Stories from Sunday, April 6, 2008

Pat and Jodie McKee of Cape Girardeau observed their 60th wedding anniversary March 13, 2008. Celebrations included several dinner parties, weekend trip to Branson, Mo., and a trip to Phoenix, Ariz. The couple has three children, Cinda (George) Buck of Claremore, Okla., Tami (Rod) Holshouser and Brad McKee of Cape Girardeau...

Jennifer Enke and Robb Wilson were married Oct. 6, 2007, at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. The Rev. Rahah Isidor performed the ceremony. Cantor was Amy Schoenherr of St. Louis. Readers were Amy Morra of Mascoutah, Ill., and Nikki Biermann of St. Louis. Pianists were Glenda Hogue of St. Louis and Lenny Kuper of Cape Girardeau...

Bruce and Michelle Scherer of Benton, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Emily Kathryn Scherer, to Kris Anthony Oliveira, both of Cape Girardeau. He is the son of Dr. William and Diana Prickett of Las Cruces, N.M. Scherer is a 2002 graduate of Notre Dame Regional High School in Cape Girardeau. ...

Timothy and Mary O'Loughlin of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Katie Walsh O'Loughlin, to Aaron Joseph Roth. He is the son of Dennis and Joan Roth of Cape Girardeau. O'Loughlin is a 2002 graduate of Notre Dame Regional High School. She is pursuing a bachelor of science degree in housing and interior design at Southeast Missouri State University...

Patrick and Donna Robert of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Rebecca Lynn Robert, to John Ernest Davis II, both of St. Louis. He is the son of Bill and Helen Burt of Farmington, Mo., and John and Dee Davis of Mariposa, Calif...

Peter Frost and Anne Laffoon of Washington, D.C., and Margaret Lucero and Robert Allen of Corpus Christi, Texas, announce the engagement of their daughter, Amanda Marie Frost, to Jared Walter Ronald Keller, both of Iowa City, Iowa. He is the son of Ron and Vicki Keller of Cape Girardeau, and the late Vicky Lou Keller...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Kimberly Ann Sutterer and Austin John Elder were married Oct. 13, 2007, at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Perryville. The Rev. Joseph Williams performed the ceremony. Pianist was Sister Marilyn Schneider and soloist was Mary Hoehn, both of Perryville...

Emily Michelle Curtis and Mark Ryan Schmitz were married Jan. 5, 2008, at Lynwood Baptist Church. The Rev. Steve Smith performed the ceremony. Soloist was Robyn Hosp, and a duet was sung by Laura Johnson and Charity Seyer, all of Jackson. Pianists were Kirsten Schmitz of St. Louis, sister of the groom, and Shane Steck...

Stan and Diane Blankenship of Millersville announce the engagement of their daughter, Nicole Renee Hobeck, to Scott Robert VanGennip, both of Jackson. He is the son of Jim VanGennip of Advance, Mo., and Shirley Dean VanGennip of Jackson. Hobeck is also the daughter of the late Bobby Miller...

Jessica Ann Sloan and Dr. Michael P. Steele announce their engagement. She is the daughter of Sharon Sloan of St. Peters, Mo., and the late Rex Sloan. Steele is the son of Richard G. and Gayle Steele of Cape Girardeau. Sloan is a 1998 graduate of Francis Howell North High School. She received a bachelor of science degree in marketing from Maryville University in 2002, and a master's degree in school counseling from Lindenwood University in 2007...

JoEtta Snell and Paul Adam McCoy were married Dec. 8, 2007, at Tropicana Island Chapel in Las Vegas, Nev. The Rev. Janet R. Miller performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Bill Snell and Jan Snell of Cape Girardeau. The groom is the son of Gerald and Paula McCoy of Jackson...

Praise dirt and hail a recycling superhero in a lush crop of books for Earth Day, April 22. Along with familiar characters like Little Critter and important ones like Nobel Peace laureate Wangari Maathai for children, MySpace makes its first foray into offline publishing with a branded how-to book for teens to mark the occasion. Though many more exist, these are a few examples of new ink in the green genre...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Cora Jane Thorne, 93, of Chaffee died April 4, 2008, at Chaffee Nursing Center. She was born April 18, 1914, at Daisy, Mo., daughter of George Franklin Hosey and Arlena Elizabeth White Rhyne. She and the Rev. Luther Edward Thorne were married July 26, 1933. He died April 20, 2004...

MCCLURE, Ill. ­-- Hansel R. "Red" Arnac, 78, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., passed away Friday, April 4, 2008, at his daughter's home in McClure, Ill., after losing his battle with cancer. Arnac was born Dec. 29, 1929, in Linton, Ind., son of Gabriel J. and Edna L. Anderson Arnac...

Marilyn D. Kelly, 76, of Jackson died Saturday, April 5, 2008, at her home. She was born June 28, 1931, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Norman L. and Mildred B. (Stout) Harwell. She and Jack F. Kelly were married Oct. 25, 1951, in Cape Girardeau. He died June 17, 1986...

ST. LOUIS -- We like to think there isn't anything we wouldn't do for a friend, but Michael A. Moore has the proof: On Thursday, he donated his kidney to his best friend, and to do so he lost 50 pounds in five months while chronicling his experience in video clips on YouTube...

The boil-water advisory covering much of the eastern half of the city had little effect on the Cape Girardeau Storytelling Festival on Saturday. Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director and festival co-producer Chuck Martin said organizers were ready with bottled water once they heard about the boil-water order Friday. ...

Ben Stricklin likely is the best javelin-throwing cheerleader in the country. If Stricklin keeps improving at his current pace, he might become one of the nation's best javelin throwers period. The Southeast Missouri State senior continued his remarkable rise Saturday as he rolled through the competition at the 27th annual SEmotion Relays...

Nick Harris took one for the team -- literally -- to help Southeast Missouri State salvage a split in Saturday's Ohio Valley Conference baseball doubleheader. Harris, a sophomore shortstop, was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh and final inning of the nightcap against Murray State...

JACKSON -- Sophomore Landon Wachter took part in two-a-day track-and-field practices even before reaching high school. Her father, Jackson coach Steve Wachter, used to run her at the track most summer days between 6:30 and 8:30 a.m., and again between 7:30 and 9 p.m...

The Southeast Missouri State softball team split Saturday's home doubleheader with Tennessee State, winning the opener 5-2 and dropping the nightcap 3-2. Southeast is 16-18 overall and 6-7 in Ohio Valley Conference play. TSU is 13-22 and 5-8. Elaine Fisher pitched a five-hitter in the first game. She allowed one earned run while striking out one and walking one...

POPLAR BLUFF -- The B.A. Sports All-Star Extravaganza was an event made for a player like Spencer Goodman. The 6-foot-5 Jackson senior, who recently committed to sign later this month with the North Dakota program that is moving to Division I next year, can shoot the 3-pointer, handle the ball in the open court and throw it down...

Central's Brooks Osburn had a strong day at the plate. He went 3-for-4, including smashing a home run and a double, but the Tigers still fell to Poplar Bluff 6-5 on the road in baseball action Saturday. The Mules scored two in the sixth and one in the seventh off Central reliever Blake Smith...

POPLAR BLUFF -- How valuable was Bell City senior Ethan Watkins as a passer Saturday afternoon? After Watkins set up David Prater for some thunderous dunks during the small school boys basketball game at the B.A. Sports All-Star Extravaganza and then fed Bell City teammate Phillip Gross during the dunk contest for some impressive slams, East Prairie's Tony Jones sought out Watkins for some help on his encore dunk...

POPLAR BLUFF -- Leopold and Notre Dame dominated the awards banquet for the B.A. Sports All-Star Extravaganza on Saturday night. Leopold was named the team of the year in volleyball after its third-place finish in Class 1. Sandy Davis, the Wildcats assistant, was named the coach of the year. In addition, Cassie Seiler was named the best setter and Maddy Hutchings captured player of the year honors...

Notre Dame junior Austin Greer believes the Bulldogs would not have won the Class 4 state basketball title this past March without senior Ryan Willen. "He's that player that pushes us above everybody else," Greer said. "It's like, 'We have him and you don't.' He's our big guy. He's going to control the boards and he's going to score a lot of points. If you take him out of the mix, we're still a pretty good team. But with him, we're a great team."...

Starting Tuesday, Cape Girardeau County residents affected by the recent floods can seek assistance at a FEMA disaster recovery center in Jackson. It is one of four being opened in Missouri by the federal agency. Disaster recovery centers will also open in Butler, Stoddard and McDonald counties...

ELDORADO, Texas -- Sect leaders at a polygamist compound in West Texas refused Saturday to let authorities search a temple for a teenage girl whose report of abuse led to the raid, and authorities said they were preparing "for the worst." If no agreement is reached with sect leaders, authorities will forcibly remove the sect's followers "as peaceably as possible," Allison Palmer, a prosecutor in Tom Green County, told the San Angelo Standard-Times...

To the editor: I feel for the Shank family's tragedy. It would be subhuman to not get emotional over what happened. However, they had no ethical or legal claim to the money Wal-Mart is letting them keep. Wal-Mart's policy is clear-cut and similar to nearly every other insurance policy in the country. ...

SEDALIA, Mo. -- Rylea Bartlett can see the freckles on her grandmother's face and distinguish lip gloss on her mother's mouth. The 6-year-old's progress has raised the hopes of another young girl who has the same optic nerve disorder. Savannah Watring and her family are making arrangements to travel to China, where they hope an experimental treatment will give the 7-year-old sight...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Don Phillip Shaffer, 68, of Marble Hill died Friday, April 4, 2008, at his home. He was born July 26, 1939, at Lawton, Okla., son of Gene and Juanita Parker Shaffer. He and Rita Sue Story were married May 15, 1965, at Tijuana, Mexico...

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Arkansas' marriage-age crisis is over. A law that mistakenly allowed anyone -- even toddlers -- to marry with parental permission was repealed by a measure signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Mike Beebe, ending months of embarrassment for the state and confusion for county clerks...

HILLSBORO, Ore. -- Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton on Saturday strengthened her pitch to allow disputed primaries in Michigan and Florida to be counted in the nominating contest, noting the vote totals had been officially recognized in each state. "Some say their votes should be ignored and the popular vote in Michigan and Florida should be discounted. ...

Betty Dowling Reineke, 82, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, April 4, 2008, at St. John's Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis. She was born Aug. 23, 1925, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of William and Selma Wynn Dowling. She and Gilbert A. Reineke were married Sept. 11, 1943, in Cape Girardeau. He died July 7, 1995...

ELDORADO, Texas -- Child welfare officials have now removed nearly 200 women and children from a secretive West Texas religious retreat built by polygamist leader Warren Jeffs, authorities said Saturday. The investigation began after a 16-year-old living there complained of physical abuse. A search warrant authorized state troopers to enter the retreat run by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and look for evidence of a marriage between the girl and a 50-year-old man...

Tuesday is a big day for voters. Dozens of city council, board of aldermen, town board and school board members will be chosen. And key tax issues are on the ballot in Perry County, Cape Girardeau and elsewhere. (See today's special election section in the Southeast Missourian, and visit semissourian.com to review all of this year's articles about candidates and issues.)...

NEW ORLEANS -- Aaron Neville is finally coming home to New Orleans -- almost. The R&B singer, who bought a house in Brentwood, Tenn., after Hurricane Katrina, said he's buying a home near Covington, across Lake Pontchartrain about 40 miles from New Orleans. He expects to close on the property in the coming weeks...

Denise Lincoln will leave her part-time job as the Family Resource Center's director this year. The move is to take advantage of a lifelong dream to travel with her husband, Doug, an ultrasound technologist with Saint Francis Medical Center. Her only hesitation in leaving the resource center, she said, is because of the recent licensing troubles. ...

WASHINGTON -- When Army Gen. David Petraeus delivers his assessment of the Iraq war this week, the next commander in chief will weigh in as well. Republican Sen. John McCain will get a chance to argue that last year's U.S. troop buildup has been a success and withdrawal would be a mistake. Democratic Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama will have an opportunity to ask why the United States is still fighting more than five years after the invasion...

Oak Ridge Elementary School 4th grade — Dakota DeRousse, Jessica Hahs, Madison LeGrand, Ashley Lemonds, Tessa Mangels, Abigale Matthews. 5th grade — Brianna Carron, Brooke Grable, Leah Puchbauer, Marissa Schamburg, Jacob Seabaugh, Chelsea Seyer, Rebecca Slinkard, Thomas Warren, Zach Watkins, Kaylen Woods. ...

Roads reduced to one lane for MoDOT work n Bollinger County: MoDOT crews will be trimming brush along Route M, between routes VV and B in Bollinger County starting at 7:30 a.m. Monday. Traffic will be reduced to one lane during the work, which should be done by evening...

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. -- A court has issued what could be at least a local first: an order of protection for a duck. A Suffolk County judge approved the measure Thursday, telling a man accused of shooting a family's pet duck to stay away from the bird and her owners...

PARIS -- France's military is keeping close tabs on a French luxury yacht seized by pirates off Somalia's coast, and officials hope to avoid using force to free the 30 crew members, the prime minister said Saturday. Attackers stormed the 288-foot Le Ponant on Friday as it returned without passengers from the Seychelles, in the Indian Ocean, toward the Mediterranean Sea, officials with French maritime transport company CMA-CGM said...

Dawson Christopher Miller was born at 5:50 a.m. March 31, 2008, all 19 inches and 5 pounds, 13 ounces of him. Bob Miller and Callie Clark Miller were unable to write their column this week due to an intense lack of sleep brought about by the all-night wails of a newborn. His and Hers will return next week along with (hopefully) the Millers' ability to hold their eyes open while looking at a computer screen....

@graphic_body_indent_bold leadin:Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWIs n Patrick Kenneth Slayton, 46, 417 N. Frederick St., was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated...

As the region continues to recover from floods and February's ice storms, an army of helping hands has found ways to provide invaluable assistance. Hundreds of volunteers have responded to calls for help with cleanup at Jackson City Park and Trail of Tears State Park...

BAGHDAD -- Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's faltering crackdown on Shiite militants has won the backing of Sunni Arab and Kurdish parties that fear both the powerful sectarian militias and the effects of failure on Iraq's fragile government. The emergence of a common cause could help bridge Iraq's political rifts...

Old jewelry pieces and buttons, a place mat, an old belt: The trinkets you find during your spring cleaning could be just what you need to spruce up your wardrobe. Fashion crafting is an easy way to take clothing you already love and give it a new look. It's good for the environment, good for your budget -- and good for your favorite duds...

Today's election special section, which went to press Friday, included an incomplete sentence at the end of Cape Girardeau City Council candidate Mark Lanzotti's profile. The sentence should read, "We are blessed to live in a community where front porches are still used, children can ride a bike in their neighborhoods, and driving across town doesn't take all day."...

WHEN PRESIDENT Clinton was in office, we were out of the recession. We wasn't even in a depression, we were out of recession the first time. And now we are in a depression and a recession under the Bush Administration. Now you can say whatever you want to, you can say it's a recession, I say it's a depression because you're not in my shoes. ...

Baseball n Boys tournament: The Chaffee boys 13-year olds tournament will take place May 15 to 18 at the Chaffee Horman field. It will be a double-elimination tournament. Cost: $175 per team. Info: Mike or Tina Johnson, 318-9063 or 318-6054. n American Legion tryout: The Jackson American Legion tryouts will be held April 20 at American Legion Field in Jackson. ...

MINNEAPOLIS -- Amy Rice feared for her dog's life when a pit bull jumped over a fence into her yard and attacked her pooch. So she took matters into her own mouth. Rice says she bit the pit bull on the nose Friday after trying to pull the dog's jaws off her Labrador retriever, Ella. The dog had jumped a fence to get into Rice's northeast Minneapolis yard, and Rice says she feared the pit bull would kill Ella...

Today Cape Girardeau Storytelling Festival: Red House Interpretive Center, noon to 3 p.m. Don Greenwood and Dan Wiethop: River Ridge Winery, Commerce, 2 to 6 p.m. Bruce Zimmerman & the Water Street Band: Water Street Lounge, Port Cape, 8 p.m. to midnight...

Teen Challenge International of Mid-America had 50 reasons to celebrate at its annual banquet Saturday evening at the Show Me Center. The residential Christian program that helps men with drug, alcohol and other addictions is half a century old this year...

@graphic_body_indent_bold leadin:Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Friday: n At 6:22 p.m., an alarm sounding at 1000 Tower Circle. n At 9:24 p.m., a canceled call for the 200 block of Hillcrest Drive. n At 10:37 p.m., emergency medical service in the 800 block of North Spanish Street...

Skipping the 2008 model year altogether, the Nissan Murano sport utility vehicle is out as an early 2009 model with noticeably more engine power, noteworthy ride and handling and mildly restyled body. Best of all, the starting retail price is lower than what it was for the 2007 predecessor...

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai called Saturday on President Robert Mugabe to step down and accused the country's longtime ruler of plotting a campaign of violence to bolster his chances of winning an expected runoff. Amid increasing signs of a government crackdown, armed police barred opposition officials from filing a suit demanding the publication of the results from the March 29 presidential election. The opposition promised to try again today...

We all know the confusion and anguish associated with moving from one home to another. The following list is designed to moderate the pain and help you put some organization into your move. n Provide the post office with your forwarding address two to four weeks ahead of the move...

GUIRA DE MELENA, Cuba -- In a country where almost everyone works for the communist state, dairy farmer Jesus Diaz is his own boss. He likes it that way -- and so does the government. Living on a plot of land just big enough to graze four dairy cows, Diaz produces enough milk to sell about four quarts a day to the state...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- More than five years after her death, Rebekah Grisamore is still contributing to the scientific discoveries Merlin Butler is making. Rebekah had Prader-Willi syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes developmental disabilities and strikingly severe obesity...

KILLDEER, N.D. -- The sounds of children playing baseball have been silenced at one ball field in this western North Dakota city. Officials fear the ground itself is simply too unsafe. The ballpark, one of two in this town of about 700 people, is covered with crushed gravel containing erionite, a mineral found in the chalky white rock mined from the nearby Killdeer Mountains...

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica -- The Burger King is safe, at least in Costa Rica. Government officials said Friday they have banned commercials for the hamburger chain that depict mothers trying to run over company's plastic-headed signature character or hire a hit man to kill him because their children prefer burgers to home-cooked meals...

SOCHI, Russia -- President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin opened farewell talks Saturday as the White House dropped hopes they would resolve differences on U.S. missile defense plans, one of the most contentious issues in a long list of security disputes...

Physically fit coaches A COMMENT said that by relieving coaches of their classroom duties and allowing them to only coach, we'd have less student obesity. Look at some of our coaches. Several are overweight. They may be coaches, but they sure aren't the role models of physical fitness I want for my children. Perhaps before we let them coach we should require physical fitness on their part...

The boil-water advisory remains in effect through 5 p.m. today for an estimated 12,000 residents in the city of Cape Girardeau. Anyone living between the city's southern border and Bertling Street, southeast of Cape Rock Drive and east of Kingshighway must follow the boil-water order. Businesses on either side of Kingshighway are not affected by the order...

Dear Dr. Dobson: What advice would you give parents who recognize a tendency within themselves to abuse their children? Maybe they're afraid they'll get carried away when spanking a disobedient child. Do you think they should avoid corporal punishment as a form of discipline?...

BEIJING -- China vowed Saturday to ramp up a campaign requiring Tibetan Buddhist monks to denounce the Dalai Lama and declare their loyalty to Beijing. But resentment over "patriotic education" has ignited protests that have left eight people dead in recent days in a southwestern province and could fuel future unrest despite a massive security presence aimed at quelling the demonstrations...

NEW YORK -- In his visit this month to the United States, Pope Benedict XVI will find an American flock wrestling with what it means to be Roman Catholic. The younger generation considers religion important, but doesn't equate faith with going to church. Many lay people want a greater say in how their parishes operate, yet today's seminarians hope to restore the traditional role and authority of priests...

MENOMONIE, Wis. -- A house fire near a University of Wisconsin campus killed three students who never made it out of their bedrooms early Saturday, even though neighbors said they heard alarms going off. Rescuers found two women and a man in second-floor bedrooms near the University of Wisconsin-Stout, and they were pronounced dead at a hospital, authorities said...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- As an architectural icon and the seat of state government, the Missouri Capitol draws more than 100,000 visitors each year to its ornate perch on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River. That steady stream of tourists, most of whom arrive on school buses, makes the majestic Capitol by far the city's most popular attraction...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Yellow police tape and wooden barricades no longer block the entrance to Northern Illinois University's Cole Hall, but it remains empty nearly two months after a gunman killed five students and himself there. With the painful memories still fresh at the university in DeKalb, students and faculty avoid the brick building...

WASHINGTON -- A new brain-scan study may help explain what's going on in the minds of financial titans when they take risky monetary gambles -- sex. When young men were shown erotic pictures, they were more likely to make a larger financial gamble than if they were shown a picture of something scary, such a snake, or something neutral, such as a stapler, university researchers reported...

25 years ago: April 6, 1983 There will be no merger of the Chaffee, Mo., and Delta school districts, at least not in the near future; while the measure passed in Chaffee, 624-372, it failed in Delta yesterday, 499-104. Incumbents James F. Hirsch and Catherine Otto easily won re-election to the Cape Girardeau Board of Education yesterday, defeating challenger John Sarff...

Tuesday is election day in Cape Girardeau, Bollinger, Scott and Perry counties. Leading the issues is the proposed parks and storm-water tax in the city of Cape Girardeau. If approved, the half-cent retail sales tax would raise $25 million for upgrading parks, the city's golf and pool facilities; replacing parks and recreation department equipment; and 12 storm-water abatement projects...

Zach Carron, 15, has an iPod with more than 400 songs and 50 videos. He says he has a good life. This is why the Perryville, Mo., teen was on his knees Saturday morning at the Family Resource Center in Cape Girardeau. He came with 20 other members of the Perryville-based Vincentian Marian Youth for a two-day mission...

The boil-water advisory is over for an estimated 12,000 residents affected by Friday's water main break. Kevin Priester, manager for Alliance Water, which operates the city's water service, said residents should run water through the taps to refresh the supply. Follow manufacturer's recommendations for cleaning appliances connected to water systems, such as ice makers...