Stories from Monday, June 25, 2007

INNSBROOK, Mo. (AP) -- A funeral will be held Thursday for a Jefferson County man who drowned during a triathalon over the weekend. Kevin Hunt, 28, was finishing up the 500-yard swim of the Ultramax triathlon. He was less than 50 feet from shore when he went under on Saturday at Aspen Lake at Innsbrook Resort...

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) -- A 16-year-old who had been tormented by gangs faces charges of second degree murder, first-degree assault and two counts of armed criminal action in the death of one teenager and wounding of another. A judge ruled Thursday that Ahryel King must face trial as an adult. He and his mother, 51-year-Alma King, are accused of opening fire on a crowd outside their home on Feb. 26...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) -- Southwest Missouri will get the state's second major crime lab as planned, after Gov. Matt Blunt announced Monday that his administration will spend $400,000 to cover a funding gap. Blunt and Missouri State Highway Patrol officials said the $5.9 million lab, due to open in October 2008, will benefit the entire state by reducing the time it takes to analyze evidence for investigations and trials. ...

BYRNES MILL, Mo. (AP) -- Firefighters on Monday recovered the body of a south St. Louis County man from the Big River in Jefferson County. The victim was identified as Perry Pettus, 44. Missouri State Water Patrol spokesman Lou Amighetti said the man had been in and out of the water with friends who were swimming, when he went missing Sunday afternoon...

K's Merchandise at 371 S. Broadview St. has been closed since just after the first of this year and marketing has been ongoing for a new business to fill the retail space. Efforts to find a new purchaser or tenant have been transferred from a New York firm and handed over to a local Cape Girardeau real estate company. Tom Kelsey, commercial broker for Lorimont Place, said he has been appointed the exclusive listing broker...

Four men coming down an alley with golf clubs would normally make a woman clutch her purse a little tighter; 80-year-old Patsy Johnson just laughed. The men were attempting to make the fifth hole in the first-ever Second Annual Louis J. Lorimier Memorial World-Famous Downtown Golf Tournament, which had golfers whacking Birdieballs around buildings and down alleys Sunday afternoon and then culminated with an all-you-can-eat catfish buffet at the Common Pleas Courthouse...

Agriculture is an important part of the economy in Southeast Missouri and the state as a whole, but it's also a large contributor to pollution of the state's water and soil erosion. Farming is the leading cause of nonpoint source pollution (pollution washed into water supplies by rain) in the state, according to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. ...

Inmates in the Scott City Jail used a mixture of pancake batter and toothpaste to disguise a hole chiseled in the mortar of an interior wall. The inmates were able to remove a block, allowing a female inmate to slide through into an adjacent cell housing a male inmate, according to Scott City Police Chief Don Cobb.

To the editor:Regarding the op-ed column by Will Richardson and Miki Gudermuth headlined "Credit targets": I, too, had to file bankruptcy for medical reasons. But I had transferred to Alabama with my job before going out on disability, which caused me to lose my house and everything I worked hard to get, especially my great credit. ...

To the editor:Regarding U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson's vote last month in favor of embryonic stem-cell research, I thought perhaps some slick politician had sneaked it in with another bill, as they often do, forcing her to vote yes. So on I called her office to find out. ...

Smart decision; In the know; Traffic stops; Two-way street; Too many taxes; Preaching hatred; Destroying lives; Service-dog reception; No weather issue; Two-tier college; Reasonable cost; Farmer's response; Longer headline; Road holdouts; Enforce the law; Something's wrong; Grow the economy; College choice; Attendance matters

An exchange of information with leaders in Paducah, Ky., has led Cape Girardeau officials to begin exploring whether a payroll tax would benefit the city. Paducah relies heavily on a 2 percent payroll tax for revenue. The tax accounts for 43 percent of that city's revenue. In Kentucky, the state imposes a 6 percent sales tax. Local communities in Kentucky have no sales taxes...

A new television signal is expected to join the area's airwaves this winter as KBSI, Channel 23, begins operating in Cape Girardeau; the independent UHF station, owned by Cape Girardeau Family Television Inc., will air syndicated programs, movies and locally-produced programming...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Matt Blunt got to see a lot of the world in the Navy. As governor, he's revisiting a lot of it. In the past two years, Blunt has traveled to Canada and Mexico; he's gone to Belgium, the Czech Republic, Hungry, Italy and the United Kingdom; he's inspected the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan; he's gone a second time to Mexico and Italy; and just this past week, Blunt was on business in France...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A state judge has overturned a jury's decision ordering American Family Mutual Insurance Co. to pay $17 million as part of a class-action lawsuit over aftermarket vehicle parts in Missouri. Jackson County Circuit Judge Edith Messina ruled Friday that the plaintiffs didn't provide enough proof that they had suffered damages from the insurance company's policy allowing aftermarket parts in accident repairs...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- After returning from a weekend horse show in June 2005, Collin Bartels was in a lot of pain. He didn't know why. By Tuesday, his legs hurt so badly he could barely walk. Working his construction job with Emery Sapp & Sons was out of the question. Riding horses on his grandfather's pasture in Columbia was unthinkable...

JOPLIN, Mo. -- The Jasper County teen accused of firing an assault rifle inside his middle school last fall was subjected for years to abuse at school that his teachers ignored, the boy's parents told the Joplin Globe. Norma and Greg White also blame themselves, saying they should have listened to their son when he repeatedly said how much he disliked school and asked to be home-schooled...

ST. LOUIS -- Ridership in the St. Louis region's light rail system is rising steadily, and developers are capitalizing on mass transit's popularity. Developers of a 550-acre office, industrial and retail development in St. Louis County are only half a mile from a MetroLink station...

A quick but heavy rain that passed through Southeast Missouri on Sunday night flooded several intersections in Cape Girardeau and landed at least four cars in water up to the windows, according to Cape Gir­ar­deau police. The rain began at about 6:30 p.m. and calls reporting high water started shortly after. About 15 flooded areas were reported, said Robert Phelps, a dispatcher with Cape Girardeau Police Department...

Ruth M. Rhodes, 83, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, June 23, 2007, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Gir­ar­deau. She was born March 29, 1924, in Cape Girar­deau, daughter of Monroe and Mary Proffer Jones. She and Samuel W. Rhodes were married in March 1953 in Piggott, Ark. He died Nov. 7, 1999...

Peggy Ann Bullard, 55, of Jackson died Saturday, June 23, 2007, at Delta. She was born Nov. 3, 1951, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Troy M. and Ann Mae Medlock Bullard. She attended Jackson High School and had worked at Tri-con Industries in Cape Girardeau for a number of years. She was a member of New Bethel Baptist Church, east of Pocahontas...

J.D. Limbaugh, 69, of Advance, Mo., died Saturday, June 23, 2007, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Nov. 5, 1937, in Sturdivant, Mo., son of Ed Limbaugh and Clara Cooper. He and Joyce Cook were married Oct. 21, 1960. She died Jan. 27, 1989...

Irene E. Popp, 95, of Cape Gir­ardeau died Sunday, June 24, 2007, at Chateau Girardeau Health Center in Cape Gir­ar­deau. She was born April 26, 1912, in Vicksburg, Miss. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Funeral Home...

PETAH TIKVA, Israel -- Puzzled broadcasters calling the first professional baseball game in Israeli history struggled with rendering baseball lingo into the holy tongue of Hebrew. After a valiant effort at translating some of the terms, they gave up -- lacing their broadcast with Hebrew-accented versions of ball, strike, out, majors, pitcher and base hit...

CANTON, Ohio -- A former classmate of a man suspected of murdering a pregnant woman was arrested Sunday on a related obstruction of justice charge, the FBI said. Myisha Ferrell was arrested hours after the body of 26-year-old Jessie Davis was found in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, still carrying her dead, nearly full-term fetus. The Summit County medical examiner on Sunday confirmed the body was Davis'...

The Cape Girardeau Noon Lions Club was awarded the Haywood Snipes Award for generous donations to the Missouri Lions Eye Research Foundation. The award is bestowed upon Missouri Lions Clubs with each cumulative donation of $10,000 to the research foundation...

To register for programs or for more information, contact the library at 711 N. Clark Ave. in Cape Girardeau by phone at 334-5279 or on the Web at www.capelibrary.org. Registration for July programs begins today. n At 10 a.m. Mondays, infants and toddlers ages 18 to 35 months are invited to Toddler Times where they will enjoy stories and activities, and parents will learn about prereading skills and how to support them. No registration is required...

Fishing program at Cape County Park "Fishing with the Family" will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center. Fred Meystedt, a master fisherman with more than 60 years of experience, will give pointers on how to make family outings a big success. ...

SAN JOSE, Calif. here's hype. There's hysteria. And there's history. The hype around Apple Inc.'s upcoming iPhone is abundantly clear. So is the hysteria. But how the iPhone will leave its historical mark after Friday's launch is to be seen. Will the gadget -- which triples as a cell phone, iPod media player and a wireless Web device -- be as "revolutionary" as Apple CEO Steve Jobs has claimed?...

Home owners approaching retirement age are looking for maintenance-free housing. Aware of a demand for simple living in Cape Girardeau, California Homes developer Mike Peters created a community called the Villas of West Park, across from Doctors' Park on Bloomfield Road, targeted at baby boomers...

Cape Girardeau: Arrests; Assault; Thefts; Burglary

n At 9:16 p.m., a car fire at 646 South Henderson Ave. n At 2:22 a.m., an emergency medical service on the 400 block of South Kingshighway. n At 1:25 p.m., an emergency medical service to 121 South Sprigg St. n At 1:34 p.m., a motor vehicle accident at North Kingshighway and Interstate 55...

SAN FRANCISCO -- After a spat between two of the world's largest Internet companies, online auctioneer eBay Inc. resumed running advertising through Google Inc. on Friday. EBay pulled ads from the world's most popular search engine late June 11 in what the auction company billed as an experiment to determine the most effective means of getting customers to visit the shopping site. ...

Woodmen rep finishes 5-day education program; Hahs receives sales achievement award ; Cape salon hires stylists, massage therapist; Prudential rep awarded Adviser of the Year; Abercrombie earns CFP certification

BAGHDAD -- Saddam Hussein's cousin, known as "Chemical Ali," and two other regime officials were sentenced Sunday to hang for slaughtering up to 180,000 Kurdish men, women and children with chemical weapons, artillery barrages and mass executions two decades ago...

BAQOUBA, Iraq -- The U.S. commander of a new offensive north of Baghdad, reclaiming insurgent territory day by day, said Sunday his Iraqi partners may be too weak to hold onto the gains. The Iraqi military does not even have enough ammunition, said Brig. Gen. Mick Bednarek...

ATLANTA -- A dangerous, drug-resistant staph germ may be infecting as many as 5 percent of hospital and nursing home patients, according to a comprehensive study. At least 30,000 U.S. hospital patients may have the superbug at any given time, according to a survey released today by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology...

JERUSALEM -- The Israeli Cabinet on Sunday approved the release of frozen tax funds to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in a step to bolster the moderate leader in his standoff against the Islamic militant group Hamas. The vote came ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's meeting today in Egypt with Abbas, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and King Abdullah II of Jordan...

LOS ANGELES -- Steve Carell proved not nearly as all-powerful as Jim Carrey. "Evan Almighty," with Carell taking over for Carrey in a follow-up to the comedy smash "Bruce Almighty," debuted a solid No. 1 with $32.1 million, though that was less than half the $68 million opening of its predecessor, according to studio estimates Sunday...

The Plaza Tire Capahas entered Sunday's game with the Charleston Riverdogs having won 28 of 29 meetings between the local amateur baseball teams. Tim Davis was the winning pitcher the only time the upstart Riverdogs defeated the tradition-rich Capahas, that coming in 2005...

Hunter Mahan earned his first PGA Tour victory Sunday, winning the Travelers Championship in a playoff a year after finishing second. Mahan, in his fourth year on Tour, hit a 2-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to beat 40-year-old journeyman Jay Williamson...

SONOMA, Calif. (AP) -- Juan Pablo Montoya demonstrated his road racing prowess again Sunday, stretching his final fuel load to the limit and grabbing his first NASCAR Nextel Cup win at Infineon Raceway. Montoya, who qualified a disappointing 32nd in the 43-car field, was the first driver to win on the Northern California road circuit starting further back than 13th...

ST. LOUIS -- Shane Victorino typically spends off days relaxing in the dugout. He changed his routine Sunday and the move worked. Victorino had a pinch-hit, three-run double to break a tie with two outs in the eighth inning Sunday and lift the Philadelphia Phillies to a 5-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. It was his first pinch-hit of the season and came after he barely fouled off a 3-2 breaking ball to keep the at-bat going...

OMAHA, Neb. -- Oregon State became the first team in a decade to repeat as College World Series champion, completing a dominant run through the tournament with a 9-3 victory over North Carolina on Sunday night. The Beavers (49-18) won all five of their CWS games, including a sweep of the Tar Heels in the best-of-three finals, and trailed for only one of 45 innings they played in Omaha...

The Jackson American Legion baseball team ran its winning streak to three Saturday by sweeping a doubleheader at De Soto. Jackson won 14-11 in 10 innings and 22-12 to improve to 11-13. "It was a good day for us," Jackson coach Mark Lewis said. "We really hit the ball."...

Rod Beck, a relief pitcher who wore a bushy mustache while earning 286 career saves, was found dead Saturday. He was 38. Beck was found by police officers responding to a call to his home in suburban Phoenix, according to police department spokesman Andy Hill. Foul play is not suspected, though the cause of death might not be known for several days...

SEATTLE -- Ken Griffey Jr.'s homecoming to Seattle got even sweeter on its final day. Griffey hit his 583rd and 584th home runs during the Cincinnati Reds' game Sunday against the Mariners, tying and then passing Mark McGwire for seventh on the career list. The blasts provided all of the Reds' runs in a 3-2 loss in the interleague game...

TORONTO -- Dustin McGowan's bid for the second no-hitter in Blue Jays history ended when Jeff Baker singled leading off the ninth inning, and Toronto beat the Colorado Rockies 5-0 Sunday to complete a three-game sweep. McGowan lost his chance at the majors' third no-hitter this season when Baker lined an 0-1 pitch up the middle for a base hit. The Rogers Centre crowd then saluted McGowan with a standing ovation...

WIMBLEDON, England -- Not one to doubt herself, or pay any heed to those who do, Serena Williams likes her chances as she returns to the All England Club. "Like I always say, when I'm playing well, it's hard for anyone to beat me. It's just a fact. I think a lot of people understand that," said Williams, who won Wimbledon in 2002 and 2003 but missed last year's tournament with a left knee injury...

Celebrating America's freedom has some restrictions in Southeast Missouri. Structure and brush fires caused by firework displays around Independence Day have led to stricter laws in Cape Girardeau County, according to local fire officials. As a result, the sale and use of fireworks in the cities of Cape Girardeau and Jackson are limited to Wednesday through July 4, a week less than the state law, which Scott City follows...

The Red House Interpretive Center in Cape Girardeau will kick off July activities with limited hours from 6 to 8 p.m. July 4 so the community can enjoy the Old Town Cape-sponsored Fourth of July celebration, including fireworks on the river. The exhibition of 27 historical American flags will be displayed from 10 a.m. ...