Stories from Tuesday, February 19, 2008

SUGAR CREEK, Mo. (AP) -- Emergency crews are working to recover the body of a worker who was in a truck that tumbled down a ravine. Fire and rescue officials say the effort at the Carefree Industrial Park in Sugar Creek could take many hours. The man was found pinned under the massive truck at the bottom of a 300-foot embankment...

UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A little ingenuity and a lot of nerve helped Michael Filius track down his stolen tow truck. Filius, 36, is the night manager at Hartmann Towing in the St. Louis suburb of University City. He was busy inside the garage about 2:45 a.m. Saturday with tow truck left outside idling. He noticed he couldn't hear the engine, looked outside, and the truck was gone...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The state tourism director announces his candidacy for Congress. Tourism Director Blaine Luetkemeyer is the third Republican to enter the race to succeed Congressman Kenny Hulshof. Hulshof is not seeking re-election because he is running for governor...

HANNIBAL, Mo. (AP) -- A former northeast Missouri police officer originally charged with statutory rape and statutory sodomy is sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to a lesser charge. Tim Dann was scheduled for a trial last month. Instead, he pleaded guilty to the lesser felony charge of endangering the welfare of a child. Sentencing was Tuesday...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A House member said Tuesday that all the state's public officials should get special training about state open meetings and public documents requirements. Rep. Jeff Roorda's bill is modeled after Texas legislation that went into effect in 2006. And at least two other states have enacted or are debating whether to require open meetings and documents training...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The Senate gave first-round approval Tuesday to a bill requiring school districts to adopt policies to handle cyber-bullying. Last year, lawmakers gave school districts until September to create policies to deal with bullying. This year's measure would add "cyber-bullying" specifically to that requirement...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A federal court ruling requiring Missouri to issue a "Choose Life" license plate has prompted lawmakers to reconsider the way the state approves specialty vehicle plates. Legislation presented Tuesday to a House committee would return control over license plate decisions to the full House and Senate, scrapping an administrative procedure adopted four years ago because lawmakers were tired of being inundated with license plate requests from interest groups...

WENTZVILLE, Mo. (AP) -- An eastern Missouri man is accused of breaking into a VFW hall, then firebombing the building hours later when investigators were still inside. The suspect's name has not been released. The St. Charles County Sheriff's Department says the man broke into the Wentzville VFW shortly after 2 a.m. Tuesday. Two hours later, investigators were at the scene when someone tossed a flaming soda bottle filled with gasoline through a window...

Mary Matalin and James Carville, one of America's best known political power couple, will receive $64,500 for their appearance tonight at Southeast Missouri State University. Matalin, a Republican operative who this year helped presidential candidates Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney, and Carville, who has been an adviser to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign, take the stage at 8 p.m. at the Show Me Center for a one-hour presentation called "All's Fair in Love and Politics."...

Greek students at Southeast Missouri State University will receive up to $2 million for dorm improvements, the Board of Regents decided Monday. Administrators are currently meeting with students to determine needs, which could include modernizing bathrooms and creating more private space. The upgrades are part of seven Residence Life bond projects totaling $10.23 million approved Monday...

Southeast Missouri State University needs to better brand itself and do a better job of communicating its mission, participants in a strategic planning forum said Monday. The forum was held as officials begin to formulate a three- to five-year plan for the university, determining goals and outlining priorities. About 130 people voiced their opinion about where the university currently stands, obstacles it has to overcome, visions for the future and steps to achieve targets...

Jackson sent out a news release today giving the details of the debris removal program the city began this week. The information below is lifted straight from the press release. For residential customers hit by last week's ice storm, the City is providing assistance in helping to remove storm debris from damaged properties. ...

Southeast Missouri State University sophomore Johnny Hill may have played his last game this season for the men's basketball team. The 6-foot-4 guard has been ruled ineligible as university athletic officials conduct an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Hill's high school career at Vashon High School in St. Louis...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- While other states are seeing salt shortages due to a snowy winter, local departments are doing fine so far. "We're doing alright. We have about 16,000 tons on hand districtwide with another 16,000 tons on order," said Keith Gentry, maintenance superintendent for the the Missouri Department of Transportation's southeast district. based in Sikeston. "We used quite a bit in this last storm."...

To the editor:This is a thank-you letter to all the people who helped Jackson Manor during the ice storm. Key people who need special recognition for their efforts are fire chief Jason Mouser and his staff for procuring an additional generator and supplies and helping with communication, the Jackson Police Department for its concern and assistance with communication, Dick Knaup and his emergency preparedness staff for their behind-the-scenes work to ensure the warmth and safety of our residents, the many employees who came to work as scheduled and stayed as needed, those who showed up just in case we needed them, Kenney Fluegge for opening Pocahontas Lumber and getting additional space heaters, regional manager Liz Harris of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services for her concern and behind-the scenes assistance and all the families and visitors who assisted us during this time.. ...

A good job; A million thanks; Wonderful feeling; Ordinary heroes; Middle-aged spending; No backup generator; Model for FEMA; Parental direction

To the editor:We've had a tough week. The tears have been cried. The grief has left us empty inside. But it's into this emptiness that healing is beginning to flow. It will not take the place of what we've lost. And we know that we will never be the same, but we also know that we will do better and be better. Your prayers and concerns have helped. But they need to continue...

Delta School District is looking at some possibilities regarding the elementary school, which has maintenance deficiencies and lacks adequate wiring for computer equipment. One possibility is to upgrade the existing building, which is more than three miles from Delta. Another possibility is to purchase land near the high school in Delta and build a new elementary school...

Shari Tharp of Kelso, Mo., has been selected state finalist for Missouri's Homecoming Queen; she will represent Scott City High School at the pageant in March in St. Louis. T. Donley Thomas, who joined the music faculty of Southeast Missouri State University in 1958, yesterday became the eighth recipient of the university's College of Humanities Honors Award at a luncheon that also recognized 35 students for excellence of scholarship...

SEDALIA, Mo. -- People have told tales of the Beaman Monster for more than 100 years, although no evidence of the creature exists. Some speculate the origins of the beast may have more to do with moonshine than anything else. One Beaman native says the legend dates back to the early 1900s. Russell Holman, 81, of Sedalia, was born a mile northeast of Beaman...

CHICAGO -- Illinois lawmakers moved swiftly after last year's massacre at Virginia Tech to make it harder for anyone with a history of mental illness to buy guns, fortifying what were already some of the nation's toughest weapons laws. But the new measure does not take effect until June. And whether it would have prevented last week's bloodbath at Northern Illinois University is far from clear...

One-vehicle crash kills Benton, Mo., man A 50-year-old Benton, Mo., man died in a one-vehicle crash near Benton early Sunday morning. Danny R. Menz, was pronounced dead at the scene by Scott County Coroner Scott Amick, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol...

For the second time in less than a year, Scott City Council is considering condemning the old Masonic Lodge. The board had unanimously delayed a public hearing on the matter last May. Since that time, the building, at 502 Second St. East, was auctioned off. The council will discuss the issue at its meeting tonight...

MARFA, Texas -- A thousand feet above a wind-swept, drought-browned valley, a man steps out of a late-'70s Ford Granada on a deserted two-lane road. He is confronted by a second man, who raises a pneumatic bolt gun to his forehead and deals a fatal blow...

SPAULDING TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- One steer's interesting hide may save it from someone's dinner table. The animal is named Michigan, and for a good reason -- the brown spot on its side resembles the state's mitten shape. It's one of 30 cattle on Jacob and Georgia Kessler's family-run farm in Spaulding Township, about 80 miles northwest of Detroit...

WASHINGTON -- Air Force officials are warning that unless their budget is increased dramatically, and soon, the military's high-flying branch won't dominate the skies as it has for decades. After more than six years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Air Force's aging jet fighters, bombers, cargo aircraft and gunships are at the breaking point, they say, and expensive, ultramodern replacements are needed fast...

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The U.S. and the European Union's biggest powers quickly recognized Kosovo as an independent nation Monday, widening a split with Russia, China and some EU members strongly opposed to letting the territory break away from Serbia...

TAMMS, Ill. -- J. Reid Abercrombie, 85, of Tamms died Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born May 16, 1922, in Alexander County, Ill., to Cyrille and Adeline Jane Kendall Abercrombie. He married Mildred Dean Brock June 16, 1941. She preceded him in death Sept. 14, 2001...

Alice Mary Schweizer Barone, 90, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Feb. 18, 2008, at Ratliff Care Center. She was born Nov. 3, 1917, in East Orange, N.J., daughter of Joseph and Mary Coleman Connelly. She and Walter A. Schweizer were married in 1939 in West Orange, N.J. He died July 18, 1992. She later married Edward Elmer Barone June 20, 1998, in Fort Myers, Fla. He died June 21, 2003...

Nancy Sue Merritt, 63, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born Sept. 12, 1944, in Evansville, Ind., daughter of Wardell and Marion Nelms Grace. Survivors include three sons, Shawn Merritt of East Cape Girardeau, Ill., Byron Merritt of Cape Girardeau, David Merritt of Scott City; a brother, Paul Grace of Charleston, Mo.; eight grandchildren; and a great-grandchild...

George W. Friedrich, 90, of Jackson passed away Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Feb. 22, 1917, in Jackson, son of August and Martha Ann Snider Friedrich. He and Shirley Allgaier were married Aug. 12, 1946, in Littleton, Colo...

OLMSTED, Ill. -- David Dale Duffield, 67, of Olmsted died Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008, at his home. He was born Sept. 3, 1940, in Gorham, Ill., son of Orpha Earl and Nora Ellen Hoppe Duffield. He married Betty Holmes. Duffield was employed for four years with Clark Security and was a former security guard with Southern Illinois Consultants. He retired from Nesbico Co. and the Cairo Police Department. He was a member of the Miracle Center in Tamms, Ill., Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion...

ULLIN, Ill. -- Carrie Kay Turner, 86, of Ullin, formerly of Pulaski and Mounds, Ill., died Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Sept. 1, 1921, in Barlow, Ky., daughter of Charles Eric and Goldie Mae Moore McReynolds. She and Lloyd Turner were married Jan. 29, 1954. He died July 17, 1991...

George E. Bockhorst Sr., 88, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Feb. 18, 2008, at Missouri Veterans Home. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

MOUNDS, Ill. -- Gladys Calvert, 97, of Marietta, Ga., formerly of Mounds, died Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008, at Metropolitan Hospice in Marietta. Barkett Funeral Home in Mounds is in charge of arrangements.

KENNETT, Mo. -- A jailer accused of having sexual contact with a female inmate will make an appearance for hearing in a Dunklin County courtroom in less than two weeks. Twenty-nine year old William R. Dowdy of Dexter, Mo., has been charged with the Class D felony of having sexual contact with an inmate. He received a change of venue from Stoddard County in June 2007...

Arrest; Theft

n At 7:18 a.m., emergency medical service in the 900 block of Football Lane. n At 7:51 a.m., emergency medical service in the 2300 block of Erna Street. n At 10:58 a.m., emergency medical service in the 500 block of Second Street. n At 11:06 a.m., an alarm sounding in the 3100 block of Vail Drive...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- One Sikeston man is in jail and another in the hospital after an early morning shooting this weekend. "It was a drug deal gone bad," said Drew Juden, director of the Sikeston Department of Public Safety. Sikeston police received a call at about 12:50 a.m. Sunday reporting a shooting had occurred at the Rhodes 101 Stop, 535 N. Main St...

Recently, a vintage dude taking his leave from me did so with a cheery "Keep the faith, brother!" It was like a sixties flashback. Back in the day, I would answer this blessing with a big ol' goofy grin and my hand held jauntily high in a peace sign. These days, I am more likely to look at my acquaintance with a big ol' cynical grin and, "What could you possibly mean by that, 'dude'?"...

Calendar Today n Angels of God prayer group: 6 p.m. in the Pastoral Care conference room at Saint Francis Medical Center. For parents who have lost a child of any age. Call 331-5146 Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., with questions. The day you plan to attend, call 331-5118 and leave a message for Father Augustine...

WASHINGTON -- It's a new way to push for patient safety: Don't pay hospitals when they commit certain errors. Medicare will start hitting hospitals where it hurts in October, and other insurers are hot on the trail. That has the nation's hospitals exploring innovative programs to prevent injury and infection: Hand-washing spies. Surgical sponges that sound an alarm if left in the body. Even a room sterilizer that promises to wipe out bacteria left lurking on bedrails...

BIG SPRING, Texas -- A thunderous explosion rocked an oil refinery Monday, injuring five people and shaking buildings miles away. One employee was hospitalized for burns, while three contractors were treated and released, said Blake Lewis, a spokesman for refinery owner Alon USA...

NEW YORK -- Like father, like son? The 4-year-old son of "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin wasn't at all alarmed when he was recently bitten by a baby boa constrictor, according to his mother. "He picked one of them up and it bit him on the finger, and he was so proud to have copped his first hit," Irwin's widow, Terri, said Monday...

JACKSON -- Jajuan Bell didn't miss during the first quarter. In fact, he nearly outscored Fox on his own. Bell delivered in the first half, then Chase Johnson took over in the second as Central defeated Fox, 67-57, in their Class 5 District 1 boys basketball opener Monday night...

JACKSON -- Central found itself down two points in the middle of a dogfight in its Class 5 District 1 opener Monday night. With less than 4 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Tigers' Wendi Zickfield and Sadie Pittman willed their team past Fox...

JUPITER, Fla. -- St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Anthony Reyes is hoping the work he did during the offseason will help him forget about his disappointing 2007 season. During his first season as a starter in 2006, Reyes had a 5-8 record and a 5.06 ERA, which was enough potential to get him named to the starting rotation early in the spring of 2007. But in 20 starts last season, he had a 2-14 record and a 6.04 ERA...

TAMPA, Fla. -- Andy Pettitte repeated his apologies over and over again, saying he had embarrassed himself and set a terrible example. Whether he upset Roger Clemens is anyone's guess. They haven't spoken in more than a month. "Obviously it's put a strain, I think, on our friendship," Pettitte said Monday...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The first time Missouri faced Kansas State's Michael Beasley, the Tigers swarmed the freshman forward, collapsing around him with double and triple teams. Beasley wasn't much of a factor and the Tigers pulled out a tough win with just eight players in uniform...

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Kyle Busch sent a message to his old team, his new team and everybody else in NASCAR. In nearly winning the Daytona 500, Busch proved being fired from Hendrick Motorsports didn't derail his career. Or even slow it down. Busch led a race-high 86 laps -- more than double any other driver -- while almost scoring the biggest win of his short career. ...

There are two reasons to celebrate in Chaffee today. The Red Devils boys basketball team earned win No. 10 in a season for the first time since the 1979-80 season with its 54-37 victory over Delta on Monday. Plus senior Andy Hendrix scored 25 points, putting him over 1,000 points in his career...

It's not often cyclists in Southeast Missouri have to deal with the ice, snow and slush associated with winter, but the low temperatures in the cold months and the occasional winter storm do require them to be prepared. Bikes aren't just for sunny summer weather. There are those across the country who so love cycling that they ride year-round, pretty much regardless of the weather...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- "Mud thrown is ground lost." That's on the sign for Calvary Baptist Church on Yoakum Street in Chaffee. It could have been the theme of the Chaffee City Council's meeting Monday. No one talked directly about the city council's failed impeachment vote at a Feb. 6 closed meeting. No one complained about the police department the way they did on Feb. 4, which sparked the closed meeting...

Jackson city officials say it could be months before the city park is cleaned up. Trees strategically placed along park streets and trails were splintered, bent and in some cases uprooted after last week's ice storm. The park, known for several large trees around Hubble Creek, lies within one of Jackson's hardest-hit neighborhoods...