Stories from Friday, February 1, 2008

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Members of an anti-illegal immigration group say they will use their regional conference this weekend to teach more people "the truth" about the organization. The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps caused a stir four months ago when it announced it would bring the conference to Kansas City, where several minority groups were upset about the mayor's appointment of a Minuteman member to the city's parks board...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Add Hillary Clinton to the list of presidential candidates planning Missouri visits before Super Tuesday. And add her husband, too. The New York senator will make a stop Sunday in St. Louis. Former President Bill Clinton will campaign for his wife Saturday in Columbia and Springfield. Details have not been announced...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The second significant winter storm of the season brought 8 inches of snow to the St. Louis area on Friday, snarling traffic, causing flight delays and cancellations and shutting down most schools. Temperatures are expected to climb above freezing starting on Saturday, and the snow could be gone by early next week...

On Friday, the Scott County Sheriff's Department sent out this press release: BENTON, Mo. - Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter said today that two Southeast Missouri men were arrested Wednesday afternoon, following an investigation into the theft of stolen vehicle parts...

The MOSMART event Senator Bond planned on attending with area law enforcement has been cancelled.

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- More than $6 million in state money is available to help Missourians pay their winter utility costs. The funding comes after Gov. Matt Blunt signed a bill in St. Louis Friday aimed at helping low-income residents cover rising energy costs...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A federal appeals court panel says a man acquitted on child sex charges can go forward with his lawsuit against a Lee's Summit police officer. Theodore W. White Jr. is suing the officer, Richard McKinley, over allegations that McKinley made up false child sex charges and violated White's rights. McKinley is now married to White's ex-wife, who is the mother of the alleged victim...

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) -- A suburban St. Louis man was sentenced to death Friday for the 2005 murder of Kirkwood Police Sgt. William McEntee. Kevin Johnson, 22, of Kirkwood, was found guilty of first-degree murder in November. The jury recommended the death penalty...

Cape Girardeau saw panic in the streets when the winter precipitation began falling Thursday, but by midday Friday, the only ice on the roads was the icicles hanging from car bumpers as they navigated the wet-but-drivable streets. The low-pressure front that came into the Southeast Missouri area Thursday and brought in the moisture has since moved out of the area and left room for a more southerly flow of air that will bring drier air, making the next two days perfect for play in the lingering snow, according to the National Weather Service.. ...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A federal appeals court on Friday upheld the conviction and death sentence of Cecil Clayton, who is on Missouri's death row for killing a western Missouri sheriff's deputy. The ruling by a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was unanimous...

Great Lakes Airlines on Friday was named the new commercial passenger carrier for Cape Girardeau, airport manager Bruce Loy said. Great Lakes was one of two bidders to provide service to Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Tenn., and Owensboro, Ky. In the announcement from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the decision on which airport would be the destination from each city was left to negotiations between Great Lakes and the cities, Loy said...

Fair warning on a wintery Friday: This entire column deals with politics. Feel free to skip it and go straight to the crossword puzzle if you've had your fill of campaign bluster. I understand. --- In recent days I've taken quite a number of calls from other ink-stained scriveners who want to talk about the presidential race and Missouri's newly charged sprint to the governor's mansion...

Snow did not put a damper on Brother David Migliorino's assessment of Catholic Schools Week. Although a Mass held by the bishop was canceled Thursday at Notre Dame Regional High School because of the weather, Migliorino sang praises. "I think the overall purpose is to thank God for the great system we have in Catholic schools and highlight all the dedication of the faculty, staff and parents working together," he said...

With Cape Girardeau burning through four superintendents in 11 years, parents have consistently said they want the next leader to be someone who will stick around. They had a chance in November to voice their opinions about the ideal candidate. Since then, the public hasn't had any access or input on the process...

Jay Purcell wants live Internet broadcasts of Cape Girardeau County Commission meetings. Purcell, planning a campaign to retain the county seat he's held for three years, blindsided fellow commissioners Thursday morning with a suggestion to install an Internet camera, called a webcam, in their meeting room...

Scam artists have been using tax season to try to get people's financial information, according to the attorney general's office. The first incident was reported to authorities last week, said David Griffith, spokesman for the Department of Revenue. ...

An April 5 bond vote to help finance a multipurpose building in Cape Girardeau has been recommended by the committee studying the project; the panel also proposes that the seating capacity be at least 7,000 and that the facility be built somewhere other than the "Westborough Mall."...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Although not a national hotbed for illegal immigration, Missouri is taking the lead in training local law officers from around the state on how to help federal immigration authorities. The training includes tips for working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and information about specific programs, such as allowing local police to be deputized to enforce federal immigration law or helping identify illegal immigrants in county jails and state prisons...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A missed deadline means money put up for a proposed ethanol plant in Sikeston must be returned to investors. "The equity monies that were invested in this offering are in the process of being returned to investors with interest," said David Herbst, chairman of Bootheel Agri-Energy LLC. "Investors can expect to receive their initial equity investment within the next 10 days, with the interest to follow within the next 30 days."...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Democratic attorney general candidate Chris Koster outlined a plan Thursday to discourage methamphetamine use by scaring people with disturbing images and tougher criminal sentences. Koster wants to mandate a statewide ad campaign featuring pictures of meth addicts with rotted-out mouths and bloody scratches or scars on their skin. A similar ad campaign in Montana has been credited with helping reduce meth use in that state...

Obama sets details for St. Louis rallyST. LOUIS -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will appear Saturday night at a rally at the Edward Jones Dome in downtown St. Louis. Obama's campaign announced a St. Louis visit earlier this week, but on Thursday offered details. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the program is expected to start at 8:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public...

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. military isn't ready for a catastrophic attack on the country, and National Guard forces don't have the equipment or training they need for the job, according to a report. Even fewer Army National Guard units are combat-ready today than were nearly a year ago when the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves determined that 88 percent of the units were not prepared for the fight, the panel said in a new report released Thursday...

GUANGZHOU, China -- One woman frantically clutched the coat of a police officer as he hoisted her toddler above the stranded travelers, the child's tearful face scrunched up in terror as the crowd surged forward. A woman in a pink jacket fainted and was lifted over the sea of humanity as she was passed over the crowd to receive medical help. Several others sobbed with emotion...

HANOI, Vietnam -- Fears of a global bird flu pandemic that once dominated headlines have largely vanished in the West, but four years after the virus began ravaging Asian poultry, it continues to quietly spread. Most global health officials continue to warn that the virus could morph into a disease as threatening to people as it is to chickens. Although a few are now calling the risk "overestimated," recent developments raise new concerns:...

The Jackson Chamber of Commerce last week honored some notable individuals and businesses. Lester A. Maevers received the R.A. Fulenwider Meritorious Community Service Award. Maevers is perhaps most known for being a co-owner of several Sav-A-Lot supermarkets. But he has also helped several community projects along the way, including, as president of the Jackson Senior Center Board of Directors, raising money for a new senior center on East Main Street...

By Jack H. Knowlan Sr. Everyone remembers the famous words of James Carville that helped Bill Clinton get elected. Yet with all the debates among presidential candidates about how we need a change, there has been little detailed discussion of our economy, how bad it is and how to improve it...

Taking a life; Too many phones; Showing disrespect; Finish what you start; Better stripes; Why the bailout?; More refund; Working for checks

Cornelius "Cornel" Seyer, beloved husband, father and grandfather, passed away Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2008, at Southeast Missouri Hospital, surrounded by his loving family. He was born on Oct. 15, 1932, in Cape Girardeau to the late Otto and Corena Schott Seyer. He married Barbara Wubker on Oct. 15, 1960 at Leopold, Mo...

Alvin E. Ludwig, 90, of Jackson passed away Thursday, Jan. 31, 2008, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Sept. 30, 1917, in Fruitland, to Louis and Ida Tuschhoff Ludwig. Alvin was baptized July 28, 1918, at St. John's Lutheran Church in Pocahontas, and confirmed there April 12, 1931...

William Franklin "Bill" Carroll, 82, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, Jan. 31, 2008, at Saint Francis Medical Center. He was born Sept. 15, 1925, near Chaffee, Mo., son of Louis and Pearl Carroll. Carroll was a veteran of World War II, serving as a sergeant in the U.S. Army...

Joan P. Williams, 76, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, Jan. 31, 2008, at her home. Arrangements are incomplete at Lorberg Memorial Funeral Chapel.

Dorothy M. Miller, 89, of Cape Girardeau, died Thursday, Jan. 31, 2008, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

Margaret Caroline Keathley, 83, of Van Buren, Mo., died Thursday, Jan. 31, 2008, at Saint Francis Medical Center. She was born July 22, 1924, in Van Buren, daughter of Gus A. and Mary Williams. She and Wayne Keathley were married Aug. 25, 1940, in Licking, Mo. He died Sept. 19, 2007...

Rachel McCraw, 67, of Cape Girardeau, died Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2008, at her home. She was born July 3, 1940, in Antlers, Okla., daughter of James Luther and Ethel Viola Reed Dodd. She was married to Kenneth Eugene McCraw. She was a custodian at a public school in California...

Hubert Harrison Clayton, 87, of Jackson died Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2008, at Fountainbleau Lodge in Cape Girardeau. He was born March 28, 1920, at Wappapello, Mo., son of Charles Henry and Frances Elizabeth Sweet Clayton. He and Ruby Jewel Horn were married Dec. 22, 1939, at Perryville, Mo. She died April 30, 2005...

MOUNDS, Ill. -- Fannie Mae German, 81, of Mounds died Monday, Jan. 28, 2008, at Day Star Care Center in Cairo, Ill. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to service time Saturday at Massie Funeral Home in Mounds. The funeral will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home, with James W. Woodside Jr. officiating. Burial will be in Green Lawn Memorial Garden at Villa Ridge, Ill...

Arrests

ST. LOUIS -- Washington University in St. Louis has a history of hosting presidential debates, so students trying to attract Sen. Barack Obama for a campaign appearance Saturday were disappointed to learn the school wouldn't go for it. When word spread that Obama planned a St. ...

WASHINGTON -- Senate Democrats said Thursday they would force votes next week on adding rebates for senior citizens and disabled veterans and heating aid for the poor to the House-passed economic stimulus package. The move marked a lapse in the broad bipartisan cooperation that sped the stimulus plan through the House, and set the stage for a contentious fight between Republicans who are balking at adding to the bill and Democrats who believe it should be larger...

WASHINGTON -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama raised $32 million in the single month of January, a whopping figure that has permitted the campaign to boost staff and extend advertising to states beyond the sweeping Feb. 5 contests, aides said Thursday...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A significant drop in the number of hunters in West Virginia has left a hole in the state's budget, and one lawmaker thinks he has a solution: allow children to receive hunter training in school. Children as young as 10 years old are already eligible for hunting licenses in the state, but training courses are typically offered outside of school. Proponents of the plan hope embedding training during school hours boosts interest...

Here's an experiment that will teach a lesson on why people shouldn't smoke. Ingredients n 2 cups of water n 1 envelope of plain gelatin n 2 cups of sugar n 4 Rennet tablets Instructions STEP 1: Boil water and then mix in the gelatin, sugar and Rennet tablets...

LOS ANGELES -- With Britney Spears whisked out of the public spotlight Thursday and committed to a hospital psychiatric ward, it's now up to a team of professional caregivers to reverse her seemingly endless downward spiral. Spears, accompanied by more than a dozen police officers, was taken to the UCLA Medical Center before dawn Thursday in what one officer would only say was an effort to "get help" for the troubled pop star...

Of all the evils that state government can take on in an attempt to eradicate them, I don't think the Missouri State High School Activities Association should be high on the list. But it sounds like some legislators would like to eliminate the state association as it currently exists and give the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education something else to worry about besides education...

Tarina Nixon, in her soft-spoken and polite way, said she doesn't see herself as one of the toughest basketball players around. So it's up to Nixon's coaches and teammates to give testimony about the physical and mental toughness of Southeast Missouri State's junior point guard...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Two seasons into the Mike Anderson era, Missouri retains a whiff of the outlaw program he was hired to clean up. But by sacrificing a victory Wednesday against Nebraska, Anderson hoped to prove a point that the current troubles are nothing like what got Quin Snyder terminated in 2006. If for only one game, Anderson put teeth into his no-tolerance policy prompted by several off-court incidents...

NEW YORK (AP) -- Chris Paul and David West were picked for their first All-Star game Thursday night, giving the hometown Hornets a pair of players for the event New Orleans will host next month. Detroit, Phoenix and Washington also had multiple players chosen as reserves for the Feb. 17 game. Boston will only send two of its Big Three to the Big Easy. Paul Pierce was voted in by Eastern Conference head coaches to join starter Kevin Garnett, but Ray Allen fell short...

ST. LOUIS -- Though he had been mentioned as a candidate for the Washington Redskins head coaching job, Al Saunders figured he'd be changing teams when Joe Gibbs resigned in early January. Negotiations with the St. Louis Rams began several days before Saunders was formally fired Saturday, a day after the Redskins hired Jim Zorn as his replacement to run their offense. ...

Tiger Woods picked up right where he left off last week -- at the top of the leaderboard. Woods, who won the Buick Invitational on Sunday by eight strokes, shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday to take a two-shot lead after the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic in the United Arab Emirates...

PHOENIX -- So, you were one of the lucky ones. You got chosen to buy a Super Bowl ticket. Congratulations, that'll be $700. And that's just the beginning. You might also want to start shoring up that bank account, maybe put the rest of your 2008 vacation plans on hold. This journey to the center of the sports universe will take its toll in cold, hard cash (and credit cards, too)...

PHOENIX -- Super Bowl ticket, check. Hotel room, check. Rental car, check Uh-oh. The game is still two days away and that wad of cash you came with is mostly gone. There's only one thing to do: Count out every last dollar and dime and str-r-r-r-etch it until kickoff...

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Super Bowl will be played in the desert, far from New York and New England. University of Phoenix Stadium is a neutral site. Don't tell the New York Giants. They're treating it as a road game. "It's not Giants Stadium," defensive end Justin Tuck said. "We had to go on a plane to get here."...

LOS ANGELES -- Barack Obama raised a staggering $32 million in January, cash aplenty to advertise all through the expensive Super Tuesday states and beyond. He was also running ads in more states than rival Hillary Rodham Clinton as the last two Democrats standing braced for Thursday night's face-to-face debate in California...

Whether you're out of school or waiting for the day to end so you can get out, there will probably still be enough winter residue to have some fun on a Friday afternoon. Gloves? Check. Hat? Check. And make sure someone brings a camera. The hills have been there, but the materials to get down them might need to be found -- or made...

Cape Girardeau received about 2 inches of snowfall over a 24-hour period Thursday to Friday morning, while Jackson had accumulations of about 4 inches. Other measurements include: High: 32 Low: 28 Precip: .52 melted precip High: 34 Low: 18 Snow: 2 inches...

The weather system that blanketed Southeast Missouri with several inches of snow Thursday was expected to leave a minor ice accumulation before tapering off early today. Most school districts dismissed students by 1 p.m. Thursday, and drivers battled a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain that caused a handful of car accidents. The temperature stayed near 32 degrees, contributing to the sleet and freezing rain, said Rachael Trevino, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service...

Jackson wins the snow bowl. Measurements from National Weather Service weather spotters reported 3 to 4 inches of snowfall in 24 hours over the Southeast Missouri area, but Jackson called in with 5 inches on the ground. Today's temperatures are forecast to stay below freezing. The snow should stick around today, but only in the yards, said Dave Purdy, meteorological technician with the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky...