Stories from Wednesday, February 20, 2008

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. (AP) -- Hip-hop artist Nelly and NBA star Larry Hughes are hoping to build a $30 million indoor athletic complex in suburban St. Louis. The two St. Louis area natives are seeking approval for what developers say would be the largest air-supported sports complex in the U.S. The facility would be built in Maryland Heights and would house soccer, softball, football and other sports...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- St. Louis aldermen are considering a measure that would make panhandling a crime. Aggressive panhandling -- people who walk up to a person and aggressively ask for money -- could lead to a fine or even jail time. Supporters say they're fed up with people who do not appear to be homeless coming into the city and taking advantage of visitors attending conferences and sports events...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A school bus accident in St. Louis leaves six students injured. The crash happened around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday. The bus driver and the driver of the car that struck the bus were also taken to the hospital. The injuries to the students and the bus driver are minor, but the driver of the car is more seriously hurt. Specific details of his injuries are not immediately available...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A Muslim civil rights organization says threatening comments have been made on the Internet against a Bosnian mosque in St. Louis. The group is asking the FBi to investigate. A spokesman for the FBI declined to discuss specifics but says all threats are taken seriously, especially those against religious and ethnic groups...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A St. Louis police commander is dead following an accident at his home. Lieutenant Robert Cooney, commander of the Mobile Reserve Unit, died Tuesday after falling from the roof of his residence. He was pronounced dead at a hospital from injuries sustained in the fall...

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) -- The mother of a high school senior arrested for allegedly trying to hire hit men to kill her and her husband said through tears Wednesday that her son had always been a "very good child." Jacob A. Jett, 18, allegedly gave $260 and three handguns to two would-be hit men to kill his parents, Richard R. Parnell, 53, and Robyn J. Parnell, 48, according to the prosecutor's probable cause statement...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The Missouri Supreme Court has ruled that the grandmother of an eastern Missouri teen killed as part of an alleged suicide pact with a friend can continue with her wrongful death lawsuit. Heather Thorson was shot in the head in 2002 in Cuba -- a small town on Interstate 44 between Rolla and St. Louis. Thorson's friend, Elizabeth Connelly, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and armed criminal action. She had faced first-degree murder charges...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- An attempt to recall Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser is over. City Clerk Millie Crossland said Saundra Ross and the four other Kansas City voters informed her Tuesday that they have stopped their campaign. They were trying to collect 16,950 valid signatures by March 1...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri senators defeat an attempt to allow public financing of political campaigns. Democratic Senator Jeff Smith, of St. Louis, proposed a $3 surcharge on income taxpayers to finance campaigns for statewide offices and the Legislature. He says it would limit the influence of interest groups at the Capitol...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The House approves a measure allowing some transfer students to skip government class. School districts would be allowed to waive mandatory high school government classes for those who have already taken similar classes in another state...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A Roman Catholic religious order based in St. Louis has settled with a man over claims he was abused a decade ago by a priest at his private school in the 1990s. The Rev. Daniel Triulzi, who was on staff at Chaminade College Preparatory School in St. Louis County at the time, is not serving as a priest or in a capacity that would put him near young people, said Diane Guerra, spokeswoman for the religious order, the Marianists...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The late business tycoon and Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt joins the ranks of famous Missourians. Hunt was inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians on Wednesday. Hunt helped bring professional teams to Kansas City, came up with the name "Super Bowl" and created two amusement parks...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A judge rewrote the ballot language Wednesday for a proposed constitutional amendment banning a particular kind of embryonic stem cell research after supporters claimed the state's original description was biased. The ruling marks the second time that courts have struck down ballot summaries prepared by Secretary of State Robin Carnahan for contentious initiatives. Last month, a judge rewrote the ballot language for a proposal limiting affirmative action programs...

Gov. Matt Blunt announced Wednesday that three joint federal, state and local damage assessment teams will soon start collecting information on winter storm damage in Southeast Missouri. The teams will canvass 14 Missouri counties, including Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Mississippi, Ripley, Scott and Stoddard counties in Southeast Missouri...

Gas up the chain saws. Gas up the trucks. Those orders were issued by Don Schuette, director of electric utilities for the city of Jackson. Schuette, who only Tuesday got his first full night of sleep in eight days, said he put the city's 20-man utility crew on standby Wednesday afternoon. But he's hoping the latest National Weather Service statement, which reduced the storm watch to an advisory, holds...

An ice storm warning is in effect from 6 a.m. Thursday to 6 a.m. Friday, according to a National Weather Service statement. The warning affects the following Missouri counties: Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Perry, and Union County, Ill. Freezing rain Thursday morning will continue through the day, mixing at times with sleet and snow. As much as a quarter inch of ice may accumulate, particularly on raised surfaces...

In a rare emergency measure, the Cape Girardeau City Council authorized withdrawing $700,000 from the city's emergency fund. City manager Doug Leslie told elected officials Tuesday that it is not clear if ice storm damages will warrant state or federal disaster certifications...

A winter storm watch issued Tuesday by the National Weather Service for Southeast Missouri is no longer in effect. Now a winter storm advisory has been issued from 6 a.m. Thursday to noon Friday. Weather service forecasts are now saying the coming winter weather will be less severe than predicted Tuesday...

Sgt. Brad Skelton was laid to rest Saturday. He was a member of the Missouri National Guard 1138th Engineer Battalion. A soldier. He died serving his country. Serving us. He volunteered for a second stint in Iraq so another soldier -- perhaps one with a family -- wouldn't have to...

To the editor:I would like to express my gratitude to all the electrical crews that have been working so hard getting power turned on for so many thousands of people in our surrounding area. I was one of those people, and I was fortunate to have my power turned back on after two days. ...

To the editor:We have the best neighbors in Westbrook subdivision. My husband and I are both disabled right now. Our neighbor came and hooked up a generator that ran our furnace and came back Saturday and cleaned up all the limbs. He and our son-in-law worked all day Saturday cleaning up all over Jackson. Our neighbor is Paul Koeper. Our son-in-law is Robert Lukefahr. Thanks, guys, and to all others who helped clean up Jackson...

Dang, it's a tough time to be a conservative. Let's face it. Every political column from Hoboken to Keokuk is singing the same refrain. The conservative movement revolves around two central issues: low taxes and small government. But this presidential cycle offers some awkward choices for those among us who call ourselves conservatives. Do you know what it feels like not to be invited to the party? I'm beginning to get that feeling...

Weathering the storm; Lots of good effort; Guardian angels; Best specifications; Storm rubbernecking; Excellent job; Stealing wood; Endless hours; South Cape drugs; Efforts appreciated; Excellent job; Look it up; Lighting the fire; Vulnerable citizens

Christian Campus House, next to the Rose Theatre on the Southeast Missouri State University Campus, has acquired a new director, the Rev. Dennis Evans, who replaced the Rev. Pat Patterson. Julian Bond, the 43-year-old Georgia state senator and civil rights leader, speaks at Academic Auditorium on the Southeast Missouri State University campus in the afternoon as part of the school's observance of Black History Month...

As an intern for Habitat for Humanity over the summer, Andrea Branum heard the story of a woman thrown from her trailer as a tornado swept through Evansville, Ind., in 2005. The trailer was lifted off the ground, and the woman's daughter found her sprawled on the ground yards away. In the hospital, the woman was given a 1 percent chance of surviving, and 118 units of blood were pumped into her body...

The DREAM Initiative has helped bring as much as $1.5 million to the city of Cape Girardeau, according to Marla Mills, executive director of Old Town Cape. She made the announcement as part of a one-year project update. Using volunteers and paid staff, DREAM projects have included a land use and infrastructure study, focus groups, a visitor survey of nearly 200, a downtown community survey, design guidelines for historic districts, a housing market analysis and assessments of tourism and marketing.. ...

WALTERBORO, S.C. -- A South Carolina man is thankful for a DVD that ended up taking a bullet for him. Colleton County Fire and Rescue director Barry McRoy says he was leaving a Waffle House restaurant in Walterboro on Saturday morning when two men ran in fighting over a gun. Police say a bullet hit one of the struggling men, shattered a window and then hit McRoy...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- 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 affect in 2006. And at least two other states have enacted or are debating whether to require open meetings and documents training...

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt is endorsing Sen. John McCain in the Arizona Republican's run to become the next president. McCain's campaign sent out a news release this morning with details, and the following statement from Blunt: "I had the opportunity today to talk to Senator McCain and I told him he is the best person to lead our country as President of the United States. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Husbands and wives can divorce in Missouri without needing a reason. But abortion opponents want to make it a crime if a man threatens divorce to pressure his wife into an abortion. Spouses, boyfriends, parents, bosses and school officials also could face new abortion coercion charges under a proposal pending in the Missouri Legislature. ...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Officers with the Sikeston Department of Public Safety are investigating an incident that occurred Monday evening on Ruth Street that left two injured. According to the Department of Public Safety incident report, at least three calls were received just before 10 p.m. regarding shots being fired near the 800 block of Ruth Street. When officers arrived to conduct a search of the area, no one was found. However, the street was closed and area hospitals were notified...

CHICAGO -- Psychiatrists say it's a common scenario -- troubled patients stop taking their medicine, because of cost, side effects, the stigma or delusions that they don't need it. The consequences can be tragic, though rarely as horrific as the Valentine's Day shooting at Northern Illinois University...

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- A tragedy was narrowly avoided Monday when a New Madrid man was rescued from a grain bin. Employees of the New Madrid Grain company were loading grain trucks from Bobby LaValle's grain bin located on Bloomfield Road when the grain stopped moving. James Robert Stanley, 48, and Bobby Joe Stanley, 35, of New Madrid got in the bin to clear the obstruction...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Federal courts in western Missouri are gearing up to deal with hundreds of requests from convicted crack cocaine dealers who are hoping to cut up to two years from their prison sentences. Last year, the U.S. Sentencing Commission decided to reduce prison term disparities between convictions for crack and powder cocaine, dating back to 1986...

George E. Bockhorst Sr., 88, passed away Monday, Feb. 18, 2008, at Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Sept. 9, 1919, in Wright City, Mo., son of George F. and Ella P. Bockhorst. He married Ruby Miracle. Bockhorst graduated from Wright City High School in 1937 and from the University of Missouri in 1941 with an engineering degree...

WOOD RIVER, Ill. -- Jean "Moma Jean" McLain, of Wood River passed away Monday, Feb. 18, 2008, at St. Louis University Hospital. She was born April 9, 1938, in Cape Girardeau, to Ruddle and Allene Graves Gleason. She and James D. McLain were married April 25, 1959, in Cape Girardeau...

OLIVE BRANCH, Ill. -- Gladys Lorraine Calvert, 97, of Marietta, Ga., died Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008, at Serenity Manor Hospice in Marietta. She was the daughter of Chris and Stella Switzer. She married Harry Calvert, who died in 1962. Calvert was a graduate of Olive Branch High School. She had worked in Illinois, California and Tennessee. She was a former member of the Methodist Church in Olive Branch...

ANNA, Ill. -- George Edwin Johnson Jr., 74, of Anna died Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2008, at his home. He was born April 18, 1933, in Moline, Ill., son of George Edwin and Florence Elther Johnson Sr. He and Rebecca Ann "Becky" Crowell were married Oct. 11, 1990, in Jonesboro...

Robert George "Bob" Nitsch, 80, of Jackson died Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2008, at Monticello House. McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson is in charge of arrangements.

Eugene Holloway Sr., 75, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2008, at his home. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Lynwood Baptist Church.

BELL CITY, Mo. -- Wanda Swindell Ponce, 82, of Bell City died Monday, Feb. 18, 2008, at her home. She was born Nov. 2, 1926, at Oran, Mo., daughter of Robert and Bertha Greer Fisher. She and Lester Swindell were married Jan. 10, 1946, at Benton, Mo. He died Sept. 15, 1972. She later married Bill Ponce May 29, 1976. He died May 4, 1989...

Stacy; Thorn; Hollowell; Hill; Pikey; Ashley

Arrest

n At 10:30 p.m., emergency medical service in the 400 block of North Frederick Street. n At 1:44 an, emergency medical service in the 1100 block of William Street. n At 4:04 a.m., emergency medical service in the 900 block of Rodney Street. n At 6:06 a.m., a citizen assist in the 3000 block of Patriot Drive...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Former Republican Rep. Jack Jackson on Tuesday dropped his nearly monthlong lieutenant governor's campaign to instead work for Arizona Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign. The move leaves Cape Girardeau Republican Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder the lone member of his party who has publicly announced his campaign for the seat...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- A week before his trial, a man accused in connection with the death of a prominent local businessman nearly a year ago has decided to plead guilty to the charges against him. According to Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney Briney Welborn, James Edward Jankowski is expected to plead guilty during a court appearance Wednesday before Presiding Circuit Judge Stephen R. Sharp...

n No one appeared for the public hearing regarding the proposed 2008-2013 Capital Improvements Program for the City of Cape Girardeau. n Authorized the mayor to execute a general warranty deed to Vernon E. Rhodes Family Partners, LP and Rhodes Development Company, LLC for the reconfiguration of Kingsway Drive...

Public works crews are cleaning up storm damage starting at the city of Cape Girardeau's south side. Tim Gramling, director of public works, said the whole process will take at least a month, assuming more storm damage does not occur. People need to get debris to the curbside, he said, and call public works at 334-9151 to get on a priority list. Only one storm-related pickup will be made at each home, he said...

Last week we attended the Valentine banquet at church and enjoyed a fabulous meal with friends. The proceeds from ticket sales will go toward our youths' mission trips this summer. The youths were hard at work serving all the tables, looking pretty classy in white shirts and black pants. ...

Though George Washington traveled broadly throughout what would become the United States, he left the country only once in his life, when in 1751 at the tender age of 19 he accompanied his brother to the Caribbean island of Barbados. The trip constituted a turning point in the young future president's life, widening his horizons and, as historian Jack Warren reports, initiating the trajectory that would make him the transcendent hero of American history...

If ever the rotisserie chicken cookers of America went on strike, our nation would be doomed. Without these utilitarian birds how would busy families get dinner to the table? These chickens are most valuable as ingredients that can easily be transformed into meals that would take hours to prepare without the aid of the rotisserie...

If you're the sort of cook who can't tell a skillet from a saucepan, the Food Network is ready to rescue you. In March, the network will launch a new show, "Rescue Chef," aimed at helping home cooks muddle their way through culinary conundrums, such as how to turn out perfect short ribs or shrimp pad Thai...

LOS ANGELES -- A Superior Court commissioner denied a request Tuesday by Britney Spears' divorce attorney to issue a gag order in the pop star's child-custody dispute with ex-husband Kevin Federline. Attorney Anne Kiley argued that media coverage was "emotionally and physically" dangerous to Spears...

Southeast Missouri State 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...

JACKSON -- When Jackson's Jake Leet described teammate Hunter Grantham on Tuesday night, he called him an "animal down low." Grantham certainly was a force near the basket during the third quarter of the Indians' district contest against rival Central...

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team has been picked to finish fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference this season, based on voting by the league's head coaches. Jacksonville State, which finished second in both the regular season and OVC tournament last year, was tabbed the preseason favorite in the 10-team conference Tuesday...

GARDEN Sow seeds of broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and cabbage indoors now for transplanting into the garden later this spring. If soil conditions allow, take a chance sowing peas, lettuce, spinach and radish. If the weather obliges, you will be rewarded with extra early harvests. ...

JACKSON -- The outcome of Jackson-Central V was the same as the previous four meetings this season, but this one counted most. It ended Central's season at 11-15, and it allowed Jackson to move on to the Class 5 District 1 championship game, which will be played Thursday night in Jackson...

JUPITER, Fla. -- Juan Gonzalez has two MVP awards, two home run titles, one RBI crown and six Silver Sluggers. Yet, he walked into the St. Louis Cardinals spring training with the excitement of a player half his 38 years. "I feel like a rookie invited to big league camp after two years off," he said Tuesday, the first day of full-squad workouts. "I'm coming back for a big challenge. This is opening doors for myself. I'm here working hard to see what happens."...

The Perryville girls basketball team played tenacious defense to advance in the Class 4 District 1 tournament Tuesday. Alicia Kueker scored 16 points and Alyssa Bauwens added 15 as the Pirates downed Ste. Genevieve 45-30. The Pirates advance to face top-seeded Dexter on Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Perry Park Center...

Only home games remain for the Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team, beginning with tonight's 7:~ Southeast will try to improve on its OVC record at home tonight. 30 p.m. tipoff against Austin Peay. The Redhawks finish their regular season with four straight contests at the Show Me Center, and they also are assured of hosting a first-round Ohio Valley Conference tournament game...

ST. LOUIS -- After struggling most of the season, the St. Louis Blues' power play has been potent the past two games. Brad Boyes' 32nd goal was the go-ahead score and the Blues scored three times with the man advantage for the second straight game in a 5-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night. St. Louis' power play has trailed the NHL much of the season...

BAGHDAD -- The Iraqi Interior Ministry ordered police on Tuesday to begin rounding up beggars, homeless and mentally disabled people from the streets of Baghdad and other cities to prevent insurgents from using them as suicide bombers. The decision, which elicited concern from advocates for the mentally disabled, came nearly three weeks after twin suicide bombings against pet markets. Officials said those blasts were carried out by mentally disabled women...

HAVANA -- Now that Fidel Castro has retired, many Cubans are looking to his brother to let more people open businesses, own homes and even travel abroad. But it will probably fall to a new generation of leaders to ultimately fulfill or frustrate their dreams of prosperity...

WASHINGTON -- Barack Obama cruised past Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Wisconsin primary Tuesday night, gaining the upper hand in a Democratic presidential race for the ages. It was Obama's ninth straight victory over the past three weeks, and left the former first lady in need of a comeback in a race she long commanded as front-runner...

Trent Charlton knew the risks when he borrowed $10,000 from his 401(k) and cut his retirement savings in half. But Charlton, a 40-year-old account executive at an Irvine, Calif., trucking company, said he had little choice because he and his wife could not keep up with monthly expenses after American Express reduced the limits on three credit cards...

Missouri Republican Sen. Kit Bond announced Tuesday the allocation of $1.175 million in federal funds in the 2008 omnibus spending bill for the Missouri Sheriff's Methamphetamine Relief Team (MOSMART). The MOSMART program, started in 2001, suffered from the severe reduction of the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Program in 2007 by nearly two-thirds, and Missouri stood to lose nearly $9 million in federal funding for local law enforcement assistance...

The next total eclipse of the moon will not be until Dec. 20, 2010 LOS ANGELES -- The last total lunar eclipse until 2010 occurs Wednesday night, with cameo appearances by Saturn and the bright star Regulus on either side of the veiled full moon. Skywatchers viewing through a telescope will have the added treat of seeing Saturn's rings...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A judge has rewritten the ballot language for a proposed constitutional amendment banning certain embryonic stem cell research. Cole County Judge Patricia Joyce says the language written by Secretary of State Robin Carnahan was insufficient and unfair...

Tim Gramling halted cleanup efforts in the city of Cape Girardeau at 11 a.m. Wednesday. Gramling, director of public works, wants to be prepared for tonight's storm. "We have to get our snow equipment ready," he said. "The guys are going to go home at a regular time, because we know it's going to hit late at night. They're going to get some rest, knowing its coming."...

DEXTER, Mo. -- Three juveniles have been arrested for a rash of vandalism that occurred last week near downtown Dexter. According to Dexter Police Detective Lt. Trevor Pulley, the three young males were arrested Tuesday and were transported to the Stoddard County Juvenile Detention Center in Bloomfield, Mo., where they are currently being held...

Gov. Matt Blunt has appointed a replacement for a Bollinger County commissioner who died last November. The former commissioner, Wayne Whitener, died at his home Nov. 19. Republican Kelly D. Francis will now finish out Whitener's term. Francis, 70, of Marble Hill, Mo., is retired, but worked for 33 years as the general manager of Bollinger County Co-op. He attended Southeast Missouri State University...

Dashes of humor spiced an evening of political commentary and insight as Mary Matalin and James Carville kept an audience of more than 1,000 in their seats to the end of their 66-minute appearance Tuesday at the Show Me Center. With nods to Missouri politicos and hometown pundits, Matalin, a conservative Republican, and her husband, Carville, a liberal Democrat, agreed on one essential truth for the 2008 political season -- few people alive has ever seen anything like it...

The contest for Cape Girardeau County District 1 commissioner that will begin in earnest Tuesday with candidate filing expanded to 11 candidates as two more Republicans said they would join the fray. Jackson Alderman Joe Bob Baker said Tuesday that he will file as a Republican for the office held now by Commissioner Larry Bock. Baker, 55, said he would call on his experience as a city official and a small-business owner to guide his work as a commissioner...

Bobby G. Dambach, 81, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2008, at the Lutheran Home. He was born April 29, 1926, in Cape Girardeau, son of Lester L. and Nona E. Gilder Dambach. He and Dorothy Baird were married Feb. 13, 1997. Dambach was a manager at the former P.N. Hirsch and Co., retiring in 1980...

Cape Girardeau County highway administrator Scott Bechtold will recommend accepting the low bid of a Mount Vernon, Mo., construction company to pave 12 miles of county roads in a test of chip-and-seal materials. Blevins Asphalt Construction Co. Inc.'s bid of $788,124 includes an adjustment for an additional 2,010 tons of chip-and-seal aggregate not accounted for in the county's bid request. The county engineering estimate was $1,018,970...