Stories from Monday, February 25, 2008

WILCOX, Mo. (AP) -- Three women are dead after a one-car crash in northwest Missouri. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said the 54-year-old son of one of the victims lost control of the car while trying to avoid a collision on U.S. 71 near Wilcox in Nodaway County Sunday afternoon...

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) -- A woman is sentenced in St. Louis County Circuit Court to four years in prison in a shooting melee that left one teen dead and a second wounded. Alma King pleaded no contest earlier this month to a single reduced charge of second-degree assault. The 52-year-old had been accused of firing a shot from a handgun after a mob of teens gathered outside her home in suburban St. Louis last year to taunt her son...

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- A third Democrat has joined the ranks of those seeking to replace Kenny Hulshof in Congress. State House member Judy Baker, of Columbia, says she wants to ensure all Americans have access to health care. She says she wants to run a "snap out of it" campaign that gets people focused on solving problems...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Real estate values in cities around the country have been falling or remaining flat, but prices for agricultural land in Kansas and Missouri remain strong, thanks largely to high crop prices. "In 2007 and probably continuing into 2008, agriculture is back in the driver's seat," said Rodney Jones, a farm management economist at Kansas State University...

Reno Richard Cova, Jr., convicted of two drug-related felonies and a misdemeanor, faced five years in prison. On Monday, Circuit judge Benjamin F. Lewis ordered five years of supervised probation. Cova, a local doctor, was convicted on Jan. 11 of possession of crack cocaine and powdered cocaine, both felonies. ...

If everything promised for the region in terms of construction takes place, 2008 could be the beginning of one of the fastest periods of growth ever seen in our area. First came the announcement by Saint Francis Medical Center that it plans an $84 million heart and cancer hospital adjacent to its present facility. ...

A new real estate partnership focusing on developing unincorporated parts of Cape Girardeau County has ambitious plans for building and selling homes in 2008. Mike Mathes, owner of Mathes Land Development, joined forces with Stacy Mansfield, owner of Midwest Construction, and Eugene Holloway, owner of Holloway Carpet One, to create 360 Land Development LLC, combining 12 subdivision developments and hundreds of home lots into the biggest development company in the county...

Deer are fair game in Columbia, Mo. At least they are for bowhunters in the fall. In 2004, Columbia opened up four city-owned areas to bowhunters stalking deer. One hunting spot is a section of the Twin Lakes Recreation Area, a 64-acre park where people also can walk and cycle on trails, walk their dogs, fish and swim. Private landowners in the city have been allowed to permit bowhunting on their property during the season since the early 1990s...

SIKESTON -- Interstate 55 in Cape Girardeau County will be reduced to one lane starting at 8 a.m. Monday. MoDOT crews will be doing routine bridge maintenance on the southbound land, one mile north of Route KK. The single lane of traffic will have a width restriction of 14 feet...

According to the Centers for Disease Control, this year's flu season is getting worse. You may have noticed more of your co-workers or classmates coming down with the illness recently. The CDC reports that infections from an unexpected strain have been booming, and now that string is the main agent behind most of the nation's lab-confirmed flu cases. This year's flu vaccine doesn't work against this particular strain...

Former Cape Girardeau city councilman Gail "Woody" Woodfin remains hospitalized, recuperating from a fall that occurred when a flight of stairs on an outside wooden deck at his home collapsed several days ago; Woodfin suffered fractures in his right knee, cuts and bruises and possible injuries to his back when he fell 18 feet...

Saving money; Viewing the damage; Managing well; Paper delivered; Profit for us; Debt problems; Landlord's stuff; Ordinary people; Thanks for help; Disgraceful expense; Wake-up call; Keep it affordable; Chaffee workers; Plant pecan trees; Safe and feasible; School selling

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- A Dexter, Mo., nurse who pleaded guilty to stealing prescription medication will spend the next five years on probation. At her sentencing hearing Wednesday, Presiding Circuit Judge Stephen R. Sharp suspended the imposition of a sentence on Natalie Ritter, 27, and placed her on five years' supervised probation...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Five men arrested and charged with stealing copper wire in December have all pleaded guilty to the charge and face a wide range of sentences. The five men, who pleaded guilty to one count of felony of theft/stealing each, were: n Erik Zerr, 27, sentenced to six years in the Missouri Department of Corrections following the filing of a Sentence Assessment Report by the Missouri Board of Probation and Parole...

CARUTHERSVILLE, Mo. -- A nine-month investigation into animal abuse ended Friday when search warrants were served. However, the rescue wasn't in time for at least three animals, which died before investigators arrived on the scene. According to a Pemiscot County Sheriff Tommy Greenwell, Pemiscot County deputies and officials with the Caruthersville Humane Society executed the warrants Friday morning at property on County Road 538. ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- A month after a new state law required Missouri petroleum dealers to begin selling ethanol-blended E-10 fuel, reactions to the new fuel's economy and gas mileage are mixed. "I think it's idiotic," Boone County resident Brett Burns said Saturday as he filled up his Chevrolet hatchback. "My car runs worse with it. I don't like it. It's not nearly as good."...

LOS ANGELES -- The Coen brothers completed their journey from the fringes to Hollywood's mainstream Sunday, their crime saga "No Country for Old Men" winning four Academy Awards, including best picture, in a ceremony that also featured a strong international flavor...

Winners at the 80th annual Academy Awards, presented Sunday night at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles:Best Motion Picture: "No Country for Old Men." Lead Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood." Lead Actress: Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose."...

LEOPOLD, Mo. -- Rosina E. Eldracher, 93, of Leopold died Saturday, Feb. 23, 2008, at her residence. She was born Jan. 3, 1915, in Leopold, daughter of Jacob J. and Lucy Vandeven Elfrink. She and Charlie F. Eldracher were married April 24, 1935. He died Nov. 2, 1991...

Nell Griffith, 72, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Feb. 23, 2008, at the Monticello House in Jackson. She was born Feb. 8, 1936, in Bollinger County, daughter of James Truman and Clara Rita (VanGennip) Nall. She and Roy L. Griffith were married Nov. 12, 1955, in Advance, Mo...

Deborah Kinder, 46, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Feb. 24, 2008, at her residence. Arrangements are pending at Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

James H. "Jim" Daniels, 73, formerly of Scott City, died Sunday, Feb. 24, 2008, at his home in Mesa, Ariz. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- Matilda "Tillie" Queathem, 87, of St. Charles died Saturday, Feb. 23, 2008, at St. Joseph Health Center in St. Charles. She was born March 21, 1920, in Perryville, Mo., daughter of Adolph and Regina Pingel. She and Arthur Queathem were married Feb. 15, 1958, in St. Louis...

Patricia J. Wulfers, 82, of Jackson died Saturday, Feb. 23, 2008, at Jackson Manor in Jackson. She was born May 18, 1925, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Raymond and Mildred K. (Keane) Beckman. She and George Wulfers were married Nov. 4, 1946, in Cape Girardeau. He died April 19, 1984...

DWI; Arrest

n At 3:14 p.m., a citizen assist in the 200 block of South Lorimier Street. n At 4:34 p.m., a motor vehicle accident at Broadway and North West End Boulevard. n At 4:59 p.m., emergency medical service in the 1900 block of Eden Circle. n At 5:10 p.m., a motor vehicle accident at Broadway and North West End Boulevard...

Area libraries welcome children's author At 9 a.m. Thursday award-winning children's author Lisa Wheeler will be at Riverside Regional Library in Jackson. At 10:30 a.m. Thursday she will be at Cape Girardeau Public Library. Registration is recommended. Call Riverside at 243-8141 or the Cape Girardeau library at 334-5279. To register online at Cape Girardeau Public Library, visit www.capelibrary.org....

Christopher Paul Allison was recently commissioned into the Infantry Branch of the U.S. Army as second lieutenant. He will begin his Army training at Fort Benning, Ga., in April. He graduated from the University of Missouri-Rolla in 2007 with a degree in mechanical engineering. ...

Saxon Lutheran Memorial will mark its opening day Saturday with several special activities for the whole family. Curator Lynda Lorenz said that opening day will be like a "mini-festival," offering a more intimate experience for visitors when compared to the harvest festival held in October...

Wild game dinner set at Fruitland church A wild game dinner will be at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Fruitland Community Church, 6040 U.S. 61 North in Fruitland with guest speakers from Three Timbers Outdoors Ministries. The event is free and open to the public...

WASHINGTON -- Job growth is faltering, consumer confidence plunging. The fallout from the worst housing slump in a quarter-century grows. Wherever you look, the signs are unmistakable that the economy is in trouble. Because of all the bad news, more and more economists foresee the country falling into a recession, according to the latest survey by the National Association for Business Economics...

Casey Johnston was two weeks away from delivering her third child last March when she walked into the offices of National Asset Recovery Services, or NARS, seeking a job. The company, new at that time to Cape Girardeau and looking to hire up to 400 people over the course of the year, offered her a job, telling her to get back with them after she gave birth. ...

WASHINGTON -- Internet users should be free to surf where they want and download what they please. But shouldn't the owners of the networks that make the Internet possible also have rights? That, in a nutshell, is the topic of debate at a special public meeting of the Federal Communications Commission at Harvard Law School today...

Chamber of Commerce holds ribbon cutting The Jackson Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. Tuesday for the new branch office of Edward D. Jones Investments at 2260 E. Jackson Blvd. Extension service offers small business course The Small Business Development Center of University of Missouri Extension Service will offer a class for people interested in starting or expanding their businesses. ...

Liquor manager named certified wine specialist; Operations manager back at Show Me Center; Employee honored for contamination find; General manager named as finalist for award; Financial adviser joins Cape Girardeau firm

WASHINGTON -- Consumer advocate Ralph Nader on Sunday announced a fresh bid for the White House, criticizing the top contenders as too close to big business and dismissing the possibility that his third-party candidacy could tip the election to Republicans...

HAVANA -- Cuba's parliament named Raul Castro president Sunday, ending nearly 50 years of rule by his brother Fidel but leaving the island's communist system unshaken. In a surprise move, officials bypassed younger candidates to name a 77-year-old revolutionary leader, Jose Ramon Machado, to Cuba's No. 2 spot -- apparently assuring the old guard that no significant political changes will be made soon...

WASHINGTON -- Barack Obama promises $4,000 credits to help pay college tuition. Hillary Rodham Clinton backs $25 billion for home heating subsidies. And John McCain wants to not only extend President Bush's tax cuts, but eliminate the alternative minimum tax at a cost of about $2 trillion over 10 years...

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- The death toll from a Georgia sugar refinery explosion has risen again. A hospital spokeswoman in Augusta says another burn patient has died from injuries suffered in the blast at Imperial Sugar in Port Wentworth. That means 11 people have died since the Feb. 7 explosion...

SEATTLE -- The estate of Ric Weiland, a high school classmate of Microsoft Corp. founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen and one of the first five people to work at the software giant, has left $65 million to gay rights and HIV/AIDS organizations. The bequests were announced Sunday by the Pride Foundation of Seattle, where Weiland was a board member for several years. The foundation called it the largest single bequest ever given to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender causes...

BAGHDAD -- A suicide bomber blew himself up among Shiite pilgrims taking a break Sunday during their days-long march to a shrine for a major religious gathering. The blast killed at least 40 people and wounded 60, making it one of the deadliest this year...

LOS ANGELES -- The political thriller "Vantage Point" secured the top spot at the weekend box office, earning an estimated $24 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. The previous No. 1 movie, 20th Century Fox's "Jumper," dropped to second with $12.7 million, raising its domestic total to $56.2 million in two weeks. ...

MARANA, Ariz. -- Not even the most unpredictable tournament in golf could keep Tiger Woods from an inevitable victory. There seems to be no stopping him. Stewart Cink barely put up a fight Sunday in the Accenture Match Play Championship, where Woods broke a scoring record for the fourth straight tournament, collected his fifth straight victory worldwide and didn't so much as crack a smile when someone asked him if a perfect season was within reach...

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- A glance around Memphis' dressing room showed the challenge facing coach John Calipari now that the Tigers' chase for perfection is over. Chris Douglas-Roberts and Joey Dorsey sat at their lockers with their jerseys pulled over their heads and most Tigers declined to talk after No. 2 Tennessee stunned top-ranked Memphis 66-62 Saturday to likely grab the No. 1 ranking...

JUPITER, Fla. -- St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Todd Wellemeyer is vying for one of two early openings at the bottom of the rotation. He sees the opportunity as Chris Carpenter and Mark Mulder recuperate from surgery and Matt Clement rebuilds arm strength after recovering from surgery...

If you can't beat them, sue them I THINK it's wonderful that at least one St. Louis Rams player is suing the New England Patriots owner, Robert Kraft, and coach, Bill Belichick, for cheating before the Rams' Super Bowl loss to the Patriots. If the league isn't going to enforce the rules, then the courts should step up and get the job done. ...

To the editor:I work for John Deere in drivetrain operations as a manufacturing engineer with a focus on automation. Southeast Missouri State basketball did a tremendous job preparing me for the field and my life. I am very comfortable and confident with who I am, and an enormous part of that is the things I learned playing basketball...

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Ilya Bryzgalov finally solved the St. Louis Blues. Bryzgalov stopped 35 shots for his second shutout of the season and fourth of his career, and the Phoenix Coyotes beat the St. Louis Blues 2-0 on Sunday night. He entered the game 0-2-0 with a 6.91 goals-against average against the Blues...

The Scott City boys basketball team advanced to the semifinals of the Class 3 District 1 tournament with a 52-48 overtime victory Saturday over East Prairie in Portageville, Mo. The third-seeded Rams trailed the sixth-seeded Eagles 32-28 entering the fourth quarter, but rallied to send the game into overtime...

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico -- Brian Gay won the Mayakoba Golf Classic for his first PGA Tour title, shooting a 1-under 69 on Sunday for a two-stroke victory. Gay, making his 293rd career start, came into the final round with a five-stroke lead and was hardly threatened. Runner-up Steve Marino (66) got within four strokes with four holes to play, but Gay made a long putt to save par on No. 16 to essentially seal the title and $630,000 check...

That Nick Zito is at it again. Three years ago, the Hall of Fame trainer sent a record-equaling five horses to the Kentucky Derby. This year, he could top the mark after his unbeaten War Pass made a smashing 3-year-old debut at Gulfstream Park on Sunday about 30 minutes after Cool Coal Play won the Fountain of Youth Stakes over a formidable field...

FONTANA, Calif. -- A wet few days in Southern California left NASCAR's Sprint Cup drivers with a lot time on their hands Sunday. The Auto Club 500 finally began about 2 1/2 hours after its scheduled 1 p.m. start time, but it was slowed by two early crashes and then halted as NASCAR and track officials looked for a way to stop water seeping through the seams of the 2-mile oval...

After two weeks of ice covering the ground, Southeast Missouri and parts of Southern Illinois got a nice powerdering of fun winter precipitation. An inch of snow fell in Cape Girardeau and Marble Hill, Mo., on Sunday morning, covering cars and trees with a light dusting before turning into rain when it reached the Tennessee and Kentucky borders, according to the National Weather Service...

After such a promising start, the Southeast Missouri State men's basketball season has certainly turned into a major disappointment. But the Redhawks still have a shot to salvage at least a little something out of their spiraling campaign. It's just that they'll need some help to do it...

SOUTHAVEN, Miss. -- The Southeast Missouri State softball team wrapped up the Blues City Classic with a 15-0, five-inning rout of Alabama A&M on Sunday. Southeast went 2-3 in the six-team event hosted by the University of Memphis. The Redhawks are 5-5 on the season...

PINE BLUFF, Ark. -- Southeast Missouri State's first baseball game of 2008 did not go well. But the rest of the Redhawks' season-opening series at Arkansas-Pine Bluff couldn't have been much better. After dropping Friday's contest and losing shortstop Nick Harris to an injury, the Redhawks bounced back with two dominant wins, capped by Sunday's 15-3 romp that gave them the series victory...

John Ashcroft is coming to Cape Girardeau. He's the keynote speaker for Lincoln Day, at 6:30 p.m. March 8, sponsored by the Cape Girardeau County Republican Women. Jackson residents John and Donna Lichtenegger had a lot to do with that. The Lichteneggers have known Ashcroft since the early 1970s...

At this summer's Libertyfest the sky over the Mississippi River in downtown Cape Girardeau could be filled with both fireworks and airplanes. An attempt is being made to combine the Cape Girardeau Regional Air Festival with Cape Girardeau's annual Fourth of July celebration. ...

Difficulties finding donors willing to invest in a leased facility forced the Discovery Playhouse to abandon plans for converting a building at 101 William St. into a children's museum, the president of the board said. Instead, Discovery Playhouse found a new location at 502 Broadway, the old Walther's Furniture Co. building, Brown said...

As red and yellow bulbs twinkled and "Let's Get Ready to Rumble" cracked over the speakers, each player of the Lady Mercury basketball team strained to hear her name, individually jogging through a makeshift tunnel to their parents' clapping beat...

John Ashcroft is returning for a third turn as keynote speaker for Lincoln Day on Saturday, March 8. The annual event is sponsored by the Cape Girardeau County Republican Women's Club. Ashcroft is a former U.S. Attorney General, U.S. Senator and two-term Missouri Governor...

The announcement that Mary Kasten will not seek a full term as state representative launched two other efforts to win the GOP nomination in the 158th District. Wayne Wallingford, director of human resources for McDonald's of Southeast Missouri, issued a news release announcing his plans to run. ...

The Cape Girardeau area may see more snow fall early this week, but it shouldn't be enough to cause significant problems. As of this morning, the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky., was expecting rain to begin this afternoon, possibly mixing with snow tonight. There's an 80 percent chance of precipitation tonight, but with a low forecast around 37, any snow that does fall won't accumulate on the ground...