Stories from Sunday, March 18, 2007

The Kenny Rogers Children's Center held auditions Saturday at the J.C. Penney Court at West Park Mall for its "telethon idol" contest to be held March 24 and 25 at the Sikeston Field House in Sikeston, Mo. Last year the telethon raised $264,000. This year's goal is $300,000. ...

Light snow fell intermittently over much of Southeast Missouri on Saturday, the same week that saw temperatures above 70 in Cape Girardeau. Saturday's snowfall was seen in isolated spots from Southeast Missouri to Southern Illinois to western Kentucky but reached only trace amounts in the region, said David Umphrey, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky...

CARUTHERSVILLE, Mo. -- The brick exterior of Caruthersville High School gives a solid impression, an imposing three-story structure that dominates a block in the southern part of town. But the facade hides most of the severe damage inflicted April 2 when a tornado tore through this Bootheel town. Since that day, the school has sat empty as school district officials haggle with the insurers over whether to tear it down and build anew or attempt to repair the 82-year-old building...

Southeast Missouri State University students by fall 2008 could be footing the bill for the school to make payments on River Campus bonds if the state legislature doesn't provide the necessary funding, school officials say. University president Dr. Ken Dobbins says he hopes that doesn't happen...

Frivolous spending; Military math; Not represented; Time for action; Watching airplanes; Thanks for checkbook

Welters observe 60th anniversary Jerome and Evelyn Welter of Cape Girardeau celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with a surprise party Feb. 2, 2007. Hosts were their children, Debbie Davidson, Janice Obermann and Mike Welter, all of Jackson. The couple was married Jan. 14, 1947...

Curt Winter and Glad Winter of Breese, Ill., announce the engagement of their daughter, Meghan Theresa Winter, to Jeffrey Aaron Haycraft. He is the son of Dr. and Mrs. Gordon Haycraft of Cape Girardeau. Winter is a 2000 graduate of Mater Dei Catholic High School. ...

Hoods observe 67th anniversary Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Clois Hood of Cape Girardeau celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary March 16, 2007, with a dinner hosted by family and friends. Hood and Myrtle Elizabeth Lewis were married March 16, 1940. Their daughters and spouses are Shelby and John Mills and Brenda and Greg Unsbee, all of Cape Girardeau. They have five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren...

Cooks celebrate 60th anniversary Mr. and Mrs. Leslie A. Cook of Jackson celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary Jan. 7, 2007, by attending worship service with their family at Whitewater Methodist Church in Whitewater. A reception was held later in the church hall, hosted by their children and spouses: Chaplain Jerry and Annette Cook of Slidell, La., Ron and Sandra Cook and Keith and Teresa Cook of Whitewater, and Shirley and Paul Bond of Cape Girardeau...

Dr. and Mrs. Richard Cannon of Cape Girardeau celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with an open house hosted by their children. Cannon and Delores Hert were married March 16, 1957, at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Greeley, Colo. He was a physics instructor 30 years at Southeast Missouri State University, retiring in 2000. She retired in 2003 from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management...

Kimberley Hutson and Martin Hoffman were married Nov. 18, 2006, at St. Mary's Cathedral in Cape Girardeau. The Rev. Patrick Nwokoye performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Jo Ann Dallas of Cape Girardeau and Dwayne and Terry Hutson of Marquand, Mo. The groom is the son of Marty and Debbie Hoffman of Cape Girardeau...

Having sold their house at De Soto, Mo., over the weekend, 10th District U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson and his family begin moving into their new home in Cape Girardeau. Cape Girardeau Mayor Howard C. Tooke appoints members to a multipurpose building steering committee: city manager Gary A. ...

Hoa Au Thi Thanh and Christopher Michael Bergerson were married Dec. 12, 2006, in a traditional Vietnamese ceremony at the home of the bride in Hanoi, Vietnam. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Au Duong San of Hanoi. The groom is the son of Dr. and Mrs. Peter Bergerson of Bonita Springs, Fla., and Michigan City, Ind., and formerly of Cape Girardeau...

Mark and Mary Beth Jensen of O'Fallon, Ill., announce the engagement of their daughter, Rebecca Claire Jensen, to Dean Alan Bucher. He is the son of Denis and Sharon Bucher of Jackson. Jensen is a 2002 graduate of O'Fallon Township High School. She received a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2006. She is a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, doing civil engineering at Vandenberg AFB, Calif...

Danny and Ann Dewrock of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Danielle Ann Dewrock, to Isaac Larry Driskell Jr., son of Larry Driskell Sr. and Ruth Driskell of Cape Girardeau. Dewrock is a 2001 graduate of Central High School. She is employed at Hobby Lobby Creative Center...

Michael and Karen Townley of St. Louis and Keith and Carol Schultz of Littleton, Colo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Sarah Kay Schultz, to Austin Lee McDowell. He is the son of Richard and Jane McDowell of Jackson. Schultz expects to receive a degree in early childhood education from Hannibal-LaGrange College in May...

Phillip and Patricia Dale of Doniphan, Mo., and David and Judy Beussink of Jackson announce the engagement of their children, Amy Dale and David Beussink Jr. Dale is a 2000 graduate of Doniphan High School, and received a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Southeast Missouri State University in 2005. She is a targeted case manager with Bootheel Counseling Services in Sikeston, Mo...

Donnie and Judy Hoffard of Johnston City, Ill., announce the engagement of their daughter, Melanie Dawn Hoffard, to Marc Anthony McClure, both of Cape Girardeau. He is the son of Dale McClure of Puxico, Mo., and David and Charlotte Stagner of Cape Girardeau...

The Bell City boys basketball team felt heartbreak at the hands of Jefferson for the third straight year at the final four, falling to the Eagles 66-65 on Saturday in the Class 1 championship at Mizzou Arena. This was the fourth straight trip to the final four for the Cubs, with their last state title coming in 2004. Bell City also won a state title in 2002...

AUSTIN, Texas -- Oklahoma All-American center Courtney Paris got her first up-close-and-personal look at the player who will almost certainly prevent Paris from repeating her national rebounding title. The Sooners' 6-foot-4 mountain of a sophomore center came away impressed...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Superman had kryponite. Bell City has Jefferson. For the third straight year, the Bell City boys basketball team fell to Jefferson in the state final four. This time, it was a 66-65 loss Saturday in the Class 1 championship game at Mizzou Arena...

Firefighters responded to the following calls Friday: n At 9 p.m., emergency medical service at North Kingshighway and Interstate 55. n At 11:23 p.m., emergency medical service in the 100 block of North Main Street. n At 12:40 a.m., emergency medical service in the 1400 block of Independence Street...

Arrests

LOGANSPORT, Ind. -- Valerie Sue Rhymer, 44, of Logansport, formerly of Scott City, died Thursday, March 15, 2007, at Methodist Hospital in Indianpolis, Ind. She was born March 16, 1963, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Luther and Hazel Lawson Rhymer. She was employed as a patient attendant at the Indiana State Hospital in Logansport...

Pauline "Polly" Gray Hill, 92, formerly of Sikeston, Mo., passed away at the home of her daughter in Cape Girardeau. She was born March 11, 1915, in Sikeston to the late John and May Trent Gray. She attended Cape First. She had lived in St. Louis for 40 years, working at Three Sisters and Velvet Freeze, and later returned to Sikeston in 1976 and worked at Kirby's with her brother-in-law Red Kirby. In 1938 she married Herbert Hill, who preceded her in death on Dec. 11, 1956...

NEW YORK -- How tough could this be? That's what Fox reality show guru Mike Darnell thought when the people pitching "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" asked him to answer six questions they would use on the game. Three wrong answers later, a hit show was born...

Melvin L. Griffon, 71, of Jackson, formerly of Fredericktown, Mo., died Saturday, March 17, 2007, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born Aug. 5, 1935, at Marquand, Mo., son of Earl Lee and Tressie Matthews Griffon. He and Patricia Pracht were married Aug. 2, 1969, in St. Louis...

BAGHDAD -- Three suicide bombers driving trucks rigged with tanks of toxic chlorine gas struck targets in heavily Sunni Anbar province including the office of a Sunni tribal leader opposed to al-Qaida. The attacks killed at least two people and sickened 350 Iraqi civilians and six U.S. troops, the military said Saturday...

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Palestinians installed a new, more moderate coalition government Saturday, in hopes of persuading the international community to end its isolation of the Palestinian Authority and lift a year of bruising sanctions. Israel promptly announced it wouldn't deal with the coalition, because governing partners Hamas and Fatah stopped short of explicitly recognizing the Jewish state or renouncing violence, as the international community has demanded...

DUBLIN, Ireland -- Lithuanian musicians, drum-beating Punjabis and West African dancers used Dublin's St. Patrick's Day parade on Saturday to celebrate their place in a booming Ireland that has become a land of immigrants. One man dressed as St. Patrick in papal hat and sunglasses did the samba, while another float nearby featured "Miss Panty," Dublin's premier drag queen...

WASHINGTON -- Denouncing a conflict entering its fifth year, protesters across the country raised their voices Saturday against U.S. policy in Iraq and marched by the thousands to the Pentagon in the footsteps of an epic demonstration four decades ago against another divisive war...

Wanda J. Nance, 85, of Whitewater died Saturday, March 17, 2007, at the Chaffee Nursing Center in Chaffee, Mo. Arrangements are incomplete with Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Chaffee.

MOUNDS, Ill. -- Helen Fitzgerald, 80, of Mounds died Saturday, March 17, 2007, at her home. Arrangements are incomplete at Jones Funeral Home in Villa Ridge, Ill.

BUSHEHR, Iran -- For Iranians across the political spectrum, delays in construction of Iran's first nuclear reactor have become proof that they have to master their own nuclear technology and resist U.N. efforts to stop them. The reactor, already eight years behind schedule, is now snagged on what Iran calls a politically motivated business dispute with longtime ally Russia...

9 a.m. Monday County Administration Building, 1 Barton Square, Jackson Routine business n None at this time Action items n None at this time. Discussion items and appointments n None at this time.

Civil War Roundtable meets today The Civil War Roundtable will meet at 2 p.m. today at Hanover Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau. The program will be "Gettysburg," a film from the famous Civil War park, donated by club member Jerry Hampton. Discussion on the upcoming second annual Fort D Days is on the agenda...

ST. LOUIS -- At just a hair over 17 inches tall, the miniature horse is more inclined to walk under fences than jump them. And her owners have sheltered the mare from ever gaining "circus-sideshow" or "one-trick-pony" status. As the world's smallest horse, 5-year-old Thumbelina, weighing in at 57 pounds, has a bigger mission: to raise $1 million for children's charities this year...

In Cape Girardeau, the Mississippi River may turn a thousand tales, but beginning sometime next year it will no longer flow into faucets. A proposed project now out for bid calls for the construction of well fields in the Black Land Bottoms in the southern part of the city. ...

ARROW ROCK, Mo. -- It's not that state environmental regulators and bottomland farmers along the Missouri River don't want to help the pallid sturgeon. But they have concerns about the effects of excavations designed to provide shallow water habitat for the endangered fish -- and those concerns have prompted the state to push for closer oversight of future projects...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A fired federal prosecutor said Friday he doubted his investigation into Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt's administration was connected to his dismissal. Former U.S. attorney Bud Cummins, a federal prosecutor in Arkansas, was removed from his job in December -- one of eight U.S. attorneys replaced in recent months by President Bush's administration...

WASHINGTON -- When Congress passed legislation in December to curb underage drinking, advocacy groups weren't the only ones who celebrated. Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc., the nation's largest brewer, also played a key role in helping the measure become law, though the company may have been more pleased with what was left out...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The end of another eight-week block comes to a close. Due to lack of sleep and countless hours elbow deep in anatomy, eyes are closing, and energy is low as somber medical students file into the auditorium to prepare for the next round of test taking...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- Two stray cats got into a house and attacked three people inside, then were euthanized and checked for rabies, authorities said. The cats entered Melissa Breva's house through an open front door on Monday, and attacked two women visitors and a boy, authorities said...

An unknown number of pets suffered kidney failure and about 10 died after eating the affected pet food. By MATTHEW VERRINDER The Associated Press UNION, N.J. -- Pet owners were worried Saturday that the pet food in their cupboards could be deadly after millions of containers of dog and cat food sold at major retailers across North America were recalled...

NEW YORK -- Two police officers involved in a 50-bullet barrage that killed an unarmed man on his wedding day were indicted on charges of manslaughter, and a third faces a misdemeanor charge, a person familiar with the investigation said Saturday. The officers were indicted Friday by a grand jury that had deliberated for three days over whether to bring charges in the death of Sean Bell, who was shot while leaving a bachelor party last November...

NEW YORK -- Cleanup crews were out early Saturday clearing snow and ice from Manhattan streets for the city's St. Patrick's Day parade, a day after a heavy storm buffeted the East Coast and caused the cancellation of more than 1,400 flights. The sleet, snow and freezing rain that pelted the East Coast on Friday had tailed off Saturday as the weather system moved northward...

REDWOOD SHORES, Calif. -- Engineers at PureDepth Inc. spent years developing tools for helping the military plot 3-D maps of war zones, eventually licensing top-secret technology to the U.S. Air Force and Navy. But the Silicon Valley startup hit the jackpot in October when it inked a deal with International Game Technology Inc., the world's largest maker of slot machines...

MESA, Ariz. -- A cable news program was temporarily replaced with hard-core pornography, shocking viewers who had been watching a health show featuring former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw. The incident Monday night on KPPX-TV was "an act of human sabotage" at the Phoenix-area station, said ION Television, which operates the station...

WALES TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- A church was planning a Sunday moment of silence for what the pastor called a model member of his congregation: a wild turkey. The turkey, which died last week after being hit by a car, regularly attended Sunday services and greeted people as they arrived, said the Rev. James Huff, pastor of Lambs United Methodist Church in St. Clair County...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A museum is standing behind an exhibit by artist John Sims, including a Confederate flag hung from a noose on a 13-foot gallows in a display titled "The Proper Way to Hang a Confederate Flag," despite the objections of a descendant of a soldier who fought for the South during the Civil War...

SALT LAKE CITY -- SkyWest Airlines apologized to a passenger who said he wasn't allowed to use the restroom during a one-hour flight and ended up urinating in an air-sickness bag. James Whipple said he had two "really big beers" at the Boise, Idaho, airport. While on a flight to Salt Lake City on March 7 he wanted to use the cabin restroom...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- A 15-year-old girl who hiccuped her way through part of January and all of February is hiccuping once again. Jennifer Mee, who hiccuped close to 50 times each waking minute for more than five weeks starting Jan. 23, began hiccuping again Thursday morning after a nose bleed, said her mother, Rachel Robidoux...

MILWAUKEE -- Dilip Kotecha figured his working days were over when he retired from the food-manufacturing industry. But after an unused patent for instant yogurt landed in his lap, he couldn't resist turning the dormant technology into a business. "I would say our company wouldn't even be there without that patent," the 59-year-old entrepreneur said...

AUSTIN, Texas -- Oklahoma got its anticipated victory Saturday. But not before the Sooners had to fend off a spirited upset bid from heavy underdog Southeast Missouri State. The Redhawks, a No. 14 regional seed, trailed third-seeded OU by just three points at halftime after leading for most of the period...

The Southeast Missouri State bats awoke on a chilly day, as the Redhawks cruised to a nonconference baseball victory Saturday. The Redhawks struck for six runs in the second inning on their way to an 8-3 victory against Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Capaha Field on Saturday. It was the most runs the team has scored in an inning this season...

4th grade -- Joshua Jones, Lexie McClanahan, Sarah Moore, TJ Pearson, Courterra Stevenson 4th grade -- Kayla Ahrens, Brandi Bell, Kyla Bryant, Logan Daniels, Autumn Dugan, Alyssa Franz, Robvae Grant, Tyler Joseph, Cheyenne Limbach, Colten Limbach, Kavandre Moore, Deja Reddin, Mary Smith, Hannah Sterling, Dorian Tillmon, Amanda Todd, DeDrion Thomas, Makayla Turner, Trent Weinzetl, Whitney Weissinger...

4th grade -- Afton Brown, Miccah Davis, Amanda Evans, Betsy Gonzalez, Matthew Gutwein, Chase Hagerty, Jessica Hedrick, Chance Heid, Victoria Kelley, Luke Kinder, Caroline Kurtz, Katelin May, Mackenzie McDaniel, Madeleine McDonald, Josh Morse, Ryan Nevill, Christian Retter, Zachary Rhodes, Abigail Sundstrom...

6th Grade -- Jordyn Aden, Emilie Beard, Carlie Bolen, Austin Dowdy, Shelby Mangels, Katie Newell, Lance Rohde, Ethan Seyer, Hunter Seyer, Timothy Thompson 7th Grade -- Chelsea Kirn, Amanda Lappe, Garrett Matthews, Kaleb Moore, Dustin Oehl, Kyle Rohde...

1st grade -- Alex Burger, Bryce Dirnberger, Aaron Glastetter, Drew Reischman, Kaitlyn Schiwitz. 2nd grade -- Jacob Ashcraft, Luke Barnes, Jessica Belcher, Austin Eftink, Taylor Fee, Denny Smith, Cassy Spane, Anne Westrich. 3rd grade -- Alexis Dock. 4th grade -- Kristi Brucker, Kylie Jackson,Tessa Johnson, Michaela Kiefer, Hunter Schlosser...

4th grade -- Eric Hahn, Derek Hulshof, Anthony Pobst, Jacob Priggel 5th grade -- Chase Asmus, Collin Boner, Nick Brindley, Krissy Gaines, Addie Kielhofner, Ethan Pobst, D.J. Priggel, Seth Ressel, Brooke Schlitt, Chance Tenkhoff, Morgan Todt 6th grade -- Josh Hulshof, Aaron Scherer...

4th grade -- Robby Bland, Maggie Bohnert, Mackenzie Cannon, Jackie Crawford, Raleigh Davis, Alex Gentle, Kieran Griffin, Maggie Groshong, Ryan Helle, Abigail Hess, Emily Holman, Melissa Hopkins, Joseph Horecker, Gabby Hulcy, Shayan Jamali, Maya Kelch, George Kester, Mia Kinder, Sarah Kitchen, Katie Laramore, Morgan Murphy, Katie Oh, Allison Oh, Drake Scott, Erica Scott, Maddie Shell, Winnie Smee, Sydney Thuirer, Bridget Trepasso, Amanda Webb, Marissa Wilson...

NEW YORK -- After four years, America's cost for the war in Iraq has reached nearly $500 billion -- more than the total for the Korean War and nearly as much as 12 years in Vietnam, adjusting for inflation. The ultimate cost could reach $1 trillion or more...

BEIJING -- North Korea told delegates at nuclear talks on Saturday that it is preparing to shut down its main reactor, South Korea's chief nuclear envoy said, a key step promised in a landmark disarmament pact. The apparent progress in implementing last month's agreement came only hours after North Korea's lead nuclear envoy said his government would not close its main nuclear facility until all $25 million of its money frozen in a Macau bank is released...