Jamal Williams and linebacker Shawne Merriman...

By Stephen Wallace Given recent well-publicized cases of child exploitation, perhaps it is no surprise that the age-old practice of mentoring teens may be yielding to modern-day concerns about youth safety. But throwing the baby out with the bathwater, regardless of how sullied, may do more harm than good...

ST. LOUIS -- "Thank you, fans," the greeting painted on NHL rinks the year after the lockout, rang hollow coming from the St. Louis Blues. New ownership really means it. Revamping a roster that led to a last-place overall finish last season, raising payroll and changing coaches in midseason was step 1 for the franchise in its effort to put people back in the seats. ...

Jackson White got his kicks Monday at Kids' Boot Camp, a twice-a-week, two-hour fitness program for youngsters ages 6 to 13 at HealthPoint Plaza in Cape Girardeau.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The fund-raising spigot is open again. A Cole County judge Monday temporarily blocked a new law banning fund-raising by lawmakers, statewide officials and candidates during the legislative session, which began last week and runs through mid-May...

If I don't have the time or patience to read the whole newspaper, I will at least read Speak Out. Not only is it the most entertaining part of the paper, but it also opens my eyes to some of the more important topics concerning the good people of Southeast Missouri...

North Carolina is No. 1 in The Associated Press' college basketball poll for the first time in almost six years. The wait has been quite a bit longer for Washington State, which is ranked for the first time in almost 24 years. The Tar Heels (14-1) moved into the top spot Monday after three weeks at No. 2 following UCLA's loss at Oregon last weekend...

A lifelong Jackson resident pushing "quality of life" issues filed late last week as a challenger to 16-year incumbent alderwoman Valerie Tuschoff in the city's Third Ward. Mark Dambach, 50, shop supervisor for Biomedical Services at Southeast Missouri Hospital, is making his first foray into politics. ...

WASHINGTON -- The economy has cranked out fewer jobs under President Bush -- by millions -- than it had by the same point in the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. Democrats say it's evidence that Bush's economic policies aren't working...

Sarah McDonald of Jackson was named to the 2006 fall semester dean's list at Johnson and Wales University in Charlotte, N.C. Kari Bragg of Cape Girardeau has been named to the president's list for the fall semester at Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, Ky...

DWIs; Arrests; Summonses; Property damage; Miscellaneous; Assaults; Thefts; Miscellaneous

MURRAY, Ky. -- Scott Edgar made a triumphant return to Murray State Monday night. And it took virtually the entire Southeast Missouri State roster to make sure the Redhawks' first-year coach would beat his former team. With many of Southeast's key players in foul trouble -- and with senior guard Terrick Willoughby out because of an illness -- Edgar had to dig deeper into his bench than normal...

MURRAY, Ky. -- Murray State entered Monday's Ohio Valley Conference showdown boasting by far the top offensive statistics in the league, and some of the best in the nation. But the Racers' offense finally hit a speed bump against a Southeast Missouri State defense that has been stifling most of the season...

Notre Dame's girls basketball team did not find Farmington as accomodating the second time around, falling 58-46 on Monday at Farmington in a clash of Class 4 squads. The Bulldogs (7-5) used a strong fourth quarter to rout the Knightettes 66-49 in the third-place game of the Saint Francis Medical Center Holiday Classic last month. This time, Farmington used an 18-11 scoring edge in the fourth quarter to pull away...

Recently, as I strolled down the hallway at Jackson High School, I noticed a girl walking past me wearing a skimpy skirt, high heels and a low-cut sleeveless shirt. I wondered if she would be called down to the principal's office for inappropriate attire, or if she would get away with what she was wearing?...

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Not even close. Florida -- yes, Florida -- owned the field it wasn't supposed to be on, embarrassing Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith and No. 1 Ohio State 41-14 on Monday night to run away with the college football national championship...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Gov. Matt Blunt urged lawmakers Tuesday to approve $6.3 million for a state program that helps those with low incomes pay heating and cooling costs. The request would mark the second consecutive year of state funding for the Utilicare program, which supplements the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance program...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- AmerenUE's Taum Sauk reservoir can be repaired safely and doesn't need to be rebuilt, according to a report from engineers representing the utility's insurers. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch said the report by the Denver-based engineering firm URS Corp. and Houston-based Rimkus Consulting Group was filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in November and made public Monday...

BEAUFORT, Mo. (AP) -- Authorities on Wednesday were pursuing more than 220 leads as in their effort to find 13-year-old Ben Ownby, two days after the boy disappeared and was feared abducted after getting of a school bus near his rural eastern Missouri home...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A federal appeals court in St. Louis will hear legal arguments late Wednesday in a high-profile case that effectively has halted Missouri executions by lethal injection for nearly a year. A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear 30-minute arguments from each side on whether Missouri's execution procedures are constitutional...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri Chief Justice Michael Wolff renewed his push Wednesday for lawmakers to approve pay raises for judges. Delivering the annual State of the Judiciary address before a joint House and Senate, Wolff said a lack of resources is one of the biggest challenges facing Missouri courts and endorsed a plan that would increase salaries by $1,200, plus an additional 4 percent...

Don't worry, Big Mac, we won't bother you. After receiving less than one-quarter of the votes from sports writers Tuesday, the muscle-bound hermit will not be asked to take off his Kleenex box shoes or trim his overgrown nails. Mark McGwire won't have to come out of hiding to take the stage at National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N,Y...

After a rash of recent cancellations by the local carrier, the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport is altering its schedule and cutting out early and late flights. The revised flight schedule will offer an 8:20 a.m. arrival from St. Louis and an 8:40 a.m. departure from Cape Girardeau; a 1:45 p.m. arrival and a 2:10 departure; a 3:30 p.m. arrival and 3:50 p.m. departure; a 5:55 p.m. arrival and a 6:15 p.m. departure...

Events spaced out over nearly two weeks will mark Cape Girardeau's celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy this year. The two major events will occur within a few days of each other: Monday's 22nd annual Memorial Breakfast, sponsored by the Martin Luther King Jr. City Wide Celebration Committee, and Southeast Missouri State University's second Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Dinner on Jan. 17 at the Show Me Center...

CAIRO, Ill. -- In a meeting dominated by discussions of Cairo's deteriorating financial condition, the Cairo City Council unanimously approved Tuesday a resolution ordering Mayor Paul Farris to resume paying four members he has warred with throughout his administration...

Mailbox problem; Hard water; Work harder; Wage inflation; Driving rule; Low expectations; Opening the mail; Postal uniforms; Support the library; Keeping up; Do the test; Virtual solution; Homemade lunches; Arts outing; Official greeter; Great honor; Supporting the arts

Jim and Betty Stricker, who left Cape Girardeau in 1979 as missionaries with the United Mission to Nepal, have returned to here for a brief visit; they shared their experiences recently through a slide presentation at Evangelical United Church of Christ...

To the editor:How long ago was it our governor and legislature were trumpeting their passage of tort reform, which was supposed to limit workers' compensation and malpractice settlements, which, in turn, would lower insurance premiums and allow medical providers to lower their charges?...

To the editor:Excitement rose as I watched with thousands of people the large crystal ball slowly descend and usher the nation into the new year of 2007. What joy. What memories. Times does run out for everything, including life. Recently, the nation lost one of its finest presidents, Gerald Ford, who served with dignity, pride and skill and was loved by many...

Missouri Lottery officials haven't heard from the Ironton, Mo., resident who reportedly discovered he had the winning jackpot ticket sold in Jackson, a spokeswoman said Tuesday. When asked whether the ticketholder had come forward, lottery spokeswoman Susan Goedde expressed surprise that the apparent winner had even checked the ticket...

First-year Southeast Missouri State coach Scott Edgar insists he never lost faith in the Redhawks, even as they were stumbling through the first part of the season and then suffering some excruciating losses. Edgar's faith has been rewarded with three consecutive dominating wins -- all in Ohio Valley Conference play -- capped by Monday night's 96-85 victory at Murray State...

Penny Williams won't be surprised if Sunday's visit by the Cardinals Caravan sets a record for ticket sales for the event. Williams, who helps coordinate the annual visit by Cardinals players for the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department, said about 500 tickets have been sold already...

Toby Carrig, sports editor of the Southeast Missourian since January 2004, is assuming additional duties for oversight of semoball.com, a Web site for Southeast Missouri sports launched in 2006. The change is effective immediately. Carrig will direct sports content for both the Southeast Missourian and its affiliated Web sites. An assistant sports editor is being sought to oversee the day-to-day operations of the Southeast Missourian sports pages...

Southeast Missouri State will be an additional starter down for Saturday's Ohio Valley Conference game at Austin Peay. Per OVC rules, junior center Mike Rembert is suspended for the contest after he received two technical fouls and was ejected from Monday's game at Murray State, which the Redhawks won 96-85 for their third consecutive victory...

AmerenUE took it on the chin last week in a hearing conducted by the Missouri Public Service Commission in Cape Girardeau and Dexter. The hearing was one of a number the PSC held around the state to gauge public reaction to the utility's request for a $360 million annual increase in revenue...

The author of a study on amniotic stem cells urged Congress on Tuesday not to consider his work a substitute for the search for disease-fighting material from embryonic stem cells. "Some may be interpreting my research as a substitute for the need to pursue other forms of regenerative medicine therapies, such as those involving embryonic stem cells. ...

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- The body of soul singer James Brown has yet to be buried as attorneys and his children work to settle issues surrounding his estate, including where he will be laid to rest. For now, his body lies in his gold casket in his home on Beech Island, said Charles Reid, manager of the C.A. Reid Funeral Home in Augusta, Ga., which handled the services...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A Springfield woman has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder after she drove drunk on the wrong side of the road, causing an accident that killed a former Ozarks Technical College instructor. Audrey Jeanette Driscoll, 42, pleaded guilty Monday in Greene County Circuit Court for the July 27 accident that killed Scott Beshears, 55, on U.S. ...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A Sikeston man who received multiple injuries in a Dec. 5 assault has died, and his assailant's charges are expected to be upgraded to first-degree murder. Michael Terry, 49, died shortly before 2 p.m. ...

Southeast Missourian Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle brought his staff back up to full strength this week with the hiring of a new assistant. Michael Mueth, a graduate of the Notre Dame University School of Law, will join Swingle's staff to replace Michael Linsenmeyer, who is on extended leave as a result of illness...

The Citizens Police Academy offered through the Cape Girardeau Police Department won't turn residents into law officers, but it will inform them as to what goes on inside the police department on a daily basis. By taking part in the academy, people will have a better appreciation of police operations, Cpl. ...

Motorists in Cape Girardeau County avoided fatal traffic accidents over the Christmas and New Year's weekend, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Counting periods for the holidays began at 6 p.m. Friday and ended at 11:59 p.m. Monday for each holiday...

BEAUFORT, Mo. -- For hours before 13-year-old William "Ben" Ownby turned up missing, neighbors saw a beat-up white pickup cruising his rural neighborhood. A schoolmate saw what was possibly that same truck speeding away about the time Ben disappeared...

WASHINGTON -- Anti-terror legislation sailed through the House on Tuesday, the first in a string of measures designed to fulfill campaign promises made by Democrats last fall. Patterned on recommendations of the commission that investigated the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the far-reaching measure includes commitments for inspection of all cargo carried aboard passenger aircraft and on ships bound for the United States...

Nothing says good home cooking like packaged foods. Or so goes the message from the latest batch of cookbooks aiming to satisfy Americans' desire to produce more and better meals by spending less and less time in the kitchen. It started with the 30-minute and five-ingredient crazes, which produced streams of cookbooks that relied on the magic of packaged foods to transform a handful of ingredients into dinner...

We are back to school, back to work and trying to get back in a regular routine after a long holiday break. I have to get back in the habit of cooking normal suppers and some quick grab-and-go items as we go from this activity to that activity. These recipes are pretty quick to fix, and some have been lightened up by the use of low-fat products. Give them a try and enjoy them with your family...

7 p.m. today 401 Independence St. Subdivision Plats n Kinder Place, Record Plat. n Lynwood Hills Second South Subdivision, Record Plat. n Rusmar Street Industrial Subdivision, Record Plat. n Regent's Parc, Record Plat. (Ward 5)

n At 4:59 p.m., emergency medical service in the 900 block of South Ranney Avenue. n At 7:15 p.m., emergency medical service in the 700 block of West Rodney Drive. n At 12:29 a.m., alarm sounding at 975 Creek Drive. n At 9:14 a.m., alarm sounding in the 3100 block of Independence Street...

Arrests; Summons; Thefts; Property damage; Theft; Miscellaneous

Powell; Bollinger; Hotop; Jones; Long

DHAKA, Bangladesh -- Thousands of protesters fought riot police in the capital Tuesday, throwing stones, bricks and homemade bombs as a crippling blockade to force the postponement of elections stretched into a third day, witnesses and reports said...

MILAN, Italy -- An attorney for a former CIA station chief accused of involvement in the alleged kidnapping of an Egyptian terror suspect withdrew from the case Tuesday, saying statements by Italian spymasters implicating U.S. agents had undermined her attempts to head off a criminal trial...

MOGADISHU, Somalia -- Attack helicopters strafed suspected al-Qaida fighters in southern Somalia on Tuesday, witnesses said, following two days of airstrikes by U.S. forces -- the first U.S. offensives in the African country since 18 American soldiers were killed here in 1993...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A plane crashed north of Baghdad while trying to land in heavy fog Tuesday on a flight from Turkey, and officials said 34 people died. Most were Turkish construction workers. The cause of the crash near Balad, some 50 miles north of the capital, was not clear. A Turkish Foreign Ministry official said reports indicated the aircraft went down because of bad weather. An Iraqi security official said it wasn't known if the plane was shot down or had mechanical problems...

NEW YORK -- For Jack Bauer, saving America is all in a day's work. But early in this new day on the Fox thriller "24," his calling as the counterterrorist go-to guy has clearly taken its toll. "Tell the president I'm sorry," Bauer sobs into his cell phone just four hours into the current daylong ordeal. "I can't do this anymore."...

Kevin Barner, also known as "Robert Bear Paw," 14, died Dec. 29, 2006, at Providence Alaska Medical Center of sepsis. A funeral will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Willow, Alaska, Community Center. A public viewing will begin at 10 a.m. Burial will be after the service at Wasilla Aurora Cemetery. Father Leroy Clementich will officiate...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Donna Maria Smith Cannon, 62, of Chaffee died Friday, Jan. 5, 2007, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau, following an extended illness. She was born June 20, 1944, in Elkton, Md., daughter of Clyde H. and Cathryn Edwards Smith. She and William "Bill" Cannon were married Jan. 26, 1981...

Trula Mary Schoenebeck, 87, of Jackson died Monday, Jan. 8, 2007, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born July 3, 1919, in Jackson, daughter of Henry H. and Clara Loos Willa. She and Karl W. Schoenebeck were married July 2, 1939. He died Aug. 6, 2003...

TAMMS, Ill. -- Margaret Jordan, 97, of Tamms died Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2007, at Ratliff Care Center in Cape Girardeau. Crain Funeral Home in Tamms is in charge of arrangements.

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Hazel Laverne VanGennip, 70, of Marble Hill died Monday, Jan. 8, 2007, at her home. She was born May 20, 1936, in Glenallen, Mo., daughter of Floyd Kelley and Stella Frances Gregory Christy. She and Robert VanGennip were married June 16, 1956...

Selma Anita McClard, 88, of Orofino, Idaho, died Sunday, Jan. 7, 2007, in Orofino. She was born Jan. 16, 1918, at Egypt Mills, daughter of Edward and Amanda Gerlach. McClard attended Lutheran school in Cape Girardeau. She worked at Southeast Missouri Hospital, Southeast Missouri State University, and did in-home housekeeping after she retired...

Charles W. Proffer, 77, of St. Louis died Monday, Jan. 8, 2007. He was born July 17, 1929, in Cape Girardeau, son of Marvin W. and Alta E. Ludwig Proffer. He married Peggy Gilder. Proffer worked for Kas Potato Chip Co. 34 years. He was a member of St. Paul United Church of Christ...

John Thomas Fleeman, 59, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Jan. 7, 2007, at his home. He was born Jan. 24, 1947, in St. Louis, son of Elzie and Rose Hadlock Fleeman. He and Connie Bohac were married Sept. 28, 1974, in Bloomsdale, Mo. Fleeman served in the U.S. Marine Corps from May 31, 1967, to March 6, 1970...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Lovella Fern Brinkman, 66, of Marble Hill died Monday, Jan. 8, 2007, at her home. She was born July 5, 1940, at Marble Hill, daughter of Troy and Lena Margaret Simmons Atchison. She and Dale Eric Brinkman were married in November 1960 in Alton, Ill. He died in 1972...

ST. LOUIS -- When Mark McGwire retired in 2001, the debate was about whether his Hall of Fame bust would feature a Cardinals or Athletics hat. Judging from his 23.5-percent showing on his first time on the ballot on Tuesday, that all seems pretty trivial now. McGwire's stonewalling before Congress amid accusations of steroid use two years ago have tarnished his accomplishments, leaving him well on the outside...

NEW YORK -- Mark McGwire fell far short in his first try for the Hall of Fame, picked by 23.5 percent of voters while Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. easily gained baseball's highest honor. Tarnished by accusations of steroid use, McGwire appeared on 128 of a record 545 ballots in voting released Tuesday by the Baseball Writers' Association of America...

The Central girls swimming team used a balanced attack -- with five different event winners and two relay wins -- to post a 114-65 victory against St. Vincent on Tuesday afternoon at the Perry Park Center. Betty Buhs, Jessie Baker, Brittany Thomas, Kelly Ennis and Lilli Robinson won individual events. Buhs led the Tigers' 1-2-3 finish in the 200-meter freestyle. Baker led a similar sweep in the 200 individual medley, and Robinson was followed by two Tigers swimmers in the 500 freestyle...

Gosche cardsfirst ace Bill Gosche scored his first hole in one Saturday at Kimbeland Country Club.Gosche, of Jackson, used an eight iron on the par-3, fourth hole from 134 yards out. Kelly Waller, Phil Hager and Bob Wittenborn were witnesses. Annual 5-kilometer runscheduled for Feb. 17...