Stories from Sunday, January 6, 2008

Husband-and-wife journalists Bob Miller and Callie Clark Miller share the same small house (still), work in the same office (again) and somehow manage to cling to their sanity (barely). Older and wiser (she's wiser, he's just older), the Southeast Missourian sweethearts offer their views on everyday issues, told from two different perspectives....

PADUCAH, Ky. -- Timothy Krajcir has been charged with kidnapping and burglary in connection with the 1979 killing of Joyce Tharp, a 29-year-old woman discovered dead in an alley near her home in Paducah, according to the Associated Press. A McCracken County, Ky., grand jury indicted Krajcir on Friday...

A record high of 63 degrees was set Jan. 6, 1982, for Cape Girardeau, according to AccuWeather.com. In 1998, local almanac records of temperatures taken at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport documented a high of 64 degrees for Jan. 6. Today, a new record is expected as the high is forecast to reach 70 degrees...

The new movie "I'm Not Here" attempts a kind of psychological tour of Bob Dylan's life, myth and music in which Rimbaud, Billy the Kid and Woody Guthrie make appearances. Dylan also is one of the musicians parodied in the new comedy "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story."...

Jonathan McClard died alone in his prison cell, Department of Corrections spokesman Brian Hauswirth said Saturday. The 17-year-old inmate was discovered in his single-person cell at the Eastern Reception Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre, Mo., and pronounced dead around 3:50 p.m. Friday, according to a news release from the Department of Corrections...

Jessica Rae Bock and Ronnie Ray Maxwell were married Sept. 29, 2007, at Emanuel United Church of Christ in Jackson. The Rev. Sam Roethemeyer performed the ceremony. Pianist was Christy Shinn, and soloists were Beth St. John and Kimber Parks, all of Jackson...

Violent history; Intelligent voting; Cape Rock trash; Branded athletes; Animal insanity; Next time I'll drive

1. Garages are almost a necessity, most potential buyers look for at least a two-car garage. The lawn equipment, tools and junk have to go somewhere. Don't forget America's uncontrollable desire to obtain nice vehicles. 2. Choppy floor plans can become a hassle when it is required to access a bedroom or bathroom through other rooms. So when remodeling, consider adding another door if at all possible...

David and Julie Walker of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Chelsea Walker, to James Johnston. He is the son of Allan and Ruth Johnston of Springfield, Mo. Walker expects to receive a bachelor's degree in business from Southeast Missouri State University in May...

Mandi Bergen and Brian Nussbaum were married Oct. 22, 2007, at Dreams Resort in Cancun, Mexico. Parents of the couple are Mike and Darla Patrick of Bella Vista, Ark., and Robert and Marilyn Nussbaum of Jackson. Attendants were Michelle Boyd of Rogers, Ark., Justin Crawford of St. Louis, and Emmy Taranto of Leawood, Kan...

Cecelia and Ron Kee of Cape Girardeau and Beth McClain of Kelso, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Kasie Marie McClain, to Andrew Patrick Ralls. He is the son of Harry and Candy Ralls of Cape Girardeau. McClain is also the daughter of the late Richie McClain...

Theresea Carr of Cape Girardeau and Tom Carr of Kentucky announce the engagement of their daughter, Teri Marie Carr, to Adam Paul Ralls. He is the son of Harry and Candy Ralls of Cape Girardeau. Carr is a 2002 graduate of Notre Dame Regional High School. She received a bachelor of science degree in speech pathology from Southeast Missouri State University in December. She is a paraprofessional at Jefferson School...

Jerry and Pat Lee of Cape Girardeau celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Dec. 21, 2007. They were married Dec. 21, 1957, in Sikeston, Mo. The Lees have a son, David Cotner of Jackson, and two grandchildren, Michele and Mark Cotner.

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth W. Kidd of Chaffee recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. Kidd and Mary Jane Blattel were married Dec. 18, 1982, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Advance, Mo., by the Rev. Normand Varone. She is the daughter of Loretta Blattel of Arbor, Mo., and the late Herbert Blattel Sr. Kidd is the son of James and Rita Kidd of Gordonville...

Missouri has had three presidential primaries. Ever. It will have its fourth presidential primary Feb. 5. Voters in the 158th District of the Missouri House of Representatives will also choose a state representative on Feb. 5, which could bump the historically low turnout for presidential primaries...

New Cape Girardeau County prosecuting attorney Larry Ferrell is developing a plan for a major case squad; agencies having representatives on the squad will be the prosecutor's office, the Cape Girardeau Police Department, the Jackson Police Department, the sheriff's department, the university security department and the Highway Patrol...

Alyssa Leigh Dooley and Joseph Roy Floyd were united in marriage Dec. 25, 2007, at the home of the bride's mother. The Rev. Jamie Ellis performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Jon and Catherine Brewer of Ringgold, Ga., and John and Myra Dooley of Ooltewah, Tenn. The groom is the son of David and Dina Floyd of Jackson...

After winning the state championship in wrestling his junior year at Jackson High School, going All-American two years in a row at Southeast Missouri State University and playing both NFL and Arena football, you'd think Ray Goodson would be sick of competition. ...

Timothy Krajcir has been charged with kidnapping and burglary in connection with the 1979 killing of Joyce Tharp, a 29-year-old woman discovered dead in an alley near her home in Paducah, Ky, according to the Associated Press. A McCracken County, Ky. grand jury indicted Krajcir on Friday in the charges, the Associated Press reported...

NAIROBI, Kenya -- President Mwai Kibaki told the top U.S. diplomat for Africa that he was willing to share power and the opposition backed off demands for his resignation Saturday, offering hope for an end to Kenya's deadly electoral crisis. As Kibaki and Raila Odinga faced growing pressure to compromise, the violence that has killed more than 300 people across the country appeared to ease in the capital for the first time since the disputed vote that gave the president a second term and awakened dormant ethnic rivalries.. ...

Admittedly, 250 horsepower, a six-cylinder engine and a price of more than $33,000 can seem a bit much for a small, three-door hatchback. But the 2008 Volkswagen R32 isn't a normal car. It's the latest and priciest embodiment of VW's "hot hatch" legacy -- small hatchbacks with uncommon power, exemplary road manners (particularly when driven hard) and a low-key exterior that doesn't overtly telegraph the car's performance...

BAGHDAD -- An Iraqi soldier is accused of turning on two decorated American servicemen and shooting them to death during a joint operation in northern Iraq, the U.S. military said Saturday. An Iraqi official said the suspect may have links to militant groups...

Vernon A. Auer, a veteran and Cape Girardeau judge for 30 years, died Friday at the Missouri Veterans Home. He was 90. In 1982, Mayor Howard Tooke declared Dec. 27 "Vernon Auer Day" in recognition of Auer's community service, which includes serving on the board of directors for the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, Red Cross, United Way of Southeast Missouri and Knights of Columbus, among others...

A story in today's Lifestyles section about Ray Goodson should have stated that Goodson worked out for NFL teams. He did not play in the NFL. The mistake was caught after the section went to press. The Southeast Missourian regrets the error.

GRAND CHAIN, Ill. -- June DuRall, 68, of Grand Chain died Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Crain Funeral Home.

Allen Lynn "Oopy" Eldridge, 49, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Jan. 4, 2008, at his family's home in Scott City. He was born Sept. 14, 1958, in Cape Girardeau, son of Herbert Lloyd and Barbara Ann Boucher Eldridge. He had worked in construction as a carpenter...

Lucille "NaNa" Alice Barnhouse Gamblin DeLisle, 92, of Jackson died Friday, Jan. 4, 2008, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Ms. DeLisle was born Aug. 28, 1915, in Poplar Bluff, Mo., and was the daughter of Harry M. and Minnie Alice Guentzel Barnhouse. She and Emery Alvin Gamblin were married Aug. 5, 1934, in Poplar Bluff. Mr. Gamblin died Jan. 5, 1965. She then married Guy DeLisle on Feb. 14, 1966, in Jackson, and he died Feb. 15, 1968...

Wilbert Best, 91, of Jackson died Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson.

7:30 p.m. Monday City Hall, 101 Court St. A study session follows at 8:15 p.m. n Monthly bills n A motion to change the board of aldermen regular meeting from 7:30 p.m. Mon., Feb 18, to Tues., Feb. 19, in observance of President's Day...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Benazir Bhutto's widowed husband accused members of Pakistan's ruling regime of involvement in his wife's killing and called Saturday for a U.N. investigation, as British officers aiding Pakistan's own probe pored over the crime scene...

CHICAGO -- Even the American Dialect Society knows how risky home mortgages are these days. The group of wordsmiths chose "subprime" as 2007's Word of the Year at its annual convention Friday. "'Subprime' has been around with bankers for a while, but now everyone is talking about 'subprime,'" said Wayne Glowka, a spokesman for the group and a dean at Reinhardt College in Waleska, Ga. "It's affecting all kinds of people in all kinds of places."...

HARTSELLE, Ala. -- The Rev. A.W. Landis, 82, of Hartselle, formerly of Dongola, Ill., died Friday, Jan. 4, 2008, at Decatur General Hospital in Decatur, Ala. Friends may call from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday at Crain Funeral Home in Anna-Jonesboro, Ill. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home, with the Revs. Jack Redfearn and Paul Sadler officiating...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A trail of chicken bones left at a burglary scene has led investigators to a Kansas prison inmate with a long rap sheet and a hefty appetite. Clay County authorities on Friday charged John Wyatt Weaver, 43, of Kansas City, with two counts of burglary and one count of stealing a firearm. No bond was set because Weaver is serving time at a Kansas prison...

Vernon A. Auer, 90, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Jan. 4, 2008, at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born June 13, 1917, at Prairie du Rocher, Ill., son of John N. and Olive Rauch Auer. He and Charlotte L. Walther were married Sept. 21, 1940. She died March 22, 2006...

Merrill "Buzz" Simmons, 75, of Jackson passed away Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008, at his home. He was born Nov. 26, 1932, in Cape Girardeau, son of Rosco L. and Lela Barger Simmons. He and Norma M. Peetz were married Aug. 21, 1954, in Kelso, Mo. She passed away April 26, 2005...

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. -- For resident Helen Martin, the last six years have been enlightening, emboldening, disheartening and, finally, celebratory. She has seen her children flung from squalor to luxury and back to squalor again. And then she saw her children find permanent luxury -- a luxury that includes their own beds, rooms, PlayStations and, most importantly, their own identity...

BONNE TERRE, Mo. -- Jonathan D. McClard, 17, of Jackson passed away Friday, Jan. 4, 2008, in Bonne Terre. He was born Jan. 1, 1991, in Cape Girardeau to Daniel R. and Tracy (Wade) McClard. McClard attended school in Jackson and had recently completed his GED with great success. He formerly was employed at Sonic in Jackson, but always loved tuning pianos with his dad...

FERNLEY, Nev. -- A canal levee ruptured early Saturday after heavy rainfall, pouring more than 3 feet of near-freezing water into hundreds of homes and stranding 3,500 people across a square mile in their desert agricultural town, authorities said. A section of the Truckee Canal up to 50 feet long broke around 4 a.m. in Fernley, about 33 miles east of Reno, officials said. No injuries were reported...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Milford T. Shell, 92, of Marble Hill died Thursday, Jan. 3, 2008, at his home. He was born May 31, 1915, in Lutesville, Mo., son of Charley and Sadie Francis Shell. He and Leona Elizabeth Richards were married Dec. 2, 1939. She died March 21, 1984. He then married Mellie T. Hahn on Aug. 2, 1985. She died March 10, 2005...

Martin; McKee

Betty J. Weiss Gliedt was fortified with the Sacraments of Holy Mother Church, Friday, Dec. 28, 2007. She was the beloved wife of the late Larry Gliedt; dear mother of Joyce (Wayne) Hunter of Cape Girardeau, Bob (Cathy) Dietl of Jackson, John (Michele) Dietl of Chesterfield, Mo.; dear grandmother of Kevin, Diana, Whitney and Emily; dear great-grandmother of Lillie; former wife of the late Donald Dietl; dear sister of Margaret (the late Rudy) Jurgens of Chicago, Pat Hill of Jackson; dear aunt, sister-in-law, cousin and friend.. ...

NEW YORK -- A Manhattan librarian emerged as a champion couch potato after three rivals gave in to sleep deprivation or nature's call. Stan Friedman won the ESPN Zone Ultimate Couch Potato Competition, which began Tuesday morning at the ESPN Zone restaurant in Times Square. The event ended Wednesday afternoon after more than 29 grueling hours of continuous sports viewing -- mainly college football bowl games and endless highlights loops...

n At 10:50 p.m., emergency medical service at 300 N. Sprigg St. n At 11:41 p.m., emergency medical service at 800 Jefferson Ave. n At 6:26 a.m., emergency medical service at 2700 Hawthorne Road. n At 11:39 a.m., emergency medical service at 134 West Park Mall...

Arrests

Jonathan M. Reeser, 44, of Everett, Wash., died Saturday, Dec. 22, 2007, at Overlake Hospital in Bellevue, Wash. He was born Oct. 7, 1963. Jonathan graduated from Webster County High School in Kentucky in 1982. He worked for the Los Angeles Police Department, then moved to Cape Girardeau, where he received a bachelor's degree from Southeast Missouri State University. While attending, he was a founding father of Mu Kappa Chapter of Sigma Mu fraternity...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The woman whose lawsuit was used to secure a civil judgment against drug-diluting pharmacist Robert R. Courtney forgave him before her death, her husband said. Courtney was sentenced in 2002 to 30 years in prison in a drug-dilution scheme that potentially touched 400 doctors, 4,200 patients and 98,000 prescriptions...

ATLANTA -- Authorities said Saturday they believe a hiker who disappeared from the northern Georgia woods on New Year's Day is dead, and they charged the man who was reportedly last seen with her with kidnapping. Union County Superior Court Judge David Barrett signed a warrant charging Gary Michael Hilton with kidnapping with bodily injury in the disappearance of Meredith Emerson, said Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesman John Bankhead...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- John William Reed III, "Jay," 32, of Sikeston died Friday, Jan. 4, 2008. He was born Jan. 5, 1975, in Jefferson City, Mo., son of John William Reed II and Prudence Garber of Jefferson City. He and Brooke (Hendricks) Reed were married Jan. 12, 2002. She survives of the home...

FULLERTON, Calif. -- Police said they arrested a man who acknowledged digging holes on a park bike trail as payback for nearly being run down by a cyclist. Warren John Wilson, 52, faces a single felony count of vandalism, police Sgt. Linda King said Friday...

ESSEX, Mo. -- Michael Avery, 60, of rural Essex died Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Feb. 28, 1947, at Sikeston, Mo., son of Ira and Jean Brown Avery of Whitewater, Mo. He and Ruth Francis were married June 26, 1965, at Frisco, Mo. She survives of the home...

LOS ANGELES -- Golden Globe-nominated actors are expected to snub the awards in support of striking Hollywood writers, the actors union said Friday, jeopardizing one of the entertainment industry's signature showcases. NBC, however, said it was sticking by its plans to air the Jan. 13 ceremony, despite the uncertainty about how much -- if any -- star power the Globes could muster...

Mary Frances Hunter Kinder, a lifelong Cape Girardeau resident and a member of one of Southeast Missouri's oldest families, died Friday, Jan. 4, 2008, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born June 17, 1926, in Benton, Mo., at the family home on what was then known as Hunter Hill, the youngest of five children born to William Joseph and Ida May Wise Hunter...

Sparked by freshman Jillian Mills' 3-pointer in the second quarter Saturday, Meadow Heights rallied from a 20-6 deficit in the second period to avenge a loss to Woodland earlier this season. Meadow Heights knocked off Woodland 57-39 in the third-place game Saturday at the Delta New Year's Tournament...

Parkway South sophomore Scott Pohle said his team knew it needed to use its speed against Jackson on Saturday. "We wanted to move the ball and be quick and fast," Pohle said. "We thought that they were a little bit bigger and we were a little bit smaller, so we could run on them. And I think we did that."...

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Somebody finally found a way to slow down the surprising Eastern Illinois women's basketball team. It was Southeast Missouri State, which is now about as hot as the Panthers had been. Southeast snapped EIU's six-game winning streak and handed the Panthers their first Ohio Valley Conference loss, 55-51 on Saturday...

Saxony Lutheran senior Austin Kwikkel said his team sketched out a strategy for slowing down the fast-paced East Prairie squad it faced Saturday. "We talked about not pressing them because they were quick, a lot quicker than we are," Kwikkel said...

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- If the Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team considered its visit to Eastern Illinois a potential trap game, the Redhawks never took the bait. Southeast built a big lead and held off the Panthers 82-71 on Saturday night to continue the program's best Ohio Valley Conference start since the 1998-99 season...

Delta girls basketball coach Randy White says, despite his team's perennial success in the regular season, that he doesn't measure his team by its won-lost record. He just looks for improvement. In Saturday's championship game of the Delta New Year's Tournament, White could measure the Bobcats' progress with a win that avenged their only loss of the season, back in the first game. Actually, he could measure the improvement from the first half to the second half...

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. -- Central wrestler Zach Wilson liked the feeling of being on the top step of the podium. The junior made his first appearance there Saturday after winning the 160-pound championship at the Marquette Invitational. Wilson had finished third at Fort Zumwalt and fifth at the Tiger Classic in Cape Girardeau...

Baseball n Southeast camps: The Southeast Missouri State baseball program will hold a select camp for grades 9 through 12 on Saturday and Jan. 13 in Houck Field House. It will run from 8 a.m. to noon. The camp will be used to teach baseball skills and evaluate players. Southeast coach Mark Hogan, assistant coaches Jeff Dodson and Chris Cafalone, and current Southeast players will conduct the camps. Info: 986-6002...

The only thing missing from Cape Girardeau's state-of-the-city report Friday were roses. Such flowers may have been appropriate, given the hidden thorns. Mayor Jay Knudtson and Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce president John Mehner delivered an informal report at the chamber's monthly First Friday Coffee. They offered an informal summary, followed by a question-and-answer session. More than 200 members of the business community attended...